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Stands thick, o'erfhadow'd, to the thirsty hind 555
Tranfporting profpect! Thefe, as modern ufe
Ordains, infus'd, an auburn drink compofe,
Wholesome, of deathlefs fame. Here to the fight
Apples of price and plenteous fheaves of corn
Oft interlac'd occur, and both imbibe

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Fitting congenial juice; fo rich the foil,

So much does fructuous moisture o'er-abound!

Nor are the hills unamiable, whofe tops

To heaven afpire, affording prospect fweet
To human ken; nor at their feet the vales
Defcending gently, where the lowing herd
Chew verdurous pasture; nor the yellow fields
Gayly interchang'd, with rich variety
Pleafing, as when an Emerald green, enchas'd

565

In flamy gold, from the bright mafs acquires 570

5.56.

Thefe, as modern use

Ordains, infus'd an auburn drink compose,
Wholefome-]

The ancients had their Zythum, or drink made from Barley; but it was reckoned very unwholesome. The bitter infusion of the Hop is fuppofed to correct the noxious qualities of malt-liquor.

567.

nor the yellow fields

Gaily interchang'd, with rich variety
Pleafing, as when an Emerald green,

enchas'd

In flamy gold, from the bright mass acquires

A nobler bue, more delicate to fight.]

Compare Milton, P. L. iv. 700.

under foot the violet,

Crocus, and hyacinth with rich inlay

Broider'd the ground, more color'd than with stone
Of coftlieft emblem-

A nobler

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A nobler hue, more delicate to fight.

Next add the Sylvan fhades, and filent groves,
Haunt of the Druids, whence the hearth is fed
With copious fuel; whence the sturdy oak,
A prince's refuge once, th' eternal guard
Of England's throne, by fweating peasants fell'd,
Stems the vast main, and bears tremendous war
To distant nations, or with fovereign fway
Awes the divided world to peace and love,

572. the Sylvan fhades, and filent groves,
Haunt of the Druids-]

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575

Thus, in the fecond GEORGIC, the Oak is defcribed as having been the supposed feat of a famous Grecian Oracle;

atque habitæ Graiis oracula quercus ;

in which paffage, fome Commentators have fuppofed Virgil to glance at, and ridicule the fuperftitions of the Greeks. But, furely this is far from being the cafe; and these fabulous allufions are thrown in by Poets, to elevate and adorn their style. Thefe little defcriptive circumstances are indeed the conftituent parts of Poetical Language, which serve to difcriminate it from Profe.

The Druids were the Priefts, or Minifters of Religion, of the ancient Gauls, Britons, and Germans. They were called Druids, from the old British Draw, or Celtic Derw, which fignify an Oak; or from the Greek Apus (See Pliny, N. H. 16. 44.), because they inhabited forefts, and always facrificed under an Oak.

574.

A prince's refuge]

the sturdy oak,

The

The oak in which Charles II. fheltered himself from his purfuers, after the battle of Worcester, ftood on the borders of Staffordshire, in the parish of Tong in Shropshire, near Bofcobel Houfe, in which the King was alfo concealed. The old tree, in which the King was hid, was foon after cut down, and carried off; but one is still fhewed as the Royal Oak, having been raised (as it is faid) from an acorn of the old tree. prefent tree is a large one, and appears to be about fourfcore years old. The bark and fides are much torn and cut by the curiofity of its vifitors. -The eftate at Bofcobel is the property of Thomas Fitzherbert, Efq. of Swinnerton in Staffordshire, and ftands chiefly in the parish of Breewood in that county.

I 2

Why

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Bilboa, the chief city of the province of Biscay in Spain, was celebrated for its iron by the Poet Martial, who was born there, and who calls it

And,

Bilbilin

Equis et armis nobilem.

L. I. Ep. 50.

Sævo Bilbilin optimam metallo,

Quæ vincat Chalybafque, Noricofque. IV. 55.

Its fame for manufactures in iron and steel has remained to later ages, and, a century or two ago, the fword-blades made there were thought fuperior to any in Europe; whence, in our old comedies, a fword is often called a Bilbo, Its iron at prefent is chiefly exported in bars, though no inconfiderable quantity is ftill manufactured there into fwords and fire-arms. -Our Author was not perhaps aware that Biscay is famous for it's Cider. It may not be improper here to cite an account of the making of Cider in this province, as given by a noble Venetian at the beginning of the fixteenth century.

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Navagero, who was Embaffador from the Republic of Venice to the Emperor Charles V. in the Journal of his Embaffy into Spain, fpeaking of Bifcay, fays: "Vino non nafce in quæfto paefe. Tutto il paefe in luogo di Viti pianta Meli; di pomi di quefti fanno Vino che chiamano Sedra, il qual fi bev par lo piu dalla gente del paese, ed è chiaro, " è buono, è bianco, con puoco di Garbo; fano a chi vi s'accostuma: ma a chi non è ufato a berlo è duro da digerire, ed offende lo fto"macho leva molto la fete. Fanno detto Vino con alcuni torcolari grandiffimi, come noi quel di Uva; ma a quefto bifogna maggior "forza, e piu peso."

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"Wine is not produced in this country. All the inhabitants instead of "vines plant apple-trees; with the apples of these they make a wine they "call Cider, which is drunk by moft of the people of the country, and is

66

clear, good, and light-colored, with fome degree of tartnefs; it is "wholefome to thofe who are accustomed to it, but to any one, who has not been used to drink it, it is difficult of digestion, and disorders the ❝ ftomach; it quenches thirst extremely. This wine is made with fome very large preffes, as we make that of grapes, but it requires greater ftrength and more preffure.'

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when our mines produce

As perfect martial ore]

No iron is produced abfolutely in Herefordshire, but the most con

fiderable

Batic]

ncients called the province of Andalufia in Spain Bætica, from Batis, now the Guadalquivir, which runs through it.-The the fheep of this country are noticed by the Roman Poets, and rly by Martial, who seems rather to celebrate the colour of the n its fineness. (See L. 5. Ep. 37.-12. 99.-14. 133.)

beft Spanish wool is not, however, faid to come from the province lufia, but from the neighbourhood of Segovia, in old Castile.

Tarentine]

tum, now Taranto, a city of Magna Græcia, part of the kingdom es, was once very much famed for the downy filkinefs of its wool, ve which in its greateft perfection, the fhepherds ufed to buckle eir fheep a fort of leathern coat; whence Horace speaking of the lefus which flowed through this country, calls it,

Dulce PELLITIS ovibus Galefi

Flumen

very delicate breed of sheep is now almoft loft in that Country. inburne, in his Travels in the two Sicilies, fpeaking of Taranto, place he vifited, fays, "After the fall of Rome, a long train of and devastation deprived this country of all its acquired advan, and even operated fo direfully upon its climate and productions, vitiate thofe it held of the bounty of nature. When the manurers, as well as manufactures, were destroyed, the prime commos of course loft their value; and it ceased to be worth the shepherd's e, even had the nicer arts of his calling been handed down to him, ke any pains in preserving a purity of blood, or delicacy of coverin his breed of theep; thofe perfections had no longer any admirers apmen, and confequently the race very foon degenerated."-He ves an account of the attempts which have been made in later times

to

Bætic or finest Tarentine compare

With Lemfter's filken wool? Where fhall we find Men more undaunted, for their country's weal 586

to revive the credit of the Tarentine wool, and of the caufes which ren

dered every fuch attempt abortive. It appears from his account, that the

wool of that country is ftill of a good quality, though by no means fo fine as it would be, if properly attended to.

585. Lemfter's filken wool.]

The town of Lemfter, or Leominster, in Herefordshire, was formerly very famous for its wool and woollen manufactures. Camden mentions its wool by the name of Lemfter Ore, under which title it is also celebrated by Drayton in his POLYOLBION, Song 7th. Poffibly Philips had here the paffage in his mind,

Lemfter, for her wool whofe ftaple doth excel,
And seems to over-match the golden Phrygian fell*.
Had this our Colchos been unto the Ancients known,
When honour was herself, and in her glory fhone,
He then, that did command the infantry of Greece,
Had only to our Ifle adventur'd for this fleece,

Where lives the man fe dull, on Britain's farthest shore,

To whom did never found the name of LEMSTER ORE?

THAT WITH THE SILK-WORM'S WEB FOR SMALLNESS DOTH

COMPARE;

Wherein the winder fhews his workmanship fo rare,

As doth the fleece excel, and mocks her loofer clue,
As neatly bottom'd up as nature forth it drew;

Of each in high'ft account, and reckon'd here as fine,
As there th' Apulian fleece, or dainty TARENTINE.

The Leominster fheep are the breed from the Radnorshire hills, im proved by being fed on the rich pastures near Leominster. Dyer, in his Fleece, having fpoken of the principal foreign wools, notices the delicately fine fleeces of the Welch fheep, when fed in Herefordshire paftures;

And beauteous Albion, fince great Edgar chac'd
The prowling wolf, with many a lock appears

Of filky luftre; chief, Siluria, thine,

Thine, Vaga, favor'd ftream; from sheep minute,
On Cambria bred, a pound o'erweighs a fleece,
Where fhall we find
·]

585.

Men more undaunted

Our Poet here celebrates the ancient warriors of his native country, particularly diftinguishing the Anceftor (as he fuppofed him to have been) of a noble family then connected with Herefordshire.-Virgil, in his Praifes of Italy, alfo celebrates the heroes of his country, winding up paffage with much address in a highly-finished compliment to Auguftus.

* i. c. fleece.

the

Hæc

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