Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook, that flow'd Invoke thy aid to my advent'rous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar 7. Oreb, or Horeb, and Sinai are two peaks of the same mountain range between the Gulfs of Suez and Akaba. It is about two miles from north to south, and about one-fourth of a mile in width. Horeb is at the northern end of the range, and Sinai at the southern, nearly 100 miles from the top of the Gulf of Suez. 8. Who first taught.] "First" is here an adjective, not an adverb. It means that he "before any one else" taught, &c.; not that he taught them first, and then did something else. 10. Rose out of chaos.] Milton here uses a classical word, but with a strictly scriptural idea attached to it. See Gen. i. | 1 and 2. Chaos, the "rudis indigestaque moles" of Ovid, means the rude and shape- | less mass of matter which existed before the formation of the world. 14. That with no middle flight, &c.] "As Virgil rivalled Homer, so Milton was the emulator of both. He found Homer possessed of the province of morality, Virgil of politics, and nothing left for him but that of religion. This he seized, as ambitious to share with them in the government of the poetic world; and by the means of the superior dignity of his subject, hath gotten to the head of that triumvi What in me is dark—' 99 rate which took so many ages in forming." -Warburton's Divine Legation of Moses. 15. The Aonian Mount was Helicon in Boeotia. It was sacred to Apollo and the Muses. Milton here intimates without reserve that he purposes to produce a nobler poem than any transmitted to us by the Greeks or Romans. 16. Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.] Mr. Conybeare, speaking of the metrical paraphrase of parts of Scripture, ascribed to a second Cardmon, alleges that the fall of man is considered ushered in by the pride, rebellion, and punishment of Satan and his powers, "with a resemblance to Milton so remarkable, that much of this portion might be almost literally translated by a cento of lines from that great poet." Mr. Turner, too, in his most excellent History of the Anglo-Saxons, brings the same accusation against our author; and, if these assertions could be established, they would show that Milton was doing anything rather than pursuing "things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme." But out of about 150 lines given in the Pictorial History of England, vol. 1, pp. 294—296, I find nothing more nearly resembling Milton's lines than these :— "Then was the Almighty angry; To bring a charge of plagiarism on such a slender foundation, is contrary to all the rules of literary criticism. From the lines I refer to, I see no reason to think that Milton ever saw them; and it is quite certain that, in Fairfax's Translation of Tasso, and still more in Spencer's Faërie Queene, we meet with lines by the dozen that more resemble Milton, and that yet are quite different. It would have been easy for the objectors to put two or three lines out of the cento, or hundred, that they talk about, into parallèl columns; but this they have not done. Milton was, undoubtedly, a great borrower and debtor to Jew and Gentile; but whatever he took he fused in the fire of his own imagination. There is no mistaking his thunder. See also note on Book I. 1. 351-5. 17. And chiefly Thou, O, Spirit! that dost prefer, &c.] Coleridge remarks, in his Table Talk, that "John Milton himself is in every line of the Paradise Lost. We certainly see him here in his ardent piety, and in his puritanic contempt for splendid temples, any possible temple that could be built by the hand of man. In his prose works, we find a similar reference to the Holy Spirit, and get, also, an insight into the training of his mind for the production of some great work. Milton took to poetry as the business of his life, and certainly he was not slothful in the business." "Neither do I think it shame to covenant with any knowing reader, that for some few years yet I may go on trust with him toward the payment of what I am now indebted, as being a work not to be raised from the heat of youth or the vapours of wine, like that which flows at waste from the pen of some vulgar amourist, or the trencher fury of a rhyming parasite; nor to be obtained by the invocation of Dame Memory and her seven daughters, but by devout prayer to that eternal Spirit who can enrich with all utterance and knowledge, and sends out his seraphim, with the hallowed fire of his altar, to touch and purify the lips of whom he pleases; to this must be added industrious and select readings, steady observations, insight into all seemly and generous arts and affairs; till which, in some measure be compassed, at mine own peril and cost, I refuse not to sustain this expectation from as many as are not loth to hazard so much credulity upon the best pledges that I can give them."-Reason of Church Government, &c. "Illumine: what is low, raise and support; That to the height of this great argument I may assert eternal Providence, And justify the ways of God to man. Say, first (for heaven hides nothing from thy view, Nor the deep tract of hell); say first, what cause Moved our grand parents, in that happy state, Favoured of Heaven so highly, to fall off From their Creator, and transgress his will, For one restraint, lords of the world besides ? Who first seduced them to that foul revolt? Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile, Stirred up with envy and revenge, deceived The mother of mankind, what time his pride Had cast him out from heaven with all his host Of rebel angels; by whose aid, aspiring To set himself in glory above his peers, 23. What is low, raise and support,] i.e. raise up, and keep up, when raised, what in me is low. 24. The height of this great argument.] Milton prays that he may be able to do justice to the difficult subject he has taken in hand, and convince men of the great truth that this world is not under the dominion of chance, but is really governed by God. 26. And justify, &c.] Pope has adopted this line with the change of one word-vindicate for justify. There is not much to choose between them. "Vindicate" is, perhaps, slightly more classical, and "justify" more scriptural. See Rom. iii. 4. 28. Tract of hell,] i.e., region of hell. We still speak of a tract of land. 30. Favoured of Heaven.] What does "favoured," apply to, "parents" or "state?" 33. For one restraint, lords of the world besides.] Except for one restraint, lords of all the world. See Gen. ü. 16 and 17. 34. The infernal Serpent.] What case is serpent in here, and why? 36. What time.] A Latinism for when or after. 40. He trusted to have equalled the Most High.] There is a slight grammatical blemish here. It ought to be," He trusted to equal the Most High. See Connon's English Grammar, p. 162. "THE ROVING BEE; or, a Peep into many Hives." By the Author of "Quicksands on Foreign Shores." Edited by Mrs. Whateley. 12mo, el. pp. 221. James Nisbet and Co., 1855. This is a well-told tale, both interesting and instructive. The heroine is, by "unforeseen circumstances," induced to become a governess, in order that her brother may receive a college education. There is no prolix introduction to the " Roving Bee." Chapter I., "The Choice of a Governess," commences thus: "When do you expect your new governess?' said Colonel Delany to his wife, as the door closed upon the last of a troop of merry children, who had been romping with their father till summoned to bed by their nurse. 'The end of next week is the time I fixed,' said Mrs. Delany. 'I could not wait longer; for the children are getting quite disorderly, from having been three months without regular school-room habits.' 'And you really have engaged a young person you have not seen ?' said her husband. 'I don't wonder you are surprised, my dear Henry; but I was tired of waiting, and could find no one here to suit me, when your sister wrote to me from Cork, recommending this young lady so very highly, and speaking so well of her family, and appearing so delighted with her altogether, that after a good deal of correspondence I agreed to take her. Perhaps it was rash. I have, you know, always had English governesses hitherto; and not having seen Miss Leighton, I fear I may be disappointed, and find she has a terrible brogue, or slatternly habits.' 'Now, Caroline,' exclaimed Colonel Delany, laughing, 'who would believe you had been so long married to an Irishman, and living for the last five years near Dublin? When will you drop your Saxon prejudices? But let me hear what my sister tells you about Miss-what did you say her name was ?' Miss Leighton. Yes, I was only waiting till the children were gone to bed, to read you what Anna says. I did not wish to trouble you about the affair while it was at all doubtful; but I must remind you,' she added, as she produced a crossed letter from her workbox, 'that Anna is a little enthusiastic where she takes a fancy. This is what she says, however:-"My dear Caroline, I think I have found you a governess at last. The young lady is named Leighton; and though she was born on the banks of the Shannon, I really think you would have no cause to regret not sending to France or England for an instructress to your children, if you took her into your family. She has never been out before, indeed; but this disadvantage is compensated by the fact, that she has resided for more than a year on the Continent, and has a thoroughly good French accent. Miss Leighton's family is highly respectable-her father, especially, was, I understand, a man of wealth and consideration in one of the neighbouring counties, but, like so many others, was gradually reduced, through a mixture of imprudence and misfortune; and his death (about a year ago) left his widow and three or four children very ill off-the son's education, in fact, could not be completed, unless their sister went out as a governess. I am sure one must think well of her for thus exerting herself for the sake of her brothers. I have had two interviews with Miss Leighton, and was much pleased with her manners and appearance. She might, indeed, be thought too pretty by some people; but you, I believe, agree with me in thinking, that plain girls are just as often vain and full of themselves as pretty ones. Besides, she is not exactly a showy kind of person-a complexion rather pale than otherwise, but with an air of perfect health; dark hair, fine expressive features, the clear grey eyes of our country, with a tall, graceful figure; very simply dressed, and a disposition, naturally cheerful, pressing through the clouds that misfortune had thrown over it. Such were the impressions which Dora Leighton made upon me. She might strike you differently, of course; but I must now speak of her qualifications. I have mentioned French already; she is also a good musician; indeed, if she could teach the girls to sing as sweetly as she does herself, my brother would be delighted, I know. She received, I understand, good instruction in all the commoner branches of education, and has been accustomed to teach her younger brothers, and, for the last year, some little cousins also. The lady who mentioned her to me says she is a most affectionate, amiable girl, very lively, a good walker, and enjoying strong health. She is only one-and-twenty, but having No one lived abroad and in Dublin, has a sufficiency of savoir-faire to make up for her youth. I shall be really delighted, my dear Caroline, if I succeed in suiting you, and providing my young friend with so excellent a situation as yours. Pray write immediately, and tell me what you think of my statements. With love to my nephews and nieces, I remain, your affectionate sister, ANNA HEWITT." "Well, that sounds prepos sessing enough,' said the colonel; 'and even if my sister be a little biassed in her judgment by her feeling for a girl who is exerting herself in so good a cause, there yet remains enough to make a more agreeable governess than young folks are often blessed with.' 'I must say,' observed Mrs. Delany, 'that the mistress of the family is quite as apt to be made uncomfortable by the governess as the children are. can tell what I have suffered with my different governesses, even those who had many excellent qualities-their tempers are frequently so irritable and touchy. In short, I don't know how it is, but one's best efforts to make them happy generally fail.' The office is a trying one, you know,' observed her husband-'a mother's care without her reward.' 'Ah! that is a speech you are very fond of making,' said Mrs. Delany; 'but it is not quite just, I think. No governess has really all a mother's care. Her anxiety and her responsibility, for instance, cannot well be shared by any one; and a portion of reward (a small one, I grant, but still it is a portion) the governess may have, if she lives very long in one family, and is affectionately devoted to her important task; well-disposed girls, at least, will never forget the trouble and kindness bestowed on them in childhood.'' The interest thus awakened does not flag throughout the work; our readers will, we doubt not, agree with us in the desire to know more of Dora. "A Sequel to the Roving Bee" would now be an attractive title to us. If we were to single out one chapter as preferable to the others, we should choose the fourth, as one of intense interest. "Benevolence" would have been an appropriate title to this chapter; but as "The Emigrants" are characters incidentally (although very happily) introduced into the dramatis persona, the title is not amiss. We are not sorry that our author has not made Dora a wife. From the commencement of the chapter (VIII.), entitled "Love's Young Dream," to the end of the chapter (XII.), entitled “The Worldly Man's Choice," there is much that will interest young governesses, and recall the past to the minds of many who "have been young.' Alas! Mr. Conyngham is a specimen of a very large class of lovers who make "The Worldly Man's Choice." Poor Dora! She had her share of troubles; but it may be that many a governess who reads this notice may be able to tell an "o'er true tale" of hardships endured that would leave Dora's far in the shade. |