Whofe liquid murmur heard new thirst excites, 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 76 Us timely' of what might else have been our lofs, Of what we are. But fince thou haft vouchfaf'd 80 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 Things above earthly thought, which yet concern'd Deign to defcend now lower, and relate In Chaos, and the work begun, how foon 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 85 90 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 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. Prudens futuri temporis exitum Thyer. Wisdom to folly', as nourishment to wind. Know then, that after Lucifer from Heaven (So call him, brighter once amidst the host 130 Of Angels, than that star the stars among) 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 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. 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 Drew many, whom their place knows here no more; Their ftation, Heav'n yet populous retains Though wide, and this high temple to frequent But left his heart exalt him in the harm 145 150 155 They tion was inftantaneous, but the ef- 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 |