Aspice, Phoebe, tibi faciles hortantur amores,
Mellitasque movent flamina verna preces :
Cinnamea Zephyrus leve plaudit odorifer ala,
Blanditiasque tibi ferre videntur aves.
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

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,

Cur te, inquit, cursu languentem, Phoebe, diurno
Hesperiis recipit cærula mater aquis ?

70.

75

80

Quid tibi cum Tethy? Quid cum Tartesside lympha, Dia quid immundo perluis ora salo?

Frigora, Phoebe, mea melius captabis in umbra,

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.

69. Cinnamea Zephyrus leve plaudit odorifer ala,] See El. iii. 47.

Serpit odoriferas per opes levis aura
Favoni.

And Comus, v. 989.

And west winds with muskie wing
About the cedarn allies fling, &c.

And Par. Lost, b. viii. 515.

-Gentle airs

85

Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their wings

Flung rose, flung odours, from the spicy shrub.

83. Quid tibi cum Tethy? &c.] In the manner of Ovid, Epist. Heroid. vi. 47.

Quid mihi cum Minyis? Quid cum
Tritonide pinu?

Quid tibi cum patrio, navita Tiphy,
mea ?

See above, El. iii. 33.

89.mulcebit lene susurrans

Aura, per humentes corpora fusa rosas.
Nec me (crede mihi) terrent Semeleïa fata,
Nec Phaetonteo fumidus axis equo;
Cum tu, Phoebe, tuo sapientius uteris igni,
Huc ades, et gremio lumina pone meo.
Sic Tellus lasciva suos suspirat amores;

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.

90

95

100

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.

Aura, per humentes corpora fusa rosas.]

See note on v. 69. and El. iii. 48.

Aura sub innumeris humida nata rosis.

Again, Par. Reg. b. ii. 363.

-And winds,

Of gentlest gale, Arabian odours fann'd

From their soft wings, and Flora's earliest smells.

Where see the note.

89. See also Mr. Dunster's note on P. R. ii. 26. E.

91.-Semeleia fata,] An echo to Ovid's Semeleia proles, Metam. b. v. 329. And in other places. Semele's story is well known.

See Ovid's Amor. iii. 3. 37. And

Fast. vi. 485.

93. More wisely than when you lent your chariot to Phaeton, and when I was consumed "by the excess of your heat." He alludes to the speech of complaint of Tellus, in the story of Phaeton. See Metam. ii. 272. And note on v. 58. Not to insist particularly on the description of the person of Milton's Tellus, and the topics of persuasion selected in her approaches and her speech, the general conception of her courtship of the sun is highly poetical.

108. Puniceum redolet vestis

Egrediturque frequens, ad amœni gaudia veris,

Virgineos aura cincta puella sinus:

110

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,

odora crocum.] So in L'Allegro.

v. 124.

There let Hymen oft appear
In saffron robe.

So also Browne, Brit. Past. b. ii.

s. v. p. 131.

-A roabe unfit,

115

120

125

cypress from the boy Cyparissus. In the next line," Semicaperque "Deus" is from Ovid, Fast. iv. 752. See also Metam. xiv. 515. "Semicaper Pan."

127. prædatur Oreada Faunus,] See what is said of the

Till Hymen's saffron'd weede had mountain-nymph Liberty, in

usher'd it.

The text has a reference to
Ovid's Hymen, who is
66 croceo
"velatus amictu." Metam. x.

1.

121. Sylvanus is crowned with

L'Allegro, v. 36.

65.

129. Virgil is obvious, Ecl. iii.

Et fugit ad salices, et se cupit ante videri.

E.

Et fugit, et fugiens pervelit ipsa capi.
Dii quoque non dubitant cœlo 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 age, Phœbe, jugales,
Qua potes, et sensim tempora veris eant ;
Brumaque productas tarde ferat hispida noctes,
Ingruat et nostro serior umbra polo.

ELEG. VI.

Ad CAROLUM DEODATUM ruri commorantem,

130

135

140

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 camœnam,
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 ite domo.] Par. Lost, b. v. 137. "From under shady arborous "roof"

138. sensim tempora veris eant;] See El. i. 48. and the note.

Festaque cœlifugam 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 Phoebum 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 ?

12. Haustaque per lepidos Gallica musta focos!] See Sonnet to Laurence, xx. iii. 10.

Where shall we sometimes meet, and by the fire

Help waste a sullen day?

10.

15

20

See our author above, El. i. 21.
Ovid himself acknowledges, ut
supr. iv. ii. 20.

Et carmen vena pauperiore fluit.
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

Of Attic taste, with wine, &c. Deodate had sent Milton a copy of verses, in which he described the festivities of Christmas.

19. Naso Corallæis mala carmina misit ab agris:] Ovid's Tristia, and Epistles from Pontus, supposed to be far inferior to his other works. This I cannot allow. Few of his works have more nature. And where there is haste and negligence, there is often a beautiful careless elegance. The Corallei were the most savage of the Getes. Ovid calls them, "pelliti Corallæi," Epist. Pont. iv. viii. 83. And again, ibid. iv. ii. 37.

Hic mihi eui recitem, nisi flavis scripta Corallis,

And Epist. Pont. i. v. 3. iv. xiii. 4. 17.

20. Non illic epulæ, non sata vitis erat.] Ovid, Epist. Pont. i. x. 31.

Non epulis oneror: quarum si tangar