Page:Biographical and critical studies by James Thomson ("B.V.").djvu/344

328 CRITICAL STUDIES mind when they are composing their beautiful strains ; but when falling under the power of music and metre, they are inspired and possessed — like Bacchic maidens, who draw milk and honey from the rivers, when they are under the influence of Dionysus, but not when they are in their right mind. . . . For the poet is a light and winged and holy thing, and there is no invention in him until he has been inspired, and is out of his senses, and the mind is no longer in him ; when he has not attained to this state, he is powerless, and is unable to utter his oracles. . . . Had he learned by rules of art, he would have known how to speak, not of one theme only, but of all ; and, therefore, God takes away the mind of poets, and uses them as His ministers, as He also uses diviners and holy prophets, in order that we who hear them may know that they speak not of themselves, who utter these priceless words in a state of unconsciousness, but that God is the speaker, and that through them He is conversing with us." So in the Meno : — " Soc. Then we shall also be right in calling those divine whom we were just now speaking of as diviners and prophets, including the whole tribe of poets. Yes, and Statesmen above all may be said to be divine and illumined, being inspired and possessed of God, in which condition they say many good things, not knowing what they say." Again, in the " Apology of Socrates " : — " I went to the poets — tragic, dithyrambic, and all sorts ! . . . Will you believe me? I am almost ashamed to confess the truth, but I must say, that there is hardly a person present who would not have talked better alx)Ut their poetry than they did themselves. Then I know, without going further, that not by wisdom do poets write poetry, but by a sort of genius and inspiration ; they are diviners or soothsayers, who also say many fine things, but do not understand the meaning of them." And, again, in the Phadrus : — ^^ Soc. But there is also a madness which is the gift of heaven, and the source of the choicest blessings among men.