The notions of our author's friend, Sir Philip Sydney, who, with many others of that age, had a strong Platonic cast, perhaps contributed not a little to fix Spenser's choice on the subject of the Hymnes just mentioned. Take his own words in the Defence of Poesie. "That lyrical kind of songs and sonnets— which-how well it might be employed, and with how heavenly fruits both in publicke and private, in singing the praises of the Immortal Beauty*."

B. iii. c. vi. s. xxx.

He speaks of the Garden of Adonis.

In that same garden all the goodly flowres
Wherewith dame Nature doth her beautifie,
Are fetcht; there is the first seminarie
Of all things that are born to live and die.

In his particular description of this garden,

supr.

Ad Calc. Pembroke's Arcadia, pag. 564. Edit. op

the general idea of which is founded in ancient story, he perhaps had an eye to that part of the fable of Adonis, in which he is supposed to represent the sun, which quickens the growth of all things. Thus Orpheus in his Hymn to Adonis.

Ενζέλε, πολυμορφε, τροφη πανίων αριδηλε,
Κέρη και κορε, συ πασι θαλα αιεν, Αδωνι,
Σβεννύμενε, λαμπωνε καλαις εν κυκλασιν ώραις.

Prudens, multiformis, pabulum omnibus præclarum,
Puella et puer, tu omnibus germen, Adoni,
Extincte, fulgensque in pulchris redeuntibus horis.

Others represent him as the seed of wheat. Thus the scholiasts on Theocritus. — Τ8ίο το λειόμενον, τοιείον εσιν αληθως Ότι ὁ Αδωνις, γΓεν ὁ σι ὁ σπειρομενΘ, ἐξ μηνας εν τη γῇ ποιει ύπο της σπορας, και έξ μήνας εχει αυτον ή Αφροδίτη, τελεσιν, ἡ ευκρασία το αερος, και εκίοτε λαμβανεσον αυτον οι ανθρωποι *.” _“Hoc revera ita se habet: scilicet quod Adonis est Frumentum satum; quod sex menses sub

* Ad Idyll. 3. v. 48.

terra degit, et sex menses eum habet Venus; nimirum aeris temperies, et postea a messoribus colligitur."-Orpheus, in the same hymn, calls the body of Adonis

Δεμας ωριοκαρπον.

Corpus frugiferum.

He has placed Cupid and Psyche in this garden, where they live together in,

Stedfast love, and happy state.

st. 50.

But Apuleius represents this happy state of Cupid and Psyche, to have commenced after their reception into heaven. However, their offspring Pleasure is authorised by Apuleius. "Sic ecce Psyche venit in manum Cupidinis; et nascitur illis maturo partu filia quam Voluptatem nominamus*." He has made

* Metam. 1. 6.

Pleasure the daughter of Cupid in another poem. Speaking to that deity.

There with thy daughter Pleasure they do play
Their hurtlesse sports*.

B. iii. c. xi. s. xlvii.

Of the statue of Cupid.

Wings it had with sundrie colours dight,
More sundrie colours than the proud pavone
Bears in his boasted fan, or Iris bright,

When her discolour'd bow she spreads thro' heaven bright.

Cupid was represented by the ancients with parti-coloured wings, as we learn, among others, from the following passage of an epigram ascribed to Virgil.

Marmoreusque tibi Diversicoloribus alis

In morem picta stabit Amor pharetra†.

* Hymne to love.

+ Virgil. Catalect. Burman. edit. vol. iv. pag. 143. Ad Venerem.

But this splendid plumage was probably sup→ plied by Spenser's imagination; or from that fund of brilliant imagery-the Italian poets. In the Pastorals, March, he draws Cupid after the same manner.

With that sprung forth a naked swaine,
With spotted wings like peacocke's train.

Thus also Cupid, in the next Canto, st. 23.

And clapt on high his coloured winges twaine.

In Muipotmos his wings are compared with those of a butterfly.

Bears in his wings so manie a changefull token.

In the comparison of the peacock and the

rainbow, as they occur together, he probably imitated Tasso.