2. Trade, which like blood fhould circularly flow, 5 Stopp'd in their channels, found its freedom loft: Thither the wealth of all the world did go, And feem'd but shipwreck'd on fo base a coast. 3. For them alone the heavens had kindly heat; 4. The fun but feem'd the laborer of their year; Each wexing moon fupply'd her wat'ry store, Ver. 5. Trade, which like blood fhould circularly flow,] With equal liberty Cowper: The band of commerce was defign'd JOHN WARTON. Ver. 10. In eaflern quarries, &c.] Precious ftones at firft are dew, condenfed and hardened by the warmth of the fun, or fubterranean fires. ORIGINAL EDITION, 1667. Ver. 11. For them the Idumæan balm did fweat,] Pope had his eye on this paffage, where defcribing the effects of commerce he fays, For me the balm shall bleed, and amber flow, &c. Windfor Foreft, line 393. Ver. 13. their year;] Corrected from the ori ginal edition, 12mo. 1667. Derrick has, the year. TODD. Ver. 14. Each wexing, &c.] According to their opinion, who think that great heap of waters under the Line is depreffed into tides by the moon, towards the Poles. Original edition. wexing] Original edition. Derrick, waxing. Ibid. TODD. To fwell those tides, which from the line did bear 15 Their brim-full veffels to the Belgian fhore. 5. Thus, mighty in her fhips, ftood Carthage long, And swept the riches of the world from far; Yet ftoop'd to Rome, lefs wealthy, but more ftrong: And this may prove our fecond Punick war. 6. 20 What peace can be, where both to one pretend? Where France will fide to weaken us by war, Who only can his vaft defigns withstand. Ver. 15. thofe tides,] Original edition. Derrick, moft probably by an error of the prefs, has tide. TODD. Ver. 19. Stoop'd to Rome,] The prefident Henault, after fo much has been faid of the Romans, has made this fine and new reflection :-" Is it not aftonishing that this celebrated and extenfive empire of Rome fhould have fubfifted from the time of Romulus to that of Theodofius II. that is to fay, more than a thousand years, without ever having had a complete body of laws." Dr. J. WARTON. 8. See how he feeds th' Iberian with delays, 9. Such deep defigns of empire does he lay 30 O'er them, whofe caufe he seems to take in hand; And prudently would make them lords at fea, 35 To whom with eafe he can give laws by land. 10. This faw our king; and long within his breast 11. His generous mind the fair ideas drew Of fame and honour, which in dangers lay; Where wealth, like fruit on precipices, grew, Not to be gathered but by birds of prey. 12. The lofs and gain each fatally were great; And ftill his fubjects call'd aloud for war; But peaceful kings, o'er martial people fet, Each other's poize and counterbalance are. Ver. 29. th' Iberian] The Spaniard. Orig. edit. 40 45 13. He first furvey'd the charge with careful eyes, Which none but mighty monarchs could maintain; 50 Yet judg'd, like vapours that from limbecs rife, It would in richer fhowers defcend again. 14. At length refolv'd t'affert the wat❜ry ball, He in himself did whole Armadoes bring: Ver. 51. Yet judg'd, like vapours that from limbecs rife,] Dryden's allufions to chemistry and chemical operations are frequent. JOHN WARTON. Ver. 53. At length refolv'd] It may be ftill doubted whe ther a naval engagement, though a magnificent object in itself, is yet a proper fubject for heroic poetry. Boileau boafted to his friend and commentator Broffette, that he was the first of modern poets, who had ventured to mention gunpowder in verfe; which he did in his 4th Epiftle, addreffed to Louis XIV. at line 121: De falfpetre en fureur l'air s'echauffe et s'allume. Alfo at line 123: Deja du plomb mortel. And again in his 8th Satire, line 153; in his 4th Epistle, line 54 and 121; and in his Ode on Namur: Et les bombes dans les airs. Moft undoubtedly the first time that ever bombs were introduced into lyric poetry. But the example even of Boileau will not juftify the ufe of thefe images, because they do not lofe that familiarity which produces difguft. As to technical terms, and fea language, the epic mufe thould certainly difdain to utter them. Our author has been lavifh of them indeed, and fullied his piece by talking frequently like a boatfwain. How can we defend fuch expreffions as the following: "Old Okum-calking iron-boiling pitch-rattling mallet-chafe-guns-his lee-feafoned timber-feams inftops-fharp-kcel'd-throuds-tarpawling." Dr. J. WARTON. Him aged feamen might their mafter call, 55 And choose for general, were he not their king. 15. It feems as every fhip their fovereign knows, 16. To fee this fleet upon the ocean move, Angels drew wide the curtains of the fkies; And heaven, as if there wanted lights above, For tapers made two glaring comets rife. Ver. 59. So hear the fealy herd] The first edition erroneously has here. Coeruleus Proteus immania ponti Todd. Armenta, et magnas pafcit fub gurgite phocas. Virg. Original edition. Ver. 60. And fo to pafture follow, &c.] For Proteus was the fhepherd of Neptune, and hence Milton gives him a hook, Comus, v. 872. "By the Carpathian wizard's hook." Compare Virgil, Georg. iv. 395. “immania cujus "Armenta, et turpes pafcit fub gurgite phocas." TODD. Ver. 62. Angels drew wide the curtains of the skies;] This line feems indebted to Sir P. Sidney's Aftrophel and Stella: "Phœbus drew wide the curtaines of the skies." Ver. 64. TODD. two glaring comets] A very improper and abfurd image; as alfo at verfe 62. Dr. J. WARTON. Ibid. two glaring comets rise.] A comet was feen firft on the 14th of December, 1664, which lafted almost |