No sooner he with them of man and beast versal wrack.] Devote is used here and elsewhere as devoted: and in Milton's own editions it is universal rack, but we have printed it wrack to distinguish it from rack the instrument of torture; and we have Milton's authority for so doing, for he has printed it so himself in vi. 670. in both his editions: -and now all heav'n Had gone to wrack &c. It is probable that both words were originally of the same extraction; but as the different senses have been so long distinguished by different spelling, it is proper to preserve this dis tinction in order to avoid am- 824. - -all the cataracts shall pour Gen. vii. 11. The same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. The windows of heaven are translated 825 the cataracts in the Syriac and Arabic versions, and in the Septuagint and Vulgar Latin, which Milton here follows; and what they are, those will best understand who have seen the fallings of waters, called spouts, in hot countries, when the clouds do not break into drops, but fall with terrible violence in a torrent: and the great deep is the vast abyss of waters contained within the bowels of the earth, and in the sea. 829. -then shall this mount Of Paradise &c.] It is the opinion of many learned men, that Paradise was destroyed by the deluge, and our author describes it in a very poetical manner. Pushed by the horned flood, so that it was before the flood became universal, and while it poured along like a vast river; for rivers when they meet with any thing to obstruct their passage, divide themselves and become horned as it were, and hence the ancients have compared them to bulls. Sic tauriformis volvitur Aufidus. Hor. od. iv. xiv. 25. Et gemina auratus taurino cornua vultu. Eridanus. Virg. Georg. iv. 371. 830 Of Paradise by might of waves be mov'd By men who there frequent, or therein dwell. Corniger Hesperidum fluvius regna tor aquarum. En. viii. 77. open Down the great river to the Των πάντων όμοσε στοματ' ετραπς Φοι Ζευς Incessant cataracts the thund'rer pours, And half the skies descend in sluicy show'rs, &c. Pope. 835. and orcs,] Orca est genus marinæ belluæ maximum. Fest. The word occurs frequently in Ariosto. Heylin. 835. and sea-mews clang:] So also in vii. 422. with clang despised the ground, adopting the clangor of the Latins, which is a word that they almost constantly use to express the noise made by the flight of large flocks of birds. Thyer. 836. To teach thee that God attributes to place No sanctity, &c.] Milton omits no opportunity of lashing what he thought superstitious. These lines may serve as one instance, and I think he plainly here alludes to the manner of consecrating churches used by Archbishop Laud, which was prodigiously clamoured against by people of our author's way of thinking, as superstitious and popish. Thyer. He look'd, and saw the ark hull on the flood, Which now abated; for the clouds were fled, Driv'n by a keen north-wind, that blowing dry Wrinkled the face of deluge, as decay'd; 840 843. Wrinkled the face of deluge, as decay'd;] This allusive comparison of the surface of the decreasing waters, wrinkled by the wind, to the wrinkles of a decaying old age, is very far fetched, and extremely boyish; but the author makes us ample amends in the remaining part of this description of the abating of the flood. The circumstances of it are few, but selected with great judgment, and expressed with no less spirit and beauty. In this respect, it must be owned, Milton greatly excels the Italians, who are generally too prolix in their have never said enough whilst descriptions, and think they any thing remains unsaid. When once enough is said to excite in the reader's mind a proper idea of what the poet is representing, whatever is added, however beautiful, serves only to teaze the fancy instead of pleasing it, and rather cools than improves that glow of pleasure, which arises in the mind upon its first contemplation of any surprising scene of nature well painted out. Of this Milton was very sensible, and throughout his whole poem has scarcely ever been hurried by his imagination into any thing inconsistent with it. Thyer. 845 And the clear sun on his wide wat'ry glass The ark no more now flotes, but seems on ground 850 855 844. And the clear sun on his and so it follows, that stole with wide wat❜ry glass Gaz'd hot, and of the fresh wave largely drew,] A singular use of gaze, applied to the sun. Perhaps from Shakespeare, where it also expresses almost the same thought. Comed. of Err. act i. s. i. At length the sun, gazing upon the earth, Dispers'd those vapours that offended us. T. Warton. 846. —which made their flowing shrink] Their I suppose refers to wave before mentioned, as a noun of multitude, of the plural number It is not easy to account for the syntax otherwise. 847. From standing lake to tripping ebb,] Tripping from tripudiare, to dance, to step lightly upon the toes, a natural description of soft-ebbing, as vii. 300. soft foot, this bold personizing is perpetually used by the Greek, and consequently the Latin poets, who always imitate them, Hor. Epod. xvi. 47. -montibus altis Levis crepante lympha desilit pede. Richardson. 848. the deep, who now had stopp'd His sluices, as the heav'n his windows shut.] Gen. viii. 2. The fountains also of the deep, and the windows of heaven were stopped. For this and other particulars of the ark resting upon the mountains of Ararat, and of the raven, and of the dove, &c. see the same chapter. 850. flotes,] This is the right way of spelling the word, as it comes from the French floter. A dove sent forth once and again to spy Green tree or ground whereon his foot may light; Anon dry ground appears, and from his ark Greatly rejoic'd, and thus his joy broke forth. O thou who future things canst represent From him, and all his anger to forget. 860 865 870 But say, what mean those colour'd streaks in heaven 860. An olive leaf he brings, pacific sign:] Sign of peace, of God's mercy to mankind; the olive was sacred to Pallas, and borne by those that sued for peace, as being the emblem of it and plenty: -placitam paci nutritor olivam. Virg. Georg. ii. 425. Hume. Add this likewise, 875 Paciferæque manu ramum præten- 866. Conspicuous with three wards calls it the triple-coloured listed colours gay,] He afterbow, ver. 897. and he means probably the three principal colours, red, yellow, and blue, of which the others are compounded. |