V. 5 TO THE LADY MARGARET LEY. Of England's council and her treasury, And left them both, more in himself content, Broke him, as that dishonest victory Kill'd with report that old man eloquent. Wherein your father flourish’d, yet by you, Madam, methinks I see him living yet; That all both judge you to relate them true, 10 VI. 5 ON THE DETRACTION WHICH FOLLOWED UPON MY WRITING CERTAIN TREATISES. And woven close, both matter, form, and style; Numbering good intellects; now seldom pored on. A title-page is this! and some in file End Green. Why is it harder, sirs, than Gordon, Those rugged names to our like mouths grow sleek, That would have made Quintilian stare and gasp. Pated not learning worse than toad or asp, 10 SONNET V.-1. Daughter, &c. She was ton's books published in consequence of the daughter of Sir James Ley, whose his divorce from his first wife. The word singular learning and abilities raised bim signifies, Expositions of the Four chief through all the great posts of the law, places in Scripture which mention martill he came to be maile Earl of Marl riages or nullities in marriage. borough and Lord Iligh Treasurer. The 9. Culitto, &c. These are Scottish Lay Margaret was married to Captain names of an ill sound. (litto and Ilobson of the Isle of Wight.-NEWTON. Mucdonnel are one and the same person, 8. Kild with report, &c. When the a brave officer on the royal side who news of the victory gained by Philip of served under Montrose. The Macdonuels Macedon over the Athenians, at Chærne of that family are styled Mac Colleittok, nea, (338 B, C.) reached Athens, the orator that is, descendants of lame Colin. GaIsocrater, then in a very advanced uge, lasp is a Scottish writer against the Inde was so affected by it, that he immedli pendents.-T. WARTON. ately expired. 12. Sir John Cheek, or Clee, was the SONNET VI.--Milton wrote this Sonnet first professor of Greek in the University of in sport.---TODD. Cambridge, and was afterwards one of the 1 Tetrachordon. This was one of Mil- | tutors of Edward VI. See his biography, VII. 5 ON THE SAME. By the known rules of ancient liberty, Of owls and cuckoos, asses, apes, and dogs: Rail'd at Latona's twin-born progeny, But this is got by casting pearl to hogs; And still revolt when truth would set them free. License they mean when they cry liberty; But from that mark how far they rove we see, 10 VIII. 5 TO MR. H. LAWES, ON THE PUBLISHING HIS AIRS. First taught our English musick how to span With praise enough for Envy to look wan: That with smooth air couldst humour best our tongue. To honour thee, the priest of Phoebus' quire, That tun'st their happiest lines in hymn or story. Than his Casella, whom he woo'd to sing 10 and a specimen of his English style in 13 Than his Cusella. Dante, on his the “Compendiuin of English Literature." arrival in Purgatory, sees a vessel apr SONNET VII.- As the preceding sonnet proaching the shore, freighted with souls is evidently of a ludicrous, so the pre- under the conduct of an angel, to be sent is of a more contemptuous cast. cleansed from their sing, and made fit 5. As when those hinds, &c. The fable for Paradise: when they are disembarked of the Lyrian clowns changed into frogs the poet recognises in the crowd his old is relate:hy Ovid. Met. vi. Fab. iv. And friend Casella, the musician. The interthe poet in saying " Which after held the view is strikingly imagined, and, in the son and moon in fee," intimates the good ourse of an affectionate dialogue, the hopes which he hul of himself, and his poet requests a southing sir; and Caexpectations of making a considerable sulla sings, with the most ravishing figure in the world.--SEWTON. sweetness, Dante's second "Canzone." SONNET VIII.- For a notice of Henry By milder shades our author means, Lawes, see pave 417, pote to line 81. shades comparatively much less horrible 4. Committing is a Latinism, and con- than those which Dante describes in the vey: with it the idea of offending against "Inferno."-T. WARTON. quantity and harmony. IX. ON THE RELIGIOUS MEMORY OF MRS. CATHA. RINE THOMSON, Had ripen'd thy just soul to dwell with God, Of death, call'd life; which us from life doth sever. Stay'd not behind, nor in the grave were trod; Follow'd thee up to joy and bliss for ever. Thy handmaids, clad them o'er with purple beams And azure wings, that up they flew so drest, Before the Judge; who thenceforth bid thee rest, 10 5 TO THE LORD GENERAL FAIRFAX. Filling each mouth with envy or with praise, And rumours loud, that daunt remotest kings; Victory home, though new rebellions raise Her broken league to imp their serpent wings. Till truth and right from violence be freed, Of publick fraud. In vain doth Valour bleed, 10 SOXNET IX.-I find in the accounts of Daunt remotest hings ; who dreaded Milton's life, that when he wa- first made the example of England, that their moLatin secretary, he kdged at one Thom narchies would be turned into republice. son's, next door to the Bull-hend Tavern -T. WARTON. at Charing ('ross. This Mrs. Thomson was 5. Virtue, in the sense of the Latin in all probal ility one of that family.- rirtus, valour. NEWTON. 8. ller broken leagu; because the 6. Nor in the grare, &c.; that is, were English Parliament hold that the Scotch not for otten at her death, had broken their covenant, by Ilamil7. Gohim rid: perhaps from the col. ton's march into England.-ILUET, In den reed in the Apocalypse.-J. WARTON. falcony, to imp a feather in the bawk's SONNET X.-This Sonnet is generally wing. is to add a new piece to a muliand properly admireil as powerful, ma- lated stump: from the Saxon impın, jestic, and historically valuable: it hus "to ingraft."-T. WARTOS. á loftiness of sentiment and tone beci m-1 10. For what can war, &c. When will ing the bold and enlightened bärd.- the world learn and act upon this noble BRYDGES. and truthful line,that the sword can never XI. 5 TO THE LORD GENERAL CROMWELL. Not of war only, but detractions rude, To peace and truth thy glorious way hast plough’d, Hast rear'd God's trophies, and his work pursued ; And Dunbar field resounds thy praises loud, To conquer still; Peace hath her victories No less renown'd than War: new foes arise Help us to save free conscience from the paw 10 XII. 5 TO SIR HENRY VANE THE YOUNGER. Than whom a better senator ne'er held TI drift of hollow states hard to be spellid; Move by her two main nerves, iron and gold, Both spiritual power and civil, what each means, Therefore on thy firm hand Religion leans 10 establish justice, and that to settle dis- | fully illustrated in the wonderful disputes, peaceful arbitration is as much the coveries of modern science! duty of nations as of individuals? SONNET XII.- Sir Henry Vane the SOXNET XI.--This is the most nervous younger was the chief of the Independof all his Sonnets: the images and ex- ents, and therefore Milton's friend. He pressions are for the most part dignified, was the contriver of the solemn league grand, and poutical.--Brybak8. and covenant, and was an eccentric cha5. Crmoned Fortune. His malignity to raeter in an are of eccentric characters. kings ailed his imagination in the expres- He was beheaded in 1662. Milton allules sion of this sublime sentiment.-HURD. to the execution of Vane and other regi 7. Darwen, or Derwen, is a small river cides, after the Restoration, anilin general near Preiton, in Lancashire, wbere (rom- to the sufferins of his friends, on that well routed the Scotch army under Duke event, in a speech of the Chorus on SaunHainilton. August. 1613, 'The battles of son's degradation,-“damson Agonistes," Dunbar and Worcester are too well known line 687. This Sonnet seems to have to be particularized; both fou <ht on the been written in behalf of the Independmemorable 31 of September, the one in ents, aguinst the Preshyterian hierarchy. 1050, and the other in 1651.-NEWTON. -T. WARTON. 10, Peace hath her rictories, &c. What 6. Hlow states. Peace with the hollow an admirable sentiment, and how truth- states of Holland. --WARBURTON. XIII. ON THE LATE MASSACRE IN PIEMONT. Lie scatter'd on the Alpine mountains cold; When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones, Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans To Heaven. Their martyr'd blood and ashes sow O’er all the Italian fields, where still doth sway 10 XIV. 5 ON HIS BLINDNESS. Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent I fondly ask: but Patience, to prevent Either man's work, or his own gifts; who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best: his state And post o'er land and ocean without rest: 10 SONNET XIII.-In 1655, the Duke of One of them is to the Duke of Savoy determined to compel bis reformed Savoy. See “ Prose Works," ii. 183, seq. subjects in the valleys of Piedmont to 437. 139. Milton's mind, busied with this embrace popery, or quit their country. affecting subject, here broke forth in a All who remained and refused to be con- strain of poetry, where his feelings were verted, with their wives and children, not fettered by ceremony or formality, suffered a mort barbarous massacre. The Protestants availed themselves of an Those who escaped fcd iuto the moun- opportunity of exposing the horrors of tains, from whence they sent agents into popery, by publishing inany sets of prints England to Cromwell, for relief. He in of this unparalleled scene of religious stantly commanded a general fast, and butchery, which operated like For's promoted a national contribution, in " Book of Martyrs."—T. WARTON, which near £40,000 were collected. The 14. Babylonian woe: Antichrist. persecution was suspended, the duke re- SONNET XIV.-The Sonnet On his called his army, and the surviving in- Blindness," is to my taste next in interest habitants of the Piedmontere valleys to that “On arriving at his Twenty-third were reinstated in their cottages and the year.” The sentiments and expressions peaceable exercise of their religion. On are in all respects Miltopic. this bu-iness, there are several state-let- 3. And that one talent, &c. He here tors in Cromwell's name, written by Jill speaks with allusion to the parable of the ton. |