Of fome gay creatures of the element, And play is the plighted clouds: I was awe-ftrook, Comus thus describes to the lady her brothers: and after the same manner a fhepherd, in Iphigenia in Tauris, defcribes Pylades and Oreftes to Iphigenia, the fifter of the latter. Εναύθα δισσες ειδε τις νεανιας Βεφορία ημών, καπεχώρησεν παλιν, Ειλ' εν επ' ακλαις θασσείον Διοσχορω. Hic geminos juvenes vidit quidam Et dixit, non videtis? Damones quidam Sedent ifti [hic]: quidam vero de nobis religiofior O marina Leucotheæ fili. &c. Ο Domine Palemon, &c. Sive in littore vos fedetis Gemini. I shall take this opportunity of pointing out one or two more of Milton's imitations; by which it will farther appear, how well he knew to make a borrowed thought or defcription his own, by the propriety of the application. Michael thus speaks of what would happen to paradife in the universal deluge. Then fhall this mount Of paradife, by might of waves be mov'd Delos, in Homer's hymn to Apollo, tells Latona, that he is unwilling that Apollo fhould be born in his island, Μη ὁποίαν το πρωίον ίδη φαος Μελίσιο, Νησον αλίμηση, επειη κραναηπεδος ειμι, Ποσσι κατατρεψας, ωση δ' άλος εν πελαγεσσιν. * Par. Loft, 11, 829..... By the way, clang occurs in Shakespeare, in Milton's fense, Have I not in a pitched battle heard Loud larums, neighing steeds, and trumpets clang? Tam. of Shrew, a. 1. fc. 7. Ενθ' εμε μεν μεγα Κύμα καλα κρατος αλος αιεί Πολυποδες δ' εν εμοι θάλαμας, Φωκαίδε μελαιναι Ne, cum primum videat lumen folis, Infulam dedecoret, (quoniam afperum folum fum) Conftructurus templum, lucofque arboribus denfos. In the fame book, fome of the circumftances in Michael's account of the flood, feem to be drawn from an Ode of Cafimir, entitled, Noe Vaticinium. Sea cover'd fea, Sea without fhore; and in their palaces, Where luxury late reign'd, fea-monsters whelp'd Noah is introduced by Cafimir, thus defcribing the effects of the flood. Aut ubi turrigeræ potentum Fefto choreas agmine plaufimus, Ludunt per aulas, ac thalamos pigra B. ii. c. v. f. vi. The upper marge Of his feven-folded fhield. This seems to be Virgil's, Clypei extremos feptemplicis orbes ↑. B. ii. c. v. f. xxxiii. The SUGRED liquor thro' his melting lips. SUGRED, to exprefs exceffive fweetness, was a frequent epithet with the poets of this age, and with those of the ages before it. It answered to the mellitus of the romans. B. ii. c. vi. f. viii. But to weake wench did yeeld his martial might. Some late editors of Shakefpere have endeavoured to prove, that wench did not antiently carry with it the idea of meanness or infamy. But in this place it * Lyricor, b. 4. od, 27. † Æn. 12. 925. VOL. II. U plainly plainly fignifies a loose woman; and in the following paffages of Chaucer. January having fufpected his wife May's conjugal fidelity, May answers, I am a gentlewoman, and no wENCH And in the House of Fame, Wench is coupled with groom, Lord, and ladie, grome, and wENCH t. And in the Manciple's Tale. And for that tother is a pore woman, And fhall be called his WENCHE, or his lemman ‡. We must allow notwithstanding, that it is used by Douglass without any dishonourable meaning. The following verfe of Virgil, Audetque viris concurrere VIRGO, is thus expreffed in the scotch Æneid: This WENSCHE ftoutlye rencounter durft with men. But I believe it will moft commonly be found in the fense given it by Chaucer. In the Bible it is used for a girl, "And a wench told him, &c." * Marchant's Tale, 1719. † Ver. 206, ↑ Ver. 1796. |