Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

E: Lace veteres, et Jovis ora decebant
Grafia marmelata vocalicia Gratis,
Aidere suasistis jactat Galia fires;
Et quam degenericvs Italas ore Joquelam
Fundit, barbaricos testatus voce tomaltus;
Quayce Palestinus loquitur zmysteria vates.
Denique quicquid habet cælum, subjectaque cœlo
Terra parens, terræne et celo interffuus aer,
Quicquid et unda tegit, pontique agitabile marmor,
Per te nosse licet, per te, si nosse libebit:
Dimotaque venit spectanda scientia nube,
Nudaque conspicuos inclinat ad oscula vultus,
Ni fugisse velim, ni sit libasse molestum.

85

90

I nunc, confer opes, quisquis malesanus avitas
Austriaci gazas, Perūanaque regna, præoptas.
Quæ potuit majora pater tribuisse, vel ipse
Jupiter, excepto, donasset ut omnia, cœlo?
Non potiora dedit, quamvis et tuta fuissent,
Publica qui juveni commisit lumina nato,
Atque Hyperionios currus, et fræna diei,
Et circum undantem radiata luce tiaram.
Ergo ego, jam doctæ pars quamlibet ima catervaæ,
Victrices hederas inter laurosque sedebo;
Jamque nec obscurus populo miscebor inerti,
Vitabuntque oculos vestigia nostra profanos.
Este procul, vigiles curæ; procul este, querelæ ;
Invidiæque acies transverso tortilis hirquo;
Sæva nec anguiferos extende, calumnia, rictus:
In me triste nihil, fœdissima turba, potestis,

93

100

105

Nec vestri sum juris ego; securaque tutus
Pectora, vipereo gradiar sublimis ab ictu.

110

At tibi, care pater, postquam non æqua merenti
Posse referre datur, nec dona rependere factis,
Sit memorasse satis, repetitaque munera grato
Percensere animo, fidæque reponere menti.

Et vos, O nostri, juvenilia carmina, lusus,
Si modo perpetuos sperare audebitis annos,
Et domini superesse rogo, lucemque tueri,
Nec spisso rapient oblivia nigra sub Orco;
Forsitan has laudes, decantatumque parentis
Nomen, ad exemplum, sero servabitis ævo.

AD SALSILLUM, POETAM ROMANUM, ÆGROTANTEM.

SCAZONTES.

O Musa, gressum quæ volens trahis claudum,
Vulcanioque tarda gaudes incessu,

Nec sentis illud in loco minus gratum,
Quam cum decentes flava Dëiope suras
Alternat aureum ante Junonis lectum;
Adesdum, et hæc s'is verba pauca Salsillo
Refer, Camœna nostra cui tantum est cordi,
Quamque ille magnis prætulit immerito divis.
Hæc ergo alumnus ille Londini Milto,
Diebus hisce qui suum linquens nidum,
Polique tractum, pessimus ubi ventorum,
Insanientis impotensque pulmonis,
Pernix anhela sub Jove exercet flabra,
Venit feraces Itali soli ad glebas,
Visum superba cognitas urbes fama,
Virosque, doctæque indolem juventutis.
Tibi optat idem hic fausta multa, Salsille,
Habitumque fesso corpori penitus sanum ;
Cui nunc profunda bilis infestat renes,
Præcordiisque fixa damnosum spirat;
Nec id pepercit impia, quod tu Romano
Tam cultus ore Lesbium condis melos.

O dulce divum munus, O Salus, Hebes
Germana! Tuque, Phœbe, morborum terror,
Pythone cæso, sive tu magis Pæan
Libenter audis, hic tuus sacerdos est.

Querceta Fauni, vosque rore vinoso

Colles benigni, mitis Evandri sedes,

115

120

5

10

15

20

25

Giovanni Salsilli had complimented Milton at Rome in a Latin tetrastich, for his Greek, Latin, and Italian poetry: Milton, in return, sent these elegant Scazontes to Salsilli when indisposed.-T. WARTON.

1 Quam cum decentes flava Deiope, &c.

As the Muses sung about the altar of Jupiter, in "Il Penseroso," v. 47.-T. WARTON.

O dulce divum munus, &c.

I know not any finer modern Latin lyric poetry, than from this verse to the end. The close, which is digressional, but naturally rises from the subject, is perfectly antique.T. WARTON.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

MANSOUSA

ETIME Trass veringenii laude, tum literarum studio, necnon ares in primis est: ad quem Torquati Tassi Dialogus 'n Piss amicissimus: ab quo etiam inter Campanise

culus Gerusalemme Conquistata,' lib. 20.

sailer magnanimi, e cortesi,

[ocr errors]

Στα αn summa benevolentia prosecutus est, multaque ei

tape hospes the, antequam ab ea urbe disce

[ocr errors]

Zoe carmen misit:

Maase, the melitantur carmina laudi

Perice abi Manse chronotissime Phœbi;
Qurancem in sum haud æquo est dignatus honore,
Post Gail aneres et Mecenatis Hetrusci.

Ta quoque, strenuum valet aura Camene,
Vares leges mer aurosque sedebis.

Te pridem nagno felix sencerdña Tasso
Junset, es eris inscripsit nomina chartis:
Mex ubi inicioquum non inscia Musa Marinum
Tradicit: ille quum dici se gaudet alumnum",
Dum sanit Assyrios livum prolixus amores ;
Moilis es Ausonias stupefecit carmine nymphas.

10

1 A- Naples Milton was ntroduced to Giovanni Battista Manso, Marquis of Villa, and at leaving Naples sent him this poem. He was a nobleman of distinguished rank and fortune, had supported a military charseter with high reputation, of unblemished morals, a poiite scholar, a cercorned wer, and a universal patron. It was among his chief honours, that he had been the Tiend of Tasso and this circumstance, above all others, must have made Milton ambitious of us sequin ance. He is not only complimented by name in the twentieth canto of the Gerusalemme," but Tasso addressed his Dialogue on Friendship to Manso. He died in 1645, aged eighty-four.-T. WARTON.

mlle tuum dici se gaudet alumnum.

Marino cultivated poetry in the academy of the Oriosi, of which Manso was one of the founders. Hither he was sent by the Muse, who was "non inscis," not ignorant ot his poetical abilities and inclinations, &c. for at first, against his will, his father had put him to the law.-T. WARTON.

Dum canit, &c.

The allusion is to Marino's poem "Il Adone."-T. WARTON.

Ille itidem moriens tibi soli debita vates
Ossa, tibi soli, supremaque vota reliquit :
Nec Manes pietas tua cara fefellit amici :

Vidimus arridentem operoso ex ære poetamo.
Nec satis hoc visum est in utrumque, et nec pia cessant
Officia in tumulo; cupis integros rapere Orco,
Qua potes, atque avidas Parcarum eludere leges:
Amborum genus, et varia sub sorte peractam
Describis vitam, moresque, et dona Minervæ;
Æmulus illius, Mycalen qui natus ad altam
Rettulit Æolii vitam facundus Homeri P.

Ergo ego te, Clius et magni nomine Phœbi,
Manse pater, jubeo longum salvere per ævum,
Missus Hyperboreo juvenis peregrinus ab axe.
Nec tu longinquam bonus aspernabere Musam,
Quæ nuper gelida vix enutrita sub Arcto,
Imprudens Italas ausa est volitare per urbes.
Nos etiam in nostro modulantes flumine cygnos
Credimus obscuras noctis sensisse per umbras,
Qua Thamesis late puris argenteus urnis
Oceani glaucos perfundit gurgite crines :
Quin et in has quondam pervenit Tityrus oras ".

Sed neque nos genus incultum, nec inutile Phœbo,
Qua plaga septeno mundi sulcata Trione
Brumalem patitur longa sub nocte Boöten.
Nos etiam colimus Phœbum, nos munera Phœbo
Flaventes spicas, et lutea mala canistris,
Halantemque crocum, perhibet nisi vana vetustas,
Misimus, et lectas Druidum de gente choreas.
Gens Druides antiqua, sacris operata deorum,
Heroum laudes, imitandaque gesta, canebant;
Hinc quoties festo cingunt altaria cantu,
Delo in herbosa, Graiæ de more puellæ,

15

20

25

30

33

40

45

Vidimus arridentem operoso ex ære poetam. Marino's monument at Naples, erected by Manso. Marino died at Naples in 1625, aged fifty-six.-T. WARTON.

P Mycalen qui natus ad altam

Rettulit Folii vitam facundus Homeri.

Plutarch, who wrote the "Life of Homer." He was a native of Bœotia, where Mycale is a mountain. -T. WARTON.

The learned translator of this poem into English verse, the Rev. Joseph Stirling, observes that Herodotus is here intended; and that Mr. Warton is mistaken in supposing Milton to allude to Plutarch: for, he adds, "a mountain of the name of Mycale in Bœotia will not be found either in Pausanias or Strabo: Mycale was in Asia Minor, the country of Herodotus. The epithet facundus,' which Mr. Warton admires, is particularly applicable to the father of history; but I doubt whether it would be allowed to Plutarch on the banks of the Ilissus, though he is rich in biographical and moral reflections." TODD.

Spenser. HURD.

9 Qua Thamesis, &c.

Quin et in has quondam pervenit Tityrus oras.

"Like me too, Chaucer travelled into Italy." In Spenser's "Pastorals," Chaucer is constantly called Tityrus.--T. WARTON.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors]
« ZurückWeiter »