Flames in the forehead of the morning sky: 171
So Lycidas sunk low, but mounted high,
Through the dear might of him that walk'd the

waves,
Where other groves and other streams along,
With nectar

pure
his
oozy

locks he laves, 175 And hears the unexpressive nuptial song, In the blest kingdoms meek of joy and love.

There

VI. 641.

the diurnal star in the Paradise Qui rore puro Caftaliæ lavit Loft, X. 1069: and Homer, if Crines folutos. the hymn to Apollo be his, compares Apollo to a star in mid day. 176. And hears the unexpresive ver 441.

nuptial song,] In the Manu.

script it was at firet Lift'ning the unAsier esdoul o usow nude to expressive &c. This is the song 174. Where other

in the Revelation, which no man and other

groves preams along, Virgil Æn. could learn but they who were not

defiled with women, and were vir.

gins : Rev. XIV. 3, 4. The author folemque suum, fua fidera had used the word unexpreffive in norunt.

the same manner before in his And as Mr. Richardson adds, Ari- Hymn on the Nativity, St. 11. osto when he brings Aftolfo to the

Harping in loud and solemn quire moon, to look for Orlando's wit, that was lost. Cant. 34. St. 72.

With unexprilive notes to Heav'n's

new-born heir. There other rivers stream, smile Nor are parallel instances wanting

Other fields
Than here with us, and other Sc. z.

in Shakespear. As you like it, Ad 3. plains are stretch'd, Sink other valleys, other moun

The fair, the chaste, and unextains rise. & C.

preflive she. 175. With nectar pure his oozy And in like manner infuppreffive is

locks he laves,] Like Apollo in used for not to be fupprefi'd. Julius Horace, Od. III. IV.61.

Cæsar, Act 2. Sc. 2.

Nor

There entertain him all the Saints above,
In folemn troops, and sweet focieties,
That fing, and singing in their glory move,
And wipe the tears for ever from his eyes.
Now, Lycidas, the shepherds weep no more;
Henceforth thou art the genius of the shore,
In thy large recompense, and shalt be good
To all that wander in that perilous flood.

185 Thus

nautæ

Nor th' infuppreffive mettle of our 183. Henceforth thou art the gespirits.

nius of the shore,] This is said

in allusion to the story of MelicerI have several times had the plea- ta or Palæmon, who with his mofure of making the same remarks ther Ino was drown'd, and became and observations as Mr. Thyer, a sea-deity propitious to mariners. and here we had both mark'd these Ovid, Met. IV. Fast. VI. Virgil instances from Shakespear. Georg. I. 436.

Votaque fervati solvent in littore 177. In the blest kingdoms meek of joy and love.] That is in the

Glauco, et Panopeæ, & Inoo Meblest kingdoms of meek joy and

licertæ. love; a transpofition of the adjective, which we meet with allo And as Mr. Jortin observés, it is in the Paradise Loft, IX. 318. pleasant to see how the moft anti,

papistical poets are inclined to caSo spake domestic Adam in his nonize and then to invoke their care,

friends as saints. See the poem on

the fair Infant. St. 10. in which verse domestic is without doubt to be join’d to care, and not 184. and salt be good &c ]

to Adam as the common opinion The fame compliment that Virgil is. So also in the same book, ver. pays to his Daphnis. Ecl. V.64. 225.

Deus, deus ille, Menalca. and th' hour of supper comes

Sis bonus ô felixque tuis ! &c. anearn'd. Thyer.

Thyer. 189. With

1

Thus sang the uncouth fwain to th' oaks and rills, While the still morn went out with sandals

gray, He touch'd the tender stops of various quills, With eager thought warbling his Doric lay: And now the sun had stretch'd out all the hills, 190 And now was dropt into the western bay; At last he rose, and twitch'd his mantle blue: To morrow to fresh woods, and pastures new.

ز

189. With eager thought warb- Majorefque cadunt altis de montiling his Doric lay :) He calls

bus umbræ. it Doric lay, because it imitates Virgil's is an admirable descrip; Theocritus and other paftoral poets, tion of a rural evening, but I who wrote in the Deric dialect. know not whether Milton's is not Tho' Milton calls himself as yet better, as it represents the sun setuncouth, he warbles with thought his Doric lay; earneft of ting fo by degrees, the poet he was to be, at least; And now the sun had stretch'd as he promises in the motto to these out all the hills, juvenilc poems of edit. 1645.

And now was dropt into the baccare frontem

western bay: Cingite, ne vati noceat mala lin- though it must be said that the

image of the smoke ascending

from the village-chimnies, which This looks very modest, but see Milton has omitted, is very nawhat he insinuates. The first part tural and beautiful. of Virgil's verse is, Aut fi ultra placitum laudarit, bac- 193. To morrow to fresh woods

and pastures new.] Theocritus.

v

gua futuro.

care frontem &c. Richardson. Idyll. I. 145.

190. And now the fun had stretch'd

Χαιρετ’: εγω δ' υμιν και ες out all the hills, ] He had no

useegu Trov qoa. Jortin. doubt Virgil in his eye. Ecl. I. 83.

Mr. Richardson conceives that by Et jam fumma procul villarum this last verse the poet says (paculmina fumant,

ftorally) that he is haftening to,

and

and eager on new works : but I but what gives the greatest grace to rather believe that it was said in the whole is that natural and a. allufion to his travels into Italy, greeable wildnefs and irregularity which he was now meditating, which runs quite through it, than and on which he set out the which nothing could be better {pring following. I will conclude suited to express the warm affecmy remarks upon this poem with tion which Milton had for his the just observation of Mr. Thyer. friend, and the extreme grief he The particular beauties of this was in for the loss of him. Grief charming pastoral are too striking is eloquent, but not formal. to need much descanting upon;

VOL. II.

.:P

The

11

XVIII,

The Fifth O DE of Horace, Lib. I.

Quis multa gracilis te puer in rosa, rendred almost

word for word without rime, according to the Latin measure, as near as the language will permit.

WHAT

HAT slender youth bedew'd with liquid odors

Courts thee on roses in some pleasant cave,
Pyrrha ? for whom bind'st thou

In wreaths thy golden hair,
Plain in thy neatness? O how oft shall he

5 On faith and changed Gods complain, and seas

Rough with black winds and storms

Unwonted shall admire!
Who now enjoys thee credulous, a!! gold,
Who always vacant always amiable

IO
Hopes thee, of flattering gales

Unmindful. Hapless they To whom thou untry'd seem'st fair. Me in my vow'd Picture the facred wall declares t' have hung My dank and dropping weeds

15 To the stern God of sea.

Ad This Ode was first added in the second edition of the author's poems in 1673