Moifaic; underfoot the violet, 700 Crocus, and hyacinth with rich inlay Broider'd the ground, more color'd than with stone Beaft, bird, infect, or worm durft enter none; 700. the violet, Crocus, and hyacinth] Our author has taken this from Homer, who makes the fame fort of flowers to fpring up under Jupiter and Juno as they lay in conjugal embraces upon mount Ida, Iliad. XIV. 347. Τοισι δ' ύπο χθων δια φυεν νει θήλεα ποιων, Λωτον 3' ερσπενία, ιδε κρόκον, ηδ' υακινθον Πυκνον και μαλακον· ὁς απο χθο ν ύψοσ' εεργε. Glad earth perceives, and from her bofom pours Unbidden herbs, and voluntary flow'rs; Thick new-born violets a foft carpet spread, Nor our author the very turn of Homer's verfes is obferved, and the cadence, and almost the words finely tranflated. 703. Of coflieft emblem:] Emblem is here in the Greek and Latin fenfe for inlaid floors of ftone or cal or pictural: wood, to make figures mathemati Arte pavimenti atque emblemate vermiculato. Bentley. 705. In fbadier bower] So it is in the first edition; in the fecond we read In fhadie bower, but with fuch a space as is not ufual between two words, as if the letter r had occupy'd the room, and by fome accident had made no impreffion. In fhadier bosver marks more strongly the fhadiness as well as the retiredness of the place, and the fhadiness is a principal circumftance of the defcription, and the bower is feldom mention'd but it is called fhady bower, III. 734V. 367, 375. Shady lodge. IV. 720. Where Mr. Pope remarks that in feady arborous roof, V. 137. The And cluftring lotos fwell'd the rifing bed, And fudden hyacinths the turf bestrow, And flamy crocus made the moun tain glow. purport Nor Faunus haunted. Here in close recefs 719 With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs purport of the fimile then is this, There never was a more fhady, more facred and fequefter'd bower, though but in fiction, than this was in reality. Pan, the God of fhepherds, or Sylvanus, the God of woods and groves, Wood-nymph, or Faunus, the tutelary God of hufbandmen, were not even feign'd to enjoy a more sweet recefs than this of Adam and Eve. 709. With flowers,] Milton ufually fpells it flours, but here it is with two fyllables flowers, which made me imagin that he writ always flour when it was to be pronounc'd as one fyllable, and flower when it was to be pronounc'd as two fyllables: but upon farther examination we find, that when he pronounces the word as one fylfable, he fometimes fpells it flower flow'r, fometimes floure, fometimes flouer and fo likewife bower he fpells differently bower, bowr, bowre; and shower likewife shower, fbowr, fboure. It is fitting that all thefe fhould be reduced to fome 7'5 In certain ftandard, and what standard more proper than the prefent practice, and efpecially fince there are feveral inftances of the fame in Milton himself? 714. More lovely than Pandora, &c.] The ftory is this. Prometheus the fon of Japhet (or Japetus) had ftol'n fire from Heaven, Jove's authentic fire, the original and prototype of all earthly fire, which Jupiter being angry at, to be reveng'd fent him Pandora, fo call'd because all the Gods had contributed their gifts to make her more charming (for fo the word fignifies). She was brought by Hermes (Mercury) but was not received by Prometheus the wifer fon of Japhet (as the name implies) but by his brother Epimetheus th' unwifer fon. She entic'd his foolish curiofity to open a box which he brought, wherein were contain'd all manner of evils. Richardfon. The epithet unwifer does not imply that his brother Prometheus was unwife. Milton uses unwifer, In fad event, when to th' unwifer fon Of Japhet brought by Hermes, fhe infnar'd as any Latin writer would imprudentior, for not so wife as he should have been. So audacior, timidior, vehementior, iracundior, &c. mean bolder, &c. quam par eft, than is right and fit, and imply lefs than audax, timidus, &c. in the pofitive degree. Fortin. 720. Thus at their fhady lodge arriv'd, both flood, Both turn'd, &c.] A great admirer of Milton obferves, that he fometimes places two monofyllables at the end of the line ftopping at the fourth foot, to adapt the meafure of the verfe to the fenfe; and then begins the next line in the fame manner, which has a wonderful effect. This artful manner of writing makes the reader fee them ftand and turn to worship God before they went into their bower. If this manner was alter'd, much of the effect of the painting would be loft. 725 Which And now arriving at their fhady Both ftood, both turn'd, and un- 723.-the moon's refplendent globe, 725. Lucentemque globum lunæ, Titaniaque aftra. 724.-Thou alfo mad ft the night, &c.] A mafterly tranfition this, which the poet makes to their evening worship. Most of the modern heroic poets have imitated the Ancients, in beginning a speech without premifing, that the perfon faid thus and thus; but as it is eafy to imitate the Ancients in the omiffion of two or three words, it requires judgment to do it in fuch a manner as they fhall not be miffed, and that the fpeech may begin naturally Which we in our appointed work employ'd naturally without them. There is a fine inftance of this kind out of Homer, in the 23d chapter of Longinus. Addifon. I conceive Mr. Addison meant Sect. 27. and the inftance there given is of Hector being firft nam'd, and then of a fudden introduced as fpeaking, without any notice given that he does fo. But the tranfition here in Milton is of another fort; it is first speaking of a person, and then fuddenly turning the difcourfe, and fpeaking to him. And we may obferve the like tranfition from the third to the fecond perfon in the hymn to Hercules, Virg. Æn. VIII. 291. - ut duros mille labores This place, that is Thou mad ft &c. as in ver. 724. Thou alfo mad ft the night. Dr. Pearce choofes rather to read thus, the crown of all our bliss Ordain'd by thee in this delicious place. The conftruction no doubt is fomewhat obfcure, but without any alteration we may understand the paffage with Dr. Pearce thus, and thou mad'ft this delicious place: or with Mr. Richardfon thus, happy in our mutual help and mutual love, the chief of all our blifs, thy gift, and happy in this delicious Paradife: or thus, happy in our mutual help and mutual love, the crown of all our bliss, Pertulerit. Tu nubigenas, invicte, and of this delicious place. bimembres &c. 735-thy gift of fleep.] Dr. Bentley reads the gift, and obferves that it is word for word from Homer, who has the expreffion frequently: Ff3 Колина This faid unanimous, and other rites Obferving none, but adoration pure Which God likes beft, into their inmoft bower Κοιμησαν' άρ' απειτα, και ύπιε δωρον ελόντο. But thy gift is right, for in ver. 612. Milton lays that God bath fet labor and reft to men fucceffive; therefore fleep is God's gift: and Virgil (whom Milton oftner imitates than Homer) fays of fleep, -dono Divum gratiffima ferpit. En. II. 269. Pearce. 736. This said unanimous, and other rites Obferving none, but adoration pure Which God likes beft,] Here Milton expreffes his own favorite notions of devotion, which, it is well known, were very much against any thing ceremonial; and this confirms what was obferved in his life, that he was full of the interior of religion, tho' he little regarded the exterior. Thyer. 743 Defaming 744. Whatever hypocrites &c | Our author calls thofe, who under a notion of greater purity and pe fection decry and forbid marriage as they do in the Church of Rome, bypocrites; and fays afterwards that it is the doctrin of our Destroyer, allufion to that text of St. Paul, 1 Tim. IV. 1, 2, 3. Now the Spirit Speaketh expressly that is the latter times fome fall depart from the faith, giving heed to feducing Spirits e doctrins of Devils, speaking his is by pocrify, having their confcienc ed with a hot iron, forbiding 10 marry, &c. 750. Hail wedded Love, &c.] An ingenious friend has inform'd ne that this addrefs to wedded love is borrow'd from one of Taffo's let ters; O dolce congiuntione de car foave unione de gli animi moftri, legiting |