-filver Medway, which doth deep INDENT THE FLOW'RY MEADOWS of my native Kent; and he apoftrophifes the vales with hundred brooks INDENTED; P. 50. P. 517. ON THE MORNING OF CHRIST's NATIVITY. COMPOSED 1629. 3. Of wedded maid and virgin mother born,] That MARY fhall AT ONCE be MAID AND MO THER, 14. a darkfome boufe of mortal clay,] p. 17. The humours caufed in THIS HOUSE OF CLAY, 19. -the fun's team- -] -the sun's proud-trampling TEAM THE SUN, to fhun this tragic fight, apace Turn'd back HIS TEAM, 21. -the Spangled hoft keep watch in fquadrons bright.] 95. As never was by mortal finger firuck; Divinely-warbled voice Anfw'ring the fringed noife,] P. 12. Suffer, at leaft, to my fad dying VOICE 131. —your nine-fold harmony,] p. 101. Her NINE-FOLD VOICE did choicely imitate dance, 140. peering day,] p. 526. A mountain top, that over-PEERS the plain, p. 252. 142. Will 142. Will down return to men, Orb'd in a rainbow Thron'd in celeftial Sheen, With radiant feet the tiffu'd clouds down fleering.] We might, I think, conjecture, that' this description is from fome picture; and to Sylvefter's Tranflation of Du Bartas's TRIUMPH OF FAITH there is a Frontispiece, that might have furnished it. The fubject is from Revelat. ii. ver. 10, Be thou faithful unto death; and I will give thee a crown of life. The defign is, Chrift defcending to judgment, and the FAITHFUL appearing before the judgment feat of Chrift, (Romans, xiv. 10,) and receiving their rewards. The judge is feated, " amidst a blaze "of light," on a small rainbow; and is completely encircled by another "orbi"cular," or rather oval one. Under him are fome wreathed, or "tiffued," clouds ; which he may be imagined in the act of propelling, or "directing with his feet." Juft Juft beneath these clouds, a large rainbow extends over the Holy City; in front of which the dead are feen rifing out of their graves. In the midst of thefe, a little raised above the level of the ground, lie the mortales exuvie of Queen Elizabeth. The body is in robes of ftate, with her ruff on the neck her head refts on two pillows, laced and ornamented with taffels; and a globe is at her feet. On the ground, befide her, lie a crown, scepter, and fword of ftate. At the fame time, her Spirit is feen above kneeling before the Judge; and receiving from him the crown of life. She is kneeling just before his right hand, with her hair loosely flowing, habited in a white robe; and is attended by four virgins fimilarly habited, bearing in their hands their lamps burning. -This is indeed befide my immediate purpose; which was only to notice, what particularly illuftrates Milton's defcription. But this circumftance makes the print curious; and gives reafon to imagine, that it was likely to have attracted the attention of a young obfervant mind *. 172. Swindges the fcaly horror of his folded tail.] A lion is defcribed in Sylvefter's Du Bartas, -SWINDGING, with his finewy train, Sometimes his fides, fometimes the dufty plain, p. 123. I might refer to the fame fource, for other constituent parts of this fine Miltonic line. Among the meteorous appearances of the aërial region, the poet defcribes a dragon with a voluminous fiery tail; Here a fierce dragon FOLDED all in fire; p. 33. and he terms the defert, through which the Lord conducted the Ifraelites, This print is alfo in the 4to edition of 1613. |