But most by lewd and lavish act of Sin, Mafk at Ludlow Caftle. This philofophy of imbruted fouls becoming thick shadows is fo remote from any ideas entertain'd at prefent of the effects of Sin, and at the fame time is so agreeable to the notions of Plato (a double favourite of Milton, for his own fake, and for the fake of his being a favourite with his Italian Masters) that there is not the least question of it's being taken from the PHAEDO. Ἡ τοιάυτη ψυχὴ βαρύνεται τε καὶ ἕλκεται πάλιν εις τὸν ὁρατὸν τόπον, φόβῳ τῇ ἀειδές τε καὶ ὧδε, περὶ τὰ μνήματα καὶ τοὺς τάφος κυλινδεμένη· περὶ ἃ δὴ καὶ ἄφε θα άλλα ψυχῶν σκιοειδή φαντάσματα, οἷα παρέχον ται αι τοιαύται ψυχαι ἔίδωλα, αι μὴ καθαρῶς ἀπολυθεῖσαι There is no wonder, now one fees the fountain Milton drew from, that, in admiration of this poetical philofophy (which nourish'd the fine spirits of that time, tho' it corrupted fome) he should make the other speaker in the Scene cry out, as in a fit of extafy, How charming is divine philofophy! Not harsh, and crabbed, as dull fools fuppofe, And a perpetual feast of nectar'd fweets, The very ideas which Lord SHAFTESBURY has employed in his encomiums on the Platonic philofophy; and the very language which Dr. HENRY MORE would have us'd if he had known to exprefs himfelf fo foberly. 3. Having faid fo much of Plato; whom the Italian writers have help'd to make known to us, let me juft obferve one thing, to our prefent purpose, of those Italian writers themfelves. One of their peculiarities, and almost the first that ftrikes us, is a certain fublime mystical air which runs thro' all their fictions. We find them a fort of philofophical fanatics, indulging themselves in ftrange conceits "con"cerning the Soul, the chyming of celeftial orbs, and "prefiding Syrens." One may tell by these marks, that they doted on the fancies of Plato; if we had not, befides, direct evidence for this conclufion. Taffo fays of himself, and he applauds the fame thing in Petrarch,"Leffi già tutte l'opere di Platone, è mi "rimaffero molti femi nella mente della fua dottri"na." I take these words from Menage, who has much much more to the fame purpose, in his elegant obfervations on the Amintas of this poet. One fees then where Milton had been for that imagery in the ARCADES, then liften I To the celestial Syrens harmony, That fit upon the nine enfolded spheres And fing to thofe that hold the vital fhears, On which the fate of Gods and men is wound. The best comment on thefe verfes is a paffage in the xth Book of Plato's Republic, where this whole fyftem, of Syrens quiring to the fates, is explained or rather deliver❜d. IV. We have seen a Mark of Imitation, in the allufion of writers to certain ftrange, and foreign tenets of philofophy. The obfervation may be extended to all those passages (which are innumerable in our poets) that allude to the rites, cuftoms, language and theology of Paganism. It is true indeed this Species of Imitation is not that which is, properly, the subject of this Letter. The moft original writer is allowed to furnish himself with poetical ideas from all quarters. And the management of learned Allufion is to be regarded, perhaps, as one of the nicest offices of Invention. Yet it may be useful to fee from what fources a great poet derives his materials; and the rather, as this detection will fometimes account for the manner in which he difpofes of them. However I will but detain You with a remark or two on this clafs of Imitations. 1. I obferve that even Shakefpear himfelf abounds in learned Allufions. How he came by them, is another question; tho' not fo difficult to be answered, You know, as fome have imagined. They, whọ are in fuch aftonishment at the learning of Shakespear, besides that they certainly carry the notion of his illiteracy too far, forget that the Pagan imagery was familiar to all the poets of his time that abundance of this fort of learning was to be pick'd up from almoft ev'ry English book, he could take into his hands that many of the beft writers in Greek and Latin had been tranflated into English that his conversation lay amongst the most learned, that is, the most paganiz'd poets of his age - but above all, that, if he had never look'd into books, or convers'd with bookish men, he might have learn❜d almost all the fecrets of paganism (so far, I mean, as a poet had any ufe of them) from the MASKS of B. Johnfon; contriv'd by that poet with fo pedanti'cal an exactness, that one is ready to take them for lectures and illuftrations on the antient learning, rather than exercifes of modern wit. The tafte of the age, much devoted to erudition, and ftill more, the tafte of the Princes, for whom he writ, gave a prodigious vogue to these unnatural exhibitions. And the knowledge of antiquity, requifite to fucceed in them, was, I imagine, the reafon that Shakefpear was not not over fond to try his hand at these elaborate triAles. Once indeed he did, and with fuch fuccefs as to disgrace the very best things of this kind we find in Johnson. The fhort Mask in the Tempest is fitted up with a claffical exactnefs. But it's chief merit lies in the beauty of the Shew, and the richness of the poetry. Shakespear was fo fenfible of his Superiority, that he could not help exulting a little upon it, where he makes Ferdinand fay, This is a moft majestic Vision, and 'Tis true, another Poet, who poffefs'd a great part of Shakespear's Genius and all Johnson's learning has carried this courtly entertainment to it's last perfection. But the Mask at Ludlow Caftle was, in fome measure, owing to the fairy Scenes of his Predeceffor; who chose this province of Tradition, not only as most fuitable to the wildness of his vaft creative imagination, but as the fafeft for his unlettered Mufe to walk in. For here he had much, You know, to expect from the popular credulity, and nothing to fear from the claffic fuperftition of that time. 2. It were endless to apply this note of imitation to other poets confeffedly learned. Yet one inftance is curious enough to be just mention'd. Mr. Waller, in his famous poem on the victory over the Dutch on June 3. 1665. has the following lines; His |