:

Each had his motion natural and free

And the whole no more mov'd, than the whole world could be. BRUTUS.

2. The ingenious author of the Obfervations on Spenfer (from which fine fpecimen of his critical talents one is led to expect great things) directs us to another imitation of this fort.

Taffo had faid,

Cofi a le belle lagrime le piume

Si bagna Amore, e gode al chiaro lume.

On which short hint Spenser has rais'd the following luxuriant imagery,

The blinded archer-boy,

Like lark in fhow'r of rain,
Sate bathing of his wings,

And glad the time did spend
Under those chrystal drops,
Which fall from her fair eyes,
And at their brightest beams
Him proyn'd in lovely wife.

3. I will just add two more examples of the fame kind; chiefly, because they illuftrate an observation, very proper to be attended to on this fubject; which is, “That in this difplay of a borrowed thought, "the Imitation will generally fall short of the Ori"ginal, even tho' the borrower be the greater Ge"nius."

The

The Italian poet, just now quoted, says sublimely

of the Night,

- Ufci la Notte, è fotto l'ali

Menò il filentio

Milton has given a paraphrase of this paffage, but very much below his original.

Now came ftill ev'ning on, and twilight gray
Had in her sober livery all things clad;
Silence accompany'd-

The ftriking part of Taffo's picture, is, "Night's "bringing in Silence under her wings." So new and fingular an idea as this had detected an Imitation. Milton contents himself, then, with faying fimply, Silence accompany'd. However to make amends, as he thought, for this defect, Night itfelf, which the Italian had merely personized, the English poet not only perfonizes, but employs in a very becoming office.

Now came ftill ev'ning on, and twilight gray
Had in her fober livery, all things clad.

Every body will obferve a little blemish, in this fine couplet. He should not have used the epithet ftill, when he intended to add,

Silence accompanied

But there is a worfe fault in this Imitation. To hide it, he speaks of Night's livery. When he had done

that,

that, to speak of her wings, had been ungraceful. Therefore he is forced to fay obfcurely as well as fim ply, Silence accompany'd: And fo loses a more noble image for a lefs noble one. The truth is, they would not stand together. Livery belongs to human grandeur; wings to divine or celeftial. So that in Milton's very attempt to furpass his original, he put it out of his power to employ the circumftance that most recommended it.

He is not happier on another occafion. Spenfer had faid with his usual Simplicity,

"Virtue gives herself light thro' darkness for to F. Q. B. 1.

"wade.

Milton catched at this image and has run it into a fort of paraphrafe in those fine lines,

"Virtue could fee to do what virtue would

"By her own radiant light, tho' Sun and Moon "Were in the flat fea funk

COMUS.

In Spenfer's line we have the idea of Virtue dropt down into a world, all over darkened with vice and error. Virtue excites the light of truth to see all around her, and not only diffipate the neighbouring darkness, but to direct her course in pursuing her victory and driving her enemy out of it; the arduoufnefs of which exploit is well expressed by thro' darkness for to WADE. On the contrary, Milton, in borrowing, fubftitutes the phyfical for the moral idea - by her own radiant light — and the Sun and

Moon

Moon were in the flat fea funk. It may be afk'd, how this happen'd? Very naturally. Milton was caught with the obvious imagery, which he found he could display to more advantage; and fo did not enough attend to the noble fentiment that was couched under it.

XIII. These are inftances of a paraphrastical licence in dilating on a famous Sentiment or Image. The ground is the fame, only flourish'd upon by the genius of the Imitator. At times we find him pra&tifing a different art; "not merely spreading, as it "were, and laying open the fame fentiment, but "adding to it and by a new and studied device im"proving upon it." In this case we naturally conclude that the refinement had not been made, if the plain and fimple thought had not preceded and given rife to it.. You will apprehend my meaning by what follows.

1. Shakespear had faid of Henry ivth.

He cannot long hold out these pangs; The inceffant care and labour of his mind

Hath wrought the mure, that should confine it in, So thin, that life looks through, and will break out. Hen. iv. A. 4.

You have, here the thought in it's first Simplicity. It was not unnatural, after speaking of the body, as a cafe or tenement of the Soul, the mure that confines it, to fay, that as that cafe wears away and grows thin, life looks thro', and is ready to break out.

DANIEL, by refining on this fentiment, if by no➡ thing else, shews himself to be the copyift. Speaking of the fame Henry, he obferves,

And Pain and Grief, inforcing more and more,
Befieg'd the hold that could not long defend ;
Confuming fo all the refifting store

Of those provisions Nature deign'd to lend,
As that the Walls, worn thin, permit the mind
To look out thorough, and his frailty find,

Here we see, not fimply that Life is going to break thro' the infirm and much worn habitation, but that the Mind looks thro' and finds his frailty, that it difcovers, that Life will foon make his escape. I might add, that the four firft lines are of the nature of the Paraphrafe, confider'd in the last article: And that the expreffion of the others is too much the fame to be original. But we are not yet come to the head of expreffion. And I choofe to confine myself to the fingle point of view we have before us.

Daniel's improvement, then, looks like the artifice of a man that would outdo his Mafter. Tho' he fails in the attempt. For his ingenuity betrays him into a falfe thought. The mind, looking thro', does not find it's own frailty, but the frailty of the building it inhabits. However I have endeavoured to rectify this millake in my explanation.

The truth is, Daniel was not a man to improve upon Shakespear. But now comes, a writer, that knew his business much better. He chufes to em

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