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 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 And now the tops of hills as rocks appear; 851 855 860 A dove fent forth once and again to spy 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. 870 s present, heav'nly Instructor, I revive Lt this last fight, affur'd that man shall live 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 The Though late repenting him of man deprav'd, The earth again by flood, nor let the fea 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. With man therein or beast; but when he brings 895 895. 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. |