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therefore not have attempted the character of this most excellent Princefs, could there have been the least room for iufpicions of that nature; but I call God to witness that, having no obligation or difobligation whatsoever to her, "I shall speak the truth in the fincerity of my heart; and I like. wife call upon all and every one of those who have the honour to know her as well as I do, to contradict me, if they can, in any one particular. I have obferved her with attention from almoft the hour of her birth, and have carefully marked the progreffive fteps of nature; I have feen her in her unguarded moments, and have feriously and critically confidered whatever fell from her; fo I may without vanity affert, that nobody is better qualified to tell the truth than myself, though others might be much more capable of adorning it. I shall fay nothing of the beauty of this incomparable Princefs. It is her mind, and not her perfon, which we intend to delineate; neither shall I dwell on her high birth and station any longer than to obferve that the feems to be the only perfon ignorant of that lupe. riority; he has never been heard to give the most remote hint of it, much lefs has the ever been obferved to allume even that degree of state which others much inferior to her in birth are fo foolithly fond of. It would be faying but little in praife of this excellent Lady, to oblerve that the had early acquired many friends; for who in that high ftation has not? where the power of obliging and doing good is fo extenfive, it must be the weakest head, as well as the wort heart, that does not exert it, and make many happy friends; but what is much more rare in her hation, he has not one enemy.

Equally humane to all who approach her, the neither ftoops to meannels, nor infults in proportion as the imagines the perfons are useful or ufelefs; for having nothing to afk, fear, or conceal, from any, the behaves herfelf with equal unconcern to all.

She was never known to tell a lie, or even to difguile a truth. Uncorrupted nature appears in every motion, and ho

SIR,

netty declares the prefent fentiment. Her fimiles are the immediate refult of a c›ntented and innocent heart; they are never protituted to difguile inward rane ur and malice, nor infidiously displayed to betray the unwary into a fatal confi dence. The tears the fometimes theds are not lefs fincere, they flow only from jultifi. able caufes, and not from difappointed avarice, ambition, or revenge; nor are they the forced tears of fimulated compattion, which conceals a real hardness of heart; moreover the never cries for joy. She is a rare inftance of liberality; and though her income be but fmail, fhe retains no more of it than what is absolutely neceffary for her subsistence, and properly and privately difpofes of the relt; free from the oitentation of little and fordid minds, who by profufion in trifles hope to conceal the infatiable avarice and corruption of their hearts.

Though born and bred in a Court, the never engages in the intrigues and whifpers of it, nor concerns herfelf in public matters. Far from retailing or inventing lies, promoting fcandal and defamation, and encouraging breach of faith and violation of friendship, one would think by her behaviour that the had never heard of fuch things. Her filence, and her lex, is not the leaft admirable of her many qualifications; the never fpeaks when the has nothing to lay, nor graciously tires her company with frivolous, improper, and unneceifary tattle.

She is entirely tree from another too general weaknels of her fex, attention to drets; and it is cbfervable, that if the is ever out of humour, it is in thofe moments in which he is obliged to conform to cuftom in that particular.

Having thus authed this imperfect fketch of this inimitable character, I fhall only add for the information of the curious, that this moit incomparable Prin cets was given us on the 31st of July, in the 1737th year of our redemption. Name indeed he has none; but had ever luch a Princels a name? or can any man name me fuch a PRINCESS?

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE.

I wi

litenefs which actuates the conductor of the European Magazine, to doubt his willingness to oblige an occafional Correfpondent and I have to high an opiAion of your very numerous readers, as to

be confident that the publication of this little article would procure me ample in

formation.

At Meffieurs Leigh and Sotheby's late fale, by auction, of the elegant and truly valuable library of James Mainstone, Efq. on the tenth day of tale (Thuriday, 8th

May),

May), was fold No. 2230, entitled, Cornelianum Delium Comoedia lepi. diffima, optimorum judiciis approbata, et theatrali coryphos, nec immeritò, do. nata, palma chorali apprimè digna. Auc

egregiè notum. Ubi diotiùs van pé lactatus, genio liberè indulgens, m retriciis artibus acquiefcens, per totum Lupanar cujufque leċti, testi, et triclinii annuos redditus, horales quæðus ad un

tore T. R. ingeniofiffimo hujus ævi heguem retinui. Tartare illius varte per liconio. Lon lini, apul Tho. Harperum. Et væneunt per Tho. Slaterum, et Laurentium Chapman. 1638.

Ludunt dum juvenes, lafciviant fenes, "Senefcunt juvenes, juvenefcunt fenes."

I should esteem myself greatly indebted to any Gentleman who could inform me what name T. R. defignates; on what Occation this facetious comedy was written; and when, and where it was acted. A vague fufpicion leads me to THOMAS RANDOLPH*, author of "The Mute's Locking Glafs," and many other theatrical pieces, of whom an account is given in Baker's Biographia Dramatica." Another infpicion, equally indeterminate, might incline us to THOMAS RUGGLE †, the celebrated author of "Ignoramus,' and various fatirical productions. Part of the comedy feems borrowed from one of Boccace's Novels.

66

Randolph died, I believe, a year or two before Cornelianum Dolium" was printed; at the premature age of twentynine. Of Ruggle's deceafe I can collect no certain intelligence.

As this is a noi curious little play, and probably feldom met with, your readers may perhaps he gratified with a copy of the DEDICATION and PREFACE.

Dedicatio.
Spectatimo Viro,

ALEXANDRO RADCLIFFE,

Baienfi Militi;

Muis Grato,

Suis charo,

Alienis benigno,
Omnibus benevolo ;
POSTHUMOUS VATES
Hanc opeilam

in extremam obfervantiæ
fuæ memoriam,

Candide, conditè, cordatè;
intimè, integrè, intemeratè ;
dedit, dicavit, dedicavit."
Prefatis.

"OMNIBUS LT SINGULIS.

• Noverint univerfi per præfentes, me Cornelium Sumerianis tuifle natum et

tres integros annos Janitor fui: me om nes fecerint trantennam, per quam faci lior aditus pateat ad pellicem.

:

"Ab eo verò ad altiorem eve&tus fui gradum ad recordanda (fcilices) chy. rurgorum nomina, et iis folvenda ftipen dia.hinc ille lachrymæ ! Qui" me norunt lafcivientem in Prestibulo, nune me videant dolentem in Dolio. Vere doleo; et benè elf quod doleo; periissem enim nifi periiffem. Ut fenfi, fapui, Errando didiei, difcendo, docui. Cornelius ducitur in Scœnam, corpus in D hum.

"Nune quod ad vos attinet, ne Scena lateat, arigite aures; ne Cornelius langueat, præbete manus. Valete, videté, ridete, vivite."

I had intended to fend you the jocole Argument, but am reftrained by the fear of prolixity. A litt of the CHARACTERS, however, will take up but little space, and with this litt I fhall for the present conclude.

"DRAMATIS PERSONE.

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• Mr. Douce, in a note on Timon of Abens, in the last edition of Shakspeare, vol. xi. F. 594. has offered the fame conjecture. EDITOR.

The name of this author was not Thomus, but George. EDITOR.

He died between 6th September 1621 and 3d November 1622. See Hawkins's

republication of Ignoramus, 8vo. 1787, p. 74. EDITOR.

§ Kubers Randolph republished all his deceased brother's works.

OB

MY DEAR P.

TH

OBSERVATIONS

ON

MR. GRAY'S TWO PINDARIC ODES.

HE fubject touched upon in my laft has taken fuch strong hold of my imagination, that I cannot forbear recalling your attention to it. I do this with the lefs fcruple, as I do not mean to trouble you with any of thofe "vulgar paffages," which the Learned Critic, with a delicacy highly commendable, "fpared his friend the difgutt of confidering." Under this restriction, it may not be unentertaining to fee in what manner writers of the firft rank and ac. knowledged abilities imitate their predeceffors fo, as to make what they borrow appear their own. You will not, I apprehend, require any apology from me for fufpending awhile the defign, with which I feemed to fet out. I fee no reafon why, in our converfation ar correfpondence with each other, we should confine ourselves within any one certain track. Whatever fubject may accidentally be started in our way, we are, I think, at full liberty to follow whither foever it may lead; and to continue the purfuit, fo long as it affords amufement. We have often, you will recollect, read together, and been as often charmed with, the introductory stanza to the first of Mr. Gray's two Pindaric Odes-the Progrefs of Poetry: where you have

thefe admirable lines:

Now the rich ftream of Mufic winds

along,

Deep, majeftic, fmooth, and ftrong, Through verdant vales, and Ceres golden reign:

Now rolling from the steep amain,
Headlong impetuous fee it pour,
The rocks and nodding groves rebellow
to the roar.

The great excellencies of the fablimeft poetry are here united with an ease and elegance, which give to the compofition fo much the air of an original, that none of Mr. Gray's Editors or Commentators on his Works feem to have fufpected an imitation.

Mr. Mafon, who appears to have been fufficiently affiduous in bringing together every fentiment or expreffion from other

authors, bearing refemblance to any part in the writings of his refpected friend, has produced no parallel to this exquifitely beautiful paffage.

Mr. Wakefield, who has given us an edition of Mr. Gray's poems, enriched with many valuable and interesting notes, profefles +"not to be fparing of quotations from the poets," and conceives "no author to be a more proper vehicle for remarks of this fort, at once useful and entertaining, than Mr. Gray:" yet, in all his extenfive range through the fields of claffic lore, he notices only one or two flight refemblances.

Having thus taken the liberty of introducing Mr. Wakefield, I cannot suffer fo favourable an opportunity to escape me, without returning to that candid and difcerning critic my warmest thanks, in which I am perfuaded I shall be joined by every friend to genius and lover of the Mufes, for his very able and spirited defence of the British Pindar against the illiberal attacks of a prejudiced Commentator: whofe puerile ftrictures on thefe divine poeins certainly cast a shade on his literary character.

Even Dr. Johnfon himfelf, willing, as he evidently was, from an unmanly jealoufy of contemporary merit, to degrade the high character, which Mr. Gray deservedly held, of an original writer, with uncommon powers of fancy and invention; and therefore ever on the watch to detect any latent imitation, has been able to discover no inftance of fimilar compo

fition.

Now allow me to fubmit to your confideration the following lines, which I am inclined to believe you have already in imagination anticipated, from one of the fublimeft Odes in Horace :

-Quod adeft, memento Componere æquus. Cætera fluminis Ritu feruntur, nunc medio alveo

Cum pace delabentis Etrufcum

In mare; nunc lapides adefos Stirpefque raptas, & pecus, et domos, Volventis una; non fine montium Clamore, vicinæque fylvæ.

• Marks of Imitation, p. 73.
Wakefield's Ed. Gray's Poems, Advertisement,
Pages 77, 78.

VOL. XXXVII. MAY 1800.

YY

B. iii. O. 29.

With

With this ftanza before us, will there not arife in the mind fomething like fufpicion that Mr. Gray, when he wrote thofe fine lines quoted above, bad bis eye on Horace. Allow me to mark the principal features of refemblance. We have in each poet a fream; applied by the one to the various forms of poetry; by the other, to the viciffitudes of human affairs, with especial reference to political revolutions. It is conducted by both, first in a courfe of placid ferenity, then in torrents of rapid impetuofity; pro ducing at the clofe, in both inftances, the fame alarming effect.

"The rocks and nodding groves rebellow

to the roar,"

very nearly a verbal translation of the Latin text

"Non fine montium
"Clamore, vicinæque fylvæ."

Here is certainly in thefe two paffages an extraordinary coincidence of thought and imagery. In addition to which, the varying circumftances, described in both, follow each other in exactly the fame order. The attentive reader will how

ever difcover, under this general fimilitude, a confiderable difference in the mode of compofition between the British and the Roman Pindar. Enough, perhaps, you will think, to remove all appearance of direct imitation. It is moft probable that Gray, without recurring to the text of Horace, has only copied from the traces which a frequent perufal had left upon his memory. This hypothefis will appear the more credible, when we analyfe the different forms of compofition. While the ftream of Horace glides quietly into the Etrufcan ocean, with no other diftin&tion than that of gentleness; the stream of Gray winds along with a marked character, appropriate to his fubjc&t:

" Deep, majestic, smooth, and strong."

Mr. Gray gives alfo peculiar grace and beauty to the piece by his skilful ufe of the metaphorical style, blending the fimile with the fubject, fo much in the manner of Pindar; and not making as Horace has done, a formal comparison of the one with the other. Pope has in many inftances adopted this graceful manner; and in none more fuccefsfully

than in that celebrated addrefs to his Guide, Philofopher, and Friend, in the Effay on Man, Ep. 3d.

Oh! while along the ftream of time thy

name

Expanded flies, and gathers all its fame; Say, fhall my little bark attendent fail, Purfue the triumph, and partake the gale ?

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It will be rather a matter of curiosity, if it do not appear too trifling, to fee how this beautiful paffage would read, taken out of metaphor, and delivered in the plain comparative form. I will endeavour to render it in this form as correctly as may be:-Oh! while your name flies abroad along the courfe of time, and gathers all its fame, like a fhip going down the ftream; and, with expanded fails, gathering, as it goes, the wind; fay, fhall I attend, like a little bark; purfue the triumph, and fhare in your fame, as the little bark partakes the gale, which fwells the canvas of the larger veffel. You will not, I trust, require any further comment, to prove the fuperior elegance of the metaphorical ftyle.

Mr. Gray, it will be feen, has ftill further improved upon the Roman Bard by the addition of thofe verdant vales and golden fields of corn, through which, in the first divifion of his fubject, he conducts the peaceful stream.

"Through verdant vales and Ceres*

golden reign."

In the fecond divifion he simply describes it, now fwollen into a torrent, rolling impetuoufly down the steep defcent; which Horace exprefles, from † Homer, by its effects.

of tafte with fo correct and critical an You, who are wont to view all works eye, cannot fail to oblerve, and at the fame time to admire, the mafterly skill of thefe great artists in the execution of their feparate designs.

In Mr. Gray's Ode the varying movements of Mufic or Poetry are very hap. pily illustrated by the inconftant current of a river; affuming, in different places, a different character; prefenting you by turns, either with rich and beautiful profpects in foothing compofure; or routing the mind into emotions of wonder and aftonishment, by scenes of a bolder

* Hungerford's Ap. p. 8o.

Il. xi. 492. Virg. Æn, ii, 496.

feature;

feature; rolling, with the roar of thunder, down broken rocks and precipices.

The object of Horace was the course of events, which alternately take place in a popular government: at one time peaceful and orderly; difpenfing eafe, fecurity, and happiness to all around: at another, irregular, tumultuous, and turbulent; marking its progrefs with terror and deftruction like the changeful courfe of a river, the Tybur for inftance, which was continually in his view, flowing at one time quietly and equably within its accustomed banks; at another,

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lapides adefos,

"Stirpefque raptas, & pecus, & domos." I cannot here refift the temptation of recalling to your recollection an exquifitely fine paffage in the book of Pfalms, in which fimilar imagery is applied in a manner most awfully fublime. It is where the divinely-inspired Poet, magnifying the God of his falvation, describes, in the true fpirit of Eastern poetry, his protecting power, as follows: "Who ftilleft the raging of the fea, and the noife of his waves, and the madness of the people."

It is the more remarkable that Dr. Johnson should have overlooked this apparent imitation, when he has chofen, with Algarotti he fays, to confider the Bard as an imitation of the prophecy of Nereus. This is more than Algarotti any where affirms. In his letter to Mr. How, he fays that the Bard is very far fuperior to the prophecy of Nereus: in which opinion Dr. Johnson does not feem equally difpofed to concur with the learned Italian.

This is a queftion which does not admit of argument. If there be a man who can hear the fudden breaking forth of those terrific sounds in the exordium, at which fout Glofter stood agbaft, and Mortimer cried to arms, and not thrill with horror: if there be a man, who can behold the awful figure of the Bard, in

Pf. lxv. V. 7.

his fable veftments, with his haggard eyes, his loose beard, and hoary hair, which

Stream'd like a meteor to the troubled air,"

and hear him

"Strike the deep forrows of his lyre," without emotion: this man, if fuch a man there be, has no feelings, to which a critic on the works of a great poet can apply. It were as vain and useless to converfe with a man of this defcription on fuch fubjects, as with a deaf man on the enchantment of Mufic; or, with one blind, on the charms of Beauty.

While I am converfing with you, who are neither deaf nor blind, I am tempted to enter more deeply into the examination of this aftonishing performance; which I fhall confider in rather a new light. Every reader is ftricken with the wildrefs of the fcenery-the grandeur and fublimity of thought-the boldness of the imagery-the fire and enthusiasm, which animate the ode throughout. What most ftrikes me is the highly figurative and majestic diction, which pervades the whole; involved in that awful obfcurity, fo fuited to the occafion, and characteristically the language of prophecy. This very obfcurity, objected to by many as a fault, has always appeared to me as the diftinguishing excellency of the poem. The tiffue, woven with bloody hands by the Bard, in confort with the speares of his murther'd brethren,

The winding sheet of Edward's race, on which were to be traced their impend. ing misfortunes, has in it fomething tremendously fublime; analogous to the emblematic images, under which are ufually conveyed the prophetic denun ciations of divine wrath in the facred writings of thefe every one feels the effect. In the fame fublime ftrain the defcendents of Edward are in fucceffion defignated, not by name, but by fome myftic allufion; under which the figures affume a more terrific appearance from the mift, which is gathered round them. The tragical fate, which feverally awaits them, is denounced under the reprefentation of fome terrible image, enveloped in almolt impenetrable darkness, impreffing on the mind a dreadful foreboding of fu ture calamity, the more alarming as its

+Mafon's Ed. of Gray, Notes, p. 85. Vide paffim Ifaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, B. of Rev. Y y 2

nature,

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