way through it. On the banks of the Peneus, on either fide, are difperfed irregu"larly, those refting places, before spoken of; while the river itfelf glides through "the middle of the lawn, with a foft and quiet lapfe; over-hung with the fhades of 66 trees, planted on its borders, whose inter"mingled branches keep off the rays of the fun, and furnish the opportunity of a cool " and temperate navigation upon it. The worship of the gods, and the perpetual fragrancy of facrifices and burning odours, "further confecrate the place, &c." [Var. Hift. lib. III. c. 1.] Now this picture, which Aelian took from nature, and which any one, if he hath not feen the several parts of it fubfifting together, may eafily compound for himself out of that stock of rural images, which are repofited in the memory, is, in fact, the fubftance of all thofe lufcious and luxuriant paintings, which poetry hath ever been able to feign. For what more is there in the Elyfiums, the Arcadias, the Edens of antient and modern fame? And the common object of all these pictures being continually prefent to the eye, what way is there of 1 of avoiding the moft exact agreement of reprefentation in them? Or how from any fimilarity in the materials, of which they are formed, fhall we infer an imitation? This agreeable scenery is, for an obvious reason, the most frequent object of defcription. Though sometimes it chufes to itself a dark and fombrous imagery; which nature, again, holds out to imitation; or fancy, which hath a wondrous quickness and facility in oppofing its ideas, readily fuggefts. We have an inftance in the picture of that horrid and detefted vale which Tamora defcribes in TITUS ANDRONICUS. It is a perfect contraft to Aelian's, and may be called an Anti-tempe. Or, to fee this oppofition of images in the strongest light, the reader may turn to L' Allegro and Il Penferofo of Milton; where he hath artfully made, throughout the two poems, the fame kind of fubjects excite the two paffions of mirth and melancholy. When the reader is got into this train, he will easily extend the fame obfervation to other inftances of natural defcription; and can hardly avoid, after a few trials, coming to this fhort conclufion, "that of all the " various "various delineations in the poets, of the "HEAVENS, in their viciffitude of times and "feafons; of the EARTH, in its diversity of "mountains, valleys, promontories, &c. of "the SEA, under its feveral afpects of tur"bulence, or ferenity; of the make and "Structure of ANIMALS, &c. it can rarely "be affirmed, that they are copies of one "another, but rather the genuin products of the fame creating fancy, operating uni"formly in them all." Yet, notwithstanding this identity of the fubject-matter in natural defcription, there is room enough for true Genius to fhew itself. To omit other confiderations, for the prefent, it will more especially appear in the manner of Reprefentation; by which is not meant the language of the poet, but fimply the form under which he chufes to prefent his imagery to the fancy. The reader will excuse my adding a word on fo curious a fubject, which he will readily apprehend from the following instance. Descriptions of the morning are very frequent in the poets. But this appearance is known by fo many attending circumstances, that there will be room for a confiderable rable variety in the pictures of it. It may be defcribed by thofe ftains of light, which ftreak and diverfify the clouds; by the pecu liar colour of the dawn; by its irradiations on the fea, or earth; on fome pecu liar objects, as trees, hills, rivers, &c. A difference alfo will arife from the fituation, in which we fuppofe ourselves; if on the fea fhore, this harbinger of day will seem to break forth from the ocean; if on the land, from the extremity of a large plain, terminated, it may be, by fome remarkable object, as a grove, mountain, &c. There are many other differences, of which the fame precife number will fcarcely offer itself to two poets; or not the fame individual circumstances; or not difpofed in the fame manner. But let the fame identical circumftance, fuppofe the breaking or first appearance of the dawn, be taken by different. writers, and we may still expect a confiderable diverfity in their reprefentation of it. What we may allow to all poets, is, that they will imperfonate the morning. And though this idea of it is metaphorical, and fo belongs to another place, as refpecting the manner of imitation only; yet, when once confidered confidered under this figure, the drawing of it comes as directly within the province of defcription, as the real, literal circumstances themselves. Now in descriptions of the morning under this idea of a person, the very fame attitude, which is made analogous to the circumftance, before fpecified, and is to fuggeft it, will, as I faid, be represented by different writers very differently. Ho mer, to exprefs the rife or appearance of this person, speaks of her as shooting forth from the ocean: ΩΡΝΥΘ. -ΑΠ ΩΚΕΑΝΟΙΟ ΡΟΛΩΝ Virgil, as rifing from the rocks of Ida. Jamque jugis fummae furgebat Lucifer Idae, Shakespear hath clofed a fine defcription of the morning with the fame image, but expreffed in a very different manner. Look what freaks Do lace the fevering clouds in yonder eaft: TAINS TOP. C VOL. III, The |