22 to Officiate Light To adminifter Officiofè (Lat.) with Readinefs, Always Ready at Hand, as v. 99. IX. 104. 23 this punctual Spot A Spot, but as Small as a Point, as indeed the Earth, tho' its Circumference is near 9000 Leagues, is No more, Compar'd to the Firmament, or place of the Fix'd Stars, of which Adam is fpeaking. 24 in all their Vaft Survey As Far, and Wide, and Deep as we view them in their Diurnal Circuit through the Vaft of Heaven. 36 a Sumless Journey No Sum, no Arithmetick can exprefs it. Adam might fay So, as well as that the Speed was Incorporeal, though 'tis not Strictly true Now. Milton ufes the Word Numberless in the fame Sence as Sumless here, v. 108. So Spencer III. 10, 12. Countless Sum. Shakefp. Hen. V. Act. I. with Sunken Wreck and Sumlefs Treafure. 4I fhe fat Retir'd in Sight, At a Distance Retir'd, but yet in View. As fhe had Minifter'd at Table, V. 443. though the Angel had fhown her Great Refpect, v. 385. v. 385. and had her proper Dignity (as it immediately follows) and Knew her Own (548) yet as at Table, So neither Afterward did the Mix with the Company when the Angel was with her Husband. 42 with Lowlinefs Majeftic from her Seat, Rofe, and went forth among her Fruits and With Lowlinefs, yet with Dignity and Grace, Such as whoever Saw could not but Wish she would ftay; Eve rofe from her Seat, and went forth, Tranfpofitions are very Frequent in Milton, this is a Remarkable One; but what a Lovely Picture! Moft Lovely! 61 a Pomp of winning Graces a Magnificent Apparatus or Accompaniment. a Pomp is Here us'd in the Same Sence as in that Fine Image given by Philoftratus of the Ghoft of Achilles which frequently Appear'd to the People in the Fields about Troy. "They "eafily knew him to be Achilles by the Ex"quifite Beauty of his Form, and the Flash "of his Arms; Storms and Tempefts Wrapt "the Hero about, the Pomp of the Spectre." This Dreadful Pomp finely Contrafts with that Gentle one of Eve; we Therefore Infert it at Large. A a 2 63 63 and from about her hot Darts of defire into all Eyes to wish her fill in Sight. This paffage must be pointed Thus, as in Milton's Editions; as Some have done it, it makes Wild work. Darts of defire but Only to With her Stay, 43. From Man or Angel the Great Architect did Wifely to Conceal Heaven is allow'd to be as the Book wherein to Learn and Admire the Works of God, and to Note the Seafons; but to attain to know whether the Sun, or the Earth Moves is not of Ufe to Us; and as for the Reft, his Secrets, v. 74. 105. the Caufes of Things, III. 707, they are Hid Deep, or, as Here, Conceal'd from Men and Angels Themfelves. 74 Scann'd From Scandere to Climb up to. min'd, Criticis'd. 75 or if they lift to Try to be Exa They, Men are Now only meant though Angels were Before included. See v. 80, 86. 78 his Laughter So XII. 59. P. ii. 4. xxxvii. 13. lix. 8. Prov. i. 26. &c. Ibid. Quaint Strange, Uncommon, Curious, Elegant. 80 And Calculate the Starrs 357 Calculate, from Calculus, a little Stone; because the Ancients made ufe of Such in their Computations and Calculations. to Calculate the Stars is Explain'd by a Learned and Judicious, Writer in Better Words than any We can Substitute in their Stead: They are Thefe; "To form a Judgment of the Stars by Computing their Motions, Distance, Situation, &c. as to Calculate a Nativity, fignifies to form a Judgment of the E"vent Attending it, by computing what Planets, in what Motions, prefide over "That Nativity." We will Add another very Curious Paffage from Vitruvius, L. IX. C. 4. de Zona 12. Signorum & 7. Aftrorum, Contrarioque eorum opere & Curfu, quibus Rationibus & Numeris tranfeant ex Signis in Signa, & Circuitum fuum perficiant, uti a Præceptoribus accepi, expofui. & Antholog. p. 139. in an Epigr. on the Nine Mufes. Ουρανίη ψήφοιο θεορρήτῳ τινὶ μέτρῳ i. e. Urania Taught, by a certain Strange and Divine Measure of Calculation, the Stated Revolutions that God hath impos'd on the Stars. A a 3 Ibid. Ibid. Wield. See the Note on VI. 221. 82 to fave Appeerances To Defend the Appearances from the Attacks and Objections, which would Naturally Arife, or to prevent their being Made. 83 with Centric and Eccentric Centric or Concentric are Such Spheres whose Center is the Same With, and Eccentric Such whofe Centers are Different from That of the Earth. 84 Cycle and Epycycle, Orb in Orb Cycle is a Circle, Epicycle is a Circle whofe Center is upon the Circumference of Another Circle. An Orb is a Sphere, or Globe. Contrivances, Expedients of the Ptolemaicks, to fave the Apparent Difficulties in Their System. 107 the Swiftness of thofe Circles attribute, though Numberless, to his Omnipotence, The Luminaries, v. 98. are here call'd Circles, (as the Morning Star is call'd a Circlet, v. 169.) The Swiftnefs of thofe Numberlefs Stars impute to Omnipotence, who to Bodies fo Many, and fo vaftly Great, could give Speed Almoft Incorporeal. So it follows, it would not have been proper in Poetry to have been more particular; Befides, it might Almoft have Stagger'd Adam's Faith if the Angel had told |