Now fleeping flocks on their foft fleeces lie, THYRS I S. Behold the groves that shine with filver frost, That call'd the lift'ning Dryads to the plain? REMARKS. 5 ΙΟ Letters, dated Sept. 9, 1706. "Your laft Eclogue being on the fame fubject with mine, on Mrs. Tempeft's death, I fhould take it very kindly in you to give it a little turn, as if it were to the memory of the fame lady." Her death having happened on the night of the great ftorm in 1703, gave a propriety to this eclogue, which in its general turn alludes to it. The fcene of the Paftoral lies in a grove, the time at midnight. P. I do not find any lines that allude to the great storm of which the Poet fpeaks. VER. 9. Shine with filver frof,] The image is a fine one, but improperly placed. The idea he would raife is the deformity of Winter, as appears by the following line: but this imagery contradicts it. It should have been-glare with hoary frof, or fome fuch expreffion: the fame inaccuracy in ver. 31, where he ufes pearls, when he should have faid tears. W. The alteration here propofed by Warburton, feems to be very injudicious and inelegant; and much refembles an alteration he wifhed to make in Love's Labour Loft; which was, to readto paint the meadows much bedight, inftead of the prefent reading, -to paint the meadows with delight." IMITATIONS. VER. 13. Thames heard, &c.] "Audiit Eurotas, juffitque edifcere lauros." Virg. P. So LYCID A S. So may kind rains their vital moisture yield, Begin; this charge the dying Daphne gave, THYRSI S. 15 20 Ye gentle Mufes, leave your crystal spring, Let Nymphs and Sylvans cypress garlands bring; Ye weeping Loves, the stream with myrtles hide, And break your bows, as when Adonis dy'd; And with your golden darts, now useless grown, 25 Inscribe a verse on this relenting stone: "Let nature change, let heav'n and earth deplore, "Fair Daphne's dead, and love is now no more!" 'Tis done, and nature's various charms decay, See gloomy clouds obfcure the chearful day! Now hung with pearls the dropping trees appear, 30 Their faded honours scatter'd on her bier. VARIATIONS. VER 29. Originally thus in the MS. 'Tis done, and nature's chang'd fince you are gone; Which are very bad lines indeed. REMARKS. W. VER. 29. 'Tis done,] Thomson ufes thefe very words at the end of his Winter. 'Tis done! Sc. IMITATIONS. VER. 23, 24, 25. "Inducite fontibus umbras Et tumulum facite, et tumulo fuperaddite carmen." See, where on earth the flow'ry glories lie, Fair Daphne's dead, and beauty is no more! In notes more fad than when they fing their own; Her name with pleasure once she taught the shore, 35 4I No grateful dews defcend from ev'ning skies, 45 Nor morning odours from the flow'rs arise; No rich perfumes refresh the fruitful field, Nor fragrant herbs their native incense yield. The balmy Zephyrs, filent fince her death, Lament the ceafing of a sweeter breath; Th' industrious bees neglect their golden ftore! Fair Daphne's dead, and sweetness is no more! 50 No more the mounting larks, while Daphne fings, Shall lift'ning in mid-air fuspend their wings; No more the birds fhall imitate her lays, Or hush'd with wonder, hearken from the sprays: No more the streams their murmurs fhall forbear, A fweeter mufic than their own to hear, REMARKS. 55 VER. 41. Sweet echo] This expreffion of Sweet echo is taken from Comus; as is another expreffion, loofe traces, Third Paft. v. 62. And he recommends thefe poems in high terms to Sir W. Trumball (fee the Letters) fo early as the year 1704. But But tell the reeds, and tell the vocal fhore, 60 Her fate is whisper'd by the gentle breeze, And told in fighs to all the trembling trees; The trembling trees, in ev'ry plain and wood, Her fate remurmur to the filver flood; The filver flood, fo lately calm, appears Swell'd with new paffion, and o'erflows with tears; The winds, and trees, and floods, her death deplore, Daphne, our grief! our glory now no more! 65 70 But fee! where Daphne wond'ring mounts on high Fields ever fresh, and groves for ever green! REMARKS. 75 VER. 70. Above the clouds,] In Spenfer's November, and in Milton's Lycidas, is the fame beautiful change of circumstances: in the latter most exquifite, from line 165. Weep no more, woful fhepherds, weep no more Where other groves and other streams along, With nectar pure his oozy locks he laves, And hears the inexpreffive nuptial fong In the bleft kingdoms meek of joy and love. VER. 69, 70. IMITATIONS. "miratur limen Olympi, Sub pedibufque videt nubes et fydera Daphnis." Virg. P. LYCID A S. How all things liften, while thy Muse complains! Such filence waits on Philomela's strains, 80 In some still ev'ning, when the whisp'ring breeze THYRS I S. But fee, Orion fheds unwholefome dews; Arife, the pines a noxious fhade diffufe; VARIATIONS. VER. 83. Originally thus in the MS. While vapours rife, and driving fnows defcend, REMARKS. 85 VER. 85. unwholefome dews;] Observe how the melody of thofe four verses is improved, by the pure iambic foot at the end of each line, except the fecond, unwholefomě děws děcāy VER. 87.] If, according to fome critics, pleafing images alone are proper to be exhibited in pastoral poetry, it must be unfuitable, to the intent of this fort of poetry, to lay the feene in the feverities of winter. VER. 81. IMITATIONS. "illius aram Saepe tener noftris ab ovilibus imbuet agnus. Virg." P. P. VER. 86. Juniperi gravis umbra." Virg. VER. 88. Time conquers all, &c.] "Omnia vincit amor, et nos cedamus amori." Vid. etiam Sannazarii Ecl. et Spenfer's Calendar. Adieu, |