This very interefting epiftle, in which Milton pours forth his heart to the favourite friend of his youth, may convince every candid reader, that he poffeffed, in no common degree, two qualities very rarely united, ambitious ardour of mind and unaffected modeity. The poet, who speaks with fuch graceful humility of his literary atchievements, had at this time written Comus, a compofition that abundantly difplays the variety and compafs of his poetical powers. After he had delineated, with equal excellence, the frolics of gaiety and the triumphs of virtue, paffing with exquifite transition from the moft fportive to the fublimeft tones of poetry, he might have spoken more confidently of his own productions without a particle of arrogance. We know not exactly what poems he compofed during his refidence at Horton. The Arcades feems to have been one of his early compofitions, and it was intended as a compliment to his fair neighbour, the accomplimed Countess Dowager of Derby; fhe was the fixth daughter of Sir John Spencer, and allied to Spencer the poet, who, with his usual modesty and tenderness, has celebrated her under the title of Amarillis. At the house of faftigium laudis ipfe valeam emergere, tamen quo minus qui eam gloriam affecuti funt, aut eo feliciter afpirant, illos femper colam et fufpiciam, nec dii puto nec homines prohibuerint.-Multa folicite quæris, etiam quid cogitem. Audi, Theodate, verum in aurem ut ne rubeam, et finito paulifper apud te grandia loquar : quid cogitem quæris? Ita me bonus deus, immortalitatem quid agam vero? lagopuw, et volare meditor: fed tenellis admodum adhuc pennis evehit fe nofter Pegafus: humile fapiamus. this lady, near Uxbridge, Milton is faid to have been a frequent vifitor. The Earl of Bridgewater, before whom, and by whofe children, Comus was reprefented, had married a daughter of Ferdinando Earl of Derby, and thus, as Mr. Warton obferves, it was for the fame family that Milton wrote both the Arcades and Comus. It is probable that the pleasure which the Arcades afforded to the young relations of the Countess, gave rife to Comus, as Lawes, the musical friend of Milton, in dedicating the mask to the young Lord Brackley, her grandfon, fays, "this poem, which received its firft occafion of birth from yourself and others of your noble family, and much honour from your own person in the performance." Thefe expreffions of Lawes allude, perhaps, to the real incident, which is faid to have supplied the fubject of Comus, and may feem to confirm an anecdote related by Mr. Warton, from a manuscript of Oldys; that the young and noble performers in this celebrated drama were really involved in adventures very fimilar to their theatrical fituation; that in vifiting their relations, in Herefordfhire, they were benighted in a foreft, and the lady Alice Egerton actually loft. Whatever might be the origin of the mask, the modefty of the youthful poet appears very confpicuous in the following words of Lawes's dedicati "Although not openly acknowledged by the "author, yet it is a legitimate offspring, fo lovely "and fo much defired, that the often copying of it "hath tired my pen, to give my several friends fa"tisfaction, "tisfaction, and brought me to a neceffity of ❝ducing it to the public view." pro Milton discovered a fimilar diffidence refpecting his Lycidas, which was written while he refided with his father, in November, 1637. This exquifite poem, which, as Mr. Warton juftly obferves, " must "have been either folicited as a favour by thofe " whom the poet had left in his college, or was a "voluntary contribution of friendship fent to them "from the country," appeared first in the academical collection of verfes on the death of Mr. Edward King, and was fubfcribed only with the initials of its author. An animated and benevolent veteran of criticism, Doctor Warton, has considered a relish for the Lycidas as a test of true taste in poetry; and it certainly is a teft, which no lover of Milton will be inclined to dispute; though it must exclude from the lift of accomplished critics that intemperate cenfor of the great poet, who has endeavoured to deftroy the reputation of his celebrated monody with the moft infulting expreffions of farcaftic contempt; expreffions that no reader of a spirit truly poetical can peruse without mingled emotions of indignation and of pity! But the charms of Lycidas are of a texture too firm to be annihilated by the breath of derifion; and though Dr. Johnfon has declared the poem to be utterly deftitute both of nature and of art, it will affuredly continue to be admired as long as tendernefs, imagination, and harmony, are regarded as genuine fources of poetical delight. The The effect of this favourite compofition is exactly fuch as the poet intended to produce; it firft engages the heart with the fimplicity of juft and natural forrow, and then proceeds to elevate the mind with magnificent images, ennobled by affectionate and devotional enthusiasm. The beauties of this pathetic and fublime monody are fufficiently obvious; but the reader, who compares it with a poem on the fame fubject by Cléveland, once the popular rival of Milton, may derive pleasure from perceiving how infinitely our favourite poet has excelled, on this occafion, an eminent antagonist. Though we find no circumftances, that may afcertain the date of the Allegro and Penforofo, it feems probable, that those two enchanting pictures of rural life, and of the diverfified delights arifing from a contemplative mind, were compofed at Horton. It was, perhaps, in the fame fituation, fo favourable to poetical exertions, that Milton wrote the incomparable Latin poem addreffed to his father. There are, indeed, fome expreflions in this performance, which may favour an opinion that it ought to bear an earlier date; but it has fuch ftrength and manliness of fentiment, as incline me to fuppofe it written at this period; an idea that feems almost confirmed by the lines, that speak of his application to French and Italian, after the completion of his claffical ftudies. Whatever date may be affigned to it, the compofition deferves our particular regard, fince, of all his poems, it does the highest honour to his heart. With what energy and tenderness is his filial gratitude expreffed in the following graceful exordium: Nunc mea Pierios cupiam per pectora fontes Surgat in officium venerandi mufa parentis. O that Pieria's fpring would thro' my breaft No rill, but rather an o'er-flowing flood! All meaner themes renounc'd, my mufe, on wings She frames this flender work; nor know I aught How elegant is the praise he bestows on the mufical talents of his father, and how pleafing the exulting and affectionate spirit with which he speaks of their focial and kindred ftudies! Nec tu perge, precor, facras contemnere Mufas, Munere, |