Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

looking over his catalogue of plays, and indeed picked up a good tolerable fet of grave faces for counfellors, to appear in the famous fcene of Venice Preferved, when the danger is over: but they being but mere outfides, and the actors having a great mind to play The Tempeft, there is not a man of them, when he is to perform any thing above dumb fhow, is capable of acting, with a good grace, fo much as the part of Trincalo. However, the mafter perfifts in his defign, and is fitting up the old ftorm; but I am afraid he will not be able to procure able failors, or experienced officers, for love or money.

Befides all this, when he comes to caft the parts, there is fo great a confufion amongst them for want of proper actors, that, for my part, I am wholly difcouraged. The play with which they defign to open is, The Duke and no Duke; and they are fo put to it, that the mafter himself is to act the Conjurer, and they have no one for the General but honeft George Powell.

Now, fir, they being fo much at a lofs for the dramatis perfonæ, viz. the perfons to enact, and the whole frame of the house being defigned to be altered, I defiré your opinion, whether you think it advifable for me to undertake to prompt them? For though I can clash fwords when they reprefent a battle, and have yet lungs enough left to huzza their victories, I queftion, if I should prompt them right, whether they would act accordingly.

I am

Your Honour's moft humble fervant,

J. Downs.

P. S. Sir, fince I writ this, I am credibly informed, that they defign a new houfe in Lincoln's-inn-fields, near the Popish chapel, to be ready by Michaelmas next; which, indeed, is but repairing an old one that has already failed. You know, the honeft man who kept the office is gone already.'

NO

NO. 194. THURSDAY, JULY 6, 1710.

Militat omnis amans.

OVID. Amor. El. 9. ver. F.

R.WYNNE.

The toils of love require a warrior's art,
And every lover plays the foldier's part.

From my own Apartment, July 5.

I WAS this morning reading the tenth canto in the fourth book of Spenfer, in which Sir Scudamore relates the progress of his courtship to Amoret under a very beautiful allegory, which is one of the most natural and unmixed of any in that most excellent author. I fhalt tranfpofe it, to ufe Mr. Bayes's term, for the benefit of many English lovers, who have, by frequent letters, defired me to lay down fome rules for the conduct of their virtuous amours; and fhall only premife, that by the fhield of love is meant a generous, conftant paffion for the perfon beloved.

When the fame, fays he, of this celebrated beauty first flew abroad, I went in purfuit of her to the temple of Love. This temple, continues he, bore the name of the goddess Venus, and was feated in a moft fruitful ifland, walled by Nature against all invaders. There was a fingle bridge that led into the island, and before it a caftle, garrifoned by twenty knights. Near the caftle was an open plain, and in the midst of it a pillar, on which was hung the fhield of love; and underneath it, in letters of gold, was this infcription:

Happy the man who well can ufe his blifs;
Whofe-ever be the shield, fair Amoret be his.

My heart panted upon reading the infcription: I ftruck upon the fhield with my fpear. Immediately iffued forth a knight well mounted, and completely armed, who,

without

without fpeaking, ran fiercely at me. I received him as well as I could, and by good fortune threw him out of the faddle. I encountered the whole twenty fucceffively, and, leaving them all extended on the plain, carried off the field in token of victory. Having thus vanquished my rivals, I paffed on without impediment, until I came to the utmoft gate of the bridge, which I found locked and barred. I knocked and called; but could get no answer. At laft I faw one on the other fide of the gate, who ftood peeping through a fmall crevice. This was the porter; he had a double face, refembling a Janus, and was continually looking about him, as if he miftrufted fome fudden danger. His name, as I afterwards learned, was Doubt. Overagainst him fat Delay, who entertained paffengers with fome idle story, while they loft fuch opportunities as were never to be recovered. As foon as the porter faw my fhield, he opened the gate; but, upon my entering, Delay caught hold of me, and would fain have made me liften to her fooleries. However, I fhook her off, and paffed forward, until I came to the fecond gate, The Gate of Good Defert, which always ftood wide open, but in the porch was an hideous giant, that stopped the entrance; his name was Danger. Many warriors of good reputation, not able to bear the fternness of his look, went back again. Cowards fled at the first fight of him; except fome few, who, watching their opportunity, flipt by him unobserved. I prepared to affault him; but, upon the first fight of my fhield, he immediately gave way. Looking back upon him, I found his hinder parts much more deformed and terrible than his face; Hatred, Murder, Trea. son, Envy, and Detraction, lying in ambush behind him, to fall upon the heedlefs and unwary.

I now entered the Ifland of Love, which appeared in all the beauties of art and nature, and feafted every sense with the most agreeable objects. Amidft a pleafing va riety of walks and alleys, thady feats, and flowery banks, funny hills, and gloomy valleys, were thousands of lovers fitting, or walking together in pairs, and finging hymns. to the deity of the place.

I could

I could not forbear envying this happy people, who were already in poffeffion of all they could defire. While I went forward to the temple, the ftructure was beautiful beyond imagination. The gate ftood open. In the entrance fat a moft amiable woman, whofe name was Concord.

On either fide of her ftood two young men, both strongly armed, as if afraid of each other. As I afterwards learned, they were both her fons, but begotten of her by two dif ferent fathers; their names were Love and Hatred.

The lady fo well tempered and reconciled them both, that the forced them to join hands; though I could not but observe, that Hatred turned afide his face, as not able to endure the fight of his younger brother.

I at length entered the inmoft temple, the roof of which was raised upon an hundred marble pillars, decked with crowns, chains, and garlands. The ground was ftrewed with flowers. An hundred altars, at each of which stood a virgin priestess clothed in white, blazed all at once with the facrifice of lovers, who were perpetually fending their vows to heaven in clouds of incense.

In the midft ftood the goddefs herself upon an altar whose substance was neither gold nor ftone, but infinitely more precious than either. About her neck flew numlefs flocks of little loves, joys, and graces; and all about her altar lay scattered heaps of lovers, complaining of the difdain, pride, or treachery, of their miftreffes. One among the reft, no longer able to contain his griefs, broke out into the following prayer:

- Venus, queen of grace and beauty, joy of gods and men, who with a fmile becalmeft the feas, and reneweft all nature; goddefs, whom all the different fpecies in the univerfe obey with joy and pleasure; grant I may at last obtain the object of my vows.'

The impatient lover pronounced this with great vehemence; but I, in a foft murmur, befought the goddess to lend me her affiftance. While I was thus praying, I chanced to caft my eye on a company of ladies, who were affembled together in a corner of the temple waiting for the anthem,

The

The foremoft feemed fomething elder, and of a more compofed countenance, than the reft, who all appeared to be under her direction. Her name was Womanhood. On one fide of her fat Shamefacedness, with blushes rifing in her cheeks, and her eyes fixed on the ground: on the other was Cheerfulness, with a failing look, that infused a fecret pleasure into the hearts of all that faw her. With these fat Modefty, holding her hand on her heart; Courtefy, with a graceful afpect, and obliging behaviour; and the two fifters, who were always linked together, and refembled each other, Silence and Obedience.

Thus fat they all around in feemly rate,
And in the midft of them a goodly maid,
Ev'n in the lap of Womanhood there fate,
The which was all in lily white array'd;
Where filver ftreams among the linen ftray'd.
Like to the morn, when firft her fhining face,
Hath to the gloomy world itself bewray'd.
That fame was faireft Amoret in place,

Shining with beauty's light, and heavenly virtue's grace

As foon as I beheld the charming Amoret, my heart throbbed with hopes. I stepped to her, and feized her hand; when Womanhood, immediately rifing up, fharply rebuked me for offering, in fo rude a manner, to lay hold on a virgin. I excused myself as modeftly as I could, and, at the fame time difplayed my fhield; upon which, as foon as the beheld the god emblazoned with his bow and shafts, fhe was ftruck mute, and instantly retired.

I ftill held faft fair Amoret; and, turning my eyes towards the goddefs of the place, faw that the favoured my pretenfions with a smile, which fo emboldened me, that I carried off my prize.

The maid, fometimes with tears, fometimes with fmiles, intreated me to let ner go: but I led her through the temple-gate, where the godd:fs Concord, who had favoured my entrance, befriended my retreat.

[ocr errors]

This allegory is fo natural, that it explains itself. The perfons in it are very artfully described, and disposed

in

« ZurückWeiter »