belongs not to Him? Milton in This and many Other places Imitates, and is Justify'd by the Spirit of God.

538 So wide the Op'ning feem'd, where Bounds were fet

to Darkness, fuch as bound the Ocean wave. Job. xxxviii. 11. Hitherto halt thou come but no further and Here fhall thy proud waves be ftaid.

540 Satan is now on the Lowermoft Golden Stair leading to Heaven's Gate and Looking "through the Aperture, (528.) discovers with 'wonder the whole Creation

'fpect!

556

what a Pro

above the Circling Canopy

of Night's extended Shade

the Earth cafts a Shadow, the Sun Shining on it, which fhadow however has a limited Extent; where This is, 'tis Night; This then forms a Sort of Canopy of Darkness over the Un-enlighten'd Hemifphere, and Round as is

the Earth from whence it arifes. but tho' 'tis a Canopy to thofe under it, 'tis a Cone, and fo appear'd to Satan unless he faw it at the Point, and then it must appear a Circle. IV. 776.

557

-from Eaftern Point

of Libra to the Fleecy Star that bears

Andro

Andromeda farr off Atlantic Seas
beyond th' Horizon;

Satan was now taking his Profpect of the New Creation from the Loweft Step that leads to Heaven (v. 540.) if any one looks from Cancer, a Sign in the Zodiac, with his Face towards the South he shall fee Libra rifing in the East whilft Aries Sets full Weft. that Fleecy Star is Aries, a Conftellation, tho' Poetically call'd a Star, and Fleecy because the Ram; he bears Andromeda because She, another Conftellation, is over him, and as He moves feems to be Carry'd, Riding on Him. far off Atlantick Seas beyond the Horizon, for This Conftellation Appearing Now in the Weft, where the Atlantick Ocean is, when it Sets it feems to carry Andromeda Far Away. the Poet puts his Reader in the place where he is Describing Satan to be,and fhows him what He then Saw,

560

then from Pole to Pole

be views in Breadth

the Poles are Artic and Antartic, North and South, and are faid to be in Breadth because the Ancients knowing Much more of the Earth Eaft and Weft than North and South, and fo having a Much Greater Journey One way than the Other, One was Called Length, or Longitude, the Other Breadth, or Latitude.

The whole Paffage Only fays though in a Beautiful manner, that Satan look'd from Eaft to Weft and from North to South. There are

feveral

feveral Inftances of This Poetical way of faying Common things, as prefently 574, and IX. 78. X. 675, &c. These Mention'd Mutually Explain Each other.

562 Down right into the Worlds first Region throws

his Flight Precipitant,and windes with ease through the pure Marble Air hisOblique way Here are two Diftinct Motions, and which Satan would Naturally make. when he found a Paffage into the New Creation he drops Perpendicularly into it the Readiest Way in Haste; being In, and not knowing where was the Seat of Man (for though 'tis faid v. 530. Paradise was directly against the Gate of Heaven 'tis plain Satan did not fee it) he Winds, Turns This way and That Obliquely, as being upon the Search.

564 Marble Air

Clear, Shining. without any regard to the Hardness; in Imitation of the Ancients who in their Similies and Metaphors if they ftruck the Imagination Strongly in the Main Circumstance had no regard to the Reft. so they use Golden, Purple, Rofie, &c. the Golden Venus Æn. X. 16. her Rofie Neck En. I. 406. her purple Swans, Hor. Od. IV. I. 10. Virgil Georg. IV. 524. calls Orpheus's Neck Marble because of its Exceffive Beauty and Clearness, that fon pure as Parian Marble, as Horace fays of

the

the Neck of his Glycera. a Greek Poet in Athenæus hath faid the Marble Sun. Apol. Rhodius fpeaking of Apollo, that appeared to the Argonauts in the middle of the Sea in the Night, fays, that his Bow flashed on all Sides a Marble Splendour, .IV. v. 1710.

the Word it felf, Marble, was from Marmairein, to Glifter, or Shine exceedingly.

565 Amongst Innumerable Starrs, that shon Starrs Diftant,

fhon ftarrs for there is not, nor Should be, any Comma after Shon in the Two Authentick Editions. They appeared by their Shining to be Starrs; 'tis a Greek Expreffion as Plato in an Epigram on his Friend Stella preferv'd by Diogenes Laertius. You Shon whilft Living a Morning Starr, but Dead you Now fbine Hefperus among the Shades.

572 the Golden Sun in Splendor likeft Heaven Likeft the Empyreum, the Heaven he had been Accuftom'd to, his Native Heaven.

574

but Up or Downe

by Center, or Eccentric, Hard to tell,
or Longitude

Satan was now gotten within the New Creation, and among the Heavenly Bodies; and as the Sun was moft Remarkably Glorious he makes His way Thitherward, not only for Curiofity, but as 'twas probable he fhould

Thence

Thence discover Man's Abode.

'tis Hard to

tell his Course thither; Milton fays So because he Determines not whether the Sun or the Earth is the Centre of the Creation; if the Latter, his way to the Sun was Eccentric. nor can it be faid whether he went East or West, North or South, because 'tis not known in what point the Opening was by which he Entred, or Now is. Up and Down Here fignifies Latitude (as X. 675.) from Side to Side, or North and South; as Longitude is Eaft and West, or Along the Ecliptic, the Sun's Course, Onwards; for That is meant by Longitude when apply'd to Celestial Bodies.

580

in Numbers that Compute in Measures. See the Note on V. 150, 588.

588 There Lands the Fiend,

Satan from Chaos firft Alighted on the Globe, the Out fide of the Creation, Dark, Uncomfortable, Defert, &c. v. 424. the Paradife of Fools, 495. Here at length he fees a Gleam of Light which directs him to a Sight of Heaven's Gate, Beyond, Above, the Crystalline, and Primum Mobile (of which just now) to This Gate there was an Afcent by Stairs, fometimes remov'd; Underneath was a Bright Sea, part of the Cryftalline, fee v. 158. VII. 270. and the Argument of this Book; directly under the Stairs was an Opening, the Shortest way to Earth and Eden. On the Lowermost

of