STANZ. XLVII.

She, therewith well apaid,

The drunken lamp down in the oil did steep.

Ciris. 344.

Inverfo bibulum reftinguens lumen olivo.

Where fee Scaliger. "Drunken Lamp :" So Prudentius, CATHEM. ad incenfum cerei, 21.

Vivax flamma viget, feu cava teftula
Succum linteolo fuggerit ebrio,

Seu pinus piceam fert alimoniam,

Seu ceram teretem ftuppa calens bibit.

Martial, X. 38.

lucerna

Nimbis ebria Nicerotianis.

Ariftophanes calls a lamp wórns auxʊ&, Nub. 57. and it is a more proper metaphor to reprefent it as a great drinker, than as a great eater: Yet Alcaus της πότας λύχνος αδηφάγος εἶπεν, fays Suidas on the word αδηφαγία.

The antient Poets are fond of this metaphor. Claudian, Conf. Pr. et Ol. 250.

-jam profluat ebrius amnis Mutatis in vina vadis.

Sidonius,

Sidonius, Carm. XV. 129.

Ebria nec folum fpirat conchylia fandix.
Prudentius, Περὶ Στεφ. 1044.

Oftendit udum verticem, barbam gravem,
Vittas madentes, atque amictus ebrios.

Martial. XIV. 154

Ebria Sidonia cum fim de fanguine concha,
Non video quare fobria lana vocer.

Homer. Il. P. 389.

Ὡς δ ̓ ὅτ ̓ ἀνὴρ ταύροιο βοὺς μεγάλοιο βοείην

от

Ακοῖσιν δῴη τανύειν μεθυσσαν αλοιφῇ.

Ut vero cum vir tauri bovis magni pellem
Populis dederit diftendendam ebriam pinguedine.

So Ifaias, according to the verfion of the LXX. Chap. lviii. 10.ỳ 15 as ws xñπ© μewv. See Deut. xxxii. 42. Ifai. xxxiv. 7.

So, on the other hand, Tibullus, II. 1. 46.

Miftaque fecuro fobria lympha mero eft.

Statius, Silv. IV. 11. 36.

nudos

Umbravit colles, et fobria rura Lyæus.

Sily. IV. 111. II.

Qui cafta Cereri diu negata

Reddit jugera, fobriafque terras.

1

CANTO III. 29.

Where thee yet fhall he leave, for memory
Of his late puiffance, his image dead,
That, living him, in all activity

To thee fhall reprefent.

That is; He, dead, fhall leave thee his image. Or, his image dead is, the image of him dead. When he dies, he fhall leave thee a son, the image of himself.

II. x. 34.

His fon Rival his dead room fhall fupply.

STANZ. XXXII.

Merlin gives an account to Britomartis of the illuftrious British Princes that were to defcend from her; and having mentioned Malgo, breaks out *thus:

Behold the man, and tell me, Britomart,

If

ay more goodly creature thou didst fee;
How like a giant in each manly part
Bears he himself with portly majefty,

That one of the old heroes feems to be!

Thefe elegant lines are a diftant copy of what Anchifes fays in Virgil to neas, when he fhews him his pofterity. En. VI. 771, &c.

Qui juvenes, quantas oftențant, afpice, virės!—

-Viden' ut gemina ftant vertice crifte? —

his vir, bic eft, tibi quem promitti fæpius audis, &c.

It

It might be objected to Spenfer, that Merlin not caufing the pofterity of Britomartis to appear be fore her, but only giving her an account of them, 'tis a little violent to break out,

Behold the man, &c.

when the reader is not prepared for it by any thing that went before. He uses feems for he seems, according to custom..

STANZ. XXXIV.

Was never fo great wafte in any place,
Nor fo foul outrage doen by living men;
For all thy cities they shall fack and rase,

And the green grafs, that groweth, they shall bren; That even the wild beaft fhall die in ftarved den.

A fine defcription of utter defolation. Starved den is vaftly bold; yet not to be condemned neither, I think.

STAN Z. XLIII.

After Merlin had given an account of the ruin of the Britons;

The Damzel was full deep empaffioned,
Both for his grief, and for her people's fake,
Whose future woes fo plain he fashioned;
And fighing fore, at length him thus befpake, &c.

This is natural and poetical. So Milton, Par. Loft, XI. 754.

How didst thou grieve then, Adam, to behold
The end of all thy offspring, end so sad,
Depopulation! thee another flood,

Of tears and forrow a flood thee alfo drown'd,
And funk thee as thy fons; till gently rear'd
By th' Angel, on thy feet thou ftood'ft at last,
Tho' comfortlefs, as when a father mourns
His children, all in view deftroy'd at once;
And fearce to th' Angel utter'dft thus thy plaint.

3 TANZ. L.

There Merlin ftay'd,

As overcomen of the Spirit's power,
Or other ghaftly fpectacle difmay'd,
That fecretly he faw, yet n'ote difcouer:
Which fudden fit, and half extatic ftour,
When those two fearful women faw, they grew
Greatly confufed in behaviour.

At laft the fury paft; to former hue

She turn'd again,and cheerful looks, as earft,did fhew.

So Hughes's Ed. and Fol. 1679. But it should be, He turn'd again; i. e. Merlin.

CANTO