Horrid Head was cut off by Perfeus and worn by Minerva on her Breaft-plate and Shield, and whoever Look'd on it were turn'd into Stone.

613 Wight

Animal, Creature. Rarely, if Ever apply'd to any but a Perfon.

616 Eyes Agaft

Staring, Fix'd Frighted Eyes.

618 Dreary Mournful.

628 Hydra's, and Chimera's

Hydra was a Monftrous Serpent, living on Land, or in the Water, as a Crocodile; it had Many Heads, and when any One was cut off Two fprung up in its Place. Hercules with Fire and his Club Slew him in the Lake of Lerna.

Chimara was a Monster with the Head of a Lyon, the Body of a Goat, and the Tayl of a Serpent; it flung Fire out it's Mouth and Noftrils.

"What Scope is here for the moft Active and Fruitful Imagination! a Region whofe Light is a Pale and Dreadful Glimmer, whose 'Earth is a Burning, Burnt, Ruin'd Soil; 'Baleful Rivers; Extremes of Heat and Cold, 'Tormenting by Turns. and Replenish'd with 'Monstrous

F 3

Monftrous Apparitions, more Difmal and Affrighting than any Fancy or Fear can Sug'geft.' This Finishes the Picture of Hell Begun I. 60.

631 puts on Swift Wings

Beautifully Poetical to exprefs Swift Flight! fo v. 700. and to thy Speed add Wings.

637 Hangs in the Clouds

This a Ship, or Fleet at Sea at the Utmost Distance Seems to do.

ibid. Equinoctial Winds

Winds that always blow in Thofe Seas about the Time of the Equinox; call'd also TradeWinds.

640 Trading Flood

the Sea where the Trade-Winds blow.

641 through the Wide Ethiopian to the Cape the Ethiopian Sea to the Cape of Good Hope.

642 Ply, Steming Nightly tow'rd the Pole. they work the Stem or Head of the Ship in the Night time to Avoid Land, bearing off towards the South. Ships coming from the Eaft-Indies, making towards the Cape have the Vaft Ethiopian Sea open to the South, (or South-pole) and are That way in no Danger of Land.

645 Hell Bounds High reaching to the HorridRoof fo that not only That Region of Hell where the Flames caft forth Darkness instead of Light (I. 60.) but All Hell was a Great Furnace, a Horrible Dungeon, Clos'd Atop as well as on the Sides and the Bounds, the Gates were over-Head. fee the Note on v. 929.

646 and Thrice Threefold the Gates; Three Folds were Brass,

Three Iron, Three of Adamantine Rock, there were Two Gates, Nine-fold in Thickness; of Brass, Iron, and Stone. See v. 436, 881,

884.

647

Impal'd with Circling Fire Impal'd, Compass'd as with Pales for further Security.

648 Before the Gates there fate

on Either Side

within the Gates on the Right and Left, they fate Oppofite to Each Other in Counterview, as X. 231.

ton.

Here begins the Famous Allegory of Mil

the Affair of the whole Poem is a kind of Paraphrafe on thofe Words of St. James I. 15. Then when Luft bath conceived it bringeth forth Sin, and Sin when it is Finished bringeth forth Death. Of Man's First Difobedience, &c. (I, 1.) Now at the Beginning of Satan's Enter

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Enterprize Milton has Wifely given This Allegory which contains the Main of his Poem, and 'tis a Shorter Paraphrafe of that Text of the Apostle. the First part of the Allegory fays only that Satan's Intended Voyage was Dangerous to his Being and that he Refolved however to Venture; which, thaugh Over and Above the Principal Scope of it, comes in very Properly, Poetically, and Beautifully.

654 a Cry of Hell-bounds

Hounds have two Properties, their Scent, and their Cry. Virgil has taken one, their Scent, Æn. IV. 132.

Ruant Equites et Odora Canum vis.

Out rush'd the Horfemen and a Scent of
Hounds.

Milton has taken the other, the Cry: Both, after the Greek Manner, have put the Principal Qualities of the Things (Thofe which were to the Purpose in hand) for the thing it felf. So Horace II. Sat. I. 72.

Virtus Scipiada et Mitis Sapientia Lælî. then spoke the Virtue of Scipio and the Mild Wijdom of Lælius.

655 Cerberean

Cerberus was the Three-headed Porter of Hell.

659 Vex'd Scylla

she was a Beautiful Virgin Belov'd by Glaucus; the Sorceress Circe, Enrag'd that He perfifted

to Love Scylla and Rejected Her, by Poison and Inchantment fo wrought that when the Beautiful Virgin Bath'd in the Sea, as her Cuftom was, all her Lower parts were Chang'd into Ugly Dogs. This is Ovid's Account. Metam. XIV.

661 Calabria from the HoarceTrinacrian Shore: Calabria, now call'd Terra d' Otranto, the fartheft Part of Italy toward the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily was Anciently call'd Trinacria from its three Promontories lying in the form of a Triangle. Hoarfe, because of the Noifes occafion'd by the Eruptions of Mount Etna and the Tempefted Sea breaking against That Shore. See the Note on I. 232.

665 the Labouring Moon Eclipfes at their Charms

Labouring, Struggling. either to get from the Darkness that Oppreffes her, or to refift the Incantations. as the Latin poets call the Eclipfes of the Moon Labores Luna. the Ancients believed the Moon greatly Affected by Magical Practices. the three foregoing Lines and the former part of This contain a fhort Account of What was Once believ'd, and in Milton's time not So Ridiculous as Now, and Admirably well helps to give the Idea Intend

ed.