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That stone, or like to that which here below
Philosophers in vain so long have fought,

In vain, though by their pow'rful art they bind
Volatil Hermes, and call up unbound

In various shapes old Proteus from the fea,
Drain'd through a limbec to his native form.
What wonder then if fields and regions here
Breathe forth Elixir pure, and rivers run

only, but four of the twelve ftones in Aaron's breaftplate are here mention'd. For what we tranflate the fardius, Exod. XXVIII. 17. is render'd in the margin of our Bibles the ruby: and what we call the beryl, Exod. XXVIII. 20. the Seventy, the Vulgate, and most of the verfions, and Jofephus, and many others take for a chryfolite. This alteration therefore of Dr. Pearce's friend cannot be admitted, and Mr. Fenton's reading is much worse, or the twelve, which cannot be faid after fome of the twelve have been already mention'd. The paffage may be underflood thus without any alteration, Ruby or topaz to the twelve, that is, and all the reft reckoning to the twelve, that fhone in Aaron's breaft-plate. The poet had particularly mention'd fome of the ftones in Aaron's breaft-plate, and now he includes all the rest to the number twelve. Such a concife manner of speaking is not unusual with our author.

600

605

Potable

602. though by their pow'rful

art they bind &c.] Tho' by their pow'rful art they bind and fix quickfilver, and change their matter, unbound, unfix'd, into as many various fhapes as Proteus, till it be reduced at laft to its first original form. Hermes, another word for Mercury or quickfilver, which is very fluid, and volatil, and hard to be fixed. Proteus, a Sea-God, who could transform himself into various fhapes, till being closely prefs'd he return'd to his own proper form. By this the Ancients understood the first principle of things and the subject matter of nature; and our poet therefore very fitly employs this metaphor or fimilitude to exprefs the matter, which the chemifts make experiments upon thro' all its mutations, and which they drain thro' their limbecs or ftills, till it refume its native and original form.

606. What wonder then &c.] And if chemifts can do fo much, what wonder then if in the fun itA a 4 felf

Potable gold, when with one virtuous touch
Th' arch-chemic fun, fo far from us remote,
Produces, with terreftrial humor mix'd,
Here in the dark fo many precious things
Of color glorious and effect fo rare?
Here matter new to gaze the Devil met
Undazled; far and wide his eye commands;
For fight no obftacle found here, nor shade,
But all fun-fhine, as when his beams at noon
Culminate from th' equator, as they now
Shot upward still direct, whence no way round

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615

Shadow

and two others which follow in the next page: but is it likely that the fame miftake should creep into three different places? Is it not more probable that Milton fpeaking of the fun faid bere, becaufe he was then defcribing it, and expreffing its nature? This is poetical and common with Milton, as may be feen in many inftances. See my note on II. 362. where I the word bere, not meaning therefhow that Milton frequently uses by a place present to him when he is fpeaking, but that place only which he is then speaking of.

Pearce. 616. as when his beams at noon Culminate from th' equator, as they

now

Shot upward fill direct,] The first as is ufed by way of fimilitude,

Shadow from body' opaque can fall; and th'air,
No where fo clear, fharpen'd his visual ray

To objects diftant far, whereby he foon
Saw within ken a glorious Angel stand,

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The fame whom John faw alfo in the fun:

His back was turn'd, but not his brightness hid;
Of beaming funny rays a golden tiar

Circled his head, nor lefs his locks behind

625

Illuftrious op his fhoulders fledge with wings
Lay waving round; on fome great charge employ'd
He feem'd, or fix'd in cogitation deep.

in the fenfe of like as; There was no fhadow but all fun-fhine, like as when bis beams at noon culminate from th' equator, that is are vertical and fhoot directly from the equator, which is the reason why those who live under the equator, under the line, are called Afcii, and at poon caft no shadows. The other as is used by way of reason, in the fenfe of for as much as; There was no fhadow but all fun-fhine, for as much as his beams fhot now direally upward.

623. The fame whom John faw alfo in the fun:] And I faw an Angel fanding in the fun. Rev. XIX. 17.

625. - a golden tiar] A golden coronet of Thining rays circled his head, yet nevertheless did not

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Glad was the Spirit impure, as now in hope 630

To find who might direct his wand'ring flight
To Paradife the happy feat of Man,

His journey's end and our beginning woe.

But first he cafts to change his proper fhape,
Which elfe might work him danger or delay: 635
And now a stripling Cherub he appears,

Not of the prime, yet such as in his face
Youth fmil'd celestial, and to every limb
Suitable grace diffus'd, fo well he feign'd:

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aery ways.

243

Under a coronet his flowing hair

640

In curls on either cheek play'd; wings he wore

Of many a color'd plume sprinkled with gold,
His habit fit for fpeed fuccinct, and held

Before his decent steps a filver wand.

He drew not nigh unheard; the Angel bright, 645
Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turn'd,
Admonish'd by his ear, and ftrait was known
Th' Arch-Angel Uriël, one of the seven
Who in God's presence, nearest to his throne,

In Taffo likewise, when the Angel Gabriel is fent to roufe the Chri ftian army, he appears as a stripling, Cant. 1. St. 13.

Tra giovane, e fanciullo età con

fine

Prefe, et ornò di raggi il biondo

crine.

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But there doth not feem to be any particular reafon for it in that place, as there is in the paffage before us.

643. His habit fit for speed fuccinct,] If the author meant that Satan had clothes on as well as wings, it is contrary to his ufual manner of

Stand

reprefenting the Angels; but I ra ther understand it that the wings he wore were his habit, and they were certainly a habit fit for Speed fuccin&, but fuccinct I understand with Dr. Pearce, not in its first and litteral fenfe girded or tuck'd up; but in the metaphorical fenfe, ready and prepar'd; as Fabius in Inft. Orat. II. 2. fays Proni fuccin&tique &c.

644. His decent fteps] The word decent in its common acceptation in our language will, I think, fcarcely come up to what our poet is here defcribing, and therefore we ought in juftice to him to recur to its Latin original. Hor. Od. III. XXVII. 53.

Antequam turpis macies decentes
Occupet malas.
Thyer.

650.- and

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