His eyes Th'effects which thy original crime hath wrought In some to spring from thee, who never' touch'd 425 Th’excepted tree, nor with the Snake conspir’d, Nor sinn'd thy sin, yet from that sin derive Corruption to bring forth more violent deeds. he open'd, and beheld a field, Part arable and tilth, whereon were sheaves 430 New reap'd, the other part sheep-walks and folds ; ['th' midst an altar as the land-mark stood, Rustic, of grassy ford ; thither anon A sweaty reaper from his tillage brought First from that fin derive. The word fin misprinted for fod, turf, of the Bel. is by mistake omitted in Milton's gic sode, Italian terra soda of solidum fecond edition, by which the verse or solum: and Mr. Fenton has caused becomes lame and defective. it to be printed fod, as Dr. Bentley 429. His eyes he open'd, and beheld has very affectedly swer. a field, &c.] In this great 434. A sweaty reaper from his tilreview which Adam takes of all his lage brought &c.] It may fons and daughters, the first objects be proper to compare this account he is presented with exhibit to him with the facred hiitory, to which it the story of Cain and Abel, which alludes, Gen. IV. 2. &c. And Abel is drawn together with much close. was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was nels and propriety of expression. a tiller of the ground. And in proceso That curiosity and natural horror, of time it came to pass, that Cain which arises in Adam at the fight of brought of the fruit of the ground, the first dying man, is touched with an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, great beauty Addifun. be also brought of the firstlings of his 433. — of grally ford;] That flock, and of the fat thereofThe is of turf. The proper word seems poet adds, that Cain took the fruits to be fwerd, but to be corrupted uncull'd, as came to hand, whereas into fword or ford as it is commonly Abel selected the choicest and best of pronounced in green-ford and ford of his flock; and in this fome interbacon, which may juitify Milton in preters have conceiv'd the guilt of spelling it ford. Some think it is Cain to confift. The poet too makes them First fruits, the green ear, and the yellow sheaf, 445 Difthem offer both upon the fame altar, best commentators Jewish and Chrifor the word brought in Scripture ftian ; and there are several instances (which Milton likewise retains) is of such acceptance in Scripture. understood of their bringing their Cain's was not so accepted, for (says offerings to some common place of the poet) his was not fincere. And worship: and this altar he makes of Cain was very wroth And Cain turf, of grasly ford, as the first altars talked with Abel his brother, and it are represented to be, and describes came to pass when they were in the the sacrifice somewhat in the manner fie!d, that Cain rose up against Abel of Homer. The Scripture says only his brother, and slew bim. The poet that the Lord had respect unto Abel, makes Cain to smite him into the midand to his offering; but unto Cain and riff or diaphragm, a nervous muscle to bis offering he had not respect : feparating the breast from the belly, The poet makes this respect unto with a sione, supposing it the moft Abel's offering to be a fire from natural and the most ready inftruHeaven consuming it; and herein ment at hand, and so Cowley, Da. he is justified by the authority of the vid. I, and in his note 16: but how Dismay'd, and thus in haste to th’Angel cry'd. O Teacher, some great mischief hath befall’n 450 To that meek man, who well had facrific'd; Is piety thus and pure devotion paid ? To whom Michael thus, he also mov’d, reply'd. These two are brethren, Adam, and to come Out of thy loins; th' unjust the just hath Nain, 455 For envy that his brother's offering found From Heav'n acceptance; but the bloody fact Will be aveng’d, and th’ other's faith approv'd Lose no reward, though here thou see him die, Rolling in duft and gore. To which our fire. 460 Alas, both for the deed and for the cause ! But have I now seen Death? Is this the way I arma cruore. ever he makes his blood to be spill’d, Hebrews, who bears this testimony as the Scripture particularly men to it, XI. 4. By faith Abel offered tions the blood of Abel. unto God a more excellent facrifice Groan'd out his soul with gushingness, that be was righteous, God than Cain, by which he obtained witblood effus'd. teftifying of his gifts; and by it be Undantique animam diffundit in being dead, yet speaketh. Virg. Æn. X. 908. 462. But have 1 now feen Death? Is this the way &c.] Our This is very properly made the first author, in making Adam so ignorant vifion, and is so much inlarg d upon, of what death was and the way to as it is of Adam's immediate de. it, seems to have forgot what he had scendents. put in the mouth of Eve in the preand th other's faith ap.. ceding book, ver, 1001. prov'd] It was, according Let us seek Death, or he not found, to the author of the epifle to the supply VOL. II. Z With 458. many are the I must return to native duft? O fight To whom thus Michaël. Death thou haft feen In his first shape on man; but many thinnes Of Death, and ways that lead To his grim cave, all dismal; yet to senfe More terrible at th' entrance than within. 470 Some, as thou faw'st, by violent stroke fhall die, By fire, flood, famin, by intemp'rance more In meats and drinks, which on the earth fhall bring Diseases dire, of which a monstrous crew Before thee fhall appear; that thou mayst know 475 What misery th' inabstinence of Eve Shall With our own hands his office on - mille ad hanc aditus patent. ourselves : Why stand we longer shivering un 477: – Immediately a place &c.} der fears The fecond vision sets before him That show no end but death, and the image of death in a great variety have the power, of appearances. The Angel, to give Of many ways to die the shortest him a general idea of thofe effects choofing, which his guilt had brought upon Destruction with destruction to de- his pofterity, places before him a stroy ? Thyer. large hospital or lazar-house, fillid 467. but many shapes with perions lying under all kindsOf Death, and many are the ways the poet told us that the fick persons of mortal diseases. How finely has that lead To bis grim cave,] Senec. Phe. languish'd under lingring and inmillæ, AC 1, 151, 153• curable distempers, by an apt and judicious use of such imaginary beUbique mors eft. ings as those I mention'd in my lalt paper! 480 Shall bring on men. Immediately a place groans; Despair Tended the fick bufieft from couch to couch; 490 And paper ! The paffion, which likewise Marafmus, and wide-wasting pesti. rises in Adam on this occasion, is lence, very natural. The discourse between were not in the first, but were added the Angel and Adam which follows, by the author in the second edition, abounds with noble morals, to swell the horror of the description. Addison. Dr. Bentley is for striking them out 487. Marasmus,] The word is again, bur Mr. Pope fays they are Greek, and it fignifies a kind of three admirable lines. consumption, accompanied with a fever wasting the body by degrees ; 489. Dire was the toffing, deep the but we should observe that these groans; Despair &c.] This is entirely in the picturesque manner verses, of Spenser, and seems to allude parDemoniac phrenzy, moaping me- ticularly to chat beautiful paffage, lancholy, where describing the way to Pluto's And moon-Aruck madness, pining grisy reign, he represents Pain, Strife, atrophy, Revenge, & c. as so many persons 2 2 allem |