Whereto thus Adam fatherly displeas'd. earth. Gen. xi. 9. As the poet represents this confusion among the builders as an object of ridicule, so he makes use of some ridiculous words, such as are not very usual in poetry, to heighten that ridicule, as jangling noise, hideous gabble, strange hubbub. 71. -human left from human free.] Every reader must be pleased with the spirit of liberty that breathes in this speech of our first ancestor: and it is not improbable that the author had in mind a passage of St. Austin, as I find it quoted by Mr. Hume. Rationalem factum ad imaginem suam, noluit nisi irrationalibus 65 70 75 80 dominari, non hominem homini, sed hominem pecori. Aug. c. xv. 1. 19. de Civit. Dei. For Milton, though he speaks contemptibly of the Fathers, yet sometimes makes use of their sentiments. 73. -to God his tow'r intends &c.] This being not asserted in Scripture, but only supposed by some writers, is better put into the mouth of Adam, than of the angel. I wish the poet had taken the same care in ver. 51. ere the tower Obstruct heav'n-tow'rs. Such trouble brought, affecting to subdue Since thy original lapse, true liberty Is lost, which always with right reason dwells And upstart passions catch the government From reason, and to servitude reduce 85 Man till then free. Therefore since he permits His outward freedom: tyranny must be, 81. Such trouble brought,] Dr. Bentley reads brings, because this is not (he says) told here as a thing past. But Michael is not telling any thing here: he is only making a reflection upon what he had been telling Adam just before in ver. 27. and it having been already told, the reflection made upon it may justly speak of it as a thing past. Pearce. 83. Since thy original lapse,] Thus it is in Milton's own editions; in Dr. Bentley's, Mr. Fenton's, and other editions it is, 90 95 100 Since by original lapse, which Some editions read twin'd, and Their inward lost: Witness th' irreverent son 101. Witness th irreverent son Of him who built the ark, &c.] Witness Cham, the father of Canaan, and shameful son of Noah, who for the reproach done to his father, by discovering his nakedness, heard this heavy curse pronounced by him on his wicked posterity the Canaanites; Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren, Gen. ix. 22, 25. Hume. Does not Milton here forget, that the angel had not before mentioned the story of Ham's uncovering his father's nakedness? The urging it by way of example seems to infer its being known to Adam, which yet it could not be. Thyer. This heavy curse, so it is in Milton's own editions, but in others his heavy curse. 105 110 115 109. -resolving from thenceforth To leave them &c.] And the angel leaves them in like manner, and confines his narration henceforward to the one peculiar nation of the race of Abraham, from whence the Messiah was to descend. 114. Him on this side Euphrates yet residing,] That is, Not yet, when Michael was speaking; but yet when God resolved to select one peculiar nation from all the rest, ver. 111. No need therefore for Dr. Bentley's word then, instead of yet. Pearce. 115. Bred up in idol-worship;] We read in Joshua xxiv. 2. Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods. Now as Terah Abra (Canst thou believe?) should be so stupid grown, While To worship their own work in wood and stone For Gods! yet him God the Most High vouchsafes 120 His kindred and false Gods, into a land His benediction so, that in his seed All nations shall be blest; he straight obeys, ham's father was an idolater, I think we may be certain that Abraham was bred up in the religion of his father, though he renounced it afterwards, and in all probability converted his father likewise, for Terah removed with Abraham to Haran, and there died. See Genesis xi. 31, 32. 117. While yet the patriarch liv'd, who scap'd the flood,] It appears from the computations given by Moses, Gen. xi. that Terah the father of Abraham was born two hundred and twenty-two years after the flood, but Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. Gen. ix. 28. and we have proved from Joshua, that Terah and the ancestors of Abraham served other gods; and from the Jewish traditions we learn farther, that Terah, and Nachor his father, and Serug his grandfather, were statuaries and carvers of idols: and therefore idolatry was set 125 up in the world, while yet the patriarch lived, who scaped the flood. 120. -yet him God the Most High &c.] The same him repeated as in ver. 114. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed, Gen. xii. 1, 2, 3. 126.he straight obeys, Not knowing to what land, yet firm believes:] Hebrews xi. 8. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. I see him, but thou canst not, with what faith He leaves his Gods, his friends, and native soil Ur of Chaldæa, passing now the ford To Haran, after him a cumbrous train Of herds and flocks, and numerous servitude; Not wand'ring poor, but trusting all his wealth With God, who call'd him, in a land unknown. 128. I see him, but thou canst not, &c.] As the principal design of this episode was to give Adam an idea of the holy Person who was to reinstate human nature in that happiness and perfection from which it had fallen, the poet confines himself to the line of Abraham, from whence the Messiah was to descend. The angel is described as seeing the patriarch actually travelling towards the land of promise, which gives a particular liveliness to this part of the nar'ration. Addison. Our poet, sensible that this long historical description might grow irksome, has varied the manner of representing it as much as possible, beginning first with supposing Adam to have a prospect of it before his eyes, next by making the angel the relator of it, and lastly by uniting the two former methods, and making Michael see it as in vision, and give a rapturous enlivened account of it to Adam. This gives great ease to the languishing attention of the reader. Thyer. 130. Ur of Chaldæa,] Gen. xi. 31. And they went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. Chaldæa, 130 a province of Asia, lying east of the Euphrates and west of the Tigris. Ur, a city of Chaldæa, the country of Terah and Abraham. The word Ur in Hebrew signifies light or fire; and this name was given to the city, because the sun and its symbol, fire, was worshipped therein. Passing now the ford, passing over the river Euphrates where it was fordable, to Haran: by this it should seem, that our author conceived Haran to lie west of the river Euphrates; and I find M. Basnage in his Antiquities of the Jews maintains, that Haran was a town, at present unknown, out of the limits of Mesopotamia, in Syria of Shobah, in the way towards the land of Canaan. 132. —and numerous servitude;] Many servants; the abstract for the concrete. 133. Not wand'ring_poor, but trusting all his wealth] For Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran: and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came. Gen. xii. 5. |
