Impetuous, and continued till the earth

745

No more was feen; the floting veffel fwum
Uplifted, and fecure with beaked prow
Rode tilting o'er the waves; all dwellings else
Flood overwhelm'd, and them with all their pomp

Fit fragor; hinc denfi funduntur ab
æthere nimbi.
Nuncia Junonis varios induta co-
lores

Concipit Iris aquas, alimentaque

nubibus adfert.-Expatiata ruunt per apertos flumina

campos ;

Cumque fatis arbufta fimul, pecu-
defque, virofque,
Tectaque, cumque fuis rapiunt pe-

netralia facris.

The fouth he loos'd, who night and
horror brings;

And fogs are fhaken from his flaggy
wings;
Still as he fwept along, with his

clench'd fift

Deep

Then rushing onwards with a sweepy fway,

Bear flocks and folds, and lab'ring. hinds away,

Nor fafe their dwellings were, for fapt by floods,

Their houses fell upon their houfhold Gods. Dryden. Is it not jufter and better to say, that the fouth wind blew all the clouds together from under Heaven, than that be Squeez'd the clouds with his broad band? and is it not a more philofophical account, that the hills fent Jupply, than that the rainbow supplied up vapor and exhalation to their them with nourishment? and is there not more majesty in this fhort and im-whelm'd all dwellings, and them with full defcription, that the floods overall their pomp deep under water roll'd, than in mentioning fo particularly and minutely the floods fweeping away corn, and trees, and cattel, and men, and yet these are none of the least and boufes, with their houshold Gods? flining paffages in the Latin poet.

He fqueez'd the clouds, th'
prison'd clouds refift:
The skies from pole to pole with
peals refound;

And show'rs inlarg'd come pouring
on the ground.
Then, clad in colors of a various
dye,

Junonian Iris breeds a new fupply
To feed the clouds: impetuous rain
defcends-

Th' expanded waters gather on the
plain :
They flote the fields, and overtop

the grain;

743. Like a dark cieling flood;] Cieling may be thought too mean a word in poetry, but Milton had a view to its derivation from Colum

(Latin) Cielo (Italian) Heaven.

Richardfon. 752.-of

Deep under water roll'd; fea cover'd fea,
Sea without shore; and in their palaces
Where luxury late reign'd, fea-monfters whelp'd
And ftabled; of mankind, fo numerous late,
All left, in one small bottom fwum imbark'd.
How didft thou grieve then, Adam, to behold
The end of all thy ofspring, end fo fad,
Depopulation? thee another flood,

750

755

Of tears and forrow' a flood thee alfo drown'd,
And funk thee as thy fons; till gently rear'd

By th' Angel, on thy feet thou ftood'st at last,
Though comfortlefs, as when a father mourns 760
His children, all in view deftroy'd at once;
And fearce to th' Angel utter'dft thus thy plaint.

O vifions ill foreseen! better had I

Liv'd ignorant of future, fo had borne
My part of evil only, each day's lot
Enough to bear; thofe now, that were difpens'd
The burd'n of many ages, on me light

765

At once, by my foreknowledge gaining birth
Abortive, to torment me ere their being,

With thought that they muft be. Let no man feek Henceforth to be foretold what shall befall

771

Him or his children; evil he may be fure,
Which neither his foreknowing can prevent,
And he the future evil fhall no lefs

In apprehenfion than in fubftance feel

Grievous to bear: but that care now is past,
Man is not whom to warn: thofe few efcap'd
Famin and anguish will at last consume

775

Wand'ring

time when the folly of cafting na- et tu peréas. Terence. Eun. Homó tivities was still in ufe. Warburton. 773. Which neither his foreknowing

can prevent, Dr. Bentley fays that nothing follows as fequel to neither, and fuppofes he gave it, Which never his foreknowing can

prevent.

But neither is not always follow'd by nor, but fometimes by and; and I wonder the Doctor fhould object to this manner of speaking, when it is fo frequent and fo elegant in Latin. Vide quid agas, ne neque illi profis,

neque meo judicio ftultus, et fuo valde fapiens. Cicero De Oratore. those few escap'd Famin and anguish will at last confume]

777.

Maxima pars undâ rapitur; quibus unda pepercit,.

Illos longa domant inopi jejunia

victu. Ovid. Met. I. 311.

The most of mortals perish in the
flood,

The small remainder dies for want
of food. Dryden.
798. Shall

Wand'ring that watry defert: I had hope

When violence was ceas'd, and war on earth, 780

All would have then gone well,
well, peace

crown'd

would have

With length of happy days the race of man;
But I was far deceiv'd; for now I fee

Peace to corrupt no less than war to waste.
How comes it thus ? unfold, celestial Guide,
And whether here the race of man will end.

785

To whom thus Michael. Those whom laft thou faw'st

In triumph and luxurious wealth, are they

First seen in acts of prowess eminent

And great exploits, but of true virtue void;

799

Who having fpilt much blood, and done much waste

Subduing nations, and achiev'd thereby

Fame in the world, high titles, and rich prey,

Shall change their course to pleasure, ease, and sloth,

798. Shall with their freedom loft where shows his love of liberty, and all virtue lofe] Milton every here he obferves very rightly that the

And fear of God, from whom their piety feign'd

In fharp conteft of battel found no aid

Against invaders; therefore cool'd in zeal

800

Thencefore fhall practice how to live secure,
Worldly or diffolute, on what their lords

Shall leave them to enjoy; for th' earth fhall bear
More than enough, that temp'rance may be try'd:
So all fhall turn degenerate, all deprav'd,

806

Justice and temp'rance, truth and faith forgot;
One man except, the only son of light
In a dark age, against example good,
Against allurement, custom, and a world
Offended; fearless of reproach and fcorn,
Or violence, he of their wicked ways

810

Shall them admonish, and before them set
The paths of righteousness, how much more fafe,

And full of peace, denouncing wrath to come

815

On their impenitence; and fhall return

Of them derided, but of God obferv'd

The one juft man alive; by his command
Shall build a wondrous ark, as thou beheldst,

To

the lofs of liberty is foon follow'd by There are fuch fentiments in several the lofs of all virtue and religion. parts of his profe-works, as well as