1712,

could not forbear thinking, (what, I confess, I ought not No. 539. to have thought of in so holy a Place) that this young Tuesday, Spark was as justly blameable as Bullock or Penkethman Nov. 18, when they mend a noble play of Shakespear or Johnson. Pray, Sir, take this into your Consideration; and if we must be entertained with the Works of any of those great Men, desire these Gentlemen to give them us as they find them, that so when we read them to our Families at home, they may the better remember they have heard it at Church.

No. 540.
[STEELE]

'Mr. SPECTATOF,

ΤΗ

Sir,

Your Humble Servant'

Wednesday, November 19.

Non deficit alter.-Virg,

HERE is no Part of your Writings which I have in more Esteem than your Criticism upon Milton. It is an honourable and candid Endeavour to set the Works of our noble Writers in the graceful Light which they deserve. You will lose much of my kind Inclina tion towards you, if you do not attempt the Encomium of Spencer also, or at least indulge my Passion for that charming Author so far as to print the loose Hints I now give you on that Subject,

Spencer's general Plan is the Representation of six Virtues, Holiness, Temperance, Chastity, Friendship, Justice, and Courtesie, in six Legends by six Persons. The six Personages are supposed under proper Allegories suitable to their respective Characters, to do all that is necessary for the full Manifestation of the respective Virtues which they are to exert,

These one might undertake to shew, under the several Heads, are admirably drawn; no Images im proper, and most surprizingly beautiful. The Red-cross Knight runs through the whole Steps of the Christian Life Guyon does all that Temperance can possibly require; Britomartis (a Woman) observes the true Rules of unaffected Chastity; Arthegal is in every

Respect

No. 540. Respect of Life strictly and wisely just; Calidore is Wednes rightly Courteous,

day, Nov. 19,

1712.

In short, in Fairy-Land, where Knights-Errant have a full Scope to range, and to do even what Ariostos or Orlandos could not do in the World without breaking into Credibility, Spencer's Knights have, under these six Heads, given a full and truly Poetical System of Christian, Publick, and Low Life,

His Legend of Friendship is more diffuse, and yet even there the Allegory is finely drawn, only the Heads various; one Knight could not there support all the Parts.

To do Honour to his Country, Prince Arthur is an Universal Hero; in Holiness, Temperance, Chastity, and Justice super-excellent. For the same Reason, and to compliment Queen Elizabeth, Gloriana, Queen of Fairies, whose Court was the Asylum of the Oppressed, represents that glorious Queen. At her Commands all these Knights set forth, and only at hers the Red-cross Knight destroys the Dragon, Guyon overturns the Bower of Bliss, Arthegal (i. e. Justice) beats down Geryoneo (i. e. Philip II. King of Spain) to rescue Belge (i, e, Holland) and he beats the Grantorto (the same Philip in another Light) to restore Irena (i, e. Peace to Europe),

Chastity being the first Female Virtue, Britomartis is a Britain; her Part is fine, though it requires Explica tion. His Stile is very Poetical; no Puns, Affectations of Wit, forced Antitheses, or any of that low Tribe,

His old Words are all true English, and Numbers exquisite; and since of Words there is the Multa Rena scentur, since they are all proper, such a Poem should not (any more than Milton's) subsist all of it of common ordinary Words. See Instances of Descriptions.

Causeless Jealousie in Britomartís, V. 6, 14, in its Restlessness,

Like as a wayward Child, whose sounder Sleep
Is broken, with some fearful Dreams affright,
With froward Will doth set himself to weep,
Ne can be still'd for all his Nurse's Might,
But kicks, and squalls, and shrieks for fell Despight,
Now scratching her, and her loose Locks misusing,

Now

Now seeking Darkness, and now seeking Light;
Then craving Suck, and then the Suck refusing
Such was this Ladie's Loves in her Love's fond accusing,

Curiosity occasioned by Jealousie, upon Occasion of
her Lover's Absence, Ibid. St. 8, 9,
Then as she looked long, at last she spy'd
One coming towards her with hasty Speed,
Well ween'd she then, e'er him she plain descry'd,
That it was one sent from her Love indeed:

Whereat her Heart was fill'd with Hope and Dread,
Ne wou'd she stay till he in Place cou'd come,

But ran to meet him forth, to know his Tidings somme
Even in the Door him meeting, she begun,

And where he is, thy Lord, and how far hence?
Declare at once; And hath he lost or won?

Care and his House are described thus,
IV. 6, 33, 34, 35.

Not far away, not meet for any Guest,

They spy'd a little Cottage, like some poor Man's Nest

34,

There entring in, they found the good Man self,
Full busily unto his Work ybent,

Who was so weel a wretched wearish Elf,

With hollow Eyes and raw-bone Cheeks forspent,
As if he had in Prison long been pent;

Full black and griesly did his Face appear,

Besmear'd with Smoak, that nigh his Eye-sight blent
With rugged Beard and hoary shagged Heare,

The which he never wont to comb, or comely shear.

35,

Rude was his Garment, and to Rags all rent,
Ne better had he, ne for better cared;
His blistred Hands amongst the Cinders brent,
And Fingers filthy, with long Nails prepared,
Right fit to rend the Food on which he fared.
His name was Care; a Blacksmith by his Trade,
That neither Day nor Night from working spared,
But to small Purpose Iron Wedges made.

These be unquiet Thoughts that careful Minds invade,

Homer's Epithets were much admired by Antiquity, See what great Justness and Variety there is in these Epithets of the Trees in the Forest where the Red-cross Knight lost Truth. B. 1. Cant. 1. St. 8, 9,

The

No. 540. Wednes day,

Nov. 19, 1712,

The sailing Pine, the Cedar proud and tall,
The Vine prop Elm, the Poplar never dry,
The Builder Oak, sole King of Forests all,
The Aspine good for Staves, the Cypress Funeral,

9.

The Lawrel, Meed of mighty Conquerors,
And Poets sage, the Fir that weepeth still,
The Willow worn of forlorn Paramours,
The Eugh obedient to the Bender's Will,
The Birch for Shafts, the Sallow for the Mill,
The Myrrhe sweet bleeding in the bitter Wound,
The warlike Beech, the Ash for nothing ill,

The fruitful Olive, and the Platane round,

The Carver Holm, the Maple seldom inward sound,

I shall trouble you no more, but desire you to let me conclude with these Verses, though I think they have already been quoted by you. They are Directions to young Ladies opprest with Calumny. VI. 6. 14. The best (said he) that I can you advise,

Is to avoid the Occasion of the Ill,

For when the Cause whence Evil doth arise
Removed is, the Effect surceaseth still,

Abstain from Pleasure and restrain your Will,
Subdue Desire, and bridle loose Delight,
Use scanted Diet, and forbear your Fill,
Shun Secrecy, and talk in open Sight,

So shall you soon repair your present evil Plight.'

No. 541,
[HUGHES.]

Thursday, November 20,
Format enim natura príus nos intus ad omnem
Fortunarum habitum juvat aut impellit ad iram,
Aut ad humum maerore gravi deducit & angit;
Post effert aními motus interprete lingua, Hor.

T

Y the TEMPLAR, whom I have so often

Mmentioned in these Writings, having determined

to lay aside his Poetical Studies, in order to a closer Pursuit of the Law, has put together, as a Farewell Essay, some Thoughts concerning Pronunciation and Action, which he has given me leave to communicate to the Publick. They are chiefly collected from his Favourite Author, Cicero, who is known to have been an intimate Friend of Roscius the Actor, and a good Judge of Dramatical Performances, as well as the most Eloquent Pleader of the Time in which he lived.

Cicero concludes his celebrated Books de Oratore with No. 541, some Precepts for Pronunciation and Action, without which Thursday, Part he affirms that the best Orator in the World can Nov. 20, 1712. never succeed; and an indifferent one, who is Master of this, shall gain much greater Applause. What could make a stronger Impression, says he, than those Exclama tions of Gracchus- -Whither shall I turn ? Wretch that I am! To what Place betake my self? Shall I go to the Capitol? Alas! it is overflowed with my Brother's Blood. Or shall I retire to my House? Yet there I behold my Mother plung'd in Misery, weeping and despairing! These Breaks and Turns of Passion, it seems, were so enforced by the Eyes, Voice and Gesture of the Speaker, that his very Enemies could not refrain from Tears. I insist, says Tully, upon this the rather, because our Orators, who are as it were Actors of the Truth it self, have quitted this manner of speaking, and the Players, who are but Imitators of Truth, have taken it up.

I shall, therefore, pursue the Hint he has here given me, and for the Service of the British Stage I shall Copy some of the Rules which this great Roman Master has laid down; yet, without confining my self wholly to his Thoughts or Words; and to adapt this Essay the more to the Purpose for which I intend it, instead of the Examples he has inserted in this Discourse, out of the ancient Tragedies, I shall make use of parallel Passages out of the most Celebrated of our own.

The Design of Art is to assist Action as much as possible in the Representation of Nature; for the Appear ance of Reality is that which moves us in all Representa tions, and these have always the greater Force, the nearer they approach to Nature, and the less they shew of Imitation,

Nature herself has assigned, to every Emotion of the Soul, its peculiar Cast of the Countenance, Tone of Voice, and Manner of _Gesture; and the whole Person, all the Features of the Face and Tones of the Voice answer, like Strings upon musical Instruments, to the Impressions made on them by the Mind. Thus the Sounds of the Voice, according to the various Touches which raise them,

form