through hafte and inattention. His allufions to antient history are likewise very frequent, which he has not scrupled to violate, with equal freedom, and for the fame reasons.

B. i. c. i. f. xxxvii.

A bold bad man, that dar'd to call by name
Great Gorgon.

*

Dr. Jortin has multiplied inftances by which it appears, that the antients were fuperstitiously fearful of uttering the name of Gorgon or Dæmogorgon. I fhall add, that they were no less afraid of calling the Furies by their names.

Electra, in Euripides, fays of the Furies, that tormented her brother:

ΟΝΟΜΑΖΕΙΝ γαρ αιδέμαι θεας
Ευμενίδας, και τονδ' εξαμιλλώνται φόβω τ

Vereor enim nominare

Deas Eumenidas, quæ eum certatim perterrent.

And in another scene, Oreftes fays,

Εδοξ ̓ ειδειν τρεις νυκλι προςφερεις κόρας.

Vifus fum mihi videre tres puellas nocti fimiles.

* See Remarks on Spenfer's Poems.
K 2

+ Oreftes, v. 37.

Whom

Whom Menelaus anfwers:

४

Οιδ' άς έλεξας, ΟΝΟΜΑΣΑΙ δ' ε βέλομαι

Novi quas dixifti; nominare autem nolo.

Below, we have the fame fuperftition concerning Hecate :

And threatned unto him the dreaded name
Of Hecate.

ft. 3.

But it would perhaps be difficult to produce any antient evidence, either that Hecate's name was feared in general, or that Morpheus particularly, was afraid of uttering or hearing it. Our author, with great force of fancy, feigns fuch another circumftance as this, concerning Merlin.

The fiends do quake, when any him to them does name.

3. 3. 11.

Though perhaps this is not more expreffive of Merlin's diabolical power, than what fome of the runic historians mention of a swedish enchanter, viz. That he could blunt the edge of the weapons of his enemies only by looking at them, and that he could make hell a light place.

B. i. c. iv. f. xxx.

He is defcribing Envy.

Still did chaw,

Between his cankred teeth a venomous toad,
That all the poifon ran about his jaw.

Ovid feigns*, that Envy was found eating the flesh of vipers, a fiction not much unlike Spenser's picture. But our author has heightened this circumftance to a most disgusting degree: for he adds, that the poison ran about his jaw. This is perhaps one of the most loathfome images which Spenser has given us; though he paints very strongly, 1. 1. 20.

She fpewd out of her filthy maw,

A flood of poifon horrible and black;
Full of great lumps of flesh and gobbets raw,
Which ftunk fo vilely, that it forc'd him slack
His grafping hold.

As alfo in the discovery of Dueffa, 1. 8. 47. 48. He is likewife very indelicate, where he speaks of Serena's wounds.

For now her wounds corruption 'gan to breed.

And to forbear difagreeable citations, fee 7. 7. 31. and 7. 7. 40. The truth is, the strength of our au

thor's imagination could not be fuppreffed on any fubject; and, in some measure, it is owing to the fulness of his ftanza, and the reiteration of his rhymes, that he describes these offenfive objects fo minutely.

But to return to his Envy. This perfonage is again introduced, 5. 12. 29. chewing a snake, of which a moft beautiful ufe is made, ft. 39.

Then from her mouth the gobbet she does take,
The which whyleare fhe was fo greedily
Devouring; even that half-gnawen snake,
And at him throwes it most despitefully:
The curfed ferpent, though the hungrily
Earft chawd thereon, yet was not all fo dead,
But that fome life remained fecretly,

And as he past before withouten dread,

Bit him behind, that long the mark was to be read.

It may be objected, that Spenfer drew the thought of Envy throwing her Snake at Arthegall, from Alecto's attack upon Amata.

Huic Dea cæruleis unum de crinibus anguem
Conjicit, inque finus præcordia ad intima condit*.

But Spenfer's application of this thought is furely a ftronger effort of invention than the thought itself.

The rancour, both of Envy and of her Snake, could not have been expreffed by more fignificant strokes. Although the snake was her conftant food, yet she was tempted to part with her only fuftenance, while fhe could render it an inftrument of injuring another; and although the fnake, by being thus conftantly fed upon, was nearly dead, fome life, as he finely fays, remaining fecretly, yet it's natural malignity enabled it to bite with violence.

B. i. c. v. f. xxxix.

His rash fire began to rend

His haire, and haftie tongue that did offend.

Thefeus did not rend his tongue on this occafion. Dr. Jortin is willing to excuse our author for this miftake, by supposing an elleipfis, viz. He began to rend his hair, and [to blame or curfe] his tongue. Spenser is indeed full of elleipfes, yet he has feldom been guilty of one fo hard as this. I fhould therefore think, that this paffage ought not to be referred to our author's elleipfes, but to that fault which he fo often commits, the misrepresentation of antient story. Befides, the words that did offend, joined with haftie tongue, seem to be given by the poet as an exprefs reason why he rent it.