or over-done. Such for example are his reprefentations of Scandal, Difcord, and Pride. Scandal is, what Spenfer calls, the Blatant Beast: and indeed he has made a very ftrange beaft of him. He fays, that his mouth was as wide as a peck, B. vi. C. xii. ft. 26: and that he had a thoufand tongues in it; of dogs, cats, bears, tygers, men, and ferpents, B. vi. C. xii. ft. 28. There is a duplicity in his figure of Difcord, which is carried on fo far as to be quite prepofterous. He makes her hear double, and look two different ways; he splits her tongue, and even her heart, in two: and makes her act contrarily with her two hands; and walk forward with one foot, and backward with the other, at the fame time, B. iv. C. i. ft. 29. There is a great deal of apparatus in Spenfer's manner of introducing Pride, in a perfonal character and fhe has fo many different things and attributes about her, that was this fhow to be reprefented, (in the manner of our old Pageants,) they would rather fet one a gueffing what they meant themselves, than ferve to point out who the principal figure fhould be. She makes her appearance, exalted in a high chariot, drawn by fix different creatures: every one of them carrying a & every one of them carrying a Vice, as a poftilion, on his back; and all drove on by Satan as charioteer,] Ridiculous as this representation must be thought, it was perhaps no uncommon method of delineating the fervant of fin. In the religious allegories, or emblematical books, of the poet's time, I think it not improbable that fuch a picture might exist. I have now before me, The Chriftian Pilgrime in his Spirituall Conflict and Conqueft, printed at Paris or rather at Douay, in 1652, in 12mo. It is embellished with engravings; and, at the beginning of the work, "The animal, carnal, and fenfual man" is defcribed (as "he who gives up the raynes of his Reason to the intire conduct of Senfuality, and puts his foul into the devil's power,) by the following engraved emblem: The globe of the earth is Vice, as a poftilion, on his back; and all drove on by Satan, as charioteer, B. i. C. iv. ft. 18, &c. The fix Vices are Idlenefs, on an afs; Gluttony, on a hog; Lechery, on a goat; Avarice, on a camel laden with gold; Envy, eating a toad, and riding on a wolf; and Wrath, with a fire-brand in his hand, riding on a lion. The account of each of thefe particular Vices in Spenfer, is admirable: the chief fault I find with it is, that it is too complex a way of characterising Pride in general; and may poffibly be as improper in fome few refpects, as it is redundant in others. There is another particular in fome of Spenser's Allegories which I cannot but look upon as faulty, though it is not near fo great a fault as the former. What I mean is his affixing fuch filthy ideas to fome of his perfonages, or characters, that it half turns one's ftomach to read his account of them. Such, for example, is the defcription of Errour, in the very first Canto of the poem; of which we may very well fay, in the poet's own words, on a like occafion, B. v. C. xi. ft. 31. "Such loathly matter were finall luft to speak, or think." The third fault in the Allegories of Spenfer's own invention is, that they are fometimes stretched to fuch a degree, that they appear extravagant rather than great; and that he is fometimes fo minute, in pointing out every particular of its vaftness to you, that the object is in danger of becoming ridiculous, instead of being admirable. This is not common in Spenfer the ftrongeft inftance of the few I can placed in a fplendid chariot, of which the devil is the charioteer, driving furiously a pair of the Spenferian stud, a hog and a goat. TODD. h Such, for example, is the description of Errour,] See Dr. Jortin's and Mr. Upton's notes on F. Q. i. i. 20. TODD. remember, is in his description of the dragon, killed by the knight of the red crofs, in the laft Canto of his firft Book. The tail of this dragon, he tells you, wanted but very little of being three furlongs in length; the blood, that gufhes from his wound, is enough to drive a water-mill; and his roar, is like that of a hundred hungry lions, B. i. C. xi. ft. 11, 22, 37. The fourth clafs of faults in Spenfer's Allegories, confifts of fuch as arife from their not being well invented. The reader will eafily, I believe, allow me here, the three following poftulata. That, in introducing Allegories, one fhould confider whether the thing is fit to be reprefented as a perfon, or not. Secondly; that, if you choose to reprefent it as a human perfonage, it fhould not be reprefented with any thing inconfiftent with the human form or nature. And thirdly; that, when it is reprefented as a man, you should not make it perform any action, which no man in his fenfes would do. Spenfer feems to have erred against the first of thefe maxims, in thofe lines in his defcription of the cave of Despair, B. iv. C. v. ft. 38. "They for nought would from their worke refraine, "Ne let his fpeeches come unto their eare: "And eke the breathfull bellowes blew amaine, "Like to the northren winde, that none could heare: "Those Pensiveness did move; and Sighes the bellows weare." Was a poet to say that fighs are "the bellows that blow up the fire of love," that would be only a metaphor: a poor one indeed; but not at all improper but here they are realifed, or rather metamorphofed into bellows; which I could fuade myself to think any way proper. perhaps guilty of the fame fort of fault, Gifts, or Munera, a woman, B. v. C. ii. ft. never perSpenfer is in making 9, 10, &c : though that may be only a mifnomer; for, if he had called her Bribery, one fhould not have the fame objection. But the groffeft inftance in him of this kind, is in the ninth Canto of the Second Book, where he turns the human body into a caftle; the tongue, into the porter that keeps the gate; and the teeth, into two and thirty warders' dreffed in white: See 21 to the end of the canto. Spenfer feems to have erred against the fecond of these maxims, in reprefenting the rigid execution of the laws under the character of a man all made k up of dreffed in white.] Mr. Warton, who alfo reprehends this defcription, relates that these warders are "clad in white;" but Mr. Spence and Mr. Warton are incorrect; for the poet's information is, that these warders were "all armed bright "In glistring steele.”—st. 26. This fubject is farther difcuffed in a fubfequent page. TODD. * of a man all made up of iron;] It is doubtful whether this idea be wholly of Spenter's invention, or borrowed partly from the ancients; for they fpeak of one Talus, (or rather Talo,) a fevere law-giver in Crete. Τον ΤΑΛΩ, τον χαλκόν της Κρήτης TEPITOλor, Lucian, tom. i. p. 804. ed. Blaeu. They might call him "the brafen guardian of Crete," because he secured them by his laws, affixed in the most publick places, on plates of brafs; but whether they had any idea of this Talus, as a brafen man, I know not. SPENCE. The character of executing juftice, attributed by the poet to Talus, is agreeable to that which he bears in ancient story; nor has Spenfer greatly varied from antiquity in the make of this wonderful man; for he is there faid to be formed of brass; and, by our author, of iron. See Plato, in Minoe, Plat. Opp. vol. i. fp. 230. ed. Serran. NoμoQuranı yag avlw [Padaμartw] ἐχρῆλο ὁ Μινως κατα αςυ· τα δε κατα την αλλην Κρήτην τω ΤΑΛΩ. γας ΤΑΛΩΣ τρις περιπει τε ενιαυ] καλα τας κωμας, φυλατίων της νομες εν αύταις εν χαλκοις γραμματείοις έχων γεγραμμενες· ὅθεν ΧΑΛΚΟΥΣ εκληθη. As to the circumftance of Talus traverfing the isle of Crete, it exactly correfponds with what Spenfer fays afterwards of his iron man, who did the fame in Ierne, F. Q. v. vii. 26. Plato has told us, that Talus was denominated brasen, on account of his iron, B. v. C. i. ft. 12; and Bribery, (or the lady Munera, before mentioned,) as a woman with carrying the laws about him, written in brafen tables; but Apollonius informs us, that he was actually made of brafs, and invulnerable, Argon. L. iv. ver. 1645. Αλλ' ήτοι το μεν αλλο δέμας, καὶ γυια, τελυκλο Apollonius likewife takes notice of his circuiting Crete three times a year, ib. ver. 1648. Τρις περι χαλκείοις Κρήτην ποσε δινευονία. Apollodorus will farther illuftrate this matter. σε Ελευθερ αναχθείλες [Αργοναύται] κωλυονται Κρήτη προσίσχειν ύπο ΤΑΛΩ ̇ τέλον δι μεν τε χαλκς γενες ειναι λεγεσιν· ὁι δὲ ὑπο Ηφαισε Μίνω δόθηναι· ὃς * ΚΑΛΚΟΥΣ ΑΝΗΡ· δι δε Ταυρον αυλον λεγουσιν. Είχε δε φλέβα μιαν απο αυχένος καταλεινεσαν άχει σφύρων κατα δε το δέρμα της φλεβος ήλος διηριο χαλκους. Οὐλῶ ὁ ΤΑΛΩΣ τρις έκατης ημερας την νησον πε gilgoxağwv ETNEEL." Bibliothec. b. i. c. 26. This marvellous fwiftnefs of Talus is likewife referred to by our author, F. Q. v. i. 20. And is alluded to by Catullus, in his Ode to Camérius, where he tells him that he should not be able to pursue him, Car. lvi. "Non Cuftos fi ego fingar ille Cretum." Orpheus, or rather Onomacritus, calls Talús, in his Argonauticks, v. 1348. Χαλκείον τριγιγαλία, "The brafen triple-giant." The circumftance of Talus's iron flail is added from our author's imagination. T. WARTON. Justice is attended with power fufficient to execute her righteous doom. The moral is apparent; and the moral should lead us to understand the fable; which yet feems to me to have been misunderstood. Who is ignorant of the history of Talus, mentioned by Plato, Apollonius Rhodius, &c. and by almost all the mythologists? But Spenfer's Talus is not the Cretan Talus; though imaged from him. He was a judge; this is an executioner. He was faid to have been a brafen man; imaging the laws which were engraven in brafen tables. "Nec verba minacia fixo "Ere legebantur." Ov. Met. i. 91. These laws he is faid to have carried about with him, when he went his circuit in Crete, and partly from his severity, and partly from the tables of brafs which he carried about with him, he was called a brafen man, ὅθεν χαλκᾶς ἐκλήθη, fays Plato in Minos. But how properly does Spenfer depart from ancient 1 |