And hourly born, with forrow infinite To me; for when they lift, into the womb Afresh with conscious terrors vex me round, Before mine eyes in oppofition fits Grim Death my fon and foe, who fets them on, And me his parent would full foon devour For want of other prey, but that he knows 800 805 810 815 She finish'd, and the fubtle Fiend his lore Soon learn'd, now milder, and thus answer'd smooth. 809. fo fate pronounc'd.] The Heathen poets make Jupiter fuperior to fate: the will of Jupiter was perform'd, fays Homer, Iliad. I. 5. A Dear SETEλHETO Bean. Sic fata Deûm rex fortitur, volvitque vices, fays Virgil, Æn. III. 375. Et fic fata Jovis pofcunt, Æn. IV. Dear Daughter, fince thou clam'ft me for thy fire, And my fair fon here show'ft me, the dear pledge Of dalliance had with thee in Heav'n, and joys Then fweet, now fad to mention, through dire change Befall'n us unforeseen, unthought of; know I come no enemy, but to fet free 821 825 From out this dark and difmal house of pain In the pourlieus of Heav'n, and therein plac'd Perhaps our vacant room, though more remov'd, 835 Might hap to move new broils: Be this or ought 841 'He ceas'd, for both feem'd highly pleas'd, and Death Grinn'd horrible a ghaftly smile, to hear 846 His famin fhould be fill'd, and bleft his maw Deftin'd to that good hour: no less rejoic'd had faid before, ver. 745. that he had never feen fight more deteftable; but now it is dear daughter, and my fair fon. 842. Wing filently the buxom air,] Buxom, as when we fay a buxom lafs, is vulgarly understood for merry, wanton; but it properly fignifies flexible, yielding, from a Saxon word fignifying to bend. It is likewife made the epithet of the air by Spenfer, Fairy Queen, B. 1. C. 11. St. 37. And therewith fcourge the buxom air fo fore. 850 And And by command of Heav'n's all-pow'rful king I keep, by him forbidden to unlock 855 But what owe I to his commands above Who hates me, and hath hither thrust me down To fit in hateful office here confin'd, With terrors and with clamors compass'd round 860 My 855. Fearless to be o'ermatch'd by living might.] In fome editions it is living wight, that is creature, and we have living wight beDr. Bentley's reading, for living fore ver. 613 and this is likewife might, fays he, would not except even God himself, the ever-living and the almighty. But God himfelf muft neceffarily be excepted here; for it was by his command that Sin and Death fat to guard the gates, and therefore living might cannot poffibly be understood of God, but of any one else who fhould endevor to force a paffage, Ꭲ ; 868. The My being gav'ft me; whom should I obey 865 870 But thee, whom follow? thou wilt bring me foon Of ly as highly gratified by the minute detail of particulars our author has given us. It may with juftice be farther observed, that in no part of the poem, the verfification is better accommodated to the fenfe. The drawing up of the portcullis, the turning of the key, the fudden fhooting of the bolts, and the flying open of the doors are in fome fort defcribed by the very break and found of the verses. Thyer. 873. And towards the gate rolling her beftial train,] A modern riming poet would perhaps have faid,. And rolling tow'rds the gate her beftial train, and |