His providence, and on him fole depend, 565 Accomplishing great things, by things deem'd weak By fimply meek; that fuffering for truth's fake And to the faithful death the gate of life; To whom thus alfo th' Angel laft reply'd. 570 This having learn'd, thou haft attain'd the fum 575 foolish things of the world to confound the wife; and God hath chofen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And fo in the rest there is the fenfe of Scripture, if not the very words. As to obey is beft, 1 Sam. XV. 22. Behold to obey is better than facrifice. And on him fole depend, 1 Pet. V. 7. Cafting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. And merciful over all his works, Pfal. CXLV. 9. His mercies are over all his works. &c. And all the riches of this world enjoy'dft, And all the rule, one empire; only add Deeds to thy knowledge answerable, add faith, Of all the reft: then wilt thou not be loath 580 585 To leave this Paradife, but fhalt poffefs A Paradife within thee, happier far. Let us defcend now therefore from this top Exacts our parting hence; and fee the guards, 590 Their motion, at whose front a flaming fword, 595 Por from this top Of speculation;] From this vifionary highth, from this hill of prophecy and prediction. Speculation, watching on a tower or high place, thence a discovery, therefore applied to the prophets in the facred page, who are called feers and watchmen, speculatores of fpecula Latin, a watchtower; Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Ifrael. Ezek. III. 17. more exactly described chap. XXXIII. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Hume. So Portending good, and all her spi'rits compos'd 600 Let her with thee partake what thou hast heard, He ended, and they both defcend the hill; Whence thou return'ft, and whither went'ft, I For God is alfo' in fleep, and dreams advise, 611. For God is alfo in fleep, and dreams advife,] is also in fleep, and admonishes by dreams as well as by vifions, according to Numb. XII, 6. If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vifion, and I will speak unto him in a dream. And thus Homer, Iliad. I. 63. Kou Jap Tovap en A es. Nam et fomnium quoque ab Jove eft. And the application is very elegant in this place, as Adam's was a vifion, and Eve's a dream, and God was in the one as well as in the other. 615. In me is no delay;] In me mora non erit ulla. Virg. Ecl. III. 52. 616. Is to ftay here; &c.] She is now come to that temper of mind, as to think it Paradife, wherever. 611 615 629 Th' Arch-Angel flood,] Our poet obferves the το πρέπον, the decorum to the laft degree, making our firft parents fuch perfect patterns of modefty, as to forbear their indear ments, By me the promis'd Seed fhall all restore. So fpake our mother Eve, and Adam heard Well pleas'd, but answer'd not; for now too nigh 625 ments, though but in words, at the from that of mortals, as the former 630. marish] An old word for marfh, of the French marais, and of the Latin marifcus, rushes commonly growing there. The word accurs in 1 Maccab. IX. 42. they 630 And turned again to the marish of fordan, and again, ver. 45. the marish likewife and wood. We meet with it Act I. as Mr. Pope and Mr. Wartoo in Shakespear, 1 Henry VI. burton rightly read the paffage, Our ile be made a marish of fale tears. And throughout the course of our remarks we have been the more wil ling to explain and illuftrate our au- 635. And |