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And linkt itself by carnal fenfuality
To a degenerate and degraded state.
Mafk at Ludlow Cafile.

This philofophy of imbruted fouls becoming thick fhadows is fo remote from any ideas entertained at prefent of the effects of Sin, and at the fame time is fo agreeable to the notions of Plato (a double favourite of Milton, for his own fake, and for the fake of his being a favourite with his Italian Masters), that there is not the least question of its being taken from the PHAEDO.

του

· Ἡ τοιαύτη ψυχὴ βαρύνεται τε καὶ ἕλκεται πάλιν εἰς τὸν ὁραῖὸν τόπον, φόβῳ τῷ αειδός τε καὶ ὧδε, περὶ τα μνήματα καὶ τὰς τάφες κυλινδεμένη περί α δή κ ὤφθη άτλα ψυχῶν (κιοειδή φαντάσματα, οἷα παρέχον ται αἱ τοιαῦται ψυχαὶ εἴδωλα, αἱ μὴ καθαρῶς ἀπο λυθεῖσαι

There is no wonder, now one fees the fountain Milton drew from, that, in admiration of this poetical philofophy (which nourished the fine fpirits of that time, though it corrupted fome), he should make the other speaker in the fcene cry out, as in a fit of extafy,

2

How

How charming is divine philofophy! ·

Not harfh, and crabbed, as dull fools fuppofe,
But mufical as is Apollo's lute,

And a perpetual feast of nectar'd sweets,
Where no crude furfeit reigns-

the very ideas which Lord SHAFTESBURY has employed in his encomiums on the Pla tonic philofophy; and the very language which Dr. HENRY MORE would have used, if he had known to express himself fo foberly.

3. Having faid fo much of Plato, whom the Italian writers have helped to make known to us, let me juft obferve one thing to our prefent purpose of those Italian writers themselves. One of their peculiarities, and almost the firft that strikes us, is a certain fublime myftical air which runs through all their fictions. We find them a fort of philofophical fanatics, indulging themfelves in ftrange conceits" concerning "the Soul, the chyming of celestial orbs, and "prefiding Syrens." One may tell by these marks, that they doted on the fancies of Plato; if we had not befides direct evidence for this conclufion. Taffo fays of himself,

himself, and he applauds the fame thing in Petrarch," Leffi già tutte l'opere di Platone, " è mi rimaffero molti femi nella mente della "fua dottrina." I take thefe words from Menage, who has much more to the fame purpose in his elegant obfervations on the Amintas of this poet.

One fees then where Milton had been for that imagery in the ARCADES,

Then liften I

To the celeftial Syrens' harmony,

That fit upon the nine enfolded spheres
And fing to thofe that hold the vital fhears,
And turn the adamantine spindle round,
On which the fate of Gods and men is wound.

The best comment on these verses is a paffage in the xth Book of Plato's Republic, where this whole fyftem, of Syrens quiring to the fates, is explained or rather delivered.

IV. We have seen a Mark of Imitation, in the allufion of writers to certain ftrange, and foreign tenets of philofophy. The obfervation may be extended to all thofe paffages (which are innumerable in our poets) that allude to the rites, customs, language, and theology of Paganism.

It

It is true, indeed, this fpecies of Imitation is not that which is properly the subject of this letter. The moft original writer is allowed to furnish himself with poetical ideas from all quarters. And the management of learned Allufion is to be regarded perhaps as one of the niceft offices of Invention. Yet it may be useful to see from what fources a great poet derives his materials; and the rather, as this detection will fometimes account for the manner in which he difpofes of them. However, I will but detain you with a remark or two on this class of Imitations.

1. I obferve, that even Shakespeare himfelf abounds in learned Allufions. How he came by them is another queftion; though not fo difficult to be answered, you know, as fome have imagined. They, who are in such astonishment at the learning of Shakefpeare, befides that they certainly carry the notion of his illiteracy too far, forget that the Pagan imagery was familiar to all the poets of his time-that abundance of this fort of learning was to be picked up from almost every English book, he could take

into

into his hands-that many of the best writers in Greek and Latin had been tranflated into English-that his converfation lay among the most learned, that is, the moft paganized, poets of his age-but above all, that, if he had never looked into books, or conversed with bookish men, he might have learned almost all the fecrets of paganism (fo far, I mean, as a poet had any use of them) from the MASKS of B. Jonfon; contrived by that poet with fo pedantical an exactnefs, that one is ready to take them for lectures and illustrations on the antient learning, rather than exercifes of modern wit. The taste of the age, much devoted to erudition, and still more, the taste of the Princes for whom he writ, gave a prodigious vogue to thefe unnatural exhibitions. And the knowledge of antiquity, requifite to fucceed in them, was I imagine the reason that Shakespeare was not over-fond to try his hand at these elaborate trifles. Once indeed he did, and with fuch fuccefs as to difgrace the very beft things of this kind we find in Jonfon. The short Mafk in the Tempeft is fitted up

with

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