Upon the wing, as when men wont to watch 335 In which they were, or the fierce pains not feel; Yet to their general's voice they foon obey'd Innumerable. As when the potent rod Of Amram's fon, in Egypt's evil day, Wav'd round the coaft, up call'd a pitchy cloud 349 cope of Hell Their course, in even balance down they light Stanza 18, will find our author has feen him, tho' borrow'd little of him. Hume. 338. As when the potent rod &c.] See Exod. X. 13. Mofes ftretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an caft-wind 345 350 A upon the land, and the east-wind brought the locufts: and the locufts went up over all the land of Egyptfo that the land was darkened. 341-warping] Working them. felves forward, a fea term. Hume and Richardson. A multitude, like which the populous north 355 And Pow'rs that erft in Heaven fat on thrones; 360 Though of their names in heav'nly records now 351. A multitude, like which &c.] This comparifon doth not fall below the reit, as fome have imagin'd. They were thick as the leaves, and numberless as the lecufts, but fuch a multitude the north never pour'd forth; and we may obferve that the fubject of this comparifon rifes very much above the others, leaves and locufts. The populous north, as the northern parts of the world are obferved to be more fruitful of people, than the hotter countries: Sir William Temple calls it the northern hive. Pour'd never, a very proper word to exprefs the inundations of these northern nations. From her frozen loins, it is the Scripture expreffion of children and defcendents coming out of the loins, as Gen. XXXV. 11. Kings fhall come out of thy loins; and thefe are called frozen loins only on account of the coldness of the climate. To pafs Be Rhene or the Danaw. He might have faid confiftently with his verse The Rhine or Danube, but he chofe the more uncommon names Rhene of the Latin, and Danaw of the German, both which words are ufed too in Spenfer. When her barbarous jons &c. They were truly barbarous; for befides exercifing feveral cruelties, they deftroy'd all the monuments of learning and politenefs wherever they came. Came like a deluge. Spenfer defcribing the fame people has the fame fimile. Faery Queen. B. 2. Cant. 10. St. 15. And overflow'd all countries far Be no memorial, blotted out and ras'd By their rebellion from the books of life. 364 Got them new names, till wand'ring o'er the earth, Of mankind they corrupted to forfake fouthern provinces of Europe, and croffing the Mediterranean beneath Gibraltar landed in Africa, and spread themselves as far as the fandy country of Libya. Beneath Gibraltar that is more fouthward, the north being uppermoft in the globe. 363. the books of life,] Dr. Bentley reads the book of life, that being the fcripture expreffion. And Shakespear fays likewife blotted from the book of life, Richard II. Act. 1. My name be blotted from the book of life. But the author might write books in the plural as well as records juft before; and the plural agrees better with the idea that he would give of the great number of Angels. 367. By falfities and lies] That is, as Mr. Upton obferves, by falfe 379 And And Devils to adore for Deities: Then were they known to men by various names, Their advantage over the catalogues he has imitated, for Milton's becomes thereby a neceffary part of the work, as the original of fuperftition, an effential part of a religious epic, could not have been shown without it. Had Virgil's or Homer's been omitted, their poems would not have fuffered materially, becaufe in their relations of the following actions we find the foldiers, who were before catalogued; but by no following hiftory of fuperftition that Milton could have brought in, could we find out thefe Devils agency, it was therefore neceffary he fhould inform us of the fact. Warburton. Say, Mufe, &c. Homer at the beginning of his catalogue invokes his Mufe afresh in a very pompous manner. Virgil does the like, and Milton follows both fo far as to make a fresh invocation, though fhort; because he had already made 385 Their feats long after next the feat of God, a large and folemn addrefs in this very book, at the beginning of his poem. 376.—their names then known,] When they had got them new names. Milton finely confider'd that the names he was obliged to apply to thefe evil Angels carry a bad fignification, and therefore could not be thofe they had in their state of innocence and glory; he has therefore faid their former names are now loft, ras'd from amongst thofe of their old affociates who retain their purity and happiness. Richardson. 376.—who first, who last,] Quem telo primum, quem poftremum &c. Virg. Æn. XI. 664. 386. thron'd Between the Cherubim ;] This relates to the ark being placed between the two golden Cherubim, 1 Kings VI. 23. 1 Kings VIII. 6. 390 Of and 7. See alfo 2 Kings XIX. 15. O Lord God of Ifrael, which dwelleft between the Cherubim. Hezekiah's prayer. Hume. 387. yea, often plac'd Within his fanctuary itself their Shrines, Abominations;] This is complain'd of by the prophet Jeremiah VII. 30. For the children of Judah have done evil in my fight, faith the Lord; they have fet their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. And we read of Manaffeh, 2 Kings XXI. 4 and 5. that He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord faid, In Jerufalem will I put my name: And he built altars for courts of the house of the Lord. See all the hoft of Heaven, in the two alfo Ezek. VII. 20. and VIII. 5, 6. 392. First Moloch, borrid king,] First after Satan and Beelzebub. The |