442 T A M E S W A N. Clafs II. 



near Rugely, wkh red legs. The fwan lays feven or 

 eight eggs, and is near two months in hatching • it 

 feeds on water plants, infects and (hells. No bird per- 

 haps makes fo inelegant a figure out of the water, or 

 has the command of fuch beautiful attitudes in that 

 element as the fwan : almoft every poet has taken 

 notice of it, but none with that juftice of def- 

 cription, or in lo picturefque a manner, as our 

 Milton. 



The fwan with arched neck 

 Between her white wings mantling, proudly rows 

 Her ftate with oary feet. Par. Loft, b. vii. 



But we cannot help thinking he had here an eye to 

 that beautiful pafTage in Silius Italkus on the fame 

 fubject, though the Englifo poet has greatly improved 

 on it. 



Haud fecus Eridani ftagnis, ripave Cayjlri 



Innatat albus olor, pronoque immobile corpus 



Dat fiuvio, et pedibus tacitas eremigat undas. Lib. 14. 



In former times it was ferved up at every great 

 feaft, when the elegance of the table was meafured by 

 the fize and quantity of the good cheer. Cygnets 

 are to this day fattened at Norwich about Chriflmas y 

 and are fold for a guinea a piece. 



Swans were formerly held in fuch great efteem in 

 England, that by an act of Edward IV. c. 6. '• no one 

 that poffefTed a freehold of lefs clear yearly value than 

 five marks, was permitted to keep any, other than 

 the/on of our fovercign lord the king." And by the 

 eleventh of Henry VII. c. ij. the punifhment for taking 



their 



