O let th' Iambic Muse revenge that wrong,
Which cannot slumber in thy sheets of lead:
Let thy abused honour crie as long

As there be quills to write, or eyes to reade:
On his ranke name let thine own notes be turn'd,
66 Ob may that man that bath the Mufes fcorn'd,
Alive, nor dead, be ever of a Mufe adorn'd!"

Can. 1. St. 19. &c.

He again touches on the misfortune of Spenfer Can. 6. St. 52.

But to come more immediately to the feveral parallel paffages, let the reader compare Fletcher's Gluttonie. Can. 7. Stan 80. with Spenfer's B. 1. Can. 4. 21 and 22 Stan. F. Queen. compare Fletcher's Atimus. Cant. 8. 42 Stan. &c. with Spenfer's Idleness. B. 1. 4 Cant. St. 18. compare Fletcher's Thumos. Can. 7. St. 55. with Spenfer's Wrath. B. 1. Can. 4. St. 33. compare Fletcher's Afelges. Can. 7. St. 23. with Spenfer's Lechery. B. 1. Can. 4. St. 24. compare Fletcher's Pleconectes. Can. 8. Stan. 24. with Spenfer's Aarice. B. 1. Can. 4. St. 27. compare Fletcher's Envie. Can. 7. St. 66. with Spenfer's Envy. B... Can. 4. St. 30. likewife with another description. B. 5. Can. 12. St. 31. Some of Fletcher's lines well exprefs what Pope with great felicity styles, " daming with faint praife."

When needs he muft, yet faintly, then he praises;

Somewhat the deed, much more the means he raises:"
So marreth what he makes, and praising most, difpraises.

Compare Fletcher's Deilos. Can. 8. St. 10. with Spenfer's Fear. B. 3. Can. 12. St. 12. There seems to me more nature and real poetry in Fletcher's defcribing him as but ftarting at the fight of his arms, than in Spenfer, who on the fame occafion reprefents him as abfolutely "flying faft away," but perhaps Spenfer has hightened the image by making him equally terrified with the found of them as the fight; this is omitted in Fletcher. No one of Fletcher's figures is more consistently habited, than his Death.

A dead man's skull fuppli'd his helmet's place,
A bone his club, his armour sheets of lead:
Some more, fome leffe fear his all-frighting face;
But most who fleep in downie pleasures bed.

12 Can. 38.

Yet the first of these terrific attributes is suggested by Spenfer, who has given it to Meleager:

Upon his head he wore an helmet light,

Made of a dead man's fkull, that seem'd a ghaftly fight.
II B. II Can. St. 22.

In the preceding part of this Canto of Spenfer, in which the foes of Temperance befiege her dwelling place, we find fight, hearing, fmell, and tafte, perfonified, which remind us of Fletcher, and difgrace Spenfer. I have often thought that a painter of tatte might extract from the Purple Island, a series of Allegorical Figures, which if well executed might do honour to his pencil; though in some instances he would find Fletcher "nimis Poeta," in others he

N 2

would

would have little to do but to fupply the colours: and as there can be no neceffity for implicitly tying him down to his original, the liberty of rejecting fuperfluities, and fupply ing deficiencies fhould be allowed. The motto's and impreffes, which in general are very happily adapted, give Fletcher's figures an air of life, which in that particular renders them fuperior to those of Spenfer and of Sackville*. The following rich figure of Hope (which is reprefented as Masculine,) is among Fletcher's beft pieces, the attitude of his leaning on his attendant Pollicita, to whom every female grace might be given, feems worthy the notice of a painter. I will quote the description at length, as it affords me an opportunity of comparing it with a figure of Spenfer on the same subject:

Next went Elpinus, clad in † sky-like blue;

And thro' his arms few stars did feem to peep.
Which there the workman s hand fo finely drew,
That rock'd in clouds they foftly seem'd to fleep:
His rugged shield was like a rockie mold,
On which an anchour bit with fureft hold:
bold by being beld, was written round in gold.

Nothing fo cheerfull was his thoughtfull face,
As was his brother Fido's: fear feem'd dwell
Close by his heart; his colour chang'd apace,
And went, and came, that fure all was not well:

Therefore a comely Maid did oft sustain
His fainting fteps, and fleeting life maintain :
Pollicita the hight, which ne'er could lie or feigne.

Æfchylus in his "Seven against Thebes" has shewn much fancy in the mottos and devices of the shields of the different chiefs.

Pyracles in Sidney's Arcadia, is dreffed in a garment of the fame materials, "Upon her body fhe wore a doublet of skye-colour fatin," &c. F. 42. Milton alfo has his "fky-tinctured grain," P. L. B. 5. 285. but Fletcher might have had a paffage in Quarles in his eye, who after defcribing Parthenia in a robe befpangled with stars of gold, adds,

4

her difhevel'd haire

Hung loosely downe, and vayl'd the backer part
Of those her fkie-refembling robes; but fo,
That every breath would wave it to and fro,
Like flying clouds, through which you might discover
Sometimes one glim ring ftarre, fometimes another.

B. 111. Arg. and Par.

The

The following is Spenfer's perfonification which is delineated with greater chastity than ufual:

With him went Hope in rank, a handsome maid,

Of chearful look and lovely to behold;

In filken famite fhe was light array'd,
And her fair locks were woven up in gold:
She always fmil'd, and in her hand did hold
An holy-water sprinkle, dipt in dew,

With which she sprinkle'd favours manifold,
On whom the lift, and did great liking shew;
Great liking unto many, but true love to few.

B. 3. Can. 12. St. 13.

This figure is fimple, and the attributes new; Hope is here divefted of her ufual emblem, the anchor, (which Fletcher has preserved,) and the waterfprinkle fubftituted in its room, which gives a religious air to the image; had it but received the fanction of antiquity for its adoption, we might perhaps have heard more in its praise. On their coins, the Ancients we find reprefented Hope in the character of a sprightly girl looking forward and holding a bloffom, or bud in her right hand, whilft with her left, fhe holds up her garment to prevent its retarding her pace. On a coin of Hadrian, I have feen Fortune and Hope with this emblem. Mr. Spence has justly objected against Spenfer, that many of his Allegorical Perfonifications are inconfiftent, complicated, and overdone; he obferves, that when they are well-invented, they are not well-marked out, and instances amongst others the figure of Hope now before us. But furely though his general charge may be true, in this inftance he has been mifled by his claffical tafte, and too great a reverence for the Ancients; to expect an implicit adherence to them in all their mythological appendages, is unreafonable and abfurd, and at once puts a stop to every exertion of fancy and genius; it is but doing juftice to them to acknowledge that their emblematic figures are unrivaled, but as their several diftinct attributes are closely connected with, and indeed drawn from their religion, history, dress, and manners, they must be considered as relatively excellent only; we cannot be so barren of invention, as to be obliged tamely to have recourse to their imagery on all occafions; the religion, hiftory, manners, and drefs, of our own country, are fufficiently dignified to fupply a fertile imagination, with combinations infinitely new, and to justify us in forming a ftyle of our own. Propriety in felection is every thing to produce a strong effect from a few masterly outlines, and to give an individual and exclufive character to the perfonage. feems to have been the fole aim of the Ancients; from the profufion of ornaments with which moft modern allegorical figures are overwhelmed, we are as much at a lofs to difcover for whom they are defigned, as we are to unravel a rebus or an anagram. Milton appears to have been a reader of Fletcher. I will conclude these desultory remarks on him, with noticing a few pas

*We commonly fay, "to deftroy our hopes in the bud.”

fages that have escaped the commentators of our Divine Bard. Milton is invoking Mirth to bring with her,

Nods and becks, and wreathed fmiles,

Such as hang on Hebe's cheek,
And love to live in dimple fleek;

Sport that wrinkled Care derides,

And Laughter holding both his fides.

L'Alleg. 28.

When this exquifite affemblage was formed, it is more than probable, that the poet had an eye on the following paffage of Fletcher :

Here Sportfull Laughter dwells, here ever fitting,
Defies all lumpish griefs, and wrinkled care;
And twentie merrie mates mirth causes fitting,
And fmiles, which Laughter's fonnes, yet infants are.

P. Ifland. Can. 4. St. 13. Edit. 1633.

Where thou perhaps under the whelming tide.

Lycid. 157.

In the Edit of 1630, Milton had written bumming tide, which is perhaps more expreffive and poetical. His first epithet he had probably from the following fine paffage of Fletcher:

While bumming rivers by his cabin creeping,
Rock foft his flumbering thoughts in quiet eafe.

Eclog. 2.

Milton ufes fyllable. 208 Comus. Fletcher in his Mifcellanies, page 85, has fyllabled.

Milton is fomewhat indebted likewife to the Chrift's Victorie of Giles Fletcher. Our Lord is thus described in the Wilderness, by G. Fletcher:

Seemed that man had them devoured all,

Whome to devoure the beasts did make pretence,
But him their falvage thirst did nought appall,
Though weapons none he had for his defence:

What armies for innocence, but innocence ?

For when they faw their Lord's bright cognizance
Shine in his face, foon did they disadvaunce,

And some unto him kneele, and some about him daunce.

Downe

Downe fell the Lordly Lion's angrie mood,
And he himselfe fell downe, in congies lowe;
Bidding him welcome to his waftfull wood,
Sometime he kift the graffe whear he did goe,
And, as to wash his feete he well did knowe,

With fauning tongue he lickt away the dust,
And every one would neereft to him thrust,
And every one, with new, forgot his former luft.

Unmindfull of himfelfe, to minde his Lord,
The Lamb stood gazing by the Tygers fide,
As though betweene them they had made accord,
And on the Lion's back the goate did ride,
Forgetfull of the roughness of the hide,

If he ftood ftill, their eyes upon him bayted,
If walk't, they all in order on him wayted,

And when he flept, they as his watch themfelves conceited.

After circumftantially defcribing the perfon of Jefus, Satan is thus introduced disguised:

At length an Aged Syre farre off he fawe
Come flowely footing, everie ftep he guest
One of his feete he from the grave did drawe,
Three legges he had, the woodden was the best,
And all the way he went, he ever bleft

With benedicities, and prayers ftore

But the bad ground was blessed ne'er the more,
And all his head with fnowe of age was waxen hore.

A good old Hermit he might seeme to be,
That for devotion had the world forfaken,
And now was travailing fome Saint to fee,
Since to his beads he had himselfe betaken,
Whear all his former finnes he might awaken,

And them might wash a way with dropping brine,
And almes, and fafts, and churches difcipline,
And dead, might rest his bones under the holy fhrine.

But when he neerer came, he lowted lowe
With prone obey fance, and with curt'fie kinde,
That at his feete his head he seem'd to throwe;
What needs him now another Saint to finde ?
&c. &c.