THE DREAM. FROM THE LATIN OF J. LEOCH *. Lov'n of the Muse to Venus dear, *John Leoch, the correspondent of Drummond the poet, published his Musa Priores at London, in 1620, on his return from his travels. He appears to have been born in Mar, and to have been the son of a clergyman. In one of his eclogues, he complains of having been deprived of part of his patrimony by the Duke of Leven. He studied philosophy at Aberdeen; and, when at Poictiers, applied to civil law. After his return to Britain, he lived in habits of familiarity with all the Scotish wits of the age, as Scot of Scotstarvet, Drummond of Hawthornden, whom he sometimes terms 66 Spinifer Damon," Alexander, Earl of Stirling; Seton, Earl of Dumfermline; and Hamilton, Earl of Melrose. He dedicates his Love poems to William Earl of Pembroke, nephew of Sir Philip Sidney. His Musæ Priores, the verses of which sometimes possess considerable elegance and fluency of stile, consist of his Eroticon, or love verses, written in imitation of the ancient models; his Idyllia, and his Epigrammata. He defends the freedom of some of his love verses by the old apology of Catullus, that his life was chaste, though his verse was wanton; or, as Goldsmith expresses it, "His conduct still right, and his argument wrong." In the preface to his Idyllia he claims some degree of merit for the variety, as well as for the originality of his stile. "Quotus enim quisque est, qui tam varia in hoc genere aggressus? namque, ut Bucolica excipias, in quibus non pauci; quis oro, præter Sanazarium, Piscatorias Eclogas; quis præter Hugonem Grotium, Nauticas tentavit? et illius, quod dolori maximo esse possit, equid præter unicum Nauticum exstat Idyllium? In Ampelicis, nullus, quod sciam. Hactenus primus ego illas agressus, nondum tamen ingressus." The Ampelic clogue, or Song of the Vintagers, was probably attempted in imi Thou, gifted Bard, canst best explain Descending in a radiant car, Rapt from earth, and bore me far; O'er the level lawn we flew ; The grove's deep shadow round us grew; Deep within a soft retreat, Flow'd a spring with murmur sweet. "Here be all thine offerings done,” Softly whisper'd Venus' son: tation of the Italians. A long poem in this stile was composed by Tansillo, and denominated Il Vendemiatore. On the departure of our author from Paris, in 1620, the following Poetical Address was published, and inscribed to him. "Sylva, Leochæo suo, Sacra, sive Lycida Desiderium," a Georg. Camerario, Scoto, Paris 1620. "Here let clouds of incense rise," As I bent the waves to kiss, With her sought the shady grove, 66 Hylas! a second Hylas," sounds; And left the Bard to lone despair. D. RURAL INSCRIPTION. BY MR. R. A. DAVENPORT. O THOU! with soul to Nature dead, Where nought can please thine eye or ear. peace the song; In vain, the limpid current flows, The life-reviving zephyr blows, The swain his toil with mirth beguiles, And earth and heaven are drest in smiles! All, all by thee are coldly past: Thou hear'st no music in the blast; Seest nought in all the landscape yields, LINES FROM THE SPANISH OF BARTOLOME LEONARDO. FABIUS, to think that God hath in the lines Reigns here and revels.' MILTON. T. Y. 7 |