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3. Spenfer tells us of,

A little glooming light, much like a fhade.

F. Q. c. II. S. 14.

Can you imagine that Milton did not take his idea from hence, when he faid, in his Penferofo,

glowing embers thro' the room Teach light to counterfeit a gloom?

4. Again, in his description of Paradife,

Flow'rs of all hues, and without thorn the rofe.

Every poet of every time is lavish of his flowers on fuch occafions, But the rofe without thorn is a rarity; and, though it was fine to imagine fuch an one in Paradise, could only be an Italian refinement, Taffo, you will think, is the original, when you have read the following lines:

Senza quei fuoi pungenti ifpidi dumi
Spiegò le foglie la purpurea Rofa.

5. Another

5. Another inftance, ftill more remarkable, may be taken from Mr. Pope. One of the most striking paffages in the Essay on Man is the following:

Superior Beings, when of late they faw
A mortal man unfold all nature's law,
Admir'd fuch wisdom in an earthly shape,
And fhew'd a NEWTON, as we fhew an ape.
Ep. ii. ver. 31.

Can you doubt, from the fingularity of this fentiment, that the great poet had his eye on Plato? who makes Sodrates fay, in allufion to a remark of Heraclitus, "Or apú πων ὁ σοφώτατος πρὸς θεὸν πίθηκος φανείται. Hipp. Major.

The application indeed is different. And it could not be otherwife. For the obfervation, which the Philofopher refers pos Sedv, is in the Poet given to fuperior Beings only. The confequence is, that the Ape is an object of derifion in the former cafe; of admiration, in the latter.

To conclude this head, I will just obferve to you, that, though the fame uncommonofentiment in two writers be usually the

effect

effect of imitation, yet we cannot affirm this of Actors in real life. The reason is, when the fituation of two men is the fame, Nature will dictate the fame fentiments more invariably than Genius. To give a remarkable inftance of what I mean.

Tacitus relates, in the first book of his Annals, what paffed in the fenate on its first meeting after the death of Auguftus. His politic fucceffor carried it for fome time with much apparent moderation. He wished, befides other reasons, to get himself folemnly recognized for Emperor by that Body, before he entered on the exercise, of his new dignity. Dabat fame, fays the hiftorian, ut vocatus electufque potius a Republicâ videretur, quàm per uxorium ambitum, et fenili adoptione irrepfiffe. One of his courtiers would not be wanting to himself on fuch an occafion. When therefore feveral motions had been made in the Senate, concerning the honours to be paid to the memory of their late Prince, VALERIUS MESSALLA moved, RENOVANDUM PER ANNOS SACRAMENTUM IN NOMEN TIBERII; in other words, that the oath of allegiance

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fhould be taken to Tiberius. This was the very point that Tiberius drove at. And the confcioufnefs of it made him fufpect that this motion might be thought to proceed from himself. He therefore afked Meffalla, "Num, fe mandante, eam fententiam prom66. filet?" His answer is in the following words: " Spontè dixiffe, refpondit; neque "in iis, que ad rempublicam pertinerent, “confilio nifi fuo ufurum, vel cum periculo "offenfionis." Ea, concludes the hiftorian, fola fpecies adulandi fupererat.

Now it is very remarkable, that we find in Ludlow's memoirs one of Cromwell's officers, on the very fame occafion, answering the Protector in the very fame species of flattery.

Colonel WILLIAM JEPHSON moved in the House, that Cromwell might be made King. Cromwell took occafion soon after to reprove the Colonel for this propofition, telling him, that he wondered what he could mean by it. To which the other replied, "That while he was permitted the bonour of fitting in that House, he must defire the liberty to difcharge his confcience,

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though his opinion fhould happen to dif pleafe."

Here we have a very striking coincidence of Jentiment, without the leaft probability of imitation. For nobody, I dare say, sufpects Colonel William Jephfon of stealing this refined stroke of adulation from Valerius Meffalla. The truth is, the fame situation, concurring with the fame corrupt difpofition, dictated this peculiar fentiment to the two courtiers. Yet, had thefe fimilar thoughts been found in two dramatic poets of the Auguftan and Oliverian ages, we fhould probably have cried out, "An Imi"tation." And with good reafon. For, befides the poffibility of an Oliverian poet's knowing fomething of Tacitus, the speakers had then been feigned, not real perfonages. And it is not fo likely that two such should agree in this sentiment: I mean, confidering how new and particular it is. For, as to the more common and obvious fentiments, even dramatic speakers will very frequently employ the fame, without affording any juft reafon to conclude that their prompters had turned plagiaries.

VIII. If

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