Their feeble heads: the loofen'd roots then drink Large increment, earnest of happy years. Nor will it nothing profit to obferve The monthly stars; their powerful influence 195 200 oris..... Quinimo tempeftiva frigora plurimum arborum firmitati conferunt, et fic optime germinant. 194. Nor will it nothing profit to obferve.] NEC NULLA interea eft inaratæ gratia terræ. L. xvii. C. 2. Virg. GEORGIC. i. 83. Mr. Addison, in his Critique on the Language of the Paradife Loft, obferves that one way of raifing the language of an Epic poem, and giving it a poetical turn, is to make ufe of the idioms of other tongues. Thus the Roman Poets are full of the Greek forms of speech. Thus Milton, and Philips in feveral places, in imitation of Milton, abound with Latinifms. NOR DID THEY NOT perceive the evil plight NOR doth the moon No nourishment exhale. B. V. V. 421. This mode of expreffion feems, however, quite contrary to the genius of our language, and can be highly pleafing only to the perfectly claffic ear, habitually ufed to Latinifms. They who are much verfed in the claffics, indeed, not only admire, but will often attempt to juftify what, to an English reader, muft appear quaint and difgufting. And yet this is not done from an affectation of learning, but from the fame prejudices, through which a national caft of features appears charming to thofe, who have been used to see the amiable difpofitions expreffed by them. 201. Now fhall the Corinths, now the Rafps fupply Delicious draughts] It is poffible that Philips had here in his mind the latter part of the following beautiful paffage, in the fifth book of the PARADISE LOST. V. 393, -Eve BOOK II. CII CIDER. 119 Delicious draughts; the Quinces now, or Plums, Are prefs'd to wines: the Britons squeeze the works Medicinal, and fhort-breath'd ancient fires. Eve within, due at her hour prepar'd For dinner favory fruits, of tafte to please Of NECTAROUS DRAUGHTS between, from milky stream, Corinths, or currants, as they are more generally called and written, are faid to have been natives of Corinth; from whence they have their name. 203. Thifbeian fruit] The Mulberry is thus named by our Poet, from the well-known ftory in Ovid's Metamorphofes, of the deaths of Pyramus and Thibe under that tree; where the Poet fables that the fruit, which before was white, was changed to a dark colour, according to the prayer of Thisbe, who, when about to flay herself, thus addreffes the tree. Signa tene cædis; pullofque et luctibus aptos MET. L. iv. V. 160. And thou, fair tree, beneath whose friendly fhade And foon fhall cover two; for ever wear Death's fable hue, and purple berries bear. HUCHES. Vaniere, in his Prædium Rufticum, L. vii. has, in the fame manner, characterised the mulberry, where he gives directions not to gather the leaves, when they are wet, for filk-worms. THIS BEAM ne carpe comam, fi forte madebit. 205. Sedulous bees.-] Rure levis verno flores APIS ingerit alveo, Compleat ut dulci SEDULA melle favos. Ovid hasalfo fedula apes. TIBULL. L. ii. El. 1. Mead and Metheglin, were liquors much in ufe, when Philips wrote, and were esteemed medicinal in all disorders of the lungs, 206. to wheezing lungs Medicinal, and short-breath'd antient fires】 From d, difplay ten thousand painted flowers.] the following beautiful paffage in the PARADISE - fidelong as they fat recline oft downy bank, DAMASK'D WITH FLOWERS, "erne! whofe most wholesome air venom'd spiders, and forbids eful toad and viper from her shore-] ally fuppofed to have no fnakes, fpiders, or venomous and it is faid, that although attempts have been made to approached the coaft. an Junius mentions this circumftance, in the following verses, in Ireland herself is the speaker. Ille ego fum Graiis olim glacialis Ierne Dicta * * * * * * * * * Cui Deus, et melior rerum nafcentium origo, tranflation fubjoined is given by Bishop Gibson in his edition of a's Britannia, where the above verfes are cited. I'm cold Ierne; me the Grecians knew. On me kind mother nature hath bestow'd The wonderous gift which grateful heaven allow'd 26. her balmy draughts, enrich'd uebaugh is made with brandy, liquorice, and various spices. } Of Of early Phosphorus falute, at noon Where ever-during fnows, perpetual shades 234. Of early Phosphorus-] 235 240 The planet Venus, when the rofe before the fun, and was a morningftar, was called by the Greeks Phosphorus. morning-ftar by its Greek name, L. viii. Ep. 21. Martial addreffes the PHOSPHORE redde diem.-Quid gaudia noftra moraris ? Hafte, Phofphor, hafte, and usher in the day 239. Far from the floping journey of the year-] Virgil, in his first GEORGIC, V. 238, having fpoken of the two temperate Zones, which lie between the Tropics and the Polar Circles, thus defcribes the Zodiac, or belt of the Ecliptic, which is fuppofed to contain the twelve Signs. via fecta per ambas, OBLIQUUS qua fe fignorum verteret ordo. Which the twelve Signs in beauteous order fway. 240. Petzora, and Iflandic coafts,] DRYDEN. Petzora, a vaft province of Eastern Ruffia, lies immediately, under the Arctic Circle. Iceland, an island in the Atlantic ocean. is under the fame latitude. 241. Milton has We ever-during Snows] P. L. iii. 45. EVER-DURING dark. 242. wou'd congeal their livid blood-] may form fome idea of the extreme cold of the Arctic Region from Lord Mulgrave's remarks, in his Voyage towards the North Pole, on the temperature |