The various branches of reading which such a pursuit infenfibly leads to, and the numerous ftores of amusement and information which it cafually and unexpectedly opens, I can truly fay, have often operated upon me the effect afcribed by the old poet to the forrow-foothing daughters of Jupiter and Mnemofyne;

Soothing my pains, and refpiting my cares *.

I particularly experienced this at the latter end of last year; at which season I generally droop most, which I believe is the cafe with valetudinarians of my clafs.

In paffing through Salisbury to this place, the fummer before laft, I amufed myself, in the evening, with a volume of the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE; a complete feries of which valuable miscellany

* Λησμοσύνην τε κακων, αμπαύμα τε μερμηρίων. Hefiod THEOGON. 45.

does

(3)

does credit to the refpectable circulating library adjoining to the Inn.-I found, in the Magazine for November 1796, a brief account of Sylvester's Du Bartas, fhewing it to have been a popular work, and pointing out fome parallelisms, (not very striking indeed,) between Milton and the tranflator of DU BARTAS. These notices were accompanied with an obfervation, attributed to Dr. Farmer, that “the

fubject of Milton's great poem muft "naturally have led him to read in Syl"vefter's Du Bartas."-This awakened in

It were much to be wifhed, that the proprietors of our Caffès Literaires at Bath, and at other public places, would carefully preferve, and regularly bind up the more valuable periodical publications which they take in. They would by this means gradually amass a valuable stock of literary amufement and reference; which would do more credit to their reading-room and catalogue, than the large quantity of totally uninterefting books, which often fwell the one, and incumber the other.

I do not, however, find it in his excellent Effay on the Learning of Shakespeare.

me a wish to be acquainted with it; and, a few months after, I had an opportunity of gratifying my curiofity. In paffing through Southampton I purchased, for three billings, the folio edition; a little worm-eaten indeed, and caret titulo. I did not, I confefs, at the moment feel raptures equal to thofe of Mr. Shandy, when he firft became poffeffor of Brufcambille; and, on my firft looking into it, I was fo little captivated, that, I fufpect, had I been going home, I should have configned it to repofe undisturbed in a corner of my book-room. I carried, however, my new purchase with me into my autumn quarters, at Lymington; where, as the fine air, and beautiful scenery of the country, lead to amusements out of doors, it is less neceffary for the libraries of the place to be farther provided, than with light fummerreading, for the fultry hour, the rainy day, or the occafional confinement of a flight cold, caught by too late an excurfion on the water. Here, as winter drew on, I

was

was occafionally driven to look deeper into my worm-eaten folio; and I found it operæ pretium. It foon fully caught my attention; and I value it much above its price, for the pleasure and gratification which it afforded me.To make fome extracts from it, (not without a view to Milton,) was my medicinal occupation of the month of November, in laft year, Thefe are now before me; and, to fay fomething to you from them on the book itself, and the probability of our great poet's early acquaintance with it, and predilection for it, fhall be my employment of the fame returning feafon.

The folio edition of Sylvefter's Du Bartas was published in 1621; when Milton was juft at the age of thirteen. It was accompanied with highly encomiaftic teftimonials of its merit from the Laudati Viri of the times; as Ben Jonfon, Daniel, Davis of Hereford, Hall afterwards

Bishop of Exeter, Vicars, and others *. I would fuppofe that Milton, who was an early and paffionate reader, became acquainted with this edition of Sylvefter's Du Bartas on its first publication; and that he then perused it with the avidity of a young poetical mind; hence, perhaps,

Smit with the love of SACRED SONG.

I am not, indeed, without an opinion,

* Drayton dedicated his MIRACLES OF MOSES to Sylvefter and Du Bartas.

Salluft, to thee, and Sylvefter thy friend,

Comes my high poem peaceably and chaste;

Your hallow'd labours humbly to attend,

That wreckful Time fhall not have power to waste.

+ Milton tells us himself, that, from his twelfth year, he was fo paffionately fond of reading, as hardly ever to retire from his books to bed before midnight; which laid the foundation of his blindnefs. Pater me puerulum humaniorum literarum "ftudiis deftinavit; quas ITA AVIDE ARRIPUI, ut, 165 AB ΑΝΝΟ ÆTATIS DUODECIMO, vix unquam "ante mediam noctem a lucubrationibus difcede

rem; que prima oculorum pernicies fuit, &c."

DEFENSIO SECUNDA.

that