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rinkled the face of deluge, as decay'd;

ad the clear fun on his wide watry glafs

az'd hot, and of the fresh wave largely drew, 845 after thirft, which made their flowing shrink om ftanding lake to tripping ebb, that stole ith foft foot tow'ards the deep, who now had stopt is fluces, as the Heav'n his windows fhut.

The

afing waters, wrinkled by the id, to the wrinkles of a decaying age is very far fetch'd and exmely boyish; but the author makes ample amends in the remaining rt of this description of the abating the flood. The circumftances of are few, but felected with great 847. From ftanding lake to tripping dgment, and exprefs'd with no lefs ebb,] Tripping from tripurit and beauty. In this refpect, diare, to dance, to flep lightly upon must be own'd, Milton greatly the toes, a natural defcription of cels the Italians, who are gene- Soft-ebbing, as VII 300. and fo it ly too prolix in their defcriptions, follows, that fiole with foft foot, this d think they have never faid bold perfonizing is perpetually us'd ough whilft any thing remains un- by the Greek, and confequently the . When once enough is faid to Latin poets, who always imitate cite in the reader's mind a proper them, Hor. Epod. XVI. 47. a of what the poet is reprefent, whatever is added, however utiful, ferves only to teize the cy instead of pleafing it, and rar cools than improves that glow pleasure, which arifes in the nd upon its firft contemplation of furprifing scene of nature well nted out. Of this Milton was -y fenfible, and throughout his ole poem has fcarcely ever been ried by his imagination into thing inconfiftent with it. VOL. II.

846.which made their flowing

fhrink] Their I fuppofe refers to wave before mention'd, as a noun of multitude, of the plural number. It is not eafy to account for the fyntax otherwife.

Thyer

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montibus altis Levis crepante lympha defilit pede. Richardfon.

848.-the deep, who now had flopt His fluces, as the Heav'n his win

dorus faut.] Gen. VIII. 2. The fountains all of the deep, and the windows of Heaven were stopped. For this and other particulars of the ark refting upon the mountains of Ararat, and of the raven, and of the dove &, fee the fame chapter.

Bb

850. flotes

The ark no more now flotes, but seems on ground
Fast on the top of some high mountain fix'd.

And now the tops of hills as rocks appear;
With clamor thence the rapid currents drive
Tow'ards the retreating fea their furious tide.
Forthwith from out the ark a raven flies,
And after him, the furer meffenger,

851

855

860

A dove fent forth once and again to spy
Green tree or ground whereon his foot may light;
The second time returning, in his bill
An olive leaf he brings, pacific fign:
Anon dry ground appears, and from his ark
The ancient fire defcends with all his train;
Then with uplifted hands, and eyes devout,
Grateful to Heav'n, over his head beholds
A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow
Confpicuous with three lifted colors gay,
Betokening peace from God, and covenant new.

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865

Whereat

— placitam paci nutritor olivam. Virg. Georg. II. 425. Ham.

Add this likewise,

Paciferæque manu ramum pratesdit olivæ. Æn. VIII. 11 866. Confpicuous with three lif

colors gay,] He afterwards calls it the triple-color'd bow, ver.

Whereat the heart of Adam erst so fad

Freatly rejoic'd, and thus his joy broke forth.
O thou who future things canft represent

870

s present, heav'nly Instructor, I revive

Lt this last fight, affur'd that man shall live
With all the creatures, and their feed preserve.
ar lefs I now lament for one whole world
f wicked fons destroy'd, than I rejoice
or one man found fo perfect and so just,

875

hat God vouchsafes to raise another world

rom him, and all his anger to forget.

ut fay, what mean those color'd ftreaks in Heaven Diftended as the brow of God appeas'd,

880

Or ferve they as a flow'ry verge to bind

he fluid skirts of that fame watry cloud,

eft it again diffolve and fhow'r the earth?

To whom th' Arch-Angel. Dextroufly thou aim'ft; o willingly doth God remit his ire,

97. and he means probably the ree principal colors, red, yellow, nd blue, of which the others are ompounded.

884. To whom th' Arch-Angel. &c.] The reader will eafily obferve how auch of this fpeech is built upon Scripture.

885 Though

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Though late repenting him of man deprav'd,
Griev'd at his heart, when looking down he faw
The whole earth fill'd with violence, and all flesh
Corrupting each their way; yet those remov'd,
Such grace shall one just man find in his fight, 89:
That he relents, not to blot out mankind,
And makes a covenant never to destroy

The earth again by flood, nor let the fea
Surpafs his bounds, nor rain to drown the world

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With

And call to mind his covenant:And it fhall come to pass when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bo shall be seen in the cloud: and I w look upon it that I may remember in everlasting covenant between God end every living creature of all fie that is upon the earth, ver. 14, 16.

day and night, Seed-time and harvest, heat and hoary froft Shall hold their course,While the earth remaineth, seed-tim and harvest, and cold and beat, and Summer and winter, and day and mğit fhall not ceafe, Gen. VIII. 22.

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With man therein or beast; but when he brings 895
Over the earth a cloud, will therein set
His triple-color'd bow, whereon to look,
And call to mind his covenant: day and night,
Seed-time and harvest, heat and hoary froft
Shall hold their course, till fire purge all things new,
Both Heav'n and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell.

895. With man therein or beaft ;] Dr. Bentley reads With man or beaft r fowl; because (as he fays) the irds are here forgot, and yet they vere in the ark as well as the beafts, and were included in the covenant 00. But in the Scripture phrafe

899

man and beast comprehend the birds too: fee Pfal. XXXVI. 6. Jerem. XXI. 6. and XXXII. 43. And our poet has twice before (ver. 733, 822.) fpoken of all the inhabitants of the ark under this very title of man and beaft. Pearce.

The end of the Eleventh Book.

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