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Whofe liquid murmur heard new thirst excites,
Proceeded thus to ask his heav'nly gueft.

Great things, and full of wonder in our ears, 70 Far differing from this world, thou haft reveal'd, Divine interpreter, by favor sent

Down from the empyréan to forewarn

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Us timely' of what might else have been our lofs,
Unknown, which human knowledge could not reach:
For which to th' infinitely Good we owe
Immortal thanks, and his admonishment
Receive with folemn purpose to observe
Immutably his fovran will, the end

Of what we are. But fince thou haft vouchfaf'd 80
Gently for our inftruction to impart

69. Proceeded thus &c.] The conftruction is, And led on with defire to know &c proceeded thus to ask his beav'nly guest.

70. Great things, &c.] Adam's fpeech to the Angel, wherein he defires an account of what had paffed within the regions of nature before the creation, is very great and folemn. The following lines, in which he tells him, that the day is not too far spent for him to enter upon fuch a fubject, are exquifite in their kind.

And the great light of day yet

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Things above earthly thought, which yet concern'd
Our knowing, as to highest wisdom seem'd,

Deign to defcend now lower, and relate
What may no lefs perhaps avail us known,
How first began this Heav'n which we behold
Distant so high, with moving fires adorn'd
Innumerable, and this which yields or fills
All space, the ambient air wide interfus'd
Embracing round this florid earth, what cause
Mov'd the Creator in his holy rest
Through all eternity fo late to build

In Chaos, and the work begun, how foon
Absolv'd, if unforbid thou may'st unfold
What we, not to explore the fccrets ask

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Met. I. 12. Hume.

92. fo late to build] It is a queftion that has been often asked, Why God did not create the world fooner? but the fame queftion might

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95 Of

And that can never be a juft exception against this time, which holds equally against all time. It must be refolved into the good will and pleafure of almighty God; but there is a farther reafon according to Milton's hypothefis, which is that God, after the expelling of Satan and his Angels out of Heaven, declar'd his pleasure to fupply their place by creating another world, and other creatures to dwell therein.

94. Abfolv'd,] Finish'd, com

Richardfon.

be asked, if the world had been pleted, perfected, from Abfolutus created at any time, for ftill there (Latin.) were infinite ages before that time.

98. And

To glorify the Maker, and infer

Thee also happier, fhall not be withheld
Thy hearing, fuch committion from above
I have receiv'd, to answer thy defire
Of knowledge within bounds; beyond abstain
To ask, nor let thine own inventions hope
Things not reveal'd, which th' invifible King,
Only omniicient, hath fupprefs'd in night,
To none communicable in Earth or Heaven:
Enough is left befides to fearch and know.
But knowledge is as food, and needs no less
Her temp'rance over appetite, to know
In measure what the mind may well contain ;
Oppreffes elfe with furfeit, and foon turns

120

125

Wisdom

the creation of the world, are very ture ufe of this term, to which, I

juft and beautiful. Allison.

116. —— and infer Thee happier,] And by inference make thee happier.

121. nor let thine ozon inven

tions hope] Milton feems here to allude to Ecclef. VII. 29. they have fought out many inventions; which commentators explain by reafonings. No need then for Dr. Bentley's conceptions. Pearce.

Dr. Bentley milliking the word inventions changes it for conceptions, which, I fancy, he would not have done, had he confidered the Scrip

make no doubt, Milton alluded.
Thus they provoked him to anger with
their own inventions, Pfal ČVI. 29.
And went a whoring with their own
inventions, ver. 38. The two fol-
lowing lines are almoft a litteral
tranflation of these two in Horace.
Od. III. XXIX. 29.

Prudens futuri temporis exitum
Caliginofa no&te premit Deus.

Thyer.

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Wisdom to folly', as nourishment to wind.

Know then, that after Lucifer from Heaven

(So call him, brighter once amidst the host

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Of Angels, than that star the stars among)
Fell with his flaming legions through the deep
Into his place, and the great Son return'd
Victorious with his Saints, th' omnipotent
Eternal Father from his throne beheld

Their multitude, and to his Son thus fpake.

135

At least our envious foe hath fail'd, who thought

All like himself rebellious, by whose aid
This inacceffible high ftrength, the feat
Of deity fupreme, us difpoffefs'd,

He trusted to have feis'd, and into fraud

been employ'd here, when he is fpeaking of things not reveal'd, fupprefs'd in night, to none communicable in Earth or Heaven, neither to Men nor Angels, as it is faid of the day of judgment, Mat. XXIV. 36. Of that day and bour knoweth no Man, no not the Angels of Heaven, but my Father only.

135. Into his place,] As the traitor Judas is faid likewife to go to his own place, Acts I. 25.

139. At leaft] I don't like taking liberties with the original text, or elfe I fhould choose to read At laft.

VOL. II.

Thyer.

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140

Drew

Drew many,] Fraud in common acceptation means no more than deceit, but often fignifies misfortune. Milton, who fo conftantly makes Latin or Greek of English, does it here, and extends the idea to the mifery, the punishment confequent upon the deceit, as well as the deceit itself. So that Satan is faid here, not only to have drawn many into fraud, not only that he

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Drew many, whom their place knows here no more;
Yet far the greater part have kept, I fee,

Their ftation, Heav'n yet populous retains
Number fufficient to poffefs her realms

Though wide, and this high temple to frequent
With minifteries due and folemn rites:

But left his heart exalt him in the harm
Already done, to have difpeopled Heaven,
My damage fondly deem'd, I can repair
That detriment, if fuch it be to lose
Self-loft, and in a moment will create
Another world, out of one man a race
Of men innumerable, there to dwell,
Not here, till by degrees of merit rais'd

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150

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They

tion was inftantaneous, but the ef-
fects of it were made vifible and ap-
pear'd in fix days in condefcenfion
to the capacities of Angels; and is
to the capacities of Men.
fo related by Mofes in condefcenfion

160. And Earth be chang'dto Heav'n,

and Heav'n to Earth,] Milton's meaning feems to have been this, That Earth would be so happy in being inhabited by obedient creatures, that it would be chang'd to i. e. refemble Heaven; and Heaven by receiving those creatures would in this refemble Earth, that it would be ftock'd with men for its inhabitants, Pearce. Or thus in short,

the

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