No long petition, speedy death, The close of all my miseries, and the balm. Many are the sayings of the wise In ancient and in modern books inroll'd, 650 655 With studied argument, and much persuasion sought Lenient of grief and anxious thought: But with th' afflicted in his pangs their sound Little prevails, or rather seems a tune Harsh, and of dissonant mood from his complaint; Unless he feel within Some source of consolation from above, Secret refreshings, that repair his strength, 656. All chances incident to man's frail life, &c.] There is a full stop at the end of this line in all the editions, but there should be only a comma, as the sense evinces, the construction being And consolatories writ with &c. to the bearing well &c. Milton himself corrected it in the first edition; but when an error is once made, it is sure to be perpetuated through all the editions. 658. and much persuasion sought] I suppose an error of the press for fraught. Warbur ton. I conceive the construction to be, consolatories are writ with studied argument, and much persuasion is sought &c. 659. Lenient of grief] Ex 660 665 pressed from what we quoted before from Horace, epist. i. i. 34. Sunt verba et voces quibus hune lenire dolorem Possis. 660. But with th' afflicted &c.] Here was another error perpetuated through all the editions, But to th' afflicted &c. Milton himself corrected it, and certainly their sound prevails with th' afflicted is better than prevails to th' afflicted. 661. -or rather seems a tune Harsh, and of dissonant mood &c.] Alluding to Ecclus. xxii. 6. A tale out of season is as music in mourning. Thyer. And fainting spirits uphold. God of our fathers, what is man! That thou tow'ards him with hand so various, Or might I say contrarious, Temper❜st thy providence through his short course, 670 Not ev'nly, as thou rul❜st Th' angelic orders and inferior creatures mute, Irrational and brute. Nor do I name of men the common rout, Grow up and perish, as the summer fly, And people's safety, which in part they' effect: 667. God of our fathers, what is man! &c.] This and the following paragraph to ver. 705. seems to be an imitation of the Chorus in Seneca's Hippolytus, where the immature and undeserved fate of that young hero is lamented. Act iv. 971. -sed cur idem, Qui tanta regis, sub quo vasti Thyer. 677. Heads without name no more remember'd,] Milton here probably had in view the Greek 675 680 term for this lower class of mortals. They style them avagilnos or avagilento, men not numbered, or not worth the numbering. Thyer. 683. Amidst their height of noon] Milton is accustomed to this expression. See below, v. 1612. The feast and noon grew high. This day at height of noon came to Compare P. L. v. 174. and Il Pens. 68. So in Harrison's Description of Britaine, prefixed to Hollingshead, "The husbandmen dine at high noone, as they call it." T. Warton. Changest thy count'nance, and thy hand with no regard Of highest favours past From thee on them, or them to thee of service. Nor only dost degrade them, or remit To life obscur'd, which were a fair dismission, 685 But throw'st them lower than thou didst exalt them high, Unseemly falls in human eye, Too grievous for the trespass or omission; Oft leav'st them to the hostile sword Of heathen and profane, their carcases To dogs and fowls a prey, or else captiv'd; 690 Or to th' unjust tribunals, under change of times, 695 695. Or to th' unjust tribunals, under change of times, &c.] Here no doubt Milton reflected upon the trials and sufferings of his party after the Restoration: and probably he might have in mind particularly the case of Sir Harry Vane, whom he has so highly celebrated in one of his sonnets. If these they scape, perhaps in poverty &c; this was his own case; he escaped with life, but lived in poverty; and though he was always very sober and temperate, yet he was much afflicted with the gout and other painful diseases in crude old age, cruda senectus, when he was not yet a very old man: Though not disordinate, yet causeless suff'ring The punishment of dissolute days. Some time after I had written VOL. III. this, I had the pleasure to find that I had fallen into the same vein of thinking with Mr. Warburton: but he has opened and pursued it much farther with a penetration and liveliness of fancy peculiar to himself. God of our fathers- to ver. 704. is a bold expostulation with Providence for the ill success of the good old cause. But such as thou hast solemnly elected, With gifts and graces eminently adorn'd To some great work, thy glory. In these three lines are described the characters of the Heads of the Independent Enthusiasts, -which in part they effect: That is, by the overthrow of the monarchy, without being able to raise their projected republic. Yet toward these thus dignified, thou oft Amidst their height of noon After Richard had laid down, all T And condemnation of th' ingrateful multitude. If these they scape, perhaps in poverty With sickness and disease thou bow'st them down, Painful diseases and deform'd, In crude old age; Though not disordinate, yet causeless suff'ring 700 So deal not with this once thy glorious champion, 705 The image of thy strength, and mighty minister. What do I beg? how hast thou dealt already? Behold him in this state calamitous, and turn His labours, for thou canst, to peaceful end. But who is this, what thing of sea or land? Female of sex it seems, 710 With all her bravery on, and tackle trim, Sails fill'd, and streamers waving, Courted by all the winds that hold them play, Negotii sibi qui volet vim parare, Navem et mulierem, hæc duo com parato. Nam nullæ magis res duæ plus negotii Habent, forte si occeperis ornare, &c. Of Tarsus, there is frequent mention in Scripture of the ships of Tarshish, which Milton as well as some commentators might conceive to be the same as Tarsus in Cilicia: bound for th' isles of Javan, that is Greece, for Javan or Ion the fourth son of Japheth is said to have peopled Greece and Ionia: or Gadire, Tadugu, Gades, Cadiz. Mr. Warburton in his notes upon Shakespeare, 66 720 Merry Wives of Windsor, act iii. 720. An amber scent of odorous perfume] Ambergris was now in high repute for its fragrance. |