155 Can give it, or will ever? how he can, Ver. 156. impotence,] It is here meant for the oppofite to wifdom, and is ufed frequently by the Latin writers to fignity a weakness of mind, an unfteadiness in the government of our paffions, or the conduct of our defigns. "Victoria ferociores impotentioréfque reddidit," Cic. Epift. ad Fam. ix. 9. "Impotentia dictorum et factorum;" Tufc. Difp. iv. 23. Hence we often meet with impotens animi, doloris, iræ, etc. PEARCE. Hence the exclamation in Samfon Agonistes, which Dryden has copied ; "O impotence of mind, in body strong!" TODD. Ver. 163. Is this then worft, &c.] See the Prometheus of Efchylus, 307-329, and Homer's Ilind, ix. 337, &c. full of interrogations. STILLINGFLEET. Ver. 170. What if the breath, that kindled those grim fires,] Awak'd, fhould blow them into fevenfold rage, 171 180 Ifaiah xxx. 33. "For Tophet is ordained of old; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a ftream of brimstone, doth kindle it." NEWTON. The fentiment in this, and the two following verfes, is probably borrowed from Æfchylus, where Oceanus addreffes Prometheus, Prom. Vinct. v. 311. edit. Schütz. Εἰ δ ̓ ὧδε τραχεῖς καὶ τεθηγμένες λόγες Παρόντα μόχθων παιδιὰν εἶναι δοκεῖν. TODD. Ver. 174. His red right hand] So Horace fays of Jupiter, "rubente dextera." But here being spoken of Vengeance, it must be "her right hand;" as in the next line it is "her stores." BENTLEY. There is fomething plaufible and ingenious in this obfervation : But by "his" feems to have been meant God's, who is mentioned fo often in the courfe of the debate, that he might very well be underflood without being named; and by "her ftores" in the next line, I fuppofe, are meant Hell's, as mention is made afterwards of "her cataracts of fire." NEWTON. "Her ftores" are undoubtedly Hell's ftores; the order of the relative and the antecedent being here inverted. TODD. Ver. 180. Caught in a fiery tempeft &c.] Again alluding to the fate of Ajax Oileus, as in B. i. 328. HUME. Each on his rock transfix'd, the sport and prey Ver. 181. the Sport and prey 185 eye Of wracking whirlwinds;] Virgil, Æn. vi. 75. Rapidis ludibria ventis." NEWTON. And in the fame En. 740. 66 "Aliæ panduntur inanes Sufpenfæ ad ventos." CALLANDER. Ver. 185. Unrefpited, unpitied, unrepriev'd,] This way of introducing feveral adjectives beginning with the fame letter, without any conjunction, is very frequent among the Greek tragedians, whom Milton, I fancy, imitated. What ftrength and beauty it adds, needs not to be mentioned. THYER. It was a common practice among our own poets. Thus Spenfer, Faer. Qu. vii. vii. 46. "Unbodied, unfoul'd, unheard, unfeen." And Fairfax, Tao, c. ii. ft. 16. "Unfeene, unmark'd, unpitied, unrewarded." Many paffages might be adduced. Milton was certainly fond of this practice. See B. iii. 231, and B. v. 899. Again, Par. Reg. B. iii. 429. And even in his profe, vol. i. p. 255. ed. 1698. "But he, that will mould a modern bishop into a pri mitive, muft yield him to be elected by the popular voice, undioceft, unrevenued, unlorded." This practice appears to me to be ridiculed in Gayton's Notes on Don Quixote, 1654, p. 230. 66 Ungoverned, uncardinall'd, unlorded, "Outed of all his hopes, but not unworded." TODD. Views all things at one view? He from Heaven's highth 190 All these our motions vain fees, and derides; 200 By my advice; fince fate inevitable Ver. 191. fees, and derides ;] Alluding to Pfalm ii. 4. NEWTON. Ver. 199. To fuffer, as to do,] So Scævola boafted that he was a Roman, and knew as well how to fuffer, as to act. "Et facere et pati fortia Romanum eft," Liv. ii. 12. So Horace, Od. III. xxiv. 43. Quidvis et facere et pati." Ver. 204. who at the Spear are bold NEWTON. And venturous,] So Homer, of Thoas, Il. xv. 282, - επιςαμένος μὲν ἄκολο, Lodnos d'iv sadín. STILLINGFLEET. -The fentence of their Conquerour: This is now 215 Familiar the fierce heat, and void of pain; Worth waiting; fince our prefent lot appears 225 Ver. 220. This horrour will grow mild, this darkness light ;] Light, I conceive, is an adjective here as well as mild; and the meaning is," This darknefs will in time become eafy, as this horrour will grow mild:" Or, as Mr. Thyer thinks, it is an adjective used in the fame fenfe as when we fay, "It is a light night." But it is not well expreffed. NEWTON. Ver. 226. words cloth'd in reason's garb,] As in Comus, v. 759, of that fpecious enchanter, " obtruding falfe rules prank'd in reafon's garb." ToDD. |