Of Moloch homicide, luft hard by hate;

Till good Jofiah drove them thence to Hell.
With these came they, who from the bord'ring flood
Of old Euphrates to the brook that parts

Egypt from Syrian ground, had general names
Of Baälim and Ashtaroth, those male,..
These feminine. For Spirits when they please
Can either fex affumé, or both; so soft
And uncompounded is their effence pure,
Not ty'd or manacled with joint or limb,

her boughs unto the Jea, and her branches unto the river, that is from the Mediterranean to the river Euphrates to the brook that parts Egypt from Syrian ground, most probably the brook Befor mention'd in Scripture, near Rhinocolura, which city is affign'd fometimes to Syria and fometimes to Egypt.

420

425

Nor

about the operation of Demons, where a story is related of a Demon's appearing in the fhape of a woman; and upon this a doubt is rais'd whether fome Demons are males, and others females; and it is afferted that they can affume ei-` ther fex, and take what shape and color they please, and contract or dilate themselves at pleasure, as 422. Baälim and Afbtaroth,] Thefe they are of an aery nature. So nas are properly named together, as εκας γε αυτών, τότε σωμα they frequently are in Scripture; @ei ὁ αν αίροι το χημα μετατυ and there were many Baälim and πώσας, και χρώματα τιθ many Afbtarath; they were the ge- TPO TO TO TWμATO εεαneral names of the Gods and Goddeffes of Syria, Palestine, and the neighbouring countries. It is fuppofed that by them is meant the fun and the host of Heaven.

423. For Spirits when they pleafe

&c.] Thefe notions about Spirits feem to have been borrow'd from Michael Pfellus his dialogue

νιχων περας, ποτε μεν ὡς ανηρ

εμφανίζεται, ποτε δε προς γυ να μεταβαλλες μορφην &c. Se Μιχαηλο το Ψελλο περι ενεργειας δαιμονων διαλογΘ. p. 70.77 Edit. Lutet. Parif. 1615. Such an extraordinary fcholar was Milton, and fuch ufe he made of all forts of authors.

437. With

Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones,

Like cumbrous flesh; but in what shape they choose

Dilated or condens'd, bright or obscure,

Can execute their aery purposes,

And works of love or enmity fulfil.

For those the race of Ifrael oft forfook

Their living strength, and unfrequented left
His righteous altar, bowing lowly down
To beftial Gods; for which their heads as low
Bow'd down in battel, funk before the fpear

Of defpicable foes. With thefe in troop
Came Aftoreth, whom the Phoenicians call'd
Aftarte, queen of Heav'n, with crefcent horns;
To whose bright image nightly by the moon
Sidonian virgins paid their vows and fongs,
In Sion alfo not unfung, where stood
Her temple on th' offenfive mountain, built

By that uxorious king, whose heart though large,
Beguil'd by fair idolatreffes, fell

To idols foul. Thammuz came next behind,

opinion which Lucian relates, "viz. that this ftream at certain feafons of the year, efpecially "about the feast of Adonis, is of "a bloody color; which the Hea. "thens looked upon as proceed

ing from a kind of fympathy in "the river for the death of Adonis, "who was kill'd by a wild boar "in the mountains, out of which this ftream rifes. Something "like this we faw actually come to pafs; for the water was ftain'd "to a furprising rednefs; and as we obferved in traveling, had difcolor'd the fea a great way "into a reddish hue, occafion'd doubtless by a fort of minium 66 or red earth, wafh'd into the "river by the violence of the rain, and not by any ftain from Ado"nis's blood." Addifon. Thammuz was the God of the Syrians, the fame with Adonis, who

440

445

Whose

according to the traditions died every year and reviv'd again. He was flain by a wild boar in mount Lebanon, from whence the river Adonis defcends: and when this river began to be of a reddish hue, as it did at a certain feafon of the year, this was their fignal for celebrating their Adonia or feafts of Adonis, and the women made loud lamentations for him, fuppofing the river was difcolor'd with his blood. The like idolatrous rites were transferred to Jerufalem, where Ezekiel faw the women lamenting Tammuz, Ezek. VIII. 13, 14. He faid alfo unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt fee greater abominations that they do. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's houfe, which was towards the north, and behold there fat women weeping for Tammuz. Dr. Pemberton in his Obfervations

Whose annual wound in Lebanon allur'd

The Syrian damfels to lament his fate
In amorous ditties all a fummer's day,
While fmooth Adonis from his native rock
Ran purple to the fea, fuppos'd with blood
Of Thammuz yearly wounded: the love-tale
Infected Sion's daughters with like heat,
Whose wanton paffions in the facred porch
Ezekiel faw, when by the vifion led
His eye furvey'd the dark idolatries
Of alienated Judah. Next came one

450

455

Who

his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the bead of Dagon and both the palms of his bands were cut off upon the threshold (upon the grunfel or groundfil edge, as Milton expreffes it, on the edge of the footpoft of his temple gate) only the fump of Dagon was left to him as we read 1 Sam. V. 4. Learned men are by no means agreed in their accounts of this idol. Some derive the name from Dagan which fignifies corn, as if he was the inventor of it; others from Dag, which fignifies a fifh, and reprefent him accordingly with the upper part of a man, and the lower part of a fifh. Our author follows the latter opinion, which is that commonly receiv'd, and has besides the authority of the learned Selden. This Dagon is called in Scripture

the

Who mourn'd in earnest, when the captive ark
Maim'd his brute image, head and hands lopt off
In his own temple, on the grunfel edge,
Where he fell flat, and sham'd his worshippers:
Dagon his name, fea monfter, upward man

And downward fish: yet had his temple high
Rear'd in Azotus, dreaded through the coaft
Of Palestine, in Gath and Afcalon,

And Accaron and Gaza's frontier bounds.
Him follow'd Rimmon, whofe delightful feat
Was fair Damafcus, on the fertil banks