to have afforded fome countenance to the opinion. Sofpetto d'Herode, stanza 5. Description of Satan, Crafhaw's Poems, edit. 1648, p. 59.

"His eyes, the fullen dens of death and night,
"Startle the dull ayre with a difinall red:
"Such his fell glances as the fatall light

"Of staring comets, that looke kingdomes dead.
"He fhooke himselfe, and spread his fpatious wings;
"Which, like two bofom'd failes, embrace the dimme
"Aire, with a difmall fhade; but all in vaine;
"Of sturdy adamant is his strong chaine."

Part of his fpeech: ft. 28.

"And should we Powers of Heaven, Spirits of worth, "Bow our bright heads before a king of clay? "It fhall not be, faid I, and clombe the North, "Where never wing of Angell yet made way.

"What though I mift my blow? yet I ftrooke high; And, to dare fomething, is fome victory.

31.

"Ah wretch! what bootes thee to caft back thy eyes,
"Where dawning hope no beame of comfort fhowes?
"While the reflection of thy forepaft joys,
"Renders thee double to thy present woes;

"Rather make up to thy new miferies,

"And meete the mischiefe that upon thee growes.

"If Hell muft mourne, Heaven fure shall sympathize: "What force cannot effect, fraud fhall devife.

32.

"And yet whofe force feare I? have I fo loft

Myfelfe? my ftrength too with my innocence?

"Come, try who dares, Heaven, Earth; whate'er doft

"boast

"A borrow'd being, make thy bold defence:

"Come thy Creator too; what though it coft
"Me yet a fecond fall? we'd try our ftrengths.
"Heaven faw us struggle once; as brave a fight
"Earth now should fee, and tremble at the fight.

33.

"Thus fpoke the impatient Prince, and made a pause: "His foule hags rais'd their heads, and clapt their hands; "And all the Powers of Hell, in full applause,

"Flourisht their fnakes, and toft their flaming brands.
"We, faid the horrid fifters, wait thy lawes,

"The obfequious handmaids of thy high commands:
"Be it thy part, Hell's mighty Lord, to lay
"On us thy dread commands; ours to obey,

34.

"What thy Alecto, what these hands, can doe,
"Thou mad'ft bold proofe upon the brow of Heaven;
"Nor fhould't thou bate in pride, because that now
"To these thy footy kingdomes thou art driven.
"Let Heaven's Lord chide above, lowder than thou,
"In language of his thunder; thou art even

"With him below: Here thou art Lord alone
"Boundleffe and abfolute: Hell is thine owne."

That Crafhaw and Milton fhould concur in fimilar fentiments and expreffions, when Marino dictates to both, can be a matter of little furprise. But, when we compare the paffages in Milton which may be confidered as harmonizing with thefe in Crafhaw, we fhall not hesitate to declare that, in bold and glowing phrafeology, as well as in beautiful and expreffive numbers, the palm, due to the improvement of the original, belongs to the former. Nor fhall we forget the hints from Efchylusand Dante, which Milton finely interweaves in the

character of his Prince of darkness. Milton, no doubt, had read Crafhaw's translation; as he had read the tranflations alfo of Ariofto and Taffo by Harington and Fairfax; to various paffages in which he has, in like manner, added new graces refulting from his own imagination and judgement. There are alfo a few refemblances in Crafhaw's poetry to paffages in Milton, which I have noticed in their respective places. Crafhaw, I may add, is entitled to the merit of fuggefting the combination and form of feveral happy phrafes to Pope. Of a poet, thus diftinguished, I take this opportunity to fubjoin a few particulars from the unpublished manufcript of his fellow-collegian, Dr. John Bargrave. "When I went firft of my 4 times to Rome, there were there 4 revolters to the Roman Church, that had binn fellowes of Peterhouse in Cambridge with my felfe. The name of one of them was Mr. R. Crafhaw, whoe was of the Seguita (as their tearme is), that is, an attendant, or one of the followers of Cardinall Palotta, for which he had a falary of crownes by the month, (as the custome is,) but no dyet. Mr. Crafhaw infinitely commended his Cardinall, but complayned extreamely of the wickednefs of thofe of his retinue, of which he, having his Cardinall's eare, complayned to him; vpon which the Italians fell fo farr owt with him, that the Cardinall, to fe

After the restoration of Charles II. Dr. Bargrave became Prebendary of Canterbury, to the Library of which Cathedral he gave many books and other curiofities. See a further account of this MS. in the Note on Chriftina, queen of Sweden, vol. vii. p. 272.

cure his life, was faine to putt him from his fervice; and, procuring him fome fmale imploy at the Lady's of Loretto, whither he went in pilgrimage in fummer time, and ouerheating him felfe dyed in few weeks after he came thither; and it was doubtfull whether he were not poyfoned."

Mr. Hayley notices the exiftence alfo of the following pieces relating to Milton's fubject:

i. Adamo Caduto, tragedia facra, di Serafino della Salandra. Cozenzo, 1647. Svo.

ii. La Battaglia Celeste tra Michele e Lucifero, di An tonio Alfani, Palermitano. Palermo, 1563. 4to.

iii. Dell' Adamo di Giovanni Soranzo, Genova, 1604.

12mo.

They had, however, efcaped the refearches of Mr. Hayley. Signor Signorelli, the learned and elegant correfpondent of Mr. Walker on fubjects connected with his Memoir on Italian Tragedy, publifhed in 1799, had not then feen them. Whether Milton had perufed them, muft therefore be a matter of future inquiry. Mr. Walker, to whom the reader is indebted for the curious Note on the dialogue between Satan and Michael, Par. Loft, B. vi. 292 &c, obferves that all the commentators pafs over the obligations of Milton to the Gerufalemme Difrutta of Marino. From the feventh canto, which is all that is printed, and which is fubjoined to two fmall editions of the Strage de gli Innocenti in his poffeffion, Mr. Walker has made a few extracts; and I have cited thofe relating to

d

See the Hift. Mem. Appendix, p. xxxiii. ◄id. XXXVI.

..

the compaffionate countenance of Chrift, and to the glorious defcription of God, in the Notes on Par. Loft, B. iii. 140, 380. See alfo the Note on B. xi. 406.

e

Mr. Hayley further notices the probable attention of Milton to Taffo's Le Sette Giornate del Mondo Creato. See likewife Dr. Warton's Note on Par. Loft, B. v. 689. Taffo, like Milton, follows indeed almost the very words of Scripture, in relating the commands of God on the feveral days of the Creation. The poem is in blank verfe.

to the reader the following pious addrefs:

"Dimmi, qual opra alhora, ò qual ripofo
"Foffe ne la Diuina, e Sacra Mente
"In quel d' eternita felice ftato.
"E 'n qual ignota parte, e'n quale idea
"Era l' effempio tuo, Celeste Fabro,
"Quando facesti à te la Reggia, e 'l Tempio.

Tu, che 'l fai, tu 'l riuela; e chiare, e conte "Signor, per me fà l' opre, i modi, e l' arti. Signor, tu fe' la mano, io fon la cetra, "La qual moffa da te, con dolci tempre "Di foaue armonia, rifuona; e molce "D' adamantino fmalto i duri affetti.

Signor, tu fe' lo fpirto, io roca tromba "Son per me steffo à la tua gloria; e langue, "Se non m' infpiri tu, la voce, e 'l fuono."

I fubmit

In the preceding verfes Milton's addrefs to the Holy Spirit, "Inftruct me, for thou know'ft," is

e Dr. Warton mentions only the edition of Viterbo, in 1607. There had been an earlier edition thus entitled, "I due primi Giorni del Mondo Creato, Poefia facra." Venet. 1600, 4to. And there have been feveral later; Le fette Giornate &c. 12mo. Milan. 1608, Venet. 1609, and Venet. 1637, ult. imprefs. ri

corretta.