
1799] 
A book that was both fign’d and feal’d with 
blood, 
Wherein dark things were writ, hard to be 
underitood. By Qs tte 
This is religious Faith. The glory 
about her head, her pure white garments, 
and her myfterious book, \are all fymbols 
derived from religion, The golden cup 
of wine and water, containing a wreathed 
ferpent, is intended, I prefume, as an em- 
blem of the eucharitft. 
Milton characterizes Faith by the epi- 
thet of pure-eyed, when addrefied by the 
Virgin in Comus, as one of her guardian 
attendants. 
The antient portraiture of TRUTH was 
a female figure, beautiful, plainly clad, 
but fhining with peculiar {plendour. Ad- 
difon, in his ingenious allegory of «* True 
and Falfe Wit, adheres to this {imple man- 
ner of painting. He chiefly diftinguifhes 
the Goddefs of Truth by the ‘* bright 
light”® effufed from her, the effe& of which 
was fuch, that the figure of falfehood gra- 
dually melted away to nothing in “her 
prefence. 
The fame idea, exprefled with more 
brilliancy, conftitutes the effence of Mr. 
Mafon’s portraiture of Truth. 
So Truth proclaims. I hear the facred found 
Burft trom the center of her burning throne, 
Where aye fhe fits with ftar-wreath’d luftre 
crown’d; 
A bright fun clafps her adamantine throne. 
Elfrida. 
The learned Jonfon, however, has not 
been contented with this fimplicity of de- 
lineation ; for, in one of his mafques, he 
draws the following pigture of Truth, 
which, as a fpecimen of a particular man- 
ner, I think worth prefenting. 
Upon her head fhe wears a crown of fiars, 
. Through which her orient hair waves to her 
waift, 
By which, believing mortals hold her fat, 
And in thofe golden cords are carried even 
Till with her breath fhe blows them up to 
heay’n. 
She wears a robe enchas’d with eagles eyes, 
To fignify her fight in myfteries 5 
| Upon each fhoulder fits a milk-white dove, 
And at her feet do wily ferpents move : 
Her fpacious arms do reach from eaft to weft, 
And you may fee her heart fhine thro’ her 
breaft : 
Herright hand holds a fun with burning rays: 
Her left a curious bunch of golden keys, 
' With which heaven’s gate fhe locketh and 
difplays 
A cryftal mirror hanging at her breaft, 
By which mens’ confciences are fea cok d and 
rack’d, &c. 
Perfonifications in Poetry. 
37% 
There are feveral more lines of this de- 
{cription ; but enough has been quoted 
to give an example of that injudicious ac- 
cumulation of emblems, by which a fi- 
gure is rather overwhelmed than iluf- 
trated. 
LisertTy has frequently received the 
homage of poets, efpecially of Britith 
ones; but few have exercifed their fancy. 
in painting the object of their adoration. 
She is generally reprefented as a goddefs, 
fair and majeftic, but diftinguifhed by 
{carcely any emblematical. accompany - 
ments. Formerly fhe bore the wand and 
cap, employed by the Romans as fymbols 
in the emancipation of flaves 5 but Thom- 
fon, with propriety, rejects thefe tokens, 
when he defcribes her as the guardian 
deity of Britain. 

Methought, the fair majeftic power 
Of Liberty appear’d. Not, as of old, 
Extended in her hand the cap and rod, 
Whofe flave-enlarging touch gave double life ; 
But her bright temples bound with Britith 
oak, 
And reget honours nodded on her brow. 
Sublime of port; loofe oer her fhoulder 
flow’d 
Hersea-green robe, with conftellations gay. 
An ifland-goddefs nuw 3 and her high care 
The queen of ifles, the miftrefs of the main. 
Liberty, i. 25. 
This is a ftriking figure, but not fuf- 
ficiently difcriminated ; for in the illand- 
goddefs, we lofe the peculiar features of 
ae : 
A vifion of Addifon’s likewile prefents 
a fublime image of this perfonage, but an 
indiftinét one. 
<¢ T beheld the yoddefs fitting upon a throne. 
She had nothing to enclofe her, but the bounds 
of her own dominions 3 \and nothing over her 
head put the heavens. Every glance of her 
eye caft a tract of light where it fell, that 
revived the f{pring, and made all things {mile 
about her.” Tatlex, No. 161. 
He afterwards, with claflical propriety, 
marks out the genius of a commonwealth, 
by the cap and wand ; alluding, as well to 
the moft famous of all republics, as to the 
characteriftic of democratical govern- 
ments, the levelling of all diftingtions of 
rank. 
When Milten, in his LD? Allegr 05 called 
Liberty << the mountain-nymph,”” he ra- 
ther, I fuppofe, had in his mind, the wn- 
retrained air and fomewhat ruftic fpirit 
of freedom, as refpecting the intercourfe 
of fociety, Mian the tendency of moun- 
tainous fituations. to favour political 
liberty. Free 
(To be conttnued.) 
TOUR 
