upon Enchantment, muft forgive, nay commend that of Armida, fince it is the Source of fo many Beauties. Befides, The is a Mahometan, and the Chriftian Religion allows us to believe that thofe Infidels are under the immediate Influence of the Devil.

But indeed no body but an Italian can bear with the wild Excefs, to which Talo hath carried that Machinery. Ten Chriftian Princes turn'd into Fifh in the Ponds of Armida, and a Parrot finging amorous Songs of his own making, are very strange Things in the Eyes of a ferious Reader, tho' one is precedented by the Story of Circe in Homer; and tho' the Parrots are thought among us to mimick now and then human Voices.

Still we should eafily forgive fuch poetical Extravagancies for the fake of the Beauties which are mingled with them. Let the Devils (fince they are admitted) have a free Scope to play their wild Pranks, efpecially in Italy, where the Superftition of the People brings Credit to no less strange Tales.

But it is unaccountable, how Men of Senfe can approve of the Christian Magicians, who help Rinaldo out of the hands of the Mahometan Wizards. It is fingular, to fee in Talo Lewdnefs, Mafs, ConfefF 3

fion,

fion, the Litanies of the Saints, and Pieces of Witchcraft heap'd together.

What strange Fancy! to fend Ubaldo and his Companion to an old holy Conjurer, who carries them just into the Center of the Earth. The two Knights walk there on the Banks of a Rivulet cover'd with precious Stones of all Kinds. From that Place they are fent to Afcalon to an old Woman, who carries them fwiftly in a little Ship to the Canary Ilands. Thither they arrive in the Name of God, holding in their hands a magick Wand, they perform their Ambaffy, they carry Rinaldo back with them to the Camp of the Chriftians; for the Army was in need of him. But what was the great Exploit which muft neceffarily be perform'd by Rinaldo, and by him only?

He was deftin'd by Providence, and brought by Enchantment from the Pike of Teneriff to Jerufalem, in order to cut down fome Trees in a Foreft inhabited by Elves and Hobgoblings. That Foreft is the great Machinery of Taffo. It is remarkable, that in the former Books God Almighty orders his Arch-angel Michael to drive down into Hell the Devils who were let loofe in the Air, raifing Storms, and managing his Thunders against the Chriftians, in favour of the Mahometans. Michael forbids them ftrictly to meddle

any

any more in thofe Affairs. They obey, and plunge into Hell immediately; but foon after the Enchanter Ifineno recalls them out, they find Means to elude the Orders of God, and under the pretence of fome Jefuitical Diftinctions, they take Poffeffion of the Foreft, wherein the Chriftians intended to provide the Timber neceflary to build a wooden Tower.

There they aflume innumerable Shapes, to frighten away thofe who come to cut the Trees. There Tancred finds his Clorinda, after her Death, fhut up in a Pine, and bleeding for the Blow, which he ftrikes at the Root. There Armida peeps out of a Myrtle, while fhe is fome Miles off, in the Egyptian Army, and totally unappris'd of her being in two Places at once, tho' fhe is the beft Sorceress in the World. At laft the Prayers of the Hermit, and the Merit of Rinaldo's Contrition, after his Confeffion, break the Enchantment.

Methinks it is not very foreign to the Purpose, to see how differently Lucan hath handled, in his Pharfalia, a Topick pretty much of the fame nature. 'Tis when Cafar orders his Troops to cut down fome Trees in the Sacred Foreft of Marfeilles, to have them made into warlike Inftruments. The Paffage deferves to be F 4

fet

fet in its full Length, as it is tranflated by the late Mr. Rowe.

Not far away, for Ages past had stood
An old inviolated facred Wood;

Whofe gloomy Boughs, thick interwoven, made
A chilly, chearless, everlasting Shade ;
There, nor the ruftick Gods, nor Satyrs Sport;
Nor Fawns and Sylvans with the Nymphs refort:
But barb'rous Priefts fome dreadful Pow'r adore,
And luftrate ev'ry Tree with human Gore.
If Myfteries, in Times of old receiv'd,
And pious Ancientry be yet believ'd,

There nor the feather'd Songfter builds her Neft,
Nor lonely Dens conceal the favage Beast:
There no tempestuous Winds prefume to fly,
Ev'n Lightnings glance aloof, and shoot obliquely by ;
No wanton Breezes tofs the dancing Leaves,
But fhiv'ring Horror in the Branches heaves.
Black Springs with pitchy Streams divide the Ground,
And bubbling tumble with a fullen Sound.
Old Images of Forms mif-shapen stand,
Rude and unknowing of the Artist's Hand;
With hoary Filth begrim'd, each ghaftly Head
Strikes the aftonish'd Gazer's Soul with Dread.
No Gods, who long in common Shapes appear'd,
Were e'er with fuch Religious Awe rever'd:
But zealous Crouds in Ignorance adore ;
And still the lefs they know, they fear the more.

The pious Worshippers approach not near,
But fhun their Gods, and kneel with diftant Fear
The Priest himself, when, or the Day, or Night,
Rowling have reach'd their full meridian Height,
Refrains the gloomy Paths with wary Feet,
Dreading the Dæmon of the Grove to meet ;

Who

Who, terrible to Sight, at that fix'd Hour,
Still treads the Ground about his dreary Bow'r.
This Wood near neighb’ring to th’encompass'd Town,
Untouch'd by former Wars remain'd alone;
And fince the Country round it naked stands,
From hence the Latian Chief Supplies demands.
But lo! the bolder Hands, that should have ftruck,
With fome unusual Horror trembling shook;
With filent Dread and Rev'rence they furvey'd
The Gloom Majeftick of the facred Shade:
None dares with impious Steel the Bark to rend,
Left on himself the deftin'd Stroke defcend.
Cæfar perceiv'd the fpreading Fear to grow,
Then eager, caught an Ax, and aim'd a Blow:
Deep funk within a violated Oak

The wounding Edge, and thus the Warrior spoke :
Now, let no doubting Hand the Task decline;
Cut you the Wood, and let the Guilt be mine.
The trembling Bands unwillingly obey'd;
Two various Ills were in the Ballance laid,
And Cæfar's Wrath against the Gods was weigh'd.

I confefs that the whole Pharfalia is not to be compar'd to the Jerufalem of Taffo. But at leaft that particular Paffage shows how the true Grandeur of a real Hero is above the Romantick, and how folid and ftrong Thoughts excel thofe Inventions, which the Crowd calls poetical Beauties, and on which wife Men look down as Tales fit for Children.

The Virtuofi in Italy have difputed for a long while, and ftill conteft which of the two, Ariofto or Taffo, deferves the Precedency. But every where else the chiefeft Exception