12 



had seen it, he undoubtedly could not have read it: yet, 

 it may be presumed, it was written before he 'was born. 

 Miss Brooke, on the presumptive evidence of the language, 

 refers it to the middle ages. If, therefore, it supplied Tasso 

 with a foundation for his beautiful episode of Armida, he 

 must have found it in some other language; and, perhaps, 

 under some other form. Without meaning, however, to in- 

 sist on the probability of my conjecture, I shall exhibit a 

 few parallel passages, from the two poems, and leave the 

 reader to decide. 



Air apparir della belta novella 



Nasce un bisbiglio, e'l guardo ogn'un v'intende; 



Siccome la, dove Cometa, o Stella 



Non piu vista di giorno in ciel risplende: 



E traggon tutti per veder clii sia 



Si bella pellegrina, e chi I'invia. 



Argo non mai, non vide Cipro, o Delo 

 ' D'abito, o di belta forme si care. 



Her naatchless charms the wond'ring bands surprize, 

 Provoke their whispers, and attract their eyes; 

 So mortals, through the midnight fields of air, 

 Observe the blaze of some unusual star. 

 Sudden they throng to view th' approaching dame, 

 Eager to learn her message, and her name. 

 Not Argos, Cyprus, or the Delian coast, &c. hoole. 



And, 



sequent to the time of Spenser; else he would not have omitted to notice 

 them, in his very curious and interesting account of the Irish Bards; an 

 order of men, whose " history" (as Dr. Brown justly observes) " is, perhaps, 

 '< of all others, the most extraordinary." • 



