That his mansion hath on high
Above the reach of mortal eye.

For his mercies aye endure,
Ever faithful, ever fure.

Ver. 94. Above the reach of mortal eye.]

95

"This is admired

by Mr. Warton as a very poetical expreffion, and so it is," fays Mr. Dunfter." But," he adds, "Sylvefter had before spoken of all that is, or may be seen

By mortal eye under Night's horned queen.' p. 40."

I would rather refer to p. 469 of Sylvefter's Du Bartas, where the Almighty is defcribed:

"Why paint you Whom no mortal eye can fee ?"

Again, p. 943. "With God is light

"More pure, more piercing, past a mortal eye.”

But this had been a very common expreffion. Spenfer, Faer. Qu.

i. vii. 33.

"Ne might of mortall

eye be ever feene."

See alfo ibid. ii. ii. 41. And Pigmalion's Image, 1598.

"fuch redde, and fo pure white,

"Did neuer blefs the eye of mortall fight."

Thus, in Fairfax's Tao, ed. 1600, p. 140.

"Hid from mortall eie." See alfo p. 217, and p. 259. And Harington's Orl. Fur. ed. 16c7, p. 50. "That erft was feene with any mortall eye." In the brief compass of this and the preceding Pfalm may be obferved the Variety of Milton's Early Reading. They illuftrate his own obfervation in a Letter to his preceptor, Thomas Young, dated foon after he had written these his earliest poetical attempts: "Hæc fcripfi Londini inter urbana diverticula, non libris, UT SOLEO, circumfeptus." Tho: Junio, Mart. 26, 1625.

JOANNIS MILTONI

LONDINENSIS

POEMAT A.

QUORUM PLERAQUE INTRA ANNUM ÆTATIS VIGESIMUM CONSCRIPSIT.

HÆC quæ fequuntur de Authore testimonia, tametfi ipfe intelligebat non tam de fe quàm fupra fe effe dicta, eò quòd præclaro ingenio viri, nec non amici, ita ferè folent laudare, ut omnia fuis potiùs virtutibus, quàm veritati congruentia, nimis cupidè affingant, noluit tamen horum egregiam in fe voluntatem non effe notam ; cùm alii præfertim ut id faceret magnoperè fuaderent. Dum enim nimiæ laudis invidiam totis ab fe viribis amolitur, fibique quod plus æquo eft non attributum effe mavult, judicium interim hominum cordatorum atque illuftrium quin fummo fibi honori ducat, negare non poteft.

Joannes Baptifta Manfus, Marchio Villenfis, Neapolitanus, ad JOANNEM MILTONIUM Anglum.

UT mens, forma, decor, facies, mos, fi pietas fic, Non Anglus, verùm herclè Angelus, ipfe fores.

Non Anglus, verum hercle Angelus] Such was nearly the re. mark of Gregory, Archdeacon of Rome, as related by Milton in his Hift. of Eng. B. iv. "The Northumbrians had a custom to fell their children for a fmall value into any foreign land. Of