345 The Kennet fwift, for filver eels renown'd; NOTES. 350 The VER. 341.] The word renown'd, fays a true poet, Dr. Darwin, does not present the idea of a visible object to the mind, and is thence profaic. VER. 350.] Whenever the river Thames is mentioned, I am afraid the difgraceful and impotent criticism of Dr. Johnson on a paffage in Gray's Odes, will recur to the mind of the reader. I heartily wish, for the fake of its author, who had more strong sense than a juft relish for true poetry, that this ftrange and unwarrantable remark of his, could be funk into oblivion. Our poet was not deterred, from the cenfure which Addifon paffed in his Campaign, on raising, and personifying river-gods, from giving us this fine defcription, in which Thames appears and fpeaks with fuitable dignity and importance. How much fuperior is this picture to that of Boileau's Rhine; who represents the Naids as alarming the God with an account of the march of the French Monarch; upon which the River God affumes the appearance of an old experienced commander, flies to a Dutch fort, and exhorts the garrison to dispute the intended paffage. The Rhine, marching at their head, and obferving Mars and Bellona on the fide of the enemy, is fo terrified with the view of these fuperior divinities, that he most gallantly runs away, and leaves the great hero Louis XIV. in quiet poffeffion of his banks. So much for a true court poet, who would not have dared to write the eight laft lines of this speech of Thames, from v. 415. The lines of Addison in the Campaign were ; Gods The God appear'd: he turn'd his azure eyes 360 Let barb'rous Ganges arm a fervile train ; 365 VARIATIONS. VER. 363. Originally thus in the MS. Let Venice boaft her Tow'rs amidst the Main, NOTES. Gods may defcend in factions from the skies, I cannot forbear mentioning, that the very first compofition that made the young Racine known at Paris was his Ode from the Nymph of the Seine to the Queen, which ode, by the way, was corrected by Chapelain, at that time in high vogue as a critic, and by him recommended to the court. Safe on my fhore each unmolested swain Shall tend the flocks, or reap the bearded grain; Of war or blood, but in the fylvan chace; 371 375 The trumpet sleep, while chearful horns are blown, Their ample bow, a new Whitehall afcend! Thy trees, fair Windfor! now fhall leave their woods, And half thy forests rush into thy floods, 385 Bear VARIATIONS. VER. 385, &c. were originally thus, Now fhall our fleets the bloody Cross difplay To the rich regions of the rifing day, Or those green ifles, where headlong Titan fteeps Tempt icy feas, &c. NOTES. VER. 378. And Temples rife,] The fifty new churches. P. P. VER. 380. A new Whitehall] "Several plates (fays Mr. Walpole) of the intended palace of Whitehall have been given, but, I believe, from no finished defign of Inigo Jones. The four great Bear Britain's thunder, and her Cross display, Led by new stars, and borne by spicy gales! 391 The pearly shell its lucid globe infold, 395 And Phoebus warm the rip'ning ore to gold. The time shall come, when free as feas or wind 400 NOTES. great sheets are evidently made up from general hints, nor could fuch a fource of invention and tafte, as the mind of Inigo, ever produce fo much fameness. The ftrange kind of cherubims on the towers at the end are prepofterous ornaments, and whether of Inigo or not, bear no relation to the reft. The great towers in the front are too near, and evidently borrowed from what he had seen in Gothic, not in Roman buildings. The circular court is a picturesque thought, but without meaning or utility. VER. 391.] Here is almoft a prophecy of those discoveries of new islands and continents which this country of late years has had the honour to make. VER. 398. Unbounded Thames, Sc.] A wifh that London may be made a FREE PORT, P. And And naked youths and painted chiefs admire Our speech, our colour, and our strange attire! 405 Oh stretch thy reign, fair Peace! from fhore to fhore, 'Till Conquest ceafe; and Slav'ry be no more; 'Till the freed Indians in their native groves Reap their own fruits, and woo their fable loves, Peru once more a race of Kings behold, And other Mexico's be roof'd with gold. VER. 409.] NOTES. To hear the favage youth repeat In loose numbers wildly fweet, Their feather-cinctured chiefs, and dufky loves, 415 420 fays Mr. Gray, most beautifully in his ode; dusky loves is more accurate than fable; they are not negroes. VER. .422. in vain.] This conclufion both of Horace and of Pope is feeble and flat. The whole fhould have ended with this fpeech of Thames at this line, 422. |