Being here laid under the compulsion of producing a consonant word to spilt and built, which are preceding rhymes, he has mechanically given us an image at once little and improper. To the difficulty of a stanza so injudiciously chosen, I think we may properly impute the great number of his ellipses, some of which will be pointed out at large in another place; and it may be easily conceived, how that constraint which occasioned superfluity, should at the same time be the cause of omission. Notwithstanding these inconveniencies flow from Spenser's measure, it must yet be owned, that some advantages arise from it; and we may venture to affirm, that the fullness and significancy of Spenser's descriptions is often owing to the prolixity of his stanza, and the multitude of his rhymes. The discerning reader is desired to consider the following stanza, as an instance of what is here advanced. Guyon is binding Furor. With hundred iron chaines he did him bind And hundred knots, which did him sore constraine; Yet his great iron teeth he still did grind, And grimly gnash, threatening revengé in vaine : His burning eyen, whom bloudie strakes did staine, Stared full wide, and threw forth sparks of fire; And more for ranke despight, than for great paine, Shakt his long locks colour'd like copper wire, And bit his tawny beard to shew his raging ire. 2. 4. 15. In the subsequent stanza there are some images, which perhaps were produced by a multiplicity of rhymes. He all that night, that too long night did passe, Dryden, I think, somewhere remarks, that rhyme often helped him into a thought; an observation, which, probably, Spenser's experience had likewise supplied him with. Spenser, however, must have found more assistance in this respect, from writing in rhyme, than Dryden, in proportion as his stanza obliged him to a more repeated use of it. In speaking of Spenser's rhyme, it ought to be remarked, that he often new-spells a word to make it rhyme more precisely. Take these specimens. And of her own foule entrailes makes her meat, Meat fit for such a monster's monstrous dieat. 56, 12. 31. Timely to joy, and carry comely cheare, 5. 5. 38. Though when the term is full accomplishid, Then shall a sparke of fire which hath long while & 3. 3. 47.48 Then all the rest into their coches clim, And through, &c. Upon great Neptune's necke they softly swim. 3. 4. 42. Mightily amate, As fast as forward earst, now backward to retrate. 4. 3. 26. Shall have that golden girdle for reward, And of, &c. Shall to the fairest lady be prefar'd. Into the hardest stone, Such as behind their backes, &c. Were thrown by Pyrrha and Deucalione. 4. 2. 27. 5. Introd. 2. And, to be short, we meet with ycled for yclad, darre for dare, prejudize for prejudice, sam for same, lam for lamb, denay for deny, pervart for pervert, heare for haire, and numberless other instances of orthography destroyed for the sake of rhyme. This was a liberty which Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate frequently made use of; and it may not be improper in this place to exhibit the sentiments of a critic in Queen Elizabeth's Now there cannot be in a it. age upon maker a fowler fault than to falsifie his accent to serve his cadence; or by untrue orthography to wrench his words to help his rhyme; for it is a sign that such a maker is not copious in his own language *."-However, he seems afterwards to allow the deviation from true spelling, in some measure. "It is somewhat more tollerable to help the rhyme by false orthographie, than to leave an unpleasant dissonance to the eare, by keeping trewe orthographie and losing the rime; as for example, it is better to rime dore with restore, than in his true orthographie which is doore,-Such men were in ef *The author of the Arte of English Poesie, supr. citat. |