Virgil, Georg. III. 92.

Talis et ipfe jubam cervice effudit equina
Conjugis adventu pernix Saturnus, et altum
Pelion hinnitu fugiens implevit acuto.

Where he follows Apollonius, Lib. II.
That gracious God of wine. By gracious perhaps he
means handsome. So the French, if I mistake not,
ufe the word gracieux. It might be proved from
a thousand teftimonies of ancient authors, that Bac-
chus was very handfome. Broukhufius has col-
lected fome of them, in his notes on Tibullus, II.
III. 35. where he is very angry with those moderns,
who in pictures, images, and poetry, make Bac-
chus deformed, and with a huge belly: Pueriliter
peccant noftri artifices, qui Bacchum fingunt et pingunt
enormiter obefum ac pinguem, cum prominente aquali-
culo, &c. However it is obfervable that Bacchus
has had this affront put upon him in ancient times;
and has been reprefented as bloated and tun-bellied,
if we may believe the Scholiaft of Ariftophanes,
Ran. 202. where Charon fays to Bacchus :

*Ουκαν καθεδεῖ δητ' ενθαδί, γάστρων;

And the Scholiaft notes: γάτρων, γαστρίμαργε Εισάγεσι γαρ τὸν Διόνυσον προγάστορα καὶ διδαλέον ἀπὸ τῆς ἀργίας καὶ δινοφλυγίας.

STANZ.

!

STANZ. XLVII.

On which there stood an image all alone
Of maffy gold, which with his own light fhone;
And wings it had, with fundry colours dight.

He speaks of an image of Cupid. In an Epigram, afcribed to Virgil:

Marmoreufque tibi diverficoloribus alis
In morem picta ftabit Amor pharetra.

CAN Tо XII. 7.

Or that fame dainty Lad, that was fo dear
To great Alcides, that when-as he dy'd,
He wailed womanlike with many a tear, &c.

It is unpoetical to make Hylas die. The Nymphs gave him immortality.

ὄφρα σὺν αυλᾶις

Αθάνατός τε πέλη και αγήρας ήματα πάντα.

Indeed, the chorus in Seneca's Medea fpeaks of the death of Hylas. v. 647.

Morte quod crimen tener expiavit
Herculi magno puer irrepertus?

But there was a reafon for it. The chorus obferves that the Argonauts came to unfortunate ends; and therefore mentions only the death of Hylas, and paffes over the poetical ftory of his being made N 3 a Deity.

a Deity. Aufonius alfo fpeaks of his death, Epigr. XCV.

Afpice quam blanda necis ambitione fruatur,
Letifera experiens gaudia, pulcher Hylas!
Ofcula et infeftos inter moriturus amores,
Ancipites patitur Naiadas Eumenides.

See Virgil, Ecl. VI. 43.7

STANZ. XLI.

With that great chain, wherewith not long ygo He bound that piteous lady prifoner, now releast, Himfelf fhe bound.

Spenfer in his Fairy Queen never, that I know of, ufes verfes of fix feet, except in the last line of the Stanza. He has done fo here through overfight; unless it be a fault of the prefs, which is not fo probable.

But now my teem begins to faint and faile,
All woxen weary of their journal toile:
Therefore I will their fweaty yokes affoile
At this fame furrow's end, till a new day.

Virgil, Georg. II. 541.

Sed nos immenfum fpatiis confecimus æquor:
Et jam tempus equûm fumantia folvere colla.

воок

STANZ. V.

Which that she may the better deign to hear,
Do thou, drad Infant, Venus' dearling dove,
From her high spirit chace imperious fear :'

By fear he means, an awful majefty, raising fear in those who approach her.

CANTO I. 13.

Spenfer here gives a defcription of what we call Aurora Borealis :

Like as the fhining skie in fummer's night, What time the days with fcorching heat abound, Is creafted all with lines of fiery light;

That it prodigious feems, in common peoples fight.

STAN Z. XXIII.

And of the dreadful difcord, which did drive The noble Argonauts to outrage fell ;

That each of life fought others to deprive, All mindless of the golden Fleece, which made them ftrive.

Apollonius Rhodius and Valerius Flaccus mention fome quarrels that arofe amongst the Argonauts, and the former introduces Orpheus pacifying them by playing on his harp. They fay nothing of any contention they had for the golden Fleece:

N 4

Fleece: but perhaps Spenfer means, that, falling out, they forgot the golden Fleece, for the fake of which they were engaged in fo dangerous an expedition. If that be his meaning, it is ill expreffed. And that it is his meaning, is probable from what he fays, Sonnet XLIV.

When those renowned noble peers of Greece Through stubborn pride among themselves did jar, Forgetful of the famous golden Fleece;

Then Orpheus with his harp their ftrife did bar.

So after, B. IV. Cant. II. 1.

Such one was Orpheus, that when ftrife was grown Amongst those famous imps of Greece, did take His filver harp in hand, and fhortly friends them make.

The effect which the harp and voice of Orpheus had upon the Argonauts is elegantly defcribed by Apollonius, I. 512. When Orpheus had ended his fong, they, fays the Poet, intent, and bending towards him,

Thought him ftill fpeaking, ftill ftood fix'd to hear*."

Ἦ, καὶ ὁ μὲν φόρμιγγα σὺν ἀμβροσίῃ χέθεν αὐτῇ
Τοὶ δ ̓ ἄμοτον λήξανῳ ἔτι πρόχοντο κάρηνα
Πάνες ὁμῶς, ὀρθοῖσιν ἐπ ̓ ἔασιν ἠρεμέοντες
Κηληθμῷ· τοῖόν σφιν ἐνέλλιπε θέλκτιν αοιδήν.

*See Bp. Newton's edition of Milton, Par. Loft, B. VIII. v. 2. and our author's note there inferted.

STANZ.