Yea Truth and Juftice theny v inlaw ad bad brÅ Will down return to men, >Orb'd in a rainbow; and like glories wearing n Mercy will fit between, Thron'd in celeftial fheen, With radiant feet the tiffued clouds down steering, A ri And Heav'n, as at fome festival, ut cum si svolí The babe lies yet in smiling infancy, no gerwal 11455 Yet first to those ychain'd in fleep, 2 note the deep, Mercy will fit between,] The au thor thus corrected it in the edition of 1673: in the first edition of 1645 it was thus „Bibn A With Th' enamel'd Arras of the rain- 159.— and XVII. With fuch a horrid clang As on mount Sinai rang, While the red fire, and fmouldring clouds out brake: The aged earth aghast, With terror of that blast, Shall from the furface to the center shake; When at the world's laft feffion, The dreadful Judge in middle air fhall spread his throne. XVIII. And then at last our blifs Full and perfect is, But now begins; for from this happy day Th' old Dragon under ground In ftraiter limits bound, 159. and mouldring clouds ] A word that I find neither in Junius, nor Skinner, nor Bailey, but in Spenfer and Fairfax. Faery Queen. B. 1. Cant. 8. St. 9. Inroll'd in flames, and mouldring dreariment: B. 2. Cant. 5. St. 3. The fmouldring duft, did. round about him fmoke: and Fairfax, XII. 46. 165 Not A mafs of folid fier burning bright Roll'd up in mouldring fumes there burfteth out: and XIII. 61. And in each vein a mouldring fire there dwelt. 172. Savindges the fealy horror of his folded tail.] Thefe images are plainly copied from Spenfer's defcription of the old dragon: and no wonder Milton was fond of it Not half fo far cafts his ufurped fway, And wroth to fee his kingdom fail, Swindges the fcaly horror of his folded tail. The oracles are dumb, XIX. No voice or hideous hum 179 Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving. Apollo from his shrine Can no more divine, T 176 With hollow fhriek the fteep of Delphos leaving. No nightly trance, or breathed fpell Infpires the pale-ey'd priest from the prophetic cell. XX. The lonely mountains o'er, And the refounding fhore, 230181 A voice of weeping heard and loud lamenti ri in his younger years, for he was ftill pleased with it when he was older, and had his eye upon it feveral times in the Paradife Loft. 176. Apollo from his forine Can no more divine, &c] Our author builds here upon the common hypothefis of the oracles being ftruck dumb at the coming of Chrift, which is allowable enough in a young poet and in this paffage he alludes particularly to the famous ftory of Auguftus Cæfar's confulting the Pythia or prieftefs of From Apollo who fhould reign after him, and her anfwering that an Hebrew boy had commanded her to leave that temple and return to Hell. See Suidas in Auguftus Cæfar. 183. A voice of weeping heard and loud lament; ] Alluding to the ftory of a voice proclaming that the great Pan was dead, and immediately was heard a great groaning and lamentation. See more to this purpofe in Plutarch's treatise De oraculorum defectu. 191. Lars, The parting Genius is with fighing fent; With flowr-inwoven treffes torn 185 The Lars, and Lemures moan with midnight plaint; In urns, and altars round, A drear and dying found Affrights the Flamens at their fervice quaint; HT And the chill marble feems to fweat, 195 undedT While each peculiar Pow'r forgoes his wonted Forfake their temples dim, 191. Lars, and Lemures] Houfhold Gods and Night Spirits. Flamens, priefts. 199. With that twice batter'd God of Palepine; ] Dagon, who was twice batter'd by Samfon, With Judg. XVI. and by the ark of God, 1 Sam. V. Our author is larger in his account of thefe deities in the first book of the Paradife Loft, and thither we must refer our reader and to the notes there. With that twice batter'd God of Palestine; mok And mooned Ashtaroth, Heav'n's queen and mother both, Now fits not girt with tapers holy shine; The Lybic Hammon fhrinks his horn, 200 In difmal dance about the furnace blue; 210 A 201 The brutish Gods of Nile as fast, Ifis and Orus, and the dog Anubis haste. |
