To fave himself and houshold from amidst
A world devote to univerfal wrack.
No fooner he with them of man and beaft
Select for life shall in the ark be lodg'd,
And fhelter'd round, but all the cataracts
Of Heav'n fet open on the earth fhall pour
Rain day and night; all fountains of the deep
Broke up, shall heave the ocean to ufurp

in Aristotle and other masters of politics.

821. A world devote to univerfal wrack.] Devote is ufed here and elsewhere as devoted: And in Milton's own editions it is univerfal rack, but we have printed it wrack to diftinguish it from rack the inftrument of torture; and we have Milton's authority for fo doing, for he has printed it fo himself in VI. 670,

in both his editions:

and now all Heav'n Had gone to wrack &c. It is probable that both words were originally of the fame extraction; but as the different fenfes have been fo long distinguish'd by different spelling, it is proper to preserve this diftinction in order to avoid ambiguity and confufion. And for the

fame reafon we fpelt differently wracking in II. 182. and racking in XI. 481.

824.

all the cataracts

820

82.5

Be

Rain day and night; all fountains

of the deep

Broke up,] Gen. VII: 11. The fame day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the winwindows of Heaven are translated dorus of Heaven were open'd. The the cataracts in the Syriac and Arabic verfions, and in the Septuagint here follows; and what they are, and Vulgar Latin, which Milton thofe will beft understand who have feen the fallings of waters, called Spouts, in hot countries, when the clouds do not break into drops, but fall with terrible violence in a tor

rent: and the great deep is the vaft bowels of the earth, and in the sea. abyfs of waters contain'd within the 829. then shall this mount Of Paradife &c.] It is the opinion of many learned men, that Paradife was deftroy'd by the deluge, and poetical manner. Pub'd by the horned our author describes it in a very flood, fo that it was before the flood became univerfal, and while it pour'd

Of Heav'n fet open on the earth along like a vaft river; for rivers

fball pour

when they meet with any thing to

ob

Beyond all bounds, till inundation rife

Above the highest hills: then shall this mount
Of Paradife by might of waves be mov'd
Out of his place, pufh'd by the horned flood,
With all his verdure fpoil'd, and trees adrift,
Down the
great river to the opening gulf,

And there take root an iland falt and bare,

830

The haunt of feals, and orcs, and fea-mews clang:

Eridanus. Virg. Georg. IV. 371.

tor aquarum.

Corniger Hefperidum fluvius regnaÆn. VIII. 77. Down the great river to the opening gulf, down the river Tigris or Euphrates to the Perfian gulf: they were both rivers of Eden, and Euphrates particularly is called in Scripture the great river, the river Euphrates, Gen. XV. 18. It is very probable that our author took the firft thought of pufhing Paradife by the force of floods into the sea from Homer, who defcribes the deftruction of the Grecian wall by an inundation very much in the fame poetical manner, Iliad. XII. 24. των παντων όμοσε τοματ' έτραπε

Φοίβος Απόλλων,

Inceffant cataracts the thund'ner

To teach thee that God attributes to place

No fanctity, if none be thither brought

By men who there frequent, or therein dwell.
And now what further fhall enfue, behold.

836

He look'd, and faw the ark hull on the flood, 840 Which now abated; for the clouds were fled, Driv'n by a keen north-wind, that blowing dry

845

Wrinkled the face of deluge, as decay'd;
And the clear fun on his wide watry glafs
Gaz'd hot, and of the fresh wave largely drew,
As after thirst, which made their flowing fhrink
From standing lake to tripping ebb, that stole
With foft foot tow'ards the deep, who now had ftopt
His fluces, as the Heav'n his windows fhut.

846.

The

-which made their flowing

Shrink] Their I fuppofe refers to wave before mention'd, as a noun of multitude, of the plural number. It is not eafy to account for the fyntax otherwise.

creafing waters, wrinkled by the wind, to the wrinkles of a decaying old age is very far fetch'd and extremely boyish; but the author makes us ample amends in the remaining part of this description of the abating of the flood. The circumftances of it are few, but felected with great 847. From ftanding lake to tripping judgment, and exprefs'd with no less ebb,] Tripping from tripufpirit and beauty. In this refpect, diare, to dance, to ftep lightly upon it must be own'd, Milton greatly the toes, a natural defcription of excels the Italians, who are gene- foft-ebbing, as VII. 300. and fo it rally too prolix in their defcriptions, follows, that fole with foft foot, this and think they have never faid bold perfonizing is perpetually us'd enough whilft any thing remains un- by the Greek, and confequently the faid. When once enough is faid to Latin poets, who always imitate excite in the reader's mind a proper them, Hor. Epod. XVI. 47. idea of what the poet is reprefenting, whatever is added, however beautiful, ferves only to teize the fancy instead of pleafing it, and rather cools than improves that glow of pleasure, which arifes in the mind upon its first contemplation of any furprifing scene of nature well painted out. Of this Milton was very fenfible, and throughout his whole poem has fcarcely ever been hurried by his imagination into any thing inconfiftent with it.

VOL. II.

Thyer,

montibus altis Levis crepante lympha defilit pede. Richardfon.

848.-the deep, who now had ftopt His fluces, as the Heav'n bis win

dorus fout.] Gen. VIII. 2. The fountains alfo of the deep, and the windows of Heaven were fopped. For this and other particulars of the ark refting upon the mountains of Ararat, and of the raven, and of the dove, fee the fame chapter.

855

may light;

The ark no more now flotes, but seems on ground Fast on the top of some high mountain fix'd. 851 And now the tops of hills as rocks appear; With clamor thence the rapid currents drive Tow'ards the retreating fea their furious tide. Forthwith from out the ark a raven flies, And after him, the furer meffenger, A dove fent forth once and again to spy Green tree or ground whereon his foot The second time returning, in his bill An olive leaf he brings, pacific fign: Anon dry ground appears, and from his ark The ancient fire defcends with all his train Then with uplifted hands, and eyes devout, Grateful to Heav'n, over his head beholds A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow Confpicuous with three lifted colors gay, Betokening peace from God, and covenant new.

850.- flotes,] This is the right way of spelling the word, as it comes from the French floter.

860. An olive leaf he brings, pacific fign:] Sign of peace, of God's mercy to mankind; the olive was facred to Pallas, and borne by thofe that fued for peace, as being the emblem of it and plenty:

860

865

Whereat

-placitam paci nutritor olivam. Virg. Georg. II. 425. Hume.

Add this likewise,

Paciferæque manu ramum prætendit olivæ. Æn. VIII. 116. 866. Confpicuous with three lifted colors gay,] He afterwards calls it the triple-color'd bow, ver.