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In Quintum Novembris *.

Anno ætatis 17.

JAM pius extremâ veniens Iäcobus ab arcto
Teucrigenas populos, latéque patentia regna

* I have formerly remarked, that this little poem, as containing a council, conspiracy, and expedition of Satan, may be considered as an early and promising prolusion of Milton's genius to the Paradise Lost. T. WARTON.

I have already observed that P. Fletcher exhibits, in his Locustæ, &c. a council and conspiracy of devils. See the Notes on Par. Lost, B. i. 795, B. ii. 285, and Par. Reg. B. i. 42. But this poem was written in 1626, and Fletcher's was not published till 1627. Fletcher's subject, however, is similar.

There are certainly some coincidences of thought and expression in the two poems. Marino and Crashaw also afford, in their language and imagery, some resemblances. But here Milton's poem is earlier than Marino's Strage de gli Innocenti also, which did not appear till 1633: And Crashaw's translation not till many years afterwards. Milton seems to have been, in a slight degree, indebted perhaps to both, in his Paradise Lost. And with respect to Fletcher's Locustæ, it has been said that Milton himself acknowledged the obligations which he derived from that poem to his Paradise Lost. But see the Inquiry into the Origin of Paradise Lost, in this edition.

I will now present the reader with some interesting extracts from a very scarce Latin poem, entitled PAREUS, and printed at Oxford by Joseph Barnes in 1585; which describing, in more than four hundred hexameters, the treasons practised by W. Parry against queen Elizabeth, sometimes introduces sentiments and imagery not dissimilar to what Milton has here exhibited. The poem thus opens:

Qui Phrygio quondam certantes vertice divas,
Et malum, Troiæ cinerem, raptámque Lacænam,
Auspicio lusi vatis modulatus Achivi;

Nunc aliud canere adgredior, remóque paludem

Albionum, tenuit; jámque inviolabile fœdus
Sceptra Caledoniis conjunxerat Anglica Scotis:
Pacificúsque novo, felix divésque, sedebat

Cocyti tranare meo: juvat alta videre

Tartara, et hinc sævam Parei deducere fraudem
Reginam immeritam contra, gentémque Britannam.
Tu mihi per dumos, atque aëra lucis egenum,
Musa præi, et pavido cunctantem dirige gressu.
Viderat inferna lætus regnator ab unda
Afflictas pietatis opes, atque omnia fœdis
Artibus, et sacro latè loca fervere bello.

Solam autem immunem scelerum, cladísque jacere
Insulam in Oceano magno: hîc nam virginis altæ
Imperium, et lætos pacem florere per agros.
Tum verò invidia mentem suffusus amara,

Sic secum: "Meáne hanc unam modò temnere gentem
"Numina? nec diras quicquam curare sorores?
"Heu sortem invisam ! quid tot mihi dextra Latini
"Fulmina? quid cæcæ moles? quid classis Iberûm?
"Tótque ducum validæ per bella horrentia vires?
"Si tamen hinc animos et opes interrita ducit.
"Méne igitur fessum, victúmque residere tanto
"Fas erit incœpto? nostrásque impune per oras
"Mortales ierint dextræ? Plutoniáque eheu !
"Regna tot ereptis patiar lugere trophæis
“Unius ob merita, et jussum Teutheris Elisa ?
Consiliis, ferróque nefas hanc vincier? esto:
"At fraude unius potero superare Britanni,
"Ni me fata vetant, ni mens improvida fallit."

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Sic ait, atque imis excitam Acheruntis ab oris
Evocat ad se Fraudem venit Illa vocantis
Ad nutum, et celeres per noctem concutit alas.
Cui crines Lyciæ fallentia colla columbæ
Assimilant, ostróque genæ, minióque rubescunt.
Ore sedet roseo, tremulóque in lumine risus.
Flores læva gerit, rigidum tenet altera ferrum
Veste tegens, guttis maculosâ, et pellibus atris.—
Hanc ergò alloquitur Pluton, ac talibus infit.

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In solio, occultíque doli securus et hostis:
Cùm ferus ignifluo regnans Acheronte tyrannus,
Eumenidum pater, æthereo vagus exul Olympo,
Fortè per immensum terrarum erraverat orbem,
Dinumerans sceleris socios, vernásque fideles,
Participes regni post funera mosta futuros:
Hîc tempestates medio ciet aëre diras,
Illic unanimes odium struit inter amicos,
Armat et invictas in mutua viscera gentes;
Regnáque oliviferâ vertit florentia pace:
Et quoscunque videt puræ virtutis amantes,
Hos cupit adjicere imperio, fraudúmque magister

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"Vade age; et hunc proprium patri fer, nata, laborem. Romuleas, i, scande arces, atque atria nota

"Pontificis, sævúmque inspira in pectora virus;

"Communi ut cædem maturet callidus hosti,

"Reginæ Britonum cædem, populóque ruinam.
"Tu potes" &c. TODD.

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Ver. 10. Dinumerans sceleris socios, &c.] As in Par. Lost, B. i. 606.

"The fellows of his crime," &c. TODD.

Ver. 13. Illic unanimes &c.] Virg. Æn. 385.

"Tu potes unanimes armare in prælia fratres," &c. RICHARDSON.

Ver. 15. Regnáque oliviferâ &c.] Olivifer is an Ovidian epithet, Fast. iii. 151. “Primus oliviferis Romam deductus ab arvis." A great fault of the versification of this poem is, that it is too monotonous, and that there is no intermixture of a variety of pauses. But it should be remembered, that young writers are misled by specious beauties. T. WARTon.

Ver. 17. · fraudumque magister] He calls the devil, artificer of fraud, Par. Lost, B. iv. 121. In the beginning of Gregory Nazianzen's Christus Patiens, the old dragon is termed

Tentat inaccessum sceleri corrumpere pectus;
Insidiásque locat tacitas, cassésque latentes
Tendit, ut incautos rapiat; ceu Caspia tigris
Insequitur trepidam deserta per avia prædam
Nocte sub illuni, et somno nictantibus astris :
Talibus infestat populos Summanus et urbes,
Cinctus cæruleæ fumanti turbine flammæ.
Jámque fluentisonis albentia rupibus arva
Apparent, et terra deo dilecta marino,
Cui nomen dederat quondam Neptunia proles;
Amphitryoniaden qui non dubitavit atrocem,
Equore tranato, furiali poscere bello,

Ante expugnatæ crudelia sæcula Trojæ.

At simul hanc, opibúsque et festâ pace beatam,

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aykʊλoμýτηs, and in the Latin translation fraudis artifex, S. Greg. Naz. Opp. tom. ii. p. 254, edit. fol. Lut. Paris. 1611. TODD.

Ver. 23. Summanus] Summanus is an obsolete and uncommon name for Pluto, or the god of ghosts and night, summus manium, which Milton most probably had from Ovid, Fast. vi. 731. The name occurs in Plautus, Cicero, Pliny, and other ancient criticks. T. WARTON.

Ver. 24. Cinctus cæruleæ fumanti turbine flammæ.] Satan is robed with a mantle of flames, in Marino's Strage de gli Innocenti, 1633, Lib. i. st. vi. TODD.

Ver. 27. Cui nomen dederat quondam Neptunia proles;] "Albion a giant, son of Neptune, who called the [this] island after his own name; and ruled it forty-four years. Till at length passing over into Gaul, in aid of his brother Lestrygon, against whom Hercules was hasting out of Spain into Italy, he was there slain in fight," &c. Milton's Hist. Eng. B. i. Drayton has the same fable, Polyolb. S. xviii. T. WARTON.

Ver. 31. At simul hanc, opibúsque et festâ pace beatam, &c.] The whole context is from Ovid's Envy, Metam. ii. 794.

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Aspicit, et pingues donis Cerealibus agros,
Quódque magis doluit, venerantem numina veri
Sancta Dei populum, tandem suspiria rupit
Tartareos ignes et luridum olentia sulphur;
Qualia Trinacriâ trux ab Jove clausus in Ætnâ
Efflat tabifico monstrosus ab ore Tiphous.
Ignescunt oculi, stridétque adamantinus ordo
Dentis, ut armorum frago, ictáque cuspide cuspis.
Atque pererrato solum hoc lacrymabile mundo 40
"Inveni," dixit; " gens hæc mihi sola rebellis,

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Contemtríxque jugi, nostrâque potentior arte. "Illa tamen, mea si quicquam tentamina possunt, "Non feret hoc impunè diu, non ibit inulta.” Hactenus; et piceis liquido natat aëre pennis: Quà volat, adversi præcursant agmine venti, Densantur nubes, et crebra tonitrua fulgent.

"Tandem Tritonida conspicit arcem,
"Ingeniisque, opibúsque et festá pace, virentem:
"Vixque tenet lacrymas," &c. T. WARTON.

Ver. 34.

tandem suspiria rupit

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Tartareos ignes et luridum olentia sulphur;] Crashaw thus amplifies Marino's description of the devil, Poems, Sospetto d'Herode, &c. edit. 1648, p. 59.

"From his black nostrills, and blew lips, in spight

"Of Hell's own stinke, a worser stench is spread,
"His breath Hell's lightning is." TODD.

Ver. 38. Ignescunt oculi,] Satan has the same blazing eyes, Par. Lost, B. i. 193. TODD.

Ver. 46. Quà volat, &c.] Compare Tasso, Gier. Lib. C. xvi. 70.

"Calca i nubi, e tratta l'aure a volo,

"Cinta di nembi e turbini sonori." TODD.

Ver. 47. Densantur nubes,] When Satan steers his flight the air feels unusual weight, Par. Lost, B. i. 227. TODD.

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