From the sun's axle, they with labour push'd Had rounded still th' horizon, and not known 673. to Taurus] Dr. Bentley reads through Taurus, through it and Gemini, up to Cancer. And Mr. Pope approves this emendation, and it seems probable, through Taurus and By Leo afterwards answering to each other. 686. Estotiland,] A great tract of land in the north of America, towards the Arctic Circle and Hudson's Bay; as Magellan is a country in South America, which together with its straits took their name of Ferdinandus Magellanus a Portuguese, who in the year 1520 first discovered them. Hume. 687. At that tasted fruit 670 675 680 685 The sun, as from Thyestean banquet, turn'd &c.] Dr. Bentley says that Thyéstean for Thyestéan is intolerable: but I have shewn that Milton used Egean for Egéan, in my note on i. 745. and so our poet in his Samson Agonistes, ver. 133. uses Chaly bean for Chalybéan. Instances of such a poetical liberty may be found in the best ancient poets as well as in the modern ones. Pearce. Thyestes and Atreus, brethren, hated each other ourageously; the first in spite lay with the wife of Atreus, but he having gotten his brother's children in his power pretended a desire of 690 The sun, as from Thyéstean banquet, turn'd reconciliation, and invited him to a banquet. Thyestes, that he might see his children, dissembling his augmented malice, came; the feast being over, his brother let him know he had been entertained with the flesh of his sons, and their blood mixed with the wine, and shewed him the sad proof of what he had told him, their heads and hands, which he had reserved for that purpose. At this the sun is said to have turned away, as Milton here says he did when the more dreadful banquet was made on the fruit of the forbid den tree. Richardson. We may farther observe, that it is called the Thyestean banquet, though made not by him, but only for him: and Euripides in like manner calls it, duva VICTOV. Orest. 1010. and Horace cena Thyeste. De Art. Poet 91. and Mr. Pope would read here Thyestes'. 696. Of Norumbega, and the Samoed shore,] Norumbega, a province of the northern AmeVOL. II. 695 rica. Samoieda, a province in the north-east of Muscovy, upon the frozen sea. Hume. 697. arm'd with ice &c.] So Claudian de Rapt. Pros. i. 69. -ceu turbine rauco Cum gravis armatur Boreas, glacieque nivali &c. Richardson. 698. and stormy gust and law] Gust and flaw seem to be words much of the same imderived (as Junius says) from the port, only flaw is the stronger, Greek pha, to break. Shakespeare uses both words in his Venus and Adonis, Like a red morn that ever yet be token'd Gust and foul flaws to herdsmen and to herds. 698. Flaw is a sea term for a sudden storm and gust of wind. In Shakespeare's Pericles, Prince of Tyre, act iii. s. 1. Pericles in a storm at sea says, Courage enough; I do not fear the flaw, It hath done to me the worst- R Boreas and Cæcias and Argestes loud And Thrascias rend the woods and seas upturn: Outrage from lifeless things; but Discord first Death introduc'd through fierce antipathy: 700 705 Beast now with beast 'gan war, and fowl with fowl, 710 And fish with fish; to graze the herb all leaving, 699. Boreas] The north wind, Cacias the north-west. Argestes the north-east. Thrascias blowing from Thrace northward of Greece. Notus the south wind. Afer or Africus, the south-west from Africa, Notusque ruunt creberque procellis Africus. Virg. Æn. i. 85. From Serraliona or Lion Mountains; a range of mountains so called because of the perpetual storms there roaring like a lion. These are to the south-west of Africa, within a few leagues of Cape Verd, the western point. Eurus and Zephyr the east and west, called also Levant and Ponent winds, (rising and setting,) the one blowing from whence the sun rises, the other whence it sets. Sirocco ventus Syrus, the south-east; and Libecchio Devour'd each other; nor stood much in awe Of Man, but fled him, or with count'nance grim do not pretend to determine, but the following lines seem to confine the devouring to the beasts, and might not therefore the word those be substituted in the place of all? Thyer. Whether Milton's notion was right or not is another question, but certainly it was his notion that beast, fowl, and fish grazed the herb before the fall. Of the beasts there can be no doubt; and the fowl have the green herb given them for meat as well as the beasts. Gen. i. 30. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, I have given every green herb for meat. And the goose particularly is by the poet who has best imitated Milton called close-grazer. Philips's Cyder, b. i. On the barren heath turf Sufficient; after them the cackling goose, Close-grazer, finds wherewith to ease her want. The greatest difficulty is with regard to the fish, but of these Milton says expressly, vii. 404. that they Graze the sea weed their pasture 715 And therefore according to this notion it may be said of fowl and fish as well as beasts; -to graze the herb all leaving, Devour'd each otherBut all here is not all and every one in particular, but only all in general. Fowl prey upon fowl, and fish upon fish, as much as beast upon beast. Beast, fowl, and fish, all the three kinds, though not all of the three kinds, devour each other. 713. -or with count'nance grim Glar'd on him passing.] Palpably taken from Shakespeare, Julius Cæsar, act i. s. 4. 714. These were from without &c.] The transition to Adam here is very easy and natural, and cannot fail of pleasing the alterations produced in nature, reader. We have seen great and it is now time to see how Adam is affected with them, and whether the disorders within are not even worse than those without. 718. And in a troubled sea of passion tost, Thus to disburden sought with sad complaint.] Thus to disburden sought with sad complaint. O miserable of happy! is this the end A metaphor taken from a ship in a tempest, unlading, disburdening to preserve itself from sinking by its weight. Richardson. The wicked are like the troubled sea, Isa. lvii. 20. Greenwood. 720. O miserable of happy! &c.] The parts of Adam and Eve, or the human persons, come next under our consideration. Milton's art is no where more shown than in his conducting the parts of these our first parents. The representation he gives of them, without falsifying the story, is wonderfully contrived to influence the reader with pity and compassion towards them. Though Adam involves the whole species in misery, his crime proceeds from a weakness which every man is inclined to pardon and commiserate, as it seems rather the frailty of human nature, than of the who offended. Every person one is apt to excuse a fault which he himself might have fallen into. It was the excess of love for Eve that ruined Adam and his posterity. I need not add, that the author is justified in this particular by many of the fathers, and the most orthodox writers. Milton has by this means filled a great part of his poem with that kind of writing which the French critics call the tender, and which is in a particular manner engaging to all sorts of readers. Adam and Eve, in the book we are now considering, are likewise drawn 720 with such sentiments, as do not only interest the reader in their afflictions, but raise in him the most melting passions of humanity and commiseration. When Adam sees the several changes in nature produced about him, he appears in a disorder of mind suitable to one who had forfeited both his innocence and his happiness; he is filled with horror, remorse, despair; in the anguish of his heart he expostulates with his Creator for having given him an unasked existence. Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mould me Man? &c. He immediately after recovers doom to be just, and begs that from his presumption, owns his the death which is threatened him be inflicted on him, may why delays His hand to execute what his decree This whole speech is full of the like emotion, and varied with all those sentiments which we may suppose natural to a mind so broken and disturbed. I must not omit that generous concern which our first father shews in it for his posterity, and which is so proper to affect the reader. Who can afterwards behold the father of mankind extended upon the earth, uttering his midnight complaints. bewailing his existence, and wishing for death, without sympathizing with him in his distress? Addison. |