Dum solus teneros claudebam cratibus hædos. Heus bone numquid agis? nisi te quid forte retardat, 150 cinthi, Quasque habet ista palus herbas, artesque medentum. Ah pereant herbæ, pereant artesque medentum, Gramina, postquam ipsi nil profecere magistro. The Crates are the wattled cotes in Comus, v. 345. 145 149. Aut ad aquas Colni, aut ubi jugera Cassibelauni?] The river Colne flows through Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, in Milton's neighbourhood. Our author's father's house and lands at Horton near Colnbrook, were held under the Earl of Bridgewater, before whom Comus was acted at Ludlow-Castle. Milton's mother is buried in the chancel of Horton church, with this Inscription on a flat stone over the grave." Heare lyeth "the body of Sara Milton the "wife of John Milton, who died "the 3d of April, 1637.” That spreads her verdant leaf to th morning ray: He lov'd me well, and oft would beg And in requital ope his leathern scrip, See note on El. vi. 90. Ipse etiam, nam nescio quid mihi grande sonabat : 160 Ite domum impasti, domino jam non vacat, agni. Ipse ego Dardanias Rutupina per æquora puppes Dicam, et Pandrasidos regnum vetus Inogeniæ, Brennumque Arviragumque duces, priscumque Belinum, 155. He hints his design of quitting pastoral, and the lighter kinds of poetry, to write an epic poem. This, it appears by what follows, was to be on some part of the ancient British story. Et tandem Armoricos Britonum sub lege colonos; 165 162. Ipse ego Dardanias, &c.] The landing of the Trojans in England under Brutus. Rhutupium is a part of the Kentish coast. Brutus married Inogen, the eldest daughter of Pandrasus a Grecian king; from whose bondage Brutus had delivered his countrymen the Trojans. Brennus and Belinus were the sons of Molutius Dunwallo, by some writers called the first king of Britain. The two sons carried their victorious arms into Gaul and Italy. Arviragus, or Arvirage, the son of Cunobelin, conquered the Roman general. Claudius. He is said to have founded Dover castle. 155 Tu procul annosa pendebis fistula pinu, Multum oblita mihi; aut patriis mutata Camœnis 170 Merces, et mihi grande decus (sim ignotus in ævum 175 66 "rural pipe, shall be hung up "forgotten on yonder ancient pine: you are now employed "in Latin strains, but you shall "soon be exchanged for English 66 poetry. Will you then sound "in rude British tones?-Yes"We cannot excel in all things. "I shall be sufficiently contented "to be celebrated at home for "" English verse." Our author says in the Preface to Ch. Gov. b. ii. "Not caring to be once "named abroad, though perhaps "I could attain to that: but " content with these British "islands as my world." Prose Works, vol. i. 60. 171. Brittonicum] In lengthening the first syllable of this word, contrary to the usage of Virgil, Horace, &c. Milton is supported by Lucretius, vi. 1104. Symmons. 175. Si me flava comas legat Usa, et potor Alauni,] Usa is perhaps the Ouse in Buckinghamshire. But other rivers have that name, which signifies water in general. Alaunus is Alain in Dorsetshire, Alonde in Northumberland, and Camlan in Cornwall; and is also a Latin name for other rivers. 176. Vorticibusque frequens Abra,] So Ovid, of the river Evenus. Metam. ix. 106. Vorticibusque frequens erat, atque im- And Tyber is "densus vortici- Abra has been used as a Latin name for the Tweed, the Humber, and the Severn, from the British Abren, or Aber, a river's mouth. Of the three, I think the Humber, vorticibus frequens, is intended. Leland proves from some old monkish lines, that the Severn was originally called Abren; a name, which afterwards the Welch bards pretended to be derived from King Locrine's daughter Abrine, not Sabrine, drowned in that river. Comm. Cygn. Cant. vol. ix. p. 67. edit. 1744. In the Tragedy of Locrine, written about 1594, this lady is called Sabren. Suppl. Shakesp. vol. ii. p. 262. a. iv. s. 5. Yes, damsels, yes, Sabren shall surely die, &c. Et Thamesis meus ante omnes, et fusca metallis Ite domum impasti, domino jam non vacat, agni. Bina dedit, mirum artis opus, mirandus et ipse, That is, the river Aby, which just before is called Abis. Ptolemy, enumerating our rivers that fall into the eastern sea, mentions Abi; but probably the true reading is Abri, which came from Aber. Aber might soon be corrupted into Humber. The derivation of the Humber from Humber, king of the Huns, is as fabulous, as that the name Severn was from Abrine or Sabrine. But if Humber, a king of the Huns, has any concern in this name, the best way is to reconcile matters, and associate both etymologies in Hun-Aber, or Humber. " 176. —nemus omne Treantæ,] The river Trent. In the next line, he calls Thamesis, meus, because he was born in London. 177. fusca metallis Tamara,] VOL. IV. 180 185 The river Tamar in Cornwall, tinctured with tin-mines. 182. Mansus Chalcidica non ultima gloria ripa,] Manso celebrated in the last poem, and a Neapolitan. A people called the Chalcidici are said to have founded Naples. See the third Epigram on Leonora, v. 4. Corpora "Chalcidico sacra dedisse rogo." And Virgil's tenth Eclogue, Chalcidico versu, v. 50. And Æn. vi. 17. 66 183. Perhaps a poetical description of two real cups thus richly ornamented, which Milton received as presents from Manso at Naples. He had flattered himself with the happiness of shewing these tokens of the regard with which he had been treated in his travels, to Deodate, at his return. Or perhaps this is an allegorical description of some of Manso's favours. C C Quis putet? hic quoque Amor, pictæque in nube pharetræ, Arma corusca faces, et spicula tincta pyropo; Tu quoque in his, nec me fallit spes lubrica, Damon, Tu quoque in his certe es, nam quo tua dulcis abiret Sanctaque simplicitas, nam quo tua candida virtus? 200 Nec te Lethæo fas quæsivisse sub. orco, 205 Nec tibi conveniunt lacrymæ, nec flebimus ultra, 195 210 of his verse, the poet has in this place happily translated the name of his friend Deodati into Greek. But Milton was fond of these versions of a name which was so susceptible of translation. In each of the two familiar letters to his friend, which are extant, he calls him Theodotus. Sym mons. |
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