Cœleftive animas faturantem rore tenellas, 45 Utque folet, multam fit dicere cura falutem, Dicere quam decuit, fi modo adeffet, herum. Hæc quoque, paulum oculos in humum defixa modeftos, Verba verecundo fis memor ore loqui: Hæc tibi, fi teneris vacat inter prælia Mufis, 50 Sera quidem, fed vera fuit, quam cafta recepit 55 Aft ego quid volui manifeftum tollere crimen, Tu modo da veniam faffo, veniamque roganti, 49. 60' Oculos in humum defixa modeftos.] Ovid, AMOR. iii. vi. 67. 55. The allufion is to a well-known Epistle of Ovid. 61. Tu modo da veniam faffo.-] Ovid, EPIST. EX PONT. iv. ii.23. "Tu modo da veniam faffo." Ibid. i. vii. 22. "Da veniam faffo, tu "mihi, &c." EPIST. HEROID. iv. 156. "Da veniam fafie, duraque "corda doma." Ibid. xvi. 11. "Parce, precor, faffo." Ibid. xvii. 225. "Da veniam faffæ." Ibid. xix. 4. "Da vepiam faffe." Non Non ferus in pavidos rictus diducit hiantes, Sæpe fariffiferi crudelia pectora Thracis 65 70 Jamque diu fcripfiffe tibi fuit impetus illi, In tibi finitimis bella tumere locis, - 65. Ovid, METAM. xii. 466. "Macedoniaque farissa." 75 80 74. Et jam Saxonicos arma parafje duces.] About the year 1626, when this Elegy was written, the imperialists under general Tilly, were often encountered by Christian duke of Brunswick, and the dukes of Saxony, particularly duke William of Saxon Weimar, and the duke of Saxon Lawenburgh, in Lower Saxony, of which Hamburgh, where Young refided, is the capital. See v. 77. Germany, in general, either by invafion, or interiour commotions, was a scene of the most bloody - war from the year 1618, till later than 1640. Guitavus Adolphus conquered the greater part of Germany about 1631. M in m Fugit Fugit io terris, et jam non ultima virgo Siccine in externam ferrea cogis humum, Quos tibi profpiciens miferat ipfe Deus, Et qui læta ferunt de cœlo nuntia, quique Quæ via poft cineres ducat ad aftra, docent? 85 90 84. Vivis et ignoto folus inopfque folo.] Ovid, of Achæmenides, METAM. xiv. 217. SOLUS, INOPS, exfpes Thefe circumftances, added to others, leave us ftrongly to fufpect, that Young was a nonconformist, and probably compelled to quit England, on account of his religious opinions and practice. He feems to have been driven back to England, by the war in the Netherlands, not long after this Elegy was written. See v. 71. feq. And the first Note. 86. Sede peregrina quæris egenus opem.] Before and after 1630, many English ministers, puritanically affected, left their cures, and fettled in Holland, where they became paftors of feparate congregations: when matters took another turn in England, they returned, and were rewarded for their unconforming obftinacy, in the new prefbyterian eftablishment. Among these were Nyc, Burroughs, Goodwin, Simpfon, and Bridge, eminent members of the Affembly of Divines. See Wood, АTH. Oxon. ii. 504. Neale's HIST. PUR. iii. 376. Digna quidem Stygiis quæ vivas clausa tenebris, Æternaque animæ digna perire fame! Haud aliter vates terræ Thesbitidis olim Preffit inaffueto devia tefqua pede, 96 Defertafque Arabum falebras, dum regis Achabi Effugit, atque tuas, Sidoni dira, manus: 100 100. Sidoni dira.-] Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, was the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. SIDONI is a vocative, from Sidonis, often applied by Ovid to Europa the daughter of Agenor king of Sidon or Syria. FAST. B. v. 610. SIDONI, fic fueras accipienda Jovi. And, ibid. 617. And ART. AMATOR. iii, 252. See alfo METAM. xiv. 30. ii. 840. Some of thefe fcriptural allufions are highly poetical, and much in Milton's manner. His friend, who bears a facred character, forced abroad for his piety and religious conftancy by the perfecutions of a tyrannic tribunal, and diftreffed by war and want in a foreign country, is compared to Elijah the Tifhbite wandering alone over the Arabian deferts, to avoid the menaces of Ahab, and the violence of Jezebel. See B. KINGS, i. xix. 3. feq. He then felects a most striking miracle, under which the power of the Deity is difplayed in fcripture as a protection in battle, with reference to his friend's fituation, from the furrounding dangers of war. "You are fafe under the radiant shield "of him, who in the dead of night fuddenly difperfed the Affyrians, "while the found of an unfeen trumpet was clearly heard in the empty air, and the noises of invifible horfes and chariots rushing "to battle, and the diftant hum of clashing arms and groaning men, "terrified their numerous army. Terruit et denfas pavido cum rege cohortes, Aere dum vacuo buccina clara fonat, Cornea pulvereum dum verberat ungula campum, See B. KINGS, ii. vii. 5. "For the Lord had made the host of the "Syrians to hear a noife of chatiots and a noife of horses, even the "noife of a great hoft, &c." Sionea arx is the city Samaria, now befieged by the Syrians, and where the kings of Ifrael now refided. It was the capital of Samaria. Prifca Damafcus was the capital of Syria. Pavido cum rege is Benhadad, the king of Syria. In the fe M m m 2 quel Talis et horrifono laceratus membra flagello, Paulus ab Æmathia pellitur urbe Cilix. Pifcofæque ipfum Gergeffæ civis Iefum Finibus ingratus juffit abire fuis. At tu fume animos, nec fpes cadat anxia curis, Sis etenim quamvis fulgentibus obfitus armis, At nullis vel inerme latus violabitur armis, Ille Sionææ qui tot fub manibus arcis Affyrios fudit nocte filente viros ; Inque fugam vertit quos in Samaritadas oras 104 110 115 quel of the narrative of this wonderful confternation and flight of the Syrians, the folitude of their vaft deferted camp affords a most affecting image, even without any poetical enlargement. "We came "to the camp of the Syrians, and behold there was no man there, "neither voice of man; but horfes tied, and affes tied, and the tents "as they were." Ibid. vii. 10. This is like a fcene of inchantment in romance. 101. Talis et horrifono laceratus membra flagello, &c.] Whipping and imprisonment were among the punishments of the arbitrary Starchamber, the threats REGIS ACHABI, which Young fled to avoid. 109. At nullis vel inerme latus, &c.] See the fame philosophy in COMUS, V. 421, Aere |