Fistula, ab undecima jam lux eft altera nocte, 156 Ite domum impasti, domino jam non vacat, agni. Ipfe ego Dardanias Rutupina per æquora puppes Dicam, et Pandrafidos regnum vetus Inogeniæ, Brennumque Arviragumque duces, prifcumque Belinum, Et tandem Armoricos Britonum fub lege colonos; Tum gravidam Arturo, fatali fraude, Iögernen, 166 of poetry, to write an epic poem. This, it appears by what follows, was to be on fome part of the antient British ftory. 162. Ipfe ego Dardanias, &c.] The landing of the Trojans in England under Brutus. Rhutupium is a part of the Kentish coaft. Brutus married Inogen, the eldest daughter of Pandrafus a Gre, cian king; from whofe bondage Brutus had delivered his countrymen the Trojans. Brennus and Belinus were the fons of Molutius Dunwallo, by fome writers called the first king of Britain. The two fons carried their victorious arms into Gaul and Ialy. Arviragus, or Arvirage, the fon of Cunobelin, conquered the Roman general Claudius. He is faid to have founded Dover-castle. 165. Et tandem Armoricos Britonum fub lege colonos.] Armorica, or Britany in France, was peopled by the Britons when they fled from the Saxons. 166. Tum gravidam Arturo, &c.] Iogerne was the wife of Gorlois prince of Cornwall. Merlin transformed Uther Pendragon into Gorlois; by which artifice Uther had access to the bed of Iogerne, and begat king Arthur. This was in Tintagel-caftle in Cornwall. See Geffr. Monm. viii. 19. The story is told by Selden on the PoLYOLBION, S. i. vol. ii. 674. Perhaps it will be faid, that I am retailing much idle hiftory. But this is fuch idle history as Milton would have cloathed in the richest poetry. Mendaces 169 Mendaces vultus, affumptaque Gorlöis arma, 168. O mibi, &c.] I have corrected the pointing. "And O, if I "fhould have long life to execute thefe defigns, you, my rural pipe, "fhall be hung up forgotten on yonder antient pine: you are now "employed in Latin ftrains, but you fhall foon be exchanged for "English poetry. Will you then found in rude British tones? "Yes We cannot excell in all things. I fhall be fufficiently con"tented to be celebrated at home for English verfe." Our author fays 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 ilands as my world." PROSE-WORKS, vol. i. 60.. 175. Si me flava comas legat Ufa, èt potor Alauni.] Ufa is perhaps the Oufe in Buckinghamshire. But other rivers have that name, which fignifies 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. Vorticibufque frequens Abra.-] So Ovid, of the river Evenus. METAM. ix. 106. VORTICIBUSQUE frequens erat, atque impervius amnis. And Tyberis" denfus vorticibus," FAST. vi. 502. 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 fome old monkifh lines, that the Severn was originally called Abren ; a name, which afterwards the Welch bards pretended Et Thamefis meus ante omnes, et fufca metallis Tamara, et extremis me discant Orcades undis. Ite domum impasti, domino jam non vacat, agni. Hæc tibi fervabam lenta fub cortice lauri, 180 Hæc, et plura fimul; tum quæ mihi pocula Manfus, Manfus Chalcidicæ non ultima gloria ripæ, Bina dedit, mirum artis opus, mirandus et ipfe, 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. v. Yes, damfels, yes, Sabren fhall furely die, &c. And it is added, that the river [Severn] into which fhe is thrown, was thence called Sabren. Sabren, through Safren, eafily comes to Severn. See CoмUS, v. 826. feq. In the fame play, Humber the Scythian king exclaims, p. 246. A. iv. S. iv. And gentle Aby take my troubled corfe. That is, the river Aby, which juft 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 foon 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 affociate both etymologies in Hun-Aber, or HUMBER. 176. -Nemus omne Treante.] The river Trent, In the next line, he calls Thamefis, meus, because he was born in London. $77. Fufca metallis Tamara. -] The river Tamar in Cornwall, tinctured with tin-mines. 182. Manfus Chalcidica non ultima gloria ripa.] Manfo celebrated in the laft poem, and a Neapolitan. A people called the Chalcidici are faid to have founded Naples. See the third Epigram on Leonora, v.4. "Corpora CHALCIDICO facra dediffe rogo." And Virgil's tenth Eclogue, Chalcidico verfu, v. 50. And EN, vi. 17. 183. Perhaps a poetical defcription of two real cups thus richly ornamented, which Milton received as prefents from Manfo at Naples. He Et circum gemino cælaverat argumento: In medio rubri maris unda, et odoriferum ver, 185 191 Arma corufca faces, et fpicula tincta pyropo; Tu quoque in his, nec me fallit fpes lubrica, Tu quoque in his certe es, nam quo tua dulcis abiret Sanctaque fimplicitas, num quo tua candida virtus ? Nec te Lethæo fas quæfiviffe fub orco, 201 He had flattered himfelf with the happinefs of fhewing thefe tokens of the regard with which he had been treated in his travels, to Deodate, at his return. Or perhaps this is an allegorical defcription of fome of Manfo's favours. 195. He aims his darts upwards, per orbes, among the ftars. He wounds the gods. 198. Tu quoque in bis, &c.] The tranfition is elegant. 201. Nec te Lethao fas quæfiiffe fub orco, &c.] From this line to the Nec tibi conveniunt lacrymæ, nec flebimus ultra, Ore facro. Quin tu, cœli post jura recepta, En etiam tibi virginei fervantur honores; 210 the laft but one, the imagery is almoft all from his own LYCIDAS. v. 181. WEEP NO MORE, woful fhepherds, WEEP NO MORE ; - Lycidas funk low, but MOUNTED HIGH, * Where other groves, and other ftreams along, Who fing, and finging in their glory move. * Henceforth thou art the GENIUS OF THE SHORE. Here is puritanism, yet with some tincture of claffical fiction, exalted into poetry. 214. En etiam tibi virginei servantur honores.] Deodate and Lycidas were both unmarried. See REVELATIONS, xiv. 3 4. "These are "they which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins, &c." 4 D Ipfe |