Harry whose tuneful and well measur'd
First taught our English Musick how to
Words with just note and accent, not to
With Midas Ears, committing short and long;
Thy worth and skill exempts thee from the throng,
With praise enough for Envy to look wan;
To after age thou shalt be writ the man,
That with smooth aire couldst humor best our
Thou honour'st Verse, and Verse must send her
To honour thee, the Priest of Phoebus
That tun'st their happiest lines in Hymn or
Dante shall give Fame leave to set thee
Then his Casella, whom he woo'd to
Met in the milder shades of Purgatory.'This sonnet was also first added in the edition of 1673, and in Milton's Manuscript it is dated Febr. 9. 1645, and said to be wrote to Mr.
Lawes "n the publishing of his airs." This Mr.
Henry Lawes was a gentleman of his Majesty's chapel, and one of his band of music, and an intimate friend of Milton, as appears by his first publishing the Mask in 1637, the airs of which he set to music, and probably too those of his Arcades.
He was educated under Signor Coperario, and introduced a softer mixture of Italian airs, than had been practic'd before in our nation: as Mr.
Fenton says in his notes upon Waller, who has also honor'd him with a copy of verses inscrib'd "To Mr.
Henry Lawes who had then newly set a song of mine in the year 1635."(line 9: --- and verse must lend her wing):
There are three manuscript copies of this sonnet, two by Milton, the second corrected, and the third by another hand; and in all of them we read "must lend her wing," which we prefer to "must send her wing," as it is in the printed copies.(line 13:
Than his Casella, whom he woo'd to sing...&c):
This refers to the second Canto of Dante's Purgatorio, where the poet relates his meeting with Casella in purgatory, and wooing him to sing.'~ Th.
Newton,
Milton's Works, 2nd edition, 1753.
