difcourfe, difcurfus: after long difcourfe, after shifting ground, and traverfing to and fro. V. xi. 50. Ay me! that ever guile in women was invented! invented, found, from invenio, &c. &c. Spenfer abounds with fuch Latinifms, which makes me think that in II. ix. 48. (where he fays of Neftor, Nor that fage Pylian fire, which did furvive Three ages fuch as mortal men contrive, -) contrive may be from conterere: conterere ætatem. This expofition is adopted by Warburton, in his notes on Shakespear, Vol. II. p. 47. Edwards, in his Canons of Criticism, p. 90, rejects this interpretation of contrive, and fays " I do not at prefent recollect any English verbs formed from the preterperfect tense of the Latin, except fuch as come to us through French words fo formed." As the interpretation is mine, it concerns me to defend it and I obferve that, though this verb were irregularly formed, it would be a flight objection; because Spenfer is an inaccurate writer, and a great innovator. But we have examples of fuch words in our language, as to promife, to premife, to demife, &c. &c. STANZ. xxx. And next to him malicious Envy rode See another, and a longer, defcription of Envy, This is from Ovid, Met. II. 607. Videt intus edentem Vipereas carnes, vitiorum alimenta fuorum, CANTO V. 2. At last the golden Oriental gate Of greatest heaven 'gan to open fair, And Phoebus fresh as bridegroom to his mate, Pfalm xix. 5. In them bath he fet a tabernacle for the fun; which cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a giant to run bis course. Therewith his heavy hand he high 'gan rear, But vanish'd is. The Elf him calls aloud But anfwer none receives: the darkness him does shroud. Not all fo fatisfy'd with greedy eye He fought all round about, his thirsty blade To bathe in blood of faithlefs enemy, Who all the while lay hid in secret shade. Copied from Homer, Il. г. 379. Αὐτὰρ ὁ ἄψ ἐπόρεσε κατακτάμεναι μενεαίνων Εγχεϊ χαλκείῳ. τη δ' ἐξήρπαξ Αφροδίτη Ρεῖα μάλ', της θεός· ἐκάλυψε δ' άρ' ΗΕΡΙ ΠΟΛΛΗΙ. Ατρείδης Ατρείδης δ' αν' ὅμιλον ἐφόιτα θηρὶ ἐοικώς, Ille vero iterum irruit interficere cupiens. Facile valde, utpote dea: cooperuit autem caligine multa. STANZ. XXII. Dueffa fays to Night: O thou most ancient grandmother of all, Here Night is made to be the mother of the Gods. In his Hymn to Love, and in Colin Clout's Come Home Again, Love is defcribed as the maker of the world; for both which Spenfer had the authority of ancient Cofmogonifts. See Cudworth, Intell. Syst. p. 120, 248, 488. In Homer, Jupiter pays great refpect to Night." Jupiter would have destroyed me," fays Somnus, Ει μὴ Νὺξ δμήτειρα θεῶν ἐσάωσε καὶ ἀνδρῶν, Τὴν ἱκόμην φεύγων· ὁ δ ̓ ἐπάυσατο χωόμενος περ *Αζετο γαρ μὴ Νυκτὶ τοῇ ἀποθύμια ἔρδοι. Nifi Nox domitrix deorum fervasset et hominum, Quam adivi fugiens: ille autem cohibuit fe iratus licet: Verebatur enim ne Notti celeri ingrata animo faceret. II. 2. 259. G 2 STANZ. STANZ. XX111. If old Aveugle's fons fo evil hear? Milton, III. 7. Or hearst thou rather, pure, ethereal ftream. By the way, it may not be amifs to observe, that this paffage in Milton feems partly copied from the Wisdom of Solomon. Hail, holy light, offspring of heaven first born, Or of th' Eternal coëternal beam May I exprefs thee, unblam'd? fince God is light, Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee, [Wisdom] is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence [or ftream] flowing from the glory of the Almighty. She is the brightness of the everlafting light. VII. 25. |