64

Thrice the Equinoctial line

be Circled, Four times Cross'd the Carr of Night

from Pole to Pole, Traverfing each Colure; the Equinoctial Line divides the Globe in Twain, making the North and South Hemifpheres, at the Greateft diftance from which Line are the Two Points which are call'd the Poles. the Colures are Two Great Circles which perpendicular to That, Cut it at Right Angles, One at the first point of Aries and Libra, which is call'd the Colure of the Equinox, the other 90 Degrees Diffant at Cancer and Capricorn, and is call'd the Solftitial Colure. [Ladies, be pleas'd to Cut an Orange in the Middle, between the Top and Bottom, That Cut feen on the Rind is the Equinoctial, Cut it again from the Stalk Downwards, Twice, dividing it into Quarters, There are your Colures.] the Chariot, or Road of the Night, as That of the Day, goes, Eaft and Weft, the Poles lye North and South.

to

Traverse the Colures is to go Athwart them Obliquely (from Tranfverfus, Oblique) So that what is here faid is, Sathan flew Three times round the Earth from Eaft to Weft as the Sun, but always on the Oppofite fide of the Globe, Four times he Crofs'd That Road towards the Poles, but Obliquely still to Avoid the Sun; by which Oblique Course he must

at

at each Turn Traverfe One of the Colures. and thus the Seven Four and Twenty Hours of continu'd Night are Employ'd; by this Obliquity of the Way Toward and From Poles, and the Direct paffage East and We the whole Globe was Thoroughly fearched: that is, he Sought High and Low, Far and Wide; but 'tis faid Poetically, Such is the Difference between Common Speech, and the Language of the Mufes; Much the Same as That between Common Poetry, and an Air Accompany'd with Inftruments. Not that the Latter has Always More Eloquence, as Neither has Poetry than Profe; Each has it's Peculiar Advantages and All Depend on the Audience.

67

and on the Coaft Averfe from Entrance or Cherubic Watch, by Stealth

found unfufpected Way.

Averfe from Averfus, Turn'd from Where the Entrance Seem'd moft Difficult, and was Therefore left Unwatch'd; he Stole in.

72 into a Gulph Shot under Ground

See IV. 225.

76.

Sea be bad Search'd and Land as before an Aftronomical Account of his Journeying was given, Now 'tis Repeated Geographically; 'twas partly to Avoid the Day,

the

the Fugitive Malice fear'd Discovery, Partly to find Which of all the Creatures moft opportune, [moft Ready and Convenient] might ferve his Wiles, v. 85. and partly to get Entrance again into Paradise.

77 From Eden over Pontus, &c.

The River Ob, Oby, is a Vaft River pouring through Muscovy, and away into the Frozen Sea juft under the North Pole. Thence to the Antartic or Southern Pole; no Place is There nam'd in particular, being All Sea or Land unknown. his way Weft is fix'd from Orontes a River flowing from Mount Lebanus near Eden, then the Whole Length of the Mediterranean, and away Crofs the Atlantic Ocean to America, and fo to the EaftIndies. the Land where Flows Ganges and Indus.

79 Downward as farr Antartic

the Antartic is the South pole, as the Artic is the North, or the Utmoft South and North Points on the Surface of the Globe. Here it must be Noted that Sathan was between the two Poles, that is between the Utmoft North and South Points, he must then go Up to One and Down to the other (Up beyond the River Ob, Downward as far, &c. 'tis true there is Neither Up nor Down, as there is Neither North nor South in a Globe but as 'tis Arbitrarily fix'd, and as One place refpects

Another,

Another, but as 'tis So Fix'd, and as the place where we dwell, and (where Paradife is Suppos'd to have been) is on That Side of the Equator as has the Northern, or Artick Pole Elevated on our Globes; therefore to go North is to go Up, South to go Down. See this Beautyfully Describ'd by Virg. Georg. I. 240, and in Length

Ibid.

Weft

ftill imagining as before; if 'tis Up to go North, and Down, South; to go Eaft or West is to do Neither, 'tis to go on, to go in Length. This is alfo call'd Longitude, as III. 576. La titude is Breadth, 561. X. 673.

80

at Darien

to the Ocean, Barr'd

the Ifthmus of Darien (in, the Weft-Indies) is a Neck of Land that Stops the South-Sea as a Bar; and by this the South and North America's are Tack'd together.

87 Him after long Debate, Irrefolute

of Thoughts Revolv'd, his Final Sentence chofe,

of the many Thoughts rolling To and Fro in his Mind not yet knowing Which to Fix upon, at Length he Determin'd, and Chofe Him, the Serpent.

89 Fit Veffel, Fitteft Imp of Fraud,

Imp

Imp is Son. So Spenfer in his Introd. Fairy Queen.

and thou moft dreaded Imp of bigheft Jove

Fair Venus's Son

as Venus was Jove's Daughter, Cupid was his Grand-Son, Son or Grandfon, (the Ancients call'd Both Sons) Imp of Fraud is Son of Fraud, Inftrument of Fraud. as 1 Sam. xviii. 17. be thou Valiant for Me, (or as in the Margin) a Son of Valour. the Serpent was then the Fitteft Inftrument of Sathan's Fraud, the Subleft Beast, v. 86. See the Note on v. 176. of this Book. Milton himself has in the Allegro, v. 133. call'd Shakespeare a Poet above all remarkable for his Fancy,

Sweetest Shakespeare Fancie's Child.

102 for what God after Better Worfe would build?

the Poet making the Devil, who had Seen Heaven, be in Doubt Which was Preferable, fays More than he had faid, V. 575. or any where Elfe, it must be Confider'd however, Earth was in its Virgin Beauty, and 'twas New to Him; for though he had seen it Before, 'twas Chiefly by Night. 'tis Natural to Depreciate what is irrecoverably Loft, or Not to be Attain'd, as to Exaggerate Hop'd for Good; though 'tis Obfervable Milton as a Poet, whatever his Thoughts were Otherwife, reduces All but God Himself to fome degree of Materiality.