Look'd deadly dull, and stared as astoun'd; His griesly locks, long growen and unbound, His garment nought but many ragged clouts, And made an open passage for the gushing flood. Still finer than this description are the morbid sophistry and the fascinations of terror that follow it in the original; but as they are less poetical or pictorial than argumentative, the extract is limited accordingly. There is a tradition that when Sir Philip Sidney read this part of the Faerie Queene, he fell into transports of admiration. A KNIGHT IN BRIGHT ARMOUR LOOKING INTO A CAVE. Character, A deep effect of Chiaro-scuro, making deformity visible; Painter, Rembrandt. But full of fire and greedy hardiment, The youthful knight would not for aught be stay'd, And looked in. His glistering armour made A little glooming light, much like a shade; $7 But th' other half did woman's shape retain, Most loathsome, filthy foul, and full of vile disdain. 37 “A little glooming light, much like a shade."-Spenser is very fond of this effect, and has repeatedly painted it. I am not aware that any body noticed it before him. It is evidently the original of the passage in Milton : Where glowing embers through the room Observe the pause at the words looked in. MALBECCO SEES HELLENORE DANCING WITH THE SATYRS. Character, Luxurious Abandonment to Mirth; Painter, Nicholas Poussin. -Afterwards, close creeping as he might, He in a bush did hide his fearful head: Came dancing forth, and with them nimbly led Danc'd lively; and her face did with a laurel shade. The silly man then in a thicket lay, Saw all this goodly sport, and grieved sore, Yet durst he not against it do or say, But did his heart with bitter thoughts engore To see the unkindness of his Hellenore. All day they danced with great lustyhead, And with their hornèd feet the green grass wore, * "That new honour which they redd."-Areaded, awarded. LANDSCAPE, WITH DAMSELS CONVEYING A WOUNDED SQUIRE ON HIS HORSE. Character, Select Southern Elegance, with an intimation of fine Architecture; Painter, Claude. (Yet "mighty” woods hardly belong to him.) Into that forest far they thence him led, Where was their dwelling, in a pleasant glade With mountains round about environèd; And mighty woods which did the valley shade Spreading itself into a spacious plain ; And in the midst a little river play'd Amongst the pumy stones, which seem'd to plain Beside the same a dainty place there lay, In which the birds sung many a lovely lay Of God's high praise and of their sweet love's teen, As it an earthly paradise had been ; In whose enclosed shadows there was pight A fair pavilion, scarcely to be seen. THE NYMPHS AND GRACES DANCING TO A SHEPHERD'S PIPE; OR, APOTHEOSIS OF A POET'S MISTRESS. Character, Nakedness without Impudency; Multitudinous and Innocent Delight; Exaltation of the principal Person from Circumstances rather than her own Ideality; Albano. Unto this place whereas the elfin knight Full merrily, and making gladful glee, And in the midst a shepherd piping he did see. He durst not enter into the open green, All they without were rangèd in a ring Painter, |