Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

Statius, Theb. V. 556.

tum fquamea demum

Torvus ad armorum radios, fremitumque virorum

Colla movet.

STANZ. XIII.

in either jaw

Three ranks of iron teeth enranged were.

Ovid. Met. III. 34. triplici ftant ordine dentes.

STANZ. XLVI.

There grew a goodly tree him fair befide,-
Great God it planted in that bleffed sted
With his almighty hand, and did it call

The Tree of Life, the crime of our first father's fall.

Why does he call the Tree of Life, The crime of our firft father's fall? *

CANTO

* The question fo propofed, while it incites attention, deserves an attempt at least to resolve it; and summissä voce agerem, tantum ut Judex audiat. The line might be broken thus:

The Tree of Life, the crime of our first father's fall.

They are not the words of the Almighty, but a reflection of the Poet; who, by metonymy, calls the Tree in queftion, "The CRIMB," quafi caufa criminationis; i. e. the incentive, or moving caufe of Adam's offence. Stephens, in his Thefaurus, Ling. Lat. fays "Crimen etiam dicitur, Ipfa criminatio, five criminum Accufatio:" and cites Cicero in Philipp.

"Hæreditatem mihi

negâsti obveniffe. Utinam hoc tuum crimen effet."

St. Paul

CANTO XII. 42.

Spenfer thus concludes this Book:

Now strike your fails, &c.

And in the firft Stanza of this Canto:

Behold, I fee the haven nigh at hand.
This metaphor is often ufed by ancient poets.

Statius, Theb. XII. 809.

Et mea jam longo meruit ratis æquore portum.

Silv. IV. IV. 89.

Thebais optato collegit carbafa portu.

St. Paul to the Romans, C. VII. 7, 12, feems fully to meet the queftion. Τι ουν ερωμεν; Ο νόμος αμαρτία; Μη γενοίλο αλλά την αμαρίαν εκ εγνων ει μη διανομες. την τε γαρ επιθυμίαν εκ ήδειν εκ μη Νομος έλεγεν Ουκ επιθυμήσεις. Ωςε ο μεν νόμος αγιος και η εντολή

αγία, και δίκαια, και αγαθη.

See alfo v. 13.

Aa, crimen, is alfo incitement, condition, accufation.

Virg. Æn. II. 97.

Hinc mihi prima mali labes: hinc

Criminibus terrere novis.

Milton, Par. Lost, I.

and the Fruit

Of that forbidden tree, whofe mortal tafte

Brought death into the world, and all our woe, &c.

Virgil.

Virgil. Georg. IV. 116.

Atque equidem, extremo ni jam fub fine laborum
Vela traham, et terris feftinem advertere proram ;-

Where fee Servius.

Juvenal, I. 149.

Totos pande finus.

Utere velis:

Sidonius, Carm. XXIV. 99.

Sed jam fufficit, ecce linque portum,
Ne te pondere plus premam faburra,
His in verfibus ancoram levato.

Epift. XVI.

Fam per alternum pelagus loquendi
Egit audacem mea cymba curfum;
Nec bipertito timuit fluento

Flettere clavum.

Solvit antennas, &c.

Carm. II. 537.

At mea jam nimii propellunt carbafa flatus.

Ovid, Art. Amat. I. 779.

Hic teneat noftras ancora jacta rates.

So Art. Amat. III. 784. Remed. 811.

Nemefian, Cyneget. 58.

talique placet dare lintea cura,

Dum non magna ratis, vicinis fueta moveri
Litoribus, tutofque finus percurrere remis

Nunc

Nunc primum dat vela Notis, portufque fideles Linquit, et Hadriacas audet tentare procellas. Profe writers use the fame metaphor.

.

BOOK II. CANTO I. 8.

Speaking of a Nymph pursued by Faunus:
At laft, when failing breath began to faint,
And faw no means to scape, of fhame afraid,
She fat her down to weep for fore constraint;
And to Diana calling loud for aid,

Her dear befought, to let her die a maid.
The Goddess heard,

Somewhat like the story of Arethufa in Ovid,
Met. V. 618.

Fella labore fuga, Fer opem, deprendimur, inquam,
Armigera, Dictynna, tuæ :

Mota dea eft.

STANZ.

XXII.

As when a bear and tyger being met
In cruel fight on Lybick ocean wide,

The propriety of the phrafe Lybick Ocean will not
be perceived by every reader. By it he means the
Syrtes,

I

Syrtes, of which fee the defcription in Lucan,

IX. 303.

Syrtes, vel primam mundo Natura figuram
Cum daret, in dubio pelagi terræque reliquit, &c.

STAN Z. XXXIX.

At laft, when luft of meat and drink was ceas'd. Homer, II. I. 92.

Αυταρ ἐπεὶ πόσιῳ καὶ ἐδητύς ἐξ ἔρον ἔντο.

Sed poftquam potus et cibi defiderium exemerant.

Virgil, En. VIII. 184.

Poftquam exempta fames, et amor compreffus edendi.

STANZ. XLVI.

Night was far fpent,

When of his piteous tale he end did make; Whilft with delight of what he wifely fpake, Thofe guefts beguiled, did beguile their eyes Of kindly fleep, that did them overtake.

In Homer, Odyff. A. 333. when Ulyffes had related his travels, the Poet adds:

Ως έφατ'· οἱ δ' ἄρα πάντες ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπή.
Κηληθμῷ δ' έσχοντο κατά μέγαρα σκιόεντα.

« VorigeDoorgaan »