Cause, as That was of Some Other and so on in an Infinite Chain; Others (and which is the General Opinion) that All things are Contingent,and May,or may Not be,as Providence, Accident, or the Free-Will of Intelligent Beings, Men for Inftance, fhall Direct. Some have Suppos'd an Infinite Mind, as God, Muft needs Foreknow All Future Events; Others, that 'tis no Imputation on Omniscience to say He cannot Fore-know what a Free Agent will do. Some again Suppofe God's Prefcience, but that That is confiftent with Liberty or Free-will, and This was Milton's Notion III. 117. but whether Fate or Providence Govern'd all, what was Prefcience in God, and whether Thefe and Liberty of Will in Intelligent Created Beings could be Reconcil'd, and whether Inferior Beings, or even God Himself is Free, were the Mazes in which the Minds of These fallen Angels, Debas'd by Sin, Wandred and were Loft; though We by the Affiftance of Revelation can Extricate our Selves. See the whole Difcourfe above quoted.

562 of Good and Evil

the Distinction of Good and Evil was New to Thefe Difputants; Evil 'till Now was Unknown to them.

563 of Happyness and Final Mifery

as Evil was a New thing, They have Now

Experienc'd

Experienc'd Both Conditions; Happiness they had Enjoy'd ever fince their Creation, but now they also know Mifery.

the Word Final in This Line must be Apply'd to Both Happiness and Mifery. Final Happiness, the Summum Bonum, the Chiefeft Good and its Contrary the Summum Malum. This Difpofition of the Words varies Finely from the Common.

564 Paffion and Apathy

the Motion and Difturbance, and the Eafe and Infenfibility of the Mind.

ibid. Glory and Shame

These alfo are New to Thefe Fal'n Angels; by Glory, Meaning Ambition, and by That Shame of Repulfe.

565 Vain Wisdom all, and Falfe Philofophy: yet with a pleafing Sorcerie could Charm Pain for a while or Anguish, &c.

as their Reasonings and Difputes found no End, but left them treading in the Dark Labyrinth 'twas Vain Wisdom and Falfe Philofophy; Yet Some Advantage was Thus Obtain'd, they were Amus'd, their Pains and Agonies of Mind were Lull'd into Short Slumbers, they got a little Hope for a While, and fome Patience, Armour against Mifery.

In all this Account of the Amusements of thefe Wretched Spirits Milton feems, befides a fine

F

a fine Poetical Embellishment of his Subject, to have had a View to the Humane Life. The Active and Contemplative. the Games and Martial Exercises Represent our Wars Tumults and Commotions, Conquefts and Revolutions; their Travels on Discovery, Our Enterprizes for Curiofity or Gain; the Mufick and Poetry, Arts and Sciences in General; and the Philofophical Difputes are the Chief of Those with which the Ancients and all fince have been Agitated; Fate and Liberty, Good and Evil, What Is, and is Not So; What is Man's Chief Good, what is the Origin of Evil, what Conduces to our Happiness or Mifery; whether the Paffions are to be Cherifh'd as Inftruments of our Happiness, or Subdu'd, and if poffible Deftroy'd as Enemies to it; How Glory, Honour and the Praise of Men is to be made Subfervient to Brave and Noble Actions, and Shame to Deter us from what is Wicked or Bafe, and Unworthy, Thus even This Seemingly Little Circumftance, the Amusements of these Reprobate Spirits while the Grand Apoftate is on his Important Voyage contains a Noble and moft Compendious Picture of Human Life. and as the Difputes and Reasonings of the Fallen Angels were Vain and Erroneous, Such were Those of the Ancients, Such (Milton feems to infinuate) are All Thofe Now, Compar'd To, or without the Affiftance of Divine Revelation, and without true Piety and Purity.

568 th'

568 th' Obdured

So 'tis in the two First Editions. not Obdurate. Hardned, a Judicial Hardness of Heart, as Exod. ix. 12. 1 Tim. iv. 2. or a Criminal One, as Exod. viii. 15. Heb. iii. 13.

590

and Ruin feems

of Ancient Pile

feems to be the Ruins of fome Ancient Build.

ing.

594

the Parching Air

Burns Frore, and Cold performs th' Effect of Fire.

Frore. Frofty, like Froft; an Old English Word. Ecclef. xliii. 20, 21. When the Cold Northwind bloweth and the Water is Congealed into Ice, it abideth upon every gathering together of Water, and cloatheth the Water with a Breaft-plate. it Devoureth the Mountains and burneth the Wilderness, and confumeth the Grafs as Fire.

As Milton has Imagin'd a Fire in Hell without Light, and even Increafing Utter Darknefs it felf by Emitting of Darknefs, So Here he brings in Cold performing the Effect of Fire. and by the two Extreams Mutually rendring its Oppofite more Intollerable. Extreams by Change More Fierce. v. 599. Increafing the Torment of Hell,

F 2

596

596 Harpy-footed

the Harpyes were Greedy, Filthy Monsters with Faces like Beautiful Virgins, only Pale and Livid; their Bodies and Wings were as Vultures, their Bellies Vaftly Large, they had Claws instead of Nails; they made a Horrid Clattering with their Wings, and their Feathers refifted the Sharpeft Sword.

but that the Furies were Harpy-footed we never have read; Milton furely has taken the Thought from a Paffage in Virgil (VI. 252.) where the Harpy Celano calls her felf Furiarum Maxima. These Harpies are described just before (v. 233.)

Turba Sonans prædam Pedibus circumvolat

Uncis.

with Hooky Claws they Hover o'er their Prey.

609

and fo near the Brink,

fo near the Shore. Here a Circumftance of their Distress is Added by a Hint only from thefe few Words. they drew near the Landing Place where All their Hope of Relief was to Vanish, they therefore Struggle the more, and more Eagerly.

611 Medufa with Gorgonian Terror

Medufa was One of the Gorgons, there were three of them, Sifters; This Vying with Minerva upon Account of her Fine Hair the Goddess turned That Hair into Snakes; this