with his wife, leaving Thebes in Boeotia, which he had founded and for divers misfortunes quitted, and coming into Illyria, they were both turned into serpents for having slain one sacred to Mars, as we read in the fourth book of Ovid's Metamorphosis. But the expression, "those that chang'd Hermione and Cadmus," has occasioned some difficulty. Did those serpents, says Dr. Bentley," change Hermione and Cadmus ?" or were not these, who were man and woman once, chang'd into serpents? And Dr. Pearce replies, We may excuse this as a poetical liberty of expression; 'tis much the same as the critics have observed in Ovid's Metam. i. . where "formas mutat's in nova corpora" stands for "corpora mutata in novas formas." In both places the changing is attributed, not to the persons changed, but to the forms or shapes into which they were changed. They were therefore still Hermione and Cadmus, though chang'd; as the Devil was still the Devil, though inclosed in a serpent. And thus it may be said with the greatest propriety, that none of serpent kind were lovelier, "not those that in Illyria chang'd Hermione and Cadmus, or the God in Epidaurus," that is Esculapius the God of physic, the son of Apollo, who was worshipped at Epidaurus, a city of Peloponnesus, and being sent for to Rome in the time of a plague assumed the form of a serpent, and accompanied the Ambassadors, as the story was related in the eleventh book of Livy, and may still be read in the fifteenth book of Ovid's Metamorphoses: but tho' he was thus changed in appearance, he was still sculapius. Nor were those serpents lovelier, "to which transform'd Ammonian Jove or Capitoline was seen," Jupiter Ammon and Jupiter Capitolinus, the one the Lybian Jupiter, the other the Roman, called Capitoline from the Capitol his temple at Rome: "He with Olympias," the first the pretended father of Alexander the Great, conversing with his mother Olympias in the form of a serpent: "this with her who bore Scipio the heighth of Rome," the latter fabled in like manner to have been the father of Scipio Africanus, who raised his country and himself to the highest pitch of glory. 513. As when a ship, &c.] There are some Latin poems of Andrew Ramsay, a Scotchman, in the time of Charles the first, under this title "Poemata sacra Andreæ Ramsæi Pastoris Edinburgeni. Edinburgi 1663." The book is now grown very scarce, but there are few poems in it. The principal is one in four books, the first of the creation, the second of the happy state of man, the third of the fall of man, the fourth of the redemption of man by Jesus Christ: and this poem was recommended to me as a performance to which Milton had been much obliged and indebted: but upon perusing it I do not well see how two authors could write so much upon the same subjects, and write more differently. There are few or no traces to be discovered of any similitude or resemblance between them, but in the simile before us, and the following one of the Scotch poet, and these are so different, and applied so differently, that they may both be originals, or at least not the copy the one of the other. Milton's is applied to the oblique motion of the serpent, this of Ramsay to the Devil tempting our Saviour, and when one temptation would not avail, trying another: -Ut vento portum qui fortè reflante Non potis est capere, is malos et lintea vela So that upon the whole it is to be questioned whether Milton had ever seen these poems of Ramsay, or knew any thing of them; different authors may easily hit upon the same thought without borrowing from one another. 522. Than at Circean call the herd disguis'd,] All beasts of the field used to play and sport before her, more obedient to her voice, than men turned into beasts by the famous inchantress Circ were to her. 531. His fraudulent temptation thus began.] We see by this first speech of Satan what our author thought the most probable, the most natural, and the most successful way of beginning a temptation upon a woman, namely flattery, extravagant admiration of her person, and fulsome commendations of her merit and beauty, and by these means engaging her attention, and so deluding her to ruin. This speech is much of the same strain and spirit with that which Satan had made to her before in her dream, v. 37, &c. and it had a fatal effect, for Into the heart of Eve his words made way. To cry her up as a Goddess was the readiest way to make her a mere mortal. 563. How cam'st thou speakable of mute,] The word speakable is used in an active as well as in a passive sense, and may signify "what can speak as well as what can be spoken." Here it is to be understood in the former sense, speakable or able to speak. 581.•-sweetest fennel, or the teats] He mentions such things as were reputed most agreeable to serpents. Feniculum anguibus gratissimum, says Pliny, Nat. Hist. 1. xix. c. 9. sect. 56. They were likewise supposed to suck the teats of ewes and goats. 585. those fair apples,] There is no knowing for certain what the forbidden fruit was. The common notion is that it was a sort of apple, and that is sufficient to justify a poet, all things fair and good; 605 But all that fair and good in thy divine Semblance, and in thy beauty's heav'nly ray United I bebeld ;] This is very like what Adam had said before to the Angel, viii. 471. And it is really wonderful, that the poet could express things so much alike so differently, and yet both so well. 609. Equivalent or second,] Nec viget quicquam simile Hor. Od. i. xii. 18. aut secundum. 612.universal Dame.] The word Dame conveys a low idea at present: but formerly it was an appellation of respect and honour, and signified mistress or lady, and was probably derived from the French dame and the Latin domina. Universal dame, Domina universi. 613.- So talk'd, &c.] Milton has shown more art and ability in taking off the common objections to the Mosaic history of the temptation by the addition of some cir cumstances of his own invention, than in any other theologic part of his poem. Warburton. 631. He leading swiftly roll'd In tangles,] This is Virgil's rapit orbes per bumum: but I think Tasso much exceeds them both in describing the roll ing of a serpent. Cant, xv. st. 48. Horrientra in se stesso, hor le nodose 643 -and into fraud] Fraud signifies hurt and da mage, as well as deceit and illusion. Virg. Æn. x. 72. Quis Deus in fraudem, quæ dura potentia nostra, Egit? And Milton often uses English words in the Latin signifi cation. 653. Sole daughter of his voice ;] Another Hebraism. Bath Kol, the daughter of a voice, is a noted phrase among the Jews, and they understand by it a voice from Heaven; and this command is called the sole daughter, as it is the only command that we read of, that was given to our first Parents in Paradise. 659.- Of the fruit &c.] This is exactly the answer of Eve in Genesis iii. 2, 3, put into verse. And it shows great art and judgment in our author, in knowing so well when to adhere to the words of Scripture, and when to am plify and inlarge upon them, as he does in Satan's reply to Eve. 673. Stood in himself collected,] This beautiful and nervous expression, which Milton has used in several places, was, I fancy, adopted from the Italian in se raccolto. I do not remember to have met with it in any English writer before his time. 675. Sometimes in bighth began, as no delay Of preface brooking through his zeal of right:] Thus Cicero in his first oration against Catiline-Quousque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra? &c. Thyer. 685.- -ye shall not die:] Gen. iii. 4. And it is very artfully contrived by our author to make the Serpent give an instance in himself. 686. How should ge? By the fruit? It gives you life To knowledge; by the threatner? Look on me,] So the passage should evidently be pointed. It was printed very wrong in Milton's own editions thus: How should ye? By the fruit? it gives you life To knowledge? By the threatner, look on me. 702. Your fear itself of death removes the fear.] Justice is inseparable from the very being and essence of God, so that could he be unjust, he would be no longer God, and then neither to be obeyed nor feared; so that the fear of death, which does imply injustice in God, destroys itself, because God can as well cease to be, as cease to be just. 705.——be knows that in the day &c.] Gen. iii. 5. So that where the author comments and enlarges upon Scripture, he still preserves as much as may be the very words of Scripture. 714. -to put on Gods ;] The Scripture expression as in 1 Cor. xv. 53. "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 727. What can your knowledge burt bim, or this tree Impart against his will if all be bis ?] Dr. Bentley says that Milton had said Gods in all the argument before, and therefore designed here, What can your knowledge hurt them, or this tree But Milton had said God in ver. 692. and 700: and I think be uses the singular number in the very next preceding sentence, ver. 722. who inclos'd Knowledge of good and evil in this tree? So that bim and bis here refer to him, who inclos'd &c. He seems to use both numbers promiscuously, sometimes speaking of God, sometimes of Gods; and I think we may observe that he generally speaks of Gods, when the sentiment would be too horrid, if it was spoken of God. 739. Meanwhile the hour of noon drew on, and wak'd An eager appetite,] This is a circumstance beautifully added by our author to the Scripture account, in order to make the folly and impiety of Eve appear less extravagant and monă strous. 750.-be also who forbids] As if it had not been God who had forbidden; but God was not now in all her thoughts. She afterwards professes he self ignorant of him, ver. 775. 777. Fair to the eye, inviting to the taste, Of virtue to make wise:] Gen. iii. 6. « The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise." 793. And bighten'd as with wine, &c.] That secret intexication of pleasure, with all those transient Aushings of |