1822,] 
with several other matters in a similar 
Style of imagery, which may be seen by 
a reference to the ode itself. Now the 
trnth is, that during a considerable 
portion of the year, and especially at 
that period te which Petrarch’s verses 
would seem more particularly to refer, 
the Sorgue invariably rises above the 
barrier that separates it from the ca- 
vern, and rushing over the rocks in a 
tremendous torrent, entirely precludes 
the possibility of access to the fountain. 
Even at other times if is little calcu- 
lated fora bath for * beauty’s daugh- 
ters ;”’ to say nothing of the absence of 
“ waving trees, and showering blos- 
soms.” 
At the conclusion ef the ede, Pe- 
trarch, allading to a bower in the vi- 
cinity of the fountain, informs us that it 
was there his love first had birth.* This 
may possibly be a poetical flourish; if 
not, what could Laura be doing at Vau- 
eluse, apparently without any pro- 
fessed object save that of bathing. But 
the most convincing fact of all remains 
yet to be stated. On the day the 
writer of this notice visited the foun- 
tain, the water, in consequence of long 
drought, happened to be unusually 
low. Upon attempting to sound its 
depth, however, we lowered:a fathom- 
ing line of upwards of fifty feet in 
Jength, without finding any bottom. 
These circumstances, added to the evi- 
dences contained in the poem itself, 
totally destroy the hypothesis of Vol- 
taire, and the host of critics who have 
contended that the poem Chiare Fresche 
was addressed to the fountain of Vau- 
eluse. 
The question then naturally arises, 
to what fountain do the verses alluded 
to in reality refer? This is easily to 
be solved. At a short distance from 
Avignon is a beautiful spring, entitled 
the Triade, so situated as to correspond 
in every particular with the description 
of Petrarch, where the \adies of the 
eity were accustomed to bathe in great 
numbers; and which was in all pro- 
bability the scene of the little adven- 
ture introduced in his Canzone, 
Nel dolee tempo, &c. 
To this spring, and not to the foun- 
tain of Vaucluse, were Petrarch’s ele- 
gant lines indubitably addressed. 
Voltaire cites this poem as a speci- 
* According to his biographers, Petrarch 
firat beheld Lauretta de Sade in the church 
of the monastery of St. Claire, at Avignon, 
on Good Friday, 1347. 
MONTHLY MAG, No. 364, 
Picture of Ireland, and the Cause of its Discontents. 
17 
men of Petrarch’s manner, (the usual 
cant of commonsplace criticism) and 
calls it his fine Ode on the Fountain of 
Vaucluse. As a proof, however, that 
netwithstanding all he is pleased to say 
of the writings of the Italian sonnetteer, 
he never so much as read them through- 
out; he terms this “ an irregular ode 
in blank verse, which (says he) the 
poet composed in order to avoid weary- 
ing himself for rhymes, but which is 
moreesteemed thau his rhymed verses.”” 
This is all very fine, and rounds his 
period admirably; but. unfortunately 
for Voltaire, it happens to be diametri- 
cally opposed to fact. The piece in 
question, is not only rhymed through- 
out, but is moreover the most harmo- 
nious and successful of all Petrarch’s 
productions, aud particularly his ryth- 
mical ones. 
Thus it is that gross errors are con- 
firrzed instead of being corrected. Cri- 
tics too often take that for granted 
which has been advanced upon some 
great authority, and so reiterate absur- 
dlities rather than take the trouble of 
examining for themselves. In this 
spirit Warton criticises an instance of 
false taste in Tasso’s Aminta, upon the 
authority of Pope, who, (in one of his 
papers on pastoral poetry, in the Guar- 
dian) had censured the immortal Ita- 
lian for an absurdity of which he had 
not been guilty of, and for verses of 
which he was equally innocent. 
A critic caunot commit an act of 
grosser injustice to the literary reputa- 
tion of the author upon whom he pro- 
fesses to comment, than thus to con- 
clude by precedent, and incorporate 
with his own observations the stric- 
tures of other writers, without first 
satisfying himself as to their correct- 
ness and propriety. Ss. 
—<>>__ 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
PICTURE Of IRELAND, and the CAUSE 
of its DISCONTENTS. 
RELAND is a country under pecu- 
liar and unprecedented cireum- 
stances. In consequence of the inva- 
sion and subjugation of that island by 
the English, the government became 
vested in the hands of its conquerors ; 
and a great proportion of the estates of 
its original inhabitants was forfeited 
to the erown of England, and conferred. 
upon favourites and adventurers. These 
persons formed the government of the 
kingdom, and in all cases’ uniformly 
supported the authority of England, in 
opposition to the epee and eas '- 
0 
