The dreaded Infant's hand,

The rays of Bethlehem blind his dusky eyn; Nor all the Gods befide

Longer dare abide,

Not Typhon huge ending in fnaky twine: Our Babe, to fhow his Godhead true,

225

Can in his swaddling bands controll the damned

crew.

XXVI.

So, when the fun in bed,
Curtain'd with cloudy red,

Pillows his chin upon an orient wave,

230

first arrival in Egypt, as may be collected from Eufebius and Athanafius, he was by defign, or Providence, carried into a temple at Hermopolis, in the province of Thebais, at whose prefence the idol gods fell down, like Dagon before the ark, and fuffered their timely and just diffolution; which remarkably verified a prophecy of Ifaiah, Chap. xix. 1. "That the Lord should come into Egypt, and thə idols of Egypt should be moved at his prefence." See Echard's Eccl. Hift. p. 36.-Indeed I am perfuaded that the young poet had here, and in the three preceding ftanzas, paid particular attention to Athanafius's difcourfe Περὶ της ἐνανθρωπήσεως το Λόγε. Compare Athanafii Opp. ed. Paris. fol. 1627, p. 100-103, TODD.

Ver. 230. Curtain'd with cloudy red,] Crafhaw thus defcribes the fun, Sac. Poems, p. 17. edit. Paris, 1652.

"All the purple pride that laces

"The crimson curtains of thy bed." TODD.

Ver. 231. Pillows his chin upon an orient wave,] The words pillows and chin, throw an air of burlefque and familiarity over a comparison moft exquifitely conceived and adapted.

T. WARTON,

The flocking fhadows pale

Troop to the infernal jail,

Each fetter'd ghoft flips to his feveral grave; And the yellow-skirted Fayes

235

Fly after the night-steeds, leaving their moon

lov'd maze.

XXVII.

But fee, the Virgin bleft

Hath laid her babe to reft;

Time is, our tedious fong fhould here have

Each fetter'd ghost flips to his several grave;} Mr. Bowle directs us to the Midfum. Night's Dr. A. iii. S. ult.

"And yonder. fhines Aurora's harbinger;

"At whofe approach, ghofts, wandering here and there,

Troop home to churchyards: damned fpirits all,

"That in cross-ways and floods have burial,

Already in their wormy beds are gone." T. WARTON.

Ver. 235. And the yellow-skirted Fayes

Fly after the night feeds, leaving their moon-lov'd maze.] It is a very poetical mode of expreffing the departure of the fairies at the approach of morning, to say that they fly after the fteeds of Night." T. WARTON.

66

Ver. 242.

with handmaid lamp] Alluding, perhaps, to the Parable of the ten Virgins in the Gofpel. Dunster.

And all about the courtly ftable

Bright-harnefs'd Angels fit in order ferviceable*.

Ver. 244. Bright-harnefs'd Angels] Bright-arm'd. So, in Exod. xiii. 18. "The children of Ifrael went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt." NEWTON.

The arch-angel Michael is thus armed "in harnesse strong of never-yeclding diamonds," Fairfax, B. ix. ft. 58. TODD.

A great critick, in fpeaking of Milton's fmaller poems, paffes over this Ode in filence, and obferves "All that short compofitions can commonly attain is neatnefs and elegance." But Odes are fhort compofitions, and they can often attain fublimity, which is even a characteristick of that fpecies of poetry. We have the proof before us. He adds, "Milton never learned the art of doing little things with grace." If by little things we are to understand short poems, Milton had the art of giving them another fort of excellence. T. WARTON.

Thomas Forde, in his Fragmenta Poetica, published in 1660, has given us feveral poems on Christmas Day, in one or two of which he adopts fome fentiments and expreffions in this fublime and wonderful Ode; betraying, however, a want of genuine taste and fancy in affected emendation or ridiculous expansion. For example, in p. 7.

"What made the fun poft hence away
"So faft, and make fo fhort a day?
"Seeing a brighter fun appear,
"He ran and hid himfelf for fear:
"Afham'd to fee himfelf out-fhin'd,
"(Leaving us and night behind,)
"He fneak'd away to take a nap,

"And hide himfelf in Thetis lap !" TODD.

THE PASSION*.

I.

EREWHILE of musick, and ethereal mirth, Wherewith the ftage of air and earth did ring, And joyous news of heavenly Infant's birth, My Mufe with Angels did divide to fing;

*The Paffion is the fubject of feveral Italian tragedies and poeins. TODD.

Ver. 1. Erewhile of mufick, and ethereal mirth,] Hence we may conjecture that this Ode was probably compofed soon after that on the Nativity. And this perhaps was a college exercife at Fafter, as the laft was at Chriftmas. T. WARTON.

Ver. 4. My Muse with Angels did divide to fing;] See Spenfer, Faer. Qu. iii. i. 40.

"And all the while fweet Muficke did divide

"Her loofer notes with Lydian harmony."

As Horace, "Imbelli cithara carmina divides." Od. i. xv. 15. Which Voffius, with his ufual refinement, and to justify a new fense of his text, explains by alternate finging. In Catull. p. 239. edit. 1684. Compare Seneca, Hercules Oet. v. 1080. “ Orpheus carmina dividens." Again, Milton fays, that in the preceding Ode "his Mufe with Angels did divide to fing." That is, perhaps, because the then "joined her voice to the angel quire,” as at v. 27. I know not if the technical term to run a divifion is here applicable. Shakspeare fays, Rom. Jul. A. iii. S. v.

"It is the lark that fings fo out of tune,

"Straining harfh difcords, and unpleafing fharps;
"Some fay the lark makes fweet divifion."

Compare Hen. IV. A. ii. S. i.

"Sung by a fair queen in a fummer's bower,
"With ravishing divifion to her lute."

And Reed's Old Pl. viii. 373, 412. T. WARTON.

But headlong joy is ever on the wing,

5

In wintery folftice like the fhorten'd light, Soon fwallow'd up in dark and long out-living night.

II.

For now to forrow muft I tune my fong,
And fet my harp to notes of faddeft woe,
Which on our dearest Lord did feise ere long, 10
Dangers, and fnares, and wrongs, and worfe
than fo,

Which he for us did freely undergo:

Moft perfect Heró, tried in heaviest plight Of labours huge and hard, too hard for human wight!

III.

He, fovran prieft, ftooping his regal head, 15
That dropt with odorous oil down his fair eyes,
Poor fleshy tabernacle entered,

His ftarry front low-rooft beneath the skies:
O, what a mask was there, what a disguise! 19

Ver. 5. But headlong joy is ever on the wing,] An elegant and expreffive line. But Drayton more poetically calls joy, "the fwallow-winged joy." T. WArton.

Ver. 13. Most perfect Hero,] From Heb. ii. 10. "The Captain of their falvation, perfect through fufferings." TODD.

Ver. 19. 0, what a mask was there, what a difguife!] Here seems to be a conceit, alluding to the old paftimes. See Stow's London, vol. i. p. 304, edit. Strype. "There were fine and fubtle difguifings, masks, and mummeries, &c." And Ben Jonfon, characterising Scogan the jefter in his Fortunate Isles;