"--- Fungar vice cotis acutum
Reddere quae ferrum valet, exors ipsa fecendi."
Motto from Horace, A.P. 304
THE ESSAY OF DRAMATIC POESY 1668
(In telling the Earl that he is fortunate to have
led a group of poets),
" pars indocili melior giege; mollis et expers Ignominata perprimat cubils."
Ker I. p . 24 Horace, Epod. XVI,37,8 (This was borrowed from Corneille's Essays (1660).
(In praising his own age),
"For you hear your Horace saying,
Indignor quidnam reprehend!, non quid crasse, Compositum, illepidive putetur sed quia nuper.
Horace, Ep, 11.1,76-7 And after
Si melior dies, ut vina, poemata reddit
Scire velim pretium chartis cuotis arroget annus?"
K*r I. p.33 Horace, Ep, II.1.34 (This was taken through Corneille.)
(In desiring a definition of a play),
" neither Aristotle, nor Eorace, nor any other who writ of that subject, had ever done it."
Ker I.p.35
(In speaking of the greatness of Roman wit),
"— -and may judge of Varius, by the testimonies
of Horace, Martial, and Velleius, Paterculus."
Ker I. p.42
from
Scriberis Vario fortis et hostium Victor Maeonii carminis alite . "
Horace, Od. 1.6 or
" forte epos acer ut nemo Varius dueit."
Horace, Sat. 1.10.44 or
" quid Plantoque dabit Romanus Vergilio Varioque?"
Horace, A.P.54-5 (The first of these quotations (Od.1.6) came through Corneille's Essays.)
" we are deprived of a great stock of wit in the loss of Menander among the Greek poets and of
Caecilius Africanus and Varius among the Romans."
Ker I. p.42
The above is probably taken from
"Vincere Caecilius gravitate Terentius arte."
Horace, Ep. II.1.59 (Through Corneille)
"He (Ben Johnson) was not only an imitator of Horace, "but a learned plagiary of all others."
Ker I. p.43
" but what poet first limited to five the number of the acts, I know not; only we see it so firmly established in the time of Horace, that he gives it for a rule in comedy; Neu brevior quinto, neu sit productior aetu."
Ker I, p.45
This is misquoted from
"Neve minor, neve sit quinto productior a c t u . "
Horace, A.P. 189
(Through Corneille)
"Unity of place, however it might be oractised by them (ancients) was never any of their rules: we neither find it in Aristotle, H o r a c e , or any who have written of it, till in our age the French poets first made it a precept of the stage."
Ker I. p.48
(In speaking of the measure of receiving new' words into our writings):
Multa renascentur quae nunc ceeidere cadentoue Quae nunc sunt in honore vocabula est, volet usus Quem penes arbitrium est, et jus
et normia loauendi."
Ker I. p.51 Horace, A . P . 70-3 (Through C o r n e i l l e )
(In speaking of the ancients)
" they writ love as it was then the mode to make it; and I will grant thus much to Eugenius, that perhaps one of their poets, had he lived in our age, si foret hoc nostrum fato delapsus in aevum (as Horace says of Lueilius), he had altered many things; (Horace, Satl.10.68) not that they were not natural before, but that he might accomodate himself to the age he lived in. Yet in the mean
time, we are not to conclude anything rashly
against those great men, but preserve to them the dignity of masters, and give that honor to their memories, quos Libitina sacravit, part of which we expect may be paid to us in future times."
Ker I. p.55
The latter is misquoted,
"Miraturque nihil nisi quod libitina sacravit."
Horace, Ep. II.1.49
(In saying that the English plays are as well
written as the F r e n c h ) ,
"I will commit this cause to my friend's management;
his opinion of our plays is the same with mine:
and besides, there is no reason that Crites and I who have now left the stage, should re-enter
so suddenly upon it, which is against the laws of comedy.
Ker I. p.56
The above is reminiscent of,
"-— Media inter carmina poscunt,
Aut ursum aut pugiles; nam plebecula gaudet."
Horace, Ep. II.1.185
(In speaking of the ancient plays),
" they are always grounded upon some known history:
according to that of Horace, Ex noto fictum carmen sequar;"
;
Ker I. p.58 Horace, A.P. 240
(In speaking of the plot of the French plays),
"Ataue ita mentitur, sic veris falsa remiscet, Primo ne medium, medio ne dieerepet un u m . "
Ker p.58 Horace, A.P. 151-2
(In remarking that Shakespeare often makee nature ridiculous),
"Quodcunque os tendis mihi sic, incredulus odi."
Ker I. p.59 Horace, A.P. 188
(In speaking of the relating of parts of a play rather than of acting them),
"Nor does this contradict the opinion of Horace, where he tells us,
Segnius irritant animoe demissa per aurem Quam quae sunt oculis subjects fidelibus.
Horace, A . P . 180-2 For he says immediately after,
non tsmen intue
Digna geri promes in scenam; multa toiles Ex oculis, quae mox narret facundia praesene.
Horace, A.P. 182-4 Among which he recounts some:
Nee pueros coram papulo liedea trucidet.
Horace, A.P. 185 Aut in avem Progne mutetur,
Cadmus in anguem etc.
Ker I. p.64 (These were borrowed through Corneille)
The last is misquoted from,
"Aut in avem Proene vertatur, Cadmus in anguem."
Horace, A.P.187
(In speaking of the unwinding of ornate plots),
"Tie this which Horace has judiciously observed:
Creditur ex medio quia res arcessit, habere Sudoris minimum; sed habet comedia tanto Plus oneris, quanto veniae minus."
Ker I. p,86 Horace, Ep. II.1.168
(In speaking of unbiased criticism),
" use the candor of that poet, who though the most severe of critics has left us this condition by which to moderate our censures.
--— ubi plura n i tent in carmine non ego paueis Offendar maculis;
Ker I. p.89 Horace, A.P. 351-2
(In calling the judgment of the people mere lottery),
"Est ubi recte putat, est ubi peccat. Horace says it of the vulgar judging poetry."
Ker I. p.100
Author quotes from memory from
Interdum vulges rectum videt; est ubi peccat.
Horace, Ep. II.1.63
"Indignatur enim privatis et prope socco Dignis carminibus narrari ecena Thystae
A.P. 90,1 gays Horace
and in another place
E f fut ire leves indigna tragoedia versus.”
A.?. 321
"The comic scene revolts at being told
In verse of tragic texture strong and bold.”
(The quotation, A.P.90-1,m s derived through Corneille.)
Ker I. p.101
"But if no latitude is to be allowed a poet, you take from him not only hie license of quid
libet audendi but you tie him up in a straighter compass than you would a philosopher."
Ker I. p.103
This is reminiscent of
— -Pictoribus atque poetie
Quid libet audendi semper fuit aequa potestas."
Horace, A.P.9,10 (Through Corneille)
DEFENSE OF AN ESSAY OF DRAMATIC POESY