Of length prodigious, joining to the wall
Immoveable of this now fenceless world
Forfeit to Death; from hence a passage broad,
Smooth, eafy, inoffensive down to Hell.

305 So, if great things to small may be compar'd,

Xerxes,

thus;

the gate,

points in the passage, and reading

the reft his look

Bound with Gorgonian rigor not the rest his look

to move ; Bound with Gorgonian rigor not

And with Asphaltic flime, broad as to move. And with Asphaltic Nime, broad Deep to the roots of Hell &c. as the gate,

The sense is then the very fame as Deep to the roots of Hell, the ga. in the

foregoing moft excellent rether'd beach

mark of Dr. Pearce's, and we venThey faften'd,

ture to print it accordingly. We The firft part of the passage, end- generally follow carefully Mlton's ing at move, I understand as re- own punctuation, but though he lating only to the hardening the was extremely accurate, yet he was soft and slimy substances : and all the not always infallible. A false pointreft seems to relate to the faft'ning ing may now and then escape the the foundation with Asphaltic slime most correct writer and printer in to the roots of Hell. I may be the world. mistaken in my conjecture; but this reading (methinks) bids fairer for

304. - from bence a palage broad, the true one, than either of the

Smooth, easy, inoffenfive down to other two.

Hell.) Alluding perhaps to

Pearce. It appears that by the rest we are

Virgil, Æn. VI. 126. to understand the slimy parts, as di- facilis descensus Averni: fiinguith'd from the solid or foil: Or to the paths of wickedness, and it would be very absurd to say, that his look bound the flimy parts

Heliod. Epp. I. 285. wirb Alpbaltic flime or as with Af- Την μεν τοι κακοτητα και ιλαδο» pbaltic slime. It is much easier to

εςιν ελεθαι fupposé with Mr. Richardson that Puïdows' vargo [^en] per one, the comma after move and the fe

feeda Moscoercito Jortin. micolon after fime have changed places, and that the paffage should 306. So Xerxes &c.] This fimile be read thus

is verv exact and beautiful.' As Sin Q3

and

Xerxes, the liberty of Greece to yoke,
From Susa his Memnonian palace high
Came to the sea, and over Hellespont
Bridging his way, Europe with Asia join'd,

310
And scourg'd with many a stroke th’ indignant waves,
Now had they brought the work by wondrous art
Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock,
Over the vex'd abyss, following the track
Of Satan to the self same place where he 315
First lighted from his wing, and landed safe

From

and Death built a bridge over Chaos to be so confind, as Virgil says, to lubdue and inslave mankind : So Pontem indignatus Araxes, Æn. if great things to small may be com- VIII. 728. and Georg. II. 162, par'd, Si parva licet componere Atque indignatum magnis ftridorimagnis, as Virgil says, Gcorg. IV.

bus æquor. 176. Xerxes, the Persian monarch, to bring the free states of Greece Lucan has likewise made a fimile of under his yoke, came from Susa, Xerxes his bridge over the Hel. the chief city of Susiana a province lespont. Pharsal. II. 672. of Persia, the residence of the Per- Tales fama canit tumidum fuper fian Monarchs, called Memnonia by

æquora Xerxem Herodotus, of Memnon who built Construxisse vias, multum cum ponit and reigned there; and over Hel- tibus ausus, lespont bridging his way, and build- Europamque Afiæ, Seftonque ading a bridge over Hellespont, the movit Abydo, narrow sea by Conftantinople, that Inceslitque fretum rapidi fuper Hele divides Europe from Asia, to march lesponti. his large army over it, Europe with Ajia join'd, and feourg'd with many

312.

by wondrous art a firoke th' indignant waves; allud. Pontifical,] By the frange art of ing particularly to Xerxes his mad- railing bridges. Pontifex, the high ness in ordering the sea to be whipt priest of the Romans, had chat for the lols of some of his ships ; name from pons a bridge and facers indignant waves, scorning and raging to make : 'Quia sublicius pons a

320

From out of Chaos, to the outside bare
Of this round world: with pins of adamant
And chains they made all faft, too fast they made
And durable; and now in little space
The confines met of empyréan Heaven
And of this world, and on the left hand Hell
With long reach interpos’d; three several ways
In fight, to each of these three places led.
And now their way to Earth they had descry'd, 325
To Paradise first tending, whert behold

Satan

Pontificibus factus eft primum, et rather is not here another instance reftitutus fæpe, according to Varro. of false pointing ? and fhould not

Hume. the comma after Satan be omitted, Art pontifical, this is a very bad ex- and be inserted after Chaos ? and is preltion to fignify the art of build- not this the construction of the ing bridges, and yet to suppose a whole passage? Now had they brought pun would be worse, as if the Ro- the work - over the vex'd abyss man priesthood were as ready to to the outside bare of this round world, make the way easy to Hell, as Sin following the track of Satan to the and Death did. Warburton. Jelf same place where he firft lighted 317. From out of Chaos, to the from his wing, and landed safe from

eutside bare] In Milton's own out of Chaos. We venture to print editions the verses are thus, it accordingly, not knowing weil Of Satan, to the self fame place how to make sense and grammar of where he

it otherwise. First lighted from his wing, and

on the left hand Hell] He landed safe

places Hell on the left hand acFrom out of Cháos to the outside cording to our Saviour's description bare &c.

of the day of judgment, Then mall

be say unto them on the left hand, Is not here a false print? and is it Matt. XXV.41: of rather accordnot properer to read landed safe on ing to Virgil, who makes Hell to the outfide bare of this round world lie on the left hand, às Elysium lay that landed safe to the outside? Or on the right; En. VI. 542.

322.

Satan in likeness of an Angel bright
Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steering
His zenith, while the sun in Aries rose:
Disguis'd he came, but those his children dear 330
Their parent soon discern’d, though in disguise.
He after Eve seduc'd, unminded slunk
Into the wood fast by, and changing shape
To'observe the sequel, saw his guileful act
By Eve, though all unweeting, seconded

335
Upon her husband, saw their shame that sought
Vain covertures; but when he saw descend
The Son of God to judge them, terrify'd
He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun
The present, fearing guilty what his wrath 340

Might At læva malorum this round world, from whence he Exercet pænas, et ad impia tarta- had come down, ver. 317. Befides ra mittit.

the Doctor instead of rose reads rode:

but it was evening, when Messiah 323. Betwixt the Centaur and the came and pass’d the sentence on the Scorpion fluering

transgreffors, ver. 92. and after that His zenith, while the fun in Aries Sin and Death made the bridge; so

rose:] Alluding to a ship that the sun might be rifing in Aries, steering her course betwixt two when they met Satan feering bis ilands: So Satan directed his way Zenith. And this is confirm'd by between these two signs of the-zo- what follows here in ver. 341 &c. diac, upwards : the zenith is over

Prarte. head.

Richardson. Satan to avoid being discover'd (as Dr. Bentley puts a comma after he had been before, IV.569. &c.) fteering; but there should be none; by Uriel regent of the sun, takes for the sense is, steering to his zenith, care to keep at as great a distance or upwards, towards the outfide of as possible, and therefore while the

fun

Might suddenly inflict; that past, return'd
By night, and list’ning where the hapless pair
Sat in their fad discourse, and various plaint,
Thence gather'd his own doom, which underflood
Not instant, but of future time, with joy

345
And tidings fraught, to Hell he now return’d,
And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot
Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhop'd
Met who to meet him came, his ofspring dear.
Great joy was at their meeting, and at sight -350
Of that stupendous bridge his joy increas’d.
Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair
Inchanting daughter, thus the filence broke.
O Parent, these are thy magnific deeds,

354

Thy fun rose ir Aries, he steers his course the sentence should be continued : directly upwards betwixt the Cen. From their discourse Satan gather'd taur and The Scorpion, two conftel- bis own doom, which being underlations which lay in a quite different food not inftant, but of future time, part of the Heavens from Aries. be now return'd with joy to Hell, 344.

which underfood Not inftant, but of future time, 345

with joy with joy &c.] In Milton's And tidings fraught,] That is with own editions, and in all the rest joyful tidings. So Virgil, Munera which I have seen till Mr. Fenton's latitiamque Dei, Æn. I. 636. for and Dr. Bentley's it was falsely munera lata. Squamis auroque, Æn. printed thus,

VIII. 436. for aureis fquamis.

Richardson. which underftood Not inftant, but of future time.

348. Of this new wondrous pon

rifice,] The new bridge, the With joy &c.

effect of wondrous art fontifical, But the sense evidently shows that ver. 312.

:

318, Thor