So awful, that with honor thou may'ft love

Thy mate, who fees when thou art seen least wise.
But if the sense of touch whereby mankind

Is propagated feem fuch dear delight
Beyond all other, think the fame vouchfaf'd
To cattel and each beaff; which would not be
To them made common and divulg'd, if ought
Therein enjoy'd were worthy to fubdue
The foul of man, or paffion in him move.
What high'er in her fociety thou find'ft
Attractive, human, rational, love still;

4

580

585

1

In loving thou doft well, in paffion not,
Wherein true love confifts not love refines
The thoughts, and heart inlarges, hath his feat 590

Fairy Queen, B. 3. Cant. 5. St. 2.

See alfo B. 3. Cant. 3. St. 1. But
there is no doubt, I think, to be
made, that both thefe admired poets
had in view the refined theory of
love of the divine Plato, and that

Milton in particular in what he says
here had his eye more especially up-
on the following paffage, where the
feale, by which we must afcend to
heav'nly love, is both mentioned and
defcribed. Τέτο γαρ δη επί το ορο
θως επι τα ερωτικα ιεναι, η υπ'

H

In rea'fon, and is judicious, is the scale

By which to heav'nly love thou may'ft afcend,
Not funk in carnal pleafure, for which cause
Among the beafts no mate for thee was found.

To whom thus half abash'd Adam reply'd. 595
Neither her outfide form'd fo fair, nor ought
In procreation common to all kinds.
(Though higher of the genial bed by far,
And with myfterious reverence I deem)

So much delights me, as thofe graceful acts,
Those thousand decencies that daily flow
From all her words and actions mix'd with love
And sweet compliance, which declare unfeign'd

600

Union

" and the ceafelefs round of ftudy "and reading, led me to the fhady "fpaces of philofophy; but chiefly

66

to the divine volumes of Plato, "and his equal Xenophon: where "if I fhould tell ye what I learnt "of chastity and love, I mean that

άλλο αγέθαι, αρχομένον απο των δε των καλων εκείνο ένεκα το καλό, αε επανιέναι ώσπερ επαναβαθμοίς χρωμένον από ενθ επι δυο, και απο δυαν επι παντα τα καλα στο ματα, και απο των καλων σωμα των επι τα καλα επιτήδευματα, nal ATO TWV narwy exitudeuμa" which is truly fo" &c. Apol. for TOVETi Ta naka panjata es Smectymn. p. 111. Vol. 1. Edit. αν απο των μαθημάτων επ' εκείνο 1738. Thyer. το μαθημα τελεύτηση, ὁ ἔςιν εκ αλλά η αυτό έκανε το καλό μας θημα, και γνω αυτο τελευτῶν ὁ esi xanov. Plat. Conviv. p. 211. tom. 3. Edit. Serrani. This is the more probable from what Milton fays in the account which he gives of himself." Thus from the laureat "fraternity of poets, riper years,

591. and is judicious,] To be judicious means here to choofe proper qualities in Eve for the object of love; to love her only for what is truly amiable: not for the fenfe of touch whereby mankind is propagated, ver. 579, &c; but for what Adam found higher in her fociety, human, and rational, ver. 586, &c. Pearce.

Union of mind, or in us both one foul;
Harmony to behold in wedded pair

More grateful than harmonious found to th' ear.
Yet these fubject not; I to thee disclose

What inward thence I feel, not therefore foil'd,
Who meet with various objects, from the fenfe
Variously representing; yet ftill free
Approve the best, and follow what I

approve.

605

610

To love thou blam'ft me not, for love thou fay'st
Leads up to Heav'n, is both the way and guide;
Bear with me then, if lawful what I ask;
Love not the heav'nly Spi'rits, and how their love 615
Exprefs they, by looks only', or do they mix

Irra

as it is in Milton does not better exprefs the fhame and modeft confufion of Adam.

lis.

598. Though higher of the genial bed by far,] The genial bed, fo Horace, Ep. I. I. 87. ledus geniaAnd with myfterious reverence I deem. He had applied this epithet to marriage before in IV. 743. Nor Eve the rites Myfterious of connubial love refus'd: And again, ver. 750.

Hail wedded love, mysterious law.

He means by it fomething that was not proper to be divulg'd, but ought to be kept in religious filence and rever'd like the myfteries. 618. To

H 2

Irradiance, virtual or immediate touch?

To whom the Angel with a smile that glow'd Celestial rofy red, love's proper hue,

Anfwer'd. Let it fuffice thee that thou know'st 620

Us happy', and without love no happiness.
Whatever pure thou in the body' enjoy'st
(And pure thou wert created) we enjoy
In eminence, and obftacle find none

Of membrane, joint, or limb, exclufive bars
Easier than air with air, if Spi'rits embrace,
Total they mix, union of pure with pure
Defiring; nor restrain'd conveyance need

618. To whom the Angel with a

fmile that glow'd
Celeftial rofy red,] Does not our
author here mean that the Angel
both fmil'd and blush'd at Adam's
curiofity? Ariofto makes the Angel
Michael change color upon a certain
occafion,

Nel vifo s'arrofsì l' Angel beato,
Parendogli che mal foffe ubidito
Al Creatore;

Orl. Fur. Cant. 27. St. 35.
Loadenwith Fruit and apples rofy red.
Spenfer, Fairy Queen, B. 1. Cant. 11.
St. 46. Thyer.
627. union of pure with pure
Defiring; nor refrain'd conveyance
need
As flesh to mix with flesh, or foul
avith foul] The two last of

625

As

thefe verfes Dr. Bentley would throw out: he has feveral objections to them; but they will be all answer'd by confidering the fenfe of the paffage. Raphael had faid that Spirits mix total; that is one circumftance, in which they differ from men: here he adds another circumftance of their

difference, viz. they are fo unreftrain'd that they need no conveyance, that is, need not move to meet one another, as our flesh does to mix another foul, mediante corpore. In with other flesh, and one foul with fewer words, Spirits (fays Raphael) not only mix total, but they mix at a distance, and without approaching each other. This is Milton's fenfe; and now that unintelligible ftuff (as the Doctor calls it) need conveyance, as foul to mix with foul, is become

As flesh to mix with flesh, or foul with foul.
But I can now no more; the parting fun
Beyond the earth's green Cape and verdant Iles
Hefperian fets, my fignal to depart.

Be ftrong, live happy', and love, but first of all
Him whom to love is to obey, and keep

630

His great command; take heed left paffion fway 635
Thy judgment to do ought, which elfe free will
Would not admit; thine and of all thy fons
The weal or woe in thee is plac'd; beware.
I in thy perfevering fhall rejoice,

And all the Bleft: ftand faft; to stand or fall

very eafy to be understood. Pearce, 630. But I can now no more; the parting fun &c.] The converfation was now become of fuch a nature that it was proper to put an end to it: And now the parting fun beyond the earth's green Cape, beyond Cape de Verd the most western point of Africa, and verdant Iles, the ilands of Cape de Verd, a knot of small ilands lying off Cape de Verd, fubject to the Portuguese, Hefperian fets, fets weftward, fram Hefperus the evening ftar appearing there, my fignal to depart, for he was only to flay till the evening, V. 376.

- for these mid hours, till evening rife,

I have at will.

640 Free

which should make the most lafting impreffion on the mind of Adam, and to deliver which was the principal end and defign of the Angel's coming.

634. Him whom to love is to obey,] For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments. 1 John V.3. His great command every body will readily understand to be the com-, mand not to eat of the forbidden tree, which was to be the trial of Adam's obedience.

637. Would not admit ;] Admit is used in the Latin fenfe, as inTerence, Heaut. V. II. 3. Quid ego tantum fceleris admifi mifer? What great wickedness have I committed?

637.-thine and of all thy fons &c.] And he very properly clofes his dif- In te omnis domus inclinata recumcourfe with thofe moral inftructions, bit. Virg. En, XII. 59.

H 3

644 whoan