DR. DARWIN. 331 



\vhich float the thin forms of Sorrows and 

 Apprehenfions, of Sighs whifpering to the 

 chords of her lyre, and Indignations, half 

 unfheathing their fvvords. Thefe fame 

 Indignations are new allegoric perfonages, 

 and may be of dubious welcome. The 

 Paffions, with fuoords by their fides, form 

 imagery which is liable to give a ludicrous 

 impreffion ; yet we fhould remember, that 

 Milton puts a fword into the hand of the 

 archangel, Michael, in the 6th book of the 

 Paradife Loft, and Pope into that of a Ghoft 

 in his Elegy to the Memory of an unfor- 

 tunate Lady ; but Milton gives the weapon 

 dignity by inverting it with flames, on the 

 authority of Scripture, and Pope foftens 

 off the literality by it's imputed indiftincT:- 

 nefs, and by the epithet vtfionary. " VV'hy 

 " dimly gleams the vifionary fword ?" 



Circea, Enchanter's Nightihade, is the 

 firft transformation in this Canto. We 

 learn from the note to the paflage, that 



it 



