With like embellishments of plants and flow'rs, Of statues, vases, spouting founts, that play'd Through shells of Tritons their ascending show'rs, And labyrinths involv'd and trelice-woven bow'rs. XVIII.

There likewise mote be seen on every fide The yew obedient to the planter's will, And shapely box of all their branching pride Ungently fhorne, and with prepofterous skill To various beafts and birds of fundry quill Transform'd, and human shapes of monftrous fize; Huge as that giant-race, who, hill on hill High-heaping, fought with impious vain " emprize, Despite of thund'ring Jove, to scale the steepy skies. XIX.

W

Alfe other wonders of the sportive shears
Fair Nature mif-adorning there were found;
Globes, fpiral columns, pyramids and piers
With spouting urns and budding statues crown'd;
And horizontal dials on the ground

In living box by cunning artifts trac'd;

And gallies trim, on no long voyage bound,

But by their roots there ever anchor'd faft,

* All were their bellying fails out-spread to every blast.

Emprize, enterprize, attempt.

All, ufed frequently by the old English poets for although.

XX.

O'er all appear'd the mountain's forked brows
With terraffes on terraffes up-thrown;

And all along arrang'd in order'd rows,
And visto's broad, the velvet flopes adown
The ever-verdant trees of Daphne fhone.
But aliens to the clime, and brought of old
From Latian plains, and Grecian Helicon,

They shrunk and languifh'd in a foreign mold,

By changeful fummers starv'd, and pinch'd by winter's

XXI.

Amid this verdant grove with folemn state,

On golden thrones of antique form reclin❜d,
In mimic majefty Nine Virgins fate,

In features various, as unlike in mind:

[cold.

Alfe boasted they themselves of heav'nly kind,
And to the fweet Parnaffian Nymphs allied;
Thence round their brows the Delphic bay they twin'd,
And matching with high names their apish pride,
O'er every learned fchool aye claim'd they to prefide.
XXII.

In antique garbs, for modern they difdain'd,
By Greek and Roman artists whilom made,
Of various woofs, and variously distain'd
With tints of every hue, were they array'd;

Whilom, formerly.

And

And here and there ambitiously display'd

A purple fhred of fome rich robe, prepared
Erft by the Mufes or th' Aonian Maid,

To deck great Tullius or the Mantuan Bard;

Which o'er each motley veft with uncouth fplendor [glared.

XXIII.

And well their outward vefture did express

The bent and habit of their inward mind,
Affecting Wisdom's antiquated dress,
And ufages by Time caft far behind.
Thence, to the charms of younger Science blind,
The customs, laws, the learning, arts and phrafe
Of their own countries they with fcorn declin'd;
Ne facred Truth herself would they embrace,
Unwarranted, unknown in their fore-fathers' days.
XXIV.

Thus ever backward cafting their furvey;
To Rome's old ruins and the groves forlorn
Of elder Athens, which in profpect lay

Stretch'd out beneath the mountain, would they turn
Their busy search, and o'er the rubbish mourn.
Then gathering up with fuperftitious care,

Each little fcrap, however foul or torn,

In grave harangues they boldly would declare, This Ennius, Varro; This the Stagyrite did wear. XXV. Yet,

XXV.

Yet, under names of venerable found,

While o'er the world they stretch'd their aweful rod;
Through all the provinces of Learning own'd
For teachers of whate'er is wife and good.
Alfe from each region to their 'drad abode
Came youth unnumber'd, crowding all to taste
The Streams of Science; which united flow'd
Adown the mount, from nine rich fources caft;
And to the vale below in one rude torrent pass'd.
XXVI.

O'er every fource, protectress of the stream,
One of thofe Virgin Sifters did prefide;
Who, dignifying with her noble name

Her proper flood, aye pour'd into the tide
The heady vapours of fcholaftic pride
Defpotical and abject, bold and blind,
Fierce in debate, and forward to decide;
Vain love of praife, with adulation join'd,

And difingenuous fcorn, and impotence of mind.
XXVII.

Extending from the hill on every fide,
In circuit vaft a verdant valley spread;
Acrofs whofe uniform flat bofom glide
Ten thousand streams, in winding mazes led,

2 Drad, dreadful.

By

By various fluices from one common head;
A turbid mass of waters, vaft, profound,
Hight of Philology the lake; and fed

By that rude torrent, which with roaring found Came tumbling from the hill, and flow'd the level round. XXVIII.

And every where this spacious valley o'er,
Faft by each stream was seen a numerous throng
Of beardless striplings to the birch'd-crown'd fhore,
By nurses, guardians, fathers dragg'd along:
Who helpless, meek, and innocent of wrong,
Were torn reluctant from the tender fide

2

Of their fond mothers, and by faitours strong,

By pow'r made infolent, and hard by pride,

Were driv❜n with furious rage, and lash'd into the tide.
XXIX.

On the rude bank with trembling feet they stood,
And cafting round their oft-reverted eyes,
If haply they mote 'scape the hated flood,
Fill'd all the plain with lamentable cries;
But far away th' unheeding father flies,
Conftrain'd his ftrong compunctions to reprefs;

While close behind, affuming the disguise

Faitour, doer, from faire to do, and fait deed, commonly

ufed by Spenfer in a bad fenfe.

Of