(Quis putet) atque aliquod jam fibi pofcit opus. Caftalis ante oculos, bifidumque cacumen oberrat, Et mihi Pyrenen fomnia nocte ferunt; Concitaque arcano fervent mihi pectora motu, Et furor, et fonitus me facer intus agit. Delius ipfe venit, video Penëide lauro Implicitos crines, Delius ipfe venit. Jam mihi mens liquidi raptatur in ardua cœli, 10 15 Perque umbras, perque antra feror penetralia vatum, "LUCIS EXORTUM." PROSE-WORKS, ii. 567. See also below, v. 9. Caftalis ante oculos bifidumque cacumen oberrat, See the first Note on SONN. vii. 9. Caftalis, &c.] Buchanan, EL. i. 2. p. 31. ut fupr. Grataque Phoebro CASTALIS unda choro. He has "th' infpir'd Caftalian spring." PARAD. L. iv. 273. Buchanan was now in high repute as a modern Latin claffic. He is thus characterised by a learned and elegant writer of Milton's early days. "Of Latin poets of our times, in the judgement " of Beza and the best learned, Buchanan is esteemed the chiefe. "His conceipt in poefie was moft rich, and his sweetness and "facilitie in a verfe inimitably excellent, (as appeareth by that mafter-peece his Pfalms; as farre beyond thofe of B. Rhenanus, as the Stanzas of Petrarch the Rimes of Skelton: but deserving more applause if he had faln upon another fubject: for "I fay with J. C. Scaliger, Illorum piget qui Davidis Pfalmos fuis columiftris inuftos fperarant efficere plaufibiliores.-His Tragedies are loftie, the ftyle pure; his Epigrams not to be mended, fave here and there, according to his genius, too broad and bitter.” Peacham's COMPLEAT GENTLEMAN, p. 91. ch. x. OF PoETRY, edit. [2d.] 1634. 4to. Milton was now perhaps too young to be captivated by Buchanan's political fpeculations. 13. Delius ipfe venit, &c.] Milton feems to have thought of the beginning of Callimachus's Hymn to Apollo. Nec fugiunt oculos Tartara cæca meos, 20 25 30 Eft brevis noctis iter, brevis eft mora noctis opacæ, 25, Jam, Philomela, tuos foliis adoperta novellis, 35 Inftituis modulos, dum filet omne nemus.] There is great elegance and purity of expreffion in foliis adoperta novellis. The whole imagery was afterwards transferred into the first Sonnet, v. 1. O NIGHTINGALE, that on yon bloomy SPRAY WARBLEST at eve, WHEN ALL THE WOODS ARE STILL, 30. -Hoc fubeat Mufa perennis opus.] Originally quotannis, edit. 1645. Salmafius pretends to have obferved several falfe quantities in our author's Latin poems. This was one, and perenmis appeared in the fecond edition, 1673. See Salmaf. RESPONS. edit. Lond. 1660. p. 5. It is remarkable, that Tickell and Fenton should both have preferved quotannis, who might have been taught better even by Tonfon, edit. 1705. Nicholas Heinfius, in an Epiftle to Holftenius, complains of thefe falfe quantities: and, for elegance, prefers our author's DEFENSIO to his Latin poems. See Burman. SYLLOG. iii. 669. But Heinfius, like too many other great critics, had no tafte. 32. Flectit ad Aroas aurea lora plagas.] Ovid, ART. AMATOR. i. 549. Of Bacchus. Tigribus adjunctis AUREA LORA dabat. The expreffion is finely transferred. Non Non longa fequitur feffus ut ante via ; Nam dolus, et cædes, et vis cum nocte receffit, 40 Forte aliquis fcopuli recubans in vertice paftor, Defere, Phoebus ait, thalamos, Aurora, feniles, 38. Excubias agitant fidera.] Ode on NATIV. V. 21. And all the fpangled hoft KEEP WATCH in squadrons bright. 39. Nam dolus, et cædes, et vis, &c.] Ovid, METAM. i. 130. In quorum fubiere locum, fraudefque, DOLIQUE, Infidiæque, et vis, &c. 43. Hac, ait, hac certe caruifti nocte puella, Phabe tua. -J Ovid, ART. AMATOR. ÏÏ. 249. 46. Cynthia, luciferas ut videt alta rotas.] Ovid, ART. AMATOR. iii. 180. Rofcida LUCIFEROS cum dea jungit EQUOS. Again, EPIST. HEROID. Xi. 46. Denaque LUCIFEROS luna movebat EQUOS. See Note on EL. i 49. 49. Defere, Phoebus ait, &c.] "Leave the bed of old Titho- At fiquem manibus Cephalum complexa teneres, Again, EPIST. HEROID. iv. 93. Clarus erat filvis Cephalus, multæque per herbam Nec Quid juvat effoeto procobuiffe toro? Et cupit amplexus, Phoebe, fubire tuos; Nec tamen Aurora male fe præbebat amandum, See the next Note. 50 55 51. Te manet Eolides, &c.] Cephalus, with whom Aurora fell in love as she saw him hunting on mount Hymettus. Ovid, METAM. Vii. 701. Cum me cornigeris tendentem retia cervis, He is called, Æolides Cephalus, ibid. vi. 681. And Æolides, fimply, ibid. vii. 672. Hence our author, EL. iii. 67. Flebam turbatos CEPHALEIA PELLICE fomnos. And Cephalus is "the Attic boy," with whom Aurora was accuftomed to hunt, IL PENS. V. 124. 53. Flava verecundo dea crimen in ore fatetur.] Ovid, METAM. i. 484 Pulchra verecundo fuffunditur ora rubore. - 53. 57. Et digna eft.-] That is pulchra. So above, EL. i. Ah! quoties DIGNA ftupui miracula formæ ! Cicero, DE INVENT. L. ii. i. "Ei pueros oftenderunt multos magna præditos DIGNITATE.” And afterwards, from the beauty of thefe boys, the dignitas of their fifters is estimated. Milton, at thefe early years, feems to have been nicely skilled in the force of Latin words, and to have known the full extent of the Latin tongue. 58. Pandit ut omniferos luxuriofa finus.] See PARAD. LOST, B. v. 338. Whatever Earth ALL-BEARING mother yields. He adds, Atque Arabum fpirat meffes. So Atque Arabum fpirat meffes, et ab ore venusto 60 65 70 Milton here thought of Ovid's TELLUS, who makes a speech, and who lifts her "OMNIFEROS vultus." METAM. ii. 275. 62. The head of his perfonified Earth crowned with a facred wood, resembles Ops, or Cybele, crowned with towers. But in pinea turris, he seems to have confounded her crown of towers with the pines of Ida. Tibullus calls her Idea Ops. EL. i. iv. 68. 66. Tænario placuit, &c.] See PARAD. L. B. iv. 268. "Where Proferpine, &c." And Ovid, METAM. B. V. 391. There are touches of the great poetry in this description or perfonification of Earth. 69. Cinnamea Zephyrus leve plaudit odorifer ala.] See EL. iii. 47. Serpit odoriferas per opes levis aura Favoni. And CoмUS, v. 989. And weft winds with MUSKIE WING About the cedarn allies fling, &c. And PARAD. L. B. viii. 515. -Gentle airs Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their WINGS Flung rofe, flung odours, from the SPICY fhrub. "Rofe and odours, which their wings had collected from the spicy * fhrub." Terra, |