THE

PLEASURES

OF

IMAGINATION.

BOOK THE SECOND.

ARGUMENT.

The separation of the works of Imagination from Philosophy, the cause of their abuse among the moderns. Prospect of their re-union under the influence of public Liberty. Enumeration of accidental pleasures, which increase the effect of objects delightful to the Imagination. The pleasures of sense. Particular circumstances of the mind. Discovery of truth. Perception of contrivance and design. Emotion of the passions. All the natural passions partake of a pleasing sensation; with the final cause of this constitution illustrated by an allegorical vision, and exemplified in sorrow, pity, terror, and indignation.

THE

PLEASURES

OF

IMAGINATION.

BOOK II.

W

HEN shall the laurel and the vocal string Resume their honours? When shall we behold The tuneful tongue, the Promethean hand Aspire to ancient praise? Alas! how faint, How slow the dawn of beauty and of truth Breaks the reluctant shades of gothic night Which yet involve the nations! Long they groan'd Beneath the furies of rapacious force; Oft as the gloomy north, with iron-swarms Tempestuous pouring from her frozen caves, Blasted the Italian shore, and swept the works Of Liberty and Wisdom down the gulph Of all-devouring night. As long immur'd In noon-tide darkness by the glimmering lamp, Each Muse and each fair Science pin'd away The sordid hours: while foul, barbarian hands Their mysteries profan'd, unstrung the lyre, And chain'd the soaring pinion down to earth.

At last the Muses rose', and spurn'd their bonds,
And, wildly-warbling, scatter'd, as they flew,
Their blooming wreaths from fair Valclusa's bowers2
To Arno's3 myrtle border and the shore
Of soft Parthenopé 4. But still the rage
Of dire ambition and gigantic power 5,
From public aims and from the busy walk
Of civil commerce, drove the bolder train
Of penetrating Science to the cells,

Where studious Ease consumes the silent hour
In shadowy searches and unfruitful care.
Thus from their guardians torn, the tender arts

1 About the age of Hugh Capet, founder of the third race of French kings, the poets of Provence were in high reputation; a sort of strolling bards or rhapsodists, who went about the courts of princes and noblemen, entertaining them at festivals with music and poetry. They attempted both the epic, ode, and satire; and abounded in a wild and fantastic vein of fable, partly allegorical, and partly founded on traditionary legends of the Saracen wars. These were the rudiments of Italian poetry. But their taste and composition must have been extremely barbarous, as we may judge by those who followed the turn of their fable in much politer times; such as Boiardo, Bernardo, Tasso, Ariosto, &c.

2 The famous retreat of Francisco Petrarcha, the father of Italian poetry, and his mistress Laura, a lady of Avignon.

9 The river which runs by Florence, the birth-place of Dante and Boccacio.

4 Or Naples, the birth-place of Sannazaro. The great Torquato Tasso was born at Sorrento in the kingdom of Naples.

5 This relates to the cruel wars among the republics of Italy, and abominable politics of its little princes, about the fifteenth century. These at last, in conjunction with the papal power, intirely extinguished the spirit of liberty in that country, and established that abuse of the fine arts which has been since propagated over all Europe.

Nor were they only losers by the separation. For "Philosophy itself," (to use the words of a noble philoso. pher)" being thus severed by the sprightly arts and sciences,

Of mimic fancy and harmonious joy,
To priestly domination and the lust
Of lawless courts, their amiable toil
For three inglorious ages have resign'd,
In vain reluctant: and Torquato's tongue
Was tun'd for slavish pæans at the throne
Of tinsel pomp: and Raphael's magic hand
Effus'd its fair creation to inchant

The fond adoring herd in Latian fanes

To blind belief; while on their prostrate necks
The sable tyrant plants his heel secure.
But now, behold! the radiant æra dawns,
When freedom's ample fabric, fix'd at length
For endless years on Albion's happy shore
In full proportion, once more shall extend
To all the kindred powers of social bliss
A common mansion, a parental roof.

There shall the Virtues, there shall Wisdom's train,

must consequently grow drouish, insipid, pedantic, useless, and directly opposite to the real knowledge and practice of the world." Insomuch that "a gentleman," (says another excellent writer) cannot easily bring himself to like so austere and ungainly a form: so greatly is it changed from what was once the delight of the finest gentlemen of antiquity, and their recreation after the hurry of public affairs!" From this condition it cannot be recovered but by uniting it once more with the works of Imagination; and we have had the pleasure of observing a very great progress made towards their union in England within these few years. It is hardly possible to conceive them at a greater distance from each other than at the revolution, when Locke stood at the head of one party, and Dryden of the other. But the general spirit of liberty, which has ever since been growing, naturally invited our men of wit and genius to improve that influence which the arts of persuasion gave them with the people, by applying them to subjects of importance to society. Thus poetry and eloquence became considerable; and philosophy is now of course obliged to borrow of their embellishments, in order even to gain audience with the public.