Aura, per humentes corpora fusa rosas.
Nec me (crede mihi) terrent Semeleïa fata,
Nec Phaetonteo fumidus axis equo;
Cum tu, Phoebe, tuo sapientius uteris igni,
Huc ades, et gremio lumina pone meo.
Sic Tellus lasciva suos suspirat amores;
Matris in exemplum cætera turba ruunt :
Nunc etenim toto currit vagus orbe Cupido,
Languentesque fovet solis ab igne faces.
Insonuere novis lethalia cornua nervis,

Triste micant ferro tela corusca novo.
Jamque vel invictam tentat superasse Dianam,
Quæque sedet sacro Vesta pudica foco.

Ipsa senescentem reparat Venus annua formam,
Atque iterum tepido creditur orta mari.
Marmoreas juvenes clamant Hymenæe per urbes, 105
Littus io Hymen, et cava saxa sonant.
Cultior ille venit, tunicaque decentior apta,
Puniceum redolet vestis odora crocum.

Egrediturque frequens, ad amoni gaudia veris,

Virgineos aura cincta puella sinus :

110

Votum est cuique suum, votum est tamen omnibus

unum,

Ut sibi quem cupiat, det Cytherea virum. Nunc quoque septena modulatur arundine pastor, Et sua quæ jungat carmina Phyllis habet. Navita nocturno placat sua sidera cantu,

Delphinasque leves ad vada summa vocat. Jupiter ipse alto cum conjuge ludit Olympo,

Convocat et famulos ad sua festa Deos.

Nunc etiam Satyri, cum sera crepuscula surgunt,

Pervolitant celeri florea rura choro,

Sylvanusque sua cyparissi fronde revinctus,

Semicaperque Deus, semideusque caper.
Quæque sub arboribus Dryades latuere vetustis,
Per juga, per solos expatiantur agros.

Per sata luxuriat fruticetaque Mænalius Pan,
Vix Cybele mater, vix sibi tuta Ceres ;
Atque aliquam cupidus prædatur Oreada Faunus,
Consulit in trepidos dum sibi nympha pedes;
Jamque latet, latitansque cupit male tecta videri,

115

120

125

odora crocum.] So in L'Allegro. cypress from the boy Cyparissus.

-A roabe unfit,

In the next line, " Semicaperque "Deus" is from Ovid, Fast. iv. 752. See also Metam. xiv. 515. "Semicaper Pan."

127. -prædatur Oreada Faunus,] See what is said of the

Till Hymen's saffron'd weede had mountain-nymph Liberty, in

usher'd it.

The text has a reference to Ovid's Hymen, who is "croceo "velatus amictu." Metam. x.

1.

121. Sylvanus is crowned with

L'Allegro, v. 36.

65.

129. Virgil is obvious, Ecl. iii.

Et fugit ad salices, et se cupit ante
videri.
E.

Et fugit, et fugiens pervelit ipsa capi.
Dii quoque non dubitant cœlo præponere sylvas,
Et sua quisque sibi numina lucus habet.
Et sua quisque diu sibi numina lucus habeto,

Nec vos arborea dii precor ite domo.
Te referant miseris te, Jupiter, aurea terris
Sæcla, quid ad nimbos aspera tela redis?
Tu saltem lente rapidos age, Phoebe, jugales,
Qua potes, et sensim tempora veris eant;
Brumaque productas tarde ferat hispida noctes,
Ingruat et nostro serior umbra polo.

ELEG. VI.

Ad CAROLUM DEODATUM ruri commorantem,

130

135

140

Qui cum Idibus Decemb. scripsisset, et sua carmina excusari postulasset si solito minus essent bona, quod inter lautitias quibus erat ab amicis exceptus, haud satis felicem operam Musis dare se posse affirmabat, hoc habuit responsum,

MITTO tibi sanam non pleno ventre salutem,
Qua tu distento forte carere potes.

At tua quid nostram prolectat Musa camœnam,
Nec sinit optatas posse seque tenebras ?
Carmine scire velis quam te redamemque colamque, 5
Crede mihi vix hoc carmine scire queas.

Nam neque noster amor modulis includitur arctis,
Nec venit ad claudos integer ipse pedes.
Quam bene solennes epulas, hilaremque Decembrem,

134. Nec vos arborea dii precor ite domo.] Par. Lost, b. v. 137. "From under shady arborous "roof."

138. sensim tempora veris eant;] See El. i. 48. and the note.

Festaque cœlifugam quæ coluere Deum,
Deliciasque refers, hiberni gaudia ruris,

Haustaque per lepidos Gallica musta focos!
Quid quereris refugam vino dapibusque poesin?
Carmen amat Bacchum, carmina Bacchus amat.
Nec puduit Phœbum virides gestasse corymbos,
Atque hederam lauro præposuisse suæ.
Sæpius Aoniis clamavit collibus Euce
Mista Thyoneo turba novena choro.

Naso Corallæis mala carmina misit ab agris :
Non illic epulæ, non sata vitis erat.

Quid nisi vina, rosasque, racemiferumque Lyæum,
Cantavit brevibus Teia Musa modis?

12. Haustaque per lepidos Gallica musta focos!] See Sonnet to Laurence, xx. iii. 10.

Where shall we sometimes meet, and by the fire

Help waste a sullen day?

10

15

20

Et carmen vena pauperiore fluit.
See also Trist. i. xi. 35. iii. xiv.

What neat repast shall feast us, light 35. iii. i. 18. v. vii. 59. v. xii. 35.

and choice

Of Attic taste, with wine, &c. Deodate had sent Milton a copy of verses, in which he described the festivities of Christmas.

19. Naso Corallæis mala carmina misit ab agris:] Ovid's Tristia, and Epistles from Pontus, supposed to be far inferior to his other works. This I cannot allow. Few of his works have more nature. And where there is haste and negligence, there is often a beautiful careless elegance. The Corallai were the most savage of the Getes. Ovid calls them, "pelliti Corallæi," Epist. Pont. iv. viii. 83. And again, ibid. iv. ii. 37.

Hic mihi cui recitem, nisi flavis scripta Corallis,

And Epist. Pont. i. v. 3. iv. xiii. 4. 17.

20. Non illic epulæ, non sata vitis erat.] Ovid, Epist. Pont. i. x. 31.

Non epulis oneror: quarum si tangar

Pindaricosque inflat numeros Teumesius Euan,
Et redolet sumptum pagina quæque merum ;
Dum gravis everso currus crepat axe supinus,
Et volat Eleo pulvere fuscus eques.
Quadrimoque madens Lyricen Romanus Iaccho,
Dulce canit Glyceran, flavicomamque Chloen.
Jam quoque lauta tibi generoso mensa paratu
Mentis alit vires, ingeniumque fovet.
Massica fœcundam despumant pocula venam,
Fundis et ex ipso condita metra cado.
Addimus his artes, fusumque per intima Phœbum
Corda, favent uni Bacchus, Apollo, Ceres.
Scilicet haud mirum tam dulcia carmina per te,
Numine composito, tres peperisse Deos.
Nunc quoque Thressa tibi cælato barbitos auro
Insonat arguta molliter icta manu;

23. -Teumesius Euan,] Teumesus, Tsvμnoos, is a mountain of Boeotia, the district in which Thebes was situated; and its inhabitants were called Tvno, Teumesii. The Grecian Bacchus, the son of Jupiter and Semele, is often denominated Thebanus. But Bacchus had a more immediate and particular connection with this mountain. Pausanias relates a fable, that Bacchus, in revenge for some insult which he had received from the Thebans, nourished a fox in this mountain for the destruction of the city of Thebes; and that a dog being sent from Diana to kill this fox, both fox and dog were turned into stones. The fox was called Tevμnoia й aλwä, Teumesia vulpes. Pausan. BO12