and o'erwhelm'd. Others, in frantic mood, wling thro' the streets: their hideous yells he dark welkin; Horror ftalks around, taring, and his fad concomitant, of nameless beauties." 220 -It derives its old British name Gwye, tin name Vaga, from its finuofity. eandering course of the Wye is particularly noticed by Drayton, lyolbion. Poffibly Philips had the paffage in his mind, and from it the old word CRANKLE. Wye (from her dear Lug, whom nothing can restrain, Rofs her courfe directs, and, well her name to fhew, not fo many turns and CRANKLING nooks as fhe. - To Thor and Woden.] POLYOLBION, Song. vii. and Woden were deities of our Saxon ancestors, and the antient nations. They are fuppofed to have given names to the fourth and s of the week, which from them are called Wednesday, or day, and Thursday, or Thor's day. Horror ftalks around Wild-ftaring, and his fad concomitant, Despair, Despair, of abject look: at ev'ry gate Obstruct the easy way; the rocking town Supplants their footsteps; to, and fro, they reel 225 Defpair, of abject look.] This perfonification of the paffions is in the boldeft ftyle of poetry. Indeed this whole description of the deftruction of Ariconium is admirable, and shews what our Author could have done, had he taken a subject of more extent, and trufted more to himself. And here it may not be improper to notice the late Dr. Johnson's uncandid application of a very doubtful reading of a paffage in Cicero, where, in the conclufion of his account of the life and writings of Philips, he fays, "Perhaps "to his laft Poem may be applied what Tully faid of the work of Lu"cretius, that IT IS WRITTEN WITH MUCH ART, THOUGH WITH 66 FEW BLAZES OF GENIUS." The learned Reader need not be told, but the English Reader fhould know, that there are three various readings of the paffage alluded to, and that thofe readings which are found in the earliest editions, and are fupported by fome of the moft refpectable commentators, give a very oppofite fenfe to that exhibited by the Biographer of our English Poets. The more judicious critics have confidered the Poetry of Lucretius as ftrongly marked with the VIVIDA VIS ANIMI, as more replete with fire, energy, and fpirit, than that of any other Latin Poet, not excepting Virgil himself; and it seems moft probable that the Roman Orator not only thought, but expreffed himself, so respecting it. As the moft accurate critic would, probably, thus read the paffage in Cicero's letter to his brother Quintius, fo may we prefume, the more candid one would, thus, apply it to the Poem of our Author. Lita funt multis luminibus ingenii, multæ tamen artis. EPIST. AD QUINT. FRATR. L. ii. Ep. 11. They are enriched with many blazes of genius, and at the fame "time are compofed with much poetic skill." 66 Dr. Warton, indeed, fuppofes Cicero to have confidered Lucretius as one of the greatest ornaments of Rome; and to this conviction of his great poetical talents he refers as an explanation of the compliment he paid Virgil when, on hearing him read his fixth Eclogue, he cried out in an extafy of admiration, that the author was MAGNE SPES ALTERA ROME. See the Life of Virgil prefixed to DR. WARTON'S TRANSLATION OF THE ECLOGUES AND GEORGICS.) Astonish'd, oet had here in his mind the Plalmift's language in his fhort, but defcription of a ftorm at fea. Pfalm, cvii. ey are carried up to the heavens and down again to the deep: their melteth away because of the trouble. HEY REEL TO AND FRO, AND STAGGER LIKE A DRUNKEN : and are at their wits end.” Meanwhile the loofen'd winds, Infuriate, molten rocks and flaming globes ng the caufes of earthquakes affigned by Buffon, in his Natural , a principal one is the action of fubterraneous fires. Earthquakes fort, he obferves, generally precede the eruptions of volcanoes, metimes ceafe the moment the fire opens a paffage through the Poet feems here to have had an eye to Virgil's fublime defcripMount Etna in his third ÆNEID, V. 571. horrificis juxta tonat Ætna ruinis, Interdumque atram prorumpit ad æthera nubem, But Etna roars with dreadful ruin nigh, } Now 235 Confum'd, her ravenous jaws th' earth fatiate clos'd. Now from her bellowing caverns burst away Her fhatter'd entrails wide the mountain throws, 238. fave coins, and moldering urns, PITT. 240 This is a very fine imitation of a very fine paffage in Virgil's firft GEORGIC, V. 493. Scilicet et tempus veniet, cum finibus illis The time at length fhall come when lab'ring fwains, 242. upon that treacherous tract of land She whilom food; now Ceres, in her prime, WARTON. Smiles BOOK I. CIDER. 27 245 Smiles fertile, and, with ruddieft freight bedeck'd, The prudent will obferve, what paffions reign 250 The Colewort's ranknefs, but with amorous twine Smiles fertile, and, with ruddieft freight bedeck'd, Improv'd Thus Ovid, EPIST. HEROIC. I. 53, Nunc feges eft ubi Troja fuit, refecandaque falce Now Ceres fmiles where Troy town whilom ftood; And calls the fickle to its loaded fields. 253. But with amorous twine Clafps the tall Elm-] The Ancients ufed elms as props to their vines. Hence the expreffion of marrying the vine to the elm was fo common, that not only the Roman Poets, but their Profe-writers on agriculture, frequently use the phrases of NUPTA VITIS and MARITA ULMUS, the wedded vine and the bufband elm. Milton makes the marrying the vine to the elm one of the employments of Adam and Eve in Paradife, where, after they had fung their beautiful morning hymn, in the fifth book of the PARADISE LOST, he defcribes them proceeding to their "morning's rural work" Among sweet dews and flow'rs; where any row Το |