Of human mold, with grofs unpurged ear;
And yet fuch mufic worthieft were to blaze
The peerless highth of her immortal praise,
Whofe luftre leads us, and for her most fit,
If my inferiour hand or voice could hit
Inimitable founds: yet as we go,

Whate'er the skill of leffer Gods can show,

75

thofe "celeftial fongs to others INAPPREHENSIBLE, but not to those who were not defiled with women, &c." APOL. SMECTYMN. p. 178. edit. Tol. It is the same philosophy in COMUS, v. 457.

And in clear thought, and folemn vifion,

Tell her of things which NO GROSS EAR CAN HEAR.

I think this part of the system was more immediately suggested by Shakespeare, MERCH. OF VEN. A. v. S. i.

There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st,
But in his motion like an angel fings,

Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims:
Such harmony is in immortal founds!
But whilst this MUDDY vefture of decay

Doth grofsly clofe us in, we CANNOT HEAR IT. Milton's Genius of the Grove, being a spirit fent from Jove, and commiffioned from heaven to exercife a preternatural guardianship over the faplings tall, to avert every noxious influence, and "to "vifit every fprout with puiffant words and murmurs made to blefs," had the privilege, not indulged to grofs mortals, of hearing

-The celestial Syrens harmony.

This enjoyment, which is highly imagined, was a relaxation from the duties of his peculiar charge, in the depth or midnight when the world is locked up in fleep and filence.

73. With grofs unpurged ear.] Compare Shakespeare, MIDS. N. DR. A. iii. S. i.

And I will PURGE thy MORTAL GROSSNESS fo,

That thou will like an airy spirit go.

And fee Coмus, v. 997.

77.

Lift mortals, if your EARS be TRUE.

-Hand or voice could hit, &c.] PARAD. REG. iv. 254"TONES and numbers hit by voICE OF HAND." And, i. 171. "The HAND fung with the voice."

I will affay, her worth to celebrate,

And fo attend ye toward her glittering state;
Where ye may all that are of noble stem
Approach, and kifs her facred vefture's hem,

81. And fo attend ye toward her glittering ftate.] See Note on IL PENS. V. 37. A STATE fignified, not so much a throne or chair of ftate, as a canopy. Thus Drayton POLYOLB. S. xxvi. vol. iii. p. 1168. Of a royal palace.

Who led from room to room, amazed is to fee

The furnitures and STATES, which all imbroideries be,
The rich and fumptuous beds, &c.

Again, fol. edit. p. 73. col. 1.

While fhe fate under an ESTATE of lawns.

And our author, PARAD. L. X. 445.

Afcended his high throne, which under STATE

Of richeft texture spread.

Jonson affords a still more immediately appofite paffage, HYMENEI, vol. v. 272.

And fee where Juno-→→→→

Difplays her GLITTERING STATE and CHAIR.

The Nymphs and Shepherds are here directed by the Genius to look and advance toward a GLITTERING STATE, or canopy, in the midst of the stage, in which the countess of Derby was placed as a Rural Queen. It does not appear, that the Second Song which here immediately follows, was now fung. Some machinery, or other matter intervened.

In this peculiar fenfe of canopy, and not under the general and popular idea of pomp or dignity, STATE is to be understood, in PARAD. L. vii. 440.

-The fwan with arched neck

Between her white wings mantling, proudly rows
Her STATE with oary feet.

Here is an affected and unnatural conceit, like too many others, even in Milton. He means, that the fwan, in swimming, forms a fuperb canopy with her neck and head, under which the floats, or which the rows forward with her feet.

83. Approach and kifs her vefture's facred hem.] Fairfax, in the metrical Dedication of his Taffo to queen Elifabeth, commands his Mufe not to approach too boldly, nor to foil

-Her VESTURES HEM.

I muft not quit Milton's GENIUS without obferving, that a Genius is more than once introduced in Jonfof's UNDERWOODS

0 2

and

II. SONG.

ER the fmooth enamel'd green

Where no print of step hath been,
Follow me as I fing

And touch the warbled string,

Under the fhady roof

Of branching elm star-proof.

85

and MASQUES. The poem on Lord Bacon's Birth-day, written 1620, thus opens,

Hail happy GENIUS of this antient pile!

How comes it all things round about thee smile, &c.

The poet at entering York-house, starts at feeing the GENIUS of that venerable edifice, ftanding in the midft as in the act of performing fome magic myftery, which diffuses a peculiar appearance of feftivity and hofpitality over every furrounding object. vol. vi. 425. In" Part of the King's Entertainment paffing to his coronation," the Genius of London appears. Edit. fol. ut fupr. 1616. p. 849. He fays, fomewhat in Milton's manner,

When Brutus plough first gave the infant bounds,

And I, thy GENIUS, WALK'D aufpicious ROUNDS
In every furrow.-

And in the Entertainment at Theobalds, 1607, the dialogue is chiefly fupported by a Genius, p. 887. But what is still more to our purpofe, the Fates, "the daughters of Night, who drawe out the

chayne of Destinie, vpon whose threads both liues and times de"pend," are reprefented teaching future things from their ada"mantine booke," to the Genius of this piece, who is the GENIUS of the palace of Theobalds. The ftage-direction is, "The three "Parcæ, the one holding the rock, the other the spindle, and the "third the fheeres, with a book of adamant lying open before "them, &c." p. 888.

84. Enamel'd green.] I fuppofed that modern poetry had been originally obliged to Milton for the epithet enameled in rural defcription. But, under that application, it occurs repeatedly in Sylvefter's Du BARTAS. See pp. 208. 262. 282, &c. edit. 1621. fol. And in Drayton, and Sydney. See LYCID. v. 139.

"

87. See Note on Coм. v. 854

88. Under the fhady roof.] In PARAD. L. B. v. 137. “Under SHADY arborous ROOF.

89. Of branching elm far-proof.] See Doctor Warburton's Note

on

ARCA DE S.

Follow me,

I will bring you where the fits,

Clad in fplendour as befits
Her deity.

Such a rural Queen

All Arcadia hath not seen.

N

III. SON G.

Ymphs and Shepherds, dance no more
By fandy Ladon's lillied banks;

On old Lycæus, or Cyllene hoar

on IL PENS. V. 158. But I believe he means no more than, proof against the rays of the Jun; impenetrable to ftar or fun-light, as he fays, PARAD. L. ix. 1086. Where fee the Note. H.

One of Peacham's EMBLEMS is the picture of a large and lofty grove, which defies the influence of the moon and ftars appearing over it. This grove, in the verfes affixed, is faid to be,

Not pierceable to power of any starre.

See Peacham's MINERVA BRITANNA, p. 182. edit. 1612. 4to. But literally the fame line is applied to a grove in the FAERIE QUEENE, i. i. 7. Where Spenfer feems to have imitated Statius, THEB. L. X. 85.

-Nulli penetrabilis aftro

Lucus iners.

Compare our author, PARAD. L. B. ix. 1088.

Where highest woods IMPENETRABLE

TO STAR, or fun-light, fpread their umbrage broad. Sylvefter has " SUN-PROOF arbours." DU BARTAS, p. 171. edit. 1621. WORKS. But STAR-PROOr is aftrological, as in Martin's DUMBE KNIGHT, 1608. Reed's OLD PL. iv. 479.

Or elfe STAR-CROSS'D with fome hagg's hellifhness.

See Note on v. 51.

I must add, that when Jonfon makes Bobadil tamely submit to a fevere and difgraceful drubbing, the characteristical humour of the fictitious hero's happy readiness of invention, especially on fo criti cal an occafion, in declaring that he was planet-ftruck, is alfo indirectly intended to ferve the purpose of ridiculing the prevailing fondness for aftrology. At least, without confidering the popular fu

perftitions

Trip no more in twilight ranks;
Though Erymanth your lofs deplore,

A better foil fhall give ye thanks,

From the ftony Mænalus

Bring your flocks, and live with us,

100

Here ye shall have greater grace,

To ferve the Lady of this place.

105

Though Syrinx your Pan's mistress were,

perftitions about the influence of the planets, Bobadil's pretence is forced, unnatural, and almost unintelligible..

97. By fandy Ladon's lillied banks.] Dr. Newton obferves, that this river" might properly be faid to have lilied banks, fince Dio"nyfius, as I find him quoted by Farnaby, has called it,

σε Εὐκάλαμον ποτάμον καὶ εὐτέφανον Λαδώνα.

I know not that Dionyfius mentions the river Ladon any where, but in the following verfe of the PERIEGESIS, V. 417.

Ηχι δὲ ὠγύγιος μηκύνεται ὕδασι Λάδων.

· Ubi etiam prifcis porrigitur aquis Ladon.

Ovid mentions Ladon more than once, but without its lilies. ME TAM. i. 702.

Arenofi placitum LADONIS ad amnem.

Again, FAST. ii. 274.

Quique citis LADON in mare currit aquis,

Again, ibid. v. 89.

Mœnalos hunc, LADONQUE rapax.

Compare Statius, THEB. ix. 573.

Gelidas LADONIS ad undas.

And Callimachus, HYMN. Jov. v. 18.

ΛΑΔΩΝ ἀλλ ̓ οὔπω μέγας ἔῤῥεεν.

Ladon vero magnus nondum fluebot.

Feftus Avienus, I believe, is the only antient Latin poet, if he deferves the name, who speaks of the fertility of the fields washed by Ladon. DESCRIPT. ORB. V. 574

Hic diftentus aqua SATA lambit PINGUIA Ladon.

But by LILLIED banks we are perhaps only to understand waterlilies. And, by the way, here is an authority for reading lillied inftead of twilled, in a very controverted verfe of the TEMPEST. A. iv. S. i. [Johnf. Steev. vol. i. p. 86.]

Thy banks with pionied and twilled brims,

This