Perfection from the sun's more potent ray.
These then, though unbeheld in deep of night, 674
Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none,
That Heav'n would want spectators, God want praise:
Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth.
Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep:
All these with ceaseless praise his works behold
Both day and night: how often from the steep 680
Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard
Celestial voices to the midnight air,
Sole, or responsive each to others note,
Singing their great Creator? oft in bands 684 |
While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk |
With heav'nly touch of instrumental sounds

he had not a little affectation of of mortal men, clothed with air,
fhowing his learning of all kinds, wand'ring every where through the
and makes Adam discourse here earth. See Hefiod, I. 120-125:
somewhat like an adept in altro- 682. Celestial voices to ibe mi
logy, which was too much the phi- night air,] Singing to the
losophy of his own times. What midnight air. So in Virg. Ed.1.57
he lays afterwards of numberless
spiritual creatures walking the earth

caner frondator ad aarai. unseen, and joining in praises to For as Dr. Pearce observes there their great Creator, is of a nobler should be a comma after note, tha. strain, more agreeable to reason the construction may be sepse and revelation, as well as more their great Creator to the minimum pleasing to the imagination, and air. And this notion of seems to be an imitation and im- finging thus by night is agrecas provement of old Hefiod's notion to the account given by Lucrets of good geniuses, the guardians IV. 586.

Quorum

In full harmonic number join'd, their songs
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heaven,

Thus talking hand in hand alone they pass’d
On to their blissful bow'r; it was a place 690
Chos’n by the sovran Planter, when he fram'd
All things to Man's delightful use; the roof
Of thickest covert was inwoven shade
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew
Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either fide 695
Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub
Fenc'd up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower,
Iris all hues, roses, and jesfamin
Rear'd high their florish'd heads between, and
wrought

Mosaic;

Quorum noctivago ftrepitu, ludo-. 694. Laurel and myrtle,] Virg, que jocanti

Ecl. II. 54. Adfirmant volgò taciturna filentia rumpi,

Et vos, ô lauri, carpam, et te Chordarumque fonos fieri, dul- . proxima myrte, cesque querelas,

Sic pofitæ quoniam suaves misceTibia quas fundit digitis pulsata tis odores. Hume,

canęntum. 688. Divide the night, ] Into 698. Iris ] The flower-de-luce watches, as the trumpet did among so callid from resembling the colors the Ancients, founding as the of the Iris or rainbow. Iris all watch was relieved, which was hues, that is of all hues, as a little caļlcd dividing the night.

before we havę inwoven fade -- cum buccina nociem laurel and myrtlē, that is inwoven Divideret. Sil, Ital. VII. 154. fhade of laurel and myrtle. Such

..Richardson. omillions are frequent in Milton, VOL. I.

709 — the

Moisaic; underfoot the violet,

700 Crocus, and hyacinth with rich inlay Broider'd the ground, more color'd than with stone Of costliest emblem: other creature here, Beast, bird, insect, or worm durst enter none; Such was their awe of Man. In shadier bower 70; More sacred and sequester’d, though but feiga'd, Pan or Sylvanus never slept, nor Nymph,

Nor

700.

the violet, our author the very turn of HoCrocus, and hyacinth] Our author mer's verses is observed, and the has taken this from Homer, who cadence, and almolt the words makes the same sort of flowers to finely translated. spring up under Jupiter and Juno .703. Of costlieft emblem:) En. as they lay in conjugal embraces blem is here in the Greek and Latin upon mount Ida, Iliad. XIV. 347. sense for inlaid floors of stone os

" wood, to make figures mathemati. Toivo N ÚTrogowe Sia quev 190- cal or pictural:

Onned wollen, AWTON n'eponerla, ide xexov, Arte pavimenti atque emblematı ndo venivoor

vermiculato. Bentley. Iluxvov xou Manexovo ós ATO X60 70s. In shadier bower ? So vo unfoo’eepgs.

it is in the first edition; in the leGlad earth perceives, and from cond we read In fhadie brwer, bet her bosom pours

with such a space as is not usual Unbidden herbs, and voluntary between two words, as if the letflow'rs;

ter r had occupy'd the room, and Thick new-born violets a soft car. by some accident had made no pet spread,

impression. In adier bour marks And clusring lotos swelld the rif- more strongly the hhadiness as well ing bed,

as the retiredness of the place, and And sudden hyacinths the turf the shadiness is a principal circumbestrow,

stance of the defcription, and the And flamy crocus made the moun. bower is seldom mention' but it tain glow.

is called shady tower, III. 734

V. 367, 375. pady lodge. IV.720. Where Mr, Pope remarks that in fady arborous roof, V. 137. The

purport

Nor Faunus haunted. Here in close recess
With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs
Espoused Eve deck'd first her nuptial bed, 710
And heav'nly quires the hymenæan fung,
What day the genial Angel to our fire
Brought her in naked beauty more adorn'd,
More lovely than Pandora, whom the Gods
Endow'd with all their gifts, and O too like 715

purport of the fimile then is this, certain standard, and what standard There never was a more fhady, more proper than the present pracmore sacred and sequefter'd bower, tice, and especially since there are though but in fiction, than this several instances of the same in was in reality. Pan, the God of Milton himself ? shepherds, or Sylvanus, the God of 714. More lovely than Pandora, woods and groves, Wood-nymph, or &c.] The story is this. Prome. Faunus, the tutelary God of hus. theus the son of Japhet (or Japetus) bandmen, were not even feign'd to had ftol'n fire from Heaven, ove's enjoy a more sweet recess than this authentic fire, the original and proof Adam and Eve.

totype of all earthly fire, which 709. With flowers,] Milton usu- Jupiter being angry at, to be really spells it Aours, but here it is veng'd sent him Pandora, so call'd with two syllables flowers, which because all the Gods had contrimade me imagin that he writ al. buted their gifts to make her more ways flour when it was to be pro- charming (for so the word fignifies). nounc'd as one syllable, and flower She was brought by Hermes (Mer. when it was to be pronounc'd as cury) but was not received by Protwo syllables : but upon farther metheus the wiser son of Japhet examination we find, that when he (as the name implies) but by his pronounces the word as one fyl. brother Epimetheus th' unwiser fon. lable, he sometimes spells it flower She entic'd his foolish curiofity to flow'r, sometimes floure, sometimes open a box which she brought, fouer: and so likewise bower he wherein were contain'd all manner Spells differently bower, bowr, of evils.

Richardfone bowre; and frower likewise power, The epithet unwifer does not imfpowr, howre. It is fitting that all ply that his brother Prometheus these hould be reduced to some was unwise. Milton uses unuiser,

F f2

In fad event, when to th’unwiser son
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, The insnar'd
Mankind with her fair looks, to be aveng'd
On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire.

Thus at their shady lodge arriv'd, both stood, 720
Both turn’d, and under open sky ador'd
The God that made both sky, air, earth and heaven,
Which they beheld, the moon's resplendent globe,
And starry pole: Thou also mad'st the night,
Maker omnipotent, and thou the day, 725

Which as any Latin writer would impru. And now arriving at their fhady dentior, for not so wise as he should lodge have been. So audacior, timidior, Both stood, both turn'd, and unvehementior, iracundior, &c. mean der open ký bolder, &c. quam par eft, than is right Ador'd the God &c. and fit, and imply less than audax, timidus, &c. in the positive degree. 723. - the moon's resplendent globe,

Förtin. And starry pole : ] Virg. Æn. VI. 720. Thus at their shady lodge ar- 725. riv'd, both flood,

• Lucentemque globum lunæ, TiBoth turn’d, &c. ) A great ad taniaque altra. mirer of Milton observes, that he sometimes places two monosyllables 724.- Thou also mad At the night, at the end of the line stopping at &c.] A masterly tranfition this, the fourth foot, to adapt the mea- which the poet makes to their evensure of the verse to the sense; and ing worship. Most of the modern then begins the next line in the heroic poets have imitated the same manner, which has a won- Ancients, in beginning a speech derful effect. This artful manner without premising, that the person of writing makes the reader see said thus and thus; but as it is them stand and turn to worship God easy to imitate the Ancients in the before they went into their bower. omission of two or three words, it If this manner was alter'd, much requires judgment to do it in such of the effect of the painting would a manner as they shall not be mis. be lost,

fed, and that the speech may begin

naturally