which They are Subjected, and no more a Heaven than Jupiter was a God. This it was Milton's Bufinefs Here to Obferve, who Now Writes not as an Ancient in This respect, he rejects and expofes their Falfe Gods and finely Imagin'd Fables: Jove and the rest are of Recent Birth, they Govern'd not the World but a Small Spot of it only and their Heaven was a Bleak Mountain.

517

the Delphian Cliff,

Delphi, famous for the Temple of Apollo, on Mount Parnaffus; Among Steep Rocks Cliff, or Clift, from Cleave. a Cliff is a Split, broken, Rocky place, rifing in High Points.

518 Or in Dodona

in This place was a Temple to Jupiter, much Celebrated. as for the Oaks which gave O

racles.

519 Doric Land

the Country where Doris or Doria is; Greece.

520 fled over Adria to the Hefperian Fields,

and ore the Celtic roam'd the Utmoft Ifles. they fled over the Adriatic Sea to Italy, thence to France, Part of which was call'd Celtica, and fo away to Brittain and it's Neighb'ring Ifles, Ireland, the Orcades, Thule, or Iceland, as most think; Anciently thought to be the Utmoft Bound of the World.

522

with Looks

Down-caft and Damp.

a Suffocating Vapour rifing in the Mines is call'd a Damp, it gives Sicknefs, and Some times Death, with Pale, Dreadful Countenances which Then may be faid to be Damp'd or Damp.

the Same Word Sometimes carries Another Idea. when the Wing of a Bird is Wet, Clogg'd with Water or Mudd the Flight is Hindred, or Obstructed; So a Countenance is Dampt when the Mind being Depreft the Face fhows it.

Here the Poet gives us a Wonderful Picture; 'thefe Evil Angels with Evident Dejecti'on. prefently we fee 'em in a Seeming Joy and 'Prefumption. Afterwards Other ImagesÁrife; Let the Reader Attentively View every Scene, they are vaftly Great, and wonderfully Painted. 532 Clarions

are a Sort of Small Shrill Trumpets.

438 Emblaz'd

Blazon'd from Blazonner, (Fr.) to Blazon; a term in Heraldry. to Blazon a Coat of Arms is to fay what the Efcutcheon Bears, what is Painted on it, with the Colours. to Paint Thefe, to Exprefs them in Colours, as Here, is alfo to Blazon or Emblaze them.

543 Frighted the Reign of Chaos and Old Night Reign very Poetically for Kingdom; the Shout fill'd the Vaft,the Infinite Region with Terror! Old Night, Old with refpect to Created Light, for Light in Heaven was before the Darkness of Chaos, if Chaos was not Eternal; if it Was, One is no Older than the Other. Or Milton may give this Epithet to Night as having Long Reign'd in Chaos, from the Begining of it's Exiftence, if it had a Beginning. or from Eternity; This Milton fupposes II. 896. &c.

546 Orient Colours.

Orient Here has no relation to the Eaft but Expreffes Beautyful and Rich, as the Antients have us'd the WordsGold and Purple to Express the fame Thing.

548

Serried Shields

their Sides Clafp'd, Lock'd together, as was the Custom of the Ancients when they were not Fighting, but Standing or Moving as a Fortrefs, or bearing one great Great Shield.

550 in Perfect Phalanx

Phalanx is a Great Square Body of Men. See the Note on IV. 979.

ibid.

the Dorian Mood.

Mood is the Measure, the Time in Mufick;

the

the Dorian Mood was the warlike Mufick of the Ancients; 'twas Grave,Solemn,Manly; and 'tis faid to have had great influence on the Paffions. Doria or Doris was a Part of Greece.

565 Order'd Spear and Shield

Arms are faid to be Order'd when the Soldier stands holding them Upright, their Ends fix'd on the Ground; a Military Term. and This Posture of the Soldier is (as 'tis the most proper) That in which they were wont to be when they waited for Orders, as Now.

"What an Image! a Body of Angelick 'Warriors of Depth Unmeasurable. a vaft 'Forreft of Spears and Crowd of Helmets, Glittering Armour, Blazing Standards, Hor'rid Faces, &c. in Hell!

573

-for Never Since Created Man,

Met fuch Imbodied Force,

for Never fince the Creation hath Such Imbodied Force Met. the pointing in the Best Editions determines this to be the True Senfe,

575

Small Infantry

Warr'd on by Cranes

the Pigmees are faid to have been a Very Little people in India. Some Authors have fet them upon Rams and Goats; Homer, the most Ancient, mentions not that Circumftance, Milton therefore confiders them as Infantry, or at least that they had Such among their D 3 Troops

Troops; and his Thought plainly is that all Human force nam'd with the Satanic Hoft, (all Infantry) was but as That of the Pigmees. the Pun is made by Those that Imagine it to be One.

577 Phlegra

where the Gyants fought with the Gods.

ibid. the Heroic race

it has been imagin'd that in the very ancient. Times there were Men of a Much greater Strength, Courage and Stature than what were at the Siege of Troy. Neflor, one of the Kings at that Siege, pretends to have known Such in his Youth.

578 Thebes

a City of Greece, famous among other Things for the War between Eteocles and Polynices the Sons of OEdipus. there was another Thebes in Egypt.

ibid. Ilium

Troy.

580

Uther's Son.

King Arthur was the Son of Uther Pendragen; Liv'd in the beginning of the fifth Century.

586 when Charlemain with all his Peerage fell by Fontarabbia.