Velle mori ftatuit. Quæ non folatia Phabus
Dixit? et ut leviter, pro materiaque doleret,
Admonuit. Gemit ille tamen : munufque fupremum
Hoc petit a fuperis, ut tempore lugeat omni.
Virgil. Georg. I. 20.

Et teneram ab radice ferens, Silvane, cupreffum.
Where fee Servius.

For all he taught the tender imp, was but.
To banish cowardize and baftard fear;
His trembling hand he would him force to put
Upon the lion and the rugged bear,

And from the she bear's teats her whelps to tear :
And eke wild roaring bulls he would him make
To tame, and ride their backs not made to bear;
And the roebucks in flight to overtake,
That every beaft for fear of him did fly and quake.
His loving mother came upon a day
Unto the woods, to see her little fon;
And chanc'd unwares to meet him in the way,
After his sports and cruel paftime done;
When after him a lionefs did run,

That roaring all with rage, did loud requere
Her children dear, whom he away had wone:
The lions whelps the faw how he did bear,

And lull in rugged arms, withouten childish fear.

Copied from what Statius fays of Achilles,
Achill. I. 159. where Thetis went to see her fon :
Ille aderat multo fudore et pulvere major.-
fatam Pholoes fub rupem leanam

Perculerat ferro, vacuifque reliquerat antris
Ipfam, fed catulos apportat, et incitat ungues.

II. 388. Achilles gives an account how Chiron had educated him.

Mox ire per avia fecum

Luftra gradu majore trahens, vififque docebat
Arridere feris.

Nunquam ille imbelles Offæa per avia lynces
Sectari, aut timidos paffus me cufpide damas
Sternere, fed triftes turbare cubilibus urfas,
Fulmineofque fues, et ficubi maxima tigris,
Aut feducta jugis fatæ fpelunca leana.

CANTO VII. 16.

His defcription of Dueffa magnificently arrayed, clothed in purple, having a cup in her hand, fitting on a dragon who had feven heads, and who threw down the ftars with his tail, is taken from the Apocalypfe, xii. 17.

STANZ.

STANZ. XVII.

Such one it was, as that renowned fnake,
Which great Alcides in Stremona flew,
Long foftred in the filth of Lerna lake.

Stremona is no where to be found, I think.

STANZ. XXIX.

His glitter and arinour fhin'd, far away.

So Hughes' Edit. In Fol. Edit. 1769, 'tis fhined for fhin'd. I think it should be,

His glitterand armour shined far away. Glitterand is often used by Spenfer.

STANZ. xxxi.

His haughty helmet, horrid all with gold, Both glorious brightness and great terror bred; For all the creft a dragon did énfold, With greedy paws, and over all did fpread His golden wings: his dreadful hideous head Clofe couched on the beaver, feem'd to throw From flaming mouth bright fparkles fiery red, That fudden horror to faint hearts did show ; And scaly tail was stretch'd adown his back full low.

Virgil, Æn. VII. 785.

Cui triplici crinita juba galea alta Chimæram
Suftinet, Etneos efflantem faucibus ignis.

Tam magis illa fremens, et triflibus effera flammis,
Quam magis effufo crudefcunt fanguine pugnæ.

STANZ. XXXIV.

The fame, [field] to wight he never wont disclose, But when as monsters huge he would dismay, Or daunt unequal armies of his foes, Or when the flying heavens he would affray; For fo exceeding fhore his gliftring ray, That Phoebus' golden face it did attaint, As when a cloud his beams doth overlay ; And filver Cynthia wexed pale and faint, As when her face is ftain'd with magic arts constraint.

In his description of this fhield he feems to have had in view the Ægis of Jupiter and Minerva.

Homer, II. P. 593.

Καὶ τότ' ἄρα Κρονίδης ἔλετ' αιγίδα Θυσσανόεσσαν,
Μαρμαρέην, ἴδην δὲ κατὰ νεφέεσσι κάλυψεν
Ασραψας δὲ μάλα μεγάλ ̓ ἔκλυπε· τὴν δ ̓ ἐτίναξε
Νίκην δὲ Τρώεσσι δίδε, ἐφίβησε δ' Αχαιός.

Tum vero Saturnius fumpfit agidem fimbriatam,
Splendentem, Idam vero nubibus cooperuit :

Fulguribus

Fulguribus autem emiffis, admodum grande intonuit: hanc

vero concuffit:

Victoriam autem Trojanis dedit, inque fugam vertit Achivos:

Val. Flaccus, VI. 396.

Egida tum primum virgo fpiramque Medufe
Tercentum fævis fqualentem fuftulit hydris,
Quam foli vidiftis equi: Pavor occupat ingens
Excuffis in terga viris.

What he fays of frightning the heavens, &c. is

in the style of Statius, Theb. VII. 45.

Læditur adverfum Phabi jubar, ipfaque fedem
Lux timet, et dirus contriftat fidera fulgor.

Theb. VI. 665.

Qualis Biftoniis clipeus Mavortis in arvis
Luce mala Pangaa ferit, folemque refulgens
Territat.

When he fays that Prince Arthur was too brave to make use of his fhield uncovered, unlefs upon extraordinary occafions, he feems to have had Perfeus in view. Ovid. Met. V. 177.

Verum ubi virtutem turbæ fuccumbere vidit,
Auxilium, Perfeus, quoniam fic cogitis ipfi,
Dixit, ab hofte petam: vultus avertite veftros,
Si quis amicus adeft: et Gorgonis extulit ora: