Europe thence, and where Rome was to sway the world: the less is said of Europe as it is so well known. In spirit perhaps. be also saw, he could not see it otherwise, as America was on the opposite side of the globe, rich Mexico in North America the seat of Montezume, who was subdued by the Spanish general Cortes, and Cusco in Peru in South America, the richer seat of Atabalipa, the last emperor subdued by the Spanish general Pizarro, and yet unspoil'd Guiana, another country of South America not then invaded and spoiled, whose great city, namely Manhoa, Geryon's sons, the Spaniards from Geryon, an ancient king of Spain, call El Dorado, or the golden city, on ac count of its richness and extent. And thus he surveys the four different parts of the world, but it must be confessed, more with an ostentation of learning, than with any additional beauty to the poem. 411. -but to nobler sights Michael from Adam's eyes the film remov'd,] These which follow are nobler sights, being not only of cities and kingdoms, but of the principal actions of men to the final consummation of things. And to prepare Adam for these sights the Angel remov'd the film from his eyes, as Pallas removed the mists from Diomedes his eyes, Iliad v. 127. Yet more, from mortal mists I purge thy eyes, And set to view the warring Deities. Pope. And as Venus did likewise from those of Æneas, Æn. ii. 604. Now cast your eyes around; while I dissolve The mists and films that mortal eyes involve, Purge from your sight the dross, and make you see The shape of each avenging Deity. Dryden. 414-purg'd with euphrasy and rue] Cleared the organs of his sight with rue and euphrasy or eye-bright, so named from its clearing virtue. Hume.. 429. His eyes be open'd and beheld a field, &c.] In this great review which Adam takes of all his sons and daughters, the first objects he is presented with exhibit to him the story of Cain and Abel, which is drawn together with much closeness and propriety of expression. That curiosity and natural horror, which arises in Adam at the sight of the first dying man, is touched with great beauty. Addison. 434. A sweaty reaper from bis tillage brought &c.] It may be proper to compare this account with the sacred history, to which it alludes, Gen. iv. 2. &c. "And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, an offering to the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof." The Scripture says only "The Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.” "And Cain was very wroth-And Cain talked with Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." is very properly made the first vision, and is so much enlarged upon, as it is of Adam's immediate descendants. This 458.. and th' other's faith approv'd] It was, according to the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, who bears this testimony to it, xi. 4. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead, yet speaketh." 477-Immediately a place &c.] The second vision sets before him the image of death in a great variety of appearances. The Angel, to give him a general idea of those effects which his guilt had brought upon his posterity, places before him a large hospital or lazar-house, filled with persons lying under all kinds of mortal diseases. How finely has the poet told us that the sick persons languished under lingering and incurable distem. pers, by an apt and judicious use of such imaginary beings as those I mentioned in my last paper! The passion, which likewise rises in Adam on this occasion, is very natural. The discourse between the Angel and Adam which follows, abounds with noble morals. Addison. 487. Marasmus,] The word is Greek, and it signifies a kind of consumption, accompanied with a fever wasting the body by degrees. 489. Dire was the tossing, deep the groans; Despair &c.] This is intirely in the picturesque manner of Spenser, and seems to allude particularly to that beautiful passage, where describing the way to Pluto's grisly reign, he represents Pain, Strife, Revenge, &c. as so many persons assembled, and over them sat Horror soaring with grim hue, and beating his iron wings. Faery Queen, book ii. cant. 7. st. 21. to 24. By that way's side there sat infernal Pain, &c. Thyer. The breaks and pauses in this verse are admirable; and this beauty is improved by each period's beginning with the same letter d. Dire was the tossing, deep the groans; Despair 495. -Adam wept Though not of woman born; compassion quell'd His best of man, and gave him up to tears] This thought (as Mr. Whalley observes) is certainly from Shakespear, whose words Milton has preserved at the close of the sentence. I had not so much of man about me, But all my mother came into my eyes, And gave me up to tears. Henry v. act iv. 517. To serve ungovern'd appetite,] Appetite here is made a person and took his image whom they serv'd, that is ungoverned appetite's, a brutish vice, that was the principal occa sion of the sin of Eve, inductive mainly to the sin of Eve. How different is this image of God's image, when (as we read in iv. 291.) -in their looks divine The image of their glorious Maker shone, 531. The rule of not too much,] Ne quid nimis. 537. Gather'd, not barshly pluck'd, for death mature:] He seems to have had in mind this passage of Cicero de Senect. ́19, "Et quasi poma ex arboribus, cruda si sint, vi avelluntur; si matura et cocta, decidunt: sic vitam adolescentibus vis aufert, senibus maturitas." 538. But then thou must outlive &c.] There is something very just and poetical in this description of the miseries of old age, so finely contrasted as they are with the opposite pleasures of youth. It is indeed short, but vastly expressive, and I think ought to excite the pity as well as the admiration of the reader; since the poor poet is here no doubt describing what he felt at the time he wrote it, being then in the decline of life, and troubled with various infirmities. Thyer. 554 i. ix. 9. -permit to Heaven:] Permitte Divis. Hor. Od. 556. He look'd and saw a spacious plain, &c.] As there is nothing more delightful in poetry than a contrast and opposi tion of incidents, the author after this melancholy prospect of death and sickness, raises up a scene of mirth, love, and jollity. The secret pleasure that steals into Adam's heart, as he is intent upon this vision, is imagined with great delicacy. I must not omit the description of the loose female troop, who seduced the sons of God, as they are called in Scripture. Addison. For that fair female troop thou saw'st, &c. 557. Were tents of various bue; &c.] These were the tents of the posterity of Cain, as the author himself afterwards instructs us; "by some were herds of cattle grazing; these belonged to Jabal, he was the father of such as dwell in tents. and of such as have cattle." Gen. iv. 20. "Others, whence the sound was heard of harp and organ; these belonged to Ju bal, he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.' Gen. iv. 21. "In other part stood one at the forge, this was Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron." Gen. iv. 22. Milton is more particular in this description, as he was himself a lover of music, and a performer upon the organ. 573. Fusil or grav'n] By melting or carving. Hume 573. After these,] As being the descendants of the younger brother, but on the bither side, Cain having been banished into a more distant country, a different sort, the posterity of Seth wholly different from that of Cain, from the bigb neighb'ring bills which was their seat, having their habitation in the mountains near Paradise, down to the plain descended, where the Cainites dwelt: by their guise just men they seem'd, and all their study bent to worship God aright, the Scripture itself speaks of them as the worshippers of the true God, and know his works not bid, and Josephus and other writers inform us that they were addicted to the study of natural philosophy, and especially of astronomy, nor was it their last care and stu dy to know those things which might preserve freedom and peace to men. Though this account of the Sethites be in the general agreeable to Scripture, yet the particulars of their living in the mountains near Paradise, and of their descending thence into the plain, and their corrupting themselves in that manner with the daughters of Cain, our author seems to have taken from the oriental writers, and particularly from the Annals of Eutichius. 582. A bevy of fair women,] A bevy is a company, of the Italian beva (says Hume) a covey of partridges. 621. To these that sober race of men, &c.] As we read in Gen. vi. 2." The sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." It is now generally agreed that this passage is to be understood of the sons of Seth, the worshippers of the true God making matches with the idolatrous daughters of wicked Cain; and Milton very rightly puts this construction upon it here, though elsewhere he seems to give into the old exploded conceit of the Angels becoming enamoured with the daughters of men. See iii. 463, and the note there, and likewise v. 447. and Parad. Reg. ii. 178, &c. 638. He look'd, and saw wide territory spread &c.] The next vision is of a quite contrary nature, and filled with the horrors of war. Adam at the sight of it melts into tears, and breaks out into that passionate speech, O what are these, Death's ministers, not men &c. Addison. 642.-emprise;] An old word for enterprise. It is used in the Mask. 660. In other part the scepter'd beralds call &c.] It may be noted here once for all, that in this visionary part Milton has frequently had his eye upon Homer, and several of the images which are represented to Adam are copies of the descriptions on the shield of Achilles, Iliad xviii. His eyes he open'd, and beheld a field, Part arable and tilth, whereon were sheaves New reap'd, the other part sheep-walks and folds. Is not this Homer's description a little contracted? ver. 550, &c. Another field rose high with waving grain; With bended sickles stand the reaper train. Here stretch'd in ranks the level'd swarths are found, Next this, the eye the art of Vulcan leads 587, &c. Deep through fair forests, and a length of meads; The vision of marriages. |