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chair into the throne," was to patronife the literature of the times. In a more enlightened age, the fame attention to letters, and love of scholars, might have produced proportionable effects on fciences of real utility. This caft of mind in the king, however indulged in fome cafes to an oftentatious affectation, was at least innocent.

Allegory, notwithstanding, unexpectedly rekindled fome faint fparks of its native splendour, in the Purple land of Phineas Fletcher, with whom it almost as foon difappeared: when a poetry fucceeded, in which imagination gave way to correctnefs, fublimity of defcription to delicacy of fentiment, and majestick imagery to conceit and epigram. Poets began now to be more attentive to words, than to things and objects. The nicer beauties of happy expreffion were preferred to the daring ftrokes of great conception. Satire, that bane of the fublime, was imported from France. The Mufes were debauched at court; and polite life, and familiar man

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Printed in the year 1633. The principal fault of this poem is, that the author has difcovered too much of the anatomift. The Purple Ifland, is the Isle of Man, whose parts and conftruction the poet has defcribed in an allegorical manner, viz. the bones are the foundation of it, the veins its brooks, &c. Afterwards the intellectual faculties are represented as perfons; but he principally fhines where he perfonifies the paffions and evil concupifcencies of the heart, who attack the good qualities of the heart alike perfonified, which, under the conduct of their leader Intellect, rout the former. In this poem there is alfo fomewhat of a metaphyfical turn. As the whole is supposed to be fung by two fhepherds, the poet has found an opportunity of adorning the beginnings and endings of his. cantos with fome very pleafing paftoral touches. This poem feems to bear fome refeniblance to the Pfycomachia of Prudentius. T. WARTON.

See more concerning the Purple Iland, and works of fimilar defcription, in my concluding note on these Remarks relating to Spenfer's allegorical character. TODD.

ners, became their only themes. The fimple dig nity of Milton was either entirely neglected, or

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d Thus when Voltaire read his Henriade to Malezieuz, that learned man affured him, his work would not be tasted; for, fays he, "Les François n'ont pas le tete epique." In other words, "The French have no idea of folemn and fublime poetry; of fiction and fable: the Satires of Boileau will be preferred to the best Epick poem." T. WARTON.

Even Dryden, blinded by the beauties of verfification only, feems not to have had a juft idea of Milton's greatnefs. It is odd, that in praifing Milton, he thould infift on these circumftances. "No man has fo copiously translated Homer's Gre cifms, and the Latin elegancies of Virgil." By what follows it appears, that he had no notion of Milton's fimplicity. "He runs into a flat thought fometimes for a hundred lines together, but 'tis when he is got into a track of Scripture." He afterwards strangely mifreprefents Milton's reafon for writing in blank verfe. Neither will I juftifie Milton for his writing in blank verfe; for, whatever caufes he alleges for the abolishing of rhime, (which I have not now the leifure to examine,) his own particular reafon is plainly this, that Rhime was not his talent.” Whether rhyme was Milton's talent or not, I shall not enquire, but thall infer, from this reafon affigned by Dryden, that had Dryden compofed the Paradife Loft he would have written it in rhyme, and that confequently, with Burnet, he judged the want of it an imperfection in Milton's poem. See dedication to Dryden's Juvenal. T. WARTON.

Swift, in his Advice to a Young Poet, admirably ridicules a defign, then publickly announced, he fays, of turning the PARADISE LOST into rhyme. The attempts have shown the impotence of the Reformers. Even Dryden's Fall of Man is dif gufting, when we think on the unthackled lines of Milton. Other rhymers have pretended to improve the fame of the blind bard. Their jingle has excited only ridicule or contempt. One of these worthies mentions that he was induced to put Milton into rhyme, partly for the fake of obliging the ladies! See the edition of Milton, 1801. vol. i. p. ccvii. In the Royal Grammar, published in 1715, Milton's blank verfe is not altogether relished; and the felf-complacent author adds, "It is not impoffible, but the Paradife may admit a fecond cultivation, and perhaps receive new beauties from another dress; at least be generally read with more pleasure; and, which is no fmall benefit of rhyme, be retained with more eafe; of which take this short Effay upon that paffage, B. ii. p. 42, edit, 1674.

miftaken for bombaft and infipidity, by the refined readers of a diffolute age, whofe tafté and morals were equally vitiated.

From this detail it will appear, that allegorical poetry, through many gradations, at laft received its ultimate confummation in the Faerie Queene. Under this confideration therefore, I hope what I have here collected on this fubject, will not feem too great a deviation from the main fubject of the prefent remarks; which I conclude with the juft and pertinent fentiments of the Abbè du Bos, on allegorical action, Reflexions, tom. i. c. 25. The paffage, though properly refpecting dramatick poets, is equally applicable to the action of the Faerie Queene. "It is impoffible for a piece, whofe fubject is an allegorical action, to intereft us very much. Thofe, which writers of approved wit and talents have hazarded in this kind, have not fucceeded fo well as others, where they have been difpofed to be lefs ingenious, and to treat hiftorically their fubject.-Our heart requires truth even in fiction itself; and, when it is prefented with an allegorical fiction, it cannot determine itfelf, if I may be allowed the expreffion, to enter into the fentiments of those chimerical perfonages. A theatrical piece, were it to fpeak only to the mind, would never be capable of engaging our attention

O fhame to men! Devil with devil damn'd, &c.
"Ofhame! O curfe! O more than hellifh fpight!
"Damn'd Devils with each other never fight.
"Tho' God bids peace with promifes of life,
"Men onely reafon arm for deadly ftrife;
"By bloody wars earth making defolate,

"And facrificing thousands to their hate, &c."

We fhall be led to make the fame remark on fuch a refiner, as Smith does on Bayes in the Rehearsal: "I can hold no longer; I must gag this rogue; there's no enduring of him!"

TODD..

through the whole performance. We may therefore apply the words of Lactantius upon this occafion. Poetick licence has its bounds, beyond which you are not permitted to carry your fiction. A poet's art confifts in making a good reprefentation of things that might have really happened, and embellishing them with elegant images. Totum autem, quod referas, fingere, id eft ineptum effe et mendacem, potius quam poetam *." T. WARTON.

*To Mr. Warton's REMARKS ON ALLEGORY I fhall venture to add fome circumftances, which may not be found uninteresting.

It has efcaped the notice of the commentators, that a Latin poem was published many years before the FAERIE QUEENE, the fubject of which might poffibly give a hint to Spenfer. This poem, representing Popery as a Cyclops, relates, in feven books, the tyranny and artifices of it; affuming claffical names to defcribe papal perfons and things. The author, at the end of the poem, explains his allegory, by the following lines, to which there is a marginal note, viz. Allegorica expofitio de Cyclopibus. "Hactenus effictam tibi rem narramus, at ipfa

Cortice fub tenui myftica fenfa latent.

"Arguit obfcuro vates fermone Tyrannos,
"Temporibus noftris, temporibúfque fuis. 53
"Libera enim nulla eft monftris à talibus ætas :

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"Sed nihil in forteis iuris habere queunt.

"Quanvis fortunas infractaque corpora frangant,
"Non poffunt fimili frangere corda modo.
"Atque ab eis tandem pœnas Deus ipfe repofcit,
"In quoduis vitium, qui fine lege ruunt.
"Enceladus docet hoc flammanti preffus ab Etna:
"Hoc et Typhonis fabula ficta notat.

"Hoc tibi Centauri, Lapithæque, maligna propago,
"Hoc et Cyclopes monftra cruenta volunt.
"Exprimit hoc celebris fontum pictura Gigantum,

"Præterea quotquot non meminiffe queam.”

The poem itself is written in hexameters, and is thus entitled: "SEPTEM CYCLOPEIDON LIBRI, Originem, Ingenium, Infitutionem, Leges, et Regnum fatale bis nati CYCLOPIS, iucundo Satyrici generis figmento repræfentantes, olim in gratiam INTERIM cæpti, nunc autem demum Heroico Carmine elaborati, recenfque editi, per Menfonem Poppium Eurothalaffium alias Ofterzeenfem,

Frifum, verbi miniftrum in Manflacht Frifia Orientalis. Anno 1555." The palace of Night, who represents the influence of Popery, is defcribed in the first Book with much spirit; and Night is attended with the following allegorical perfonages: "Ipfa fatellitio ftipatur utrinque frequenti: "Primo dextra loco iacet Ignorantia veri. "Hinc fine iudicio fine mente recumbit ovillis, "Moribus et nugas Perfuafio difcit aniles. "Inde Superftifio tetro fedet impia visu : "Falfaque iuftitiæ propriæ patrona, fuique "Admiratrix, externoque Philauția cultu "Splendida, at interius vivæ virtutis inanis: "Et foror huius amans tremulis replicare labellis "Murmura, continuo vocis prolata fufurro "Ac humeris inflexa caput Simulatio vana : "Securoque placens fibi Confidentia geftu,

"Impiaque ignitis Truculentia fpectat ocellis, &c."

I know not whether THE VOYAGE OF THE WANDRING KNIGHT, a French fpiritual romance, was published in its own language before the FAERIE QUEENE. But the English translation of it was dedicated to Sir Francis Drake, Spenfer's cotemporary, who died in 1597. This work has also been unnoticed by the commentators. The following edition of it is in Sion College Library, London. "THE VOYAGE OF THE WANDRING KNIGHT. Shewing the whole courfe of Mans Life, how apt he is to follow Vanity, and how hard it is for him to attayn to Vertue. Devifed by John Cartheny, a Frenchman; and tranflated out of French into English, by W. G. of Southampton, Merchant. A work worthy the reading; and dedicated to the Right Worshipfull Sir Francis Drake, Knight. Lond. 1650." 4to. bl. 1. The dedication contains many allufions to Sir Francis's acquaintance with the fea. The work is divided into three parts. In the first part, "Folly apparelleth and armeth the Wandring Knight, Ch, iv. The Wandring Knight, finding two wayes and doubtfull whether of them to take, there chaunced to come to him Vertue and Voluptuousnesse, either of them offering to conduct and guide him on the way, Ch. vi. How the Wandring Knight was received and welcomed to the pallace of worldly Felicity, Ch. viii." In the fecond part, "Gods-Grace fheweth Hell unto the knight, with all the voluptuous company that hee faw in the pallace of worldly Felicity, Ch. ii." In the third part, Faith, Hope, and Charity are defcribed, Ch. ii. iii. iv. &c. As are the four Moral Virtues, Ch. vii. And, in the eighth Chapter, Faith, like Spenfer's hermit, "from the top of the tower of the pallace of Lady Vertue fheweth unto the Knight the City of Heaven." De

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