49 Both her first-born and all her bleating Gods. ram, hence corniger Ammon? Clemens Alexandrinus tells us that the people of Sais and Thebes worshipped fheep; and R. Jarchi upon Gen. XLVI. 34. fays that a hepherd was therefore an abomination to the Egyptians, becaufe the Egyptians worshipped fheep as Gods. We may farther add, that Onkelos, Jonathan, and feveral others are of the fame opinion, and fay that shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians, becaufe they had no greater regard to those creatures which the Egyptians worshipped, than to breed them up to be eaten. Thefe authorities are fufficient to juftify our poet for calling them bleating Gods; he might make ufe of that epithet as one of the moft infignificant and contemptible, with the fame air of disdain as Virgil fays An. VIII. 698. Omnigenûmque deûm monftra & latrator Anubis ; 495 In ends the paffage as he began it, with the Gods of Egypt. 490. Belial came laft, &c.] The characters of Voloch and Belial prepare the reader's mind for their refpective peeches and behavior in the fecond and fixth book. Addifon. And they are very properly made, and fo returns to his fubject, and who abus'd the Levite's wife, Judg. In courts and palaces he also reigns And in luxurious cities, where the noise 500 Expos'd 504.when the bofpitable dogr Expos'd a matron to avoid worfe rape.] So Milton caus'd it to be printed in the fecond edition; the firit ran thus, -when hofpitable doors Yielded their matrons to prevent worse rape. And Milton did well in altering the Inflatum hefterno venas, ut femper, paffage: for it was not true of So Laccho. But flown I conceive is a participle from the verb fly, and the meaning is that they were raifed and highten'd with infolence and wine, infolence and wine made them fly out into thefe extravagances. Or as others think, it may be a participle from the verb flow, as overflon is fometimes used for overflow'd. And the meaning is the fame as fub'd with infolence and wine. An expreffion very common from the verb fuo. In the fame fenfe we ufe fluid with fuccefs, as Mr. Thyer obferves. dom, that any matron was yielded there; the women had not known man, Gen. XIX. 8. and as they were only offer'd not accepted, it is not proper to fay that they were yielded. But observe that Milton in the fecond edition changed yielded into expos'd, because in what was done at Gibeah, Judg. XIX. 25. the Levite's wife was not only yielded, but put out of doors and expos'd to the mens lewdness. Why then does Dr. Bentley prefer Milton's firft reading to his fecond, when he alter'd the paffage to make it more agreeable to the Scriptural story? Pearce. 506. These Expos'd a matron to avoid worfe rape. These were the prime in order and in might; 505 Gods, yet confefs'd later than Heav'n and Earth, 506. These were the prime] It is obferved by Macrobius and others, in commendation of Homer's catalogue of fhips and warriors, that he hath therein mention'd every body who doth, and no body who doth not afterwards make his appearance in the poem; whereas it is otherwife in Virgil; fome have a place in the lift, who are never heard of in the battels, and others make a figure in the battels, who are not taken notice of in the lift, Neither hath Milton in this refpe&t attain'd Homer's excellence and beauty; but then it should be confider'd what was his intent and purpose in this catalogue. It was not poffible for him to exhibit as complete a catalogue of the fallen Angels, as Homer hath given us 515 Of manders; and as it was not poffible 508. Th' Ionian Gods, of Javan's of the Grecian and Trojan com- fon of Japhet, and grandfon of Noah, Of cold Olympus rul'd the middle air, Their highest Heav'n; or on the Delphian cliff, Of Doric land; or who with Saturn old 520 All these and more came flocking; but with looks. Down caft and damp, yet fuch wherein appear'd Obfcure fome glimpse of joy, to' have found their chief Not in despair, to' have found themselves not lost In lofs itfelf; which on his count'nance caft Noah, is fuppofed to have fettled in the fouth-west part of Afia Minor, about Ionia, which contains the radical letters of his name. His defcendents were the Ionians and Grecians; and the principal of their Gods were Heaven and Earth; Titan was their eldest fon, he was father of the giants, and his empire was feifed by his younger brother Saturn, as Saturn's was by Jupiter fon of Saturn and Rhea. Thefe first were known in the iland Crete, now Candia, in which is mount Ida, where Jupiter is faid to have been born; thence paffed over into Greece, and refided on mount Olympus in Theffaly; the Snowy top of cold Olympus, as Homer calls it Oror ayamor, Iliad. I. 420. and XVIII. 615. OvPolos, which mountain af 526 Like terwards became the name of Heaven among their worshippers; or on the Delphian cliff, Parnaffus, whereon was feated the city Delphi famous for the temple and oracle of Apollo; or in Dodona, a city and wood adjoining facred to Jupiter; and through all the bounds of Doric land, that is of Greece, Doris being a part of Greece; or fled over Adria, the Adriatic, to th' Hefperian fields, to Italy; and o'er the Celtic, France and the other countries overrun by the Celtes, roam'd the utmost iles, Great Britain, Ireland, the Orkneys, Thule or Iceland ultima Thule, as it is call'd, the utmoft boundary of the world. Such explications are needlefs to thofe who are converfant with the claffic authors; they are written for those who are not. 529. Sem Like doubtful hue: but he his wonted pride Who forthwith from the glittering staff unfurl'd 534 Shone He Azazel is not the fcape-goat, as it is commonly call'd, but fignifies fome Demon, as the learned Dr. Spenfer hath abundantly proved in his differtation De hirco emiffario. fhows that this name is ufed for fome Demon or Devil by feveral ancient authors Jewish and Chriftian, and derives it from two Hebrew words, Az and Azel fignifying brave in retreating, a proper appellation for the ftandard-bearer to the fall'n Angels. We fee Milton gives Azazel a right to be ftandard-bearer on account of his ftature; he had no notion of a dapper enfign who can hardly carry his colors. |