154 The Poets and Nature. 



Galatea's silver shell," and "she strikes the cymbal as it 

 moves along." Here another in Montgomery, " enamoured 

 of the Triton's music," floats attentive. A third carries the 

 crowned Arion 



"Who playing on his harpe, unto him drew 

 The eares and hearts of all that goodly crew ; 

 That even yet the dolphin, which him bore 

 Through the ^Egean seas from pirates vew, 

 Stood still by him, astonisht at his lore, 

 And all the raging seas for ioy forget to rore." 



Spenser says, " Through the sweet musick that his harp did 

 make, allured a dolphin him from death to ease." A 

 fourth, as the willing steed of Apollo, " to delight his ear 

 doth load his back " (Davenant). On the one hand, with 

 the older poet, we see " a team of dolphins, ranged in array, 

 draw the smooth chariot of sad Cymoent;" on the other, 

 with the modern Amphitrite in her "pearly car" (Words- 

 worth). "Upon the crooked dolphin's back, scudding 

 amidst the purple-coloured waves" (Green), and "Theban 

 Amphion, leaning on his lute as he skims the sea" (Keats). 

 Thus, too, the melody of " sweet shells " welcomes return- 

 ing Thetis, but the goddess beams with greater pleasure 

 upon " the dolphin tumults " that herald her approach. 

 They are the playmates of Endymion, letting him "feel 

 their scales of gold and green ; " the bright herds of 

 Proteus \ " the dolphin faye " that " won Deucalion's daughter 

 bright" (Spenser) ; the " gen'rous dolphins " that " in sportive 

 ring " guard Neptune's statue (Savage). 



How often these images of antiquity are reproduced by 

 courtier bards I will not venture to say; but, as a rule, 

 whenever kings and queens are on the seas, "about the 

 keel delighted dolphins play ; " and if one poet wishes to 

 pay another a compliment, he speaks of " the gift to King 

 Amphion, that walled a city with its melody." 



So, too, Proteus has his modern representative in him 



