Her bud more lovely near the fetid Leek,
Creft of ftout Britons, and enhances thence

TO WED HER ELM; fhe fpous'd about him twines
Her marriageable arms, and with her brings

Her dower, th' adopted clusters, to adorn

His barren leaves.

254. The Paftan Rofe unfolds

Her bud more lovely near the fetid Leek

-]

255

Our Author has taken this part of his Poem from the PREDIUM RUSTICUM of the Jefuit Vaniere; to whom, however, it should be obferved that he is in general but little indebted.

HOC ODIUM eft, et AMOR tacitus, quo dicitur herbam
Herba fequi, VERSIS RETRO vel cedere FIBRIS.

INDE ROSIS GAUDENT PROPIORIBUS ALLIA; RUTHAM
FICUS AMAT; diverfa trahunt quia pabula terris:
Atque eadem contra vicinam rutha cicutam
Emaciat, rorique nocet faliunca marino;
Communem rapiat quòd edacior altera fuccum:
Herbam non aliis interficit herba venenis.

PRÆDIUM RUSTICUM. L. 8. V. 205.

Hence that averfion and that fecret love
Afcrib'd to plants, while one the other feeks,
Or with averted fibres fhrinks away.

Thus in contiguous rofes garlic joys;
The fig is fond of rue; because each draws

From out the earth a food of different fort:

But rue itself, o'th' contrary, much
Will injure hemlock that is planted near,
And fage is hurtful found to rosemary;

For one, more gluttonous, that moisture drains

Which both require. Thus plants each other kill,

Nor need they other noxious qualities.

Mr. Swinburne, in his Travels in the Two Sicilies, fpeaking of Pefto, the ancient Pæftum, fays, "The Pæftan rofe, from its peculiar fragrance "and the fingularity of blowing twice a year, is often mentioned with predilection by the claffic poets. The wild rofe, which now shoots up among the ruins, is of the fmall damask kind, with a very high perfume. As a farmer affured me on the fpot, it flowers both in fpring and autumn.'

256. Creft of fout Britons]

The cuftom of the Welch wearing a Leek, in honour of their Patron Saint, is thus accounted for by our old poet Drayton, in his POLYOLBION, Song, iv.

The

The price of her celeftial scent. The Gourd,
And thirsty Cucumber, when they perceive
Th' approaching Olive, with resentment fly
Her fatty fibres, and with tendrils creep
Diverse, detefting contact; whilst the Fig
Contemns not Rue, nor Sage's humble leaf
Clofe-neighbouring. Th' Herefordian plant
Careffes freely the contiguous Peach,
Hazel, and weight-resisting Palm, and likes

The Britons, like devout, their meffengers direct
To David, that he wou'd their ancient right protect:

29

260

265

'Mongft Hatt'rill's lofty hills, that with the clouds are crown'd, The valley Ewias lies, immur'd fo deep and round,

As they below, that see the mountains rife fo high,

Might think the ftraggling herds were grazing in the sky:
Which in it such a fhape of folitude doth bear,
As nature at the first appointed it for prayer;
Where in an aged cell with mofs and ivy grown,
In which not to this day the fun hath ever shone,
That rev'rend British Saint, in zealous ages paft,
To contemplation liv'd; and did fo truly fast,
As he did only drink what cryftal Hodney yields,
And fed upon the leeks he gather'd in the fields.
In memory of whom, in the revolving year,
The Welchmen on his day that facred herb do wear.

265.

Weight-refifting Palm]

The introduction of the Palm-tree into the neighbourhood of an Herefordshire Apple-tree is fo extraordinary, that one might be tempted to hazard a verbal criticism, by fuggesting the reading Plum for Palm, were it not for the epithet WEIGHT-RESISTING.

The afcribing that property to the Palm-tree, has ancient authority on its fide. Plutarch affirms that, "If you fufpend a piece of Palm"tree wood in an horizontal pofition, and lay any heavy weight upon "it, instead of yielding under its preffure, it will bend the contrary way, "as refifting against it."

Φοινικος γαρ ξυλον αν ανωθεν επιθεις βαρυπιεζης, 8 κατω θλιβομενον ενδιδωσιν, αλλα κυρτεται προς τεναντίον, ωσπερ ανθισαμενον τω βιαζομένῳ. PLUTARCH. SYMPOS. L. 8. C. 5.

T'approach

T' approach the Quince, and th' Elder's pithy ftem;
Uneafy feated by funereal Yew,

Or Walnut, whose malignant touch impairs
All generous fruits, or near the bitter dews

Of Cherries. Therefore weigh the habits well 270
Of plants, how they affociate beft, nor let
Ill neighbourhood corrupt thy hopeful graffs.

Would'st thou thy vats with generous juice fhould
Refpect thy orchats: think not, that the trees [froth,
Spontaneous will produce an wholesome draught. 275
Let Art correct thy breed: from parent bough
A fcion meetly fever; after force

A

way into the crab-stock's close-wrought grain By wedges, and within the living wound

274.

L

Think not that the trees

Spontaneous will produce a wholesome draught]
Sponte fuâ
quæ fe tollunt in luminis oras

Infœcunda quidem

VIRG. GEORG. ii. 47.

WARTON.

The trees whofe fhades fpontaneous pierce the skies
Are barren

276.

From parent bough

A fcion meetly fever; after force

A way into the crab-ftock's clofe-wrought grain
By wedges, and within the living wound
Enclofe the fofter twig:]

Aut rurfum enodes trunci refecantur, et alte
Finditur in folidum cuneis via; deinde feraces
Plantæ immittuntur

VIRG. GEORG. ii. 78.

Or thro' the polish'd trunk they wedge their way,
And in the chafm infert a lufty spray.

WARTON.

Enclose

er-plants finds paffage free, or else 290 ative verjuice of the Crab, deriv'd

th' infix'd graff, a grateful mixture forms
t and fweet; whatever be the cause,
doubtful progeny, by nicest tastes
ted, best acceptance finds, and pays
ft revenues to the orchat-lord.

295

me think the Quince and Apple would combine ppy union; others fitter deem

95.

foreft wildings"

FAERY QUEEN, B. 3. C. 7. S. 16.

and pays

Largeft revenues to the orchat-lord]

might fancy our Author was here indebted to Dryden's translation fecond GEORGIC.

no fields afford

So large an income to the village-lord.

V. 284.

The

The Sloe-stem, bearing fylvan Plums auftere.

Who knows but both may thrive? howe'er, what lofs

To try
the powers of both, and search how far 301
Two different natures may concur to mix

In close embraces, and strange offspring bear?
Thou'lt find that plants will frequent changes try
Undamag'd, and their marriageable arms
Conjoin with others. So Silurian plants
Admit the Peach's odoriferous globe,

And Pears of fundry forms; at different times
Adopted Plums will alien branches

305. Their marriageable arms.]

grace;

GEORG. ii. 82.

305

MARRIAGEABLE ARMS is from Milton. The paffage has been already cited in the note on V. 253.

306. Silurian.]

In the ancient divifion of our Island, the Silures comprehended Herefordfhire, Radnorshire, Monmouthshire, Breconshire, and Glamorganshire. The Silures are faid to have been fo called, quafi filveftres, from the woodiness of their country, a fylvarum umbris quas habitabant.

Silurian plants

Admit the Peach's odoriferous globe

And Pears of fundry forms; at different times
Adopted Plums will alien branches grace;

And men have gathered from the Hawthorn's branch

Large Medlars, imitating regal crowns.]

Philips feems here to have had in view a paffage in the GEORGICS, which has been much cenfured, particularly by our great English Botanift Miller, as containing a doctrine refpecting grafting, which experiment has demonftrated to be impracticable.

Inferitur vero ex fœtu nucis arbutus horrida,
Et fteriles platani malos geffere valentes,
Caftaneæ fagos, ornufque incanuit albo

Flore pyri; glandemque fues fregere fub ulmis.

GEORG. ii, 69.

On