Seu puer infelix indelibata reliquit Gaudia, et abrupto flendus amore cadit ; Seu ferus e tenebris iterat Styga criminis ultor, Seu mæret Pelopeia domus, feu nobilis Ili, 45 Sed neque fub tecto femper nec in urbe latemus, Irrita nec nobis tempora veris eunt. 41. Seu puer infelix indelibata reliquit Gaudia, et abrupto fiendus amore cadit, Seu ferus e tenebris iterat Styga criminis ultor Confcia funereo pectora torre movens.] By the youth, in the first couplet he perhaps intends Shakespeare's Romeo. In the fecond, either Hamlet or Richard the Third. He then draws his illuftrations from the antient tragedians. Milton's writings afford a ftriking example of the strength and weakness of the fame mind. His finest feelings, his warmest poetical predilections, were at laft totally obliterated by civil and religious enthufiafm. Seduced by the gentle eloquence of fanaticifm, he liftened no longer to the "wild and native woodnotes of fancy's fweetest child." In his ICONOCLASTES, he cenfures king Charles for ftudying, "One, whom we well know was "the closet-companion of his folitudes, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE." PROSE-WORKS, vol. i. 368. This remonftrance, which not only refulted from his abhorrence of a king, but from his difapprobation of plays, would have come with propriety from Prynne or Hugh Peters. Nor did he now perceive, that what was here spoken in contempt, conferred the highest compliment on the elegance of Charles's private character. See Note on L'ALLEGR. V. 131. One Cooke, a reforming pamphleteer of thofe days, accufes the king of being much better acquainted with Shakespeare and Jonson than the Bible. Mr. Steevens has King Charles's SHAKESPEARE, a fine copy of the fecond folio with fome alterations of the titles of the plays, in his Majefty's own hand-writing. It was a prefent from the king to Sir Thomas Herbert master of the Revels. 48. Irrita nec nobis tempora veris eunt.] Ovid. FAST. ii. 150. Primi tempora veris eunt, Nos Nos quoque lucus habet vicina confitus ulmo, Atque fuburbani nobilis umbra loci. Sæpius hic, blandas fpirantia fidera flammas, 50 49. Nos quoque lucus habet vicina confitus ulmo.] The gods had their favourite trees. So have the poets. Milton's is the elm. In L'ALLEGRO, V. 57. Some time walking not unseen By hedge-row ELMS on hillocks green. In ARCADES, v. 89. By branching ELM, ftar-proof. In COMUS, v. 354. Or 'gainst the rugged bark of fome broad ELM In the EPITAPHIUM DAMONIS, V. 15. Ibid. v. 49. Simul affueta feditque fub ULMO. Defuper intonat ULMO. In PARAD. L. B. v. 215. They led the vine To wed her ELM. The country about Colnebrook impreffed Milton with a predilection for this tree. See the next Note. 50. Atque fuburbani nobilis umbra loci.] Some country house of Milton's father very near London is here intended, of which we have now no notices. A letter to Alexander Gill is dated “E noftro Subur"bano Decemb. 4, 1634." PROSE-WORKS, vol. ii. 567. In the APOLOGY for SMECTYMNUUS, publifhed 1642, he fays, to his opponent, "that suburb wherein I dwell, fhall be in my account a more honour"able place than his univerfity." PROSE-WORKS, i. 109. His father had purchased the eftate at Colnebrook, in 1632. In a letter to Deodate, from London, dated 1637, he says, "Dicam jam nunc ferio quid cogitem, in Hofpitium Juridicorum aliquod immigrare, ficubi amæna et umbrosa ambulatio eft, &c. Ubi nunc fum, ut nosti, ob“seure et angufte fum." PROSE-WORKS, vol. ii. 569. In an academic Prolufion, written perhaps not far from the time of writing this Elegy. is the following paffage, "Teftor ipfe lucos, et flumina, et DILECTAS VILLARUM ULMOS," fub quibus æftate proxime præterita, k *** deorum arcana eloqui liceat, fummam cum Mufis gratiam habuisse me, jucunda memoria recolo, &c." PROSE-WORKS, vol. ii. 6oz. Ah, Ah quoties dignæ ftupui miracula forma, 55 53. Ab, quoties digne ftupui miracula forme, &c.] Milton, with all his philofophical fedatenefs, appears to have been no stranger to ftrong perceptions of the paffion of love. Here he fpeaks feelingly of the power of beauty. In the feventh Elegy written at the age of nineteen, he mentions the first time of his falling in love. He met an unknown fair, on fome public walks in or near London: was fuddenly and violently captivated, but had no opportunity of declaring his affection, or gaining her acquaintance. He in vain wishes to fee her again, and flatters his imagination that her heart is not made of adamant. Five of his Italian Sonnets and his CANZONE are amatorial; and were perhaps infpired by Leonora, a young lady whom he had heard fing at Rome, and whom he celebrates in three Latin Epigrams. But these were among the vanities of his youth. Yet at a much later and cooler period, when he wrote the PARADISE REGAINED, we find him deeply impressed with at least a remembrance of the various and irrefiftible allurements of beauty. The following exquifite lines were written by no ftoic. B. ii. 155. Many are in each region paffing fair As the noon-sky: more like to goddeffes And fweet allay'd, yet terrible t' approach; As the magnetic hardeft iron draws. It is certain, that no poet has given more graceful and attractive images of beauty than Milton, in his various portraits of Eve, each in a new fituation and attitude. 55. Ab quoties vidi, &c.] Ovid, EPIST. HEROID, ix. 79. AH QUOTIES, digitis, &c. Collaque Collaque bis vivi Pelopis quæ brachia vincant, Et decus eximium frontis, tremulofque capillos, Cedite laudatæ toties Heroides olim, Et quæcunque vagum cepit amica Jovem. Et quot 60 65 Sufa colunt, Memnoniamque Ninon, Vos etiam Danaæ fafces fubmittite Nymphæ, Et vos Iliacæ, Romuleæque nurus: Nec Pompeianas Tarpëia Mufa columnas 63. Cedite, laudata toties Heroides olim, &c.] Ovid, ART. AMATOR. i. 713. Jupiter ad veteres fupplex HEROIDAS ibat, Corripuit magnum nulla puella Jovem. 65. Cedite Achemania turrita fronte puella.] Achemænia is a part of Perfia, so called from Achemænes the fon of Egeus. The women of this country wear a high head-drefs. See Sandys's TRAVELS. And the next Note. 66. Et quot Sufa colunt, Memnoniamque Ninon.] Sufa [Sufarum], antiently a capital city of Afia, conquered by Cyrus. It is now called Soufter. Propert. ii. xiii. i. Non tot Achæmeniis armantur SUSA fagittis. Claudian, BELL. GILD. V.32. "Pharetrata SysA." And Lucan, B. ii. 49. "Achæmeniis decurrant Medica Susis agmina." Ninos, is a city of Affyria, built by Ninus: Memnon, a hero of the Iliad, had a palace there. Milton is alluding to oriental beauty. In the next coup. let, he challenges the ladies of antient Greece, Troy, and Rome. 69. Net Pompeianas Tarpeia Mafa, &c.] The poet has a retrofpe&t to a long paffage in Ovid, who is here called Tarpeia Mufa, either because 70 Jactet, et Aufoniis plena theatra ftolis. Gloria Virginibus debetur prima Britannis, Extera fat tibi fit fœmina, poffe fequi. Tuque urbs Dardaniis, Londinum, ftructa colonis, Turrigerum late confpicienda caput, Tu nimium felix intra tua moenia claudis Quicquid formofi pendulus orbis habet. Non tibi tot cœlo fcintillant aftra fereno Endymioneæ turba miniftra deæ, 75 because he had a house adjoining to the Capitol, or by way of diftinction, that he was the TARPEIAN, the genuine Roman mufe. It is in Ovid's ART OF LOVE, where he directs his votary of Venus to frequent the portico of Pompey, or the Theatre, places at Rome, among others, where the most beautiful women were affembled. B. i. 67. Tu modo POMPEII lentus fpatiare fub umbra, &e. And v. 89. Sed tu præcipue curvis venare THEATRIS, &C. See alfo, B. iii. 387. Propertius fays that Cynthia had deferted this famous portico, or colonnade, of Pompey, ii. xxxii. 11. Scilicet umbrofis fordet POMPEIA COLUMNIS Where fays the old fcholiaft, "Romæ erat PORTICUS Pompeia, foli "arcendo accommodata, fub qua æftivo potiffimum tempore matronæ "fpatiabantur." See alfo iv. viii. 75. Other proofs occur in Catullus, Martial, and Statius. Pompey's theatre and portico were contiguous. The words Aufoniis folis imply literally the Theatre filled "with "the ladies of Rome." But STOLA properly points out a matron. See Note on IL PENS. v. 35. And Ovid, EPIST. EX PONT.iii. iii.52. Scripfimus hæc iftis, quarum nec vitta pudicos Contingit crines, nec STOLA longa pedes. . And TRIST. ii. 252. Quas STOLA contingi, vittaque fumpta vetat ? See Note on IL PENS. v.35. And compare Heinfius on Ovid, FAST. vi. 654. Quot |