The houfe of Pindarus, when temple and tower Went to the ground: And the repeated air Of fad Electra's poet had the power To fave the Athenian walls from ruin bare. us to Pliny, L. vii. c. 29. "Alexander Magnus Pindari vatis familiæ penatibufque juffit parci, cum Thebas caperet." And to the old commentator on Spenfer's Paftorals, who relates this incident more at large, and where it might have first struck Milton as a great reader of Spenfer. Ælian fays, that in this havock, Alexander ETIMHEE honoured the family of Pindar, and fuffered his houfe alone to ftand untouched and entire; having killed ninety thoufand Thebans, and captivated thirty thoufand. T. WARTON. Ver. 11. when temple and tower Went to the ground:] Temple and tower is a frequent combination in the old metrical romances. See Sege of Jerufalem, MSS. Cott. Cal. A. 2. f. 122. And Davie's Alexander, Bibl. Bodl. f. 112. Our author has it again, Par. Reg. B. iii. 268. "O'er hill and dale, "Foreft, and field, and flood, temples and towers" And again, in the description of the buildings of Rome, B. iv. 34. With towers and temples, &c." T. WARTON. Ver. 113. Of fad Electra's poet &c.] Plutarch relates, that when the Lacedemonian general Lyfander took Athens, it was propofed in a council of war intirely to rafe the city, and convert its fite into a defart. But during the debate, at a banquet of the chief officers, a certain Phocian fung fome fine anaftrophicks from a chorus of the Electra of Euripides; which fo affected the hearers, that they declared it an unworthy act, to reduce a place, fo celebrated for the production of illustrious men, to total ruin and defolation. The lines of Euripides are at v. 168. ̓Αγαμέμνονος. ὦ κόρα, ἤλυθον Ἦ λέκτρα ποτὶ σὰν ἀγροτέραν αὐλάν. It appears, however, that Lyfander ordered the walls and fortifications to be demolished. See Plutarch, Opp. tom. ii. Vit. p. 807. Par. 1572. 8°. By the epithet fad, Milton denominates the pathetick character of Euripides. Repeated fignifies recited. But it has been ingeniously fuggefted, that the epithet fad belongs to Electra, who very often calls herself OIKTPA, Taaaina, &c. in Euripides's play; and fays, that all the city gave her the fame appellation, κικλήσκεσι δε μ' ΑΘΛΙΑΝ Ηλεκτραν πολιηται. T. WARTON. Electra had been before denominated fad by Drummond, in his Elegy on Prince Henry's death: "And fad Electra's fifters, who still weepe." This is one of Milton's best Sonnets, as Mr. Warton obferves: It was written in 1642, when the King's army was arrived at Brentford, and had thrown the whole city into confternation. TODD. IX. To a VIRTUOUS YOUNG LADY. LADY, that in the prime of earliest youth Wifely haft fhunn'd the broad way and the green, And with thofe few art eminently seen, That labour up the hill of heavenly truth, The better part with Mary and with Ruth Chofen thou haft; and they that overween, Ver. 5. 1645" and the Ruth." TODD. Ver. 6. 5 and with Ruth] In the edit. of that overween,] He is fond of this word. See Par. Loft, B. x. 878, Par. Reg. B. i. 147, and Profe-Works, i. 141, ed. 1698. and ii. 515. TODD. And at thy growing virtues fret their spleen, No anger find in thee, but pity and ruth. Thy care is fix'd, and zealously attends To fill thy odorous lamp with deeds of light, And hope that reaps not fhame. Therefore be fure 9 Thou, when the bridegroom with his feaftful friends Paffes to blifs at the mid hour of night, Haft gain'd thy entrance, Virgin wife and pure. Ver. 8. pity and ruth.] Here Ruth and ruth are made to rhyme to each other; and it may perhaps offend the nicenefs of modern ears that the fame word fhould rhyme to itself though in different fenfes: But our old poets were not fo very delicate; and the reader may fee parallel instances in Spenfer's Fuer. Qu. i. vi. 39, vii. vi. 38. NEWTON. The fame inftances may ft. xviii. C. xv. ft. xvi, &c. may be from Spenfer. ruth be found in Taffo, Gier. Lib. C. i. Milton's combination of pity and Faer. Qu. i. vi. 12. "And won with pity and unwonted ruth." It occurs alfo in the old metrical Hift. of Sir Bevis of Southampton: "He had fuch ruth and pity that the teares ran downe plenty." TODD. Ver. 11. And hope that reaps not shame.] 'Exπis & xataIoxúVEL. Rom. v. v. HURD. Ver. 12. when the bridegroom with his feaftful friends] Feaftful is an epithet in Spenfer. He alludes to the midnight feafting of the Jews before the confummation of marriage. T. WARTON. Feaftful is again ufed in Samfon Agon. v. 1741: "On feaftful days:" which is also a phrafe in Archbishop Parker's translation of the Pfalms, p. 234. "Our folempne feaftful day." TODD. X. To the Lady MARGARET LEY. DAUGHTER to that good Earl,once Prefident 5 Kill'd with report that old man eloquent. Though later born than to have known the days Wherein father flourish'd, yet by you, your Madam, methinks I fee him living yet; 11 Ver. 1. Daughter to that good Earl,] She was the daughter of Sir James Ley, whofe fingular learning and abilities raised him throngh all the great pofts of the Law, till he came to be made Earl of Marlborough, and Lord High Treasurer, and Lord Prefident of the Council to King James I. He died in an advanced age; and Milton attributes his death to the breaking of the Parliament; and it is true that the Parliament was diffolved the 10th of March 1628-9, and he died on the 14th of the fame month. He left feveral fons and daughters; and the Lady Margaret was married to Captain Hobfon of the Ile of Wight. It appears from the accounts of Milton's life, that in 1643 he used frequently to vifit this lady and her husband; about which time we may fuppofe this Sonnet to have been compofed. NEWTON. Ver. 8. Kill'd with report that old man eloquent.] Ifocrates, the orator. The victory was gained by Philip of Macedon over the Athenians. T. WARTON. So well your words his noble virtues praise, That all both judge you to relate them true, And to poffefs them, honour'd Margaret. XI. On the detraction which followed upon my writing certain treatifes *. A BOOK was writ of late call'd Tetrachordon, * Dr. Johnson fays of this and the next Sonnet, that "the firft is contemptible, and the fecond not excellent;" and yet he had unfairly selected the contemptible Sonnet as a specimen, in his Dictionary, of this fpecies of verfe in English. But Milton wrote this Sonnet in fport. TODD. Ver. 1. A book was writ of late call'd Tetrachordon,] This elaborate difcuffion, unworthy in many refpects of Milton, and in which much acutenefs of argument, and comprehenfion of reading, were idly thrown away, was received with contempt, or rather ridicule, as we learn from Howel's Letters. A better proof that it was treated with neglect, is, that it was attacked by two nameless and obfcure writers only; one of whom Milton calls, a Serving-man turned Sollicitor! Our author's divorce was on Platonick principles. He held, that difagreement of mind was a better caufe of feparation than adultery or frigidity. Here was a fair opening for the laughers. This and the following Sonnet were written foon after 1645. For this doctrine Milton was fummoned before the Lords. But they not approving his accufers, the prefbyterian clergy, or thinking the bufinefs too fpeculative, he was quickly difmiffed. On this occafion Milton commenced hoftilities against the Prefbyterians. He illustrates his own system in this line of Par. Lost, B. ix. 372. "Go, for thy ftay, not free, abfents thee more." Milton wished he had not written this work in Englith. This is obferved by |