Page images
PDF
EPUB

b

Triffino, who flourished a few years after Ariofto, had tafte and boldnefs enough to publifh an epick poem, written in profeffled imitation of the Iliad. But this attempt met with little regard or applaufe for the reafon on which its real merit was founded. It was rejected as an infipid and uninterefting performance, having few devils or enchantments to recommend it. To Triffino fucceeded Taffo, who, in his Gierufaleme Liberata, took the ancients for his guides; but was ftill too fenfible of the popular prejudice in favour of ideal beings, and romantick adventures, to neglect or omit them entirely. He had ftudied, and acknowledged the beauties of claffical purity. Yet he ftill kept his firft and favourite acquaintance, the old Provencial poets, in his eye. Like his own Rinaldo, who after he had gazed on the diamond fhield of truth, and with feeming refolution was actually departing from Armida and her enchanted gardens, could not help looking back upon them with fome remains of fondnefs. Nor did Taffo's Poem, though composed in fome measure on a regular plan, give its author, among the Italians, at leaft, any greater fhare of esteem and reputation on that account. Ariosto, with all his extravagancies, was ftill preferred. The fuperiority of the Orlando Furiofo was at length established by a formal decree of the Academicians della Crufca, who, amongst other literary debates, held a folemn court of enquiry concerning the merit of both poems.

Duke of Ferrara, calls the Orl. Furiofo,

del miracolofo Ariofto." TODD.

DIUINO POEMA

b He died 1550. Ariofto 1535. T. WARTON.

L'Italia Liberata di Goti, 1524. It is in blank verfe, which the author would have introduced instead of the Terza Rima of Dante, or the Ottava of Boccace. T. WARTON.

Such was the prevailing taste, when Spenfer projected the Faerie Queene: a poem, which according to the practice of Ariofto, was to confift of allegories, enchantments, and romantick expeditions, conducted by knights, giants, magicians, and fictitious beings. It may be urged that Spenfer made an unfortunate choice, and difcovered but little judgement, in adopting Ariofto for his example, rather than Taffo, who had fo evidently exceeded his rival, at least in conduct and decorum. But our author naturally followed the poem which was most celebrated and popular. For, although the French criticks univerfally gave the preference to Taffo, yet, in Italy, the partifans on the fide of Ariofto were by far the most powerful, and consequently in England: for Italy, in the age of queen Elizabeth, gave laws to our ifland in all matters of tafte, as France has done ever fince. At the fame time it may be fuppofed, that, of the two, Ariofto was Spenfer's favourite; and that he was naturally biaffed to prefer that plan which would admit the moft extenfive range for his unlimited imagination. What was Spenfer s particular plan, in confequence of this choice, and how it was conducted, I now proceed to examine.

d

The poet fuppofes, that the FAERIE QUEENE, according to an established annual custom, held a magnificent feaft, which continued twelve days; on each of which, respectively, twelve feveral complaints are prefented before her. Accordingly, in order to redrefs the injuries which were the occafion of these feveral complaints, the difpatches, with proper commiffions, twelve different Knights, each of which, in the particular adventure allotted to him, proves an example of fome particular virtue, as of holiness,

* See Spenfer's Letter to Sir W. Raleigh, &c. T. WARTON.

temperance, juftice, chastity; and has one complete Book affigned to him, of which he is the hero. But befides thefe twelve knights, feverally exemplifying twelve moral virtues, the poet has conftituted one principal knight, or general hero, viz. PRINCE ARTHUR. This perfonage reprefents Magnificence; a virtue which is fuppofed to be the perfection of all the reft. He moreover affifts in every Book, and the end of his actions is to difcover and win GLORIANA, or Glory. In a word, in this character the poet profeffes to pourtray, "THE IMAGE OF A BRAVE KNIGHT PERFECTED IN THE TWELVE PRIVATE MORAL VIRTUES."

It is evident that our author in establishing one hero, who feeking and attaining one grand end, which is GLORIANA, fhould exemplify one grand character, or a brave Knight perfected in the twelve private moral virtues, copied the caft and conftruction of the ancient Epick. But, fenfible as he was of the importance and expediency of the unity of the hero and of his defign, he does not, in the mean time, feem convinced of the neceffity of that unity of action, by the means of which fuch a defign fhould be properly accomplished. At leaft, he has not followed the method practifed by Homer and Virgil, in conducting their respective heroes to the propofed end. fapere foot

[ocr errors]

It may be asked with great propricty, how does ARTHUR execute the grand, fimple, and ultimate defign, intended by the poet? It may be answered, with fome degree of plausibility, that by lending his refpective affiftance to each of the twelve Knights, who patronize the twelve virtues, in his allotted defence of each, ARTHUR approaches ftill nearer and nearer to Glory, till at laft he gains a complete poffeffion. But furely to affift is not a fufficient fervice. This fecondary merit is inadequate to the

[ocr errors]

reward. The poet ought to have made this "brave Knight" the leading adventurer. ARTHUR fhould have been the principal agent in vindicating the cause of Holiness, Temperance, and the reft. If our hero had thus, in his own perfon, exerted himself in the protection of the twelve virtues, he might have been defervedly styled the perfect Pattern of all, and confequently would have fucceeded in the task affigned, the attainment of Glory. At prefent he is only a fubordinate or acceffory character. The difficulties and obftacles which we expect him to furmount, in order to accomplish his final achievement, are removed by others. It is not he who fubdues the dragon, in the firft Book, or quells the magician Bufirane, in the third. These are the victories of St. George and of Britomart. On the whole, the twelve Knights do too much for ARTHUR to do any thing; or at leaft, fo much as may be reasonably required from the promised plan of the poet. While we are attending to the defign of the hero of the book, we forget that of the hero of the poem. Dryden remarks, "We muft do Spenfer that justice to obferve, that magnanimity [magnificence] which is the true character of Prince Arthur, fhines throughout the whole poem; and fuccours the reft when they are in difirefs"." If the magnanimity of Arthur did, in reality, thus fhine in every part of the poem with a fuperiour and steady luftre, our author would fairly ftand acquitted. At prefent it burfts forth but feldom, in obfcure and interrupted flashes. "To fuccour the reft when they are in diftrefs," is, as I have hinted, a circumftance of too little importance in the character of this univerfal champion. It is a fervice to be performed in the cause of the hero of the Epick Poem by fome

• Dedication to the Tranflation of Juvenal. T. WARTON.

dependant or inferiour chief, the bufinefs of a Gyas or a Cloanthus.

On the whole, we may obferve, that Spenser's adventures, feparately taken as the fubject of each fingle Book, have not always a mutual dependance upon each other, and confequently do not properly contribute to conftitute one legitimate poem. Hughes, not confidering this, has advanced a remark in commendation of Spenfer's critical conduct, which is indeed one of the most blameable parts of it. we confider the firft Book as an entire work of itfelf, we shall find it to be no irregular contrivance. There is one principal action, which is completed in the twelfth Canto, and the feveral incidents are proper, as they tend either to obftruct or promote

it!"

"If

For the

As the heroick poem is required to be one WHOLE, compounded of many various parts, relative and dependant, it is expedient that not one of those parts fhould be fo regularly contrived, and fo completely finished, as to become a WHOLE of itfelf. mind, being once fatisfied in arriving at the confummation of an orderly feries of events, acquiefces in that fatisfaction. Our attention and curiofity are in the midst diverted from purfuing, with due vigour, the final and general catastrophe. But while each part is left incomplete, if feparated from the reft, the mind ftill eager to gratify its expectations, is irrefiftibly and imperceptibly drawn from part to part, 'till it receives a full and ultimate fatisfaction from the accomplishment of one great event, which all thofe parts, following and illuftrating each other, contributed to produce.

Our author was probably aware, that by conftituting twelve feveral adventures for twelve feveral

See before, p. xxv. TODD.

« PreviousContinue »