(1615) his assertion that the earth is not the centre of the universe, but revolves round the sun; and when he published the same opinions later (1632), his book was publicly burned, and he was imprisoned and made to recant and do penance. 289. Fesolè, Fiesole, is a hill, with a town on it, a little north of Florence. 290. Valdarno, Val d'Arno, the valley of the Arno. Both Florence and Pisa are on the Arno.-New lands, &c. Galileo was the first to discover that the surface of the moon is uneven. See 294. Ammiral, admiral; the chief ship of a fleet-not the commander. Clarendon, second extract, note on admiral. Fr. amiral (from Arab. amir or emir, a lord, followed by the def. art. al). 296. Marle, marl; soil, generally. 299. Nathless, old nâ-thy-læs, none the less, nevertheless. 300. Inflamed sea. Set in flames, blazing; cf. 210, 222, &c.; also 61-2: 'A dungeon horrible on all sides round As one great furnace flamed.' 302. Autumnal leaves, &c. Milton describes from personal observation. In 1638-9, he spent four months in and near Florence. There it was that I found and visited the famous Galileo, grown old, a prisoner to the Inquisition for thinking in astronomy otherwise than the Franciscan and Dominican licensers thought' (Areopagitica). 303. Vallombrosa (Lat. vallis umbrosa, 'shady valley') is eighteen miles east of Florence. The fall of leaves is hastened and the accumulation of them enormously increased by the peasants, whom Milton had no doubt seen beating the woods for chestnuts. The Etrurian shades. The basin of the Arno was included in the Etruria of classical times. 304. Or, &c. Shew the exact gram matical connection of this clause with what precedes. -Scattered sedge. The Hebrew name of the Red Sea was 'Sea of Sedge' (seaweed). 305. Orion, a giant and mighty hunter (or oppressor of men), was placed at his death in the most brilliant of the constellations. He appears 'armed' -the classical writers say armatus -with sword, belt, and club.Fierce winds. It was observed that bad weather commonly attended the setting of the constellation of Orion, in November. Hence Vergil calls him nimbosus (stormy), aquosus (rainy), and sævus (fierce, raging). 306-10. See Exod. xiv. 307. Busīris, a mythical king of Egypt, who sacrificed all foreign visitors. He was slain by Hercules, who refused to submit to the usual fate of strangers. 'Milton follows Raleigh in History of the World in making him the Pharaoh who oppressed the Israelites' (Masson).-Memphian, rhetorically used for the more general adj. 'Egyptian.' At one time Thebes and Memphis were both capitals of Egypt with equal rank. After the fall of Thebes, Memphis became the sole capital of the whole country. It was a most ancient city, and famous for its buildings, especially its temples. It stood on the left bank of the Nile, a little above modern Cairo. -Chivalry perhaps gives prominence to 'the chariots and the horsemen,' without neglecting 'all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them' (Exod. xiv. 28). Fr. chevalerie, &c. (Chaucer, The Knight, 45, note, page 30). 308. With perfidious "hatred. Pharaoh bade them begone, but soon giving way to his hatred, he nevertheless pursued them (Exod. xii. and xiv.). 309. Sojourners of Goshen. See Gen. xlvii. 27. The Land of Goshen was east of the lower Nile, between the Nile and the Red Sea. 312. Abject, Lat. ab-jecti, lit. cast away, thrown down. PANDEMONIUM. (From Paradise Lost, Book I.) There stood a hill not far, whose grisly top 670 Belched fire and rolling smoke; the rest entire Shone with a glossy scurf-undoubted sign That in his womb was hid metallic ore, The work of sulphur. Thither, winged with speed, 675 From heaven; for even in heaven his looks and thoughts Were always downward bent, admiring more 681 The riches of heaven's pavement, trodden gold, Than aught, divine or holy, else enjoyed In vision beatific. By him first Men also, and by his suggestion taught, And digged out ribs of gold. Let none admire 685 690 695 700 With wondrous art, founded the massy ore, Severing each kind, and scummed the bullion dross. 705 A various mould, and from the boiling cells By strange conveyance filled each hollow nook; To many a row of pipes the sound-board breathes. 710 Rose like an exhalation, with the sound Built like a temple, where pilasters round Were set, and Doric pillars overlaid With golden architrave; nor did there want 715 Cornice or frieze, with bossy sculptures graven : The roof was fretted gold. Not Babylon Equalled in all their glories, to enshrine 720 Their kings, when Egypt with Assyria strove In wealth and luxury. The ascending pile Stood fixed her stately highth: and straight the doors, Opening their brazen folds, discover, wide Within, her ample spaces o'er the smooth 725 And level pavement: from the arched roof, NOTES. 673. His, the hill's. We should now use 'its.' The old poss. or genitive of 'it' (anciently 'hit') was 'his.' 'Its' appeared about the end of the 16th century, but was not freely adopted till the times of Charles II. 'Its' does not occur in the Bible (except in a modern misprint, Levit. xxv. 5, where its should be it); it is very rare in Shakspeare and Bacon, and it is found only three times in Milton's poems. Elsewhere Milton uses 'his' or 'her.' 'On the whole, her seems to have been his favourite' (Masson). 674. The work of sulphur, produced, generated by sulphur. The science 730 of the middle ages. based itself on a doctrine that sulphur and mercury were the two all-pervading substances or agencies in nature (unless salt was to be taken as a third), generating all things between them' (Masson). 679-88. Mammon, &c. The character of Mammon is a digression (cf. 203-8) from the building of Pandemonium.—Mammon' is Syriac for 'riches;' often, as here, personified. There was no ancient god of this name. 682. Riches is Fr. richesse, richness, wealth. It has become assimilated to the plural form, and as subject to a verb it may take the plural | 710-7. It has been supposed that the construction (691). Cf. 'alms' (Latimer, second extract, notes), and 'eaves'-which are both etymologically singular, though often used as plural. Riches of &c. Cf. Rev. xxi. 21: 'the street of the city [the heavenly Jerusalem] was pure gold!' So in Homer's heaven (Iliad, iv. 2). 684. Vision beatific, or blissful: the seeing God face to face, and being thus perfectly blessed. 686. The centre, the supposed centre of the universe, the earth. 690. Admire, Lat. admiror, wonder. 693. Mortal things: things that mortals or human beings are concerned in, or have to do with. 694 Babel, or Babylon, on the Euphrates, was one of the oldest and greatest cities of the ancient world. The walls of the city (see Alfred, Description of Babylon), the royal palaces, the temple of Belus, and the 'hanging gardens' of Nebuchadnezzar, excited universal wonder.Works of Memphian (or Egyptian) kings. See 307, second note. But their greatest works were the Pyramids, the oldest existing monuments in the world. 697. In an hour. What does this phrase modify? Supply the ellipsis. 698-9. According to some Lat. writers, 360,000 men were engaged nearly 20 years upon one of the pyramids. 702. Sluiced, supplied from the lake under the regulation of a sluice (Fr. écluse). From Lat. ex-clausum (to shut off). 703. Founded, cast or shaped by fouring the melted metal into a form or mould. Fr. fondre (to melt), Lat. fundere (to pour). 704. Severing (O. Fr. sevrer, Ital. severare, mod. Fr. séparer, Lat. separare), separating. For modification of into v, cf. arrive' (through Fr.) from Lat. ad-ripam (to the bank); 'savour,' O. Fr. saveur, from Lat. saporem. 710. Fabric huge. Cf. 'pile' (722). particulars of the description were suggested by 'some of the moving scenes and machines invented for the stage by the famous Inigo Jones;' and Todd refers to an account of the machinery displayed in a Mask acted at Whitehall on the Sunday after Twelfth Night in 1637: 'In the further part of the scene, the earth opened; and there rose up a richly adorned palace, seeming all of goldsmith's work, with porticoes vaulted, on pilasters of rustick work; their bases and capitals of gold.-Above these ran an architrave, frieze, and cornice of the same; the frieze enriched with jewels.-When this palace was arrived to the height, the whole scene was changed into a peristylium of two orders, Doric and Ionic, &c.' 711. Exhalation, vapour, steam-what is breathed out. From Lat. ex and hālātum (to breathe).-Rose, &c. Fine comparison, indicating marvellous ease and power. Homer had applied it somewhat differently in describing Thetis rising from the sea like a thin mist' (Il. i. 359). Later (1711), Pope adopted Milton's expression, in The Temple of Fame, v. 91: The growing towers like exhalations rise.' 712. Dulcet, sweet (usually) to the ear, melodious. Lat. dulcis (sweet).Symphonies (Gr. symphonia, from sym, syn, together, with, and phōnē, voice, sound: unison or harmony), musical compositions for a full band. 713. Pilaster (Fr. pilastre, from Lat. pila, a pillar), a square pillar, sometimes detached, but usually partly sunk in the wall. while it has a thick and rapidly tapering shaft, and a simple and massive capital. 715. Architrave (from Gr. archos, chief, and Ital. trave, Lat. trabs, a beam), the chief beam, resting on the summit of the row of columns' (Dr Smith). 716. Cornice or frieze. "The frieze rises above the architrave, and is frequently adorned by figures in relief' (Dr Smith)-i. e. it is frequently 'with bossy sculptures graven.' 'Frieze' is Fr. frise, Ital. fregio, Lat. phrygio (an embroiderer -the Phrygians being famous for their skill in embroidery).-The cornice projects above the frieze. 'Cornice' is Ital., from Lat. corōna (crown, bordering), from forms meaning 'hooked' or 'curved.' 717. Fretted, formed into raised work, especially by interlacing bars or bands; variegated, ornamented.— Babylon (cf. 694, 'Babel') was in its greatest glory under Nebuchadnezzar six centuries before Christ. 718. Alcairo, Memphis-not modern Cairo. 719. Their. Yet the subjects are for mally separated by 'nor.' Examples are not uncommon. 720. Belus, Bel, or Baal, the great god of the Assyrians. For his temple, see 694, note on 'Babel.'-Sèrăpis, or Serapis, had a splendid temple at Alexandria. 721. Assyria, in the wider sense, covering the basins of the Euphrates and the Tigris, was ruled from Nineveh and Babylon. 722. Ascending. Remarkably vivid effect, as if the action were going on before our eyes. 723. Stood fixed her stately highth, stood firm throughout the whole height, from bottom to top.-Her: cf. 725, and see 673, note on 'his.' Cf. Par. Lost, i. 591-2: 'His form had yet not lost All her original brightness.' And ii. 270-1: "This desert soil Wants not her hidden lustre, gems and gold.' -Highth: Milton's all but uniform spelling. 724. Folds, leaves, Lat. valvæ; doors, in ancient times, usually consisted of two leaves.Discover. See notes, page 149. 728. Cressets, open cruet-like vessels, pots, or cages, where combustible materials (e.g. tarred or pitched ropes) were burnt to make a great light. Describe in prose the building of Pandemonium. A BATTLE SCENE. (From Paradise Lost, Book VI.) [Raphael describes to Adam how Michael and Gabriel battled against Satan and his angels. In the second day's fight, Michael and his angels were disconcerted by devilish engines of Satan's invention, and they stood a while in trouble.'] But they stood not long; Rage prompted them at length, and found them arms Against such hellish mischief fit to oppose. 636 |