turesque description. in the country, he is solicited to court. where, though honourably employed by his sovereign, he seems to think his labours met not with the reward which they merited. This beautiful Eclogue begins with the most fanciful and picThe season and scene are laid down -An invocation to the seanymphs-Thelgon's childhood, and education among the fishers :-The dawning and improvement of his poetical genius:-His removal to court, and his employments in consequence of it:-The rise of his love for Amyntas, with whom he passionately expostulates. The Eclogue concludes with a most beautiful picture of the innocent pleasures of a fisher's life, by which he endeavours to allure Amyntas to reside with him. I. "There, while our thinne nets dangling in the winde Hung on our oares' tops, I learnt to sing Among my peers, apt words to fitly binde In num'rous verse: witnesse thou crystal spring Where all the lads were pebles wont to finde : And you, thick hasles, that on Thamis' brink Did oft with dallying boughs his silver waters drink. VII. "But when my tender youth 'gan fairly blow, [seas: I durst to challenge all my fisher peers, That by learn'd Chamus' banks did spend their youthfull yeares'. 4 Vide Eclogue III. §. 3. note 1. In this description of the fisher's youth and education, there is a remarkable similarity to some passages in the 12th Eclogue of Spenser's Shepherd's Calendar. He seems to have been an admirer, and frequently too an imitator of that great poet: but where he has borrowed his thoughts, there are none, I believe, who, upon a comparison, will deny that he has improved on them. force and tenderness of sentiment, in many of Spenser's Eclogues, is often much impaired by an affected rusticity of expression, which, though some have imagined essential to pastoral, is en The Ir was the time faithful Halcyone1, Once more enjoying new-liv'd Cëyx' bed, The time when gentle Flora's lover' reignes, Soft creeping all along green Neptune's smoothest plaines. II. When haplesse Thelgon (a poore fisher-swaine) Came from his boat to tell the rocks his plaining: In rocks he found, and the high-swelling main, More sense, more pitie farre, more love remainThan in the great Amyntas' fierce disdain: (ing, Was not his peer for song 'mong all the lads Whose shrilling pipe, or voice, the sea born maiden glads. III. About his head a rocky canopye, And craggy hangings, round a shadow threw, Into his bosom Zephyr softly flew ; 1 The poet's art is admirable, that in the first line he fills the reader's mind with a tender impression, by recalling to his memory the well-tirely distinct from simplicity and feeling, and is known mournful story of Ceyx and Halcyone, (Ovid. Met. b. xi. fab. 10.), at the same time that he uses it to convey a fine idea of the serenity of the sea in spring. 2 Zephyr. 3 The scene here is finely imagined, and most beautifully described. The numbers too, especially the change and repetition of the words in the two last lines of the stanza, have a fine effect on a musical ear. Dryden, that great master of harmony in numbers, has often used this change in the same words with admirable effect. The fanning wind upon her bosom blows, repose. indeed unfit to convey such sentiments. This Extinctum nymphæ crudeli funere Daphnin Our poet has here beautifully improved on the 7 The Chame or Cam is remarkable for its many beautiful windings. It is here called learned, from the university of Cambridge, which is situated on the river. The university was founded, as some say, in the year 141; but Sigilbert, a Christian "You steady rocks, why yet do you stand still? You fleeting waves, why do you never stand? Amyntas hath forgot his Tnelgon's quill; His promise and his love are writ in sand :' But rocks are firm though Neptune rage his fill; When thou, Amyntas, like the fire-drake [thou changest. The sea keeps on his course, when like the winde rangest; XVII. "Yet as I swiftly sail'd the other day, The settled rock seem'd from his seat remove, And standing waves seem'd doubtful of their way, And by their stop thy wavering reprove : Sure either this thou didst but mocking say, Or else the rock and sea had heard my plaining; But thou, ah me! art only constant in disdaining. XVIII. 12 "Ah! would thou knew'st how much it better were " And then appeas'd young Myrtillus, repining The while his goodly nymphs with song delighted, My notes with choicest flowers, and garlands sweet, requited. ΧΙ. "From thence a shepherd great, pleas'd with my Drew me to Basilissa's' courtly place; [song, Fair Basilissa, fairest maid among The nymphs that white-cliffe Albion's forrests grace. Her errand drove my slender bark along The seas which wash the fruitful German's land, And swelling Rhene, whose wines run swiftly o'er the sand. XII. "But after, bolden'd with my first successe, Whose slotheful Sunne all winter keeps his bed, Yet all for nought: another took the gain: Faitour, that reapt the pleasure of another's pain! XIII. "And travelling along the northern plains, At her command I pass'd the bounding Twede, And liv'd a while with Caledonian swains : My life with fair Amyntas there I led : Amyntas fair, whom still my sore heart plains. Yet seem'd he then to love as he was lov'd; But (ah!) I fear, true love his high heart never prov'd. king of the East-Saxons, is allowed to have been Next Camus, reverend sire, went footing slow, Probably the usurpation of Richard III. of 10 Hoc est, hoc, miserum quod perdidit. Ite Camænæ, 11 This, and the two following stanzas, for elegance and true pastoral simplicity will yield to few compositions, whether of the present age or of antiquity. 12 Mr. Addison, in his criticism on pastoral poetry, will allow no greater misfortune or inconvenience to be described as incident to the state of simplicity which is there supposed, than lefthanded oaks, shrieking ravens, or at most the loss of a lamb or goat. Fletcher, in this passage, will not fall under his censure, where he paints the owl and the night-crow as the most disagreeable objects attending the life of a shepherd or fisher. But this is too squeamish a piece of criticism. There is no occasion for removing ourselves so far from real nature. Virgil, who disdained all pedantic restraint, has not confined himself to a golden age for the scene of his pastorals. He has painted his shepherds driven from the peaceful enjoyment of their fields and flocks, and exposed to insults from the soldiers and barbarians; and this serves to heighten the idea of pastoral innocence and simplicity, where such calamities are so power. fully affecting. Dorus and Myrtilus sitting on the beach, while the weather is unfavourable for fishing, amuse themselves with a song. Myrtilus relates the cause of Thirsil's abandoning the employment of a fisher, and forsaking his native streams. The author's father's misfortunes are again touch'd on, in the character of Thelgon, couched under a beautiful allegory. Thirsil affected with the ungenerous fate of his friend, and resenting likewise his own unmerited hardships, forswears for ever his country and his occupation. His parting with Thomalin, and the baunts and delights of his youth, are described with all the force and tenderness of poetical expression. DORUS, MYRTILUS, THOMALIN, THIRSIL 1. DORUS. MYRTIL, why idle sit we on the shore? II. MYRTILUS. Dorus, ah rather stormy seas require, III. Now, as thou art a lad, repeat that lay; Myrtil, his songs more please my ravish'd care', Than rumbling brooks that with the pebbles play, Than murm'ring seas broke on the banks to heare, Or windes on rocks their whistling voices teare. IV. Seest thou that rock, which hanging o'er the Looks proudly down? there as I under lay, [main Thirsil with Thomalin I heard complain; Thomalin, (who now goes sighing all the day), Who thus 'gan tempt his friend with Chamish boys to stay. کی V. Thirsil, what wicked chance, or luckless starre, From Chamus' streams removes thy boat and mind? Farre hence thy boat is bound, thy mind more farre; finde? More sweet or fruitful streams where canst thou Where fisher-lads, or nymphs more fair or kind? The Muses selves sit with the sliding Chame: Chame and the Muses selves do love thy name. Where thou art lov'd so dear, so much to hate is shame. VI. The Muses me forsake, not I the Muses; VII. His stubborn hands my net hath broken quite: My fish (the guerdon of my toil and pain) He causelesse seiz'd, and, with ungrateful spite, Bestow'd upon a lesse deserving swain: The cost and labour mine, his all the gain. Nam neque me tantum venientis sibilus austri, Nec percussa juvant fiuctu tam littora, nec quæ Saxosa inter decurrunt flumina valles. VIRG. Buc. Ecl. 5. XIII. From thence he furrow'd may a churlish sea: XIV. Yet little thanke, and lesse reward, he got; One day (as chanc't) ne spied that painted boat XV. Go now, ye fisher-boys, go learn to play, tempest roar; And for your trade consume your life and store: XVI. Ah, Thelgon! poorest, but the worthiest swain However here thou liv'dst in joylesse pain, molest. XVII. Thomalin, mourn not for him; he's sweetly sleeping' In Neptune's court, whom here he sought to please; While humming rivers, by his cabin creeping, Rock soft his slumb'ring thoughts in quiet ease: Mourn for thyself, here windes do never cease; occur in these eclogues, I find the following anecdote in a small duodecimo, entitled, A Historical Dictionary of England and Wales, printed 1692: After enumerating some particulars of the life of Doctor Giles Fletcher, it is there added, "He was a man equally beloved of the Muses and Graces: In the end of his life having commenced doctor of divinity, and being slighted by his clowish parishioners, he fell into deep melancholy, and in a short time died." 3 See Eclogue i. stanzas 11, 12. and the note thereon. * The ingratitude of a sovereign to a faithful servant,is touched with great delicacy in this oblique complaint against Chamus and the Muses. 2 It is probable the author here alludes to some office or employment which his father expected, as the reward of his services, and which was undeservedly bestowed on another, stigmatised under the name of Gripus, who had obtained it by flattery, There is something remarkable in this picture. and the low arts, to which Fletcher was a stranger. The image of the poor fisherman, now at rest Vide infra stanza 14. and Eclog. i. stanza 12.—from all his troubles, and sweetly sleeping in the As a key to some allusions of this kind which court of Neptune, carries with it something beauti Our dying life will better fit thy crying: XVIII. THOMALIN. Can Thirsil than our Chame abandon ever? And never will our fishers see again? THIRSIL. Who 'gainst a raging stream doth vain endeavour To drive his boat, gets labour for his pain: When fates command to go, to lagge is vain. As late upon the shore I chanc'd to play, I heard a voice, like thunder, loudly say, "Thirsil, why idle liv'st? Thirsil, away, away!" ful and affecting. The belief of the ancients, that the happiness of the deceased in Elysium consisted in the perfect enjoyment of those pleasures which had most delighted them in life, justifies the propriety of the painting. It may be well imagined, that the sweetest enjoyment of a poor and weary fisherman consisted in those few hours of sleep, when his batter'd cottage shelter'd him from the storms of the night; and that the height of his wishes was to enjoy undisturbed that repose, which was often rudely interrupted, but yet doubly sweetened by the severity of his occupation. "The humming rivers creeping by his cabin," is a beautiful and most natural idea, and, considering the character, is here introduced with peculiar propriety. "Blessed are the righteous dead; from hence. forth: for they shall rest from their labours" Revel. c. xiv. v. 13. This representation is still farther justified from the opinions of the poets concerning the parts of man's composition. From these it may be gathered, that they believed three essential parts, the body, the pure etherial spirit, and a subtile yet material vehicle, as it were a shade or picture of the body while in life. The body they saw reduced to ashes on the funeral pile; the spirit they believed, by its own nature, as soon as relieved from the body, returned directly to Heaven, the place of its original; and the shade descended to the infernal regions- -This doctrine is evident from many of the poets: Lucretius, in particular, is express on this point. Esse Acherusia templa, Quo neque periancaut animæ, neque corpora nostia Sed quædain simulacra, modis pallentia miris. LUCRET. 1. 1. It was therefore a natural effect of the belief of this doctrine, to imagine the shade, or representation of the soul and body, as being something of a material nature, to be employed in those actions or enjoyments below, which had been most common and best relished while the soul and body were united: and the supposition of sleep being a chief enjoyment in Elysium, is beautiful and consonant, considering that the spirit, or the active and intelligent part, had left the composition, and fled to Heaven. By the bye, Lucretius accounts for the appearance of ghosts and spectres in a pretty singular manner from this doctrine: He supposes, that at the time of the dissolution of the three constituent parts of ΧΙΧ. Thou God of seas, thy voice I gladly beare; Thy voice (thy voice I know) I glad obey: Only, do thou my wand'ring wherry steer; And when it errs, (as it will eas'ly stray), Upon the rock with hopeful anchor stay: Then will I swimm where's either sea or shore, Where never swain or boat was seen afore: [oare. My trunk shall be my boat, mine arm shall be my XX. Thomalin, methinks I heare thy speaking eye Woo me my posting journey to delay: But let thy love yield to necessitie: With thee, my friend, too gladly would I stay, And live, and die: were Thomalin away, (Though now I half unwilling leave his stream), However Chame doth Thirsil lightly deem, Yet would thy Thirsil lesse proud Chamus' scorns esteem. XXI. THOMALIN. Who now with Thomalin shall sit and sing" Who left to play in lovely Myrtil's shade? Or tune sweet ditties to so sweet a string? Who now those wounds shall swage in covert glade, Sweet-bitter wounds which cruel love hath made? You fisher-boyes, and sea-maids' dainty crew, Farewel! for Thomalin will seek a new And more respectful stream: ungrateful Chame, adieu ! XXII. THIRSIL. Thomalin, forsake not thou the fisher-swains, Which hold thy stay and love at dearest rate: Here may'st thou live among their sportful Till better times afford thee better state: [trains, Then may'st thou follow well thy guiding fate, So live thou here with peace and quiet blest; So let thy love afford thee case and rest; So let thy sweetest foe re-cure thy wounded breast. XXIII. But thou, proud Chame, which thus hast wrought me spite, Some greater river drown thy hated name! Let never myrtle on thy banks delight; But willows pale, the badge of spite and blame, Crown thy ungrateful shores with scorn and shame! Let dirt and mud thy lazy waters seize; Thy weeds still grow, thy waters still decrease: Nor let thy wretched love to Gripus ever cease! man, the thin shapes or cases flying off to Elysium are sometimes seen on their way, and being material exhibit a lively image of the person while in life. -Heu tua nobis Pæne simul tecum solatia rapta Menalca! [herbis Quis caneret Nymphas? quis humum florentibus Spargeret? aut viridi fontis induceret umbra? VIRG. Buc. Ecl. 9. In these last stanzas of this beautiful eclogue, the tender concern of Thomalin for his friend's misfortunes, which prompts him likewise to forsake his native river, the generosity of Thirsil in requesting him to stay behind, the apostrophe to the river, and the parting of the two friends, are described in a masterly vein of poetry, and pathetic in the highest degree. |