550 A difmal half-year night the orient beam We have the fame Simile more expanded in the Blenheim of our Author. not more rejoice The miferable race of men that live Benighted half the year, benumb'd with frofts When first the fun with new-born light removes V. 58. foon as Phœbus' lamp Virg. Æn. iii. 637. -PHOEBE LAMPADIS,inftar. Bewrayed had the world with ORIENT light. Spenfer. FAIRY QUEEN, B. iii. C. 10. St. 1. 555. The Spirit of love] This is from Milton, who frequently contracts the word spirit into à monofyllable. Under his forming hands a creature grew, Manlike, but different fex, fo lovely fair, That what feem'd fair in all the world, feem'd now Mean, or in her fumm'd up, in her contain'd And In uncouth rhythms, to echo Edgar's name. Of wife, heroic Kings, that by just laws See lion-hearted Richard, with his force And in her looks, which from that time infus'd —uncouth rhythms· 557: Thus fang the UNCOUTH fwain to th' oaks and rills. 559. 157 560 P. L. viii. 470. Milton, LYCIDAS, V. 186. -productive of a line Of wife heroic kings The Poet had closed his first Book with the characters of fome of his own particular friends, and of perfons much connected with them; whom he compliments with all the warmth and energy of friendship. Here, in concluding his fecond Book, he rifes in his fubject, and, giving a sketch of our National History, pictures fome of the most eminent of our British Monarchs. It may indeed be obferved, that as he approaches his own times, the opinions of the Politician to govern the Descriptions of the Poet. 563. -Lion-hearted Richard Richard I. was furnamed Caur-de-Lion, or, Lion's-heart, the origin of which name Shakespeare, in his King John, attributes to a real exploit. Falconbridge fays to his mother, ACT 1. Scene 3. Needs muft you lay your heart at his difpofe, Againft whofe fury, and unmatched force, Nor keep his princely heart from Richard's hand.. But the fact here referred to, it is faid by the curious enquirers, can only be traced to the old metrical Romance of Richard Coeur-deLyon, the Author of which, having mentioned the King's confinement in Germany, Drawn from the North to Jewry's hallow'd plains, Piously valiant! Like a torrent swell'd 565 With wintery tempefts, that difdains all mounds, Germany, on his return from the Crufade, gives fcope to his invention in the addition of many circumftances, and particularly of his tearing out the heart of a Lion, to which he fuppofes him to have been expofed for having killed the son of the Prince by whom he was confined. The reader may not be difpleafed to fee fome of the lines, in which the combat is defcribed. It must be understood, that the King's Daughter, being in love with Richard, had fupplied him with a number of handkerchiefs to wrap round his arm, and enable him to accomplish this wonderful exploit. The lyon was hongry and megre, And bette his tayle to be egre; He looked aboute as he were madde; Abrode he all his pawes fpredde. He cry'd lowde and ganed wyde: Kynge Rycharde bethought him that tyde, 565. ·like a torrent fwell'd -} This Simile of the Torrent is found in Homer, and in almost all the Roman Poets. If our Poet copied from any of them, it was probably from the following Paffage of Virgil: Non fic, AGGERIBUS RUPTIS CUM SPUMEUS AMNIS Not half fo fierce the foamy deluge bounds, EN. ii. 496. PITT. Amidst ns, on September 7th, 1162, in which Richard was feen to perform ats of valour, which the eyes of mortals had not before witneffed ith his battle-axe, in the head of which was twenty pounds of tem red steel, he cleft the bones of the Saracens, rallied his men, restored e fight where it flagged, unhorfed Saladin, and gained a complete tory, leaving forty thoufand of the enemy dead on the plain.' - Mr. Berrington, from the teftimony of Richard's own Letters s to be all fiction.-Some fuch defcription, however, Philips, w suppose, had in his recollection; and, as it is curious to trace Poet e materials from which they work, it may not be improper to fub he account of the fingle combat between Richard and Saladin, from bourg's Hiftory of the Crusades, tranflated by Nalson, and published 86. Then it was that for fome time the combat began to be more furiou d bloody than it was before, the two Kings, by their voices and ture, but much more by their example, animating their foldiers to ire to victory. After having done all that could be expected from tw the most able captains in the world, providing against all events ving out neceffary orders, and themselves in the charge giving the t blows, it happened that in the rencounter, knowing each other by fe marks which diftinguished them from the reft, they both hit upo fame thought; and each of them believing he had found an enem orthy of himself, and whom with honour he might combat, both a foldier and a king, they both believed that the general victory uld depend upon their particular encounter, and that he whom For he fhould declare her favourite, would not fail of having the glory fingly obtaining the victory. So both of them, at the fame time arging his arm with a strong lance, they both furiously ran on ainft the other, and being both of them moft ftout and valiant men mirably mounted, and animated with an ardent defire of glory erein hatred had the least share, the fhock was extreme rude an "violent Smote in the rear, and with dishonest wounds On Gallia's hoftile ground! His right withheld 575 "violent; their lances flew into a thousand splinters, and Richard was "fomewhat difordered with the mighty blow which he had received; "but he had managed his lance with fo much address and force, that he overthrew both horfe and man upon the ground. This raised a mighty fhout from both the armies, as if Saladin had been flain; " and the Saracens came tumbling in fhoals about him fo thick, either to "relieve him if alive, or carry him off if he were dead, that Richard, "who approaching with his fword advanced to finish his victory, was "conftrained to let it fall upon lefs confiderable enemies, of whom he "made a moft horrible flaughter, for their interpofing between him and "glory. Saladin, the goodness of whofe arms had faved his life, forely bruifed in body, and tormented with the fhame of his fall, being "mounted on a fresh horse, did by a speedy flight prevent a worse def"tiny; and, after him, his whole army thought it no difgrace to make "the best hafte they could from death and danger." 573. This is Virgil's difboneft wounds-] EN. vi. 497. INHONESTO VULNERE 574. Soldan Soldan, the old English word for Sultan, is ufed by Spenfer, and in many of our Old English Ballads. -It is alfo ufed by Milton, P. L. B. i. V. 764; upon which occafion, his Commentator has given a note which equally applies to our Author." Milton" (fays Bishop Newton)"frequently affects the ufe of uncommon words, when common ones "would fuit the measure of his verfe as well, believing that it added. "to the dignity of his language." 575 Alla-] The Mahometans call God Alla, which, from the Arabic root, Alah, fignifies the ADORABLE BEING. gnafhing with despite and fhame-] GNASHING FOR anguish and DESPITE AND SHAME Milton, P. L. vi. 339. Such |