Mufic can foften pain to ease, And make despair and madness please : And antedate the blifs above. This the divine Cecilia found, 120 And to her Maker's praise confin'd the found. 125 When the full organ joins the tuneful quire, Th' immortal pow'rs, incline their ear; And Angels lean from heav'n to hear. Her's lift the foul to heav'n. 130 TWO CHORUS'S CH то тНЕ Tragedy of BRUTUSa. Y CHORUS of ATHENIANS. STROPHE I. E fhades, where facred truth is fought; Groves, where immortal Sages taught: Where heav'nly vifions Plato fir'd, And Epicurus lay inspir'd! In vain your guiltless laurels ftood NOTES. 5 THESE Two Chorus's were compofed to enrich a very poor Play; but they had the usual effect of ill-adjusted Ornaments, only to make its meannefs the more confpi cuous. Altered from Shakespear by the Duke of Buckingham, at whose defire these two Chorus's were composed to supply as many, wanting in his play. They were fet many years afterwards by the famous Bononcini, and performed at Buckingham-house. VER. 3. Where heav'nly Vifions Plato fir'd, And Epicurus lay infpir'd!] The propriety of thefe lines arifes from hence, that Brutus, one of the Heroes of this play, was War, horrid war, your thoughtful Walks invades, And steel now glitters in the Mufes fhades. ANTIS TROPHE I. Oh heav'n-born fifters! fource of art!' Who charm the fenfe, or mend the heart; 10 Moral Truth, and mystic Song ! To what new clime, what distant sky, STROPHE II, When Athens finks by fates unjust, And Athens rifing near the pole! 'Till some new Tyrant lifts his purple hand, And civil madnefs tears them from the land. NOTES. 15 20 of the Old Academy; and Caffius, the other, was an Epicurean: but this had not been enough to juftify the Poet's choice, had not Plato's fyftem of Divinity, and Epicurus's fyftem of Morals, been the moft rational amongst the various fects of Greek Philofophy. VER. 12. Moral truth AND myftic fong!] He had expreffed himself better had he said, "Moral truth IN myftic fong! In the Antistrophe he turns from Philofophy to Mythology ; and Mythology is nothing but moral truth in myftic fong. ANTIS TROPHE II. In ev'ry age, in ev'ry state! Still, when the luft of tyrant pow'r fucceeds, 25 30 CHORUS of Youths and Virgins. SEMICHORUS. H Tyrant Love! haft thou poffeft The prudent, learn'd, and virtuous breast? And Arts but foften us to feel thy flame. But entring learns to be fincere. Why, Virtue, doft thou blame defire, CHORU S. Love's purer flames the Gods approve ; Brutus for absent Portia fighs, And fterner Caffius melts at Junia's eyes. A vapour fed from wild defire, A wand'ring, felf-confuming fire. And burn for ever one; Chafte as cold Cynthia's virgin light, Productive as the Sun. NOTES. 5 ΙΟ 15 20 VER. 9. Why Virtue, etc.] In allufion to that famous conceit of Guarini, "Se il peccare è sì dolce, etc. |