123 



priori, that this case is uot quite congenial to the spirit of the English 

 language. We do not say much of wine, or little of fjood, but much 

 wine, little good. Therefore, in the above-quoted passage, VI. 993, 

 " How much more of power," it would be usual to say " How much 

 more power, ""f^ 

 Greater freedom is taken in V. 779, — 



•" This only I o consult, how we may best 

 With what may be devised of honour new, 

 Receive liim coming. "+ 

 But stiU more receding from the usual diction is the following line — 



IX. 57. " What might hap of heavier on himself." 

 We have here the double licence of using tvhat with the genitive, and 

 heavier as a substantive ; ivhat of heavier, instance of what heavier 

 punishment. 



We have nut done with pronouns yet. Milton brought from his 

 Greek reading into his style a peculiar use of the relative pronoun, 

 technically called attraction. The relative pronoun being, with its 

 appended sentence, only a qualification of what is called its antecedent, 

 may be affected as to its case by the construction of the governing 

 sentence. The antecedent, namely, when it is a pronoun, is some- 

 times dropped altogetber, and the relative pronoun apparently occupies 

 its place, being planed in that case in which the antecedent would have 

 been. Thus, in Greek, fnfj-vrifiivos S>v fvpa^e is used, instead of fiejuvri- 

 ftfVQs Tuv {TTpayiJid.ra>v) & iTrpai,€v.\ The Latin writers kept very shy of 

 this Graecism. Yet it is found occasionally. (See Horace, Sat. I. 6, 15, 

 and Beutley's note.) Milton seems to delight in it ; e.g. — 

 I. o'i'i. " As when men wont to watch. 



On duty sleeping found by whom they dread, 

 Eouse and bestir themselves ere well awake." 

 " By whom they diead" would be iu Greek vip^ ol (poPouvrai. 



This observation esplains the difficult passage, I. 91. " Into what 

 pit thou seest, from what height fallen. "§ Greek, ireirTrtKws 4s ohv 6p5.s 

 fidpaOpop. 



XI. 247. " How wearisome Eternity, so spent 

 In woi-ship paid — to whom we hate." 

 II. 415. 11. " For nn whom we send 



The weight of all and our ^ast hope relies."' 



•The partitive genitive seems to be gaining ground. See Macaulay's Essay on Milton — 

 " Tliat style to which every ancient and every modern language has contributed something 

 of grace, of energy, or of music." 



+ A similar construction is, found II. 20, " With what besides has been achieved of merit." 



t I do not intend, of course, to give a complete theory of Greek attraction, but only to 

 illustrate its Miltonian use. 



§ For the double pronoun what there is an analog/ in Thucydides, V. 7. 



