And swiftly shoot along the Mall, Or foftly glide by the Canal, Now shown by Cinthia's filver ray, And now, on rolling waters fnatch'd away. 45 THIS is a most beautiful compofition, notwithstanding it may appear fomewhat exceptionable, confidering the author's age, and character. The expreffion "And Chloe lend the Face," and the line "To him each Rival fhall fubmit," alludes to his having been rejected by a Lady, on account of his want of income: hence Pope, in another place, fpeaking of the fame Lady, fays, "See Chloe, deaf to honour, learning, worth, "Wed the rich dulness of fome Son of Earth." LIBER IV. ODE IX. NE forte credas interitura, quæ Longe fonantem natus ad Aufidum Non ante vulgatas per artes Verba loquor focianda chordis. Non, fi priores Mæonius tenet Stefichorique graves Camena: Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona Multi; fed omnes illacrymabiles Urgentur, ignotique longa Nocte, carent quia vate facro. NOTES. VER. 8. Original-Stefichorique graves] The lofs of the works of no two writers is perhaps more to be lamented than of Stefichorus and Menander. The former is thus characterized by Quintilian, 1 10. "Stefichorus quam fit Ingenio validus, materiæ quoq. oftendunt, maxima bella et clariffimos duces canentem, et epici carminis onera Lyrâ Suftinentem. Reddit enim perfonis in agendo fimul loquendoque debitam dignitatem; ac fi tenuiffet modum, videtur æmulari proximus Homerum potuiffe." Of the fragments of Menander, fee a paper in the Adventurer, vol. iv. WARTON. I PART OF THE NINTH ODE OF THE FOURTH BOOK. A FRAGMENT. LEST you should think that verse shall die, Taught on the wings of Truth to fly Above the reach of vulgar fong; Tho' daring Milton fits fublime, Nor yet shall Waller yield to time, Nor penfive Cowley's moral laySages and Chiefs long fince had birth Ere Cæfar was, or Newton nam'd; Thofe rais'd new Empires o'er the Earth, And Thefe, new Heav'ns and Systems fram'd. Vain was the Chief's, the Sage's pride! They had no Poet, and they dy'd. In vain they schem'd, in vain they bled! NOTES. 5 10 15 VER. 6. In Spencer] How much this author was his favourite from his early to his later years, will appear from what he said to Mr. Spence, from whofe Anecdotes I tranfcribe literally this paffage: "There is fomething in Spencer that pleases one as strongly in one's old age as it did in one's youth. I read the Fairy Queen when I was about twelve with a vast deal of delight; and I think it gave me as much when I read it over about a year or two ago.” WARTON. VER. 13. I fear we must fubfcribe to Warton's opinion, that "Pope has formed an Epigram, inftead of giving us the manly plain fenfe of Horace." |