recurring to conjecture, his own words "evidently demonftrate that he fometimes had reprefentations of this fort in his eye. He tells us, moreover, that thefe figures were, (F. Q. iii. xii. 5.)

A jolly company,

"In manner of a make enranged orderly."

In his introduction to this groupe, it is manifeft that he drew from another allegorick spectacle of that age, called the dumb fhew, which was wont

most delightful found of inftruments, a voice is heard addreffing Amadis of Greece, who defeats the enchanted knight that guarded the castle: "Bien vieñe l'heureux Cheualier, qui fur tous autres à merité de donner fin à l'auenture des fecretz." Amadis then enters the castle," ou il avifa la porte d'un CHAMBRE fermee," in which CHAMBER he finds paintings of all the most perfect lovers that ever existed, and a magnificent reprefentation of Cupid: "Entre lefquels il cogneut fon bifayeul le Roy Amadis de Gaule, fon pere Lifuart de Grece, & leurs femmes, auec les nommes d'eux, commēçans par certains elemens feparez, come S. Penélope. A. Piramus. L. Tisbee. O. Apolido. C. Grimanefe. J. Medee. N. Florifande, &c.Au mylieu eftoit dreffe VN THEATRE efeué au haut de quatre degrez: & au deffus le Dieu d'Amour, affis en vne chaize couuerte d'on drap d'or frizé, & à fes pieds le Roy Felides & la Royne Aliaftre fa femme eftendus de leur long, & fi viuement reprefentez, que le naturel ne leur reffembla oncques mieux."

TODD. Thus alfo, in the Ruines of Time, he calls his noble allegorick representations of Empire, Pleafure, Strength, &c. TRA

GICKE PAGEAUNTS:

"Before mine eyes ftrange fights prefented were

"Like TRAGICKE PAGEAUNTS feeming to appeare." T. WARTON. It ought here to be particularly noticed alfo that he introduces an allufion to the pageaunts, in his description of LovE, F. Q. iii. v. 1.

"Wonder it is to fee in diverse mindes

"How diverfly LOVE doth his pageaunts play." He alludes alfo to these spectacles, F. Q. ii. i. 36.

"To fee fad pageaunts of mens iniferies." TODD. i This confifted of dumb actors, who by their drefs and action prepared the fpectators for the matter and substance of

to be exhibited before every act of a tragedy. See ft. 3.

"And forth yffewd, as on the readie flore "Of fome theatre, a grave perfonage, "Than in his hand a braunch of laurell bore, "With comely haveour, and countnance fage, "Yclad in coftly garments, fit for tragicke stage.

iv.

"Proceeding to the midst he ftil did stand,
"As if in mind he fomewhat had to fay;
"And to the vulgar beckning with his hand,
"In fign of filence, as to heare a play,
"By lively actions he gan bewray
"Some argument of matter paffioned;
"Which doen, he backe retyred foft away;
"And, paffing by, his name difcovered,
"Eafe, on his robe in golden letters cyphered."

He afterwards ftyles thefe figures Mafkers, ft. 6. "The whiles the Makers marched forth in trim array.

vii.

"The first was Fancy, like a lovely boy, &c."

each enfuing act refpectively; as alfo of much hieroglyphical fcenery calculated for the fame purpose. See Gorbodücke, a tragedy, written by T. Sackville, 1561, reprinted by Mr. Spence: Jocafta, a tragedie, written by G. Gafcoyne and F. Kinwelmarfhe, and acted at Graies Inn, 1566; and the introduction to f. 7. act. 3. of Shakspeare's Hamlet.

Beaumont and Fletcher, in their Play, A Wife for a Month, act. 2. f. ult. manifeftly copy from Spenfer's MASKE OF CUPID. A Mafke of Cupid is there introduced, in which Cupid appears at the head of his fervants or attendants, Fancy, Defire, Delight, Hope, Fear, Diftruft, Jealoufy, Care, Ire, Poverty, Despair. Thefe are the Perfonages that attend Cupid in Spenfer's Mafk. Particularly Cupid fays,

66

"Then clap high

My coloured wings

"

So Spenfer had reprefented him, F. Q. iii. xii. 23.

"And clapt on high his coloured wingës twaine."

T. WARTON.

From what has been faid, I would not have it objected, that I have intended to arraign the powers of our author's invention; or infinuated, that he fervilely copied fuch reprefentations. All I have endeavoured to prove is, that Spenfer was not only better qualified to delineate fictions of this fort, because they were the real objects of his fight; but, as all men are influenced by what they fee, that he was prompted and induced to delineate them, because he faw them, especially as they were fo much the delight of his age.

Inftead of entering into a critical examination of Spenfer's manner of allegorifing, and of the poetical conduct of his allegories, which has been done with an equally judicious and ingenious difcernment by Mr. Spence, I fhall obferve, that our author frequently introduces an allegory, under which no meaning is couched; viz. Alma is the mind, and her Caftle the body, F. Q. ii. ix. 21. The tongue is the porter of this caftle, the nofe the portcullis, and the mouth the porch, about the infide of which are placed twice fixteen warders clad in white,

* See Mr. Spence's Differtation in this Volume, p. xlii,

TODD.

1 twice fixteen warders clad in white, which are the teeth;] Mr. Warton fhould have faid, all armed bright in gliftring fteele. See the note on Mr. Spence's DISSERTATION, p. xlviii. But, in this method of allegorifing fo juftly blamed both by Mr. Spence and Mr. Warton, our poet appears not to have been fingular. In a poem attributed to Camoens, entitled Da Creaçao e Compofiçao do Homem, in three Cantos, the fame ftrange perfonifications are obfervable, C. ii. ft. 46.

"Nefte moinho junto os dous porteiros,

"Eftando juntamente em feu officio,

66

Duros e rijos, trinta e dous moleiros "De grande força, e util exerciço."

Lord Strangford, in his very ingenious Remarks on the Life and Writings of Camoens, mentions this poem, not on account of its merit, but from regard to the reputation of the Portuguese

which are the teeth; thefe Alma paffes by, who rife up, and do obeifance to her, ft. 26. But how can the teeth be faid to rife up and bow to the mind? Spenfer here forgot, that he was allegorifing, and fpeaks as if he was defcribing, without any latent meaning, a real queen, with twice fixteen real warders, who, as fuch, might, with no impropriety, be faid to rife and bow to their queen. Many inftances of his confounding allegory with reality, occur through this whole Canto, and the two next; particularly, where he is defcribing the kitchen of this caftle, which is the belly, he gives

bard. "It is called," his Lordship fays, "The Creation and Compofition of Man, and is a ftrange medley of anatomy, metaphyficks, and school-divinity. In fubject, and occasionally in execution, it strikingly refembles the Purple Island of Phineas Fletcher; and, like it, is a curious example of tortured ingenuity. One inftance fhall fuffice. Man is typified under the fymbol of a tower. The mouth is the gateway, and the teeth are described as two and thirty millers, clothed in white, and placed as guards on either fide of the porch. His metaphor is more fatirically juft, when he reprefents the tongue as a female, old and experienced, whofe office was to regulate and affift the efforts of the thirty-two grinders aforefaid, all young men of indispensable utility and extraordinary powers! Duros e rijos, &c. He muft poffefs no little credulity, who would attribute fuch a work to the author of the Lufiad. A Treatife on Surgery was printed in 1551, by Bernardino de Montana. The Second Part of it is called El Sueno, or The Dream, and feems to have been the original from which this fingular poem is derived." Poems from the Portuguese of Luis de Camoens, &c. by Lord Viscount Strangford, 1803. p. 28. It is remarkable that Spenfer's warders fhould have efcaped his Lordship's, notice. The Creation is printed in the Lifbon edition of Camoens's Works, 1772, vol. iii. TODD.

ร

m which is the belly,] This idea is highly commended by Dudley Lord North, in his Light in the Way to Paradife, 8vo. 1682. p. 131. "We may confider the Stomach as Kitchin, which like the root of trees, draws and prepares nutriment for the whole; and here we may do well to imitate the most ingenious poet Spenfer, in difpofing of fome offices, the Appetite being.

us a formal defcription of fuch a kitchen, as was to be seen in his time in caftles, and great houses, by no means expreffive of the thing intended. Again, the occult meaning of his bringing Scudamore to the houfe of Care, F. Q. iv. v. 32. clashes with what he had before told us. By this allegory of Scudamore coming to Care's houfe, it fhould be understood, that "Scudamore, from a happy, paffed into a miferable ftate." For we may reasonably fuppofe, that, before he came to Care's houfe, he was unacquainted with Care; whereas the poet had before reprefented him as involved in extreme mifery. It would be tedious, by an allegation of particular examples, to demonftrate how frequently his allegories are mere defcriptions; and that, taken in their literal fenfe, they contain an improper or no fignification. I fhall, however, mention one. The Blatant Beast is faid to break into the monafteries, to rob their chancels, caft down the defks of the monks, deface the altars, and deftroy the images found in their churches. By the Blatant Beaft is understood Scandal; and by the havock juft mentioned as effected by it, is implied the fup

fit for that of Cater, or Achater; Concoction for that of Cook; and Digeftion for that of Clarke of the Kitchin, to ferve in the concocted food to feveral tables for ufe, &c." The author of The Vifion and Difcourfe of Henry VII. 4to. Lond. 1610, feems to have had his eye alfo on Spenfer in the following lines:

"The ftomack, like a cooke, each messe doth boyle,
"And from the port-vaine fends it to the liuer;
"Then, turn'd to bloud, it feeds the bodies foyle,
"As Egipts fields are cheer'd by Nilus riuer."

TODD.

By the Blatant Beaft is understood SCANDAL ;] So Dryden appears to have confidered it, by the anfwer which he makes the Hind return to the abufive Panther;

"The Panther's breath was ever fam'd for fweet; "But from the wolf fuch wishes oft I meet: