And life-blood streaming fresh; wide was the wound, Mean, “ descriptions and in the imaging the verse upon the adjective mean, " and piąuresque parts, than it has a wonderful effect, and gives agrees with the lower sort of nar- great force to the sentence. No cola “ rations, the character of which location of words can exceed this in “ is fimplicity and purity. Milton beauty. I remember an adjective “ has several of the latter, where placed much in the same manner in " we find not an antiquated, af. Virgil, Georg. I. 476. " fected, or uncouth word, for some “ hundred lines together; as in his Vox quoque per lucos vulgo exau dita Glentes “ fifth book, the latter part of the eighth, the former of the tenth Ingens " and eleventh books, and in the The placing of the word ingens is “ narration of Michael in the twelfth. admirable, and makes one almost “ I wonder indeed that he, who hear the loud dismal voice groaning “ veptur'd (contrary to the practice thro' the groves. “ of all other epic poets) to imitate 471. so lovely fair “ Homer's lownesles in the narra That what seem'd fair in all the " tive, should not also have copied world, seem'd now “ his plainness and perspicuity in Mean, or in her summ'd up, in her " the dramatic parts: fince in his contain'd fpeeches (where clearness above And in her looks, ] This is the same "all is necessary) there is frequently with that which Marino makes Ve“ fuch eranfpoficion and forced con- nus say to Paris in the picture she " fruction, that the very fense is is giving him of Helen. Adon. Cant. “ not to be discover'd without a 2. St. 173. “ fecond or third reading : and in " this certainly be ought to be no Si ben d'ogni bellezza in quel bel " example." volto 471. fo lovely fair Epilogato il cumulo s'anifce, Tbat what seem's fair in all the E sì perfettamente infieme accolto world, seem'd now Quanto ha di bel la terra, in lej Mean,] The position of the words, fiorisce. Thyer. with the paase in the firft fyllable of G4 476. And Mean, or in her summ'd up, in her contain'd , I Led 476. And into all things from her racter of the person Adam is talking air inspir'd to would have made an imitation in The Spirit of love and amorous de- this respect indecent and inconfutent. light.] Lucretius, IV, 1047. Tbyer. Sea mulier toto ja&tans e corpore 478. She disappear'd, and left me dark,] She that was my light aarnorem Bentley vanith'd, and left me dark and com. The very fame compliment Marino fortless. For light is in almost all pays to the three Goddesses, when languages a meraphor for joy and they de cended upon mount Ida to comfort, and darkness for the conpresent themselves before Paris, trary. As Dr. Pearce observes, it Ne presente vi fù creatà cosa, is something of the same way of Che non sentiífe in sè forza amorofa. thinking that Milton uses in his Adone. Cant. 2 St. 125. having described her as appearing to Sonnet on his deceasd wife; after The Talian poet, with a surprifing him, he says, redundancy of fancy and beauty of She fled, and day brought back my expresion, carries on and explains the same thought for fix fanzis to night. gether, but the graver turn of our 48: Led by her heav'nly Maker,] author's poem, and the divine cha. For the Scripture says, Gen. II. 22. 496 that that 495 Led by her heav'nly Maker, though unseen, 485 guided by his voice, nor uninform’d This turn hath made amends; thou hast fulfill'd Exthat the Lord God brought her unto mvießt be too flat for the present ibe Man ;- and our author ftill allod- pafsion (as the Doctor fays) if we ing to this text lays afterwards, ver. understand by them, Nor thinkert 500. that she was divinely brought. this gift too good for me. See con 1488. — Heav'n in ber cye,] Give cerning the sense of this word the me leave to quote a passage from note on I. 259. Dr. Bentley reads - Shakespear's Troilus, which seems fairest this Pearce. he should say, O my Creator, those Tbe lufire in your ese, Hear's in your before, were neither like, nor suitable creatures which thou brougbteft 10 me cbeek, Pleads your fair usage. but this that now thou haft bear ftow'd upon me, is bone of my 494. - nor envief.] The verb my own' fimilitude , myself . That erviefi is join'd in conitruction to Adam, waking from his deep sleep, tbou baft fulfill d: There is then no should in words to express and profuch loose syntax here, as Dr. Bent- phetic own and clame his compaley imagins: nor will the words nor nion, gave ground to that opinion, to me, bone, Extracted; for this cause he (hall forgo She heard me thus, and though divinely brought, Yet innocence and virgin modesty, 501 Her virtue and the conscience of her worth, That would be woo'd, and not unfought be won, Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retir’d, The more desirable, or to say all, 505 Nature chat he was not only asleep, but in. And by the way we may observe, tranc'd coo, by which he saw all that there may be great force and that was done to him, and under. beauty in a verse, that confitts all of food the mystery of it, God inform- monofyllables. It is true indeed that ing his understanding in his ecstasy. ten low words oft creep in one Hume. dull line : 498 and to' bis wife adhere ;] but there are several monosyllable Adhærebit uxori suæ, as it is in the vulgar Latin; fall cleave unto his verses in Milton as strong and subwife, says the English Bible. But we lime, as beautiful and harmonious, will set down the whole passage in as can pofsibly be written. No numGenesis at length, that the reader ber of syllables can equal the force of these monosyllables, II, 621. and may compare it with our author. Gen. II. 23, 24. And Adam said, 9j0. This is now bone of my bones, and field Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, of my flesh; he shall be called Woman, and thades of death. because he was taken out of Man. And swims, or finks, or wades, or Therefore shall a man leave his father creeps, or flies. and his mother, and shall cleave unto And abundance of other instances bis wife; and they shall be one flesh. How ha Milton improv'd upon the might easily be cited. And certainly lalt words, and they shall be ene fiesh; much to the strength and conciseness monofyllables used properly add and what an admirable climax has of our language. he form'd ? 502. Her virtue and the conscience And they shall be one flesh, one of ber worth,] Dr. Bentley heart, one foul. proposes to read, Hor Nature herself, though pure of finful thought, 510 Joyous Her virtue and her conscioufrefs of nature. We mention this because worth, the passage hath been misunderstood The word conscience (says he) is here by Dr. Bentley, and may be fo again by others. taken in a signification unwarranted by use. But the fa& is quite other- 509. And with obfequious majesty wise ; for in our English verfion of approv'd] How exactly does the Bible the word is often used in our author preserve the same chathis sense: thus in Hebr. X. 2. fhould racter of Eve in all places where he bave bad no more conicience of fins. {peaks of her! This obsequious ma1 Cor. VIII. 7. Some with con. jesty is the very same with the cop science of the idol eat. And thus con. Jubmiffion, modeft pride in the fourth scientia is used by the Latin authors, book, and both not unlike what as in Cicero de Senect. Conscientia Spenser has in his Epithalamium. bene actæ vitæ jucundiffima eft. Behold how goodly my fair Love Pearce. doth lie 595. — or to say all, &c.] The In proud humility. Thyer. conitruction of the whole passage is this, Though she was divinely 513 the earth brought, yet innocence and virgin is a copy from Homer, Iliad. XIV. Gave sign of gratulation, &c.] This modesty, her virtue and the conscience of her worth, or to say all347. where the creation is made to natase herself wrought in her to give the like tokens of joy at the that seeing me she turn'd. Wrought amorous congress of Jupiter and Jana is the verb, and the nominative cases on mount Ida. are innocence and virgix modefty, vir. Tolol di úto gA com dia quer rece tue and confcience of worth, and Onass corny &c. |
