prepared themselues for theire departing measure, Cynthea spake thus: "Now, pleasing, rest; for see the nighte For day beginnes to gilde the woodes. Then whilst we singe, though you departe, "After this a shepherd sings a passionate ditty att my lady's departure' he then presents the countess with a scarf, and adds, "Farewell, farewell: Joy, love, peace, health, In you longe dwell; Wth our farewell, farewell." Vol. v. p. 152. Mr. Todd has already published Comus separately. It is elaborately edited. The various lections are more numerous than those appended to any of the other poems. Our readers will be pleased to see the following beautiful lines, which Milton erased from the opening speech. They originally followed the fourth line. Beyond the starry threshold of Jove's court In regions mild of calm and serene air. Amidst th' Hesperian gardens, on whose banks And fruits of golden rind, on whose faire tree * See our 24th vol. New Arr. p. 356. Halfe his wast flood the wild Atlantique fills, Vol. v. P. 418. The preliminary observations on the sonnets trace the history of the English sonnet from Surrey to Milton. By quoting miss Seward, it should appear that Mr. Todd agrees with her in preferring the Italian structure. It should be remembered that such a preference is contradicted as well by experience as theory. The sonnet has been revived by Charlotte Smith: her sonnets are assuredly the most popular in the language, and deservedly so; but they are almost all irregular. A Mr. White, quoted by the editor, says, it cannot be demonstrated that the regular sonnet suits not the nature or genius of our language.' We would weigh against this the assertion that it cannot be denied,' if experience did not show us that there are people foolish enough and obstinate enough to deny any thing. Mr. Todd observes that some of Constable's sonnets are written in lines of six feet. This is not uncommon; frequent examples may be found in those of sir Philip Sidney. The sixth and last volume contains the odes, miscellanies, translations, and Latin poems. The epitaph upon Shakspeare appears to have been suggested by the following upon sir Thomas Stanley, written, according to sir William Dugdale, by Shakspeare himself: "Aske who lies here, but do not weepe; He is not dead, he doth but sleepe: This stony register is for his bones, His fame is more perpetuall than these stones; Shall live when earthly monument is none. Not monumentall stone preserves our fame, Nor skye-aspiring piramids our name; The memory of him for whom this stands When all to time's consumption shall be given, Stanley, for whom this stands, shall stand in heaven." Vol. vi. P. 85. This latter strikingly resembles the lines of Ben Jonson engraved upon Drayton's monument: And when thy ruines shall disclaim CRIT. REV. Vol. 34. April, 1802. 2 E The erudite annotations of Dr. Burney are prefixed to the Greek verses: the comments upon the Latin poems are chiefly by Warton, who every where, in censuring Milton's opinions, has been too ostentatious of his own.-Mr. Todd, in his concluding note, defends the prose of Milton. -There are various passages,' he says, 'in the English prose, besides the Tractate on Education and the Areopagitica, which seem entitled to the praise of the most impressive eloquence. Nor in his Latin performances are there wanting examples of pure as well as animated style. The accurate scholar seldom ceases to be visible either in the politician, in the controversialist, or in the secretary. Perhaps his English style is in general too learned. Of his History of England Warburton has said, that it is written with great simplicity, contrary to his custom in his prose works; and is the better for it. But he sometimes rises to a surprising grandeur in the sentiment and expression, as at the conclusion of the second book, Henceforth we are to steer, &c. I never saw any thing equal to this but the conclusion of sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World." That Milton may be found virulent in these civil' and religious speculations will not perhaps be denied: his pen, dipped as it sometimes is in the gall of puritanism, hurries him into the violence of rage; and he then condemns without mercy, as he judges without candour. But, at other times, his pages breathe the sweetest language of sensibility; the abusive spirit, which the turbulence of the times excited, sinks into calmness; and, without subscribing to his political sentiments, we are led to admire the uncommon felicity of his expression.' Vol.vi. P. 396. This is but cold approbation. As a prose-writer, Milton is only equalled by Jeremy Taylor among his contemporaries, and Burke among after-writers. An Appendix concludes the work. In this, Lauder's interpolations are noticed, and Robert Baron's Imitations of Milton's early Poems. The villany of the modern Erostratus needs not be mentioned here. Baron's plagiarisms are less generally known; they are wonderfully impudent;-witness what follows. "Ring out, yee cristall spheares, Once blesse our listning eares! Let your sweet silver chime, Keeping harmonious time, Carroll forth your loud layes In the winged wanton's praise. Mab, thou majestick queene Of fairies, be thou seene To keepe this holiday, Whilst we dance and play; And frisk it as we goe On the light fantastick toc. The satyres and the fawnes Shall nimbly crosse the lawnes: Ore tawny sands and shelves "Sol has quencht his glowing beame "Euphrosyne, Right goddesse of free mirth, come lead with thee "Hence, hence, fond Mirth; hence vain deluding joyes, Glee and Alacritie, you be but toyes: Goe, gilded elves, love's idle traine possesse My harpe shall chant my heart's anxietie." Vol. vi. P. 402. The work is properly finished with a glossarial index of words, phrases, customs, and persons, explained and mentioned in the notes. In tracing the language and expressions of Milton to earlier writers, we think the various commentators have exhibited more learning than judgement. The following examples, taken from the volume before us, will explain and justify the charge. a darksome house of mortal clay.] So, in The Scourge of Villanie, 1598. b. iii. sat. viii. of the soul leaving the body: Leauing his smoakie house of mortall clay.” by the sun's team untrod,] Perhaps from Shakspeare's "heavenly-harness'd team," Hen. IV. act ii. sc. iv. which Randolph imitates, Poems, 2d edit. 1640, p. 74. "the sunne, Where he unharness'd, and where's teame begunne." Sylvester has the sun's "tyer-less teem," Du Bart. 1621, p. 84. Again, "The sun turns back his teem," p. 226. In Kyd's Cornelia, 1595, we find Night's "slow-pac'd icam ;" and, in Fletcher's Faithful Shepherdess, Night's" lazy team." Vol. vi. P. 5. helmed] So, in Par, Lost, b. vi. 840. "o'er helms and helmed heads he rode." Drayton has" helmed head." Polyolb. s. viii. vol. ii. Chaucer has helmed, Tr. and Cr. ii. 593. "By Mars the god, that helmed is of stele." Vol. vi. p. 12. And Peace shall lull him in her flowery lap ;] So in Harrington's Ariosto, c. xlv. 1. "Who long were lul'd on high in Fortune's lap." • And in William Smith's Chloris, 1596. "Whom Fortune never dandled in her lap.” And in Spenser's Teares of the Muses, Terpsich. st. i. "Whoso hath in the lap of soft delight Been long time lul'd." We have the "flowery lap of some irriguous valley," Par. Lost, b. iv. 254. WARTON. See also Mir. for Magistrates, 1610, p. 327. "Whilst Fortune false doth lull them in her lap.” And in Certaine Selected Odes of Horace by John Ashmore, 4to. `1621, p. 17. "In Fortune's lap, who then, but I, Repeated instances of this kind occur in the work. But Milton, who had the mines of language at command, did not employ himself in raking up the rubbish of old metal. To Sylvester in particular he is supposed to be indebted. Doubtless he had profited by that writer's contortions and his wanton abuse of language, as the wise physician learns to cure from the quack who administers poison: but to suppose that for every peculiar word, for every double epithet, for every striking phrase, Milton is indebted to some predecessor-this surely is miserable trifling! As well might the fame of Raphaël be divided with his oil and colour dealer; as well might the flavour of the melon be attributed to the stable-refuse on which it was raised. We do not particularly apply this censure to Mr. Todd; it is more applicable to the rest of the firm. It might perhaps have been better if the imitations from various authors, instead of being noted as they occur, had been separately arranged: the reading of the poet would then have been more distinctly understood. Mr. Todd's edition, on the whole, is ably executed: it is a valuable and elaborate work, which must find its place in every gentleman's library. |