ides, the filthy fwine will oft invade irm enclosure, and with delving fnout ooted foreft undermine: forthwith o thy furious mastiff; bid him vex noxious herd, and print upon their ears memorial of their past offence. 405 410 e flagrant Procyon will not fail to bring efhoals of flow houfe-bearing fnails, that creep the ripe fruitage, paring flimy tracks e fleek rinds, and unpreft Cider drink. 97. Priapus pus, a heathen Deity, was held by the Ancients to be the guarof vineyards and gardens, where a ridiculous and obscene figure of as commonly placed, and ferved as a fcare-crow. II. — flagrant Procyon] FLAGRANTIS atrax hora caniculæ, HOR. L. III. Ode. xiii. G 2 No No art averts this peft; on thee it lies 415 With morning and with ev'ning hand to rid 420 Myriads of wafps now also clustering hang, Their palatable bane; joyful thou❜lt see Their feet, in liquid fhackles bound, till death Waits luxury and lawless love of gain. 430 Such doom 436 420. whilst the warm limbec draws Salubrious waters from the nocent brood.] Water diftill'd from fnails was a fashionable medicine in the laft century; and was thought particularly good in confumptions. Howe'er Howe'er thou may'st forbid external force, 45 440 Ceafelefs; meanwhile the apple's outward form 445 Till, with a writhen mouth and spattering noise, Difrelifh'd; not with lefs furprise, than when 445. -meanwhile the apple's outward form, 'Till, with a writhen mouth and spatt'ring noise, Difrelifh'd; not with less furprise, than when Embattled troops, &c. &c. 450 Our Poet here refumes fomething of the burlefque ftile of the Splendid Shilling, in defcribing the ridiculous circumftance of any perfon's eagerly eating a fair-looking apple, that is grub-eaten within. He has, indeed, been much cenfured by judicious Critics, for frequently debafing his Poem with paffages bordering on burlesque, and for introducing many images that excite laughter, and are contrary to the majefty of the Didactic Muse. This defcription and fimile have been particularly arraigned in this refpect. Yet in the first he may be traced to a paffage in the PARADISE LOST, where Milton, alfo fomewhat ludicroufly, defcribes the fallen Angels greedily attempting to eat fruit fimilar to that of the forbidden tree, which feemed to fpring up before them, and chewing only duft and bitter afhes. they, fondly thinking to allay Their appetite with guft, instead of fruit Chew'd Through flowery meads delighted, nor distrust Chew'd bitter ashes, which th' offended taste 455 WITH SPATTERING NOISE REJECTED: oft they affay'd, With hatefulleft DISRELISH WRITH'D THEIR JAWS 457. Alcinous' groves.] P. L. x. 564. Homer's defcription of the garden of Alcinous is curious, as giving us an idea of the gardens of the Ancients. In this place it is fufficient to exhibit it in the harmonious verfification of Mr. Pope, with whom it was probably a favourite paffage, as he felected it from the other parts of Homer's works, and published a translation of it, in the Guardian, before he attempted the rest. Close to the gates a fpacious garden lies, The fame mild feafon gives the blooms to blow, Some to unload the fertile branches run, Some dry the black ning clusters in the fun, Others The pride of the Phæacian ifle, from whence, To Ariconium precious fruits arriv'd; 47 460 The Pippin burnish'd o'er with gold, the Moyle Of sweetest honey'd taste, the fair Permain Temper'd, like comelieft nymph, with red and white. Salopian acres flourish with a growth Peculiar, ftyl'd the Ottley; be thou first Others to tread the liquid harvest join, Two plenteous fountains the whole profpect crown'd; 465 } The Phæacia of the Ancients, is an island in the Gulf of Venice. It was afterwards called Corcyra; it is now Corfu, and is fubject to the dominion of the Venetians. It retains fome of its characteristic features in Homer's days. The foil is very fertile, and produces oil, wine, and moft excellent fruits. 464. Salopian acres flourish with a growth Peculiar, ftil'd the Ottley. -] Adam Ottley Efq. of Pitchford, within a few miles of Shrewsbury, was cotemporary with our Author at Oxford, being then Gentleman Commoner of Baliol College. He was of the fame political principles with Philips, and was one of his particular friends.The family of Ottley is among the oldeft families in Shropshire, and was originally of Ottley near Ellesmere, but came into poffeffion of the estate at Pitchford, in the year 1472. The Ottley Apple is not much known in Shropshire at prefent, but feveral trees of it are preferved in the garden at Pitchford. This |