Pervolitant celeri florea rura choro,

Sylvanufque fua cypariffi fronde revinctus,
Semicaperque Deus, femideufque caper.
Quæque fub arboribus Dryades latuere vetustis,
Per juga, per folos expatiantur agros.

120

Per fata luxuriat fruticetaque Mænalius Pan, 125 Vix Cybele mater, vix fibi tuta Ceres;

130

Atque aliquam cupidus prædatur Oreada Faunus,
Confulit in trepidos dum fibi nympha pedes ;
Jamque latet, latitanfque cupit male tecta videri,
Et fugit, et fugiens pervelit ipfa capi.
Dii quoque non dubitant cœlo præponere fylvas,
Et fua quifque fibi numina lucus habet.
Et fua quifque diu fibi numina lucus habeto,
Nec vos arborea dii precor ite domo.
Te referant miferis te, Jupiter, auréa terris
Sæcla, quid ab nimbos afpera tela redis?
Tu faltem lente rapidos age, Phoebe, jugales,

Ovid, METAM. i. 219.

Traherent cum SERA CREPUSCULA lucem.

135

121. Sylvanus is crowned with cyprefs from the boy Cypariffus. In the next line, "Semicaperque Deus" is from Ovid, FAST. iv.752. See alfo METAM. xiv. 515. "Semicaper Pan."

1127. Prædatur Oreada Faunus.] See what is said of the mountain-nymph Liberty, in L'ALLEGRO, v. 36.

134. Nec vos arborea Dii precor ite domo.] PARAD, L. B. v. 137. "From under fhady ARBOROUS roof,"

Qua

Qua potes, et fenfim tempora veris eant; Brumaque productas tarde ferat hifpida noctes, Ingruat et noftro ferior umbra polo.

ELEG. VI.

Ad Carolum Deodatum ruri commorantem,

140

Qui cum Idibus Decemb. fcripfiffet, et fua carmina excufari poftulaffet fi folito minus effent bona, quod inter lautitias quibus erat ab amicis exceptus, haud fatis felicem operam Mufis dare fe poffe affirmabat, boc habuit refponfum.

Itto tibi fanam non pleno ventre falutem,

Qua tu diftento forte carere potes.

At tua quid noftram prolectat Mufa camœnam,
Nec finit optatas poffe fequi tenebras ?

Carmine fcire velis quam te redamemque colamque,
Crede mihi vix hoc carmine fcire queas.

6

Nam neque nofter amor modulis includitur arctis,

Nec venit ad claudos integer ipfe pedes.

Quam bene folennes epulas, hilaremque Decembrem,

Feftaque cœlifugam quæ coluere Deum, 10

138.

Senfim tempora veris eant.] See EL. i. 48. And the Note.
Deliciafque

Deliciafque refers, hiberni gaudia ruris,

Haustaque per lepidos Gallica musta focos! Quid quereris refugam vino dapibufque poefin? Carmen amat Bacchum, carmina Bacchus amat. Nec puduit Phœbum virides gestasse corymbos, Atque hederam lauro præpofuiffe fuæ. Sæpius Aoniis clamavit collibus Euc

Mista Thyoneo turba novena choro.

Nafo Corallæis mala carmina mifit ab agris
Non illic epulæ, non fata vitis erat.

16

20

12. Hauftaque per lepidos Gallica mufta focos.] See Sonnet to Laurence, xx. 3. 10.

Where fhall we sometimes meet, and by the fire

Help waste a fullen day?

What neat repaft fhall feaft us, light and choice

Of Attic taste, with wine, &c.

Deodate had fent Milton a copy of verses, in which he described the festivities of Christmas.

And

19. Nafo Corallais mala carmina mifit ab agris.] Ovid's TRISTIA, and Epiftles from Pontus, fuppofed to be far inferiour to his other works. This I cannot allow. Few of his works have more nature. where there is haste and negligence, there is often a beautiful careless elegance. The Corallai were the most favage of the Getes. Ovid calls them "pelliti Corallæi," EPIST. PONT. iv. viii. 83. And again, ibid. iv. ii. 37.

Hic mihi cui recitem, nifi flavis fcripta CORALLIS. See our author above, EL. i. 21.

fupr. iv. ii. 20.

Ovid himself acknowledges, ut

Et carmen vena pauperiore fluit.

See alfo TRIST. i. xi. 35. iii. xiv. 35. iii. i. 18. v. vii. 59. v. xii. 35. And EPIST. PONT. i. v. 3. iv. xiii. 4. 17.

20. Non illic epulæ, non fata vitis erat.] Ovid, EPIST. PONT.i.x 31. Non EPULIS oneror: quarum fi tangar amore,

Et tamen in Geticis copia nulla locis.

Quid nifi vina, rofafque, racemiferumque Lyæum,

Cantavit brevibus Teia Mufa modis?

Pindaricofque inflat numeros Teumefius Euan,

25

Et redolet fumptum pagina quæque merum;
Dum gravis everfo currus crepat axe fupinus,
Et volat Eleo pulvere fufcus eques.
Quadrimoque madens Lyricen Romanus Iaccho,
Dulce canit Glyceran, flavicomamque Chloen.
lauta tibi generofo menfa paratu

Jam quoque
Mentis alit vires, ingeniumque fovet.
Maffica fœcundam defpumant pocula venam,
Fundis et ex ipfo condita metra cado.

TRIST. iii. X. 71.

Non hic pampinca dulcis latet uva fub umbra. Again, EPIST. PONT. iii. i. 13.

Nec tibi pampincas Autumnus porrigit uvas. And, ibid. i. iii. 51.

Non ager his pomum, non dulces porrigit uvas.

Again, i. vii. 13.

Nos habeat regio nec pomo fæta nec uvis.

Again, íbid. iii. viii. 13.

Non hic pampineis amicitur vitibus ulmus, &c. 21. Quid nifi

30

Cantavit brevibus Teia Mufa modis.] Ovid, TRIST. ii. 364.
QUID NISI Cum multo venerem confundere vino
Præcepit Lyrici TEIA MUSA fenis?

Again, ART. AMATOR, iii. 330.

-Vinofi TEIA MUSA Tenis.

See alfo METAM. XV. 413.

And FAST. vi. 483.

Victa RACEMIFERO lyncas dedit India Baccho.

Addimus

Addimus his artes, fufumque per intima Phœbum Corda: favent uni Bacchus, Apollo, Ceres. Scilicet haud mirum, tam dulcia carmina per te, Numine compofito, tres peperiffe Deos.

Nunc quoque

Threffa tibi cælato barbitos auro

Infonat arguta molliter icta manu; Auditurque chelys fufpenfa tapetia circum, Virgineos tremula quæ regat arte pedes. Illa tuas faltem teneant spectacula Mufas,

Et revocent, quantum crapula pellit iners.

36

40

Crede mihi, dum pfallit ebur, comitataque plectrum Implet odoratos fefta chorea tholos,

Percipies tacitum per pectora ferpere Phœbum, 45
Quale repentinus permeat offa calor,

Perque puellares oculos, digitumque fonantem,
Irruet in totos lapfa Thalia finus.

Namque Elegia levis multorum cura Deorum eft,

50

Et vocat ad numeros quemlibet illa fuos ; Liber adeft elegis, Eratoque, Cerefque, Venufque, Et cum purpurea matre tenellus Amor.

37. Nunc quoque Threffa tibi, &c.] The Thracian harp. Orpheus was of Thrace. Ovid, EPIST. HEROID. iii. 118.

THREICIAM digitis increpuiffe lyram.

The fame pentameter occurs, AMOR. ii, xi. 32. See Note on CoмUS, v.324.

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