Carmen amat Bacchum, carmina Bacchus amat. Mista Thyoneo turba novena choro. 16 20 Quid nifi vina, rofafque, racemiferumque Lyæum, 19. Nafo Corallais mala carmina mifit ab agris.] Ovid's TRISTIA, and Epistles from Pontus, fuppofed to be far inferiour to his other works. This I cannot allow. Few of his works have more nature. And where there is haste and negligence, there is often a beautiful careless elegance. The Corallai were the most savage of the Getes. Ovid calls them " pelliti Corallæi," EPIST. PONT. iv. viii. 83. And again, ibid. iv. ii. 37. Hic mihi cui recitem, nifi flavis fcripta CORALLIS. See our author above, EL. i. 21. Ovid himself acknowledges, ut fupr. iv. ii. 20. Et carmen vena pauperiore fluit. See alfo TRIST. i. xi. 35. iii. xiv. 35. iii. i. 18. v. vii. 59. v.xii. 35. And EPIST. PONT. i. v. 3. iv. xiii. 4. 17. 20. Non illic epulæ, non fata vitis erat.] Ovid, EPIST. PONT. j. x. 31. Non EPULIS oneror: quarum fi tangar amore, Non hic pampinea dulcis latet uva sub umbra. Again, EPIST. PONT. iii. i. 13. Nec tibi pampineas Autumnus porrigit uvas. And, ibid. i. iii. 51. Non ager his Again, i. vii. 13. pomum, non dulces porrigit uvas. Nos habeat regio nec pomo fæta nec uvis. Again, ibid. iii. viii. 13. Non hic pampineis amicitur vitibus ulmus, &c. 21. Quid nifi ii. 364. Cantavit brevibus Teia Mufa modis.] Qvid, TRIST. Cantavit brevibus Teia Mufa modis ? Pindaricofque inflat numeros Teumefius Euan, Et redolet fumptum pagina quæque merum ; Dum gravis everfo currus crepat axe fupinus, Et volat Eleo pulvere fufcus eques. Quadrimoque madens Lyricen Romanus Iaccho, Dulce canit Glyceran, flavicomamque Chloen. Jam quoque lauta tibi generofo menfa paratu Mentis alit vires, ingeniumque fovet. Maffica fœcundam defpumant pocula venam, Fundis et ex ipfo condita metra cado. Addimus his artes, fufumque per intima Phœbum Corda favent uni Bacchus, Apollo, Ceres. Scilicet haud mirum, tam dulcia carmina per te, QUID NISI cum multo venerem confundere vino Again, ART. AMATOR. iii. 330. -Vinofi TEIA MUSA fenis. See alfo METAM. XV. 413. Victa RACEMIFERO lyncas dedit India Baccho. And FAST. vi. 483. 25 30 23. Teumefius Euan.] Teumefus, Tevμnods, is a mountain of Boeotia, the district in which Thebes was fituated; and its inhabitants were called Tevμhow, Teumefii. The Grecian Bacchus, the fon of Jupiter and Semele, is often denominated THEBANUS. But Bacchus had a more immediate and particular connection with this mountain. Paufanias relates a fable, that Bacchus, in revenge for fome infult which he had received from the Thebans, nourifhed a fox in this mountain for the destruction of the city of Thebes; and that a dog being fent from Diana to kill this fox, both fox and dog were turned into ftones. The fox was called Tsuμnoia ʼn aawang, Teumefia vulpes. Paufan. BOINTIK. p. 296. 10. edit. Francof. 1583. fol. See alfo Stephanus Byzant. Voc. TETMHEOE. And Antoninus Liberal. METAм. p. 479. apud Gal. HISTOR. POETIC. Script. POETIC. Script. Parif. 1675. 8vo. Milton here puzzles his readers with minute and unneceffary learning. The meaning of the line is this. "The Theban god "Bacchus infpires the numbers of his congenial Pindar, the Theban poet." 66 36 Numine compofito, tres peperiffe Deos. Nunc quoque Threffa tibi cælato barbitos auro Infonat arguta molliter icta manu; Auditurque chelys fufpenfa tapetia circum, Virgineos tremula quæ regat arte pedes. Illa tuas faltem teneant fpectacula Mufas, Et revocent, quantum crapula pellit iners. Crede mihi, dum pfallit ebur, comitataque plectrum Implet odoratos fefta chorea tholos, 40 Percipies tacitum per pectora ferpere Phœbum, 45 Perque puellares oculos, digitumque fonantem, Namque Elegia levis multorum cura Deorum eft, 50 37. Nunc quoque Threffa tibi, &c.] The Thracian harp. Orpheus was of Thrace. Ovid, EPIST. HEROID. iii. 118. THREICIAM digitis increpuiffe lyram. The fame pentameter occurs, AMOR. ii. xi. 32. He has "th' Orphean Lyre," PARAD. LOST, iii. 17. Where the epithet ORPHEAN is perfectly Grecian, and the combination "ORPHEAN lyre" is literally from Apollonius Rhodius, ii. 161. ΟΡΦΕΙΗ ΦΟΡΜΙΓΓΙ συνοιμίον ὕμνον ἄειδον. Or from Properpius, who fervily copies the Greeks, EL. i. iv. 42. ORPHEE carmina feffa LYRÆ. 6.6 "ORPHEA But the epithet is in his favourite Ovid, MET. x. 3. necquicquam voce vocatur." And xi. 22. ORPHEI titulum 66 rapuere theatri." And in Buchanan, an author with whofe Latin poetry Milton was well acquainted. EL. vii. 30. p. 44. OPP. edit. Lond. 1715. fol. "Et nemora ORPHEIS capta fuiffe modis." And "the Orphean lyre" is ibid. 32. Aureaque ORPHEA ** fila fuiffe LYRA." See Note on IL PENS. v. 104. At At qui bella refert, et adulto fub Jove cœlum, $ Et nunc fancta canit fuperum confulta deorum, 60 Qualis vefte nitens facra, et luftralibus undis, 65 Hoc ritu vixiffe ferunt poft rapta fagacem 70 55. At qui bella refert, &c.] Ovid, Anacreon, Pindar, and Horace, indulged in convivial feftivity and this alfo is an indulgence which must be allowed to the profeffed writer of elegies and odes. But the epic poet, who has a more ferious and important task, must live fparingly, according to the dictates of Pythagoras. Milton's panegyrics on temperance both in eating and drinking, refulting from his own practice, are frequent. See PARAD. L. B. v. 472.515.530. IL PENS. 46. And CoмUS, in feveral places. Luftralibus undis.] See Note on CoмUS, v. 912. 65. 67. -Poft rapta fagacem Lumina Tirefian.—] PARAD. L. iii. 35. Blind Thamyris, and blind Mæonides, And Tirefias, and Phincus, prophets old. 5. xi. Doctor Bentley propofes to reject intirely the fecond of these lines. But, to fay no more, this enumeration of Tirefias in company with other celebrated bards of the highest antiquity, would alone ferve for a proof that the fufpećted line is genuine. And Tirefias occurs again, DE IDEA PLATONICA, V. 26. 72. Dulichium vexit, &c.] It is worthy of remark, that Milton here Et per monftrificam Perfeiæ Phoebados aulam, Perque tuas, rix ime, domos, ubi fanguine nigro 76 80 Stelli parumque polum, modulantefque æthere turmas, Dona quidem dedimus Christi natalibus illa, 90 here illuftrates Homer's poetical character by the Odyffey, and not by the Iliad. 73. Et per monftrificam Perfeia Phabados aulam.] Circe was the daughter of the fun, and, as fome fay, of Hecate. Ovid, METAM. vii. 74. "Hecates PERSEIDOS aras.' ." And REMED. AMOR. 263. Quid tibi profuerunt, Circe, PERSEIDOS herbæ ?” And Ovid mentions Circe's AULA. METAM. xiv. 45. 66 -Perque ferarum Agmen adulantum media procedit ab AULA. 89. Te quoque preffa manent patriis meditata cicutis.] His English Ode on the Nativity. This he means to fubmit to Deodate's inspection. "You fhall next have fome of my ENGLISH poetry." And Buchanan has "Circe PERSEIA." EL. vii. 17. p. 44. ut fupr. 90. Tu mihi, cui recitem, judicis inftar eris.] In Coмus, we have fuppofed the fimple" fhepherd lad," fkilled in plants, to be the fame Charles Deodate, to whom this Elegy is addreffed, v. 619. See fupr. p. 429. For, as here, He lov'd me well, and oft would BID ME SING; VOL. I. Nnn Which |