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300 nor withflood them Rock or Hill, not So Withstood 'em but they país On, they found their way either under Ground, or by taking a Circuit as the Rivers are feen to do."

303 and on the Wafby Oofe deep Channells wore Eafy, e'er God had bid the Ground be Dry, all but within those Banks where Rivers Now

Stream, and Perpetual draw their Humid Train.

the Earth was Now juft Emerg'd from the Waters in which it had been Wrapt, 'twas Therefore all One great Washy Oofe, Slime and Mud; in This Soft Earth Deep Channels were Eafily Worn by the Streaming Water 'till 'twas Dry every where but within the Banks, the Bounds fet to the Rivers, where they Now Perpetually draw Along after them their Moift Train; The Rivers are imagin'd as Perfons of Great Quality, the Length of their Robe Training after them. Let it be Noted, that the Words, the Pronounciation of them without the Senfe defcribes the Course of a Gentle River.

where Rivers now

Stream, and Perpetual draw their Humid
Train

You cannot Read it Otherwife than Slowly, and fo as to give your Mind a Picture of the thing Defcrib'd. Many Examples of the Like

Kind are to be found in Our Author, and all Good Poets.

314 Defert and Bare, Unfightly, Unadorn'd, Here begins the Other Great Work of the Third day, the Globe Now Appear'd, the Waters Below the Firmament were Now no More Main Ocean, as v. 279. They were divided, and Diftributed, as the Earth was New Form'd to receive them; Now 'twas a Globe of Hills, Plains, Vallies, among Seas, Lakes, and Rivers, but without Ornament, All Mud or Bare Earth and Water, 'till it

315_Brought forth the Tender Grafs,

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the Earth was at its firft Appearance Bare and Unfightly; Now comes the Univerfal Green the Herbs and Flowers, and all the Vegetable Creation Increafing in Heighth and Bulk; not at Once, but Progreffively, Swiftly however, and what a Beautyful Landfcape Soon appear'd, a Landscape very Dif<ferent from Any we have feen in Nature or in Picture. for befides that every thing had its Primitive, Original, Vernal Beauty, the Vaft Over-bearing Brightness of the Sun, with the Strong, Hard Shadows These Fierce < Beams Occafion'd, was not; Light yet Sojourn'd in her Cloudy Tabernacle (v. 248.) but it was a Radiant Cloud, There was a Soft, Pearly, Brilliant Day fpread Sweetly Throughout, which must produce Wonderful Pleafing Tincts of Colours, and ' which

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which if we can Imagine well must give • Us Vaft Delight. We recommend it to the Reader, and let him Add the Air, Pure, and Perfum'd with this Virgin Fragrance 'from the Herbs and Flowers, and even the Earths Bofom Smelling Sweet. v. 319.

321 The Smelling Gourd,

This is a part of the Poet's Defcription of the Progreffive Creation of Vegetables; and This is done (as the Animals afterwards in Their Turns) by Inftancing in, and Characterizing Some of the Several Kinds under which All the reft are Tacitly included; as the Univerfallity and Verdure of the Grafs, the Flow'ring and Scent of the Herb-kind, the Flourifhing (Wildly Spreading, or as he Elsewhere fays of the Honey-Suckle, Flaunting) and Cluftring of the Vine, and all the reft of That Sort; Now the Gourd is the Reprefentative of the Melon, Cucumber, and all plants that Creep on the Ground, and are further Remarkable for their Smell. but is That a Characteristick of Thefe Vegetables as Creeping is? That, together with Swelling, is a Proper and Full Defcription of them; (Jucieft is much the fame with Swelling V. 327) but tho' One of This Clafs, the Melon, is Remarkable for its Scent, 'tis a Property by no means Applicable to the Tribe; Nay, Admit it Was, if the Other Epithet were but Equally So, It would have been Chofen, This Y

having

having been Unavoidably Employ'd just before. Doubtless Therefore Swelling was what Milton Here intended, Efpecially if to what has been Offer'd (which Surely is Alone Sufficient) it be further Confider'd how Eafily Such a Mistake might Slip into the Moft Carefully Printed Book; and be Overlook'd There by the most Accurate and Diligent Author, and Editor, the Difference being fo little to the Eye and Ear; but Milton Wrote with Too much Propriety and Judgment to Confound Thefe Ideas fo Widely Different. Befides Swelling, as it is the juft Epithet in This Cafe, 'tis what the Ancients Generally Apply to the Gourd; and Thofe Milton never fails to follow where he Can, to be Sure not when he Ought. Laftly, Not only in This Day's Work, but throughout the Whole Creation, and indeed in All he Writes, he is a Painter, he Directs his Difcourfe to the Eye, next to the Heart, he Sets the Pictures of Things Before us with all the Strength and Beauty that Words can Image. So Here the Herbs and Flowers had their Colours, the Earth's Bofom was Gay, &c.

After having done This Juftice to our Author, we Owe no Lefs to the Printer, and to Him who had the Care of the Prefs (whoever he was, Probably Milton Himself had the Principal Part in that Troublesome Work, notwithstanding his Blindness, of which More in a More Proper Place) This Small, though Important

Important Overfight, is the Only Confiderable One, except juft Such another not far off v. 451, that is to be found throughout this whole Poem of 10565 lines.

Ibid.

Imbattell'd

the Cornie Reed

the Cornie Reed, the Reed with its Corn, or a Corn-Field is bearing Corn, Embattell'd. as a great Body of Soldiers in Battel Array with Spears Erect, or as the Military Term is, Order'd (I. 565.) or, if the Wind Blows, Ported (IV. 980.)

323 And Bush with Frizl'd hair Implicit : Curl'd Hair, Small Curls, Tangled. Such the Bushes resembled. he had This Thought before but Differently Exprefs'd, IV. 135.

324 Rofe as in Dance the Stately Trees, Stately, not as the Humbler Plants defcrib'd before, and in Dance from the Gracefulness, Majefty and Order of their Appearance, their Seeming Pride, the Magnificence of their Drefs, and the Gay Motion taking their Places Appointed by the Creator.

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their Bloffoms:

Budded their Bloffoms, from Gemma (Lat.) a

Bud.

Y 2

328

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