40

45

50

Tardior haud solito Saturnus, et'acer ut olim
Fulmineum rutilat cristata casside Mavors.
Floridus æternum Phoebus juvenile coruscat,
Nec fovet effæetas loca per declivia terras
Devexo temone Deus; sed

semper amica
Luce potens, eadem currit per signa rotarum.
Surgit odoratis pariter formosus ab Indis,
Æthereum pecus albenti qui cogit Olympo,
Mane vocans, et serus agens in pascua cm;

'
Temporis et gemino dispertit regna colore.
Fulget, obitque vices alterno Delia cornu,
Cæruleumque ignem paribus complectitur ulnis.
Nec variant elementa fidem, solitoque fragore
Lurida perculsas jaculantur fulmina rupes.
Nec
per

inane furit leviori murmure Corus,
Stringit et armiferos æquali horrore Gelonos
Trux Aquilo, spiratque hyemem, nimbosque volutat. 55
Utque solet, Siculi diverberat ima Pelori
Rex maris, et rauca circumstrepit æquora concha
Oceani Tubicen, nec vasta mole minorem
Ægeona ferunt dorso Balearica cete.
Sed neque, Terra, tibi sæcli vigor ille vetusti 60
Priscus abest, servatque suum Narcissus odorem,
Et

puer ille suum tenet, et puer ille, decorem, Phæbe, tuusque, et, Cypri, tuus ; nec ditior olim Terra datum sceleri celavit montibus aurum

63. Hyacinth the favourite See El. v. 77. And Comus, v. boy of Phæbus, Adonis of Venus. 718. Both, like Narcissus, converted

-In her own loins into flowers.

She hutcht th' all-worshipp'd ore, &c. 64. Terra datum sceleri celavit montibus aurum

Again, ibid. 732. Conscia, vel sub aquis gemmas.] And th' unsought diamonds

Conscia, vel sub aquis gemmas. Sic denique in ævum

65 Ibit cunctarum series justissima rerum; Donec flamma orbem populabitur ultima, late Circumplexa polos, et vasti culmina cæli; Ingentique rogo flagrabit machina mundi.*

De Idea Platonicu quemadmodum Aristoteles

intellexit. +
DICITE, sacrorum præsides nemorum deæ,
Tuque 0 noveni perbeata numinis
Memoria mater, quæque in immenso procul
Antro recumbis otiosa Æternitas,
Monumenta servans, et ratas leges Jovis,
Cælique fastos atque ephemeridas Deum;

5

66

Would so imblaze the forehead of the “ intuitively considered. Dedeep, &c.

“signed for forty nine Parts, 64. Probably he recollected “ &c. by Gabriel John. EnHorace, Od. iii. iii. 49.

“ riched with a faithfull account Aurum irrepertum, et sic melius si. “ of his ideal voyage, and illustum,

“ trated with poems by several Cum terra celat,

“ hands; as likewise with other E

strange things, not insuffer* This poem is replete with “ably clever, nor furiously to fanciful and ingenious allusions. “ the purpose. Printed in the It has also a vigour of expres- year One thousand seven hunsion, a dignity of sentiment, “ dred et cætera.” 12mo. See and elevation of thought, raiely p. 17. found in very young writers. 3. This is a sublime personi

fication of Eternity. And there + I find this poem inserted at is great reach of imagination in full length, as a specimen of un- one of the conceptions which intelligible metaphysics, in a follows, that the original archescarce little book, of universal type of Man may be a huge burlesque, much in the manner giant, stalking in some remote of Tom Brown, seemingly pub- unknown region of the earth, lished about the year 1715, and and lifting his head so high as entitled, “ An Essay towards the to be dreaded by the gods, &c. “ Theory of the intelligible world v. 21.

10

15

Quis ille primus, cujus ex imagine
Natura solers finxit humanum genus,
Æternus, incorruptus, æquævus polo,
Unusque et universus, exemplar Dei?
Haud ille Palladis gemellus innubæ
Interna proles insidet menti Jovis ;
Sed quamlibet natura sit communior,
Tamen seorsus extat ad morem unius,
Et, mira, certo stringitur spatio loci :
Seu sempiternus ille siderum comes
Cæli pererrat ordines decemplicis,
Citimumve terris incolit lunæ globum :
Sive inter animas corpus adituras sedens,
Obliviosas torpet ad Lethes aquas :

:
Sive in remota forte terrarum plaga
Incedit ingens hominis archetypus gigas,
Et diis tremendus erigit celsum caput,
Atlante major portitore siderum.
Non, cui profundum cæcitas lumen dedit,
Dircæus augur vidit hunc alto sinu ;

20

25

11. Haud ille Palladis gemellus 16. The i in sempiternus is un. innubæ, &c.] “ This aboriginal questionably long. Symmons. “ Man, the twin-brother of the 17. In another place, he makes

virgin Pallas, does not remain the heaven ninefold. “ in the brain of Jupiter where 18. That part of the moon's “ he was generated; but, al- orb nearest the earth.

though partaking of Man's 19. See Virgil, Æn. vi. 713. common nature, still exists

-Animæ, quibus altera fato “ somewhere by himself, in a Corpora debentur, Lethæi ad fluminis “ state of singleness and abstrac- undam, « tion, and in a determinate

Æternos latices et longa oblivia poplace. Whether among the stars, &c."

But this is Plato's philosophy, 13. Quamlibet ejus natura Phæd. Opp. 1590. p. 400. C.gol. “ sit communior,” that is, com 1. munis.

25. Tiresias of Thebes. 15.“ Et (res mira !) certo, &c."

tant.

30

Non hunc silente nocte Pleïones nepos
Vatum sagaci præpes ostendit choro;
Non hunc sacerdos novit Assyrius, licet
Longos vetusti commemoret atavos Nini,
Priscumque Belon, inclytumque Osiridem.
Non ille trino gloriosus nomine
Ter

magnus Hermes, ut sit arcani sciens,
Talern reliquit Isidis cultoribus.
At tu, perenne ruris Academi decus,
(Hæc monstra si tu primus induxti scholis)
Jam jam poetas, urbis exules tuæ,
Revocabis, ipse, fabulator maximus;
Aut institutor ipse migrabis foras.

35

Ad Patrem.* NUNC mea Pierios cupiam per pectora fontes · Irriguas torquere vias, totumque per ora

conceits.

27. -Pleżones nepos] Mer.. symbols, parables, allegories, and cury. Ovid, Epist. Heroid. xv. a variety of mystical representa62.

tions. Our author characterises Atlantis magni Pleionesque nepos,

Plato, Par. Reg. b. iv. 295. 29. Non huric sacerdos novit The next to fabling fell and smooth Assyrius,] Sanchoniathon, the eldest of the profane historians. According to Aubrey, MilHis existence is doubted by Dod- ton's father, although a scrivener, well, and other writers.

was not apprenticed to that trade: 33. Ter magnus Hermes,] Her- he was bred a scholar and of mes 'Trismegistus, an Egyptian Christ Church, Oxford, and that philosopher, who lived soon after he took to trade in consequence Moses. See Il Pens. v. 88. of being disinherited. Milton “ With thrice-great Hermes, &c.” was therefore writing to his fa

35. At tu, perenne, &c.] You, ther in a language which he Plato, who expelled the poets understood. Aubrey adds, that from your republic, must now he was very ingenious, and debid them return, &c. See Plato's lighted in music, in which he Timæus and Protagoras. Plato instructed his son John. MS. and his followers communicated Ashm. ut supr. See note on their notions by emblems, fables, v. 66. below.

10

Volvere laxatum gemino de vertice rivum ;
Ut tenues oblita sonos audacibus alis
Surgat in officium venerandi Musa parentis. is 5
Hoc utcunque tibi gratum, pater optime, carmen
Exiguum meditatur opus : nec novimus ipsi
Aptius a nobis quæ possint munera donis
Respondere tuis, quamvis nec maxima possint
Respondere tuis, nedum ut par gratia donis
Esse queat, vacuis quæ redditur arida verbis.
Sed tamen hæc nostros ostendit pagina census,
Et quod habemus opum charta numeravimus ista,
Quæ mihi sunt nullæ, nisi quas dedit aurea Clio,
Quas mihi semoto somni peperere sub antro,
Et nemoris laureta sacri Parnassides umbræ.

Nec tu vatis opus divinum despice carmen,
Quo nihil æthereos ortus, et semina coeli,
Nil magis humanam commendat origine mentem,
Sancta Prornetheæ retinens vestigia flammæ.
Carmen amant superi, tremebundaque Tartara carmen
Ima ciere valet, divosque ligare profundos,
Et triplici duro Manes adamante coercet.
Carmine sepositi retegunt arcana futuri
Phæbades, et tremulæ pallentes ora Sibyllæ;

15

20

25

carmen

16. Read Parnessid. See note And made Hell grant what love did

seek. on v.

92. Mans. 17. Here begins a fine pane. And below, of Orpheus, v. 54. gyric on poetry.

where see the note. 21. --iremebundaque Tartara 25. Phobades,] The priest

esses of Apollo's temple at DelIma ciere valet, divosque ligare phi, who always delivered their profundos,

oracles in verse. Our author Et triplici duro Manes adamante here recollected the Ion of Euricoercet.]