but what is borrowed from fome transformation of Ovid. The picture of a virtuous and learned man in retirement* is highly finished, as it flowed from the foul of our poet, who was here in his proper element, recommending integrity and science. He has no where difcovered more poetic enthufiafm, than where, speaking of the poets who lived or died near this spot, he breaks out, I feem through confecrated walks to rove, The enumeration of the princes who were either born or interred at Windfor is judiciously introduced. Yet I have frequently wondered that he should have omitted the opportunity of describing at length it's venerable ancient castle, and the fruitful and extenfive prospects which it commands. He The great improvements lately made near Windforlodge, by the Duke of Cumberland, particularly the magnificent lake and cascade, highly deferve to be celebrated by fome future POPE; and would have contributed not a little to the beauty of the poem now before us. flides with dexterity and addrefs from speaking of the miseries of the civil war to the bleffings of peace. * OLD FATHer Thames is raised, and acts, and speaks, with becoming dignity. And though the trite and obvious infignia of a river god are attributed, yet there is one circumstance in his appearance highly picturesque, His fea-green mantle waving with the wind. † The relievo of his urn alfo is finely imagined, The figur'd ftreams in waves of filver roll'd, He has with exquifite skill felected only thofe rivers as attendants of Thames, who are his fubjects, his tributaries, or neighbours. I cannot refift the pleasure of tranfcribing the paffage. Firft the fam'd authors of his ancient name, Ver. 324. + Ver. 48. E Ver. 333. The The blue transparent Vandalis appears; As I before produced a paffage of Milton which I thought fuperior to a fimilar one of POPE, I fhall, in order to preserve impartiality, produce another from Milton, in which I think him inferior to the last quoted paffage, except perhaps in the third line; first remarking that both authors are much indebted to Spenfer. † Rivers arife! whether thou be the fon Of utmost Tweed, or Oofe, or gulphy Dun, Or coaly Tine, or ancient hallow'd Dee, * Ver. 337 † Fairy Queen, B. iv. C. 11. At a vacation exercife, &c. Ver. 91. Milton was now aged but nineteen. THE THE poets, both ancient and modern, are obliged to the rivers for some of their most most striking descriptions. The Tiber, and the Nile of Virgil, the Aufidus of Horace, the Sabrina of Milton, and the Scamander of Homer, are among their capital figures. THE influences and effects of peace, and its confequence, a diffufive commerce, are expreffed by felecting fuch circumstances, as are best adapted to strike the imagination by lively pictures; the selection of which chiefly constitutes true poetry. An hiftorian or profewriter might say, "Then shall the most "diftant nations crowd into my port:" a poet fets before your eyes" the fhips of uncouth form," that shall arrive in the Thames; * And feather'd people croud my wealthy fide; And the benevolence and poetry of the fucceeding wish, are worthy admiration, * Ver. 400. et feq. E 2 Till Till the freed Indians, in their native groves, And other Mexicos be roof'd with gold. The two epithets native and fable have peculiar elegance and force; and as Peru was particularly famous for its long fucceffion of Incas, and Mexico for many magnificent works of maffy gold, there is great propriety in fixing the restoration of the grandeur of each to that object, for which each was once fo remarkable. THE groupe of allegorical perfonages that fucceeds the last mentioned lines, are worthy the pencil of Rubens or Julio Romano: it may, perhaps, however be wished that the epithets barbarous (discord), mad (ambition), hateful (envy), + had been particular and picturefque, inftead of general and indifcriminating; though it may poffibly be urged, that in describing the dreadful inhabitants of the portal of hell, Virgil has not always used * Ver. 407. + Ver. 411. et feq. fuch |