Fluttering his pennons vain plumb down he drops As many Nor good dry land: nigh founder'd on he fares, 935 939 Treading the crude confiftence, half on foot, Hinc et Sithoniæ gentes, auroque ligatas Subftringens Arimafpe comas. Herodotus and other authors relate, that there were continual wars between the gryphons and Arimafpians about gold, the gryphons guarding it and Arimafpians taking it whenever they had opportunity. See Plin. Nat. Hift. Lib. 7. cap. 2. Arimafpi, quos diximus, uno oculo in fronte media infignes: quibus affidue bellum effe circa metalla cum gryphis, ferarum volucri genere, quale vulgo traditur, eruente ex cuniculis aurum, mira cupiditate et feris cuftodientibus, et Arimafpis rapientibus. multi, fed maximè illuftres Herodotus et Arifteas Proconnefius fcribunt. 948. O'er bog, or fleep, &c.] Dr. Bentley's reading is not amifs C'er bog, o'er fteep, &c. The difficulty of Satan's voyage is very well exprefs'd by fo many mono. fyllables as follow, which cannot be pronounced but flowly, and 945 way, With head, hands, wings, or feet pursues his Of stunning founds and voices all confus'd, 951 955 Might Faint, weary, fore, embroiled, 956. the nethermoft abys] Dr. Bentley rejects nethermoft here, and again in ver. 969, and charges Milton's blindncts as the caufe of his forgetting himfelf here and being inconfiftent. But it is the Doctor that mistakes, and not the Poet: for tho' the throne of Chaos was above Hell, and confequently a part of the alyfs was fo, yet a part of that abys was at the fame time far below Hell; fo far below, as that, when Satan went from Hell on his voyage, he fell in that abyss 10000 fathom deep, ver. 934. and the poet there adds, that if it had not been for an accident, he had been falling down there to this hour: nay it was fo deep as to be illimitable, and where highth is left. Surely then the abyss, confider'd all together, was nethermoft in respect of Hell, below which it was fo endlefly extended; and therefore there was no occafion for Dr. Bentley to read here this vaft unknown abyfs, instead of the nethermoft abyss, nor in ver. 969. regnant o'er this vaft abyfs inftead of of this nethermost abyfs. Pearce. 962. Sat fable-vefted Night, ] Clothed in her fable furs; a fable is a creature whofe fkin is of the greater price, the blacker it is. Μελαμπιπλών δε Νυξ, Euripides. Hume. Milton here and in what follows feems to have had in his view Spenfer's fine description of Night, which is very much in the taste of this allegory of Milton's. See Faery Queen, B. 1. Cant. 5. St. 20. Where grifly Night, &c. 64. Orcus and Ades,] Orcus is generally by the poets taken for Pluto, as Ades for any dark place, Thefe terms are of a very vague fignification, and employ'd by the ancient poets accordingly. Milton has perfoniz'd them, and put them in the court of Chaos. Richardfon. 964.-and Might in that noise refide, of whom to afk the nearest coast of darkness lies 960 Which way Of Demogorgon; Rumor next and Chance, And Tumult and Confufion all embroil'd, And Difcord with a thousand various mouths. My tongue (if ftill your ftubborn hearts refufe) That fo much dreaded name can well repeat, Which heard great Dis cannot himfelf excufe, But hither run from his eternal feat. Fairfax. The name of this deity is Demogorgen, which fome think a corruption of Demiurgus; others imagin him to be fo call'd, as being able to look upon the Gorgon, that turned all other spectators to ftone, and to this Lucan feems to allude, when he fays -qui Gorgona cernit apertam, Spenter too mentions this infernal deity, Faery Queen, B. 1. Cant. 5. St. 22, 965 T' whom and takes notice alfo of the dreadful effects of his name, B. 1. Cant, 1. St. 37. A bold bad man, that dar'd to call by name Great Gorgon, prince of darkness and dead night, At which Cocytus quakes, and Styx is put to flight. Well therefore might Milton difinguifh him by the dreaded name of Demogorgen: and the name of Demogorgon is as much as to fay Dengorgon himself, as in Virgil Æn. VI. 763. Albanum nomen is a man of Alba, Æn. XII. 515. Nomen Ecbienium, id eft Thebanum, is a Theban; and we have a memorable inftance of this way of fpeaking in Rev. XI. 13. And in the earthquake avere flain oveμata avbjwrav names of men feven thoufand, that is feven thousand men. And befides thefe authorities to juftify our author, let me farther add what the learned Mr. Jortin hath fuggefted, that this name "is to be found in Lactantius, the "Scholiaft of Statius on Thebaid. IV. 516. Dicit Deum Demo gorgona fummum. It is alfo to "he found in Hyginus, pag. 11. Edit. Hamburg. Oct. 1674. Ex Demogorgone et Terra Python, "draco divinus, if the place be "not corrupted. See Mancker there." And Mr. Thyer jufti 66 |