And the clear fun on his wide watery glass
Gaz'd hot, and of the fresh wave largely drew, 845
As after thirst; which made their flowing shrink
From standing lake to tripping ebb, that stole
With foft foot towards the deep; who now had
stopt

His fluces, as the Heaven his windows fhut.
The ark no more now floats, but feems on ground,

In which paffage may be obferved also a resemblance of the Miltonick expreffion, "While the north-wind fleeps," P. L. B. ii. 49, as indeed in another part of Caftara the whole phrafe occurs, p. 161.

"Where fleeps the north-wind, when the fouth inspires
"Life in the fpring, &c." TODD.

Ver. 846.

which made their flowing fhrink] Their I fuppofe refers to wave before mentioned as a noun of multitude, of the plural number. It is not easy to account for the syntax otherwife. NEWTON.

Ver. 847. From flanding lake to tripping ebb,] Tripping, from tripudiare, to dance, to ftep lightly upon the toes; a natural defcription of Soft-ebbing, as in B. vii. 300: And fo it follows, that Stole with foft foot. This bold perfonizing is perpetually used by the Greek, and confequently by the Latin, poets, who always imitate them. Horace, Epod. xvi. 47.

"montibus altis

"Levis crepante Lympha defilit pede." RICHARDSON.

In Drayton's Polyolbion, the phrafe tripping is ufually applied to the rivers perfonified: Thus, in Song xiii. " the Avon trips along;" in Song xv. "the Ifis from her fource comes tripping with delight;" and in Song xxvi. "Darwin from her fount comes tripping down towards Trent." Hence perhaps the expreffion, tripping ebb." TODD.

66

"Ver. 848.

the deep; who now had stopt

His fuces, &c.] See Gen, viii, 2, &c. NEWTON.

Faft on the top of fome high mountain fix'd. 851
And now the tops of hills, as rocks, appear;
With clamour thence the rapid currents drive,
Towards the retreating sea, their furious tide.
Forthwith from out the ark a raven flies,
And after him, the furer meffenger,

855

V

860

A dove sent forth once and again to spy
Green tree or ground, whereon his foot may light:
The second time returning, in his bill
An olive-leaf he brings, pacifick fign:
Anon dry ground appears, and from his ark
The ancient fire descends, with all his train;
Then with uplifted hands, and eyes devout,
Grateful to Heaven, over his head beholds
A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow
Confpicuous with three lifted colours gay,
Betokening peace from God, and covenant new.

865

Ver. 866. Confpicuous with three lifted colours gay,] He afterwards calls it "the triple-colour'd bow," v. 897; and he means probably the three principal colours, red, yellow, and blue, of which the others are compounded. NEWTON.

The "three colours," Mr. Stillingfleet obferves, are according to the Peripatetick Philofophy. See Ariftotelis Opp. 1629, vol. ii. p. 575. Sylvester, in his translation of Du Bartas, affigns only three colours to the bow, "a golden hew, green, and an orient blew," Day 2, Week 2. And Drummond alfo mentions the fame number, azure, green, and red." See his beautiful Sonnet in

66

the note on P. L. B. iv. 641.

Lifted, i. e. ftriped, is the Italian

word liftato. See Vocab. Della Crufc. And Ariofto, as noticed

by Mr. Dunster, Orl. Fur. C. x. 82.

“E di nero et d'azur listato un panno." TODD.

Whereat the heart of Adam, erft so fad,
Greatly rejoic'd; and thus his joy broke forth.
O thou, who future things canft represent 870
As prefent, heavenly Inftructer! I revive
At this last fight; affur'd that Man shall live,
With all the creatures, and their seed preserve.
Far lefs I now lament for one whole world
Of wicked fons destroy'd, than I rejoice
For one man found so perfect, and so just,
That God vouchsafes to raise another world
From him, and all his anger to forget.

875

But fay, what mean those colour'd streaks in Heaven

Diftended, as the brow of God appeas'd?

880

Or ferve they, as a flowery verge, to bind
The fluid fkirts of that fame watery cloud,
Left it again diffolve, and shower the earth?
To whom the Arch-Angel. Dextrously thou
aim'ft;

Ver. 880.

as the brow of God appeas'd?] Fenton proposed to read "the bow of God." But the fublimity of Milton's expreffion, "the brow of God appeas'd," is too obvious to require any alteration. TODD.

Ver. 884. To whom the Arch-Angel, &c.] The reader will eafily obferve how much of this speech is built upon Scripture. "Though late repenting him of Man deprav'd,

"And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." Gen. vi. 6.

So willingly doth God remít his ire,

"when looking down he faw

"The whole earth fill'd with violence, and all flesh

"Corrupting each their way;

885

"The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.' ver. 11, 12.

"Such grace fhall one juft man find in his fight,"

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord," ver. 8. "And makes a covenant never to destroy

"The earth again by flood,"

"And I will establish my covenant with you, neither thall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood, neither shall there be any more a flood to destroy the earth." Gen. ix. 11.

"but when he brings

"Over the earth a cloud, will therein fet

"His triple-colour'd bow, whereon to look,
"And call to mind his covenant:"-

"And it shall come to pass when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow fhall be feen in the cloud: and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth," ver. 14, 16.

"day and night,

"Seed-time and harvest, heat and hoary froft
"Shall hold their course,"-

"While the earth remaineth, feed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and fummer and winter, and day and night shall not ceafe," Gen. viii. 22.

"till fire purge all things new,

"Both Heaven and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell.” "The Heavens being on fire shall be diffolved, and the elements fhall melt with fervent heat: nevertheless we, according to his

Though late repenting him of Man deprav'd;
Griev'd at his heart, when looking down he faw
The whole earth fill'd with violence, and all flesh
Corrupting each their way; yet, thofe remov'd,
Such grace shall one just man find in his fight, 890
That he relents, not to blot out mankind;
And makes a covenant never to destroy
The earth again by flood; nor let the fea
Surpass his bounds; nor rain to drown the world,
With man therein or beaft; but, when he brings
Over the earth a cloud, will therein set
His triple-coloured bow, whereon to look,
And call to mind his covenant: Day and night,
Seed-time and harvest, heat and hoary frost,
Shall hold their courfe; till fire purge all things

new,

896

1000

promife, look for new Heavens and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs." II Pet. iii, 12, 13. NEWTON.

Ver. 886. Though late repenting him] Fenton feems to have misunderstood this paffage, by his pointing of this line; which has been followed in fome fucceeding editions:

"Though late, repenting him &c."

Dr. Bentley removed the comma after late, agreeably to Milton's own, and all the old, editions. For the fenfe is, "Though lately repenting him, &c." TODD.

Ver. 895. With man therein or beast;] Dr. Bentley reads With man or beaft or foul; because (as he fays) the birds are here forgot, and yet they were in the ark as well as the beasts, and were included in the covenant too. But, in the Scripture phrafe, man and beaft comprehend the birds too: See Pfal. xxxvi. 6.