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Nor love thy life, nor hate; but what thou liv'ft Live well, how long or short permit to Heaven: And now prepare thee for another fight.

555

He look'd, and faw a spacious plain, whereon Were tents of various hue; by fome were herds Of cattel grazing; others, whence the found Of inftruments that made melodious chime Was heard, of harp and organ; and who mov'd Their ftops and chords was feen; his volant touch Instinct through all proportions low and high Fled and purfu'd transverse the refonant fugue.

553 Nor love thy life, nor hate ;] Martial. Lib. 10.

Summum nec metuas diem, nec optes.

554 permit to Heaven:] Permitte Divis. Hor. Od. I. IX. 9. 556. He look'd, and faw a fpacious plain, &c] As there is nothing more delightful in poetry than a contraft and oppofition of incidents, the author after this melancholy profpect of death and fickness, raifes fcene of mirth, love, and up a jollity. The fecret pleasure that fteals into Adam's heart, as he is intent upon this vifion, is imagin'd with great delicacy. I must not omit the defcription of the loofe female troop, who feduced the fons of God, as they are called in Scripture. For that fair female troop thou

faw'ft, &c. Addifon.

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557. Were tents of various bal Thefe were the tents of the polerity of Cain, as the author himfelfar wards inftructs us; by fome were herd of cattel grazing, thefe belong'd t Jabal, he was the father offe cattel. Gen. IV. 20. Others, when dwell in tents, and of fuch as be the found was beard of harp and gan; thefe belong to Jabal was the father of all fuch as ba In other part food one at the fir the harp and organ. Gen. IV. this was Tubal-cain, an infiratu “ every artificer in brass and irm. Ga

IV.

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22.

562. Infine through all proper

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infpired, flew thro' all the var &c.] His nimble fingers, diftances of found, o'er all prop and through all its parts follow tions, low or high, treble or bat the founding fymphony. Af

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565

other part stood one who at the forge ab'ring, two maffy clods of ir'on and brass Had melted, (whether found where casual fire Had wafted woods on mountain or in vale, Down to the veins of earth, thence gliding hot To fome cave's mouth, or whether wash'd by stream rom underground) the liquid ore he drain'd

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to fit molds prepar'd; from which he form'd "irft his own tools; then, what might elfe be wrought Fufil or grav'n in metal. After these,

But on the hither fide, a different fort

of fuga Latin, a flight) is in mufic he correspondency of parts, anfwerng one another in the fame notes, either above or below; therefore exactly and graphically tiled refonant, as founding the fame notes over again. Hume.

Milton is the more particular in this description, as he was himself a lover of mufic, and a performer upon the organ.

565.-two mally clods of iron and brafs Had melted, (whether found where cafual fire Had wafted woods on mountain or in vale, Down to the veins of earth,-] From Lucretius, V. 1240. Quod fupereft, æs atque aurum, ferrumque repertum eft, Et fimul argenti pondus, plumbique poteftas ;

From

Ignis ubi ingentes filvas ardore cremârat

Montibus in magnis.

But these verses want emendation. Plumbi poteftas is nonfenfe. The ftops fhould be placed thus:

Et fimul argenti pondus, plumbique, poteftas

Ignis ubi ingentes &'c. Argenti pondus plumbique, as in Virgil, argenti pondus et auri. Poteftas ignis expreffes the confuming power of fire. We have potentia folis in Virgil, and poteftates herbarum. Fortin.

573. Fufil or grav'n] By melting or carving. Hume.

573. After thefe,] As being the defcendents of the younger brother, but on the bither fide, Cain having been banish'd into a more diftant country, a different fort, the

pofterity

Created, as thou art, to nobler end

Holy and pure, conformity divine.

60:

610

Those tents thou faw'ft so pleasant, were the tents
Of wickedness, wherein shall dwell his race
Who flew his brother; ftudious they appear
Of arts that polish life, inventors rare,
Unmindful of their Maker, though his Spirit
Taught them, but they his gifts acknowledg'd none.
Yet they a beauteous ofspring fhall beget;
For that fair female troop thou faw'ft, that feem'd
Of Goddeffes, fo blithe, fo finooth, fo gay, 613
Yet empty of all good wherein confists
Woman's domestic honor and chief praise;
Bred only and completed to the tafte
Of luftful appetence, to fing, to dance,

614. For that fair female troop

thou faw',] The conftruction is not, as fome may apprehend, For that fair female troop (which) thou faw'ft; but thou fawft that fair female troop, that feem'd &c. which is a fufficient proof of the pofterity of Cain begetting a beauteous ofspring.

621. To thefe that fober race of men, &c.] As we read in Gen. VI. 2. The fons of God faw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chofe. It is now generally agreed

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that this paffage is to be underfoo
of the fons of Seth, the worthipper
of the true God, making mate
with the idolatrous daughters of
wicked Cain; and Milton
rightly puts this conftruction up
it here, though elfewhere he fee
to give into the old exploded co
ceit of the Angels becoming
mour'd of the daughters of m
See III. 463. and the note there,
and likewife V. 447. and Paral
Reg. II. 178 &c.
627. The world ertlong a world
tears mul weep.] Dr. Ben

eye. 620

To drefs, and troll the tongue, and roll the
To these that fober race of men, whose lives
Religious titled them the fons of God,
hall yield up all their virtue, all their fame
gnobly, to the trains and to the fmiles
Of these fair atheists, and now swim in joy,
Erelong to swim at large; and laugh, for which
The world erelong a world of tears must weep.
To whom thus Adam of fhort joy bereft.

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O pity' and shame, that they who to live well
Enter'd fo fair, should turn afide to tread
Paths indirect, or in the mid way faint!
But ftill I fee the tenor of Man's woe
Holds on the fame, from Woman to begin.
From Man's effeminate flackness it begins,

625

630

Said

The world erelong a world of tears muft weep.

ley obferves that this world and world is a jingle, and that a world of tears is a low expreffion. He For fwimming in joy and fwimming

would therefore read a flood of tears:

as Milton speaks in ver. 757. But at large are oppos'd to each other, if this verfe be blameable on this as are likewife laughing and weeping account, yet our poet has ufed the a world of tears. fame way of fpeaking in IX. 11.

That brought into this world a world

of woe,

I think that the foregoing part of this fentence should be pointed thus,

and now swim in joy, Erelong to fwim at large; and laugh, for which

Pearce. As the fenfe is so much improv'd by this pointing, we cannot but prefer it to Milton's own, which was thus:

and now fwim in joy (Erelong to fwim at large) and

laugh; for which The world erelong a world of tears muft weep. 638. He

Said th' Angel, who fhould better hold his place 63;
By wisdom, and fuperior gifts receiv'd.
But now prepare thee for another scene.
He look'd, and faw wide territory spread
Before him, towns, and rural works between,
Cities of men with lofty gates and towers,
Concourse in arms, fierce faces threatning war,
Giants of mighty bone, and bold emprise;
Part wield their arms, part curb the foaming fteed,
Single or in array of battel rang'd

640

Both horfe and foot, nor idly muft'ring stood; 645 One way a band felect from forage drives

A herd of beeves, fair oxen and fair kine

638. He look'd, and faw wide ter

ritory Spread &c.] The next vifion is of a quite contrary nature, and filled with the horrors of war. Adam at the fight of it melts into tears, and breaks out in that paffionate speech,

O what are these, Death's minifters, not men &c.Addifon.

642.-emprife:] An old word for enterprise. It is ufed in the Mask.

Alas! good ventrous Youth, I love thy courage yet, and bold emprife.

645. -nor idly muft'ring food;] One can't perceive the pertinence of this without fuppofing that it hinted

From

at the circumftances of the landarmy at that time. Warburtm.

So it was alter'd for the better in 651.-which makes a bloody fray:] the fecond edition; it was tak bloody fray in the first edition; which is not fo plain and intelligible.

660. In other part the Scepter'de

ralds call &c.] It may be noted here once for all, that in this vifionary part Milton has frequently had his eye upon his mafter Homer, and several of the images which are reprefented to Adam are copies of the defcriptions on the fhield of Achilles, fliad. XVIII. His eyes he open'd, and beheld a field,

Part

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