n

This might, full as well, have been ranged under my fixth and laft clafs of faults in Spenfer's Allegories; confifting of fuch inftances as, I fear, can fcarce be called by any fofter name, than that of Ridiculous Imaginations. Such, I think, is that " idea of Ignorance, in the firft Book, where he is made to move with the back part of his head foremoft, C. viii. ft. 31; and that of Danger, in the fourth, with Hatred, Murder, Treafon, &c. in his back, C. x. ft. 16, 17, and 20. Such is the forrowful lady, with a bottle for her tears, and a bag to put her repentance into; and both running out almost as fast as she puts them in, B.'vi. C. viii. ft. 24. Such is the thought of a vast giant's shrinking into an empty form, like a bladder, B. i. C. viii. ft. 24; the horses of Night foaming tar, B. i. C. v. ft. 28; Sir Guyon putting a padlock on the tongue of Occafion, B. ii. C. iv. ft. 12; and Remorfe nipping St. George's heart, B. i. C. x. ft. 27.

Had Spenfer formed his Allegories on the plan of the ancient poets and artists, as much as he did from Ariofto and the Italian allegorifts, he might have followed nature much more clofely; and would not have wandered fo often into fuch strange and inconfiftent imaginations, I am apt to believe, that he confidered the Orlando Furiofo, in particular, as a poem wholly ferious; though the author of it certainly wrote it partly in jeft. There are

See

n that idea of Ignorance, &c.] The perfonifications of Ignorance, and of Pride, are admired by Mr. Upton. Ignorance feems, in fome respect, to be copied from Dante. See the note on F. Q. i. viii. 31. And a man inflated, puffed up, or blown up, is a common expreffion for a proud man. Coloff. ii. 18. "Vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind." And, as Mr. Upton adds, Rev. xvii. 8; Θηρίον, ὁ ἔίδες, ἦν, καὶ ἐκ ἔςι, which, tranflated in the words of Spenfer, is, that monftrous mafs, which thou faweft, was, and now nothing of it is left. See F. Q. i. viii. 24. TODD.

feveral lines and paffages in it, that must have been intended for burlefque; and they furely confider that poem in the trueft light, who confider it as a work of a mixed nature; as fomething between the profeffed gravity of Taffo, and the broad laugh of Berni and his followers. Perhaps Spenfer's taking fome things to be faid ferioufly, which Ariofto meant for ridicule, may have led him now and then to fay things that are ridiculous, where he meant to be very ferious.

However that be, we may reasonably conclude, from fo great failures as I have mentioned in fo great a man, (whether they arife from his too much indulging the luxuriance of his own fancy, or from his copying after fo irregular a pattern,) that it would be extremely useful for our poets in general, to follow the plan of Allegory, as far as it is fettled to their hands by the ancients; at least, till some modern may have invented and established fome better plan for them to go upon; a thing, which I do not expect to fee done in our days. SPENCE.

MR. WARTON'S

REMARKS

ON THE

PLAN AND CONDUCT OF THE FAERIE QUEENE.

WHEN the works of Homer and of Ariftotle began to be restored and ftudied in Italy, when the genuine and uncorrupted fources of ancient poetry and ancient criticism were opened, and every fpecies of literature at laft emerged from the depths of Go

thick ignorance and barbarity; it might have been expected, that, inftead of the romantick manner of poetical compofition introduced and established by the Provencial bards, a new and more legitimate taste of writing would have fucceeded. With thefe advantages it was reasonable to conclude, that unnatural events, the machinations of imaginary beings, and adventures entertaining only as they were improbable, would have given place to juftnefs of thought and defign, and to that decorum which nature dictated, and which the example and the precept of antiquity had authorifed. But it was a long time before fuch a change was effected. We find Ariofto, many years after the revival of letters, rejecting truth for magick, and preferring the ridiculous and incoherent excurfions of Boyardo to the propriety and uniformity of the Grecian and Roman models. Nor did the restoration of ancient learning produce any effectual or immediate improvement in the ftate of criticifm. Beni,· one of the moft celebrated criticks of the fixteenth century, was ftill fo infatuated with a fondness for the old Provencial vein, that he ventured to write a regular differtation, in which he compares Ariofto with Homer.

a (6

Comparazione di T. Taffo con Omero e Virgilio, infieme con la difefa dell' Ariofto paragonato ad Omero, &c." T. WARTON. Mr. Warton appears not to have known the following work, which exhibits a proof of ftill greater infatuation in the cause of Ariofto. "Della Nuova Poefia overo delle Difefe del Furiofo, Dialogo. Del Signor Giofeppe Malatesta. Nel qual non pur fi risponde alle oggettioni, che fi muouono contra quefto Poema; & fi moftra, che egli è composto fecondo i veri, & piu legitimi precetti Poetici; mà fi fà toccar con mano, che d'artificio, & di eccellenza fupera l'opere maggiori di VERGI→ LIO, & di HOMERO; &c." Printed at Verona, in 1589, 12mo. The author, in the dedication of this work to the

Triffino, who flourished a few years after Ariofto, had taste and boldnefs enough to publish an epick poem, written in profeffed imitation of the Iliad. But this attempt met with little regard or applause for the reafon on which its real merit was founded. It was rejected as an infipid and uninterefting performance, having few devils or enchantments to recommend it. To Triffino fucceeded Taffo, who, in his Gierufaleme Liberata, took the ancients for his guides; but was still too fenfible of the popular prejudice in favour of ideal beings, and romantick adventures, to neglect or omit them entirely. He had studied, and acknowledged the beauties of claffical purity. Yet he ftill kept his firft and favourite acquaintance, the old Provencial poets, in his eye. Like his own Rinaldo, who after he had gazed on the diamond fhield of truth, and with feeming refolution was actually departing from Armida and her enchanted gardens, could not help looking back upon them with fome remains of fondnefs. Nor did Taffo's Poem, though compofed in fome measure on a regular plan, give its author, among the Italians, at leaft, any greater fhare of esteem and reputation on that account. Ariofto, with all his extravagancies, was ftill preferred. The fuperiority of the Orlando Furiofo was at length established by a formal decree of the Academicians della Crufca, who, amongst other literary debates, held a folemn court of enquiry concerning the merit of both poems.

66

Duke of Ferrara, calls the Orl. Furioso, DIUINO POEMA del miracolofo Ariofto." TODD.

b He died 1550. Ariofto 1535. T. WARTON.

L'Italia Liberata di Goti, 1524. It is in blank verfe, which the author would have introduced inftead of the Terza Rima of Dante, or the Ottava of Boccace. T. WARTON.

Such was the prevailing tafte, when Spenfer projected the Faerie Queene: a poem, which according to the practice of Ariofto, was to confift of allegories, enchantments, and romantick expeditions, conducted by knights, giants, magicians, and fictitious beings. It may be urged that Spenfer made an unfortunate choice, and difcovered but little judgement, in adopting Ariofto for his example, rather than Taffo, who had fo evidently exceeded his rival, at leaft in conduct and decorum. But our author naturally followed the poem which was moft celebrated and popular. For, although the French criticks univerfally gave the preference to Taffo, yet, in Italy, the partifans on the fide of Ariofto were by far the most powerful, and confequently in England for Italy, in the age of queen Elizabeth, gave laws to our island in all matters of taste, as France has done ever fince. At the fame time it may be fuppofed, that, of the two, Ariofto was Spenfer's favourite; and that he was naturally biaffed to prefer that plan which would admit the moft extensive range for his unlimited imagination. What was Spenfer s particular plan, in confequence of this choice, and how it was conducted, I now proceed to examine.

d

The poet fuppofes, that the FAERIE QUEENE, according to an established annual cuftom, held a magnificent feaft, which continued twelve days; on each of which, refpectively, twelve feveral complaints are prefented before her. Accordingly, in order to redrefs the injuries which were the occafion of thefe feveral complaints, the difpatches, with proper commiffions, twelve different Knights, each of which, in the particular adventure allotted to him, proves an example of fome particular virtue, as of holiness,

See Spenfer's Letter to Sir W. Raleigh, &c. T. WARTON..