The Poetical Works of John Dryden Volume I Part 39

[Footnote 167: 'The moon:' the Turkish crescent.]

[Footnote 168: 'Another Sylvester:' the Pope in James II.'s time is here compared to him that governed the Romish Church in the time of Constantine.]

[Footnote 169: 'British line:' St Helen, mother of Constantine the Great, was an Englishwoman.]

[Footnote 170: 'Fatal Ore:' the sandbank on which the Duke of York had like to have been lost in 1682, on his voyage to Scotland, is known by the name of Lemman Ore.]

[Footnote 171: 'Fiends:' the malcontents who doubted the truth of the birth are here compared to the evil spirits that tempted our Saviour in the wilderness.]

[Footnote 172: 'aeneas:' see Virgil; aeneid, I.]

[Footnote 173: 'Edward:' Edward the Black Prince, born on Trinity Sunday.]

[Footnote 174: 'Patron of our isle': St George.]

[Footnote 175: 'Araunah's threshing-floor:' alluding to the pa.s.sage in 1 Kings xxiv.]

[Footnote 176: 'Unnamed as yet:' the prince was christened but not named when this poem was published.]

[Footnote 177: 'Tetragrammaton:' Jehovah, or the name of G.o.d, unlawful to be p.r.o.nounced by the Jews.]

[Footnote 178: 'Rome was kept concealed:' some authors say, that the true name of Rome was kept a secret.]

[Footnote 179: 'Crete:' Candia, where Jupiter was born and bred secretly.]

[Footnote 180: 'Brain was born:' Pallas or Minerva, said by the poets to have sprung from the brain of Jove, and to have been bred up by hand, as was this young prince.]

[Footnote 181: 'Sudden blast:' the sudden false report of the prince's death.]

[Footnote 182: 'Moments grow:' those giants are feigned to have grown fifteen yards every day.]

[Footnote 183: 'Shunamite:' see 2 Kings iv.]

[Footnote 184: 'Ark their guard:' see 1 Sam. iv. 10.]

[Footnote 185: 'Amalek can rout the chosen bands:' see Exod. xviii. 8.]

[Footnote 186: Aristides, surnamed the Just.]

END OF FIRST VOLUME.