Some have imagined (St Bafil in particu lar) that fuch was the Brightness of the Empyreum that it's Glory is Infinitely extended, but that the Creation has it's own Light, becaufe 'tis as a Tent in Noon-Day, excluding the Rays of the Sun.

Ether is an Air of the utmoft Purity, Partaking Of, or Approaching To the Nature of Fire, and of like Velocity; but 'tis Balfamick, Cordial, and all that can be imagin'd of Air far more exquifitely Sweet than our Elementary Air, and Milton diftinguishes them as VII. 14. 16. 265. This is the Air of Heaven, and all along fignifies Celeftial, as here the Etherial Sky; fo the Angels are call'd the Ethereal Powers, Ethereal Sons, &c.

These Heavenly Beings are fo often mentioned in this Poem that it will be proper alfo to fix the Idea of Them thus Early.

Milton calls them Spirits, and tho' they were created in Time, feems to fuppose them Naturally Immortal; but he alfo fpeaks of them in fuch a Manner, and as having fuch Properties as do not agree with the Notion we have of Spirits in the Strictest and moft Sublime Sense of that Term. See I. 423. V. 434. 491. VI. 326. 344. 349. VIII. 110. 622, &c. This neceffarily occafions a Confufion in our Thoughts when we read, and confequently takes off from the Pleafure the Imagination might have with Reconcileable Ideas, that is, with understanding the Word Spirit in an In

ferior,

ferior, not in its Utmoft Signification, as it has been obferv'd the Term Creation must be understood. Suppofe then we conceive of the Angels as Material Subftances, Spirits in an Inferior Senfe, Matter the nearest approaching to Spirit, but ftill Matter, Fire, fuch as is Defcribed p. 8. Dante, from whom Milton hath taken Much of his Notion of Angels, hath imagin'd His to be of This Nature, and feems to be Juftified by Heb. i. 7. Who maketh his Angels Spirits, and his Minifters a Flame of Fire, See II. 512. VI. 102. 413. Conf. 348,

Thus conceiving of the Miltonick Angels gives us a moft Delightful Idea, and fuch a One as the Mind can, as I may fay, Deal withal; we can be Familiar with Such Angels, as Adam is defcribed to have been, and with almost an Equal Pleasure. and there is a further Advantage in This; the Supreme Being, God bleffed for ever! is Thus conceived of as of a Nature Diftin&t from All others, the moft Sublime Notion of Spirituality is referved for Him, and Him only, in whofe Sight the Heavens are not Clean, nor can the Heaven, nor the Heaven of Heavens Contain him.

46 Hideous.

from Hideux, Fr. Dreadful, Gaftly, Frightful.

3

ibid. Ruin

in the common Acceptation this Word implies Downfall, being Undone. Milton rather chufes to use Words in the most Antient and Learned Sense; and Thus Ruin includes the Idea of Rushing with Violence, Noife, Tumult, and Velocity.

ibid. Combuftion

is not only Burning, Flaming, as v. 45. it carries the Idea much farther, 'tis burning in a Horrible Manner; a Planet is faid to be in Combustion when it comes very near the Sun; an Intense Heat.

48 Penal Fire,

Fire kindled by Vengeance, Fire, inflicted as a Punishment.

Almighty Power Thus Hurling Headlong from the Heights of Heaven to the Abyss of Perdition the loft Arch-Angel; what an Idea does it give!

Fire is often mentioned as one of the Torments of Hell, Penal Fire, let it be obferved that we have no Idea of fuch Fire from Any we are Acquainted with; the Furnace of a Glafs-Houfe is Cool to it; if a few Rays of the Sun collected by a Burning-Glass, at fuch an immense Distance, will melt the hardest Flint, like Snow, in a Moment, what Effect must the Body of the Sun have upon any

Matter

Matter we know of being flung into it, that vaft Ocean of Fire, a thousand Times bigger than the Earth! This may give us a more adequate Idea of this Penal Fire than any Thing elfe that comes within the Compafs of our Imaginations.

53 Confounded

Astounded and Amaz'd', as 281, or Aftonifh'd, as 317.

56 Baleful

Hurtful, Sorrowful, weigh'd down, and over, whelmed with Grief.

62

yet from thofe Flames No Light, but rather Darkness vifible ferv'd only to difcover Sights of Woe, no doubt when Milton was defcribing Hell as all in Flames, he found This took away the Idea of Darknefs, Utter Darknefs! Effential to Hell; he must therefore Reconcile thefe, which he does by imagining This Fire has not the Property of Light, as Ours, but instead emanates Darkness. Yet the Damn'd must no more have the Comfort of One than of the Other: This Darkness muft then ferve to difcover Horrid Objects, and be Vifible it felf as One of them; 'tis Greatly and Poetically imagined.

That there may be a Kind of Fire which as Naturally gives Darkness as what we are acquaint

acquainted with produces Light and Smoak is conceivable; the XVII. Chapter of the Book of Wisdom has many Sublime Paffages Defcriptive of Hell, among others v. 5. it says no Power of Fire might give them Light: Neither could the bright Flames of the Stars endure to lighten that horrible Night. Only there appeared unto them a Fire kindled of it felf, very dreadful. v. 14. Speaks of Night intollerable, and which came out of the Bottoms of inevitable Hell. This Darkness Cowley defcribes in his Plagues of Egypt, Stanz. 13. Subftantial Night that does difclaim

Privation's empty Name.

a Real, Created Darkness, not merely an Abfence of Light, but fuch as is not to be penetrated by a Thoufand Suns,, no more than the most folid Rocks, much lefs to be foftened by Reflections from Contiguous Illuminated Bodies; 'tis true we have no Idea of fuch Darknefs, especially as being a Property of Fire, but that fuch a Thing is Impoffible who will prefume to fay? Let it be remembered this Fire was created on Purpose, created to Torment the Rebel Angels; Fire

-which God by Curfe

Created Evil, for Evil only Good

as Milton fays of Hell in general. II. 622. and if Such Fire, Such Darkness is Poffible, a Poet may imagine it as Certain. See more concerning Fire as Diftinguifh'd from Elemental Fire in our Note on VI. 413.

Darkness