51 Ver. 753. Four faces each. As in Ezek. i. 6 :—“ And every one had four faces:" again, ch. x. 12 :-" And their whole body, and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes round about."-NEWTON.

Of beryl, and careering fires between.

The beryl is a precious stone of a sea-green colour, and careering fires are lightnings "darting out by fits," a metaphor taken from the running in tilts. See Ezek. i. 16. and 13:-"The appearance of wheels and their work was like a beryl and the fire was bright; and out of the fire went forth lightning."-NEWTON.

:

Milton has again described this part of the prophetic vision, and with additional sublimity, v. 848 :—

One spirit in them ruled, and every eye

Glared lightning, and shot forth pernicious fire
Among the accursed.

This is like the bold and tremendous painting of Æschylus,
Prom. Vinct. v. 356, ed. Schütz.

Ἐξ ὀμμάτων δ ̓ ἤστραπτε γοργωπὸν σέλας.

TODD.

53 Ver. 757. A crystal firmament. See Ezek. i. 22. 26, 27, 28" And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creatures, was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above: and above the firmament, that was over their heads, was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone : and I saw as the colour of amber as the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain."-NEWTON.

54 Ver. 760. He in celestial panoply. An allusion to Ephes. vi. 11:"Put on the whole armour (Tavonλlav) of God;" and to the contexture of gems in Aaron's breastplate, Exod. xxviii.-TODD.

55 Ver. 765.

Of smoke.

Fierce effusion roll'd

See Psalm xviii. 8:"There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured." And see Psalm 1. 3.-HUME.

See St.

56 Ver. 767. Ten thousand thousand saints. Jude, 14:- "Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints." Psalm lxviii. 17 :-" The chariots of God are twenty thousand." Rev. vii. 4:-" I heard the number of them." Let it be remarked, how much of his sublimity, even in the sublimest part of his works, Milton owes to Scripture.-NEWton.

57 Ver. 771. Wings of cherub rode. See Psalm xviii. 10:"He rode upon a cherub."-Greenwood.

58 Ver. 776. His sign. See Matth. xxiv. 50:-" There shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven."— GILLIES.

39 Ver. 779. Under their head. See Rom. xii. 5:—" We, being many, are one body in Christ." And Col. i. 18:"He is the head of the body."-Greenwood.

60 Ver. 782. They heard his voice, and went. Habakk. iii. 6:-"The everlasting mountains were scattered; the perpetual hills did bow."-TODD.

61 Ver. 791. Harden'd more. As Pharaoh was, Exod. xiv.-HUME.

62 Ver. 801. Stand still. As in Exod. xiv. 13, 14:"Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you to-day. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."-GILLIES.

VOL. II.

Y

63 Ver. 808. Vengeance is his. See Deut. xxxii. 35 :— "To me belongeth vengeance." And Rom. xii. 19:"Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."NEWTON.

64 Ver. 827. At once the Four. Whenever he mentions the four cherubim, and the Messiah's chariot, he still copies from Ezekiel's vision. See ch. i. 9. 19. 24.-NEWTON.

65 Ver. 832. Gloomy as night. From Homer, Il. xii. 462, where the translator uses Milton's words ::

Νυκτὶ θοῇ ἀτάλαντος ὑπώπια.

A similar expression, translated in these words of Milton, is also in Odyss. xi. 609.-NEWTON.

66 Ibid. Under his burning wheels. Job xxvi. 11:-"The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at his reproof." HUME.

This sublime passage owes part of its magnificence to another sacred description, Daniel, vii. 9. of the Ancient of Days:-"His throne was as the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire." Milton's diction is here superior even

to Hesiod's celebrated lines, Theog. v. 841 :

Ποσσὶ δ ̓ ὑπ ̓ ἀθανάτοισι μέγας πελεμίζετ ̓ Ολυμπος
Ορνυμένοιο ἄνακτος· ἐπεστενάχιζε δὲ γαῖα.

The majesty of the exception, which Milton adds, affords to the whole passage a solemnity unparalleled, and inimitable :

Under his burning wheels

The stedfast empyrean shook throughout,
All but the throne itself of God.

TODD.

67 Ver. 842. That wish'd the mountains. See Rev. vi. 16:"They said to the mountains, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:" which is very applicable here, as they

had been overwhelmed with mountains, v. 655. What was
so terrible before, they wished as a shelter now.—Newton.

68 Ver. 853. Half his strength he put not forth. This
fine thought is somewhat like that of the Psalmist, lxxviii.
38:-" But he, being full of compassion, forgave their
iniquity, and destroyed them not; yea, many a time turned
he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath."-
NEWTON.

69 Ver. 859. With terrours and with furies. See Job,
vi. 4:-"The terrors of God do set themselves in array
against me." And the fury of the Lord is a common ex-
pression in Scripture :-" They are full of the fury of the
Lord," Isaiah, li. 20.-NEWTON.

-

This is a fine imitation of Isaiah, v. 14 :—“ Therefore
hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without
measure and their glory, and their multitude, and their
pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it."-
TODD.

71 Ver. 882. To meet him. See Rev. xii. 10.-STILLING-

FLEET.

72 Ver. 888. Worthiest to reign. The angels here sing
the same divine song which St. John heard them sing in
his vision, Rev. iv. 11.-NEWTON.

73 Ver. 891. Who into glory. See 1 Tim. iii. 16:—
"Received up into glory;" and Heb. i. 3:-" Sat down
on the right hand of the Majesty on high."-GILLies.

74 Ver. 893. Thus, measuring things in heaven.

He re-

340

NOTES ON PARADISE LOST.

BOOK VI.

peats the same kind of apology here in the conclusion, that he made in the beginning of his narration. See b. v. 573, &c. And it is indeed the best defence that can be made for the bold fictions in this book, which, though some cold readers perhaps may blame, yet the coldest, I conceive, cannot but admire. It is remarkable too with what art and beauty the poet, from the height and sublimity of the rest of the book, descends here, at the close of it, like the lark from her loftiest notes in the clouds, to the most prosaic simplicity of language and numbers; a simplicity, which not only gives it variety, but the greatest majesty ; as Milton himself seems to have thought, by always choosing to give the speeches of God and the Messiah in that style, though these I suppose are the parts of this poem which Dryden censures as the flats which he often met with for thirty or forty lines together.-Newton.

75 Ver. 909. Thy weaker. As St. Peter calls the wife, "the weaker vessel," 1 Pet. iii. 7.-NEWTON.