and the reft of that fine speech in the IVth Book of Paradife loft, which you remember fo perfectly that I need not transcribe more of it. Milton's fancy, as ufual, is rich and exuberant; but the conduct and application of his imagery fhews, that the whole paffage was fhadowed out of those charming but fimpler lines in the DANAE of Euripides. · Φίλον μὲν φέγγος ἡλία τόδε. Καλὸν δὲ πόνε χευμ ̓ ἰδεῖν ἐυήνεμον, Τ Ἀλλ ̓ ἐδὲν ὅτω λαμπρὸν, ἐδ ̓ ἰδεῖν, καλὸν, VII. There is little doubt in fuch cafes as these. There need not perhaps be much in the cafe, fometimes, of single sentiments or images. As where we find co a fentiment or image in two writers precisely "the fame, yet new and unusual." I. Thus we are told very reafonably, that Milton's clufring locks is the copy of Apollonius" ΠΛΟΧΜΟΙ ΒΟΤΡΥΟΕΝΤΕΣ. Οbf. on Spencer, p. 8o. For tho' the metaphor be a juft one and very natural, yet there is perhaps no other authority for the use of it, but in these two poets. And Milton had certainly read Apollonius. 2. What 2. What the fame critic obferves of Milton's, "And curl the grove "In ringlets quaint”— being taken from Johnson's, "When was old Sherwood's head more quaintly curl'd? is ftill more unquestionable. For here is a combination of figns to convict the former of imitation: Not only the fingularity of the image, but the identity of expreffion, and, what I lay the most stress upon, the boldness of the figure, as employed by Milton. Johnfon fpeaks of old Sherwood's head, as curl'd. Milton, as confcious of his authority, drops the preparatory idea, and fays at once, The grove curl'd. Let me add to thefe, two more inftances from the fame poet. 3. Spenfer tells us of, "A little glooming light, much like a fhade. F. Q. c. II. s. 14. Can you imagine that Milton did not take his idea from hence, when he said, in his Penferofo, -glowing embers thro' the room Teach light to counterfeit a gloom? 4. Again, in his description of Paradise, "Flow'rs of all hues, and without thorn the rose. Every Every poet of every time is lavish of his flowers on. fuch occafions. But the rofe without thorn is a rarity. And, tho' it was fine to imagine fuch an one in Paradife, could only be an Italian refinement. Taffo, you will think, is the original, when you have read the following lines; Senza quei fuoi pungenti ifpidi dumi 5. Another instance, ftill more remarkable, may be taken from Mr. Pope. One of the moft ftriking paffages in the Essay on Man is the following, Superior Beings, when of late they faw Can you doubt, from the fingularity of this fentiment, The application indeed is different. And it could not be otherwife. For the obfervation, which the Philofopher refers @gos Jov, is in the Poet given to fuperior Beings only. The confequence is, that the Ape is an object of derifion in the former cafe, of admiration, in the latter. To conclude this head, I will just observe to you, that, tho' the fame uncommon fentiment in two writers be ufually the effect of imitation, yet we cannot affirm this of Actors in real life. The reason is, when the fituation of two men is the fame, Nature will dictate the fame fentiments more invariably than Genius. To give a remarkable inftance of what I mean. Tacitus relates, in the first book of his Annals, what paffed in the senate on its first meeting after the death of Auguftus. His politic fucceffor carried it, for fome time, with much apparent moderation. He wished, besides other reasons, to get himself folemnly recognized for Emperor by that Body, before he entered on the exercise of his new dignity. Dabat fama, fays the hiftorian, ut vocatus electusque potius a Republicâ videretur, quàm per uxorium ambitum et fenili adoptione irrepfiffe. One of his courtiers would not be wanting to himself on fuch an occafion. When therefore fe veral motions had been made in the Senate, concerning the honours to be paid to the memory of their late Prince, MESSALLA VALERIUS moved, RE NOVANDUM PER ANNOS SACRAMENTUM IN NO MEN TIBERII; in other words, that the oath of allegiance fhould be taken to Tiberius. This was the very point that Tiberius drove at. And the confcioufness of it made him fufpect that this motion might be thought to proceed from himself. He therefore afk'd Meffalla, " Num, fe mandante, eam fententiam promfiffet?" His anfwer is in the following words. "Spontè dixiffe, refpondit; neque in iis, quæ ad rem «‹ pub "publicam pertinerent, confilio nifi fuo ufurum, vel "cum periculo offenfionis." Ea, concludes the hiftorian, fola fpecies adulandi fupèrerat. Now it is very remarkable, that we find, in Lud. low's memoirs, one of Cromwell's officers, on the very fame occafion answering the Protector in the very same species of flattery. Colonel WILLIAM JEPHSON moved in the House, that Cromwell might be made King. Cromwell took occafion, foon after, to reprove the Colonel for this propofition, telling him, that he wonder'd what he could mean by it. To which the other replied, "That while he was permitted the honour of fitting in that Houfe, he must defire the liberty to discharge his conScience, though his opinion should happen to displease. Here we have a very striking coincidence of fentiment, without the leaft probability of imitation. For no body, I dare fay, fufpects Colonel William Jephfon of stealing this refined stroke of adulation from Meffalla Valerius. The truth is, the fame fituation, concurring with the fame corrupt difpofition, dictated this peculiar fentiment to the two courtiers. Yet, had these fimilar thoughts been found in two dramatic poets of the Auguftan and Oliverian Ages, we fhould probably have cried out, "An Imitation." And with good reason. For, befides the poffibility of an Oliverian poet's knowing something of Tacitus, the speakers had then been feigned, not real perfonages. And it is not fe likely that two fuch fhould agree in this fentiment: I mean, confidering how new and C 2 parti |