IMITATIONS OF ENGLISH POETS. I. CHAUCER. WOMEN ben full of Ragerie, From schoole-boy's Tale of fayre Irelond: 5 Not to be spied of Ladies gent. 10 "But ho! our Nephew," crieth one, "Ho! (quoth another) Cozen John;" And stoppen, and lough, and callen out, This sely Clerk full low doth lout: They asken that, and talken this, 15 "Lo here is Coz, and here is Miss." But, as he glozeth with Speeches soote, 20 Te-he, cried Ladies; Clerke not spake : 25 NOTES. Ver. 25. Bette is to pyne] A gross and dull caricature of the father of English poetry, and very unworthy of our author at any age. II. SPENSER. He that was unacquainted with Spenser, and was to form his ideas of the turn and manner of his genius from this piece, would undoubtedly suppose that he abounded in filthy images, and excelled in describing the lower scenes of life. But the characteristics of this sweet and allegorical poet are not only strong and circumstantial imagery, but tender and pathetic feeling, a most melodious flow of versification, and a certain pleasing melancholy in his sentiments, the constant companion of an elegant taste, that casts a delicacy and grace over all his compositions. To imitate Spenser on a subject that does not partake of the pathos, is not giving a true representation of him; for he seems to be more awake and alive to all the softnesses of nature than almost any writer I can recollect. There is an assemblage of disgusting and disagreeable sounds in the following stanza of Pope, which one is almost tempted to think, if it were possible, had been contrived as a contrast, or rather as a burlesque, of a most exquisite stanza in the Fairy Queen : "The snappish cur (the passengers annoy) Close at my heel with yelping treble flies; The whimp'ring girl, and hoarser-screaming boy, Join to the yelping treble shrilling cries; To her full pipes the grunting hog replies; And curs, girls, boys, in the deep base are drown'd." The very turn of these numbers bears the closest resemblance with the following, which are of themselves a complete concert of the most delicious music : "The joyous birds shrouded in cheerful shade, To th' instruments divine respondance meet; The silver-sounding instruments did meet These images, one would have thought, were peculiarly calculated to have struck the fancy of our young imitator with so much admiration, as not to have suffered him to make a kind of travesty of them. The next stanza of Pope represents some allegorical figures, of which his original was so fond : "Hard by a sty, beneath a roof of thatch, Dwelt Obloquy, who in her early days Baskets of fish at Billingsgate did watch, Cod, whiting, oyster, mackrel, sprat, or plaice; There learn'd she speech from tongues that never cease. With Envy (spitting Cat), dread foe to peace; Like curs'd Cur, Malice before her clatters And vexing ev'ry wight, tears clothes and all to tatters." But these personages of Obloquy, Slander, Envy, and Malice, are not marked with any distinct attributes; they are not those living figures, whose attitudes and behaviour Spenser has minutely drawn with so much clearness and truth, that we behold them with our eyes as plainly as we do on the ceiling of the banquetting-house. For, in truth, the pencil of Spenser is as powerful as that of Rubens, his brother allegorist; which two artists resembled each other in many respects; but Spenser had more grace, and was as warm a colourist. |