510

The portal shone, inimitable on earth
By model, or by shading pencil drawn.
Thę stairs were such as whereon Jacob faw
Angels ascending and descending, bands
Of guardians bright, when he from Efau fled
To Padan-Aram, in the field of Luz
Dreaming by night under the open sky, 514
And waking cry'd, This is the gate of Heaven.
Each stair mysteriously was meant, nor stood
There always, but drawn up to Heav'n sometimes
Viewless; and underneath a bright sea flow'd

Of

Milton very

and ardent are too near akin to be Which are array'd with much
both used together, and since (as more orient hue.
the Doctor allows) the best gems Spenser's Hymn of Beauty.
come from the East Indies, it may I have transcribed these lines to de-
be allow'd to Milton to mean by fend, against Dr. Bentley's remark,
orient gems no more than the best Milton's application of the word
and most precious ones.

orient. frequently uses the word orient in

Thyer. such a sense as this, and Dr. Bent 510. The stairs, the degrees men. ley generally corrects it, tho' he tion'd before, ver. 502. were fuch as has made no objection to the ex- whereon Jacob faru &c.] A comparipression in I. 546.

fon fetch'd from Gen. XXVIII. With orient colors waving.

12, 13. And be dreamed, and be

hold a ladder set upon the earth, and Poets, who write of things out of the top of it reached to Heaven, and this world, muft use epithets and behold the Angels of God ascending metaphors drawn from things in and defcer.ding on it; and behold the this world, if they would make Lord stood above it. &c. But this themselves understood. Pearce.

To Padan-Aram in the field of Luz, Why do not then the bloffoms of the field

must not be understood as if Padan.

line

Of jasper, or of liquid pearl, whereon
Who after came from earth, sailing arriv'd 520
Wafted by Angels, or flew o'er the lake
Rapt in a chariot drawn by fiery steeds.
The stairs were then let down, whether to dare
The Fiend by easy' ascent, or aggravate
His fad exclusion from the doors of bliss:

525
Direct against which open’d from beneath,
Just o'er the blissful seat of Paradise,
A paffage down to th’Earth, a passage wide,
Wider by far than that of after-times

Over

Aram was in the field of Luz; but 521. Wafted by Angels, &c.] As he was flying to Padan-Aram or the Lazarus was carried by Angels, Luke country of Aram, that is Syria ; XVI. 22; and Elijah was rapt up and by the way rested and dreamed in a chariot of fire and horses of this dream in the field of Luz, for fire, 2 Kings II. 11. so the adjoining city was called at 525. doors ] Milton writes the first; Jacob upon this occasion this word dore and dores except only gave it the name of Bethel, by in one instance in I. 504. of the sewhich it was better known after- cond edition, which he alter'd from wards. The passage was wrong the first edition : but the other appointed in all the editions, for there proaches nearer in found to the should be no comma after Luz: original word, if it be deriv'd from the comma should be after Padan- the Saxon duru, the German dure, Aram, in the field of Luz being to dura, tura; and all as Junius says be join'd on to dreaming in the next from the Greek Juel, janua. ad verse.

yet I think we commonly proand underneath a bright nounce it dore tho' we constantly fea flow'd] The author him- write it door. But in all such cases self explains this, in the argument we want an advantage, that the of this book, to be meant of the French have enjoy'd, of an Acawater above the firmament. He demy to fix and settle our language. mentions it again VII.619. Heylin. Some proposals were made for

erecting

518.

Over mount Sion, and, though that were large, 530
Over the Promis'd Land to God so dear,
By which, to visit oft those happy tribes,
On high behests his Angels to and fro
Pass’d frequent, and his eye with choice regard
From Paneas the fount of Jordan's flood 535
To Beërsaba, where the Holy Land
Borders on Egypt and th’ Arabian shore;
So wide the opening seem'd, where bounds were set
To darkness, such as bound the ocean wave.
Satan from hence, now on the lower stair

540 That scal'd by steps of gold to Heaven gate, Looks down with wonder at the sudden view

Of

erecting such an Academy to the fheba, that is the whole extent of Lord Treasurer Oxford at the lat- the Promis'd Land from Paneas in ter end of the reign of Queen the north to Beersaba in the south, Anne ; and it is a pity they were where the Holy Land is bounded never carried into execution. by Egypt and Arabia. The limits 534. and his eye with choice of the Holy Land are thus ex

regard) Dr. Pearce thinks prefs d in Scripture, from Dan even that after regard a verse seems to unto Beersheba, Dan at the northern be wanting to describe what his eye and Beersheba at the southern exdid with choice regard: but it may tremity; and the city that was cal. be understood thus, his eye pafs'd led Dan was afterwards named Pe. frequent, as well as his Angels to neas. So wide the opening seemid, and fro on high behests or com- that is so wide as I have repremands, and survey'd from Paneas, sented it, wider than the passage a city at the foot of a mountain over mount Sion and the Promis'd of the same name, part of mount Land ; So wide the opening seem'd, Libanus where the river Jordan where the same divine power fixed has its source, to Beërfaba or Beer- the limits of darkness, that said to

with peril gone

Of all this world at once. As when a scout
Through dark and desert

ways
All night, at last by break of chearful dawn 545
Obtains the brow of some high-climbing hill,
Which to his

еус

discovers unaware The goodly prospect of some foreign land First seen, or some renown's metropolis With glist'ring spires and pinnacles adorn’d, 550 Which now the rising sun gilds with his beams: Such wonder seis'd, though after Heaven seen, The Spirit malign, but much more envy seis'd, At fight of all this world beheld so fair.

554 Round he surveys (and well might, where he stood

So

the proud ocean, Hitherto shalt thou glorious an idea as any that arises come and no farther.

in the whole poem.

He looks 540. Satan from bence, &c.] Sa- down into that vast hollow of the tan, after having long wander'd universe, with the eye, or (as Milupon the surface, or outmost wall ton calls it) with the ken of an of the universe, discovers at last a Angel. He surveys all the wonwide gap in it, which led into the ders in this immense amphitheatre creation, and is described as the that lic between both the poles of opening through which the Angels Heaven, and takes in at one view pass to and fro into the lower world the whole round of the creation. upon their errands to mankind.

Addison. His fitting upon the brink of this 555. Round be surveys &c.] Satan passage, and taking a survey of the is here represented as taking a view whole face of nature that appeared of the whole creation from east to to him new and fresh in all its beau- west, and then from north to south; ties, with the fimile illustrating but poetry delights to say the most this circumstance, fills the mind of common things in an uncommon the reader with as surprifing and manner. Round he surveys, as well he VOL. I.

Аа

might

So high above the circling canopy
Of night's extended shade) from eastern point
Of Libra to the fleecy star that bears
Andromeda far off Atlantic feas
Beyond th’horizon; then from pole to pole 560
He views in breadth, and without longer pause
Down right into the world's first region throws

His

might'in his present situation, so high much greater journey one way than above the circling canopy of night's the other, one was called lengte extended shade. Dr. Bentley objects or longitude, the other breadth or to the expresfion of circling canopy, latitude. It is fine, as it is natural, when the shade of night must needs to represent Satan as taking a view be a core : but as Dr. Pearce re- of the world before he threw himplies, to Satan who look'd down self into it. upon it from such an highth, it ap 562. Downright into the world's pear'd not a cone as it really was, &c.] Satan after having furvey'd but a circle. In this situation then the whole creation, immediately be furveys from eastern point of Libra, without longer pause throws himself one of the twelve figos exactly op- into it, and is describ'd as making posit to Aries, to the fleecy flar, two different motions. At firft he Aries or the Ram, that is from east drops down perpendicularly fome to weft, for when Libra rises in the way into it,downright into the world's east, Aries fers fall weft; and Aries first region throws his flight precipiis said to bear Andromeda, becaufe tant, and aftewards winds bis oblique that conftellation represented as a way, turns and winds this way and woman is placed just over Aries, that, if he might any where elpy and therefore when Aries fets he the seat of Man ; for tho' in ver. seems to bear Andromeda far of 527 it is said that the passage was Atlantic feas, the great western juft over Paradise, yet it is evident ocean, beyond th' horizon; then from that Satan did not know it, and pole to pole he views in breadth, that therefore as it was natural for him is from north to fouth, and that is to do, winds about in search of it faid to be in breadth, because the through the pure marble air. The Ancients knowing more of the firft epithet pare determins the sense earth from east to west than from of the second, and shows why the north to fouth, and so having a air is compared to marble, namely

for