And hush the waving woods, nor of lefs faith,

And in this office of his mountain watch,

Likelieft, and nearest to the present aid

Of this occafion. But I hear the tread

Of hateful steps, I must be viewless now.

90

Comus enters with a charming rod in one hand, his glass in the other; with him a rout of monfters, headed like fundry forts of wild beasts,

86. Who with his foft pipe, and smooth-dittied fong,

Well knows to fill the wild winds when they roar, And bush the waving woods. -] Lawes himself, no bad poet, in "A Pastorall Elegie to the memorie of his brother William," plies the fame compliment to his brother's musical skill.

ap

This is printed among "CHOICE PSALMES put into Mufick, &c. By "Henry and William Lawes, &c. Lond. 1648." 4to. Signat. Q It is to this book, that Milton's Sonnet to Mr. Henry Lawes is prefixed.

91.

But I hear the tread

Of hateful feps. I must be viewless now.] So in PARAD. L. B. iv. 865. "I hear the tread of nimble feet." The epithet VIEWLESS is almoft peculiar to Milton. In the ODE ON THE PASSION, ft. viii.

Or fhould I thence hurried on VIEWLESS wing. IN PARADISE LOST, B. iii. 518. Of the gate of heaven. Drawn up to heaven fometimes

VIEWLESS, and underneath a bright fea flow'd.

Mr. Bowle obferves, that the Spirit's conduct here much resembles that of Oberon in the MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, A. ii. S. ii. But who comes here? I am invisible, And I will overhear their conference.

but

but otherwise like men and women, their apparel gliftering; they come in making a riotous and unruly noise, with torches in their hands.

COMUS.

The ftar that bids the fhepherd fold,

Now the top of heav'n doth hold,

And the gilded car of day

His glowing axle doth allay

In the steep Atlantic stream,

And the flope fun his upward beam

Shoots against the dusky pole,

Pacing toward the other goal

Of his chamber in the east.

Mean while welcome Joy, and Feast,
Midnight Shout, and Revelry,

Tipfy Dance, and Jollity.

95

100

Braid your locks with rofy twine,

105

Dropping odors, dropping wine.

Rigour now is gone to bed,

And Advice with fcrupulous head,

93. The ftar that bids the shepherd fold.] Shakespeare calls the morning-ftar, the UNFOLDING ftar. MEAS. FOR MEAS. A. iv. S, iii. Look, the UNFOLDING ftar calls up the shepherd.

107. Rigour now is gone to bed,

And Advice with fcrupulous head, &c.] Much in the strain of Sydney, ENGLAND'S HELICON, P. I. edit. 1600.

Strict Age, and four Severity

grave faws in flumber lie.

With their

110

Imitate the starry quire,

Who in their nightly watchful spheres,
Lead in swift round the months and

years.

The founds and feas, with all their finny drove,
Now to the moon in wavering morrice move;

And on the tawny fands and fhelves

Trip the

pert faeries and the dapper elves.

By dimpled brook, and fountain brim,

Night hath clos'd all in her cloake,
Twinkling fars loue-thoughts prouoke;
Daunger hence good care doth keepe,
Iealoufie itfelfe doth fleepe.

Compare allo Spenfer's ASTROPHEL.

Your mery glee is now LAID all ABED.

Again, in DECEMBER.

Delight is LAID ABED.

And in the TEARES OF THE MUSES.

109.

All that goodly glee

Is layd ASLEEPE.——

Sour Severity.] There is an earlier use of this word in the fame fignification. Daniel COMPL. ROSAM. ft. xxxix. Signat. L. iiij. edit. 1601. fol.

Titles that cold SEUERITIE hath found.

116. — In wavering morrice move.] In the MORGANTE MAGGIORE of Pulci, we have "Balli alla MORESCA," which he gives to the age of Charlemagne. Cant. iv. 92.

119. By dimpled brook, and fountain brim.] This was the paftoral language of Milton's age. So Drayton, BAR. W. vi. 36.

Sporting with Hebe by a FOUNTAINE-BRIM.

And

The Wood-Nymphs deck'd with daisies trim,

Their merry wakes and pastimes keep:

What hath night to do with fleep?

121

Night hath better sweets to prove,

Venus now wakes, and wakens Love.
Come let us our rites begin,

'Tis only day-light that makes fin,

And in Warner's ALBION'S ENGLAND, B. ix. 46.

125

As this fame fond felfe-pleafing youth ftood at a FOUNTAYNE-BRIM. We meet with OCEAN-BRIM in PARAD. L. B. v. 140.

With wheels yet hovering o'er the OCEAN-BRIM.

In the FAERIE QUEENE, BRIM is fimply used for Shore, v. ix. 35. Towards the western BRIM began to draw.

And fimply for Bank, in Drayton's QUEST OF CYNTHIA, vol. ii. p. 622. ut fupr.

At length I on a fountaine lit

Whofe BRIM with pinks was platted.

Again, of the fame fountain, ibid.

Within whofe chearfull BRIMS.

The fame author has " BROAD-BRIMM'D Orellana," POLYOLB. S.XIX. vol. iii. p. 1037. Shakespeare, TEMP. A. iv. S. i." Pionied and "twilled BRIMS." Fletcher, "Where the gravel from the BRIM." FAITH. SHEPH. A. iii. S. i. vol. iii. p. 154. The fame writer has a fingular use of the word in this fenfe. Ibid. A. iv. S. i. p. 165. - Underneath the BRIM

Of failing pines that edge yon mountain in.

With an obvious meaning. Our author has a ftill more peculiar use of the word, yet in the same sense, in his PRELATICAL EPISCOPACY, "This cited place lies upon the very BRIM of another corrup"tion." PROSE-WORKS, vol. i. 33. Many other inftances might be brought from Drayton, Browne, Spenfer, &c. One of my reafons for faying fo much of this word, will appear in the Note on v.924.

May thy BRIMMED waves for this.

126. 'Tis only day-light that makes fin.] Mr. Bowle fuppofes, that Milton had his eye on these galant lyrics of a Song in Jonson's Fox. A. iii. S. vii.

Which these dun fhades will ne'er report.
Hail Goddess of nocturnal sport,

Dark veil'd Cotytto, t'whom the fecret flame.
Of mid-night torches burns; mysterious dame,
That ne'er art call'd, but when the dragon woom
Of Stygian darkness spetts her thickest gloom,
And makes one blot of all the air,

Stay thy cloudy ebon chair,

Wherein thou rid'ft with Hecat, and befriend

Us thy vow'd priests, till utmost end

Of all thy dues be done, and none left out,
Ere the blabbing eastern scout,

134

The nice morn on th'Indian steep
From her cabin'd loop-hole peep,

140

'Tis no finne love's fruit to fleale,
But the sweet thefts to reveale:

To be taken, to be seene,

These have crimes accounted beene.

31. The dragon woom

Of Stygian darkness fpetts her thickeft gloom.] So Drayton, of an exhalation or cloud. BAR. W. ii. 35. Without a familiar or low fenfe.

SPETTETH his lightning forth outrageouslie.

140. From ber cabin'd loop-hole peep.] Rather CABIN'S. Comus is defcribing the morning contemptuously, as it was unwelcome and unfriendly to his fecret revels. We have LOOP-HOLES of the Indian fig-tree, PARAD. L. B. ix. 1110.

Tends his pafturing herds

At LOOP-HOLES cut through thickest shade.

By the way, it is not observed by 'the commentators on PARADISE LOST, that this fig-tree, a good article for a romantic history, is defcribed by Quintus Curtius, HIST. ALEXANDR, L. ix. c. 1. p. 679.