23 547. Hermes. Lat. Mercury, son of
Jupiter. One of his chief duties, to act as a
messenger of Jupiter to carry sleep and dreams to
mortals.
23 550. sleep-compelling rod. Hermes carried
a staff, the caduceus, given him by Apollo, about
which two serpents were twined. Its touch induced
sleep.
23 552. Argus. He had a hundred eyes and
was sent by Juno to guard the cow into which lo had
been transformed. He was killed by Mercury at
the command of Jupiter, and Juno transferred his eyes
to the tail of her peacock.
24 573. A labouring hind in show. In appearance
a laboring peasant.
24 590. Philostratus. In Chaucer written
Philostrate, and so in Shakspere’s Midsummer
Night’s Dream, the characters of which plainly
followed Chaucer.
26 10. And May within the Twins received the
sun. In May the sun is in the sign of the zodiac
known as Gemini, or the Twins. Dryden here copies
a favorite phrasing of Chaucer, though not used by
him in this particular instance.
26 16. Notice the enjambment,i.e., the overflow
of this verse into the next. It very rarely occurs
in Dryden’s later poems.
27 34. Style. Pen, from stylus.
27 55. Graces. Three sisters, Aglaia (the
brilliant), Euphrosyne (cheerfulness), and Thalia
(bloom of life). They were the daughters of Jupiter
and Aurora.
27 58. The sultry tropic fears. At the end
of May the sun, approaching the summer solstice, gives
the longest days; hence its slowness.
28 78. roundelay. It is technically a lyric in
which a phrase or idea is continually repeated.
28 84. Friday. Named from Frigga, a Teutonic
goddess, identified with Venus. This day of the
week among the Latin races is still named from Venus.
Italian, Venerdi; French,_Vendredi_.
28 93. Cadmus. He was the son of Agenor,
king of Phoenicia. His sister Europa had been
carried off by Jupiter and he suffered from the consequent
jealousy of Juno. While searching for his sister
he founded Thebes, with the aid of Minerva, and was
its first king. The legend of Cadmus indicates
the introduction of written language from the East,
the Theban city was. Compare “Ilium
fuit” of Virgil, Aeneid, Bk. II., 325.
30 153. Our arms shall plead the titles of our
love. We will make good our right to love by
strife in arms.
31 165. pawn. Pledge,i.e., each has pledged his
faith.
31 182. hopes. Hopes for, syncope.
32 196. foin. To thrust with a weapon, a term
used in fencing. 32 228. lively. Bright, like
the living green of vegetation.
32 329. the tuneful cry. Compare Midsummer
Night’s Dream, Act IV., Sc. I.
33 232. goddess of the silver bow. Diana, goddess
of the chase,— her symbol, the crescent
moon; hence the silver bow.
