in which he difpofes of them. However I will but detain You with a remark or two on this clafs of Imitations.

I. I observe that even Shakespear himself abounds in learned Allufions. How he came by them, is another question; tho' not fo difficult to be answered, You know, as fome have imagined, They, who are in fuch astonishment at the learning of Shakefpear, befides that they certainly carry the notion of his illiteracy too far, forget that the Pagan imagery was familiar to all the poets of his time that abundance of this fort of learning was to be pick'd up from almost ev'ry English book, he could take into his hands that many of the beft writers in Greek and Latin had been tranflated into English that his conversation lay amongst the most learned, that is, the most paganiz'd poets of his age but above all, that, if he had never look'd into books, or convers'd with bookish men, he might have learn'd almost all the fecrets of paganifm (fo far, I mean, as a poet had any ufe of them) from the MASKS of B. Johnfon; contriv'd by that poet with fo pedantical an exactness, that one is ready to take them for lectures and illuftrations on the antient learning, rather than exercifes of modern wit. The tafte of the age, much devoted to erudition, and still more, the tafte of the Princes, for whom he writ, gave a prodigious vogue to these unnatural exhibitions. And the knowledge of antiquity, requifite to fucceed in them, was, I imagine, the reason that Shakespear was

not

not over fond to try his hand at these elaborate tri-
fles. Once indeed he did, and with fuch fuccefs as
to disgrace the very beft things of this kind we find
in Johnson. The short Mask in the Tempest is fitted
up with a claffical exactnefs. But it's chief merit
lies in the beauty of the Shew, and the richness of
the poetry. Shakespear was fo fenfible of his Superi-
ority, that he could not help exulting a little upon
it, where he makes Ferdinand fay,

This is a moft majestic Vision, and
Harmonious charming Lays -

'Tis true, another Poet, who poffefs'd a great part of Shakespear's Genius and all Johnson's learning has carried this courtly entertainment to it's last perfection. But the Mask at Ludlow Caftle was, in fome measure, owing to the fairy Scenes of his Predeceffor; who chofe this province of Tradition, not only as most suitable to the wildness of his vaft creative imagination, but as the fafeft for his unlettered Mufe to walk in. For here he had much, You know, to expect from the popular credulity, and nothing to fear from the claffic fuperftition of that time.

2. It were endless to apply this note of imitation to other poets confeffedly learned. Yet one inftance ís curious enough to be juft mention'd.

1

Mr. Waller, in his famous poem on the victory

over the Dutch on June 3. 1665. has the following

lines;

His

His flight tow'rds heav'n th' afpiring BELGIAN,
took;

But fell, like PHAETON, with thunder ftrook:
From vafter hopes than his, he feem'd to fall,
That durft attempt the BRITISH Admiral:
From her broadfides a ruder flame is thrown,
Than from the fiery chariot of the Sun:
THAT, bears the RADIANT ENSIGN OF THE
DAY;

And SHE, the flag that governs in the Sea.

He is comparing the British Admiral's Ship to the Chariot of the Sun. You fmile at the quaintnefs of the conceit, and the ridicule he falls into, in explaining it. But that is not the queftion at prefent. The Latter, he says, bears the radiant enfign of the day. The other, the enfign of naval dominion. We underftand how properly the English Flag is here denominated. But what is that other Enfign? The Sun itfelf, it will be faid. But who in our days, ever exprefs'd the Sun by such a periphrafis? The image is apparently antique, and eafily explain'd by those who know that antiently the Sun was commonly emblematiz'd by a flarry or radiate figure; nay, that fuch a figure was plac'd aloft, as an Ensign, over the Sun's charioteer, as we may fee in representations of this fort on antient Gems and Medals.

From this original then Mr. Waller's imagery was certain taken; and it is properly applied in this place where he is speaking of the Chariot of the Sun, and Phaeton's fall from it. But to remove all doubt

I

in

in the cafe, we can even point to the very paffage of a Pagan poet, which Mr. Waller had in his eye, or rather tranflated.

Proptereà noctes hiberno tempore longæ

Ceffant, dum veniat RADIATUM INSIGNE DIEI. Lucr. L. v. 698.

Here, you fee, the poet's allufion to a claffic idea has led us to the discovery of the very paffage from which it was taken. And this ufe a learned reader will often make of the fpecies of Imitation, here confider'd.

V. Great writers, You find, fometimes forget the character of the Age, they live in; the principles, and notions that belong to it. "Sometimes they for66 get them felves, that is, their own fituation and cha"racter." Another fign of the influence of Imitation.

1. When we fee fuch men, as STRADA and MA RIANA, writers of fine talents indeed, but of reclufe lives and narrow obfervation, chufing to talk like men of the world, and abounding in the moft refin'd conclufions of the cabinet, we are fure that this character, which we find fo natural in a Cardinal DR RETZ, is but affum'd by these Jefuits. And we are not surpriz❜d to discover, on examination, that their beft reflexions are copied from TACITUS.

On the other hand, when a man of the world took it into his head, the other day, in a moping fit, to talk Sentences, every body concluded that this was not

the

the language of the writer or his fituation, but that he had been poaching in fome pedant; perhaps in the Stoical Fop, he affected so much contempt of, SE

NECA.

2. Sometimes we catch a great writer deviating from his natural manner, and taking pains, as it were, to appear the very reverfe of his proper character. Would you wish a stronger proof of his being feduc'd, at leaft for the time, by the charms of imitation?

1

Nothing is better known than the easy, elegant, agreeable vein of VOITURE. Yet you have read his famous Letter to BALZAC, and have been furpriz❜d, no doubt, at the forc'd, quaint, and puffy manner, in which it is written. The fecret is, Voiture is aping Balzac from one end of this letter to the other. Whether to pay his court to him, or to laugh at him, or that perhaps, in the inftant of writing, he really fancied an excellence in the ftyle of that great man, is not eafy to determine. An eminent French critic, I remember, is inclined to take it for a piece of mockery. At all events, we muft needs efteem it an imitation.

3. This remark on the turn of a writer's genius, may be further applied to that of his temper or dif pofition.

The natural mifanthropy of Swift may account for his thinking and fpeaking very often in the spirit of ROCHFOUCAULT, without any thought of taking from his Maxims, tho' he was an admirer of them.

But