Aura, per humentes corpora fusa rosas. 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 ; 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. Quæque sedet sacro Vesta pudica foco. Atque iterum tepido creditur orta mari. 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 Aura sub innumeris humida nata you lent your chariot to Phae ton, and when I was consuined rosis. “ by the excess of your heat." Again, Par. Reg. b. ii. 363. He alludes to the speech or 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. -Semeleia 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 amæni 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. Convocat et famulos ad sua festa Deos. 120 Sylvanusque sua cyparissi fronde revinctus, Semicaperque Deus, semideusque caper. Quæque sub arboribus Dryades latuere vetustis, Per juga, per solos expatiantur agros. Vix Cybele mater, vix sibi tuta Ceres ; Consulit in trepidos dum sibi nympha pedes ; 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." s. V. p. 131. 127. -prædatur Oreada Fau nus,] See what is said of the - A roabe unfit, Till Hymen's saffron'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. Ovid's Hymen, who is “ croceo “ velatus amictu." Metam. x. Et fugit ad salices, et se cupit ante 65. 121. Sylvanus is crowned with 130 Et fugit, et fugiens pervelit ipsa capi. Et sua quisque sibi numina lucus habet. 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, Phæbe, jugales, Qua potes, et sensim tempora veris eant; Brumaque productas tarde ferat hispida noctes, Ingruat et nostro serior umbra polo. IS 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. Nec sinit optatas posse seque tenebras ? Crede mihi vix hoc carmine scire queas. Nec venit ad claudos integer ipse pedes. 134. Nec vos arborea dii precor 138. --sensim tempora teris ite domo.] Par. Lost, b. v. 137. eant;] See El. i. 48. and the “ From under shady arborous note. " roof.” 10 15 Festaque cælifugam 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. Mista Thyoneo turba novena choro. Non illic epulæ, non sata vitis erat. Cantavit brevibus Teïa Musa modis ? 20 amore, 12. Haustaque per lepidos Gal- See our author above, El. i. 21. lica musta focos!7 See Sonnet Ovid himself acknowledges, ut to Laurence, xx. iii. 10. supr. iv. ii. 20. Where shall we sometimes meet, and Et carmen vena pauperiore fluit. by the fire 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 sala 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 misitab agris :) Ovid's 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 Corallại were the 21. Quid nisi most savage of the Getes. Ovid Cantavit brevibus Teia Musa calls them, “ pelliti Corallæi," modis?] Epist. Pont. iv. viii. 83. And Ovid, Trist. ii. 364. again, ibid. iv. ii. 37. Quid nisi cum multo venerem conHic mihi cui recitem, nisi flavis fundere vino scripta Corallis, Præcepit Lyrici Tưia Musa senis ? 25 30 Pindaricosque inflat numeros Teumesius Euan, Et redolet sumptum pagina quæque merum ; Dum gravis everso currus crepat axe supinus, Et volat Eleo pulvere fuscus eques. Quadrimoque madens Lyricen Romanus Iaccho, Dulce canit Glyceran, flavicomamque Chloen. Jam quoque lauta tibi generoso mensa paratu Mentis alit vires, ingeniumque fovet. Massica fæcundam despumant pocula venam, Fundis et ex ipso condita metra cado. Addimus his artes, fusumque per intima Phæbum Corda, favent uni Bacchus, Apollo, Ceres. Scilicet haud mirum tam dulcia carmina per te, Numine composito, tres peperisse Deos. Nunc quoque Thressa tibi cælato barbitos auro Insonat arguta molliter icta manu; ... 23. — Teumesius Euan,] Teu. TIK. p. 296. 10. edit. Francof. mesus, Tsupnoos, is a mountain 1583. fol. See also Stephanus of Bosotia, the district in which Byzant. Voc. TEYMHXO. Aad Thebes was situated; and its in- Antoninus Liberal. Metam. p. habitants were called Tevencios, 479. apud Gal. Histor. Poetic. Teumesii. The Grecian Bacchus, Script. Poetic. Script. Paris. 1675. the son of Jupiter and Semele, 8vo. Milton here puzzles his is often denominated Thebunus. readers with minute and unneBut Bacchus had a more imme- cessary learning. The meaning diate and particular connection of the line is this. “ The Thewith this mountain.. Pausanias“ ban god Bacchus inspires the relates a fable, that Bacchus, in “ numbers of his congenial Pinrevenge for soine insult which “ dar, the Theban poet." he had received from the The 37. Nunc quoque Thressa tibi, bans, nourished a fox in this &c.] The Thracian harp. Ormountain for the destruction of pheus was of Thrace. Ovid, the city of Thebes ; and that a Epist. Heroid. üï. 118. . dog being sent from Diana to Threiciam digitis increpuisse lyram. kill this fox, both fox and dog were turned into stones. The He has “ th’Orphean lyre,” fox was called Teurengia ý chwanz, Par. Lost, iii. 17. See note on Teumesia vulpes. Pausan. B01N2- Il Pens. v. 105. |