Page images
PDF
EPUB

Yet not till the Creator from his work
Defifting, though unwearied, up return'd,
Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns his high abode,
Thence to behold this new created world

Th' addition of his empire, how it show'd

555

In profpect from his throne, how good, how fair,

Answering his great idea. Up he rode

Follow'd with acclamation and the found
Symphonious of ten thousand harps that tun'd
Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air
Refounded, (thou remember'ft, for thou heardft)
The Heav'ns and all the constellations rung,
The planets in their station lift'ning stood,
While the bright pomp afcended jubilant.

thing that he had made, and bebold it was very good: And the evening and the morning were the fixth day.

551. Yet not till the Creator &c.] The poet represents the Meffiah returning into Heaven, and taking a furvey of his great work. There is fomething inexpreffibly fublime in this part of the poem, where the author describes that great period of time, filled with fo many glorious circumstances; when the Heavens and Earth were finish'd; when the Meffiah afcended up in triumph thro' the everlasting gates; when he looked down with pleasure upon his new creation; when every part of

560

Open,

nature feem'd to rejoice in its exiftence; when the morning-ftars fang together, and all the fons of God fhouted for joy. Addifon.

563. The planets in their flation

liftning food,] The word ftation is ufed in a more peculiar fenfe than ufual. The fiation of a planet is a term of art, when the planet appears neither to go backwards nor forwards, but to ftand ftill and keep the fame place in its orbit. And what is faid here of the ftars and planets is fomewhat in the fame noble ftrain, as the fong of Deborah, Judg. V. 20. the fears in their courfes fought against Sifera.

565. Open,

Open, ye everlasting gates, they fung,
Open, ye Heav'ns, your living doors; let in
The great Creator from his work return'd
Magnificent, his fix days work, a world;
Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign
To vifit oft the dwellings of juft men
Delighted, and with frequent intercourse
Thither will fend his winged messengers

On errands of fupernal grace. So fung

565

570

575

The glorious train afcending: He through Heaven,
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led
To God's eternal houfe direct the way,
A broad and ample road, whofe duft is gold
And pavement stars, as ftars to thee appear,
Seen in the galaxy, that milky way,

Which nightly as a circling zone thou seest

580

Powder'd with ftars. And now on earth the seventh

565.Open, ye everlafting gates,&c.] Pfal. XXIV. 7. Lift up your heads, Oye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlafting doors; and the king of glory fhall come in. This hymn was fung when the ark of God was carried up into the fanctuary on mount Sion, and is understood as a prophecy of our Saviour's afcenfion into Heaven; and therefore is fitly ap

Evening

plied by our author to the fame divine Perfon's ascending thither after he had created the world.

578.-as ftars to thee appear, &c.] The pavement of Heaven was as thick fet with ftars, as ftars appear in the galaxy or milky way, which is an affemblage of an infinite number of little ftars, feen diftinctly

Evening arose in Eden, for the fun

Was fet, and twilight from the east came on,
Forerunning night; when at the holy mount
Of Heav'n's high-feated top, th' imperial throne 585
Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and fure,
The Filial Pow'r arriv'd, and fat him down
With his great Father, for he also went
Invifible, yet ftay'd, (fuch privilege

590

Hath Omniprefence) and the work ordain'd,
Author and end of all things, and from work
Now refting, blefs'd and hallow'd the fev'nth day,
As refting on that day from all his work,
But not in filence holy kept; the harp
Had work and refted not, the folemn pipe,
And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop,
All founds on fret by string or golden wire
Temper'd foft tunings, intermix'd with voice

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

595

[blocks in formation]

Choral or unifon: of incenfe clouds

Fuming from golden cenfers hid the mount.

600

Creation and the fix days acts they fung,

Great are thy works, Jehovah, infinite

Thy pow'r; what thought can measure thee or tongue Relate thee? greater now in thy return

Than from the giant Angels; thee that day

Thy thunders magnify'd; but to create

Is greater than created to destroy.

Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound
Thy empire? eafily the proud attempt
Of Spi'rits apoftate and their counsels vain

599.

of incenfe clouds Fuming from golden cenfers hid the mount.] The incenfe fuming from golden cenfers feems to be founded on Rev. VIII. 3, 4. And an Angel came and food at the altar, having a golden cenfer; and the fmake of the incenfe afcended up before God out of the Angel's band. Milton had feen too their manner of incenfing in the churches abroad, and he seems to have approved fomething of it by transferring it to Heaven. And I have known fome very good protestants wish that we had retain'd the moderate but not the fuperftitious ufe of incenfe in our churches, as thinking it might contribute to the fweetnefs and falubrity of thofe places.

602. Great are thy works, Jehovah, &c.] Milton is gene

605

610

Thou

rally truly orthodox. In this hymn the Angels intimate the unity of the Son with the Father, finging to both as one God, Jehovah.

605. Than from the giant Angels;] Dr. Bentley reads the rebel Angels, thinking that the word giant infinuates as if this was as fabulous as that of Jove. But the word infinuates no fuch thing; it is used not to express the ftature and fize of the Angels, but that difpofition of mind, which is always afcribed to giants, viz. a proud, fierce, and afpiring temper. And this the Hebrew word Gibbor fignifies, which is render'd a Pearce. giant in Scripture.

Dr. Pearce's conftruction of the word giant, as if it meant only fierce, proud, and afpiring, is in my opi

Thou haft repell❜d, while impiously they thought
Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw
The number of thy worshippers. Who feeks
To leffen thee, against his purpose serves
To manifeft the more thy might: his evil

Thou useft, and from thence creat'ft more good.
Witness this new-made world, another Heaven
From Heaven gate not far, founded in view
On the clear hyaline, the glaffy fea;
Of amplitude almost immenfe, with stars
Numerous, and every ftar perhaps a world
Of deftin'd habitation; but thou know'ft

nion a little forc'd; nor yet do I think, that there is any reafon to change it into rebel, as Dr. Bentley would have it. Milton, I doubt not, intended to allude to Hefiod's giant war, but I don't fee with Dr. Bentley, that therefore he must infinuate that this relation is as fabu. lous as that. He probably defign'd by this expreffion to hint his opinion, that the fictions of the Greek poets owed their rife to fome uncertain clouded tradition of this real event, and their giants were, if they had understood the story right, his fall'n Angels. Thyer.

619. On the clear hyaline,] This word is exprefs'd from the Greek van, and is immediately tranflated the glaffy fea. For Milton,

615

620

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »