preffion of religious houfes and popish fuperftition. But how can this be properly faid to have been brought about by fcandal? And how could Spenfer in particular, with any confiftency fay this, who was, as appears by his Paftorals, a friend to the reformation, as was his heroine Elizabeth? But there is another capital fault in our author's allegories, which does not immediately fall under the stated rules of criticifm. "Painters," fays a French writer, " ought to employ their allegories in religious pictures, with much greater referve than in profane pieces. They may, indeed, in fuch fubjects as do not reprefent the mysteries and miracles of our religion, make use of an allegorical compofition, the action whereof fhall be expreffive of fome truth, that cannot be reprefented otherwife, either in painting or fculpture. I agree therefore to let them draw Faith and Hope fupporting a dying perfon, and Religion in deep affliction at the feet of a deceased prelate. But I am of opinion, that artifts, who treat of the miracles and dogmas of our religion, are allowed no kind of allegorical compofition. "The facts whereon our religion is built, and the doctrine it delivers, are fubjects in which the painter's imagination has no liberty to fport." The conduct which this author blames, is practifed by Spenfer, with this difference only; that the painters here. condemned are fuppofed to adapt human allegory to divine mystery, whereas Spenfer has mingled divine myftery with human al "You learnt this language from the Blatant Beaft; "Or rather did not fpeak, but were poffeft." See alfo the note on the character of Dueffu, in Mr. Upton's Remarks on the Action and History of the Faerie Queene. • Abbe du Bos, Reflexions, &c. tom, i. c. xxiv. TODD. T. WARTON. P legory. Such a practice as this tends not only to confound facred and profane fubjects, but to place the licentious fallies of imagination upon a level with the dictates of divine infpiration; to debafe the truth and dignity of heavenly things, by making Chriftian allegory fubfervient to the purposes of Romantick fiction. This fault our author, through a defect of: judgement rather than a contempt of religion, has moft glaringly committed throughout his whole first Book, where the imaginary inftruments and expedients of romance are perpetually interwoven with the mysteries contained in the BOOK OF REVELATIONS. Dueffa, who is formed upon the idea of a romantick enchantrefs, is gorgeoufly arrayed in gold and purple, prefented with a triple crown by the giant Orgoglio, and feated by him on a monftrous feven-headed dragon, (C. vii. ft. 16.) whose tail reaches to the fkies, and throws down the stars, (ft. 18.) fhe bearing a golden cup in her hand, (C. viii. ft. 25.) This is the Scarlet Whore, and the Red Dragon in the REVELATIONS. "Behold a great red dragon, having feven heads, and ten horns, and feven crowns upon his heads; and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did caft them to earth," Ch. xii. 3, 4. Again, “I faw a woman fit upon a fcarlet-coloured beaft, full to debase the truth and dignity, &c.] Hence he has alfo introduced the ancient objection made to the Christians, that they worshipped an ass, in F. Q. i. vi. 19. Where the Satyrs are reprefented worshipping the afs of Una. The poet, as Mr. Upton has obferved, alludes to the defcriptions given by Minucius Felix and Epiphanius on this fubject. See alfo Tertullian, edit. Havercamp, 1718, p. 156. Spenfer ought not to have made this allufion. TODD. By the triple crown he plainly glances at popery. T. WARTON. of names of blafphemy, having feven heads, and ten horns; and the woman was arrayed in purple and fcarlet colour, and decked with gold, and precious ftones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hands, full of abomination, and filthiness of her fornication," Ch. xvii. 3, 4. In Orgoglio's caftle, which is defcribed as very magnificent, Prince Arthur difcovers, C. viii. ft. 36. “An altare carv'd with cunning ymagery, "On which trew Chriftians blood was often fpilt, "And holy martyres often doen to dye, "With cruell malice and ftrong tyranny; "Whose bleffed fprites, from underneath the stone, The infpired author of the above-named book mentions the fame of what he faw in heaven. "I faw under the altar the fouls of them that were flain for the Word of God, and for the teftimony which they held; and they cried with a loud voice, How long, O Lord, holy and true, doft thou not judge, and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth?" Ch. vi. 9, 10. A hermit points out to the Redcroffe Knight the New Jerufalem, (C. x. ft. 53.) which an angel discovers to St. John, (Ch. xxi. 10, &c.) This profpect is taken, fays the poet, from a mountain more lofty than either the mount of Olives or Parnaffus. Thefe two comparifons, thus impertinently linked together, ftrongly remind us of the abfurdity now fpoken of, the mixture of divine truth and profane invention; and naturally lead us to reflect on the difference between the oracles uttered from the former, and the fictions of those who dreamed on the latter. Spenfer, in the vifionary dominions of Una's father, has planted the Tree of Life, and of Knowledge: from the firft of the trees, he fays, a well flowed, whofe waters contained a moft falutary virtue, and which the dragon could not approach. Thus, in the fame fcripture, Ch. xxii. 1, 2. "He fhewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as cryftal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb. In the midft of the ftreet of it, and on either fide of the river, was there the Tree of Life." The circumftance, in particular, of the dragon not being able to approach this water, is literally adopted from romance, as has been before obferved. Thus alfo, by the fteps and fictions of romance, we are conducted to the death of the dragon who befieged the parents of Una, by which is figured the deftruction of the old ferpent mentioned in the APOCALYPSE. The extravagancies of Pagan mythology are not. improperly introduced into a poem of this fort, as they are acknowledged falfities; or at beft, if expreffive of any moral truth, no more than the inventions of men. But the poet that applies the VISIONS OF GOD in fuch a manner is guilty of an impropriety, which, I fear, amounts to an impiety. If we take a retrofpect of English poetry from the age of Spenfer, we fhall find, that it principally confifted in vifions and allegories. Fancy was a greater friend to the dark ages, as they are called, than is commonly fuppofed. Our writers caught this vein from the Provencial poets. There are indeed the writings of fome English poets now remaining, who wrote before Gower or Chaucer. But thefe are merely chroniclers in rhyme, and feem to have left us the laft dregs of that fort of compofition, which was practiced by the British Bards: for inftance The Chronicle of Robert of Glocefter, who wrote, according to his account, about the year 1280. The moft ancient allegorical poem, which I have feen in our language, is a manufcript" ན, Vision, in the Bodleian library, written in the reign of Edward II. by Adam Davie. It is in the short verfe of the old metrical romance. However, Gower and Chaucer were juftly reputed the first English poets, because they were the firft, of any note at least, who introduced invention into our poetry; the first who moralifed their fong, and ftrove to render virtue more amiable by clothing her in the veil of viction. Chaucer, it must be acknowledged, deferves to be placed the firft in time of our English poets, on another account; his admirable artifice in painting the familiar manners, which none before him had ever attempted in the moft imperfect degree: and it fhould be remembered, to his immortal honour, that he was the first writer who gave the English nation, in their own language, an idea of humour. About the fame time flourished an allegorical fatyrift, the author of Piers Plowmans Vifions. To thefe fucceeded Lydgate; who from his principal performances, the Fall of Princes, and Story of Thebes, more properly may be claffed among the legendary poets, although the first of these is in great measure a series of visions. But we have of this author two poems, viz. The Temple of Glafs, and The Dance of Death, befides feveral other pieces, chiefly in manufcript, profefsedly written in this fpecies. Lydgate has received numberless encomiums from our old English poets, which he merited more from his language than his imagination. Lydgate is an unanimated writer, yet he made confiderable improvements in the rude ftate of English verfification; and is perhaps the firft of our poets whom common readers can peruse The book on which it is founded, viz. Boccace De Cafibus Virorum Illuftrium, is a plain historical narrative. T. WARTON. |