IV. Diodati, e te 'l dirò con maraviglia, Quel ritroso io ch' amor spreggiar soléa Gia caddi, ov❜ huom dabben talhor s' impiglia. M' abbaglian sì, ma sotto novo idea E degli occhi suoi auventa si gran fuoco V. Per certo i bei vostr' occhi, Donna mia Scosso mi il petto, e poi n' uscendo poco VI. Giovane piano, e semplicetto amante Poi che fuggir me stesso in dubbio sono, L'hebbi fedele, intrepido, costante, De pensieri leggiadro, accorto, e buono ; e Portamenti alti honesti. So before "Son." iii. 8. "Vezzosamente altera." Portamento expresses the lofty dignified deportment, by which the Italian poets constantly describe female beauty; and which is strikingly characteristic of the composed majestic carriage of the Italian ladies, either as contrasted with the liveliness of the French, or the timid delicacy of the English.T. WARTON. f Colma di rose. The forced thoughts at the close of this sonnet are intolerable: but he was now in the land of conceit, and was infected by writing in its language. He had changed his native Thames for Arno, “Son." iii. 9. Canto, dal mio buon popol non inteso, El bel Tamigi cangio col bel Arno.-T. WARTON. pass-masters eye Feite verses, his Italian sonnets have a de free from the menphysics of Petrarch, and Is la sta sinnet, in a letter printed from Yaka the Fetranian stanza. In 1762, Le Larry at Florence, for six Italan De Camera mit ; and for other Italian and Latin ST TOLLY I BUnuscript at Florence: Dear of Yla stoposed to be somewhere in that Bruces-I. WARTON. sly carved, smail, and in a very the stem àt the features and the age of the simed and singular sketch of the sent in the following letter to a masarkarwledge me to proft by you 25, 176, Were Yesterday execial 5, as good a watchman best i my life, as vet obscure and ▼i msz hod wherein Christ commands Let because I am mersuaded you do to no other purANAND toured in every noe, I therefore think YOU ANATA, B of as vecas 1 is, of this my tardy QUIRYDY, Vielimy mat is not without God. * Longe, but any refere myself to what my mind DONT KNÈ E de les ar. But if you think as you said, AKKABk, and that I have even up myself to dreame away 478 3 1 872 & Nimet dhe Er lyzive with the Moone, as the tale In more than the meer love of learning, VIII. WHEN THE ASSAULT WAS INTENDED TO THE CITY. CAPTAIN, or Colonel, or Knight in arms, Whose chance on these defenceless doors may seize, Guard them, and him within protect from harms. The great Emathian conquerour bid spare whether it proceed from a principle bad, good, or naturall, it could not have held out thus long against so strong opposition on the other side of every kind. For, if it be bad, why should not all the fond hopes, that forward youthe and vanitie are fledged with, together with gaine, pride, and ambition, call me forward more powerfully, than a poor, regardless, and unprofitable sin of curiosity should be able to withhold me, whereby a man cuts himselfe off from all action, and becomes the most helplesse, pusillanimous, and unweaponed creature in the world; the most unfit and unable to do that, which all mortals most aspire to; either to be usefull to his friends, or to offend his enemies. Or, if it be to be thought a natural pronenesse, there is against that a much more potent inclination inbred, which about this time of a man's life sollicits most the desire of house and family of his owne, to which nothing is esteemed more helpful, than the early entering into credible employment, and nothing more hindring than this affected solitarinesse; and tho' this were enough, yet there is to this another act, if not of pure, yet of refined nature, no lesse availeable to dissuade prolonged obscurity; a desire of honour, and repute, and immortal fame, seated in the breast of every true scholar; which all make haste to, by the readiest ways of publishing and divulging conceived merits, as well those that shall, as those that never shall obtain it. Nature would presently work the more prevalent way, if there were nothing but this inferiour bent to restraine her. Lastly, the love of learning, as it is the pursuit of something good, would sooner follow the more excellent and supreme good known and presented, and so be quickly exempted from the emptie and fantastic chase of shadows and notions, to the solid good flowing from due and tymely obedience to that command in the Gospel, sett out by the terrible seasing of him that hid the talent. It is more probable therefore that, not the endlesse delight of speculation, but this very consideration of that great commandment, does not presse forward as soon as many doe to undergoe, but keeps off with a sacred reverence and religious advisement how best to undergoe; not taking thought of being late, so it give advantage to be more fit; for those that were latest lost nothing when the maister of the vineyard came in to give each one his hire. And here I am come to a stream-head, copious enough to disburthen itself like Nilus at seven mouths into an ocean but then I should also run into a reciprocall contradiction of ebbing and flowing at once, and do that which I excuse myself for not doing, preach and not preach. Yet that you may see I am something suspicious of myselfe, and do take notice of a certain belatednesse in me, I am the bolder to send you some of my nightward thoughts, some while since, because they come in not altogether unfitly, made up in a Petrarchian stanza, which I told you of :— How soon hath Time, &c. By this I believe you may well repent of having made mention at all of this matter; for if I have not all this while won you to this, I have certainly wearied you of it. This therefore alone may be a sufficient reason for me to keep me as I am; least, having thus tired you singly, I should deal worse with a whole congregation, and spoyle all the patience of a parish; for I myself do not only see my own tediousnesse, but now grow offended with it, that has hindered me thus long from coming to the last and best period of my letter, and that which must now chiefly work my pardon;-that I am your true and unfained friend, "JOHN MILTON." |
