The midnight watchmen found me as I strayed; I held him firm, forbade him more to roam, NOTES ON IDYL IV. -The word "dream (1) And anxious dreamsdoes not occur in the original; but, from the period of time, the place, and position of the fair bride, there can be no doubt that she is here describing a dream. In the earlier ages of the world, in which visions of the night were made the medium of divine communication, as well to those who were without the pale of the Jewish hierarchy as to those whom it embraced, dreams were pondered upon with far more deference than at present; and for this reason the images in natural sleep appear to have been often more vivid and permanent. Much of the beauty of ancient poetry, therefore, both sacred and profane, has been exhausted in delineating the history of individual dreams. In the sacred Scriptures this is so frequent as to render it useless to enumerate instances. In Virgil, Moschus, and Bion, we meet with many similar narratives; but the Odes of Anacreon are, of all specimens of poetry, the nearest perhaps in this respect to the idyls before us. The third and eighth, in the arrangement of Barnes's edition, are both of this description most precisely: and the former, in its general tale and construction, so extremely resembles the seventh of the present idyls, that the reader will find it introduced under that poem for a comparison. Gessner has happily referred to this species of poetic fiction in his idyl entitled Daphnis. The delighted swain applies to heaven, and supplicates that dreams of love and of himself may descend on the fair idol of his heart. And, if she do not dream of him, his object, at least, is obtained by the supplication: for when the morning arose, and his beloved appeared at her window-holdselig grüsst sie ihn, und holdselig blikt sie ihn nach ;-denn sie hatte seinen nächtlichen gesang behorcht:-" tenderly she saluted him, tenderly her eyes still followed his footsteps;-for she had listened to his midnight song." (2) Intent I sought him-but I sought in vain.] This lineal iteration, chorus, or intercalary verse, as it is called by Dr. Lowth, is in perfect unison with the true spirit of the idyl or eclogue. Theocritus is full of the same figure: his very first idyl affords us an instance of it - Αρχετε βωκολικάς, Μώσαι φίλαι, άρχετ' αοιδας which is repeated at the commencement of every sentence, till the poet has nearly finished his song. • The first idyl of Bion, in like manner, offers us a similar in stance Διαζω τον Αδωνιν Απωλετο καλός Αδωνις the latter part of the verse being in a small degree, and with great elegance, varied in almost every recurrence. Gessner has occasionally introduced a similar iteration, though not very frequently : the first idyl, however, furnishes us with an example in the soliloquy of Alexis, who concludes his pathetic apostrophes with "Ich sie liebe mehr als die biene den früling liebt." "I love her more than the bee loves the spring." ، The lyrists of every country, both sacred and profane, have been as attentive to this beauty as the pastoral poets. It occurs in a great variety of the Psalms, and other poetical parts of the Bible; and the reader may also turn to Anacreon, ode xxxi, in which the burden is— The gazels of the Asiatics are often composed with the same spirited figure. In a paper on the resemblances of Grecian and Oriental poetry, which I some time ago inserted in the Monthly Magazine, I gave an instance of it from one of the gazels of Hafiz. The following-To an unknown Fair, from Khakani-will afford the reader another example. 2 لعل رخا سمن برا سروروان كيستي سنكدلا ستبكرا انت جان كيستي سروقد تو دیده ام اه الف کشیده ام نرکس دیده ام روح روان کيستي بسته سر از چمن که رسته نرکس قدر شکر شکستند غنچه دهان کیستی دام نهاده بروی مست زباده ميروي شت کشاده بري سخت كيان كيستي ابروي تو حو ماه نو برده زماه تو کرو آفت جانمن شوقتنه جان کيستي خاقاني غلام تو مست شده زجام تو جان بدهم بنام تو روح روان کیسی Who art thou?-say:-with cypress shape, I've seen thy bright narcissus-eye, Through vales with hyacinths bespread Wine lights thy cheeks; thy steps are snares; What fatal bow thou art? Thy new-moon brow the full moon robs, Drunk with the wine thy charms display, (3) Daughters of Salem born!-by all ye prize,] In the dissertation I have just referred to on the resemblances of Grecian and Oriental poetry, I have divided the graceful figure of iteration, which we meet with equally in each, into the three classes of verbal or literal itera tion, or alliteration, as it is commonly called; lineal iteration, upon which I have now commented; and periodic iteration, or the repetition of a longer sentence than a single verse, and of which we meet with an instance in the present and three ensuing lines; which constitute together a kind of general chorus, or burden for the whole diwan or fasciculus of idyls, of which the "Song of Songs" consists; and which also, contrary to the opinion of signior Melesigenio, evidently proves its unity and mutual dependance. The burden, or periodic iteration before us, is repeated from the termination of idyl II, and once more recurs at the close of idyl X. Among the sacred poets the periodic iteration appears to have been in greatest favour with the psalmist, who is perpetually resorting to it; and among those of Rome it has been principally employed, in conjunction with the two former varieties of the same figure, by Lucretius. The exquisite opening of his fourth book Avia Pieridum peragro loca, nullius ante, &c. -throughout the whole course of the first twenty-five lines, is a mere repetition of the same number of lines commencing at b.i. v. 925. And there are many other passages, some of them even of greater length, in the same manner iterated in different parts of his unrivalled poem: several of them, indeed, not less than three or four times. • While correcting the proof sheet of this note, the beautiful Italian version of Melesigenio is put into my hands; and I find the inter calary verse here referred to introduced and preserved with much spirit. The passage opens as follows: L'ho cercato nel mio letto Ma trovato-non ve l'ho. I also find that Dr. Hodgson's elegant interpretation of idyl II. 16, respecting the "beams of cedar" and "rafters of fir," is here adopted with a singular parallelism of thought: Il molle erboso Longpierre has quoted an ancient and anonymous epigram so perfectly correspondent with the idyl before us, excepting that the research of the devious lover is not crowned with the same success, that I cannot avoid citing it, nor conceiving that the idea was suggested by this beautiful passage in the "Song of Songs." Lecto compositus, vix prima silentia noctis. “Tu famulus meus (inquit) ames cum mille puellas, Nunc propero, nunc ire piget; rursumque redire Ecce tacent voces hominum, strepitosque ferarum, In bed reclined, the first repose of night Scarce had I snatched, and closed my conquered eyes; I rise bare-footed, and, in loose attire, Block up each ayenue, but traverse none. Now rush I headlong-homeward now retreat— Yet in my heart still wanting power to fly. Tyrannic Love pursuing through the dark. The second idyl of Moschus is constructed upon precisely the same plan. It thus opens most beautifully: Ευρώπη ποτε Κυπρις επί γλυκύν ήκεν ονείρον Nigh was the dawn, the night had nearly fled, Would our limits have permitted, we could have gratified our readers with further quotations, which would have furnished abundant evidence of acuteness and elegance: but for these we must refer them to the work. Mr. Good will accept our thanks for much gratification. ART. IX.-Observations upon some Passages in Scripture, which the Enemies to Religion have thought most obnoxious, and attended with Difficulties not to be surmounted. By Jacob Bryant. 4to. 125. Boards. Mawman. 1803. WE hail the Nestor of literature, and congratulate the world on his once more appearing. To what praise is not such a writer entitled, who has devoted his life to learning and to truth! Mr. Bryant, in the work before us, has selected four passages of Scripture, which have been standing objects of ridicule to infidels, and of difficulty to many believers. His efforts, therefore, are most laudably exerted, to confound the one, and disembarrass the other. The first article undertaken to be explained is the account given of Balaam, who was reproved by the animal he rode. The second relates to Samson, who is described as defeating a host of Philistines with the jawbone of the like animal-an ass. The third history is of the sun and moon, which are said to have stood still at the command of Joshua. The fourth, and last, is the account of the |