cious morfel with his tongue, in order to protract the pleasure; yet the sweet meat, thus flowly fwallowed down, fhall grow as bitter as gall or wormwood in his bowels; where it fhall rage like poison, and rack him with tormenting pains. If the oppreffor has poured unmeasured treafures down his throat, he will not retain the burden long; his loathing stomach foon will caft the precious furfeit up, though with reluctance. God fhall beguile his belly of its prey, and wreft it from his bowels; it fhall prove as great a torment to him, as if he had fucked the very poison of afps; it shall gnaw his heart, and feed upon his vitals. The rivers of pleasure, which he vainly flattered himself would flow in ftreams upon him and requite his labour, fhall disappoint his hopes, and floods of forrow fhall fucceed them. And notwithstanding he should endeavour to repair his broken fortune by fresh fatigues, it fhall avail him nothing; nay, though his attempts fhould fucceed, and he should recover all the riches he was once poffeffed of, he fhall have no delight, no fatisfaction in them; fince he has left the poor, by his new oppreffions, deftitute, and in defpair; fince by his violence, he has feized the habitation which another had erected. Conscious guilt therefore fhall rend his heart to pieces, and rack his very foul. Notwithstanding all his care and vigilance, he shall not fave the smallest portion of all his ill-gotten fubftance: when he dies, his heir fhall never enquire after his hoarded treasures; because he will have no hope to find them. Though we should fuppofe him to abound once more with wealth and power; yet then he will be furrounded with unexpected mischiefs; for every one whom he has oppreffed will feize upon him, and demand atonement for their wrongs. In the midst of his fenfual enjoyments, God himself will torment him with the moft direful effects of his divine vengeance; which, whilst he imagines himself moft fecure, shall pour down like an impetuous torrent on his devoted head. If he endeavours to avoid fome small misfortunes, a greater fhall attend him; juft as

if

if any one, to escape the weapon in a man's hand, should be struck through with a bow of steel. And though the pointed arrow should be drawn out by fome fkilful hand, and by accident he fhould recover; yet he shall not live in peace, but fears and terrors fhall furround him. To whatever place he flies, in hope of fhelter and protection, there fhall he meet with dangers unforeseen. A fire that was never kindled by any mortal fhall confume him, and the fame contagious diftemper fhall infect his progeny, if there be any remaining, and they fhall fpend their tedious hours in agonizing pains. Thus heaven, by fome tremendous judgments fuch as thunder, lightning, or tempefts, fhall reveal his fecret fins, and the earth, by her ferpents, or beafts of prey, shall declare war against him. His ill-gotten fubftance fhall flow away, like a rapid stream, in that day, when the Almighty, provoked by his repeated crimes, fhall defcend from heaven to confume the oppreffor. This is the dreadful portion which God, the impartial judge of the whole world, will allot to those who are impenitent finners; in this awful manner will he avenge himself of all his foes, who dare to blafpheme his holy name, and bid him open defiance.

MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS on CHAP. XX.

VERSE I. IF.

THEN ANSWERED ZOPHAR THE NAAMATHITE, AND SAID, THEREFORE DO MY THOUGHTS CAUSE ME TO ANSWER, AND FOR THIS I MAKE HASTE.

"THEREFORE, the fierce Naamathite reply'd,

My thoughts, returning with impetuous tide, "Impell one answer more: nor heed my ear Thy warning, nor thy menace will I fear.

"Some readers perhaps, of an over delicate taste, may grow tired with these re"peated declamations on the tranfient profperity and fearful catastrophe of great oppreffors. But thefe three men having the fame ideas of the courfe of providence, and of the cafe of their unhappy friend, muft of neceffity fpeak with a general uniformity

formity on the fubject. In the mean while thefe very repetitions promote the "defign of the poem. They teaze and exafperate the good man's fpirit, and carry "him further in thofe exceffes of complaint and felf-juftification; which exceffes be

ing afterwards properly represented to him prove the very means of his conviction "and repentance. The fubject, however, in this fecond fpeech of Zophar is placed in "fo many different views, and reprefented by emblems and metaphors fo entirely his own, that these at least have the charms of novelty. Upon the whole, there is great poetical merit in this fpeech. It is a torrent of oriental eloquence, rufhing on "with the vehemence of a fiery temper inflamed by refentment and mistaken zeal."

VERSE XIV.

SCOTT.

YET HIS MEAT IN HIS BOWELS IS TURNED; IT IS THE GALL OF ASPS WITHIN HIM.

THE most approved naturalifts affure us, that all ferpents have not only very large galls, but fuch as are very venemous and fatal. There are remedies, however, against the infection of every kind of them, the Asp only excepted. Ariftotle and Pliny affure us, that the bite of the latter is not only incurable, but certain death within the compafs of four hours. It is very remarkable, likewife, that the bite, or fting of this creature, though thus fatal, creates a kind of pleafing pain, if any; and the perfon thus touched is infenfible, as it were, all the time the infection is fpreading over his vitals, of its dire effects. It throws the party into a foft flumber, and in that flumber he most affuredly expires, notwithstanding the utmost endeavours of the moft skilful phyficians. It was for this very reason, that the celebrated CLEOPATRA, queen of Egypt, upon the lofs of Alexandria, being determined to die with her beloved MARK ANTHONY, rather than be made a captive, and led in triumph into Rome, put Afps to her breafts, as knowing that their bite was inevitable death, and that the ftupefaction, which would inftantly enfue, would render her altogether infenfible of the pain, if there fhould be any, attending her approaching diffolution.

Shakespear in his fportful way,-fee the fifth Scene of the last Act of Anthony and Cleopatra, has conveyed a stronger idea of the Asp and his deathful qualities, than any description the most elaborate naturalift could have afforded us ; as we shall quote the paffage, it may be proper to premise, that it is an excellence peculiar to this great Author, that by way of prelude to fome interefting event, he frequently introduces low characters and turns of humour which have a wonderful effect, and which few have happily imitated. Witnefs the grave-diggers in Hamlet, Sir John Falstaff and his comrades in Henry IV. and V.-The boy in the fixth Scene of Julius Cæfar, and to name no more, the following Dialogue, which not only prepares the audience to feel the important incident of Cleopatra's death, but difpofes them to caft a veil of love and pity over the exceptionable parts of eminently enterprifing characters.

Enter

Haft thou the pretty worm of NILUS there,

That kills and pains not?

CLOWN. Truly, I have him, but I would not be the party fhould defire you to touch him, for his biting is immortal; thofe that do. die of it, da feldom or never recover.

CLEOP.

Remember'ft thou any that have dy'd on't?

CLOWN. Very many, men and women too. I heard of one of them, no longer than yesterday, a very honeft woman, but fomething given to lie, as a woman should not do, but in the way of honefty. How the dy'd of the biting of it, what pain fhe felt truly, the makes a very good report o'th' worm: but he, that will believe all that they say, shall never be faved by half that they do. But this is most fallible, the worm's an odd worm.

CLEOP.

Farewell.

CLOWN. Look you, the worm is not to be trufted but in the keeping of wife people; for, indeed, there is no goodnefs in the worm.

CLEOP. Take no care; it fhall be heeded.

CLOWN. Very good give it nothing, I pray you, for it is not worth the

feeding.

CLEOP. Will it eat me?

CLOWN. You must not think I am fo fimple, but I know the devil himself will not eat a woman: I know, that a woman is a difh for the Gods, if the devil drefs her not. But, truly thefe fame whorefon devils do the Gods great harm in their women: fer in every ten that they make, the devils mar five.

CLEOP.

CLEOP.

Well, get thee gone, farewell.

CLOWN. Yes, forfooth, I wish you joy o' th' worm.

[Exit.

I cannot close this remark without quoting Mr. Dryden on the fame occafion. The concluding lines being a flight truly poetick and worthy the great author,

IRAS.
CLEOP.

Underneath the fruit the ASPICK lies.
Welcome thou kind deceiver.

Thou beft of thieves; who with an eafy key

Doft open life, and unperceiv'd by us,

Ev'n fteal us from ourselves, discharging fo

Death's dreadful office better than himself,

Touching our limbs fo gently into flumber,

[putting afide the leaves.

That death ftands by, deceiv'd by his own image,

And thinks himself but fleep.

Bishop Warburton fubjoins to this fcene the following note. But he that will "believe ALL that they fay, fhall never be faved by HALF that they do.-Shake"fpear's clowns are always jokers, and deal in fly fatire. It is plain this must be read the contrary way, and ALL and HALF change places."

VERSE XVII.

HE SHALL NOT SEE THE RIVERS, THE FLOODS, THE BROOKS OF
HONEY AND BUTTER.

"FORBID, juft heav'n, that e'er his eyes behold
"Thy chearful bleffings round his mansion roll'd;
"That fountains flow for him, and rivers foam

"From the fweet dairy and the sweeter comb.

"These figurative expreffions undoubtedly reprefent fome part of his punishment. "Rivers, honey, and milk are oriental emblems of felicity: and it is poffible, that "the utter lofs of all his former abundance and enjoyments may be intended. But I very much fufpect, that a worfe punishment is here threatened; even exclufion from "the feats of the bleffed. The bleffings of religion and the future happiness of good "men are represented in fcripture by thefe pleasant images. -Similar to thefe is the "description of Paradife in the KORAN,-THEREIN ARE RIVERS OF INCORRUP "TIBLE WATER, AND RIVERS OF MILK, THE TASTE WHEREOF CHANGETH NOT; AND RIVERS OF WINE, PLEASANT UNTO THOSE WHO DRINK; AND

RIVERS OF CLARIFIED HONEY.-If this feventeenth verfe be understood of happiness in a future world, it is certainly out of its place; and will enter more properly next after verfe 25. The laft fentence of that verfe, I think, relates to future punishments:-TERRORS ARE UPON HIM. The tranflation will then be,

And