334 Albert S. Cook, 



been suggested by Prudentius, Cath. 11. 1—12, thus translated by 

 R. Martin Pope (Temple Classics) : 



Why doth the sun re-orient take 



A wider range, his hmits break ? 



Lo ! Christ is born, and o'er earth's night 



Shineth from more to more the hght ! 



Too swiftly did the radiant day 

 Her brief course run and pass away : 

 She scarce her kindly torch had fired 

 Ere slowly fading it expired. 



Now let the sky more brightly beam, 

 The earth take up the joyovis theme : 

 The orb a broadening pathway gains 

 And with its erstwhile splendor reigns. 



Pope remarks that the idea ' is given in a terse form by St. Peter 

 Chrysologus, Serm. 159 : Crescere dies coepit, quia verus dies illuxit.^ 

 Cf. Honorius of Autun {Pair. Lat. 172. 819). According to the 

 Protevangel of James (chap. 19), and the Gospel of Pseudo- Matthew 

 (chap. 13), the cave where Christ, was born was filled with light. 



The portents at the death of Csesar may have influenced some 

 poets in writing of the birth of Christ : a comet appeared, the sun 

 lost its lustre, two or three suns appeared, etc. See Virgil, G. 1. 

 476-480; Ovid, Met. 15. 789 ff. ; Lucan 1. 522 ff. ; Dio Cassius 45. 

 17; 47. 40; 54. 19; Plutarch, Ccesar<6^; Cicero, Phil.^.^\ Horace, 

 Od. 1. 2; 1. 12. 46-8; Tibullus, 2. 5. 7 ; Pliny, H. N. 2. 25; 2. 98; 

 Eusebius, Chron. 01. 84; Julius Obsequens, Prodig., chaps. 128, 131. 



Other poets have played upon the thought of the earthly and 

 the heavenly sun: Dunbar, Nativity of C/irist; Giles Fletcher, 

 Christ's Victory (twice); Marino (Rime, Venice, 1602, Part I, p. 190); 

 Crashaw, Nativity; Donne, Good Friday; Herbert, W hitsuuday and 

 Easter (cf The Source). More remote, as not applying to Christ, 

 are Alanus, De Planctu Naturce, Prose 2 (see Moftat's trans.) ; Spenser, 

 Shepherd's Calendar, April ; Sidney, Madrigal 56. 



84. The throne and axletree (for chariot) are from Ovid, Met. 2. 1, 

 the account of Phaeton's disastrous ambition. In 2. 28—4, we have : 



sedebat 

 In solio Phcebus claris lucente smaragdis. 



In 3. 59—60 we have ignifer axis : 



Non tamen ignifero quisquam consistere in axe 

 Me valet excepto. 



