Page:Biographical and critical studies by James Thomson ("B.V.").djvu/343

 A STRANGE BOOK 327 Liberty." The names and phrases may vary; the essential faith and doctrine is ever the same in all. Let us consider a few instances relating specially to poetry. First, Plato. Ion, the short dialogue between Socrates and the Homeric rhapsodist (or rhapsode, as Professor Jowett prefers) is devoted to insistence on this doctrine of the Divine madness of poetic inspiration, the " fine frenzy " of Shakespeare.* Here is the central exposition, as it were the keystone of the arch. I use Jowett's version ; but Shelley also Englished it, Mrs. Shelley strangely avowing, " I do not know why Shelley selected the Ion to translate." '■'■ Soc. The gift which you possess of speaking excellently about Homer is not an art, but an inspiration ; there is a divinity, moving you, like that in the stone which Euripides calls a magnet, but which is commonly known as the stone of Ileraclea. For that stone not only attracts iron rings, but also imparts to them a similar power of attracting other rings ; and sometimes you may see a number of pieces of iron and rings suspended from one another, so as to form quite a long chain ; and all of them derive their power of suspension from the original stone. Now this, like the Muse, who first of all inspires man herself, and from these inspired persons a chain of other persons is suspended, who take the inspiration from them. For all good poets, epic as well as lyric, compose their beautiful poems, not as works of art, but because they arc inspired and possessed. And as the Corybantian revellers, when they dance, arc not in their right mind, so the lyric poets are not in their right Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven ; And as imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothings A local habitation and a name."
 * " The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,