515

Joyous the birds; fresh gales and gentle airs
Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their wings
Flung rofe, flung odors from the spicy shrub,
Difporting, till the amorous bird of night
Sung fpoufal, and bid hafte the evening star
On his hill top, to light the bridal lamp.
Thus have I told thee all my ftate, and brought
My story to the fum of earthly blifs

There golden clouds conceal the
heav'nly pair,
Steep'd in foft joys, and circumfus'd
with air;

Celestial dews, descending o'er the
ground,

Perfume the mount, and breathe

Ambrofia round. Pope. But Milton has greatly improv'd this, as he improves every thing, in the imitation. In all his copies of the beautiful paffages of other authors he ftudiously varies and difguifes them, the better to give himself the air of an original, and to make by his additions and improvements what he borrowed the more fairly his own; the only regular way of acquiring a property in thoughts taken from other writers, if we may believe Horace, whofe laws in poetry are of undoubted authority. De Art. Poet. 131.

Publica materies privati juris erit, fi

520

Which

Nec circa vilem patulumque mora
beris orbem,

Nec verbum verbo curabis reddere
fidus
Interpres, &c.

For what originally others writ,
May be fo well disguis'd, and fo
improv'd,

That with fome justice it may pass for yours:

But then you must not copy trivial things,

36

Nor word for word too faithfully tranflate. Rofcommon: Milton indeed in what he borrows from Scripture, obferves the contrary, rule, and generally adheres minutely, or rather religiously, to the very words as much as poffible of the original,

こ

519. and bid bafle the evening Rar

"

On his bill top, to light the bridal

2

to light the bridal lamp, as it was lamp.] The evening ftar is faid the fignal among the ancients to light their lamps and torches in or

der

Which I enjoy, and must confess to find
In all things else delight indeed, but such

As us'd or not, works in the mind no change, 525
Nor vehement defire, these delicacies

I mean of taste, fight, smell, herbs, fruits, and flowers,
Walks, and the melody of birds; but here
Far otherwife, tranfported I behold,
Transported touch; here paffion first I felt,

der to condu&t the bride home to
the bridegroom.

Vefper adeft, juvenes confurgite &'c.
Catul.

On bis bill top, fays our author
writing in the language as well as in
the fpirit of the Ancients: for when
this ftar appear'd eastward in the
morning, it was faid to rife on
mount Ida.

Jamque jugis fummæ furgebat Lu-
cifer Idæ,
Ducebatque diem.

Virg. Æn. II. 801.

when it appear'd weftward in the evening, it was faid to be feen on mount Octa. Virg. Ecl. VIII. 30.

Sparge marite nuces, tibi deferit
Helperus Octam.

Our author therefore writes in claffical language. He does not mention any mountain by name, but fays only the evening ftar on bis hill top, as appearing above the hills. And fo Spenfer fays of the fun, Fairy Queen, B. 1. Cant, 2. St. 1.

530 Com

Phœbus' fiery car

In hafte was climbing up the caftern
bill.

And Shakespear, Romeo and Juliet,
A& II.

Now is the fun upon the highmo
bill

Of this day's journey. And this ceremony of the Ancients of lighting their bridal lamps and torches at evening is alluded to more plainly in Book XI. 588.

And now of love they treat, till th evening ftar,

Love's harbinger, appear'd; then
all in heat

They light the nuptial torch, and
bid invoke
Hymen, then firft to marriage rites

invok'd.

Commotion ftrange, in all enjoyments elfe
Superior and unmov'd, here only weak
Against the charm of beauty's pow'rful glance.
Or nature fail'd in me, and left fome part
Not proof enough fuch object to sustain,
Or from my fide fubducting, took perhaps
More than enough; at least on her bestow'd
Too much of ornament, in outward show
Elaborate, of inward less exact.

535

For well I understand in the prime end

540

Of nature her th' inferior, in the mind.

And inward faculties, which most excel,

In outward also her resembling less

His image who made both, and less expreffing
The character of that dominion given

545

Her

O'er other creatures; yet when I approach

537.
at leaft on her beftow'd
Too much of ornament, in outward
how

Elaborate, of inward lefs exact.]
The poet has inlarg'd upon the fame
fentiment in his Samfon Agonistes.
Is it for that fuch outward ornament
Was lavish'd on their sex, that in-

ward gifts

Were left for hafte unfinish'd, judg.
ment fcant,
Capacity not rais'd to apprehend,
Or value what is best

Her loveliness, so abfolute she seems
And in herself complete, fo well to know
Her that what she wills to do or fay,

own,

Seems wifeft, virtuoufeft, difcreetest, best;

All higher knowledge in her prefence falls
Degraded, wisdom in difcourfe with her
Lofes difcount'nanc'd, and like folly shows;
Authority and reason on her wait,

550

As one intended firft, not after made
Occafionally; and to confummate all,

$55

Greatnefs of mind and nobleness their feat
Build in her lovelieft, and create an awe
About her, as a guard angelic plac❜d.

To whom the Angel with contracted brow.
Accuse not nature, fhe hath done her part;
Do thou but thine, and be not diffident

560

Of

man nature, that he feems apprehenfive of the evils which might befall the fpecies in general, as well excefs of this paffion. He therefore as Adam in particular, from the fortifies him againft it by timely admonitions; which very artfully prepare the mind of the reader for the Occurrences of the next book, where the weakness of which Adam here gives fuch diftant difcoveries, brings about that fatal event which is the Addifon. fubject of the poem. 568.- and

Of wisdom, the deserts thee not, if thou

Dismiss not her, when most thou need'st her nigh, By attribúting overmuch to things

Lefs excellent, as thou thyfelf perceiv'st.

565

579

For what admir'ft thou, what tranfports thee fo,
An outfide? fair no doubt, and worthy well
Thy cherishing, thy honoring, and thy love,
Not thy fubjection: weigh with her thyself;
Then value: Oft-times nothing profits more
Than felf esteem, grounded on just and right
Well manag'd; of that skill the more thou know'st,
The more she will acknowledge thee her head,

And to realities yield all her shows:

Made fo adorn for thy delight the more,

$68. and worthy well Thy cherishing, thy bonoring, and thy love,] He maketh ufe of thefe three words agreeably to Scripture. So ought men to love their wives, as their own bodies: he that loveth his wife, loveth himself: For no man ever yet hated his own flefb, but nourisheth and cherisheth it. Eph. V. 28, 29. Giving honor unto the wife. 1 Pet. III. 7.

575

So

fuch participles as made adorn'd would have founded very odly together; and therefore he has coin'd an adjective adorn, as the Italians have adorno for adornato. And in like manner he ufes fledge for fledg'd, III. 627. VII. 420. And devete for devoted, IX. 90r. And there are other inftances of his changing the participle into an adjective.

579. But if the fenfe of touch &c.]

before,

576. Made fo adorn &c.] Thefe Answering to what Adam had faid verfes contain a beautiful and inAructive account of the end for which God beflowed on Eve fo much of ornament and awfulness. But two

tranfported I behold, Transported touch.

589.- Love