9. Surely, to such as do him fear

13. For great thy mercy is toward me, Salvation is at hand;

And thou hast freed my soul, And glory shall ere long appear

Even from the lowest Hell set free, To dwell within our land.

From ileepest darkness foul. 10. Mercy and Truth, that long were miss'd, 14. O God, tbe proud against me rise, Now joyfully are met ;

And violent men are met Sweet Peace and Righteousness have kiss'd, To seek my life, and in their eyes And hand in hand are set.

No fear of thee have set. 11. Truth from the Earth, like to a fluwer, 15. But thou, Lord, art the God most mild, Shall bud and blossom then ;

Readiest thy grace to shew, And Justice from her heavenly bower,

Slow to be angry, and art stylid Look down on mortal men.

Most merciful, most true. 12. The Lord will also then bestow

16. O, turn to me thy face at length, Whatever thing is good i

And me have mercy on; Our land shall forth in plenty throw

Unto thy servant give thy strength, Her fruits to be our food.

And save thy handmaid's son. 13. Before him Righteousness shall go,

17. Some sign of good to me afford, His royal harbinger :

And let my foes then see, Then will he come, and not be slow,

And be asham'd; because thou, Lord, His footsteps cannot err.

Dost help and comfort me.

PSALM LXXXVI.

PSALM LXXXVII.

1. Tay gracious ear, O Lord, incline,

O hear me, I thee pray;
For I am poor, and almost pine

With need, and sad decay.
2. Preserve my soul ; for I have trod

Thy ways, and love the just; Save thou thy servant, O my God,

Who still in thee doth trust. 3. Pity me, Lord, for daily thee

I call; 4. O make rejoice
Thy servant's soul ; for, Lord, to thee

I lift my soul and voice.
5. For thou art good, thou, Lord, art prone

To pardon, thou to all
Art full of mercy, thou alone,

To them that on thee call.
6. Unto my supplication, Lord,

Give ear, and to the cry
Of my incessant prayers afford

Thy hearing graciously.
7. I, in the day of my distress,

Will call on thee for aid ;
For thou wilt grant me free access,

And answer what I pray'd.
8. Like thee among the gods is none,

O Lord; nor any works
Of all that other gods have done

Like to thy glorious works.
9. The nations all whom thou hast made

Shall come, and all shall frame To bow them low before thee, Lord,

And glorify thy name. 10. For great thou art, and wonders great

By thy strong hand are done; Thou in thy everlasting seat,

Remainest God alone.
11. Teach me, O Lord, thy way most right,

I in thy truth will bide;.
To fear thy name my heart unite,

So shall it never slide.
12. Thee will I praise, O Lord my God,

Thee honour and adore
With my whole heart, and blaze abroad

Thy name for evermore.

1. AMONG the holy mountains high

Is his foundation fast;
There seated in his sanctuary,

His temple there is plac'd.
2. Sion's fair gates the Lord loves more

Than all the dwellings fair
Of Jacob's land, though there be store,

And all within his care.
3. City of God, most glorious things

Of thee abroad are spoke ;
4. I mention Egypt, where proud kings

Did our forefathers yoke.
I mention Babel to my friends,

Philistia full of scorn;
And Tyre with Ethiops' utmost ends,

Lo this man there was born :
5. But twice that praise shall in our ear

Be said of Sion last ;
This and this man was born in her;

High God shall fix her fast.
6. The Lord shall write it in a scroll

That ne'er shall be out-worn,
When he the nations doth enroll,

That this man there was born.
7. Both they who sing, and they who dance,

With sacred songs are there;
In thee fresh books, and soft streams glance,

And all my fountains clear.

PSALM LXXXVIII.

1. LORD God, that dost me save and keep,

All day to thee I cry;
And all night long before thee weep,

Before thee prostrate lie.
2. Into thy presence let my prayer

With sighs devout ascend;
And to my cries, that ceaseless are,

Thine ear with favour bend.
3. For, cloy'd with woes and trouble store,

Surcharg'd my soul doth lie;
My life, at Death's uncheerful door,

Unto the grave draws nigb.

Dammi tua dolce Cetra

Se vuoi ch' io dica del tuo dolce canto,
Ch' inalzandoti all' Etra

Di farti huomo celeste ottiene il vanto,
Il Tamigi il dirà che gl' e concesso
Per te suo cigno pareggiar Permesso.
lo che in riva del Arno
Tento spiegar tuo merto alto, e preclaro
So che fatico indarno,

Illi, in cujus virtutibus evulgandis ora Fama non sufficiant, nec hominum stupor in laudandis Isatis est, reverentiæ at amoris érgo hoc ejus meritis debitum admirationis tributum offert Ca rolus Datus Patricius Florentinus,

Tanto homini servus, tantæ virtutis amator

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS

ON

THE LATIN VERSES.

Milton is said to be the first Englishman, who after the restoration of letters wrote Latin verses with classic elegance. But we must at least ex cept some of the hendecasyllables and epigrams of Leland, one of our first literary reformers, from this hasty determination.

In the elegies, Ovid was professedly Milton's model for language and versification. They are not, however, a perpetual and uniform tissue of Ovidian phraseology. With Ovid in view, he has an original manner and character of his own, which exhibit remarkable perspicuity, a native facility and fluency. Nor does his observation of Roman models oppress or destroy our great poet's inherent powers of invention and sentiment. I value these pieces as much for their fancy and genius, as for their style and expression.

side of Cowley." But what are these conceptions? Metaphysical conceits, all the unnatural extravagancies of his English poetry; such as will not bear to be clothed in the Latin language; much less are capable of admitting any degree of pure Latinity. I will give a few instances, out of a great multitude, from the Davideis.

Milton's Latin poems may be justly considered as legitimate classical compositions, and are never disgraced with such language and such imagery. Cowley's Latinity, dictated by an irregular and unrestrained imagination, presents a mode of diction half Latin and half English. It is not so much that Cowley wanted a knowledge of the Latin style, but that he suffered that knowledge to be perverted and corrupted by false and extravagant thoughts. Milton was a more perfect scholar than Cowley, and his mind was more deeply tinctured with the excellencies of an'cient literature. and therefore a more just writer. In a word, he He was a more just thinker, had more taste, and more poetry, and consequently more propriety. If a fondness for the Italian writers has sometimes infected his English poetry with false ornaments, his Latin verses, both in diction and sentiment, are at least free from those depravations.

Some of Milton's Latin poems were written in his first year at Cambridge, when he was only seventeen: they must be allowed to be very correct and manly performances for a youth of that age. And considered in that view, they discover ancient fable and history. I cannot but add, an extraordinary copiousness and command of that Gray resembles Milton in many instances.

And in the same poem in a party worthy of the Among others, in their youth they were both pastoral pencil of Watteau. strongly attached to the cultivation of Latin poetry. WARTON

Hauserunt avide Chocolatam Flora venusque.

Hic sociatorum sacra constellatio vatum,
Quos felix virtus evexit ad æthera, nubes
Luxuriæ supra, tempestatesque laborum.

Again,

Temporis ingreditur penetralia celsa fu

turi,

Implumesque videt nidis cœlestibus annos. And, to be short, we have the Plusquam visus aquilinus of lovers, Natio verborum, Exuit vitam aeriam, Menti auditur symphonia dulcis, Natura archiva, Omnes symmetria sensus congerit, Condit aromatica prohibetque putescere laude. Again, where Aliquid is personified, Monogramma exordia mundi.

It may be said, that Cowley is here translating from his own English Davideis. But I will bring examples from his original Latin poems. In praise of the spring.

Et resonet toto musica verna libro ; Undique laudis odor dulcissimus halet,

&c.

Of the Fraxinella,

At mare immensum oceanusque Laeis
Jugitèr cœlo fluit empyræo;

Hinc inexhausto per utrumque mundum
Funditur ore.

Pulchra de nigro soboles parente,
Quem Chaos fertur peperisse primam,
Cujus ob formam bene risit ofim
Massa severa !
Risus O terræ sacer et polorum,
Aureus vere pluvius Tonantis,
Quæque de cœlo finis inquieto
Gloria rivo!-
Te bibens arcus Jovis ebriosus
Mille formosos revomit colores,
Pavo cœlestis, variamque pascit
Lumine caudam.
Lucidum trudis properanter agmen :
Sed resistentum super ora rerum
Lenitèr stagnas, liquidoque inundas
Cuncta colore:

ELEGIARUM

LIBER.

ELEC. I. AD CAROLUM DEODATUM.'

TANDEM, chare, tuæ mihi pervenere tabella,
Pertulitet voces nuncia charta tuas ;
Pertulit, occiduâ Devæ Cestrensis ab orå

Vergivium prono quà petit amne salum.
Multùm, crede, juvat terras aliuisse remotas

Pectus amans nostrî, támque fidele caput,
Quódque mihi lepidum tellus longinqua sodalem
Debet, at unde brevi reddere jussa velit.
Me tenet urbs refluâ quam Thamesis alluit undâ,
Méque nec invitum patria dulcis habet.
Jam nec arundiferum mihi cura revisere Camum,
Nec dudum vetiti me laris angit amor.

' Charles Deodate was one of Milton's most intimate friends. He was an excellent scholar, and practised physic in Cheshire. He was educated with our author at St. Paul's school in Loudon ; and from thence was sent to Trinity college Oxford, where he was entered Feb. 7, in the year 1621, at thirteen years of age. Lib. Matric. Univ. Oxon, sub ann. He was born in London and the name of his father, in Medicina Doetoris, was Theodore. Ibid.