In the next poem he decides that divine Melancholy really confers the pleasures which she promises, and to her he devotes himself.

MILTON'S "IL PENSEROSO,"

(THE MELANCHOLY).

THE following account of the origin and design of this poem is taken from Newton's Notes on Milton:

"Il Penseroso is the thoughtful, melancholy man; and Mr. Thyer concurred with me in observing, that this poem, both in its model and principal circumstances, is taken from a song in praise of melancholy, in

Fletcher's comedy, called "The Nice Valour, or Passionate Man." The reader will not be displeased to see it here, as it is well worth transcribing :

"Hence, all you vain delights,
As short as are the nights,

Wherein you spend your folly;
There's nought in this life sweet,
If man were wise to see't,

But only melancholy,

Sweetest melancholy. Welcome folded arms and fixed eyes, A sigh, that piercing mortifies, A look that's fasten'd to the ground, A tongue chain'd up, without a sound, Fountain heads and pathless groves, Places which pale Passion loves, Moon-light walks, when all the fowls Are warmly hous'd, save bats and owls; A midnight bell, a parting groan, These are the sounds we feed upon;

Then stretch our bones in a still gloomy

valley;

Nothing's so dainty, sweet, as lovely

melancholy."

N.

Milton begins the Allegro in praise of mirth by exclaiming,

"Hence, loathed Melancholy!"

He begins the Penseroso in a similar manner ;

"Hence, vain, deluding joys"

So that either of the poems might with equal propriety have been the first. It is however discernible that Milton preferred the melancholy; and his conclusion to the poem puts it out of doubt.

"Hence, vain, deluding joys!

The brood of folly, without father bred, How little you bested,

Or fill the fixed mind with all your toys;

Dwell in some idle brain,

And fancies fond with gaudy shapes

possess,

As thick and numberless

As the gay motes that people the sunbeams,

Or likeliest hovering dreams,

The fickle pensioners of Morpheus' train.” "Begone, ye vain joys of Mirth! ye are the brood or offspring of Folly, spontaneously produced. Of how little profit are ye, and how far are you from engaging the fixed,' the steady mind, with all your worthless pleasures!-Go, Mirth, and fill some idle mind, and crowd fancies that are inclined to you with gaudy images, as numerous as the motes in the beams of the sun,

that

appear

or as numerous as the varying dreams that attend on sleep."

Toys-mean not only the playthings of children, but whatever amuses the mind, at any age.

Bested-comes from stead, which means place; instead, in the place of, bestead, to be of service-in place of something else.

And fancies fond with gaudy shapes possess.-Possess sometimes means, as in the New Testament, to subdue under the power of some demon; and here Milton invokes Euphrosyne to fill the foolish mind with demons of the various forms, which delusive Mirth assumes.

As the gay motes that people the

-

sun-beams. When the rays of the sun pass through any opening into a dark room, the light dust, which floats in the atmosphere, becomes