His daughter she-in Saturn's reign With a sad leaden downward cast, Thou fix them on the earth as fast; And join with thee calm Peace, and Quiet, Aye round about Jove's altar sing; Whilst yet, &c.-i. e. before Jupiter rebelled against his father. 2 Cyprus lawn-a fine fabric made at Cyprus; generally, but not always, of a black colour. Some read "Cypress" in reference to the shrub so called, which is of a dark hue. 3 Spare Fast, that oft, &c.-To imply that temperance is favourable to poetical enthusiasm. The fiery-wheeled throne-the throne of God or Providence, guided by calm and comprehensive forethought. 5 Hist-hushed; the same as "whist." See note 2, p. 296. While Cynthia checks her dragon-yoke, Sweet bird, that shunn'st the noise of folly, Thee, chantress, oft the woods among Oft, on a plat of rising ground, 1 Cynthia checks, &c.-i. e. Night stops to hear the nightingale. 2 Removed--remote, unfrequented. 3 Out-watch the Bear, &c.-i. e, study till past midnight the works of Hermes Trismegistus (the Mercury of the Egyptians) or of Plato. 4 Unsphere the spirit- awake it from its sphere or mansion, and bid it tell me where the soul goes when it leaves the body. 5 And of, &c.-i. e. "unfold" or give me information of, or concerning those demons, &c. The construction here is very peculiar. 2 Whose power hath a true1 consent Sometimes let gorgeous Tragedy2 But, O sad virgin, that thy power That owned the virtuous ring and glass; 8 Thus, Night, oft see me in thy pale career, Hath a true, &c.-i. e. works with planetary or elemental influences. Gorgeous tragedy, &c.-i. e. the famous tragedies of the Greeks, founded, generally, on the distresses of kings; pall here means, a flowing robe. 3 Buskined stage-the buskin symbolises tragedy, as the sock does comedy, See note 1, p. 310. 4 Musaus—a celebrated Greek poet whose works are lost. 5 Him that left, &c.-Chaucer. The story may be found in the extracts from that poet, pp. 243-251. Spenser endeavoured to complete it in the "Faerie Queen," Bk. iv. 6 And if aught else, &c.-i. e. O mournful virgin, relate to me any thing else that great bards, &c. He here refers to Spenser and the "Faerie Queen." 7 Where more is meant, &c.-In reference to the allegorical meaning of the "Faerie Queen." 8 Thus night, &c.-"Hitherto we have seen the night of the melancholy man; here his day commences:" Warton. 9 Civil-suited-soberly attired, not splendidly adorned, as in "L'Allegro." Not tricked and frounced1 as she was wont But kerchiefed in a comely cloud, While rocking winds are piping loud, Where the rude axe, with heaved stroke, 5 And let some strange mysterious dream And, as I wake, sweet music breathe 1 Tricked and frounced-dressed and frizzled, or curled. 2 Attic boy-Cephalus, with whom Aurora fell in love as he was hunting. 3 Minute drops-drops falling at intervals, as we say minute-guns, and minute-bells. 4 Monumental-perhaps so called from the great age to which the oak lives, surviving, as it were, like a monument of by-gone times. 5 Honeyed thigh-this is slightly incorrect; the bee collects honey in a bag, and wax on its thigh. 6 Let some strange, &c.-i. e. let some strange mysterious dream wave at or rustle the wings of Sleep with an airy stream of visionary figures, vividly pourtrayed to my fancy. The meaning of this passage may perhaps be illustrated by comparing Jonson's song "To Fancy, at Night." See p. 172. But let my due feet never fail And bring all heaven before mine eyes. These pleasures, Melancholy, give, EXTRACTS FROM PARADISE LOST.3 Or Man's first disobedience, and the fruit 1 Pale-this may mean either, as an adjective, dim, or shaded, or as a substantive, the pale, or enclosure of the cloister. 2 Massy proof-i. e. massy and proof, or immovable. This explanation seems justified, as Dr. Mant remarks, by the parallel expression used by Milton in "Samson Agonistes," where he speaks of a "frock of mail" being "adamantean proof," that is, adamantean and proof, or impenetrable. 3 Paradise Lost-the most sublime work of imagination ever presented to the world, was published in 1667, when Milton was in his sixtieth year. He had been blind several years when he began to compose it, but neither this calamity nor the troublous times in which he lived and suffered, daunted him in prosecuting to its close a work which he hoped, "the world would not willingly let die." The calm dignity and majesty of this exordium, give us an exalted idea of the poet's mental power; he rises to the "height of his great argument," with scarcely an effort, and thus at once assures the reader, and stamps the character of the poem. |