As when those hinds that were transform’d to frogs 5

Raiļd at Latona's twin-born progeny,
Which after held the sun and moon in fee.

But this is got by casting pearl to hogs ;
That bawl for freedom in their senseless mood,

9 And still revolt when truth would set them free.

Licence they mean when they cry Liberty ; For who loves that, must first be wise and good;

But from that mark how far they rove we see For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood.

XIII.

* To Mr. H. L AW Es on his Airs. Harry, whose tuneful and well measur’d song

First

5. As when those birds &c ]

And hate the truth whereby they The fable of the Lycian clowns Jould be free. changed into frogs is related by Ovid, Met. VI. Fab. 4. and the * This sonnet was also first add. poet in saying

ed in the edition of 1673, and in Which after held the sun and

Milton's Manuscript it is dated

Febr. moon in fee,

9. 1645, and said to be wrolę

to Mr. Lawes on the publishing of intimates the good hopes which he his airs. This Mr. Henry Lawes had of himself, and his expecta- was a gentleman of his Majesty's tions of making a considerable fi- chapel, and one of his band of gure in the world.

music, and an intimate friend of 8.

by casting pearl to hogs ; ] Milton, as appears by his first putMat. VII. 6. neither caft ye your lifhing the Mask in 1637, the airs pearl before swine.

of which he set to music, and 10. And fill revolt &c] He had probably too those of his Arcades.

He was educated under Signor.

Coperario,

written at first,

First taught our English music how to span
Words with just note and accent, not to scan

With Midas ears, committing short and long; Thy worth and skill exempts thee from the throng,

With praise enough for envy to look wan; 6
To after age thou shalt be writ the man,
That with smooth air could'ft humour best our

tongue. Thou honor'st verse, and verse must lend her wing To honor thee, the priest of Phæbus quire

That

IO

a

7.

Coperario, and introduced a softer

5.-exempts thee from the throng] mixture of Italian airs, than had Horaçe Od. 1. I.

32. been practic'd before in our na

Secernunt populo- Richardson. tion; as Mr. Fenton says in his notes upon Waller, who has also

6. With praise enough &c] Infead honord him with a copy of verses of this line was the following at inscrib'd To Mr. Henry Lawes who first in the Manuscript, bad then newly set a song of mine in

And gives thee praise above the the year 1635.

pipe of Pan. 3. Words with jafi note &c ]

thou shalt be writ the man, These two lines were once thus in the Manuscript,

&c] This too in the stile of Ho

race, Od. I. VI. 1. Words with just notes, which till then us’d to scan

Scriberis Vario fortis, et hoftium

Victor. when most were us’d to scan With Midas ears, misjoining short And in the Manuscript it was thus and long.

or

That tun'st their happiest lines in hymn, or story. Dante shall give fame leave to set thee higher

Than his Casella, whom he woo'd to fing
Met in the milder shades of purgatory.

XIV. * On the religious memory of Mrs. Catharine Thomson, my christian friend, deceas'd

16 Decem. 1646. When faith and love, which parted from thee never, Had ripen’d thy just soul to dwell with God,

Meekly

9. and verfe must lend ber tory, and wooing him to sing in

wing] There are three manu- these terms, script copies of this sonnet, two by Milton, the second corrected, and se nuoua legge non ti toglie the third by another hand; and in Memoria, o uso à l'amoroso all of them we read must lend her canto, wing, which we prefer to muft fend Che mi solea quetar tutte mic ber wing, as it is in the printed voglie; copies.

Di ciò ti piaccia consolar al

quanto 12. Dante fall give &c] These

L'anima mia

Thyer. verses were thus at first,

* To this sonnet, which was first Fame by the Tuscan's leave shall printed in the edition of 1673, we

have added the title which is in Than his Caselle, whom Dante Milton's Manuscript. Who this

Mrs. Thomson was, we cannot be

certain; but I find in the accounts 13. Than his Cafella, whom he of Milton's life, that when he was

wood to fing &c] This refers first made Latin secretary, he lodgto the second Canto of Dante's ed at one Thomson's next door Purgatorio, where the poet

relates to the Bull-head tavern at Chahis meeting with Casella in purga. ring-Cross. This Mrs. Thamfon

was

set thee higher

woo'd to fing &c.

Meekly thou didst resign this earthy load

Of death, call'd life; which us from life doth fever. Thy works and alms and all thy good endevor

5 Stay'd not behind, nor in the grave were trod; But as faith pointed with her golden rod, Follow'd thee

up to joy and bliss for ever. Love led them on, and faith who knew them best

Thy hand-maids, clad them o'er with purple beams

And azure wings, that up they flew so drest, li And spake the truth of thee on glorious themes

Before

was in all probability one of that 12. And spake the truth ] There family.

are also three manuscript copies of

this sonnet, two by Milton, the 3. Meekly thou didft refign &c] In second corrected, and the third by the Manuscript these lines were another hand, and in all of them thus at first,

we read And spake the truth, which Meekly thou didît resign this is more agreeable to fyntax, and earthy clod

þetter than And speak the trutb; as Of flesh and fin, which man from it is in the printed copies. Heav'n doth sever.

* This and the two following 6. Stay'd not behind, &c] Instead fonnets are not found in the ediof these lines were the following at tion of Milton's poems in 1673, first in the Manuscript,

and the reason of omitting them in Strait follow'd thee the path that the reign of Charles II is too obfaints have trod,

vious to need explaining. They Still as they journey'd from this were first printed at the end of Phi. dark abode

lips's life of Milton, prefixed to Up to the realm of peace and the English translation of his statejoy for ever.

letters, in 1694, which was twenty Faith show'd the way, and the whọ years after his death ; they were saw them beft

afterwards cited by Toland in his Thy hạnd-maids &c. life of Milton 1698; and as far as

Before the Judge, who thenceforth bid thee rest And drink thy fill of pure immortal streams.

XV. * To the Lord General FAIRFAX. Fairfax, whose name in arms through Europe rings, Filling each mouth with envy or with praise, And all her jealous monarchs with amaze

And rumors loud, that daunt remotest kings, Thy firm unshaken virtue ever brings

5 Victory home, though new rebellions raise

Their

I

can perceive, they were not in. 2. Filling each mouth ] In the ferted among his other poems till printed copies it is, the fifth edition in 1713. But the

And fills all mouths & C: printed copies, probably being taken at first from memory, are won- but it is better to avoid the beginderfully incorrect ; whole verses are ning of so many lines together omitted, and the beauty of these with and. fonnets is in great measure defac'd and destroy'd. It is therefore a

4.

that daunt remotest kings, ] fingular piece of good fortune, that How much better is this than mot they are still extant in Milton's

of the printed copies, Manufcript, the first in his own - which daunt remotest things! hand-writing, and the others by another hand, as he had then lost

5. Thy firm unshaken virtue ] In his fight: and having such an au

the printed copies it is, thentic copy, we shall make it our Thy firm unshaken valor itandard, and thereby restore these fonnets to their original beauty.

but valor occurs again in the fonnet. This to the Lord General Fairfax 6. though new rebellions raise appears from the Manuscript to &c] At this time there were sevehave been address'd to him at the ral insurrections of the royalists, hege of Colchester, which was and the Scotch army was marching carried on in the summer of 1648. into England under the command

of