1832.] A Winter Evening with the Poets. 385 



sagacious. We wonder that a fellow with such a glorious beard as 

 Wyatt appears to have possessed, should have written such nonsense. 



here is pathos and a measure of picturesque elegance in his Peniten- 

 tial Psalms, which we prefer considering with the author of the Aldine 

 Memoir, as indicative of the serious and contented nature of his thoughts, 

 rather than, as Dr. Nott has imagined, of remorse, or regret, for his 

 previous career. We will quote one stanza, which is characterized we 

 think by much simplicity of idea and considerable harmony of versifi- 

 cation. 



This while a beam that bright sun forth sendeth 

 That sun, the which was never cloud could hide, 

 Pierceth the case, and on the harp descendeth : 

 Whose glancing light the chords did overglide, 

 And such lustre upon the lamp extendeth, 

 As light of lamp upon the gold clean tried, 

 The lome whereof into his eyes did start, 

 Surprised with joy by penance of the heart. 



We have been lingering too long with Wyatt, and we hasten to the 

 great epoch in the history of English poetry the composition of the 

 " Paradise Lost !" The sudden transition from the quaint images and 

 English ruggedness of Wyatt, to the stately harmonies and magnificent 

 visionings of Milton, is like the entrance through a miserable wooden 

 door into the gorgeous audience-chamber of the Persian prince, of 

 which mention is made in the travels of Morier. Of the gradual pro- 

 gress which the muse had been making towards this perfect excellence 

 w r e shall now say nothing. We trust that Southey will some day give 

 us the history of English poetry, which he once promised. It would be 

 difficult to find one more peculiarly suited to the task. Of our own 

 qualifications, with the modesty of true genius, we are silent. 



We are led to speak of the Aldine editor of the poems of Milton 

 more at length, because we take it to be (so far as it has hitherto ex- 

 tended) the most perfect, and at the same time the most interesting'of 

 any which have yet appeared. Mr. Mitford possesses the learning and 

 taste which alone enable a man to edit such a composition as the " Pa- 

 radise Lost/' The original notes illustrative of the text are worth the 

 price of the volumes. 



The Memoir of Milton appears to us quite beautiful in the tone of 

 its sentiments, and the melody of its style. We shall presently afford 

 our readers an opportunity of judging for themselves. A diligent 

 perusal of the prose works of Milton, and of the illustrious scholars of 

 that age, has enabled Mr. Mitford to throw much light upon many 

 obscure passages. Into the private or public life of the poet, however, 

 we have no intention of entering : we shall confine ourselves to his 

 poetry. Milton had very early formed the idea of writing an epic 

 poem. Homer was reported to have found the Iliad and Odyssey in 

 an Egyptian temple. In like manner the archives of European litera- 

 ture have been examined, and the most worthless productions brought 

 to light, in order to discover the original of the Paradise Lost. His 

 critics, by a sort of general consent, have determined that the frame- 

 work, at least, of his immortal composition was borrowed. Colonel 

 Leak, the able geographer of Greece, has pointed out a singular coin- 

 cidence between the Paradise Lost and a modern Greek poem. Of these 

 hypotheses we are not aware that Mr. Mitford takes any notice. Possibly 



M.M. New Series. VOL. XIII. No. 76. 2 D 



