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Thou therefore give due audience, and attend.
This second source of men, while yet but few,
And while the dread of judgment past remains
Fresh in their minds, fearing the Deity,
With some regard to what is just and right

think that the exhibiting part
of the history of mankind in
vision, and part in narrative, is
as if an history-painter should
put in colours one half of his
subject, and write down the
remaining part of it. If Mil-
ton's poem flags any where, it
is in this narration, where in
some places the author has been
so attentive to his divinity, that
he has neglected his poetry.
The narration however rises
very happily on several occa-
sions, where the subject is ca-
pable of poetical ornaments, as
particularly in the confusion
which he describes among the
the builders of Babel, and in
his short sketch of the plagues
of Egypt. Addison.

Mr. Addison observes, that if Milton's poem flags any where, it is in this narration; and to be sure, if we have an eye only to poetic decoration, his remark is just: but if we view it in another light, and consider in how short a compass he has comprised, and with what strength and clearness he has expressed, the various actings of God towards mankind, and the most sublime and deep truths both of the Jewish and Christian theology, it must excite no less admiration in the mind of an attentive reader, than the more sprightly scenes of love and innocence in Eden, or the more

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turbulent ones of angelic war in heaven. This contrivance of Milton's to introduce into his poem so many things posterior to the time of action fixed in his first plan, by a visionary prophetic relation of them, is, it must be allowed, common with our author, to Virgil and most epic poets since his time; but there is one thing to be observed singular in our English poet, which is, that whereas they have all done it principally, if not wholly, to have an opportunity of complimenting their own country and friends, he has not the least mention of, or friendly allusion to, his. The Reformation of our Church from the errors and tyranny of popery, which corruptions he so well describes and pathetically laments, afforded him occasion fair enough, and no doubt his not doing it must be imputed to his mind's being so unhappily imbittered, at the time of his writing, against our government both in Church and State; so that to the many other mischiefs flowing from the grand rebellion we may add this, of its depriving Britain of the best panegyric it is ever likely to have. Thyer.

16. With some regard to what is just and right] This answers to the silver age of the poets, the Paradisiacal state is the

Shall lead their lives, and multiply apace,
Lab'ring the soil, and reaping plenteous crop,
Corn wine and oil; and from the herd or flock,
Oft sacrificing bullock, lamb, or kid,

With large wine-offerings pour'd, and sacred feast
Shall spend their days in joy unblam'd, and dwell
Long time in peace by families and tribes
Under paternal rule: till one shall rise

golden one. That of iron begins soon, ver. 24. Richardson.

24. till one shall rise &c.] It is generally agreed, that the first governments in the world were patriarchal, by families and tribes, and that Nimrod was the first who laid the foundations of kingly government among mankind. Our author therefore (who was no friend to kingly government at the best) represents him in a very bad light as a most wicked and insolent tyrant, but he has great authorities, both Jewish and Christian, to justify him for so doing. The Scripture says of Nimrod, Gen. x. 9. that he was a mighty hunter before the Lord: and this our author understands in the worst sense, of hunting men and not beasts, and men not beasts shall be his game. But several commentators understand it in the same manner, and the Scripture applies the word to hunting of men by persecution, oppression, and tyranny. Jer. xvi. 16. Lam. iv. 18. Ezek. xiii. 18, 20. And so the Jerusalem Targum here expounds it of a sinful hunting of the sons of men. The phrase before the Lord seems to be per

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fectly indifferent in itself, and made use of only by way of exaggeration: but in this place the greatest number of interpreters take it in a bad sense, in the same manner as when it is said of the men of Sodom, that they were sinners before the Lord, Gen. xiii. 13. as also of Er the eldest son of Judah, that he was wicked in the sight of the Lord, Gen. xxxviii. 7. And St. Austin in particular would have it translated not before the Lord, but against the Lord. Our author, in conformity to this opinion, says,

Before the Lord, as in despite of
Heaven,

but then takes in the other interpretation of Vatablus and the same as under the Lord, others, that before the Lord is usurping all authority to himself next under God, and claiming it jure divino, as was done in Milton's own time;

Or from Heav'n claming second sovranty;

claming, so Milton spells the word in this place, and so he spells reclame in vi. 791. and so all of that family should be spelt, declame, exclame, proclame,

Of proud ambitious heart, who not content
With fair equality, fraternal state,

Will arrogate dominion undeserv'd
Over his brethren, and quite dispossess

Concord and law of nature from the earth,

Hunting (and men not beasts shall be his game)
With war and hostile snare such as refuse
Subjection to his empire tyrannous :

A mighty hunter thence he shall be styl'd
Before the Lord, as in despite of Heaven,
Or from Heav'n claming second sovranty ;
And from rebellion shall derive his name,
Though of rebellion others he accuse.
He with a crew, whom like ambition joins
With him or under him to tyrannize,
Marching from Eden tow'ards the west, shall find

&c. being derived from the Latin clamo, and the French cla

mer.

And from rebellion shall derive his

name,

for the name Nimrod, though more favourable etymologies are given, yet commonly is derived from the Hebrew word marad, which signifies to rebel; and this probably was the principal occasion of those injurious reports which have prevailed in the world concerning him.

Though of rebellion others he accuse. This was added by our author probably not without a view to his own time, when himself and those of his own party were stigmatized as the worst of rebels.

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40. Marching from Eden towards the west, &c.] Gen. xi. 2. &c. And it came to pass as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar-And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.

And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a nume, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. The Hebrew chemar, which we translate slime, is what the Greeks call asphaltus, and the Latins bitumen, a kind of pitch; and that it abounded very much in the plain near Babylon, that it swam upon the waters, that there was a cave and fountain continually emitting it; and that

The plain, wherein a black bituminous gurge

Boils out from under ground, the mouth of hell;
Of brick, and of that stuff they cast to build

A city' and tow'r, whose top may reach to heaven;
And get themselves a name, lest far dispers'd

In foreign lands their memory be lost,
Regardless whether good or evil fame.
But God who oft descends to visit men
Unseen, and through their habitation walks
To mark their doings, them beholding soon,
Comes down to see their city, ere the tower
Obstruct heav'n-tow'rs, and in derision sets

this

this famous tower at this time, and the no less famous walls of Babylon afterwards, were built with this kind of cement, is confirmed by the testimony of several profane authors. This black bituminous gurge, pitchy pool, the poet calls the mouth of hell, not strictly speaking, but by the same sort of figure by which the ancient poets call Tænarus or Avernus the jaws and gate of hell,

Tænarias etiam fauces, alta ostia Ditis. Virg. Georg. iv. 467. 43.they cast-] Consider, devise means, contrive, as in Par. Lost, iii. 634.

But first he casts to change his proper shape.

T. Warton.

44. -tow'r whose top may reach to heaven;] Milton here follows the translators of the Bible, who supply the words may reach, which are not found in the original: but is is more

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probable that whose top unto heaven meant, whose top may be sacred unto heaven, that is, sacred to the host of heaven; and that this was the very tower which Herodotus describes at Babylon with a chapel at the top of it. Clio, 181. It is probable also that God confounded not only their languages, but still more their idolatrous creed, rendering the universal combination of men in this base apostasy impracticable and transient. See Graves on the Pentateuch, part ii. lect. 1. Hutchinson's Works, i. 28.

E. 51. Comes down to see their city, &c.] Gen. xi. 5, &c. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded &c. The Scripture speaketh here after the manner of men: and thus the heathen gods are often represented as coming down to observe the actions of men, as in the stories of Lycaon, Baucis, and Philemon, &c.

Upon their tongues a various spirit to rase
Quite out their native language, and instead
To sow a jangling noise of words unknown:
Forthwith a hideous gabble rises loud
Among the builders; each to other calls
Not understood, till hoarse, and all in rage,

As mock'd they storm; great laughter was in heaven
And looking down, to see the hubbub strange
And hear the din; thus was the building left
Ridiculous, and the work Confusion nam'd.

53. a various spirit] 2 Chron. xviii. 22. It is said the Lord had put a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets; here he puts a various spirit in the mouth of these builders, a spirit varying the sounds by which they would express their thoughts one to another, and bringing consequently confusion, whence the work is so called. Richardson.

59. great laughter was in heav'n &c.] Dr. Bentley has made some alterations here, and the context considered I know not whether they are not for the better;

-great laughter is in heaven All looking down

-thus is the building left: but afterwards I find the author varying the tense in several places, and speaking of things future as past, future with regard to the time when the angel is speaking, but past with regard to the time which he is speaking of. Great laughter was in heaven &c. And thus Homer represents the gods as laughing at the aukward limping car

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Vulcan with aukward grace his office plies,

And unextinguish'd laughter shakes the skies. Pope.

But, as Mr. Thyer adds, it is rather too comic for the grave character of Milton's gods to be represented peeping down and laughing like a parcel of mere mortals, to see the workmen puzzled and squabbling about their work: though there are such expressions even in Scripture, Psal. ii. 4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision. See too Psal. xxxvii. 13. lix. 8. Prov. i. 26. I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh.

62. and the work Confusion nam'd.] For Babel in Hebrew signifies Confusion. Therefore is the name of it called Babel, because the Lord did there confound the language of all the

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