Aspice, Phæbe, tibi faciles hortantur amores,

Mellitasque movent flamina verna preces : Cinnamea Zephyrus leve plaudit odorifer ala, Blanditiasque tibi ferre videntur aves.

70 Nec sine dote tuos temeraria quærit amores

Terra, nec optatos poscit egena toros ;
Alma salutiferum medicos tibi gramen in usus

Præbet, et hinc titulos adjuvat ipsa tuos :
Quod si te pretium, si te fulgentia tangunt

75 Munera, (muneribus sæpe coemptus amor) Illa tibi ostentat quascunque sub æquore vasto, Et superinjectis montibus abdit opes.

. Ah quoties, cum tu clivoso fessus Olympo In vespertinas præcipitaris aquas,

80 Cur te, inquit, cursu languentem, Phæbe, diurno

Hesperiis recipit cærula mater aquis ? Quid tibi cum Tethy ? Quid cum Tartesside lympha,

Dia quid immundo perluis ora salo? Frigora, Phæbe, mea melius captabis in umbra, 85

Huc ades, ardentes imbue rore comas. Mollior egelida veniet tibi somnus in herba,

Huc ades, et gremio lumina pone meo. Quaque jaces, circum mulcebit lene susurrans poetry in this description or personification of Earth.

Whisper'd it to the woods, and from

their wings 69. Cinnamea Zephyrus leve

Flung rose, Aung odours, from the plaudit odorifer ala,] See El. iii.

spicy shrub. 47.

83. Quid tibi cum Tethy? &c.] Serpit odoriferas per opes levis aura

In the manner of Ovid, Epist.
Heroid. vi. 47.

-Gentle airs

Aura, per humentes corpora fusa rosas. .

90 Nec me (crede mihi) terrent Semeleïa fata,

Nec Phaetonteo fumidus axis equo; Cum tu, Phæbe, tuo sapientius uteris igni,

Huc ades, et gremio lumina pone meo. Sic Tellus lasciva suos suspirat amores ;

95 Matris in exemplum cætera turba ruunt: Nunc etenim toto currit vagus orbe Cupido,

Languentesque fovet solis ab igne faces. Insonuere novis lethalia cornua nervis,

Triste micant ferro 'tela corusca novo.
Jamque vel invictam tentat superasse Dianam,

Quæque sedet sacro Vesta pudica foco.
Ipsa senescentem reparat Venus annua formam,

Atque iterum tepido creditur orta mari.
Marmoreas juvenes clamant Hymenæe per urbes, 105

Littus io Hymen, et cava saxa sonant. Cultior ille venit, tunicaque decentior apta,

Puniceum redolet vestis odora crocum.

100

Aura, per humentes corpora fusa See Ovid's Amor. iii. 3. 37. And rosas.]

Fast. vi. 485.
See note on v. 69. and El. iii. 48. 93. More wisely than when

you
lent
your

chariot to PhaeAura sub innumeris humida nata

ton, and when I was consumed rosis.

by the excess of your heat.” Again, Par. Reg. b. ii. 363. He alludes to the speech of And winds,

complaint of Tellus, in the story Of gentlest gale, Arabian odours of Phaeton. See Metam. ii. 272. fann'd

And note on V.

58. Not to From their soft wings, and Flora's insist particularly on the descripearliest smells.

tion of the person of Milton's Where see the note.

Tellus, and the topics of per89. See also Mr. Dunster's suasion selected in her apnote on P. R. ii. 26. E.

proaches and her speech, the 91. -Semeleïa fata,} An echo general conception of her courtto Ovid's Semeleia proles, Metam. ship of the sun is highly pob. v. 329. And in other places. etical. Semele's story is well known. 108. Puniceum redolet vestis

110

115

Egrediturque frequens, ad amani gaudia veris,

Virgineos aura cincta puella sinus : Votum est cuique suum, votum est tamen omnibus

unum, Ut sibi quem cupiat, det Cytherea virum. Nunc quoque septena modulatur arundine pastor,

Et sua quæ jungat carmina Phyllis habet.
Navita nocturno placat sua sidera cantu,

Delphinasque leves ad vada summa vocat.
Jupiter ipse alto cum conjuge ludit Olympo,
(Convocat et famulos ad sua festa Deos.
Nunc etiam Satyri, cum sera crepuscula surgunt,

Pervolitant celeri florea rura choro,
Sylvanusque sua cyparissi fronde revinctus,

Semicaperque Deus, semideusque caper.
Quæque sub arboribus Dryades latuere vetustis,

Per juga, per solos expatiantur agros.
Per sata luxuriat fruticetaque Mænalius Pan,

Vix Cybele mater, vix sibi tuta Ceres ;
Atque aliquam cupidus prædatur Oreada Faunus,

Consulit in trepidos dum sibi nympha pedes ;
Jamque latet, latitansque cupit male tecta videri,

120

125

odora crocum.] So in L'Allegro. cypress from the boy Cyparissus. v. 124.

In the next line,“ Semicaperque There let Hymen oft appear

“ Deus" is from Ovid, Fast. iv. In saffron robe.

752. See also Metam. xiv. 515. So also Browne, Brit. Past. b. ii.

“ Semicaper Pan."

127. -prædatur Oreada FauS. V. p. 131.

nus,] See what is said of the A roabe unfit, Till Hymen's safron'd weede had mountain-nymph Liberty, in usher'd it.

L'Allegro, v. 36. The text has a reference to

129. Virgil is obvious, Ecl. iii.

65. Ovid's Hymen, who is “ « velatus amictu." Metam. x. Et fugit ad salices, et se cupit ante 1.

videri. 121. Sylvanus is crowned with

E.

croceo

130

Et fugit, et fugiens pervelit ipsa capi.
Dii quoque non dubitant cælo præponere sylvas,

Et sua quisque sibi numina lucus habet.
Et sua quisque diu sibi numina lucus habeto,

Nec vos arborea dii precor ite domo.
Te referant miseris te, Jupiter, aurea terris
Sæcla, quid ad nimbos aspera tela redis?

,
Tu saltem lente rapidos áge, Phoebe, jugales,

Qua potes, et sensim tempora veris eant; Brumaque productas tarde ferat hispida noctes,

Ingruat et nostro serior umbra polo

135

140

Eleg. VI.

Ad CAROLUM DEODATUM ruri commorantem, Qui cum Idibus Decemb. scripsisset, et sua carmina excusari

postulasset si solito minus essent bona, quod inter lautitias quibus erat ab amicis exceptus, haud satis felicem operam

Musis dare se posse affirmabat, hoc habuit responsum.
MITTO tibi sanam non pleno ventre salutem,

Qua tu distento forte carere potes.
At tua quid nostram prolectat Musa camcnam,

Nec sinit optatas posse seque tenebras ?
Carmine scire velis quam te redamemque colamque, 5

Crede mihi vix hoc carmine scire queas.
Nam neque noster amor modulis includitur arctis,

Nec venit ad claudos integer ipse pedes.
Quam bene solennes epulas, hilaremque Decembrem,

134. Nec vos arborea dii precor 138. -sensim tempora veris ite domo.] Par. Lost, b. v. 137. eant;] See El. i. 48. and the “ From under shady arborous note. - roof."

10.

15

Festaque celifugam quæ coluere Deum, Deliciasque refers, hiberni gaudia ruris,

Haustaque per lepidos Gallica musta focos! Quid quereris refugam vino dapibusque poesin ?

Carmen amat Bacchum, carmina Bacchus amat, Nec puduit Phæbum virides gestasse corymbos,

Atque hederam lauro præposuisse suæ,
Sæpius Aoniis clamavit collibus Euce

Mista Thyoneo turba novena choro.
Naso Corallæis mala carmina misit ab agris :

Non illic epulæ, non sata vitis erat.
Quid nisi vina, rosasque, racemiferumque Lyæum,

Cantavit brevibus Teïa Musa modis ?

20

supr. iv. ii. 20.

12. Haustaque per lepidos Gal- See our author above, El. i. 21. lica musta focos!] See Sonnet Ovid himself acknowledges, ut to Laurence, xx. iii. 10. Where shall we sometimes meet, and Et carmen vena pauperiore fluit.

by the fire
Help waste a sullen day ?

See also Trist. i. xi. 35. iii. xiv. What neat repast shall feast us, light 35. iii. i. 18. v. vii. 59. v. xii. 35. and choice

And Epist. Pont. i. v. 3. iv. xiii. Of Attic taste, with wine, &c. 4. 17. Deodate had sent Milton a copy

20. Non illic epulæ, non sata of verses, in which he described vitis erat.] Ovid, Epist. Pont. the festivities of Christmas.

i. x, 31. 19. Naso Corallæis mala car- Non epulis oneror: quarum si tangar mina misit ab agris :] Ovid's

amore, Tristia, and Epistles from Pon

Est tamen in Geticis copia nulla

locis, tus, supposed to be far inferior to his other works. This I can- Trist. iii. x. 71. not allow. Few of his works Non hic pampinea dulcis latet uva have more nature. And where

sub umbra. there is haste and negligence, Again, Epist. Pont. iii. i. 13. and there is often a beautiful careless in other places. elegance. The Corallæi were the 2). Quid nisi most savage of the Getes. Ovid Cantavit brevibus Teïa Musa calls them, “pelliti Corallæi," modis ?] Epist. Pont. iv. viii. 83. And Ovid, Trist. ii. 364. again, ibid. iv. ii. 37.

a