"Nititur ille quidem, pugnatque refurgere fæpe, "Dextra fed Aufonio manus eft fubjecta Peloro, "Læva, Pachyne, tibi, Lilibeo crura premuntur, "Degravat Ætna caput, fub quâ refupinus arenas "Ejectat, flammamque fero vomit ore Typhoeus." But the image we have here is truly great and fublime, of a giant vomiting out a tempeft of fire, and heaving up all Sicily, with the body of an island upon his breast, and a vaft promontory on either arm. There are few books that have had worfe commentators on them than Ovid's Metamorphofes. Thofe of the graver fort have been wholly taken up in the Mythologies; and think they have appeared very judicious, if they have fhewn us out of an old author that Ovid is mistaken in a pedigree, or has turned fuch a perfon into a wolf that ought to have been made a tiger. Others have employed themselves on what never entered into the poet's thoughts, in adapting a dull moral to every story, and making the perfons of his poems to be only nicknames for fuch virtues or vices; particularly the pious commentator, Alexander Rofs, has dived deeper into our Author's defign than any of the rest; for he difcovers in him the greatest mysteries of the Christian religion, and finds almost in every page fome typical reprefentation of the world, the flesh, and the devil. But if these writers have gone too deep, others have been wholly employed in the furface, most of 1 them ferving only to help out a school-boy in the conftruing part; or if they go out of their way, it is only to mark out the gnome of the author, as they call them, which are generally the heavieft pieces of a poet, diftinguished from the rest by Italian characters. 'The best of Ovid's expofitors is he that wrote for the Dauphin's ufe, who has very well fhewn the meaning of the author, but seldom reflects on his beauties or imperfections; for in most places he rather acts the geographer than the critic, and, instead of pointing out the fineness of a description, only tells you in what part of the world the place is fituated. I fhall therefore only confider Ovid under the character of a poet, and endeavour to fhew him impartially, without the ufual prejudice of a tranflator: which I am the more willing to do, because I believe fuch a comment would give the reader a truer taste of poetry than a comment on any other poet would do; for, in reflecting on the ancient poets, men think they may venture to praise all they meet with in fome, and scarce any thing in others; but Ovid is confeft to have a mixture of both kinds, to have fomething of the beft and worst poets, and by confequence to be the faireft fubject for criticism. P. 108. 1. 8. My son, says he, &c.] Phoebus's speech is very nobly usher'd in, with the " Terque quaterque "concutiens illuftre caput"-and well reprefents the danger and difficulty of the undertaking; but that which is its peculiar beauty, and makes it truly Ovid's, is the representing them juft as a father would to his young fon; "Per tamen adverfi gradieris cornua tauri, "Hæmoniofque arcus, violentique ora leonis, "Sævaque circuitu curvantem brachia longo "Scorpion, atque aliter curvantem brachia cancrum.' for for one while he fcares him with bugbears in the way, "-Vafti quoque rector Olympi, Qui fera terribili jaculetur fulmina dextrâ, "Non agat hos currus; et quid Jove majus habetur?" "Deprecor hoc unum quod vero nomine pœna, “Non honor est. Pœnam, Phaeton, pro munere pofcis." And in other places perfectly tattles like a father, which by the way makes the length of the speech very natural, and concludes with all the fondness and concern of a tender parent. "-Patrio pater effe metu probor; afpice vultus P. 110. l. 13. A golden axle, &c.] Ovid has more turns and repetitions in his words than any of the Latin poets, which are always wonderfully eafy and natural in him. The repetition of Aureus, and the tranfition to Argenteus, in the defcription of the chariot, give these verses a great sweetness and majesty : "Aureus axis erat, temo aureus, aurea fummæ "Curvatura rota; radiorum argenteus ordo." P. 111. 1. 7. Drive them not on directly, &c.] Several have endeavoured to vindicate Ovid against the old objection, that he mistakes the annual for the diurnal motion of the fun. The Dauphin's notes tell us that Ovid knew very well the fun did not pafs through all the figns he names in one day, but that he makes Phoebus mention them only to frighten Phaeton from the undertaking. But though this may anfwer for what Phoebus fays in his firft fpeech, it can not from what is faid in this, where he is actually giving directions for his journey, and plainly "Sectus in obliquum eft lato curvamine limes, "Zonarumque trium contentus fine plomumque "Effugit auftralem, junétamque aquionibus Arcton," defcribes the motion through all the Zodiac. P. 111. 1. 23. And not my chariot, &c.] " Ovid's verfe is, Confiliis non curribus utere noftris." This way of joining two fuch different ideas as chariot and counfel to the fame verb is mightily used by Ovid; but is a very low kind of wit, and has always in it a mixture of pun, because the verb must be taken in a different fense when it is joined with one of the things, from what it has in conjunction with the other. Thus in the end of this ftory he tells you that Jupiter flung a thunderbolt at Phaeton-" Pariterque, animâque, rotifque expulit aurigam," where he makes a forced piece of Latin ("animæ expulit aurigam") that he may couple the foul and the wheels to the fame verb. P. 112. 1. 17. The youth was in a maze, &c.] It is impoffible for a man to be drawn in a greater confusion than Phaeton is; but the antithefis of light and darkness a little flattens the defcription. "Suntque oculis tenebræ per tantum lumen oborta." Ibid. 1. 20. Then the feven ftars, &c.] I wonder none of Ovid's commentators have taken notice of the overfight he has committed in this verfe, where he make the Triones grow warm before there was ever fuch a fign in the heavens; for he tells us in this very book, that Jupiter turned Califto into this conftella tion, after he had repaired the ruins that Phaeton had made in the world. P. 114. l. 12. Athos and Tmolus, &c.] Ovid has here, after the way of the old poets, given us a catalogue of the mountains and rivers which were burnt. But, that I might not tire the English reader, I have left out some of them that make no figure in the description, and inverted the order of the reft according as the fmoothness of my verse required. P. 115. l. 7. 'Twas then, they say, the fwarthy Moor, &c.] This is the only Metamorphofis in all this long ftory, which, contrary to custom, is inferted in the middle of it. The critics may determine whether what follows it be not too great an excurfion in him who propofes it as his whole defign to let us know the changes of things. I dare fay that, if Ovid had not religiously observed the reports of the ancient Mythologists, we should have feen Phaeton turned into fome creature or other that hates the light of the fun; or perhaps into an eagle, that still takes pleasure to gaze on it. P. 115. 1. 28. The frighted Nile, &c.] Ovid has made a great many pleasant images towards the latter end of this story. His verfes on the Nile, "Nilus in extremum fugit perterritus orbem, "Occuluitque caput, quod adhuc latet: oftia septem "Pulverulenta vacant, septem fine flumine valles." are as noble as Virgil could have written; but then he ought not to have mentioned the channel of the fea afterwards, "Mare |