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Chaucer, in deference to his feniority, is appointed prefident, and enlarges, with great cloquence, upon the fine qualifications, the learning, and genius of Milton, who, he obferves, had a right, now that his monument was erected, to a feat in that affembly, which would receive addition of dignity from the admiffion of fuch a member, to which, for its own fake, he hopes no oppofition will be shown.

Cowley ftands up. At first, his air is modeft, if not bafhful; but as he proceeds, he gathers ftrength, until at laft he rifes into " great dignity, both of action and language" fays,that he is extremely fenfible of the truths which the venerable prefident has advanced in favour of Milton, for whom, were he to be regarded only as a poet, no voice fhould be more ready than his own; but moral as well as intellectual qualities, he humbly conceives, are neceffary for conftituting a member of that affembly; "Toat loyalty and duty to one's prince may be jufly ranked among the most eminent of all virtues, fince, without them, a man must be deftitute of the most glorious paffion that the human breaft can be capable of receiving, the love of one's country" and after fpeaking in praife of the patriotic paffion, and declaring the difloyalty of Milton, concludes (at which time, it is prefumed, the great dignity he arofe to was at the higheft) with faying, "I orun I could not, without borrour, endure to fee fuch a man fill a place in this auguft affembly."

Such a man was then unfit for that af fembly, as his latest biographer, with fo much truth, as well as what one would wifh it ever fhould accompany, enchanting eloquence, has, to borrow his words, fo bigbly and bolily accomplished!"

No attempt at ridicule, we fee, by the great dignity attributed to him, is aimed at, by putting abfurdities in the mouth of Cowley; whatever the aim may be in the title of the piece, "THEAPOTHEOSIS OF MILTON, A VISION." For fo it is pointed; as if to indicate, thar, as the apotheofis of Milton is a vifion only, his spirit has in reality gone in, what the author may conceive, a more congenial direction.

Instead of an apotheofis then, we have here rather a bear and a fiddle, as the narration breaks off in the middle; for, after we are told that Cowley's fpeech was received with a murmur, which fhowed that the affembly was varioufly affected with what had been delivered, three lines of afterifks with a "cætera defunt" terminate the piece.

Afterifks, to leave meaning doubtful or difguifed, fhould not be used at all by

I

[Jan.

fuch a moralift as Dr. Johnfon; efpecially after their having been fo wickedly employed by the hiftorian of Dr. Slop.

It muft, however, be confeffed, that, in this endeavour at ftill diminishing the honour of "THE SLANDERED PARAMOUNT OF ENGLISH SONG," the author of "The Rambler" is more confiftent than a brother moralift, who, like him, had fuffered paffion to fubdue his virtue, and could with the fame pen both deify and deride. Die funeris, fays Tacitus, laudationem ejus [Clandii] Princeps [Nero] exorfus eft; oratio a Seneca compofita: the oration was compofed by that moralift who for once admitted a gleam of candour, and thought, perhaps, though in inverted order, of that defunct emperor's saying to Britannicus, "He that wounded thee fhall heal”—¡ ¬¡wбnç salg. Whether it was given from candour or neceffity-for being then Nero's penfioner, he must of courfe, in our dictionary-maker's definition of the word,be "a flave of state, hired by a stipend to obey his mafter"-good matter of praise might this moralist have found; for Claudius, though befotted, and as unfit for power as moft of thofe we read of, into whofe hands it has fallen, in the great game and chefs-play of the world, was a man of as many mild virtues as he, who, now fo highly extolled for them, and in fo many points refembling Claudius, particularly as a hufband, if not as a fcholar, had the hard fate of being brought lately to the fcaffold, for the practice only of that duplicity which is fo generally allowed to belong to his calling, that it cannot, as one of Claudius's predeceffors in the calling faid, be carried on without it"Qui nefcit diffimulare nefcit regnare.'

Cowley's, or rather Johnfon's, concifcly expreffed argument against the morality of Milton, would, fyllogistically and paraphraftically put, be this:

1. The love of one's country is the moft glorious paffion that the human breaft can be capable of receiving-Su perior then to what has been called,

The godlike attribute of the love of mankind," which vulgar minds might think preferably intitled to fuch a magnificent qualification--and fo neceffary as well as great a virtue is the love of one's country, that a man who is deftitute of it, must be deftitute alfo of morality.

2. But a man must be deftitute of the love of his country, and confequently of morality,who is deftitute, as Milton was, of loyalty and duty to his prince, juftty ranked among the most eminent of all virtues, be that prince, what or who he may

whether

1798.]

whether his existence be a curfe to that country, which fuch a man as M. may pretend to love, and to be difloyal merely from that love, or a bleffing to it, as the prince from his fituation ought to be," or he is paid highly to a bad purpofe; whether; for instance, he be a James the lid, whom the people had fo much reafon to deteft, as they did, or a George the IIId, whom the people have fo much reafon to love, as they do.

3. Argal, would a grave-digger fay, and fay justly from fuch premifes, but which are worthy only of the digger of a grave for the happiness of the human race to make-Argal, M. a man who was deftitute of loyalty and duty to his prince, and, confequently, deftitute of the love of his country, and of morality, is not a fit man to fill a place in this auguft affembly. Q. E. D. Even the dean of Weftminfter himself, with all his grave-diggers, muft, by denying the major and minor, annihilate the consequence and its triumphant demonftration.

The reader will judge if the words have been unfairly dealt with. He will Hikewife exercife his ingenuity, it is hoped, to find, if he can, whether the matter may be mended by imputing to the printer any mifcollocation or omiffion of words, the best resource in these cafes of emergency, when we are furprized by moft unexpected and extraordinary things. It was of fingular ufe, to relieve the diftrefs of the clergy, upon their receiving, in 1794, the occafional prayer from, but affuredly not as it came out of the hands of, authority. They were allamazed, and fome terrified, thofe of them, about nineteen in twenty, who have fquabbles with their parishioners, that might be avoided, if they would but ftarve contentedly; fo equally well calculated is the tythe-fyf tem for the advancement of religion and virtue as of agricultural improvement. Little liable to fufpicion as one would think were the members of a body fo properly and happily in alliance with the Itate, and, confequently, fuch faithful guards of the powers that be, yet they were terrified, left they fhould be inform ed against, and brought to a trial for high treafon, as they, doubtlefs, might have been, more juftly than many by whom it has lately been undergone,if, before their refpective congregations, they h dfolemnly qualified all chriftian kings as impious and avowed blafphemers, which the prayer does at the very fetting-out, in thefe words, "Look down, from heaven, O Lord we beseech thee, and protect us MONTHLY MẠG. XXVII.

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against the declared enemies of all chriftian kings, princes, and ftates! the impious and avowed blafphemers of thy holy name! &c." where, the relative, blaf. phemers," clearly belongs to the immiediately antecedent "kings," &c. But after they had carefully exercifed their judgments, and difcovered that the printer had omitted to repeat the propofition

againft" before the words "the impious, &c." they very laudably ventured to fupply it in their reading; ticklish thing as it is to make any, the minutest, alteration in a form of prayer, even to fay "for Jefus Chrift's fake" inftead of "for-Jefus Chrift his fake," that ancient barbarifm fo univerfally practifed before the Saxon genitive was understood.

But in

But if the very curious argument to prove the immorality and unworthiness of M. cannot be helped out by the fuppofition of a typographical error, how muft we deplore that the ftrong mental powers which the fabricator of that ar. gument certainly had, and the fervent piety which he is faid to have had, were too weak to reftrain his envious malignity from leading him, like a foul fiend, into fuch a bog of peerlefs paralogifms, or abfurd and perverfe blunders! It is remarkable enough here, that he not only fuffers the eulogies given by the prefident to the talents and genius of M. to pass unqueftioned, but in his own fpeech, as that put into the mouth of Cowley may be fairly understood, re-echoes them, and declares that no one should be more ready for his admiffion, were he to be regarded merely as a poet; for here his business was to deftroy him as a man. another place, in the Life of Philips, as if he could not find room in the long life he has written of M. himself for all his detractive farcafms, he is for deftroying him as a poet; by degrading his univerfally admired diction; when he fays" The Splendid Shilling has the uncommon merit of an original defign, unlefs it may be thought precluded by the ancient Centos. To degrade the founding words and ftately conftruction of M. by an application to the lowest and most trivial things, gratifies the mind with a momentary triumph over that grandeur, which hitherto hold its captives in admiration; the words and things are prefented with a new appearance, and novelty is always grateful where it gives no pain." Yet this is but a weak expreffion of the fentiment he would inculcate upon this fubject, to what he was wont to give with his living voice. For, from that charm

1798.3

appear a bird in the air; and she became a hawk to pursue him, giving him no refpite on the wing; and when he was juft laying hold of him, and he dreading death, he discovered a heap of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn; he defcended into the wheat, and appeared as one of the grains; and thereupon the appeared a black crefted hen; and to the wheat she went, and with her feet fcraping it, the recognized and fwallowed him; and, as the story says, she was nine months pregnant with him; and when fhe was delivered, the could not in her heart kill him, as he was fo beautiful, but drefied him up in a leather basket, and cait him to the will of Providence into the fea, on the 29th of April.

"At that time the weir of Gwyzno was upon the fand, between Dyvi and Aberystwyth, near his own castle. In that weir was taken to the value of one hundred pounds every May eve. And at that time Gwyzno had one fon, called Elphin, one of the most mifchievous of youths, and driven to the greateft want; on which account his father was forely afflicted, thinking him born in an evil hour. Through the exhortation of his counsellors, his father gave him the draught of the weir for that year, to fee if ever any good would happen him, and to enable him to commence an occupation.

"On the morning following, Elphin' saw that there was nothing in the weir; but, on going away, he difcovered the leather basket on one of its poles. The exclaimed one of the weir men to Ephin, Thou haft never been unlucky until this night; for thou hast destroyed the properties of the weir, in which it was usual to obtain the value of one hundred pounds on every May eve. What now!' faid Elphin, poffibly we have a good equivalent there for the one hundred pounds.' The skin was opened; and the opener beheld the forehead of a child; and he exclaimed to Elphin, Lyma Dalfin (Behold a fair front!)—' Taliefin bid, Fair Front let him be called,' cried Elphin, raifing the child in his arms, and commiferating his misfortune; and he pensively took him up behind him. The horse that was wont to trot, he caufed now to amble, thus carrying the child as easy as if he were fitting in the most eafy arm chair.

"Soon after the child fung the fong, called The Comfort' to Elphin, and foretold him honour. The Comfort begins, Elfin dêg taw a'th wylo,' Fair Elphin ceafe thy weeping;" and is the first fong of Taliefin, made to cheer Elphin, on lofing the draught of the weir, as nothing grieved him fo much as being the caule

of the misfortune.

"Then Elphin brought Talefin to the houfe of Gwyzno his father; and Guyzno asked if he had a good draught in the weir? to which he replied, that he had found what was better than all the fish. What was it? faid Gwyzno. A bard,' faid Elphin. Ah, poor thing!' exclaimed Gryzno. What good will that do thee? Then Taliefin himself anfwered and faid, This will be of more value to him than

35

ever the weir was to thee.' Then Gwyzno cried, What! canft thou fpeak, and yet fo little?' I can fpeak of more than thou art able to afk.'- Let me hear what thou canst fay,' replied Gwyzno. Thereupon Taliefin lung

Ar y dwr mae cyvlwr cant bendigav,' &c. On the water is the ftate of a hundred of the moft bleffed,' &c.

"Then Gwyno demanded if he was a man or a fpirit? whereupon he fang his history, faying, 'Priv varz cyfredin Wyv vi i Elfin,' &c.

"A primary and univerfal bard am I to Elphin, &c.”

The probable part of the above tale is true; for Taliefin was an orphan, brought up by Elphin, and afterwards patronized by different princes, particularly Urien Reged, as it appears from pieces extant, addreffed to that hero. What is fiction is founded upon the bardic fyftem of tranfmigration; of which fyftem Taliefm makes more ufe than any ancient bard, of whofe works we have any remains. I remain, Sir, yours, &c.

Nov. 6th.

MEIRION.

TOUR OF ENGLAND,

(CONTINUED).

F2

of