The flowery May, who from her green lap throws The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.

I must add a beautiful passage from P. Fletcher's Locusts, 1627, p. 96.

"The lovely Spring

"Comes dauncing on; the primrose strewes her way,
"And sattin violet." TODD.

Ver. 3. The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip &c.] So Niccols, in the descrip-

tion just cited, of May.

“And from her fruitful lap eche day she threw

"The choicest flowres."

Beside the instance brought by doctor Newton from K. Richard the Second, we have in the same play, A. iii, S. 3.

"The fresh green lap of fair king Richard's land."

As in Lycidas, v. 138.

"On whose fresh lap the swart-star sparely looks." So also R. Greene, of Aurora, as cited in England's Parnassus, 1600, p. 415.

"And sprinckling from the folding of her lap,
"White lillies, roses, and sweet violets."

Mr. Bowle adds these illustrations, Spenser, Faer. Qu. ii. vi. 15. Of flowers.

"Nature them forth throwes

"Out of her fruitfull lap."

Again, ibid. vii. vii. 34.

"Then came faire May, the fayrest mayd on ground,
"Deckt all with dainties of her seasons pryde,

"And throwing flowres out of her lap around."

T. WARTON.

Ver. 4.
Tale, A. iv. S. 5.

the pale primrose.] In the Winter's

"Pale primroses,

"That die unmarried."

Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspire
Mirth, and youth, and warm desire;
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
Hill, and dale, doth boast thy blessing!
Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long*

Again, in Cymbeline, A. iv. S. 2.

"The flower that's like thy face, pale primrose.”

T. WARTON.

5

10

Whence perhaps Crashaw, with remarkable elegance, Poems, p. 87, Paris edit. 1652:

"The dew no more will weep

The primroses pale cheek to deck." TODD.

Ver. 10. And welcome thee,] So Chaucer, Knightes Tale, v. 1511. edit. Tyrwhitt.

"O Maye, with all thy flouries and thy grene,

"Right welcome be thou fair freshe May."

Compare v. 3. Carew also, in his description of the Spring, thus welcomes May:

"The vallies, hills, and woods, in rich array,

"Welcome the coming of the long'd-for May." TODD.

*This beautiful little Song presents an eminent proof of Milton's attention to the effect of metre, in that admirable change of numbers, with which he describes the appearance of the May Morning, and salutes her after she has appeared; as different as the subject is, and produced by the transition from Iambicks to Trochaicks. So, in L'Allegro, he banishes Melancholy in Iambicks, but invites Euphrosyne and her attendants in Trochaicks. TODD.

MISCELLANIES.

MISCELLANIES.

ANNO ÆTATIS XIX.

At a VACATION EXERCISE in the COLLEGE, part Latin part English. The Latin Speeches ended, the English thus began*.

HAIL, native Language, that by sinews weak
Didst move my first endeavouring tongue to speak,
And mad'st imperfect words with childish trips,
Half unpronounc'd, slide through my infant lips,
Driving dumb Silence from the portal door,
Where he had mutely sat two years before!
Here I salute thee and thy pardon ask,
That now I use thee in my latter task :
Small loss it is that thence can come unto thee,

I know my tongue but little grace can do thee: 10

* Written 1627. It is hard to say why they did not first appear in edition 1645. They were first added, but misplaced, in edit. 1673. See table of Errata to that edition. T. WARTON. Ver. 5. dumb Silence] So, in Il Pens. v. 55. "The mute Silence." Sylvester has "dumb silence," Du Bart. edit.

1621.

p. 13. TODD.