exhaling smoke as in fumigations, but with its natural scent. 356.besmear'd with gold] Horace's aurum vestibus illitum, Od. iv. ix. 14. comes nearest to it. Virgil has used a like expression, Æn. x. 314. Richardson. 361.- -Native of Heav'n, for other place None can than Heav'n such glorious shape contain;] Milton in the turn of these words very plainly alludes to what Æneas says to Venus in the first Eneid, ver. 327. O, quam te memorem, Virgo? namque haud tibi vultus Mortalis, nec vox hominem sonat; O Dea certe. 378.-Pomona's arbour] The Goddess of fruit-trees might well be supposed to have a delightful arbour, but that could not be more delightful in imagination, than this was in reality. See Ovid. Met. xiv. 623, &c. 380 Undeck'd save with herself,] This is simplex munditiis indeed, beyond Horace's, and makes an excellent contrast to Ovid's description of the fine lady full dressed, -pars minima est ipsa puella sui. It calls to mind that memorable saying, "Induitur, formosa est; exuitur, ipsa forma est." Dressed, she is beautiful; undressed, she is beauty itself. With the same elegance of expression, describing Adain, he has said, -in himself was all his state. 382. Of three that in mount Ida naked streve,] The judgment of Paris is very well known in preferring Venus to Juno and Minerva, that is, beauty to power and wisdom; a different choice from that of young Solomon, who desired wisdom rather than riches and honour. 35.On whom the Angel bail, &c.] The natural majesty of Adam, and at the same time his submissive behaviour to the superior being, who had vouchsafed to be his guest; the solemn Hail, which the Angel bestows upon the mother of mankind, with the figure of Eve ministring at the table, are circumstances which deserve to be admired. 394. All autumn pil'd,] The table had mossy seats round it, and all autumn piled upon it, that is, the fruits of auSo in Virg. Georg. ii. 5. tumn. -pampineo gravidus autumno Floret ager. 407. No' ingrateful focd:] There being mention made in Scripture of Angels food, Psal. Ixxviii. 25, that is foundation enough for a poet to build upon, and advance these notions of the Angels eating. 415.-of elements, &c.] Dr. Bentley is for omitting here eleven lines together, but we cannot agree with him in thinking them the editor's, though we entirely agree with him in wishing, that the author had taken more care what notions of philosophy he had put into the mouth of an ArchAngel. It is certainly a great mistake to attribute the spots in the moon (which are owing to the inequalities of her surface, and to the different nature of her constituent parts, land and water) to vapours not yet turned into her substance. It is certainly very unphilosophical to say that the sun sups with the ocean, but it is not unpoetical. And whatever other faults are found in these lines, they are not so properly the faults of Milton, as of his times, and of those systems of philosophy which he had learned in his younger years. If he had written after the late discoveries and improvements in science, he would have written in another manner. 426.Though in Heav'n the trees, &c.] In mentioning trees of life and vines in Heaven he is justified by Scripture. See Rev. xxii. 2. Mat. xxvi. 29. 435. -the common gloss Of Theclogians;] The usual comment and exposition of divines. For several of the Fathers and ancient Do&ors were of opinion, that the Angels did not really eat, but only seemed to do so; and they ground that opinion principally upon what the Angel Raphael says in the book of Tobit, xii. 19. All these days did I appear unto you, but I did neither eat nor drink, but you did see a vision." But our author was of the contrary opinion, that the Angel did not eat in appearance only but in reality, with keen dispach of real hunger as he says, and this opinion is confirmed by the accounts in the Canonical Scripture of Abraham's entertaining three Angels at one time, and Lot's entertaining wo Angels at another. See Gen. xviii. and xix. 445. With pleasant liquors eroton'd:] To crown their cups, was a phrase among the Greeks and Romans for filling them above the brim, but yet not so as to run over. So it is used by Homer, Iliad. i. 470 ; and by Virgil, Georg. ii. 528. -et socii cratera coronant. 467. yet what compare?] His speech was wary; and he was afraid to ask the Angel directly of the different conditions of Men and Angels; but yet intimates his desire to know, by questioning whether there was any comparison between them. .468. To whom the winged Hierarch reply'd.] Raphael's behaviour is every way suitable to the dignity of his nature, and to that character of a sociable Spirit, withwhich the author has so judiciously introduced him. He had received instructions to converse with Adam, as one friend converses with another, and to warn him of the enemy who was con triving his destruction: accordingly he is represented as sitting down at table with Adam, and eating of the fruits of Paradise. The occasion naturally leads him to his discourse on the food of Angels. After having thus entered into conversation with Man upon more indifferent subjects, he warns him of his obedience, and makes a natural transition to the history of that fallen Angel, who was employed in the circumvention of our first parents. Addison. 478. Till body up to spirit work, &c.] Our author should have considered things better, for by attributing his own false notions in philosophy to an Arch-Angel, he has really lessened the character, which he intended to raise. He is as much mistaken here in his metaphysics, as he was before in his physics. This notion of matter refining into spirit is by no means observing the bounds proportioned to each kind. I suppose, he meant it as a comment on the doctrine of a natural body changed into a spiritual body, as in 1 Cor. xv. and perhaps borrowed it from some of his systems of divinity. For Milton, as he was too much of a materialist in his philosophy, so he was too much of a systematist in his divinity. 509.-and the scale of nature set Frem centre to circumference,] The scale or ladder of nature ascends by steps from a point, a centre, to the whole circum ference of what mankind can see or comprehend. The me taphor is bold and vastly expressive. Matter, one first matter is this centre; nature infinitely diversified is the scale which reaches to the utmost of our conceptions, all round. We are thus led to God; whose circumference who can tell? Uncircumscrib'd be fills infinitude, vii. 170. Richardson. 512. By steps we may ascend to God.] There is a real visible ladder (besides that visionary one of Jacob) whose foot, tho' placed on the earth amongst the lowest of the creation, yet leads us by steps in contemplation of created things up to God, the invisible creator of all things. 548. -nor knew I not To be both will and deed created free;] Nor was it unknown to me that my will and actions are free. I knew I was free. Two negatives make an affirmative. 551. -whose command Single is yet so just,] That is the command not to eat of the forbidden tree, the only cominand given to Man. 557. Worthy of sacred silence to be heard;] Worthy of religious silence, such as was required at the sacrifices and other religious ceremonies of the Ancients; alluding to that of Horace, Od. ii. xiii. 29, 30. Utrumque sacro digna silentio Mirantur umbræ dicere. 563. High matter thou injoin'st me', O prime of men, Sad task and hard, &c.] It is customary with the epic poets to introduce by way of episode and narration the principal events, which happened before the action of the poem commences: and as Homer's Ulysses relates his adventures to Alcinous, and as Virgil's Æneas recounts the history of the siege of Troy and of his own travels to Dido; so the Angel relates to Adam the fall of Angels and the creation of the, world. 577. As yet this world was not, &c.] Had I followed Monsieur Bossu's method, I should have dated the action of Paradise Lost from the beginning of Raphael's speech in this book, as he supposes the action of the Eneid to begin in the second book of that poem. I could allege many reasons for my drawing the action of the Æneid rather from its immediate beginning in the first book, than from its remote beginning in the second; and show why I have considered the sacking of Troy as an episode, according to the common acceptation of that word. But as this would be a dry unentertaining piece of criticism, I shall not enlarge upon it. Whichever of the notions be true, the unity of Milton's action is preserved according to either of them; whether we consider the fall of Man in its immediate beginning, as proceeding from the resolutions taken in the infernal council, or in its more remote beginning, as proceeding from the first revolt of the Angels in Heaven. The occasion which Milton assigns for this revolt, as it is founded on hints in holy Writ, and on the opinion of some great writers, so it was the most proper that the poet could have made use of. The revolt in Heaven is described with great force of imagination, and a fine variety of circumstances. Addison. 579. Upon her centre pois'd;] Ponderibus librata suis, as Ovid says. Met. i. 13; or as Milton elsewhere expresses it, vii. 242, And Earth self-balanc'd on her centre hung. 583. As Heav'n's great year] Our poet seems to have had Plato's great year in his thoughts. Magnus ab integro seclorum nascitur ordo. -Et incipient magni procedere menses. Plato's great year of the Heavens is the the spheres. Virg. Ecl. iv. 5. Ecl. iv. 12. revolution of all 589. Standards and gonfalons] A gonfalon is some kind of streamer or banner, but of what particuar sort authors do not seem to be at all agreed, and neither is it very material to know. 606. Milton was evidently an Arian in his opinion con.cerning the subordination of the Son to the Father. 642. ambrosial night] So Homer calls the night ambrosial, Iliad. ii. 57; and sleep for the same reason ambrosial, ver. 19, because it refreshes and strengthens as much as food, as much as ambrosia. 685. Tell them that by command, &c.] He begins his revolt with a lie. So well doth Milton preserve the character given of him in Scripture, John viii. 44. The Devil is a liar and the father of lies. 713. And from within the golden lamps] Alluding to the lamps |