Mild Una, lifting her majestic mien, At this, in hopeless forrow drooping long, 25 V. 26. Her painted wings Imagination plumes ;] Triumph of Ifis: She refts her wearied feet, and plumes ber wings. Ver. 240. Comus, ver. 378, on which see the note; She plumes her feathers, and lets grow her wings. Thomson is close to the text, where he fays of the birds, that they begin -to plume the painted wing. Spring, 585. The wings of Imagination are "painted" for an obvious reafon. VOL. I. O DE VI. THE SUICIDE. BENEATH the beech, whose branches bare, Smit with the lightning's livid glare, And whistle hollow as they wave; Within a folitary grave, A Slayer of himself holds his accurs'd abode. 5 The Suicide.] I am well informed that an opinion, which has prevailed of this Ode having been occafioned by the death of Chatterton, is not founded on fact. Chatterton deftroyed himself by fwallowing arfenic in water. Not indeed that this circumstance would be decifive against his being the subject of it: but I know from indifputable authority that he was not. V. 6. A Slayer of himself-] I retain this expreffion, which appeared in the laft edition, in preference to " a wretched fuicide." The "fleer of bimfelf" is ufed by Chaucer, C. T. 2007. and retained in Dryden's verfion of the Knight's Tale. Ibid. A Slayer of himself holds his accurs'd abode.] This line ftood at first A wretched Suicide holds his accurs'd abode. With fome parts of this ftanza compare the following from Britannia's Paflorals : -In an ebon chaire The foule's black bomicide meager Despaire Some dafht their braines out Others on trees (O! most accursed elves!) &c. I. v. Lower'd the grim morn, in murky dies As by the brook, that ling'ring laves Yon rush-grown moor with fable waves, 10 Full of the dark refolve he took his fullen way. I mark'd his defultory pace, His geftures strange, and varying face, But fee Faerie Queene, B. I. C. ix. which Browne, as well as Warton, certainly had in his eye. V. 10. the brook, that ling'ring laves Yon rush-grown moor with fable waves,] V. 13. I mark'd his defultory pace, His geftures ftrange, and varying face,] Mr. Headley refers to Par. Loft: -his geftures fierce He mark'd and mad demeanour, then alone, See alfo, a few lines above: Thus while he spake, each paffion dimm'd his face Thrice chang'd with pale ire, envy, and despair. 114. Ibid. his defultory pace,] Salluft thus finely defcribes the unfettled fpirits of Catiline by his varied and defultory gait: Inceffus modo citus, modo tardus, &c. This fignification of the word "defultory," although its ftrict and literal fignification, has been nearly fuperfeded by one not fo closely connected with its etymology. Warton ufes the word again in its primitive fenfe, Ode for With many a mutter'd found; And ah! too late aghaft I view'd 15 The reeking blade, the hand embru'd; He fell, and groaning grafp'd in agony the ground. Full many a melancholy night He watch'd the flow return of light; And fought the powers of fleep, To spread a momentary calm O'er his fad couch, and in the balm 20 Of bland oblivion's dews his burning eyes to steep. Full oft, unknowing and unknown, Amid th' autumnal wood: And 25 gaze with eager glance upon the tumbling flood. 30 June 4, 1788. ver. 39: Of the Dane, "his defultory march ;" and nearly fo, in Ode for June 4, 1790. ver. 12. "Indignant Darwent's defultory tide." V. 25. Full oft, unknowing and unknown,] So Horace, Amid th' autumnal wood :] Probably from Akenfide, as Mr. Headley has obferved: Alone he treads th' autumnal shade. Ode to Chearfulness. Beckoning the wretch to torments new, A fpectre pale, appear'd; While, as the fhades of eve arose, And brought the day's unwelcome close, 35 More horrible and huge her giant-shape she rear'd. V. 33. A spectre pale,] Verfes on Birth of Prince of Wales, Compare Dryden's Palamon and Arcite, He withers at the heart, and looks as wan As the pale fpe&re of a murder'd man. Gray in his Progrefs of Poefy has "her Spectres wan." I might have noticed before, that Milton personifies Horror in his Quint. Novemb. much in the fame manner with Warton, -exanguifque locum circumvolat Horror. Ver. 148. Spenfer never drew a finer groupe of allegorical perfonages, than that in the paffage from which this figure is taken. V. 36. More horrible and huge her giant-shape she rear'd.] Mr. Headley observes that this combination occurs in Spenser; Whom after did a mightie man purfew, Ryding upon a dromedare on hie, Of ftature buge and horrible of hew. F. Q. IV. viii. 38. These ideas are frequently connected in the Faerie Queene; see ticularly I. vii. 8: An hideous geaunt, borrible and bye. And II. xii. 22, 23: Eftfoones they faw an hideous hoast array'd Of buge fea-monsters such as living sence dismay'd: Moft ugly shapes and horrible aspects. par Ibid. -giant-shape] So in Ph. Fletcher's Purple Island, C. vii. St. 30. Of giant-fbape and ftrength thereto agreeing. |