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Nor Faunus haunted. Here in close recess

710

With flowers, garlands, and fweet-fmelling herbs
Efpoused Eve deck'd first her nuptial bed,
And heav'nly quires the hymenæan fung,
What day the genial Angel to our fire
Brought her in naked beauty more adorn'd,
More lovely than Pandora, whom the Gods
Endow'd with all their gifts, and O too like

purport of the fimile then is this, There never was a more fhady, more facred and fequefter'd bower, though but in fiction, than this was in reality. Pan, the God of fhepherds, or Sylvanus, the God of woods and groves, Wood-nymph, or Faunus, the tutelary God of husbandmen, were not even feign'd to enjoy a more sweet recefs than this of Adam and Eve.

709. With flowers,] Milton ufually fpells it flours, but here it is with two fyllables flowers, which made me imagin that he writ always flour when it was to be pronounc'd as one fyllable, and flower when it was to be pronounc'd as two fyllables: but upon farther examination we find, that when he pronounces the word as one fyllable, he fometimes fpells it flower How'r, fometimes floure, fometimes flouer and fo likewife bower he fpells differently bower, bowr, bowre; and shower likewife shower, bowr, Abowre. It is fitting that all enfe fhould be reduced to fome

715 In

certain ftandard, and what ftandard more proper than the present prac.. tice, and efpecially fince there are feveral inftances of the feme in Milton himself?

714. More lovely than Pandora, &c.] The story is this. Prometheus the fon of Japhet (or Japetus) had ftol'n fire from Heaven, Jove's authentic fire, the original and prototype of all earthly fire, which Jupiter being angry at, to be reveng'd fent him Pandora, so call'd because all the Gods had contributed their gifts to make her more. charming (for fo the word fignifies.) She was brought by Hermes (Mercury) but was not received by Prometheus the wifer fon of Japhet (as the name implies) but by his brother Epimetheus th' unwifer fon. She entic'd his foolish curiofity to open a box which he brought, wherein were contain'd all manner of evils. Richardfon. The epithet unwifer does not imply that his brother Prometheus was unwife. Milton ufes unwifer,

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In fad event, when to th' unwifer fon
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, the infnar'd
Mankind with her fair looks, to be aveng'd

On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire.

Thus at their fhady lodge arriv'd, both stood, 720 Both turn'd, and under open fky ador'd The God that made both sky, air, earth and heaven, Which they beheld, the moon's refplendent globe, And ftarry pole: Thou also mad'st the night, Maker omnipotent, and thou the day,

as any Latin writer would impru-
dentior, for not fo wife as he should
bave been. So audacior, timidior,
chementior, iracundior, &c. mean
bolder, &c, quam par eft, than is
right and fit, and imply lefs than
audax, timidus, &c. in the pofitive
degree. Fortin.

720. Thus at their fhady lodge ar-
riv'd, both food,

Both turn'd, &c.] A great admirer of Milton obferves, that he fometimes places two monofyllables at the end of the line ftopping at the fourth foot, to adapt the meafure of the verfe to the fenfe; and then begins the next line in the fame manner, which has a wonde ful effect. This artful manner of writing makes the reader fee them ftand and turn to worship God before they went into their bower. If this manner was alter'd, much of the effect of the painting would be loft.

725 Which

And now arriving at their fhady
lodge

Both flood, both turn'd, and un-
der open sky
Ador'd the God &c.

723-the moon's refplendent globe,
And ftarry pole:] Virg. Æn. VI.

725.

Lucentemque globum lunæ, Titaniaque aftra.

724-Thou alfo mad'ft the night, &c.] A mafterly tranfition this, which the poet makes to their evening worship. Moft of the modern heroic poets have imitated the Ancients, in beginning a fpeech with out premifing, that the perfon faid thus and thus; but as it is ealy to imitate the Ancients in the omiffion of two or three words, it requires judgment to do it in fuch a manner as they fhall not be miffed, and that the fpeech may begin

naturally

Which we in our appointed work employ'd
Have finish'd, happy in our mutual help
And mutual love, the crown of all our blifs
Ordain'd by thee, and this delicious place
For us too large, where thy abundance wants 730
Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground.
But thou haft promis'd from us two a race
To fill the earth, who fhall with us extol
Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake,
And when we feek, as now, thy gift of fleep. 735
This

naturally without them. There is a fine inftance of this kind out of Homer, in the 23d chapter of Longinus. Addifon.

I conceive Mr. Addifon meant Sect. 27. and the inftance there given is of Hector being firft nam'd, and then of a fudden introduced as fpeaking, without any notice given that he does fo. But the tranfition here in Milton is of another fort; it is first speaking of a perfon, and then fuddenly turning the difcourfe, and speaking to him. And we may obferve the like tranfition from the third to the fecond perfon in the hymn to Hercules, Virg. Æn. VIII. 291.

-ut duros mille labores Pertulerit. Tu nubigenas, invicte, bimembres &c.

Dr. Bentley reads Thou this delicious place, that is Thou mad'ft &c. as in ver. 724. Thou also mad'ft the night. Dr. Pearce chooses rather to read thus,

-the crown of all our blifs Ordain'd by thee in this delicious place.

The conftruction no doubt is fomewhat obfcure, but without any alteration we may understand the paffage with Dr. Pearce thus, and thou mad'ft this delicious place: or with Mr. Richardson thus, happy in our mutual help, and mutual love, the chief of all our blifs, thy gift, and happy in this delicious Paradife: or thus, happy in our mutual help and mutual love, the crown of all our blifs, and of this delicious place.

735-thy gift of fleep] Dr. Bent

729.and this delicious place] ley reads the gift, and obferve's that

This faid unanimous, and other rites

Obferving none, but adoration pure

Which God likes beft, into their inmost bower
Handed they went; and eas'd the putting off
These troublesome disguises which we wear,
Strait fide by fide were laid; nor turn'd I ween
Adam from his fair fpoufe, nor Eve the rites
Mysterious of connubial love refus'd:
Whatever hypocrites aufterely talk
Of purity and place and innocence,

740

745 Defaming

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Defaming as impure what God declares

Pure, and commands to fome, leaves free to all.
Our Maker bids increase; who bids abstain
But our Destroyer, foe to God and Man?

319

Hail wedded Love, mysterious law, true source 750
Of human ofspring, fole propriety

In Paradise of all things common else.
By thee adult'rous luft was driv'n from men
Among the bestial herds to range; by thee
Founded in reafon, loyal, juft, and pure,

755

Relations

750. Hail wedded Love, &c.] An ingenious friend has inform'd me, that this addrefs to wedded love is borrow'd from one of Taffo's letters; O dolce congiuntione de 'cuori, • foave unione de gli animi noftri, o legitimo nodo, &c. The quotation would fwell this note to too great a length; but the reader, who underftands Italian, may, if he please, compare the original with our author, and he will eafily perceive what an excellent copier Milton was, as judicious in omitting fome circumftances as in imitating others. It is in one of Taffo's letters to his relation Signor Hercole Taffo, Lib. 2. p. 150. Edit. In Venetia. 1592.

750.myfterious law,] That is including a mystery in it, in the

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