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JOANNI MILTONI

LONDINEN S I.

Juveni patria, virtutibus eximio,

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IRO qui multa peregrinatione, studio cuncta orbis terrarum loca perfpexit, ut novus Ulyffes omnia ubique ab omnibus apprehenderet :

Polyglotto, in cujus ore linguæ jam deperditæ fic revivifcunt, ut idiomata omnia fint in ejus laudibus infacunda; Et jure ea percallet, ut admirationes et plaufus populorum ab propria fapientia excitatos intelligat :

Illi, cujus animi dotes corporifque fenfus ad admirationem commovent, et per ipfam motum cuique auferent; cujus opera ad plaufus hortantur, fed * venuftate vocem laudatoribus adimunt.

Cui in memoria totus orbis; in intellectu fapientia; in voluntate ardor gloriæ; in ore eloquentia; harmonicos cœleftium fphærarum fonitus af

* vaftitate. Edit. 1645.

tronomia

tronomia duce audienti; characteres mirabilium naturæ per quos Dei magnitudo describitur magistra philofophia legenti; antiquitatum latebras vetuftatis excidia, eruditionis ambages, comite affidua autorum lectione,

Exquirenti, reftauranti, percurrenti.
At cur nitur in arduum?:

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Illi in cujus virtutibus evulgandis ora Famæ non fufficiant, nec hominum ftupor in laudandis fatis eft, reverentiæ at amoris ergo hoc ejus meritis debitum admirationis tributum offert CAROLUS DATUS Patricius Florentinus,

Tanto homini fervus, tantæ virtutis amator.

* Carlo Dati, one of Milton's literary friends at Florence. See EPITAPH. DAMON. V. 137. Tickell and Fenton, who might have been taught better by Tonfon's previous editions, read, Carolus DEODATUS, as if it was our author's friend Charles Deodate. See the next Note.

VOL. I.

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ELEGIARUM

ELEGI ARU M

L I B E R...

ELEG. I. Ad CAROLUM DEODATUM.*

TA

Andem, chare, tuæ mihi pervenere tabellæ,
Pertulit et voces nuncia charta tuas ;

Charles Deodate was one of Milton's most intimate friends, He was an excellent fcholar, and practiced phyfic in Cheshire. He was educated with our author at Saint Paul's fchool in London; and from thence was fent to Trinity college Oxford, where he was entered feb. 7, in the year 1621, at thirteen years of age. Lib. Matric. Univ. Oxon. fub ann. He was born in London, and the name of his father, "in Medicina Doctoris," was Theodore. Ibid. He was a fellow-collegian there with Alexander Gill, another of Milton's intimate friends, who was fucceffively Ufher and Master of Saint Paul's school. Deodate, while bachelor of Arts, gave to Trinity-college Library, Zuinglius's THEATRUM VITÆ HUMANÆ, in three volumes. He has a copy of Alcaics extant in an Oxford-collection on the death of Camden, called CAMDENI INSIGNIA, Oxon. 1624. He left the college, when he was a Gentleman commoner in 1628, having taken the degree of Mafter of Arts. Lib. Caution. Coll. Trin. Toland fays, that he had in his poffeffion two Greek letters, very well written, from Deodate to Milton, Two of Milton's familiar Latin letters, in the utmost freedom of friendship, are to Deodate. EPIST. Fam. PROSEWORRS,

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Pertulit, occidua Deva Ceftrenfis ab ora
Vergivium prono qua petit amne falum.

WORKS, vol. ii. 567. 568. Both dated from London, 1637. But the best, certainly the moft pleafing evidences of their intimacy, and of Deodate's admirable character, are our author's first and fixth Elegies, the fourth Sonnet, and the EPITAPHIUM DAMONIS. And it is highly probable, that Deodate is the fimple Shepherd lad in COMUS, who is skilled in plants, and loved to hear Thyrfis fing, v. 619. feq. He died in the year 1638. See the firit Note, EPITAPH. DAMON.

This Elegy was written about the year 1627, in answer to a letter out of Cheshire from Deodate: and Milton feems pleased to reflect, that he is affectionately remembered at fo great a dif tance, v. 5.

Multum, crede, juvat, TERRAS aluiffe REMOTAS
Pectus amans noftri, tamque fidele caput.

Our author was now refiding with his father a fcrivener in Breadstreet, who had not yet retired from business to Horton near Colnebrook.

I have mentioned Alexande 1Gill in this note. He was made Ufher of St. Paul's fchool about ene year 1619, where Milton was his favourite fcholar. He was admitted at fifteen, a commoner of Trinity college Oxford, in 1612. Here at length he took the degree of doctor in divinity, about 1629. His brothers George and Nathaniel, were both of the fame college, and on the foundation. In a book given to the Library there, by their father, its author, called the SACRED PHILOSOPHIE OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE, 1635, I find this infcription written by Alexander. "Ex dono au"thoris artium magiftri olim Collegii Corporis Chrifti alumni, "Patris Alexandri Georgii et Nathanaelis Gillorum, qui omnes " in hoc Studioforum vivario literis operam dedere. Tertio Kal. "Junias, 1635." This Alexander gave to the faid Library, the old folio edition of Spenfer's FAERIE QUEENE, Drayton's PoLYOLBION by Selden, and Bourdelotius's LUCIAN, all having poetical mottos from the claffics in his own hand-writing, which hew his taste and track of reading. In the LUCIAN, are the Arms of the GILLS, elegantly tricked with a pen, and coloured, by Alexander Gill. From Saint Paul's fchool, of which from the Ufhership he was appointed Mafter in 1535, on the death and in the room of his father, he fent Milton's friend Deodate to Trinity college Oxford. He continued Mafter five years only, and died in 1642. Three of Milton's familiar Latin Letters to this Alexander Gill are remaining, replete with the ftrongeft teftimonies of esteem and friendship. Wood fays, "he was accounted one of the best Latin poets in the nation." ATH. OXOм. ii. 22. Milton pays

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Multum, crede, juvat terras aluiffe remotas
Pectus amans noftri, tamque fidele caput,
Quodque mihi lepidum tellus longinqua fodalem
Debet, at unde brevi reddere juffa velit.
Me tenet urbs reflua quam Thamefis alluit unda,

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him high compliments on the excellence of his Latin poetry: and among many other expreffions of the warmeft approbation calls his verfes," Carmina fane grandia, et majeftatem vere poeticam, Virgilianumque ubique ingenium, referentia," &c. See PROSEworks, ii. 565. 566. 567. Two are dated in 1628, and the last, 1634. Moft of his Latin poetry is published in a small volume, entitled, POETICI CONATUS, 1632. 12mo. But he has other pieces extant, both in Latin and English. Wood had feen others in manufcript. In the church of St. Mary Magdalene at Oxford, in the neighbourhood of Trinity college, I have often feen a long profe Latin epitaph written by Gill to the memory of one of his old college friends Richard Pates, mafler of Arts, which I fhould not have mentioned, but as it fhews the writer's uncommon fkill in pure latinity. He was not only concerned with faint Paul's school, but was an affistant to Thomas Farnabie, the school-master of Edward King, Milton's LYCIDAS. He is faid to have been removed from Saint Paul's fchool for his exceffive feverity. The last circumftance we learn from a satire of the times, "Verses to be re

printed with a fecond edition of Gondibert, 1653." P. 54. 57. Alexander Gill here mentioned, Milton's friend, feems to be sometimes confounded with his father, whose name was alfo Alexander, who was alfo mafter of Saint Paul's, and whofe LoGONOMIA published in 1621, an ingenious but futile fcheme, to reform and fix the English language, is well known to our critical lexicographers.

4. Vergivium.-] Drayton has "these rough VERGIVIAN "feas," POLYOL B. S. i. p. 656. vol. ii. The Irifh fea. Again, "VERGIVIAN deepe." Ibid. S. vi. vol. ii. p. 766. And in other places. Camden's BRITANNIA has lately familiarifed the Latin

name.

9. Me tenet urbs reflua quam Thamefis alluit unda.] To have pointed out London by only calling it the city wafhed by the Thames, would have been a general and a trite allufion. But this allufion by being combined with the peculiar circumftance of the reflux of the tide, becomes new, poetical, and appropriated. The adjective REFLUA is at once defcriptive and diftinétive. Ovid has "refluum mare." METAM. vii. 267.

Et quas Oceani REFLUUM mare lavit arenas.

Meque

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