And in clear dream, and folemn vision,
Tell her of things that no grofs ear can hear,
Till oft converse with heav'nly habitants
Begin to caft a beam on th' outward fhape,
The unpolluted temple of the mind,

And turns it by degrees to the foul's effence,
Till all be made immortal: but when luft,
By unchafte looks, loose gestures, and foul talk,
But most by leud and lavish act of fin,

Lets in defilement to the inward parts,
The foul grows clotted by contagion,
Imbodies, and imbrutes, till she quite lose

the temple of his body. And Shakefpear has the
fame. Tempeft, A&t 1. Sc. 6.
There's nothing ill can dwell in fuch a temple.
If the ill spirit have so fair an house,
Good things will strive to dwell with't.
462. And turns it by degrees to the foul's ef-
fence,] This is agreeable to the system
of the materialists, of which Milton was one.
Warburton.
The fame notion of body's working up to spirit
Milton afterwards introduc'd into his Paradife
Loft, V. 469. &c. which is there, I think,
liable to fome objection, as he was entirely at
liberty to have chofen a more rational fyftem,
and as it is alfo put into the mouth of an
Arch-Angel. But in this place it falls in fo

460

465

The

well with the poet's defign, gives fuch force and strength to this encomium on chastity, and carries in it fuch a dignity of fentiment, that however repugnant it may be to our philofophic ideas, it cannot miss striking and delighting every virtuous and intelligent reader. Thyer.

465. But most by leud and lavish act of fin, ] In the Manuscript it is And moft &c: and inftead of leud and lavish he had written at first,

And moft by the lafcivious act of fin.

467. The foul grows clotted &c] Our author has here improved his poetry by philofophy. These notions of the foul's growing corporeal by indulging corporeal pleasures, and of its being feen after death among tombs and fepulKk k

chers,

The divine property of her first being.

Such are those thick and gloomy fhadows damp
Oft feen in charnel vaults, and fepulchers,
Ling'ring, and fitting by a new made grave,
As loath to leave the body that it lov'd,
And link'd itself by carnal fenfuality

470

To a degenerate and degraded ftate.

475

2. BRO. How charming is divine philofophy!

Not harsh, and crabbed, as dull fools fuppofe,
But mufical as is Apollo's lute,

And a perpetual feaft of nectar'd sweets,

479

Where no crude furfeit reigns. ELD. BRO. Lift, lift, I hear Some far off hallow break the filent air.

2. BRO. Methought so too; what should it be?

ELD. BRO. For certain

Either fome one like us night-founder'd here,

Or else some neighbour wood-man, or, at worst,
Some roving robber calling to his fellows.

485

2. BRO. Heav'n keep my Sifter. Again, again, and near; Best draw, and stand upon our guard.

ELD. BRO. I'll hallow;

If he be friendly, he comes well; if not,
Defense is a good caufe, and Heav'n be for us.

The attendent Spirit, habited like a fhepherd,
That hallow I should know, what are you? fpeak; 490
Come not too near, you fall on iron ftakes elfe.
SPIR. What voice is that? my young Lord? fpeak

again.

Lift, lift, methought I heard &c : and in the Manuscript is a marginal direction, ballow far off.

485. Some roving robber calling to his fellows.] The Trinity Manuscript had at first,

Some curl'd man of the fword calling &c: which alluded to the fashion of the Court Gallants of that time: and what follows continues the allufion,

Had beft look to his forehead, here be brambles.

2. BRO.

But I suppose he thought it might give offenfe: and he was not yet come to an open defiance with the court. Warburton.

489. Defenfe is a good caufe, and Heav'n be for us.] This verfe was well fubftituted in the room of that just quoted,

Had beft look to his forehead, here be brambles. And then follows in the Manufcript, He hallows, the guardian Demon hallows again, and enters in the habit of a shepherd.

491. iron ftakes] It was at firft in the Manufcript, pointed stakes. K kk 2

494. Thyrfis?

2. BRO. O brother, 'tis my father's fhepherd, fure. ELD. BRO. Thyrfis? whofe artful strains have oft

delay'd

The huddling brook to hear his madrigal

And sweeten'd every muskrofe of the dale.

495

How cam'ft thou here, good Swain? hath any ram
Slipt from the fold, or young kid lost his dam,
Or ftraggling weather the pent flock forfook?
How could'st thou find this dark fequefter'd nook? 500
SPIR. O my lov'd master's heir, and his next joy,
I came not here on fuch a trivial toy

As a stray'd ewe, or to pursue the ftealth

Of pilfering wolf; not all the fleecy wealth

That doth enrich these downs, is worth a thought 505 To this my errand, and the care it brought.

But, O my virgin Lady, where is she ?

How chance she is not in your company?

fears are true.

510

ELD.BRO. To tell thee fadly,Shepherd,without blame, Or our neglect, we loft her as we came. SPIR. Ay me unhappy! then my ELD. BRO. What fears, good Thyrfis? Prethee briefly SPIR. I'll tell ye; 'tis not vain or fabulous, [fhew. (Though fo esteem'd by shallow ignorance) What the fage poets, taught by th' heav'nly Muse, Story'd of old in high immortal verse,

516

Of dire chimera's and inchanted iles,

And rifted rocks whofe entrance leads to Hell;
For fuch there be, but unbelief is blind.
Within the navel of this hideous wood,
Immur'd in cypress fhades a forcerer dwells,
Of Bacchus and of Circe born, great Comus,
Deep skill'd in all his mother's witcheries,

rected into Slipt from his fold, as it is in the Manufcript, or the fold, as in all the editions.

509. To tell thee fadly, Shepherd,] Sadly, foberly, seriously, as the word is frequently ufed by our old authors, and in Paradife Loft, VI. 541. where fee the note.

512. What fears, good Thyrfis?] He had written at first good Shepherd: but this was al

520

And