Whereat the heart of Adam erft fo fad Greatly rejoic'd, and thus his joy broke forth. 870 875 That God vouchsafes to raise another world From him, and all his anger to forget. But fay, what mean those color'd streaks in Heaven Or ferve they as a flow'ry verge to bind 880 To whom th' Arch-Angel. Dextrously thou aim'st; So willingly doth God remit his ire, 897. and he means probably the three principal colors, red, yellow, and blue, of which the others are compounded. 884. To whom th' Arch-Angel. &c.] The reader will eafily obferve how much of this fpeech is built upon Scripture. 885 Though Though late repenting him of man deprav'd, The earth again by flood, nor let the fea Such grace fhall one juft man find in his fight, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, ver. 8. day and night, Seed-time and harvest, heat and hoary froft Shall hold their course,– While the earth remaineth, feed-time And makes a covenant never to and harvest, and cold and heat, and deltroy The earth again by flood,And I will eftablish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood, neither foall there any more be a flood to deftroy the earth. Gen. IX. 11. but when he brings Over the earth a cloud, will therein fet His triple-color'd bow, whereon to look, Summer and winter, and day and night fhall not ceafe, Gen. VIII. 22. till fire purge all things new, Both Heav'n and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell. The Heavens being on fire fhall be dif folved, and the elements fhall melt with fervent heat: nevertheless we, according to his promife, look for new Heavens and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, 2 Pet. III. 12, 13. 895. With With man therein or beaft; but when he brings 895 899 And call to mind his covenant: day and night, 895. With man therein or beaft ;] Dr. Bentley reads With man or beaft or fowl; because (as he fays) the birds are here forgot, and yet they were in the ark as well as the beafts, and were included in the covenant too. But in the Scripture phrafe man and beaft comprehend the birds too: fee Pfal. XXXVI. 6. Jerem. XXI. 6. and XXXII. 43. And our poet has twice before (ver. 733, 822.) fpoken of all the inhabitants of the ark under this very title of man and beast. Pearce. The end of the Eleventh Book. |