310 Albert S. Cook, 



lead me to think it was written several 3'ears earlier, though this 

 is lDy no means sure.' Her1:)ert was tifteen years older than Milton. 

 Since Milton was matriculated in 1625, and Herbert did not resign the 

 Public Oratorship till 1627, the greater poet may well have seen the 

 lesser, especially as, according to Herbert himself Qetter to Sir John 

 Danvers) the Public Orator was a considerable person in the Univer- 

 sity, as Herbert was highly connected, and as he had more than once 

 been honored by the special commendations of King James. As we 

 know that in 1617 Herbert was accustomed to ride from Cambridge to 

 Newmarket (letter to Sir John Danvers), and as Christmas begins with 

 a reference to riding, this might lead' one to conjecture that Christ- 

 mas is of about this date. But it is enough to know that the poem 

 antedates Milton's, and might well enough have been seen by him in 

 manuscript, or that parts of it might have been repeated in his hearing. 

 For other parallels between the two poems, see notes on 12 

 and 72. 



18. abode. The rime is imperfect. Perhaps no other of Milton's 

 poems has so large a proportion of defective rimes as this. Those 

 of the following list vary in badness, some of them merely illustrat- 

 ing varieties of license found throughout modern English literature. 

 I give in each case the line-number which will call attention to the 

 defect: 8, 9, 18, 36, 44, 48, 57, 58, QQ, 85, 88, 95, 97, 100, 108, 116, 

 118, 121, 137, 146, 147, 154, 163, 166, 188, 196, 201, 204, 212, 244. 

 Milton rimes hearth (190) with earth, as in // P. 82 with mirth ; 

 mown (204) with horn, as in Ps. 88. 27 with forlorn. 



19. Now. This was approximately the time, according to Eleg. 6, 

 when he actually formed the conception of the Ode ; cf. 11. 81—88 : 



Paciferum canimus caelesti semine Regem, 



Faustaque sacratis saecula pacta libris ; 

 Vagitumque Dei, et stabulantem paupere tecto 



Qui suprema suo cum Patre regna colit; 

 Stelliparemque polum, modulantesque tethere turmas, 



Et subito elisos ad sua fana deos. 

 Dona quidem dedimus Christi natalibus ilia ; 



Ilia sub auroram lux mihi prima tulit. 



Sun's team. Referring to the steeds of Apollo ; cf. night-steeds, 

 236. Similar allusions are found in 84, axletree; Com. 96, axle; 

 P.L. 5. 139, wheels; 10. 671, reins, etc. 



20. took. Milton has the past part, taken (4 times), ta'en (twice), 

 took f3 times — here; Com. 558; On Shak. 12 — the last being in rimej, 



print. Suggested by untrod. 



