in lamentation of Adonis. We had the fortune to see what may be supposed to be the occasion of that opinion which Lucian relates, viz. that this stream, at certain seasons of the year, especially about the feast of Adonis, "is of a bloody colour; which the Heathens looked upon

as proceeding from a kind of sympathy in the river for "the death of Adonis, who was killed by a wild boar in "the mountains, out of which this stream rises. Some

thing like this we saw actually come to pass, for the water "was stained to a surprising redness; and as we observed "in travelling, had discoloured the sea a great way into a reddish hue, occasioned Goubtless by a sort of minium or "red earth, washed into the river by the violence of the rain, and not by any stain from Adonis's blood." Addison. 4.57. Next came one

Who mourn'd in earnest, &c.] The lamentations for Adonis were without reason, but there was real occasion for Dagon's mourning, when the ark of God was taken by the Philistines, and being placed in the temple of Dagon, the next morning "behold Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold (upon the grunsel or groundsil edge, as Milton expresses it, on the edge of the footpost of his temple gate) only the stump of Dagon was left to him" as we read Sam. v. 4.

467. Him follow'd Rimmon, &c.] Rimmon was a God of the Syrians, but it is not certain what he was, or why so called. We only know that he had a temple at Damascus, 2 Kings v. 18, the most celebrated city of Syria, on the banks of Abana and Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, as they are called 2 Kings v. 12. A leper once he lost, Naaman the Syrian, who was cured of his leprosy by Elisha, and who for that reason resolved thenceforth to "offer neither burntoffering nor sacrifice to any other God, but unto the Lord," 2 Kings v. 17. "And gain'd a king, Ahaz his sottish conqu'ror," who, with the assistance of the King of Assyria, having taken Damascus, saw there an altar, and sent a pattern of it to Jerusalem to have another made by it, directly contrary to the command of God, who had appointed what kind of altar he would have (Exod. xxvii. 1, 2, &c.) and

had ordered that no other should be made of any matter or figure whatsoever. Ahaz, however, upon his return removed the altar of the Lord from its place, and set up this new altar in its stead, " and offered thereon," 2 Kings xvi. 10, &c. and thenceforth gave himself up to idolatry, and instead of the God of Israel," he sacrificed unto the Gods of Damascus," 2 Chron. xxviii. 23. whom he had subdued. 478. Osiris, Isis, Orus, and their train, &c.

Osiris and Isis were the principal deities of the Egyptians, by which it is most probable they originally meant the sun and moon.

482.

-Nor did Israel 'scape

Th' infection, &c.] The Israelites, by dwelling so long in Egypt, were infected with the superstitions of the Egyptians, and in all probability made the golden calf, or ox (for so it is differently called, Psal. cxvi. 19. 20.) in imitation of that which represented Osiris, and out of the golden earrings, which is most likely they borrowed of the Egyptians, Exod. xii. 35. "The calf in Oreb," and so the Psalmist, "They made a calf in Horeb," Psal. cvi. 19. while Moses was upon the Mount with God." And the rebel king," Jeroboam made king by the Israelites who rebelled against Rehoboam, 1 Kings xii. "doubled that sin" by making two golden calves, probably in imitation of the Egyptians with whom he had conversed, who had a couple of oxen which they worshipped, one called Apis at Memphis the metropolis of the upper Egypt, and the other Mnevis at Hierapolis the chief city of the lower Egypt: and he set them up "in Bethel and in Dan," the two extremities of the kingdom of Israel, the former in the south, the latter in the north.

490. Belial came last, &c.] The characters of Moloch and Belial prepa e the reader's mind for their respective speeches and behaviour in the second and sixth book.

Addison.

They are very properly made, one the first, the other the last, in this catalogue, as they both make so great a figure afterwards in the poem. Moloch the first, as he was the "fiercest Spirit that fought in Heaven," ii. 44; and Belial the last, as he is represented as the most "timorous and

slothful," ii. 117 It doth not appear that he was ever worshipped; but lewd profligate fellows, such as regard neither God nor man, are called in Scripture "the children of Belial," Deut. xiii. 13. So the sons of Eli are called, 1 Sam. ii. 12. "Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial, they knew not the Lord." So the men of Gibeah, who abused the Levite's wife, Judges xix. 22, are called likewise "sons of Belial;" which are the particular instances here given by our author.

Expos'd a matron to avoid worse rape.] So Milton caused it to be printed in the second edition; the first ran thus, when hospitable "doors

Yielded their matrons" to prevent worse rape. And Milton did well in altering the passage; for it was not true of Sodom, that any matron was yielded there; the women" had not known man," Gen. xix. 8; and as they were only offered, not accepted, it is not proper to say they were "yielded." But observe that Milton in the second edition changed "yielded" into" expos'd," because in what was done at Gibeah, Judges xix. 25, the Levite's wife was not only "yielded," but put out of doors and "expos'd" to the men's lewdness. Pearce.

506. These were the prime.] It is observed by Macrobius and others, in commendation of Homer's catalogue of ships and warriors, that he hath therein mentioned every body who doth, and no body who doth not afterwards make his appearance in the poem: whereas it is otherwise in Virgil; some have a place in the list, who are never heard of in the battles, and others make a figure in the battles, who are not taken notice of in the list. Neither hath Milton in this respect attained Homer's excellence and beauty; but then it should be considered what was his intent and purpose in this catalogue. It was not possible for him to exhibit as complete a catalogue of the fallen Angels, as Homer has given us of the Grecian and Trojan commanders; and as it was possible, or indeed proper, so neither was it at all his intention.

508. Th' Ionian Gods of Javan's issue beld

Gods, & javan, the fourth son of Japhet, and grandson

of Noah, is supposed to have settled in the south-west part of Asia Minor, about Ionia, which contains the radical letters of his name. His descendants were the Ionians and Grecians; and the principal of their Gods were Heaven and arth; Titan was their eldest son, he was the father of the giants, and his empire was seized by his younger brother Saturn, as Saturn's was by Jupiter son of Saturn and Rhea. These were first known in the island of Crete, now Candia, in which is Mount Ida, where Jupiter is said to have been born; thence passed over into Greece, and resided on Mount Olympus in Thessaly; "the snowy top of cold Olympus," as Homer calls it, Iliad i. 420, and xviii. 615; which mountain afterwards became the name of Heaven among their worshippers.

529. Semblance of worth not substance]

An expression of Spenser's Faery Queen, b. ii. cant. ix. st. 2.

530. Their fainting courage,] In the first edition he gave it "their fainted courage," if that be not an error of the press.

532. Of trumpets loud and clarions.] A clarion is a small shrill treble trumpet, Hume. So Fairfax mentions and distinguishes them, cant. i. st. 71.

"When trumpets loud and clarior 533.

s shr.

were heard."

that proud honour aizazel is not the

Azazel as bis right, a Cherub tali scape-goat, as it is commonly called, but signifies some demon, as the learned Dr. Spenser hath abundantly proved. He shows that this name is used for some demon or devil by several ancient authors, Jewish and Christian, and derives it from two Hebrew words, Az and Azel, signifying "brave in retreating," a proper appellation for the standard-bearer to the fallen Angels. We see Milton gives Azazel a right to be standard-bearer on account of his stature; he had no notion of a dapper ensign who can hardly carry his colours. 535. Who forthwith, &c.] There are several other strokes in the first book wonderfully poetical, and instances of that sublime genius so peculiar to the author, Such is the description of Azazel's stature, and of the infernal standard which he unfurls; as also of that ghastly light, by which the fiends appear to one another in their place of torments:

VOL. III.

the shout of the whole host of fallen Angels when drawn up in battle array: the review which the leader makes of his infernal army: the flash of light which appeared upon the drawing of their swords: the sudden production of the Pandemonium: and the artificial illuminations made in it. Addison.

545. Ten thousand banners rise into the air With orient colours waving: with them rose

A forest buge of spears;] So Tasso, describing the Christian and Pagan armies preparing to engage, cant. xx. st. 28. Loose in the wind way'd their ensigns light,

Trembled the plumes that on their crests were set; Their arms, impresses, colours, gold and stone, 'Gainst the sun beams smil'd, flamed, sparkled, shone, 29. Of dry topt oaks they seem'd two forests thick;

So did each host with spears and spikes abound. Fairfax. 548.serried shields.] Locked one within another, linked and clasped together, from the French "serrer," to lock, to shut close. Hume.

550.to the Dorian mood, &c.] All accounts of the music of the ancients are very uncertain and confused. There seem to have been three principal modes or measures among them, the Lydian, the Phrygian, and the Dorian.-The Lydian was the most doleful, the Phrygian the most sprightly, and the Dean the most grave and majestic and Milton in another part of his works uses grave and Doric as synonimous terms. "If we think to regulate printing, thereby to rectify manners, we must regulate all recreations and pastimes, all that is delightful to man. No music must be heard, no song be set or sung, but what is 'grave and Doric."

Dr. Greenwood, of Warwick, hath sent me the following addition to this note. "Hence is to be observed the exactness of Milton's judgment in appropriating the several instruments to the several purposes which they were to serve, and the different effects they produced. Thus, when a doubtful hue was cast' on the countenance of Satan and his associates, and they were but little above despair, in order to raise their fainting courage and dispel their fears,' he commanded his standard to be uprear'd at the warlike