Our knowledge or opinion; then retires

Into her private cell when nature rests.
Oft in her absence mimic fancy wakes
To imitate her; but misjoining shapes,

Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams,
Ill matching words and deeds long past or late.
Some fuch refemblances methinks I find
Of our last evening's talk, in this thy dream,
But with addition ftrange; yet be not fad.
Evil into the mind of God or Man

May come and go, fo unapprov'd, and leave
No fpot or blame behind: Which gives me hope
That what in fleep thou didst abhor to dream,
Waking thou never wilt confent to do.

Be not dishearten'd then, nor cloud thofe looks,
That wont to be more chearful and ferene,

117. Evil into the mind of God or

Man] God here must fignify Angel, as it frequently does in this poem. For God cannot be tempted with evil, as St. James fays (I. 13.) of the Supreme Being. And Milton had juft before (as Mr. Thyer alfo obferves) used the term God in the fame meaning. ver. 59.

Nor God nor Man?

again ver. 70.

110

115

120

Than

yet able to make Gods of Men.

129. So chear'd be his fair spouse,

and fhe was chear'd,] A manner of speaking that occurs fometimes in Scripture, as in Jerem. XX. 7. thou haft deceived me, and I

Deigns none to eafe thy load and was deceived. tafte thy sweet,

137. But

125

Than when fair morning firft fmiles on the world;
And let us to our fresh employments rife
Among the
groves, the fountains, and the flowers
That open now their choiceft bofom'd fmells,
Referv'd from night, and kept for thee in store.
So chear'd he his fair spouse, and she was chear'd,
But filently a gentle tear let fall
130
From either eye, and wip'd them with her hair;
Two other precious drops that ready stood,
Each in their crystal fluce, he ere they fell
Kifs'd, as the gracious figns of fweet remorfe
And pious awe, that fear'd to have offended.

So all was clear'd, and to the field they hafte.

But first, from under shady arbo'rous roof
Soon as they forth were come to open fight
Of day-fpring, and the fun, who scarce

up rifen,

135

With

morning hymn of Adam and Eve is reprefented as faid by them (at) one and the fame time) from under the roof, and in the open fight of the fun: which is a contradiction. The fenfe plainly requires that the comma fhould be as we have plac'd it; and the conftruction is, But first they lowly bow'd adoring, ver. 144. as foon as they were come forth from under the roof of the arbor. Pearce.

145.- each

With wheels yet hovering o'er the ocean brim, 140
Shot parallel to the earth his dewy ray,
Discovering in wide landfkip all the eaft
Of Paradife and Eden's happy plains,
Lowly they bow'd adoring, and began
Their orifons, each morning duly paid
In various ftile; for neither various ftile

145

Nor holy rapture wanted they to praise

Their Maker, in fit ftrains pronounc'd or fung
Unmeditated, fuch prompt eloquence

Flow'd from their lips, in profe or numerous verse,

More tuneable than needed lute or harp

--

145. each morning duly paid In various file;] As it is very well known that our author was no friend to fet forms of prayer, it is no wonder that he afcribes extemporary effufions to our first parents; but even while he attributes ftrains unmeditated to them, he himself imitates the Pfalmist.

153. Thefe are thy glorious works, &c.] The morning hymn is written in imitation of one of thofe Pfalms, where in the overflowings of gratitude and praise the Pfalmift calls not only upon the Angels, but upon the most confpicuous parts of the inanimate creation, to join with him in extolling their common Maker. Invocations of this nature fill the mind with glorious ideas of

151

Το

God's works, and awaken that divine enthufiafm, which is fo natural to devotion. But if this calling upon the dead parts of nature is at all times a proper kind of worfhip, it was in a particular manner fuitable to our first parents, who had the creation fresh upon their minds, and had not feen the various difpenfations of Providence, nor confequently could be acquainted with thofe many topics of praise, which might afford matter to the devotions of their pofterity. I need not remark the beautiful fpirit of poetry, which runs thro' this whole hymn, nor the holiness of that refolution with which it concludes.

Addifon.

The

To add more sweetness; and they thus began.

These are thy glorious works, Parent of good, Almighty, thine this univerfal frame,

Thus wondrous fair; thyfelf how wondrous then!
Unfpeakable, who fitst above these Heavens
To us invifible, or dimly feen

In these thy lowest works; yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and pow'r divine.
Speak ye who beft can tell, ye fons of light,

Angels; for

ye behold him, and with fongs And choral fymphonies, day without night, Circle his throne rejoicing; ye in Heaven,

The author has raifed our expectation by commending the various file, and boly rapture, and prompt eloquence of our first parents; and indeed the hymn is truly divine, and will fully answer all that we expected. It is an imitation, or rather a fort of paraphrafe of the 148th Pfalm, and (of what is a paraphrafe upon that) the Canticle placed after Te Deum in the Liturgy O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord, &c. which is the fong of the three children in the Apocrypha.

155.—thyself how wondrous then!] Wild. XIII. 3. 4, 5. With whofe beauty, if they being delighted, took them to be Gods; let them know how much better the Lord of them is: for

156

160

On

the firft author of beauty hath created them. But if they were aftonished at their power and virtue, let them understand by them, how much mightier he is that made them. For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures, proportionably the maker of them is feen.

160. Speak ye who beft can tell, &c.] He is unspeakable, ver. 156. no creature can speak worthily of him as he is; but speak ye who are beft able ye Angels, ye in Heaven; on Earth join all ye creatures, &c.

162, day without night,] According to Milton there was grateful viciffitude like day and night in Heaven, VI. 8. and we prefume that he took the notion from Scripture, Rev. VII. 15. They are before

the.

On Earth join all ye Creatures to extol

Him first, him laft, him midft, and without end. 165 Fairest of stars, laft in the train of night,

If better thou belong not to the dawn,

Sure pledge of day, that crown'st the smiling morn With thy bright circlet, praise him in thy fphere, While day arifes, that fweet hour of prime.

world both

the throne of God, and ferve him day and night in his temple. But ftill it was day without night, that is without fuch night as ours, for the darkness there is no more than grateful twilight. Night comes not there in darker veil. See ver. 645. of this book.

165. Him firft, him laft, him midft,] Theocrit. Idyl. XVII. 3.

- ενα πρωτοισι λέγεπω, Και συματΘ, και μέσσΘ.

And then how has Milton improv'd it by adding and without end! as he is celebrating God, and Theocritus only a man.

166. Fairest of stars,] So Homer calls it, Iliad. XXII. 318. Εσπερθ, ός καλλις

εν κρανῳ

ιςαται αςηρο laft in the train of night, and Ovid fpeaks much in the fame manner, Met. II. 114.

Diffugiunt ftellæ, quarum agmina cogit

eye

170

and foul, Acknowledge

Lucifer, et cæli ftatione noviffimus exit.

The ftars were fled, for Lucifer had chas'd

The ftars away, and fled himself

at laft. Addifon.

I don't know whether it is worth re

marking that our author feems to have committed a mistake. The planet Venus, when the rifes before the fun, is called Phosphorus, Lucifer, and the Morning Star; when the fets after the fun is called Hefperus, Vefper, and the Evening Star; bus the cannot rife before him, and fet after him at the fame time: and thor makes her do fo; for defcrib yet it may be objected that our auing the laft evening, he particularly mentions Hefperus that led the ftarry boft, IV. 605. and the very next morning fhe is addrefs'd as objection fhould be admitted, all laft in the train of night. If this we can fay to it is, that a poet is not obliged to speak with the ftrictnefs and accuracy of a philofopher. 172. Acknow