110 ORIGIN OF SOCIETY. CANTO in. 



Ailes, whose broad curves gigantic ribs sustain, 



Where holy echoes chant the adoring strain; 310 



The central altar, sacred to the Lord, 



Admired by Sages, and by Saints ador'd, 



Whose brazen canopy ascends sublime 



On spiral columns unafraid of Time, 



Were first by Fancy in ethereal dyes 



Plann'd on the rolling tablets of his eyes; 



And his true hand with imitation fine 



Traced from his Retina the grand design. 



" The Muse of MIMICRY in every age 

 With silent language charms the attentive stage; 320 



The Muse of Mimicry, 1. 319- Much of the pleasure received from 

 the drawings of flowers finely finished, or of portraits, is derived 

 from their imitation or resemblance of the objects or persons which 

 they represent. The same occurs in the pleasure we receive from 

 mimicry on the stage; we are surprised at the accuracy of its enacted 

 resemblance. Some part of the pleasure received from architecture, 

 as when we contemplate the internal structure of gothic temples, as 

 of King's College chapel in Cambridge, or of Lincoln Cathedral, 

 may arise also from their imitation or resemblance of those superb 

 avenues of large trees, which were formerly appropriated to religious 

 ceremonies. 



