Nor Faunus haunted. Here in close recess 710 With flowers, garlands, and fweet-fmelling herbs purport of the fimile then is this, There never was a more fhady, more facred and fequefter'd bower, though but in fiction, than this was in reality. Pan, the God of fhepherds, or Sylvanus, the God of woods and groves, Wood-nymph, or Faunus, the tutelary God of husbandmen, were not even feign'd to enjoy a more sweet recefs than this of Adam and Eve. 709. With flowers,] Milton ufually fpells it flours, but here it is with two fyllables flowers, which made me imagin that he writ always flour when it was to be pronounc'd as one fyllable, and flower when it was to be pronounc'd as two fyllables: but upon farther examination we find, that when he pronounces the word as one fyllable, he fometimes fpells it flower How'r, fometimes floure, fometimes flouer and fo likewife bower he fpells differently bower, bowr, bowre; and shower likewife shower, bowr, Abowre. It is fitting that all enfe fhould be reduced to fome 715 In certain ftandard, and what ftandard more proper than the present prac.. tice, and efpecially fince there are feveral inftances of the feme in Milton himself? 714. More lovely than Pandora, &c.] The story is this. Prometheus the fon of Japhet (or Japetus) had ftol'n fire from Heaven, Jove's authentic fire, the original and prototype of all earthly fire, which Jupiter being angry at, to be reveng'd fent him Pandora, so call'd because all the Gods had contributed their gifts to make her more. charming (for fo the word fignifies.) She was brought by Hermes (Mercury) but was not received by Prometheus the wifer fon of Japhet (as the name implies) but by his brother Epimetheus th' unwifer fon. She entic'd his foolish curiofity to open a box which he brought, wherein were contain'd all manner of evils. Richardfon. The epithet unwifer does not imply that his brother Prometheus was unwife. Milton ufes unwifer, as In fad event, when to th' unwifer fon On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire. Thus at their fhady lodge arriv'd, both stood, 720 Both turn'd, and under open fky ador'd The God that made both sky, air, earth and heaven, Which they beheld, the moon's refplendent globe, And ftarry pole: Thou also mad'st the night, Maker omnipotent, and thou the day, as any Latin writer would impru- 720. Thus at their fhady lodge ar- Both turn'd, &c.] A great admirer of Milton obferves, that he fometimes places two monofyllables at the end of the line ftopping at the fourth foot, to adapt the meafure of the verfe to the fenfe; and then begins the next line in the fame manner, which has a wonde ful effect. This artful manner of writing makes the reader fee them ftand and turn to worship God before they went into their bower. If this manner was alter'd, much of the effect of the painting would be loft. 725 Which And now arriving at their fhady Both flood, both turn'd, and un- 723-the moon's refplendent globe, 725. Lucentemque globum lunæ, Titaniaque aftra. 724-Thou alfo mad'ft the night, &c.] A mafterly tranfition this, which the poet makes to their evening worship. Moft of the modern heroic poets have imitated the Ancients, in beginning a fpeech with out premifing, that the perfon faid thus and thus; but as it is ealy to imitate the Ancients in the omiffion of two or three words, it requires judgment to do it in fuch a manner as they fhall not be miffed, and that the fpeech may begin naturally Which we in our appointed work employ'd naturally without them. There is a fine inftance of this kind out of Homer, in the 23d chapter of Longinus. Addifon. I conceive Mr. Addifon meant Sect. 27. and the inftance there given is of Hector being firft nam'd, and then of a fudden introduced as fpeaking, without any notice given that he does fo. But the tranfition here in Milton is of another fort; it is first speaking of a perfon, and then fuddenly turning the difcourfe, and speaking to him. And we may obferve the like tranfition from the third to the fecond perfon in the hymn to Hercules, Virg. Æn. VIII. 291. -ut duros mille labores Pertulerit. Tu nubigenas, invicte, bimembres &c. Dr. Bentley reads Thou this delicious place, that is Thou mad'ft &c. as in ver. 724. Thou also mad'ft the night. Dr. Pearce chooses rather to read thus, -the crown of all our blifs Ordain'd by thee in this delicious place. The conftruction no doubt is fomewhat obfcure, but without any alteration we may understand the paffage with Dr. Pearce thus, and thou mad'ft this delicious place: or with Mr. Richardson thus, happy in our mutual help, and mutual love, the chief of all our blifs, thy gift, and happy in this delicious Paradife: or thus, happy in our mutual help and mutual love, the crown of all our blifs, and of this delicious place. 735-thy gift of fleep] Dr. Bent 729.and this delicious place] ley reads the gift, and obferve's that This faid unanimous, and other rites Obferving none, but adoration pure Which God likes beft, into their inmost bower 740 745 Defaming Defaming as impure what God declares Pure, and commands to fome, leaves free to all. 319 Hail wedded Love, mysterious law, true source 750 In Paradise of all things common else. 755 Relations 750. Hail wedded Love, &c.] An ingenious friend has inform'd me, that this addrefs to wedded love is borrow'd from one of Taffo's letters; O dolce congiuntione de 'cuori, • foave unione de gli animi noftri, o legitimo nodo, &c. The quotation would fwell this note to too great a length; but the reader, who underftands Italian, may, if he please, compare the original with our author, and he will eafily perceive what an excellent copier Milton was, as judicious in omitting fome circumftances as in imitating others. It is in one of Taffo's letters to his relation Signor Hercole Taffo, Lib. 2. p. 150. Edit. In Venetia. 1592. 750.myfterious law,] That is including a mystery in it, in the |