mistaken for bombaft and infipidity, by the refined readers of a diffolute age, whofe tafte and morals were equally vitiated. From this detail it will appear, that allegorical poetry, through many gradations, at last received its ultimate confummation in the Faerie Queene. Under this confideration therefore, I hope what I have here collected on this fubject, will not feem too great a deviation from the main fubject of the prefent remarks; which I conclude with the juft and pertinent fentiments of the Abbè du Bos, on allegorical action, Reflexions, tom. i. c. 25. The paffage, though properly refpecting dramatick poets, is equally applicable to the action of the Faerie Queene. "It is impoffible for a piece, whose subject is an allegorical action, to intereft us very much. Thofe, which writers of approved wit and talents have hazarded in this kind, have not fucceeded fo well as others, where they have been difpofed to be lefs ingenious, and to treat historically their fubject. Our heart requires truth even in fiction itself; and, when it is prefented with an allegorical fiction, it cannot determine itself, if I may be allowed the expreffion, to enter into the fentiments of those chimerical perfonages. A theatrical piece, were it to fpeak only to the mind, would never be capable of engaging our attention Ofhame to men! Devil with devil damn'd, &c. "And facrificing thoufands to their hate, &c." We shall be led to make the fame remark on such a refiner, aš Smith does on Bayes in the Rehearfal: "Now the devil take thee for a filly, confident, unnatural, fulfome rogue !" TODD. through the whole performance. We may therefore apply the words of Lactantius upon this occafion. Poetick licence has its bounds, beyond which you are not permitted to carry your fiction. A poet's art confifts in making a good reprefentation of things that might have really happened, and embellishing them with elegant images. Totum autem, quod referas, fingere, id eft ineptum effe et mendacem, potius quam poetam *.' T. WARTON. *To Mr. Warton's REMARKS ON ALLEGORY I fhall venture to add fome circumftances, which may not be found uninteresting. It has escaped the notice of the commentators, that a Latin poem was published many years before the FAERIE QUEENE, the fubject of which might poffibly give a hint to Spenfer. This poem, reprefenting Popery as a Cyclops, relates, in feven books, the tyranny and artifices of it; affuming classical names to defcribe papal perfons and things. The author, at the end of the poem, explains his allegory, by the following lines, to which there is a marginal note, viz. Allegorica expofitio de Cyclopibus. "Hactenus effictam tibi rem narramus, at ipfa "Cortice fub tenui myftica fenfa latent. "Arguit obfcuro vates fermone Tyrannos, "Temporibus noftris, temporibúfque fuis. "Libera enim nulla eft monftris à talibus ætas: "Sed nihil in forteis iuris habere queunt. "Quanvis fortunas infractaque corpora frangant, "Non poffunt fimili frangere corda modo. "Atque ab eis tandem pœnas Deus ipfe repofcit, "In quoduis vitium, qui fine lege ruunt. "Enceladus docet hoc flammanti preffus ab Ætna: "Hoc et Typhonis fabula ficta notat. The "Hoc tibi Centauri, Lapithæque, maligna propago, "Præterea quotquot non meminiffe queam." poem itfelf is written in hexameters, and is thus entitled : "SEPTEM CYCLOPEIDON LIBRI, Originem, Ingenium, Inftitutionem, Leges, et Regnum fatale bis nati CYCLOPIS, iucundo fatyrici generis figmento repræfentantes, olim in gratiam INTERIM capti, nunc autem demum Heroico Carmine elaborati, recenfque editi, per Menfonem Poppium Eurothalaffium alias Ofterzeenfem, Frifium, verbi miniftrum in Manflacht Frifia Orientalis. Anno 1555." The palace of Night, who reprefents the influence of Popery, is defcribed in the first Book with much fpirit; and Night is attended with the following allegorical perfonages: "Ipfa fatellitio ftipatur utrinque frequenti: "Primo dextra loco iacet Ignorantia veri. "Hinc fine iudicio fine mente recumbit ovillis, "Moribus et nugas Perfuafio difcit aniles. "Indc Superftifo tetro fedet impia visu : "Falfaque iuftitiæ propriæ patrona, fuique "Admiratrix, externoque Philautia cultu "Splendida, at interius vivæ virtutis inanis: "Et foror huius amans tremulis replicare labellis "Murmura, continuo vocis prolata fufurro "Ac humeris inflexa caput Simulatio vana: "Securoque placens fibi Confidentia geftu, "Impiaque ignitis Truculentia spectat ocellis, &c." I know not whether THE VOYAGE OF THE WANDRING KNIGHT, & French spiritual romance, was published in its own language before the FAERIE QUEENE. But the English tranflation of it was dedicated to Sir Francis Drake, Spenfer's cotemporary, who died in 1597. This work has also been unnoticed by the commentators. The following edition of it is in Sion College Library, London. "THE VOYAGE OF THE WANDRING KNIGHT. Shewing the whole courfe of Mans Life, how apt he is to follow Vanity, and how hard it is for him to attayn to Vertue. Devifed by John Cartheny, a Frenchman; and tranflated out of French into English, by W. G. of Southampton, Merchant. A work worthy the reading; and dedicated to the Right Worshipfull Sir Francis Drake, Knight. Lond. 1650." 4to. bl. 1. The dedication contains many allufions to Sir Francis's acquaintance with the fea. The work is divided into three parts. In the first part, "Folly apparelleth and armeth the Wandring Knight, Ch. iv. The Wandring Knight, finding two wayes and doubtfull whether of them to take, there chaunced to come to him Vertue and Voluptuoufneffe, either of them offering to conduct and guide him on the way, Ch. vi. How the Wandring Knight was received and welcomed to the pallace of worldly Felicity, Ch. viii." In the fecond part, "Gods-Grace fheweth Hell unto the knight, with all the voluptuous company that hee faw in the pallace of worldly Felicity, Ch. ii." In the third part, Faith, Hope, and Charity are defcribed, Ch. ii. iii. iv. &c. As are the four Moral Virtues, Ch. vii. And, in the eighth Chapter, Faith, like Spenfer's hermit, "from the top of the tower of the pallace of Lady Vertue fheweth unto the Knight the City of Heaven." De Bure makes no mention of this fpiritual romance. And Du Frefnoy only gives an account of an edition of it, not dated, but placed between two modern books of 1681 and 1729, in his Bibliotheque des Romans, tom. ii. 172. "Le voyage du Chevalier errant, par Jean de Carthemi, Dominicain, in 8vo." ⚫ Spiritual allegories of this kind, I may add, became frequent in this country, and were read with avidity. Witnefs "THE ISLE OF MAN: or, The Legall Proceeding in Man-fhire against Sinne. Wherein, by way of a continued Allegorie, the chiefe Malefactors disturbing both Church and Commonwealth are detected and attached; with their Arraignment, and Judiciall Trial, according to the Lawes of England. The Spirituall ofe thereof, with an apologie for the manner of handling, moft neceffary to be first read, for direction in the right fe of the Allegory thorowout, is added in the end. By Rich. Bernard, Rector of Batcomb, Somerset. 1628." 12mo. The fifth edition of this work, is that which now lies before me. To this work I am of opinion we may attribute John Bunyan's PILGRIM'S PROGRESS; and alfo Benjamin Keach's TRAVELS OF TRUE GODLINESS, and his PROGRESS OF SIN. Perhaps P. Fletcher had alfo in mind the ISLE of MAN, when he denominated his allegorical poem The Purple ISLAND, There is, however, an elder work, entitled "ROOME FOR A MESSE OF KNAVES," 4to. 1610, in which is "A narration of a strange but true battell fought in the little Ile (or worlde) of Man." Man is represented as a "caftle beleaguer'd by two huge armies;" the Virtues, and the Vices. And the author feems to have had his eye on the foes of Alma in the FAERIE QUEENF. Neither Mr. Spence nor Mr. Warton have made the least mention of Henry More's PLATONICK SONG OF THE SOUL; a poem written avowedly in imitation of Spenfer, and often prefenting as juft an allegory and as sweet a ftanza as the ori ginal which it profeffes to follow. This poem, in three Books, was first printed in 1642, and again in 1647. Milton, I think, appears to have read it with attention. More indeed was his fellow-collegian, and friend. The criticks have alfo neglected to notice the PSYCHE, OR LOVE'S MYSTERIE, by Jof. Beau mont, fol. 1651. It remains, that I should mention the allegorical defign of one of Spenfer's cotemporaries, viz. John Day, whom I suppose to be the dramatick writer of that name, and who was a member of Caius College, Cambridge. The work, of which I am to give an account, is in manufcript; and is one of the many literary curiofities which belonged to the late Duke of Bridgewater, and now belong to his Grace's nephew, Earl Gower. It is entitled, PEREGRINATIO SCHOLASTICA, or, Learninges Pillgrimadge. Containeinge the ftraunge Aduentures, and various "Nor that proud towre of Troy, though richly GUILT." Being here laid under the compulfion of producing a confonant word to Spilt and built, which are preceding rhymes, he has mechanically given us an image at once little and improper. To the difficulty of a ftanza fo injudiciously chofen, I think we may properly impute the great number of his elleipfes; and it may be easily conceived, how that constraint, which occafioned fuperfluity, should at the fame time be the caufe of omiffion. Notwithstanding thefe inconveniencies flow from Spenfer's measure, it must yet be owned, that fome advantages arife from it; and we may venture to affirm, that the fullness and fignificancy of Spenfer's defcriptions, is often owing to the prolixity of his stanza, and the multitude of his rhymes. The difcerning reader is defired to confider the following ftanza, as an inftance of what is here advanced. Guyon is binding FUROR, F. Q. ii. iv. 15. "With hundred yron chaines he did him bind, "And hundred knots, that did him fore conftraine: "Yet his great yron teeth he ftill did grind, "And grimly gnash, threatning revenge in vaine: "His burning eyen, whom bloody ftrakes did staine, "Stared full wide, and threw forth fparkes of fyre; "And, more for ranck defpight then for great paine, "Shakt his long locks colourd like copper-wyre, "And bit his tawny beard to fhew his raging yre.' In the fubfequent stanza there are fome images, which perhaps were produced by a multiplicity of rhymes. F. Q. iv. v. 45. "He all that night, that too long night, did passe : "Began to peepe above this earthly maffe, "With pearly dew fprinkling the morning graffe: "The figns of anguish one might plainely read." |
