Nivesque
primas liliumque non tactum.
Ben Jonson - The Devil's Association
104 a bright Lilly grow.
= The figures of the lily, the snow,
and the swan's down have already been used in _The Fox_, _Wks. _ 3.
195. The source of that passage is evidently Martial, _Epig. _ 1. 115:
Loto candidior puella cygno,
Argento, nive, lilio, ligustro.
In this place Jonson seems to have more particularly in mind _Epig. _
5. 37:
Puella senibus dulcior mibi cygnis . . .
Cui nec lapillos praeferas Erythraeos, . . .
Nivesque primas liliumque non tactum.
=2. 7. 2, 3 that Wit of man will doe't. = There is evidently
an ellipsis of some sort before _that_ (cf. Abbott, ? 284).
Perhaps 'provided' is to be understood.
=2. 7. 4 She shall no more be buz'd at. = The metaphor is
carried out in the words that follow, _sweet meates_ 5, _hum_
6, _flye-blowne_ 7. 'Fly-blown' was a rather common term of
opprobrium. Cf. Dekker, _Satiromastix_, _Wks. _ 1.
and the swan's down have already been used in _The Fox_, _Wks. _ 3.
195. The source of that passage is evidently Martial, _Epig. _ 1. 115:
Loto candidior puella cygno,
Argento, nive, lilio, ligustro.
In this place Jonson seems to have more particularly in mind _Epig. _
5. 37:
Puella senibus dulcior mibi cygnis . . .
Cui nec lapillos praeferas Erythraeos, . . .
Nivesque primas liliumque non tactum.
=2. 7. 2, 3 that Wit of man will doe't. = There is evidently
an ellipsis of some sort before _that_ (cf. Abbott, ? 284).
Perhaps 'provided' is to be understood.
=2. 7. 4 She shall no more be buz'd at. = The metaphor is
carried out in the words that follow, _sweet meates_ 5, _hum_
6, _flye-blowne_ 7. 'Fly-blown' was a rather common term of
opprobrium. Cf. Dekker, _Satiromastix_, _Wks. _ 1.
