as a Foundation is. for Founded does either fignify That from Fundare, or to Melt from Fundere this Latter it cannot mean, 'twas Already Fluid. Thus P. lxxxix. 11. As for the World and the Fullness thereof Thou hast Founded them, So Prov. iii. 19. the Lord by Wif dom bath Founded the Earth; by Underfanding bath he Establish'd the Heavens. to Eftablish, and to Found are Terms Synonymous; the Margin makes the Word Prepared to fignify the Same thing. Thefe Homogeneous Principles, or Particles, were then not only Collected, but Fix'd, Eftablish'd, prepar'd to be Conglob'd. Not only Milton Himfelf Explains This Term by the Ufe he makes of it V. 292, where the Duft and Warer Conglobe, that is, there is a Globe of Duft as it were Swiming upon That of Water, and joyn'd with it, but the Fact fhows this to be Meant, the Earth which Confifted of Terreftrial Solids, Like Things, was Encompafs'd with a Globe of Waters v. 276. and That These Waters were Encompais'd with Elementary Air, and Fire, will appear from III. 715. Compar'd with v. 87, 88, 89. of This Book, and Other Paffages. if Milton is not So Explicit as to Elementary Fire, or if he Confounds it with the Ethereal Quinteffence, of which more presently, 'tis Probable the Silence of the Scripture as to That Commanded His being So too, or at least his being Somewhat Obfcure or Lefs Explicit. Thus These Ele

X 3

ments

ments are Natures Eldeft Birth as V. 180. See further concerning This Article, VI. 223. V. 415. Manilius Explaining Ovid's Account of the Creation in his Own. Lucret. V. 437. to 449. Boet. III. Metre 9. Claud. Rape of ProJerpine I. 247. &c.

240

the Reft to feveral place

Difparted, Difpos'd into Various Distant Stations. the Reft here meant must be That which is not Comprehended in the Things Homogeneous, but Something Different from the Now Elementary Bodies, and That (III. 716.) is Determin'd to be the Ethereal Quinteffence, of which the Heavenly, Luminous Bodies were Form'd, and of what remain'd, the Wall, or Outward Shell, or (as Milton calls it III. 418.) the Firm Opacous Globe of This round World.

This Quinteffence, or Fifth Element is a Flatonick Notion, He Imagines it to be Something Compos'd of the Purer parts of the Elements, to partake of the Qualities of All but more Rarify'd and Approaching to a Spiritual Nature, a Kind of Ethereal Subftance, an Ethereal Quinteffence. See the Note on III. 717. A Notion of Excellent Ufe in Poetry whatever it may be in Philofophy.

Ibid.
and between Spun Out the Air,
Though the Air had its Region between the
Water and Fire, yet as 'tis not Excluded from

the

the pores of the Earth, or from Any Other of the Elements, nor from the Parts where their feveral Regions Neighbour each Other, the Air Spins Out, as it before Infinuated it Self, Continually from the Earth's Center to the Uttermost Convex of This great Round v. 266. 89. and which, by the Way, is Perhaps the reason why Milton in the Hymn V. 180. Diftinguishes That Element from the rest.

242 and Earth Self Ballanc'd on her Center bung.

This is not Inconfiftent with what is faid, IV. 999.

firft he weigh'd

the pendulous round Earth with Ballanc'd

Aire

in Counterpoife,

(what is faid II. 1051. of This Pendant World hanging in a Golden Chain is plainly Allegory) for This Latter Paffage relates to the Terraqueous Globe, Such as it is Now, and was when the Angel faid This. God Confider'd the Air in which it was to be Pendulous or Hanging, Sufpended as the whole Creation II. 1051. the Earth might be alfo Pois'd on its Own Center, as in the Text before Us, at its First Formation and Encompafs'd with Water, Job. xxvi. 7. and hangeth the Earth upon Nothing.

243 Let there be Light

X 4

This

This feems to Differ as to the Order of Creation from the Account Book III. There Light is faid to have been produc'd, and Then the Elements to be Separated. the First Command was the Same as Thofe of 216. and 230. of this VIIth Book, the Second Bidding III. 712. takes In Light and the Elements; which Contradicts not This more Exact Account. That, it must be remembred, is but an Occafional, Curfory Mention, wherein the Exact Order in Circumftantials was not Neceffary.

the Idea we Now have of the New Creation, So far as 'tis yet Advanc'd, is That of a Vaft Globe confifting of Concentral Globes, the Elements, and the Fifth Effence, the Ethereal Quinteffence; but All is Yet Opaque, all Dark, Now God faid Let there be Light; and there was Light. Gen. i. 3.

Il id.

and forthwith Light

Ethereal, Firft of Things, Quinteffence

Pure

Light is of all Matter the Moft Pure, the most Ethereal, and of the Swifteft Motion; it Arrives to Us from the Sun in Ten Minutes, That is about Five Millions and Four hundred Thousand Miles. and 'tis Here call'd the First of Things, not as being Co-Eternal with God, or Heaven's Firft-born as III. 1, 2. for the Light Here fpoken of, This Ethereal Quinteffential Light is That mention'd

v. 7. of that Book, &c. which is There faid to be not only Before the Sun, but before the Heavens Themselves Investing as with a Mantle, the rifing World and Streaming from a Fountain Unknown.

245 Sprung from the Deep, and from her Native Eaft

to fournie through the Airie Gloom began, Sphear'd in a Radiant Cloud,

as it feem'd to Arife out of Chaos, not that Her Fountain was There, That Deep was Void of Light. nor was the part of the New Created Globe Where Light, as the Sun afterward, Firft appear'd, and ftill does, the Place of the Nativity of Either Properly, but as First appearing there. 'tis further to be Obferv'd Here that Milton does not reprefent the First Light to be as a Sudden Flash at Once Illuminating the whole Creation Equally, as feems to be Intimated by that Famous Paffage, Let there be Light: and there was Light; (Famous amongst the Heathens by the Sublimity remark'd to be in it) but a Progreffive, Regular, Slow Motion of a Cloud journying through the Gloom in That Tabernacle, her Dwelling 'till 'twas Afterward remov'd to the Sun, Moon and Stars, not yet created. Milton's Reafon for This will be feen Prefently.