Or fill the fixed mind with all your toys? Owell in fome idle brain,

And fancies fond with gaudy fhapes poffefs,

As thick and numberless

As the gay motes that people the fun-beams,
Or likeft hovering dreams

The fickle penfioners of Morpheus train.
But hail thou Goddefs, fage and holy,
Hail divineft Melancholy,

Whose faintly visage is too bright
To hit the sense of human fight,

And therefore to our weaker view

I

I

O'erlaid with black, staid wisdom's hue;
Black, but fuch as in esteem

Prince Memnon's fifter might befeem,
Or that starr'd Ethiop queen that ftrovę

To set her beauties praise above

20

The

The Sea-Nymphs, and their pow'rs offended:
Yet thou art higher far defcended,

Thee bright-hair'd Vesta long of yore
To folitary Saturn bore ;

His daughter fhe (in Saturn's reign,
Such mixture was not held a stain).
Oft in glimmering bow'rs and glades
He met her, and in fecret fhades

Of woody Ida's inmost grove,

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30

And

her age, daring to compare her- As Milton here is fpeaking of one felf to the Nereids, raised their of the Goddeffes of the Ancients, indignation against her to fuch a he very judicioufly adopts their degree, that they fent a prodigious manner of defcribing them by fome whale into the country, fo that to epithet diftinguishing the color of appease them the was commanded their eyes, hair &c as yours, by the oracle to expofe her daugh- axis &c. The allegory conter Andromeda, to be devoured by the monfter; but Perfeus delivered Andromeda, and procured Caffiope to be taken into Heaven; for which laft reafon our author here calls her the farr'd Ethiop

queen.

Peck.

23. Thee bright-hair'd Vefta &c]

VOL. II.

tain'd under this defcription is no lefs beautiful than that which he had before given us in his account of the birth of Euphrosyne from Zephyrus and Aurora. Saturn was always confidered by thofe philofophers, who embrac'd the opinion of planetary influences, as pre

F

fiding

And fable ftole of Cyprus lawn,

35

Over thy decent shoulders drawn.

Come, but keep thy wonted state,

With even step, and mufing gate,
And looks commercing with the skies,
Thy rapt foul fitting in thine eyes:
There held in holy paffion ftill,
Forget thyself to marble, till

With a fad leaden downward caft

Thou fix them on the earth as fast:

And join with thee calm Peace, and Quiet,
Spare Faft, that oft with Gods doth diet,
And hears the Mufes in a ring

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Ay

Ay round about Jove's altar fing:

And add to these retired Leisure,

That in trim gardens takes his pleasure;
But first, and chiefeft, with thee bring,
Him that yon foars on golden wing,
Guiding the fiery-wheeled throne,
The Cherub Contemplation;
And the mute Silence hift along,
'Lefs Philomel will deign a fong,
In her sweeteft, faddeft plight,
Smoothing the rugged brow of night,
While Cynthia checks her dragon yoke,
Gently o'er th' accustom❜d oak;

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60 Sweet