Hath took no print of the approaching light, And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright? IV. 21 See, how from far, upon the eastern road, Ver. 21. 25 the Spangled hoft keep watch in fquadrons bright] See the Note on Comus, v. 113. The ftars are called "the skie's bright sentinels," in Poole's English Parnaffus, p. 542. And "the Spangled Squadrons of the night," in Chamberlayne's Phuronnida, 1659, B. 4. p. 39. Sylvefter, as Mr. Dunfter alfo remarks, calls the angels "heaven's glorious hoft in nimble Squadrons, &c." Du Bart. p. 13. Drummond defcribes the angels "arch'd in Squadrons bright," Poems, p." 286. And Spenfer, F. Q. ii. viii. 2. They for us fight, they watch and dewly ward, TODD. Ver. 23. The ftar-led wifards] Wife-men. So Spenfer calls the ancient philofophers, the "antique wifards," Faer. Qu. iv. xii. 2. And he fays that Lucifera's kingdom was upheld by the policy," and ftrong advizement, of fix wifards old." That is, fix wife counsellers. Ibid. i. iv. 12, 18. Proteus is ftyled the See alfo what is faid. Carpathian wifurd," Comus, ver. 872. of the river Dee, in Lycidas, ver. 55. T. WARTON. Bancroft, in his Second Booke of Epigrammes, 12mo. 1639. Ep. 228, adopts Milton's epithet: "The Starre-led fages, that would Chrift behold, "Did prefents bring, &c." Topp. Ver. 28. From out his fecret altar touch'd with hallow'd fire. THE HYMN. I. IT was the winter wild, While the heaven-born child All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies; Nature, in awe to him, Had doff'd her gaudy trim, With her great Master so to sympathize: It was no feafon then for her To wanton with the fun, her lufty paramour. II. Only with speeches fair 30 35 Alluding to Ifaiah vi. 6, 7. In his Reafon of Ch. Government Milton has another beautiful allufion to the fame paffage, which I quoted in a note on Par. Loft, B. i. 17. As Pope's Meffiah is formed upon paffages taken from the prophet Ifaiah, he very properly invocates the fame divine Spirit: "O thou my voice infpire, "Who touch'd Isaiah's hallow'd lips with fire." NEWTON. Ver. 32. Nature, in awe to him,] Here is an imitation of Petrarch's third Sonnet. "Era 'l giorno, ch'al fol fi fcoloraro, "Per la pietà del fuo fattore, i rai; "Quand' i fui prefo, &c." Jos. WARTON. Ver. 38. She wooes the gentle air &c.] Somewhat in the manner of Sylvefter, Du Bart. edit. 1621. p. 222. "it refembles Nature's mantle fair, "When in the funne, in pomp all glistering, TODD. To hide her guilty front with innocent fnow; And on her naked fhame, Pollute with finful blame, The faintly veil of maiden white to throw; Confounded, that her Maker's eyes Should look fo near upon her foul deformities. III. But he, her fears to ceafe, Sent down the meek-ey'd Peace; 40 45 She, crown'd with olive green, came foftly fliding Down through the turning sphere, His ready harbinger, With turtle wing the amorous clouds dividing; And, waving wide her myrtle wand, 51 She strikes an univerfal peace through sea and land. Ver. 52. She strikes an univerjal peace through sea and land.] Doctor Newton perhaps too nicely remarks, that for Peace to Arike a peace is an inaccuracy. Yet he allows that fœdus ferire is claffical. But Roman phrafeology is here quite out of the queftion. It is not a league, or agreement of peace between two parties that is intended. A quick and univerfal diffusion is the idea. It was done as with a ftroke. T. WARTON. Yet it will perhaps be generally fuppofed that Milton had the ferire fadus, which Stephens interprets pacem componere, in his mind. We may compare Beaumont and Fletcher's Maid's Tragedy, where Neptune is invoked by Eolus to strike a calm, that is, by the waving of his trident, A. i. S. ii. "Defcend with all thy gods, and all their power, IV. Nor war, or battle's found, Was heard the world around: The idle fpear and shield were high up hung; The hooked chariot ftood Unftain'd with hoftile blood; 56 The trumpet fpake not to the armed throng; And kings fat ftill with awful eye, As if they furely knew their sovran Lord was by. Ver, 55. The idle Spear and shield were high up hung;] Chivalry and Gothick manners were here in Milton's mind, as Mr. Warton has remarked. See the note on Samf. Agon. v. 1736. And Taffo, Gier. Lib. c. and ft. ult. of Godfrey: "Viene al tempio con gli altri il fommo duce; Ver. 56. The hooked chariot stood Unftain'd with hoftile blood,] Liv. L. xxxvii. xli. "Falcatæ quadriga, quibus fe perturbaturum hoftium aciem Antiochus crediderat, in fuos terrorem verterunt." BowLe. Ver. 64. The winds, &c.] Ovid, Metam. xi. 745. "Perque dies placidos hyberno tempore feptem "Incubat Halcyone pendentibus æquore nidis: "Tum via tuta maris; ventos cuftodit et arcet "Æolus egreffu, &c." Whift is filenced. In Stanyhurft's Virgil, Intentique ora tenebant, is translated, They WHISTED all. B. ii. i. T. WARTON. Whispering new joys to the mild ocean, Who now hath quite forgot to rave, While birds of calm fit brooding on the charmed wave. VI. The stars, with deep amaze, Stand fix'd in ftedfaft gaze, Bending one way their precious influence; And will not take their flight, For all the morning light, 70 75 Or Lucifer that often warn'd them thence But in their glimmering orbs did glow, Until their Lord himself befpake, and bid them go. VII. And, though the fhady gloom Had given day her room, But this line may perhaps be more minutely illuftrated from Marlowe and Nath's Dido, 1594. "The ayre is cleere, and Southerne windes are whift." TODD. Ver. 77. And, though the fhady gloom, &c.] Mr. Bowle faw with me, that this ftanza is a copy of one in Spenfer's April. "I fawe Phoebus thruft out his golden hede "But, when he faw howe broade her beames did fprede, "It did him amaze. "Hee blufht to fee another funne belowe: "Ne durft againe his firie face outfhowe, &c." So alfo G. Fletcher on a fimilar fubject, in his Christ's Victorie, p. i. ft. 78. "Heaven awakened all his eyes "To fee another funne at midnight rife." And afterwards, he adds " the curfed oracles were ftrucken dumb." T. WARTON. |