That wont'st to love the traveller's benizon, 335. ول As when fair Cynthia, in darksome Breaks forth her silver beams, and Discovers to the world discomfited; 333. Stoop thy pale visage ton. Compare B. and Fletcher's Of some clay habitation, visit us Or Tyrian Cynosure. 2. BROTHER. Or if our eyes Be barr'd that happiness, might we but hear The folded flocks penn'd in their wattled cotes, Or sound of past'ral reed with oaten stops, 340. With thy long levell'd rule.] It was at first in the Manuscript, With a long levell'd rule 340. λαμπρα μεν ακτις, ήλιου κανων σαφης. Euripides, Suppl. Mul. 650, or 660. Milton's longlevelled rule of streaming light, is a fine and almost literal translation of ήλιου κανων σαφης of his favourite Greek poet. Hurd. The sun is said to "level his evening rays," P. L. iv. 543. T. Warton. 341. -our star of Arcady, Our greater or lesser bear-star. Calisto the daughter of Lycaon king of Arcadia was changed into the greater bear called also Helice, and her son Arcas into the lesser, called also Cynosura, by observing of which the Tyrians and Sidonians steered their course, as the Grecian mariners did by the other. So Ovid. Fast. iii. 107. Esse duas Arctos; quarum Cynosura petatur Valerius Flaccus, i. 17. -neque enim in Tyrias Cynosura carinas 340. 345 Certior, aut Graiis Helice servanda magistris. The star of Arcady may be explained to signify the lesser bear, and so Mr. Peck understands it: but Milton would hardly make use of two such different names for the same thing, and distinguish them by the disjunctive or between them. The star of Arcady, like Arcadium sidus, may be a general name for the greater and the lesser bear, as in Seneca, Edip. 476. Quasque despectat vertice summo strum: but the following words or Tyrian Cynosure shew evidently, that by the former is meant the greater bear, as by the latter is plainly meant the lesser. 344. The folded flocks penn'd in their wattled cotes,] Folded flocks makes the other part of the line a mere expletive. Had Milton wrote bleating flocks, what followed had been fine, and it had agreed better with what went before. Warburton. 345.-oaten stops,] See note on Lycidas 188. Ε. Or whistle from the lodge, or village cock Count the night watches to his feathery dames, 'Twould be some solace yet, some litle cheering In this close dungeon of innumerous boughs. 350 Perhaps some cold bank is her bolster now, Or, while we speak, within the direful grasp Of savage hunger, or of savage heat? When the big wallowing flakes of pitchy clouds And darkness wound her in. 1 Bro. Peace, Brother, peace. I do not think my sister &c. These lines were altered, and the others added afterwards on a separate scrap of paper. 358. Of savage hunger, or of savage heat?] The hunger of savage beasts, or the lust of men as savage as they. This appears evidently from the context to be the sense of the passage; and I should not have mentioned it, if two very ingenious persons had not mistaken it. The alliteration might help perhaps to determine Milton to the choice of this word; and lust would have been too strong an expression for the younger brother, who rather insinuates than openly declares his fears. 1 Nク ELDER BROTHER. Peace, Brother, be not over-exquisite 359. -be not over-exquisite To cast the fashion] A metaphor taken from the Rather from astrology, as "to Exquisite was not now uncommon in its more original signification. B. and Fletcher, Little Fr. Law, act v. s. 1. -They're exquisite in mischief. T. Warton. 361. For grant they be so, while they rest unknown,] This line obscures the thought, and loads the expression. It had been better out, as any one may see by reading the passage without it. Warburton. 362. -his date of grief,] The Manuscript had at first 360 365 365. -such self-delusion?] It was at first, this self-delusion. 367. Or so unprincipled in virtue's book,] So in the Tractate on Education, p. 101, ed. 1673. "Souls so unprincipled in vir"tue." And "unprincipled, un" edified, and laie rabble." Prose Works, i. 153. Compare also Sams. Agon. 760. T. Warton. 368. See the note P. L. v. 127. T. Warton. 369. As that the single want of light and noise (Not being in danger, as I trust she is not) Could stir the constant mood of her calm thoughts, &c.] A profound critic cites the entire context, as containing a beautiful example of Milton's use of the parenthesis, a figure which he has frequently used with great effect. "The whole passage is "exceedingly beautiful; but "what I praise in the paren"thesis is, the pathos and con"cern for his sister that it ex (Not being in danger, as I trust she is not) 370 By her own radiant light, though sun and moon Oft seeks to sweet retired solitude, presses. For every paren" thesis should contain matter of "weight; and, if it throws in "some passion or feeling into "the discourse, it is so much the " better, because it furnishes the speaker with a proper occa"sion to vary the tone of his "voice, which ought always to " be done in speaking a paren"thesis, but is never more pro"perly done than when some passion is to be expressed. "And we may observe here, "that there ought to be two "variations of the voice in speak"ing this parenthesis. The first " is that tone which we use, "when we mean to qualify or " restrict any thing that we have "said before. With this tone "should be pronounced, not "being in danger; and the se"cond member, as I trust she is "not, should be pronounced with " that pathetic tone in which we " earnestly hope or pray for any "thing." Origin and Progr. of Language, b. iv. p. ii. vol. iii. p. 76. Edinb. 1776. This is very specious and ingenious reasoning. But some perhaps may think this beauty quite accidental and undesigned. A parenthesis is often thrown in, for the sake of explanation, after a passage is written. T. Warton. 375 Bear me some God! oh quickly bear me hence To wholesome Solitude, the nurse of sense: Where Contemplation prunes her ruffled wings, And the free soul looks down to pity kings. Warburton. 376. Oft seeks to sweet retired solitude,] At first he had written the verse thus, Oft seeks to solitary sweet retire. 376. For the same uncommon use of seek, Mr. Bowle cites Bale's 1 |