37 
ftitution were eftablifhed in every large 
town in the kingdom *. 
The commerce of Briftol is faid to be 
on the decline: this is attributed by fome 
to the difficult and circuitous naviga- 
tion of its rivers—the exorbitancy of the 
town dues—and the decay of enter- 
priling fpirit in its imbhabitants. But 
perhaps the war is a better folution of this 
queftion. Formerly it had the Turkey, 
the Greenland, and African flave trade 
to fupport its commercial confequence : 
the twoformer have long fince ceaied, the 
Jaft, I am happy to fay, is juft expiring : 
but, like fome fabulous riverthat I forget, 
it difappears in one place, only to rife in 
another: Liverpool has gained what Brif- 
tol lot. The Weft India trade fill 
flourifhes here. Several improvements in 
the arts take their origin from Briftol: 
the patent fhot—the rolling machine for 
paper—and the method for facilitating 
the rotation of an axis by means of fub- 
fidiary wheels. I cannot difmifs this 
imperfe&t accoun. without. condemning 
the barbarous cuftom of ufing fledges in 
the public ftreets for the conveyance of 
goods, which are continually endangering 
‘the limbs, both of men and cattle. One 
would fuppofe that at’ Briftol they had 
not mechanics encugh to cart a hogfhead 
of fugar. Tam, &e: 
AO: B. 
—— ee 
For the Monthiy Magazine. 
ON PERSGNIFICATIONS IN POETRY. 
(Continued from page 253.) 
ff OPE,that benignant affection, which, 
i JL according to the mythologifts, was 
the gift of heaven, to compenfate for the 
numerous ills fent on the human race, has 
_not citen been reprefented by the poets 
under a material form. Spenfer has two 
figures of Hope. One is that of a virgin 
ciad in blue, and chiefly diftinguithed by 
the anchor on which fhe leans. This is 
the eftablifhed fymbol by which Hope is 
marked out in painting ; and may be in- 
ferpreted as referring to that property cf 
this affection, by which it enables the foul 
to refiit all the fiorms of adverfity, and 
preferves it from the fhipwreck of delpair. 
As ufually piftured, however, it is liable 
to obje&tions. A great anchor is an awk- 
ward thing for a delicate female to cairy 
about with her; nor is it at all an inftru- 
ment for leaning upon. She ought to bear 
jt as a miniature ornament, or to have its 
figure embroidered on her rohe. 
* Theve is a fimilar inftitution at Liverpool. 
ait. 
Perfonifications in Poetry. 
[*May 
Spenfer’s other portraiture of this being 
1s deligned with more fancy and elegance. 
With him [Fear] went Hoge in rank, a 
handfome maid, 
Of cheerful look, and lovely to behold ; 
In filken famite the was light arrayd, 
And her fair locks were woven upin gold: 
She alway {mil’d, and in her hand did hold 
An holy-water fprinkle, dipt im dew. 
FioQ. lil. 23h 
Mr. Spence inftances this emblem of 
the afpergoire, or f{prinkler, as ene of 
thofe which are cenfurable for want of 
fufiicient diftinétnefs. It is not, indeed, 
perfectly obvious; but, I think, not void 
of propriety ; for Hope may juftly be re- 
prefented as fhedding that divine influence 
on the mind, which enables it to repel the 
attacks of misfortune, and the fuggeftions 
of defpair. It is to be noted, that fuch a 
fymbol was formerly much more likely to 
be underftood, than at prefent. ? 
A figure of Hope is tketched by Milton 
in his Comus, extremely elegant, but 
{carcely diftinguifhed from the other af- 
(=) 
fections friendly to man. é 


-white handed Hoge, _ 
Thou hovering angel girt with golden wings. 
Com. 225. 
Yet the epithet howering has peculiar 
force in denoting the cloie and unremit- 
ting guardianfhip of this celeftial atten- 
dant. 
Collins, in his pafioxs, though he feems 
to dwell with peculiar pleafure on the 
mific of Hope, has added nothing to her 
portrait. 
Cowley has two pieces, highly wrought, 
in his peculiar manner, entitled, * fer 
and againf? Hope ;” m which every line 
difplays a new image, or figure of ccm- 
parifon, which is juft ftarted, and then 
relinquifhed. Some of thefe are pidfurefque, 
but are too flight and tranfient for a di- 
{tinét perfonification. 
FAITH is, by Spenfer, called the elder 
fifter of Hope ; and is thus defcribed : 
the eldeft, that Fidelia hight, 
Like funny beams threw from her cryftal face, 
That could have daz’d the rafh beholder’s 
fight, 
And round about. her head did fhine like 
heaven’s light. 

She was arrayed all in lily white, 
Andin her right hand bore a cup of gold, 
With wine and water fill’d up to the height, 
In which a ferpent did himfelf enfold, 
That horror made to all that did behold ; 
But fhe no whit did change her conftant mood 3 
And in her other hand fhe faft did hold 
A book 
