Encroaching Eve perhaps, had first the rule
Of high Olympus, thence by Saturn driven
And Ops, ere yet Dictaan Jove was born.
Mean while in Paradise the hellish pair
Too foon arriv'd, Sin there in pow'r before,
Once actual, now in body, and to dwell
Habitual habitant; behind her Death

Οφρα Ζευς ετι κυρ. επι φρεσι νηπια ειδώς

Δικλαιον και έσκεν υπο σπεος.

585

Clofe

"took this ftory from Apollonius I. "who is quoted by Lloyd's Dictionary, under the word Ophion. Pro"metheus in Æfchylus, ver. 956.

66

"before Jupiter: where the Scho« Hall; εβασίλευσε πρώτον μεν ὁ σε Ορίων και Ευρυνόμη. επειτα "Kpovos na! PEα μETα THUTZ Se "Z Hpa. Others will "have it that Oupavos and In "reigned firit. I think the epithet "wide-encroaching belongs to Eve

not to Eur nome. He calls Eve "wide-encroaching, because, as he "tells us, fhe wanted to be fuperior "to her husband, to be a Goddess "&c."

Now Ophion according to the Greek" fays that two Gods had borne rule etymology fignifies a Serpent, and therefore Milton conceives that by Ophion the old Serpent might be intended, the Serpent whom they call'd Ophion: and Eurynome fignifying wide ruling, he fays but fays doubtfully, that the might be the wideencroaching Eve perhaps. For I understand the avide encroaching not as an epithet to Eurynome, explaining her name, but as an epithet to Eve, Milton having placed the comma after Eur nome, and not after the wide-encroaching. And befides fome epithet fhould be added to Eve to fhow the fimilitude between her and Eurynome, and why he takes the one for the other; and therefore in allufion to the name of Eurynome he ftiles Eve the wide-encroaching, as extending her rule and dominion farther than she should over her hufband, and affecting Godhead. This explanation may be farther confirm'd and illuftrated by the following note of the learned Mr. Jortin. "Milton

586. Sin there in pow'r before, Once actual, now in body, and to dwell Habitual babitant;] The fenfe is, That before the fall Sin was in pow'r, or potentially, in Paradife; that once viz. upon the fall, it was actually there, tho' not bodily; but that now, upon its arrival in Paradise, it was there in body, and dwelt as a conftant inhabitant. The words in body allude to what St. Paul fays Rom. VI. 6. that the body of fin might be deftray'd. Pearce.

590. On

Clofe following pace for pace, not mounted yet
On his pale horse: to whom Sin thus began.

590

Second of Satan fprung, all conqu'ring Death, What think'st thou of our empire now, though earn'd With travel difficult, not better far

Than ftill at Hell's dark threshold to' have fat watch,
Unnam'd, undreaded, and thyfelf half starv'd? 595
Whom thus the Sin-born monfter answer'd soon.
who with eternal famin pine,

To me,
Alike is Hell, or Paradise, or Heaven,

There beft, where moft with ravin I may meet;
Which here, though plenteous, all too little feems 600
To ftuff this maw, this vaft unhide-bound
To whom th' incestuous mother thus reply'd.

590. On his pale horse:] Tho' the author in the whole courfe of his poem, and particularly in the book we are now examining, has infinite allufions to places of Scripture, I have only taken notice in my remarks of fuch as are of a poetical nature, and which are woven with great beauty into the body of his fable. Of this kind is that paffage in the prefent book, where defcribing Sin and Death as marching through the works of Nature, he adds,

- behind her Death Close following pace for pace, not mounted yet On his pale horse :

corps.

Thou

Which alludes to that paffage in Scripture, fo wonderfully poetical, and terrifying to the imagination, Rev. VI. 8. And I looked and behold a pale horse; and his name that fat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him: and power was given unto them, over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with fword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beafts of the earth. Addison.

601.-this vaft unhide-bound corps.] It is ftrange how Dr. Bentley and others have puzled this paffage. The meaning is plain enough. For Death though lean is yet defcrib'd as a vast monster in Book II. And his skin

was

Thou therefore on these herbs, and fruits, and flowers
Feed first, on each beaft next, and fish, and fowl,
No homely morfels; and whatever thing
605
The fithe of Time mowes down, devour unspar'd;
Till I in Man refiding through the race,
His thoughts, his looks, words, actions all infect,
And season him thy laft and sweetest prey.
This faid, they both betook them several
Both to destroy, or unimmortal make
All kinds, and for deftruction to mature
Sooner or later; which th' Almighty feeing,
From his tranfcendent feat the Saints among,
To those bright Orders utter'd thus his voice.
See with what heat these dogs of Hell advance

was not tight-brac'd, and did not look fleek and smooth, as when creatures are fwoln and full; but hung loose about him, and was capable of containing a great deal without being diftended.

616. See with what heat thefe dogs

of hell advance &c.] Upon the arrival of Sin and Death into the works of the creation, the Almighty is again introduced as fpeaking to his Angels that furrounded him.

Addifon. We may be certain I think that Milton had his eye upon this paffage in Sophocles, Electra, 1385.

ways, 610

Ιδ:9 όπε προνέμεται

615

To

To wafte and havoc yonder world, which I
So fair and good created, and had still
Kept in that state, had not the folly' of Man
Let in these wasteful furies, who impute

620

Folly to me, fo doth the prince of Hell

And his adherents, that with so much ease

I fuffer them to enter and poffefs

A place fo heav'nly, and conniving seem

625

To gratify my fcornful enemies,

That laugh, as if tranfported with some fit
Of paffion, I to them had quitted all,

At random yielded up to their misrule;

And know not that I call'd and drew them thither

My Hell-hounds, to lick up the draff and filth 630
Which Man's polluting fin with taint hath shed
On what was pure, till cramm'd and gorg'd, nigh
burst

With fuck'd and glutted offal, at one fling
Of thy victorious arm, well-pleafing Son,

Both Sin, and Death, and yawning Grave at laft 635
Through Chaos hurl'd, obftruct the mouth of Hell
For ever, and feal up his ravenous jaws.

Then Heav'n and Earth renew'd shall be made pure To fanctity that fhall receive no ftain:

Till then the curfe pronounc'd on both precedes. 640 He ended, and the heav'nly audience loud

into France, he had rules and orders of war drawn up (a copy of which is in Lincoln's Inn library) where there is one chapter denouncing the punishment on thofe who cry Havoc. 635.Both Sin, and Death, and yarn

ing Grave at laft] Death and the Grave meaning the fame is a pleonafm, an abounding fulness of exprefiion, which adding force and energy, and calling forth the attention, is a beauty common in the beft writers: but not for that reafon only Milton has used this; the Scripture hath thus join'd Death and the Grave, Hof. XIII. 14. 1 Cor. XV. 55. and Rev. XX. 13. where the word render'd Hell fignifies alfo the Grave. Richardfon.

VOL. II.

Sung

640. Till then the curfe pronounc'd

on both precedes.] On both, that is on Heav'n and Earth mention'd in ver. 638, the Heaven and Earth that were poiluted, and shall be made pure to fanctity. But fhould we read precedes, or procedes with Dr. Bentley? And is the meaning (as Mr. Richard on explains it) that the curfe pronounc'd fhall go before thofe ravagers Sin and Death, and fhall direct and lead them on? Or the curfe fhall procede, fhall go on, fhall continue till the confummation of all things, and Heaven and Earth fhall be rellor'd?