but could have kept them close to their Sides. And that they were earnest to help them, is confirmed by what follows immediately:

But vainly ftretching out their Fingers grey, They whifp'ring call, and beckon him away.' What a fad Fright muft they be in? They not only ftretch out their Arms, but their Fingers. Fingers grey, is an elegant and juft Expreffion; though it requires a little Circumlocution to explain it. Hoary fignifies grey (as Canus in Latin, and Hoary Hairs are the fame as grey Hairs) and hoary likewise means frofty, from Hoar-froft Now as the Fingers of the Trees were covered with the Froft, they were hoary, and if hoary, grey. How judiciously does our Poet employ his Epithets! W-RB-RT—N.

Zoilus, Jun. impertinently cavils at this truly grand Paffage, in the following Words: What Occafion (fays he) had the Poet to fay, that the Trees ftretched out their Fingers, when he had told us before, that they extended their Arms. This is Tautology. And why (fays the Critic) did they only whispering call him? They fhould have hollaed out as loud as they could bawl, or elfe they could not be heard.' So far Zoilus: But in the first Place, Fingers here is not Tautology; for could not the Trees ftretch out their Arms, and yet double their Fifts? Befides, it was neceffary, you fee, for the Trees to ftretch out their Fingers, as well as their Arms, to beckon him away. As to the Second Remark, would he have the poor Trees do more than they could? A whole Foreft, when heartily thumped by furious Blafts, could but mew at most, as we find some Lines above; then furely the fimple Trees could but whisper. And as they grew very near the Bank, Whispering was enough, and could very well be heard. Nay, if they could not, somebody else might: For

F 4

The

The Ice with crackling Voice bids him retreat, And from the Centre underneath his Feet, Darts to the Banks his shining Character. The older MSS. have it, cackling Voice; but, as Scaliger obferves, this Expreffion can only be applied to a Goose: wherefore he rightly alters it to crackling, which is the Tone of Voice Ice always speaks in.

The Sun beholds the Silver-beaming Star, And veils in thick'ning Clouds his melting Light, The Winter-Monarch fhivers at the Sight. By the Winter-Monarch is certainly meant his frigid Majefty,

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King January, newly in his Reign.' who, though Cold is as natural to him as his Skin, yet could not help fhivering at this lamentable Spec tacle.

While from his Icicle-fring'd Seat of Snow,
In frozen Equipage, amid the Blow

Of Ice-lip'd Winds, o'er Hail-white Pavements
roll'd,

He breath'd from Marble Lungs increafing Cold.

And

We have here a particular Defcription of his Majefty's State Coach. The Cushion was made of the finest blanched Snow, and edged round with a beautiful Fringe of Icicles, a-la-mode de Paris. when his Majefty chofe to tafte (or take) the freezing Air,' he always went in a frozen Equipage, which, instead of being dragged by Horfes, was pushed along by half a Dozen chubby-faced Winds with Lips of Ice, and rattled over the Ways which were paved with huge Hail-ftones. How fuitable is this to the Grandeur of a Winter-Monarch! And how much does it exceed the famous Description of Neptune in Homer's Iliad, Book the 13th.

And

And breath'd from Marble Lungs.] How judicioufly does our Poet furnish his Monarch with Lungs adapted to every Thing about him. For had they been of mere Flesh and Blood, they must have thawed his Throne, his Coach, and his very Dominions, and forced the poor Prince to paddle in warm Water of his own making.

Swift from the Puff defcends a faline Shower, The knitting Winds exert their utmoft Power. Why is the Shower faline? Because all Salts are cold; and as the Breath that proceeds from Marble Lungs muft of Confequence be cold, it may therefore be called faline. We are alfo to fuppose the Monarch puffed away as faft as he could, fo that he may be faid to fhower out his Breath.

The knitting Winds.] Some other Copies have it knotting, which Burman prefers, as being a more genteel Employment than that of Knitting. But the Context will not bear it. The Allufion is to a Hole in a Stocking, to which the Hole in the Ice is compared; and therefore 'twas neceffary that the Winds fhould be Masters of the Knitting-Needle to be able to repair the Breach.

In vain,-in vain-the lucid Footing gone,
The Youth is fwallow'd in the broken Yawn,
Death from the Pool rofe grinning for the Prizę.
March views the bony Form with frighted Eyes,
And from his Reach to reach his Brother flies.

Reader, didst thou ever see a long ghaftly Figure of nothing but Bones with an Hour-glafs and Scythe in his Hands, on a Country Tomb ftone, or before an old Ballad of Death and the Lady? If thou haft, then wilt thou eafily perceive the Propriety of this Image, and conclude that March has Reafon to have his Eyes frighted at the grinning, bony Form, Who

is meant by March, fee my Note above on this Line,

March views his vent'rous Feet, &c.

and you will find that the Eye-brows were tortured then by Fear, as much as the Eyes are frighted here:

Yet from his Reach to reach his Brother flies.]

How elegant is the Repetition of Reach? 'Tis true, this is not fo agreeable to the common Way of Speaking; for though I can say, Reach me hither fuch a Thing, yet you cannot fay, No, I will reach it from your Reach. But fuch fublime Poets, as our Author, are above being confined within the narrow Limits of Senfe.

The fractur❜d Cover bursts beneath his Weight,
He finks, the Waters round him circulate:

He finds the Bottom, o'er the liquid Strife
Rofe up to kifs the Paffages of Life.

That is, ere the Water rofe as high as his Mouth. We are to fuppofe that the Water was very defirous of kiffing him, and fought with itself about it; whence arose a liquid Strife.

Paffages of Life.] As Food is the Staff of Life, and paffes in at the Mouth through the Throat, &c. they are elegantly called Paffages of Life. Janus Doufa will have it, that by this Expreffion is meant the Paffage behind, through which, fays he, the Food paffes out; and 'tis not exprefsly determined by the Author whether he meant the Fore or the Back Door of Life. But it is fcarce probable that the Water rofe up no higher : nor would it be quite fo decent to say that the Water wanted to kiss his

Long in the muffled Firmament, the Rain
Belly'd the cloudy Spunges of the Main.

Belly'd

Belly'd is certainly corrupt. We fhould read, belyed; for the cloudy Spunges feemed to say, we fhould have Rain; but the Rain would not come down, and therefore gave the Spunges the Lie. Or perhaps our Author, who is fond of Metaphors, wrote the Line thus:

Jelly'd i'th' cloudy Spunges, &c.

that is, the Rain turned to a ftiff Jelly, and confequently, could not flow in Drops. Either Reading is extremely just and elegant,

W-RB-RT-N.

Cloudy Spunges of the Main.] This is agreeable to Philofophy; which teaches, that the Clouds fpunge upon the Sea, till they have fucked their Belly-full of Liquor, and then they are fqueezed 'till they are dry again, which forms Rain. This Squeezing is Jove's Office, as is told by two Lines fubfequent to these, in the Cotton MS. and which are certainly our Author's, who gives us in them another Source of Rain. [Which Jove refus'd through fine-ey'd Sieves to fqueeze,

Or from his Nofe prolific Drops to fneeze.]

Left falling, running to the Pool beneath,

Too high't fhould hold the Silver Snare of Death. But why Silver? Would not a Copper or Brafs one do as well? But I never heard that Fishing-nets were ever made of Metal. They are generally made of Packthread; but as Death was a Gentleman Fisher, he might use one made of Silk Twift, and therefore I'm inclined to think our Poet wrote, filken Snare; which I have accordingly restored. TH-B-LD.

What would the blockheadly Restorer be at? He is caught in a Leaden Snare, I am fure. By Silver Snare the Poet means, pale or white; Silver being always an Emblem of that Colour. W- RB—RT—N.

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