Let op'ning roses knotted oaks adorn, Go, gentle gales, and bear my fighs along! REMARKS. Not. VER. 43. Not bubbling] The turn of thefe four lines is evidently borrowed from Drummond of Hawthornden, a charming but neglected Poet. He was born 1585, and died 1649. His verfes are as smooth as Waller's, whom he preceded many years, having written a poem to King James, 1617; whereas Waller's first compofition was to Charles I, 1625. His Sonnets are exquifitely beautiful and correct. He was one of our first, and best imitators of the Italian Poets, and Milton had certainly read and admired him, as appears by many paffages that might be quoted for that purpose. The four lines mentioned above follow: To virgins flow'rs, to fun-burnt earth the rain, Cool fhades to pilgrims, whom hot glances burn, And afterwards again our author borrows in Abelard; The grief was common, common were the cries. I will just add, that Drayton's Paftorals, and his Nymphidia, do not feem to be attended to fo much as they deserve. WARTON, "Quale fopor feffis in gramine, quale per æftum Dulcis aquæ faliente fitim reftinguere rivo." Ecl. v. P. Not show'rs to larks, nor fun-fhine to the bee, Go, gentle gales, and bear my sighs away! 45 50 Ye pow'rs, what pleafing phrenzy fooths my mind! Next Ægon fung, while Windfor groves admir'd; Here, where the mountains, lefs'ning as they rise, 60 While VARIATIONS. VER. 48. Originally thus in the MS. With him through Lybia's burning plains I'll go, Yet feel no heat but what our loves impart, WARBURTON. IMITATIONS. VER. 52. An qui amant, ipfi fibi fomnia fingunt ?" Id. viii. P. VER. 59 to 64. Here, where the mountains, &c.] The "lab'ring" ox, "in his loofe traces," is from Milton's Comus, -What time the labor'd ox In his loofe traces from the furrow came. While lab'ring oxen, spent with toil and heat, Refound, ye hills, refound my mournful lay! 65 Oft' on the rind I carv'd her am'rous vows, Refound, ye hills, refound my mournful strain! Who loft my heart while I preferv'd my sheep. 70 75 80 Pan REMARKS. VER. 68. While fhe with garlands hung the bending bows:] This line forcibly recalls the beautiful defcription of the "Poor Ophelia." There with fantastic garlands did he come, STEVENS. Pan came, and afk'd, what magic caus'd my fmart, Refound, ye hills, refound my mournful strains! 84 90 95 Refound, ye hills refound my mournful lay! Farewel, ye woods, adieu the light of day! One leap from yonder cliff shall end my pains, No more, ye hills, no more refound my strains! Thus fung the shepherds till th' approach of night, The skies yet blushing with departing light, REMARKS. When VER. 82. dart?] It fhould be darted; the present tense is used for the fake of the rhyme. WARTON. VER. 97. Thus fung] Among the multitude of English Poets who wrote Paftorals, Fairfax, to whom our Verfification is thought to be fo much indebted, ought to be mentioned. He wrote ten IMITATIONS. VER. 82. Or what ill eyes] or P. "Nefcio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos.” VER. 89. "Nunc fcio quid fit Amor: duris in cotibus illum," &c. P. This from Virgil is much inferior to the paffage in Theocritus, from whence it is taken. WARTON. 3 When falling dews with fpangles deck'd the glade, And the low fun had lengthen'd ev'ry shade. REMARKS. 100 or twelve Eclogues after the acceffion of James I. They were like thofe of Mantuan and Spenfer, allegorical, and alluded to the manners and characters of the times, and contained many fatyrical strokes against the King and his Court. They were loft in the fire that confumed the Banquetting House at Whitehall; but it is faid that Mr. W. Fairfax, his fon, recovered them from his father's papers; the fourth of them was publifhed by Mrs. Cooper in the Muses Library, 1737. WARTON. I wonder Dr. Warton fhould have omitted Browne's Britannia's Paftorals, an almost forgotten work, but containing fome images of rural beauty which Milton did not disdain sometimes to See T. Warton's edition of Milton's fmaller poems, copy. page 53. VER. 98. 100.] There is a little inaccuracy here; the first line makes the time after fun-fet; the fecond, before. WARBURTON. |