Sweet bird, that fhunn'ft the noise of folly, Thee, chauntrefs, oft the woods among 65 I woo, to hear thy even-fong; And miffing thee, I walk unfeen of the RADIANT FILES of heaven; and, in the figure of a graceful young man, "fevere in youthful beauty," rebukes Satan. B. v. 797. 845. "A cherubic watch, a cohort bright of watchful cherubim," is ftationed on the eastern verge of Paradife. B. xi. 120. 128. Other examples are obvious. As Milton's Satan is not a monster with cloven feet, horns, and a tail, fo neither are his Cherubs Cupids. Mr. Reed thinks that Milton is here indebted to Nabbes's Mafk MICROCOSMUS, now recently published, Reed's OLD PL. vol. ix. p. 126. Mount thy thoughts upon the WINGS Of CONTEMPLATION, and afpire, &c. And it may be obferved, that Melancholy cloathed in black, is a perfonage in the fame Mask. Contemplation is perfonified in Fletcher's PURP. ISL. C. ix. ft. 12. 66 Still-mufing CONTEMPLATION." In English poetry, it is first personified by Spenfer. 59. While Cynthia checks her dragon yoke.] To the paffages here produced by the commentators from Shakespeare, another should have been added, MIDS. N. DR. A. iii. S. ix. For NIGHT's fwift DRAGONS cut the clouds full faft. 62. Moft mufical, most melancholy.] I recommend this verse as a motto for an Eolian harp. L'ALLEGRO began with the morning or the day, and the lively falutations of the lark. IL PENSEROSO, with equal propriety, after a general exordium, opens with the night: with moonshine," and the melancholy mufic of the nightingale. 78. Some fill removed place will fit.] That is, "fome quiet,. remote, or unfrequented, place will fuit my purpofe." REMOVED is the antient English participle paffive for the Latin Remote. So Shakespeare, HAML. A. iv. S. iv. Of the Ghoft. Look with what a courteous action It waves you to a more REMOVED ground. Again, MIDS. N. DR. A. i. S. i. From Athens is her house REMOV'D feven leagues. 66 For fo, remote is printed in the folios 1623, 1632, and 1683. Again, As YOU LIKE IT, A. iii, S. ii. Your accent is fomething finer than you could purchase in fo REMOVED a dwelling." In Jonfon, The FoxE. A. iii. S. vii. Cannot we delude the eyes Of a few poore houshold spies? Or his [fame's] eafier eares beguile, And Jonfon has, REMOVED myfteries." Again, in the manufcript of the SPIRIT's Prologue to CoмUS. I was not fent to court your wonder With diftant worlds, and strange REMOVED climes. Thefe inftances will illuftrate another paffage in Shakespeare, which is also appofite to our text. MEAS. FOR MEAS. A. i. S.iv. How I have ever lov'd the Life REMOV'D; And held in idle price to haunt affemblies, Where youth, and cost, and witlefs bravery keeps. Compare Shakespeare's SoNN. xcviii. where REMOVEDNESS, for folitude. Shakespeare has fome Where Where glowing embers through the room Save the cricket on the hearth; 80. Where glowing embers through the room 80 Teach light to counterfeit a gloom.] I wonder that Statius's "pallet mala lucis imago," was never here applied. THEB. iv. 424. Shakespeare has much the fame image of a half-extinguished fire. MIDS. N. DR. A. v. S. ii. Oberon fpeaks. Through this houfe give glimmering light By the dead and drowsy fire. It is the fame fort of fubdued light in Spenfer, F. Q. i. i. 14. 82. Save the cricket on the hearth.] Shakespeare, the univerfal and accurate obferver of real nature, was the first who introduced the crying of the cricket, and, with the finest effect, into our poetry. 83. Or the belman's droufy charm, To bless the doors from nightly harm.] A fuperftition, as Mr. Bowle obferves, contained in these lines of Chaucer. CANT, T. v. 3479. edit. Tyrwh. I crouche thee from elves and from wightes; And on the threfwold of the dore withoute : Bliffe this hous from every wicked wight. See also Cartwright's ORDINARY, A. iii. S. i. WORKS, p. 36. 1651. Saint Francis, and faint Benedight! Such are the nocturnal evils deprecated by Imogen, going to reft. From fairies, and the TEMPTERS of the NIGHT, It is the fame fuperftition in Shakefpeare, where a nightly bleffing for Windfor-caftle is invoked, MERR. W. A. v. S. v. About, ween Cotemporary with Moves he es To bless the doors from nightly harm. Or let my lamp at midnight hour, Be feen in fome high lonely tow'r, What worlds, or what vaft regions hold About, about, Search Windfor-caftle, elves, within and out: Strew good luck, ouphes, on every facred room, &c. 85 90 In Robert Herrick's HESPERIDES, there is a little poem called From noise of fcare-fires reft ye free, From all mischances, that may fright The goblin from ye while ye fleep, &c. Antiently the watchman, which cried the hours, used these or the like benedictions. 85. Or let my lamp at midnight hour, Be feen in fome high lonely tow'r.] The extraneous circumftance be SEEN, gives poetry to a paffage, the fimple sense of which is only, "Let me ftudy at midnight by a lamp in a lofty "tower." Hence a picture is created which strikes the imagination. 89. The fpirit of Plato.-] This fhews, what fort of Contemplation he was most fond of. Milton's imagination made him as much a mystic, as his good fenfe would give leave. H. 91. See Note on PAR. REG. iv. 598. 93. See Note on PAR. REG. ii. 121. 97. Sometime let gorgeous Tragedy In fcepter'd pall come sweeping by.] By Scepter'd pall, Poft hunc perfonæ, PALLAQUE repertor HONESTÆ, Æfchylus. In fire, air, flood, or under ground, 95 But Horace, I humbly apprehend, only means, that Æfchylus introduced masks and better dreffes. PALLA HONESTA is fimply a decent robe. Milton means fomething more. By cloathing Tragedy in her SCEPTERED Pall, he intended fpecifically to point Out REGAL STORIES the proper arguments of the higher drama. And this more exprefsly appears, from the fubjects immediately mentioned in the fubfequent couplet. Our author has alfo perfonified Tragedy, in the fame meaning, where he gives her a bloody fcepter, implying the diftreffes of kings, EL. i. 37. Sive CRUENTATUM furiofa Tragedia SCEPTRUM He then illustrates or exemplifies his perfonification. In fcepter'd pall come fweeping by; IN PARADISE REGAINED, he particularifes the lofty grave tragedians of Athens. B. iv. 266. And these are they, who difplay the viciffitudes of human life by examples of GREAT MISFORTUNE, HIGH actions and HIGH paffions beft defcribing. To fum up all of what our author has faid on this fubject in the TRACTATE OF EDUCATION, where he is speaking of heroic and tragic poetry, he recommends " Attic Tragedies of STATELIEST " and moft REGAL argument." Edit. 1673. p. 109. It may be further obferved, that Ovid, whom Milton in fome of his profe pieces prefers to all the Roman poets befides, has alfo marked the true, at least original, province of tragedy, by giving her a ScepAMOR. L. lii. ii. 13. ter. Læva manus SCEPTRUM late REGALE tenebat. Shakespeare has well expreffed the regal drama, in the Prologue to HENRY THE EIGHTH, which he ftyles, Sad, high, and working, full of STATE AND WOE, And Sydney fays, that tragedy "openeth the greatest wounds, and "fheweth |