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Of Cambalu, seat of Cathaian Can,
And Samarchand by Oxus, Temir's throne,
To Paquin of Sinæan kings, and thence
To Agra and Lahor of great Mogul
Down to the golden Chersonese, or where
The Persian in Ecbatan sat, or since
In Hispahan, or where the Russian Ksar
In Moscow, or the Sultan in Bizance,

on the sea coast, Mombaza, and Quiloa, and Melind, all near the line in Zanguebar, a great region of the lower Ethiopia, on the eastern or Indian sea, and subject to the Portuguese, and Sofala thought Ophir, another kingdom and city on the same sea, mistaken by Purchas and others for Ophir, whence Solomon brought gold, to the realm of Congo, a kingdom in the lower Ethiopia on the western shore, as the others were on the eastern, and Angola farthest south, another kingdom south of Congo; Or thence from Niger flood, the river Niger that divides Negroland into two parts, to Atlas mount, in the most western parts of Africa, the kingdoms of Almansor, the countries over which Almansor was king, namely, Fez, and Sus, Morocco, and Algiers, and Tremisen, all kingdoms in Barbary. After Africa he comes to Europe, On Europe thence, and where Rome was to sway the world the less is said of Europe as it is so well known. In spirit perhaps he also saw, he could not see it otherwise, as America was on the opposite

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side of the globe, rich Mexico in North America the seat of Montezume, who was subdued by the Spanish general Cortes, and Cusco in Peru in South America, the richer seat of Atabalipa, the last emperor, subdued by the Spanish general Pizarro, and yet unspoiled Guiana, another country of South America not then invaded and spoiled, whose great city, namely, Manhoa, Geryon's sons, the Spaniards from Geryon, an ancient king of Spain, call El Dorado or the golden city, on account of its richness and extent. And thus he surveys the four different parts of the world, but it must be confessed, more with an ostentation of learning, than with any additional beauty to the poem. But Mr. Thyer is of opinion, that such little sallies of the muse agreeably enough diversify the scene, and observes that Tasso, whose Godfrey is no very imperfect model of a regular epic poem, has in his fifteenth Canto employed thirty or forty stanzas together in a description of this sort, which had no necessary connection with his general plan.

Turchestan-born; nor could his eye not ken
Th' empire of Negus to his utmost port
Ercoco, and the less maritime kings
Mombaza, and Quiloa, and Melind,
And Sofala thought Ophir, to the realm
Of Congo, and Angola farthest south;
Or thence from Niger flood to Atlas mount
The kingdoms of Almansor, Fez and Sus,
Marocco and Algiers, and Tremisen ;

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On Europe thence, and where Rome was to sway 405 The world in spi'rit perhaps he also saw

Rich Mexico the seat of Montezume,

And Cusco in Peru, the richer seat
Of Atabalipa, and yet unspoil'd
Guiana, whose great city Geryon' sons
Call El Dorado: but to nobler sights

409. —and yet unspoil'd Guiana.]

I suppose Milton alluded to the many frustrated voyages, which had been made in search of this golden country. This was the famous place that Sir Walter Raleigh was to have brought such treasures from. Thyer.

411. but to nobler sights Michael from Adam's eyes the

film remov'd,] These which follow are nobler sights, being not only of cities and kingdoms, but of the principal actions of men to the final consummation of things. And to prepare Adam for these sights the angel removed the film from his eyes, as Pallas removed the mists from Diomedes' eyes, Iliad. v. 127.

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And as Venus did likewise from those of Æneas, Æn. ii. 604.

Aspice, namque omnem, quæ nunc
obducta tuenti
Mortales hebetat visus tibi, et hu-
mida circum
Caligat, nubem eripiam.

Now cast your eyes around; while
I dissolve

The mists and films that mortal eyes
involve,

Purge from your sight the dross, and

make you see The shape of each avenging deity. Dryden.

Michael from Adam's eyes the film remov❜d,
Which that false fruit that promis'd clearer sight
Had bred; then purg'd with euphrasy and rue
The visual nerve, for he had much to see;
And from the well of life three drops instill'd.
So deep the pow'r of these ingredients pierc'd,
E'en to th' inmost seat of mental sight,
That Adam now enforc'd to close his eyes,

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Sunk down, and all his spirits become intranc'd; 420 But him the gentle Angel by the hand

Soon rais'd, and his attention thus recall'd.

Adam, now ope thine eyes, and first behold

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These passages the poet has imitated and improved;` as in what follows of Adam's sinking down overpowered, and then being raised again by the hand gently by the angel, he has copied from Daniel, x. 8, &c. I saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me-I was in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. And behold a hand touched me, which set me upon my knees: or from Rev. i. 17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead; and he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not.

414. purg'd with euphrasy and rue] Cleared the organs of his sight with rue and euphrasy or eye-bright, so named of its clearing virtue. Hume.

Rue was used in exorcisms, and is therefore called herb of grace. Shakespeare, Richard II. act iii. sc. 7. See too Hamlet, act iv. sc. 7.

Th' effects which thy original crime hath wrought
In some to spring from thee, who never touch'd
Th' excepted tree, nor with the snake conspir'd,
Nor sinn'd thy sin, yet from that sin derive
Corruption to bring forth more violent deeds.
His eyes he open'd, and beheld a field,

Part arable and tilth, whereon were sheaves

New reap'd, the other part sheep-walks and folds;
I' th' midst an altar as the land-mark stood,
Rustic, of grassy sord; thither anon
A sweaty reaper from his tillage brought

427. Nor sinn'd thy sin,] So in Exod. xxxii. 30. Ye have sinned a great sin. 1 John v. 16. If any man see his brother sin a sin. And the same manner of speaking has prevailed among the best classic authors as well as in Scripture. Yet from that sin derive. The word sin is by mistake omitted in Milton's second edition, by which the verse becomes lame and defective.

429. His eyes he open'd, and beheld a field, &c.] In this great review which Adam takes of all his sons and daughters, the first objects he is presented with exhibit to him the story of Cain and Abel, which is drawn together with much closeness and propriety of expression. That curiosity and natural horror, which arises in Adam at the sight of the first dying man, is touched with great beauty. Addison.

433. of grassy sord;] That is, of turf. The proper word seems to be swerd, but to be corrupted into sword or sord as it is

425

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commonly pronounced in greensord and sord of bacon, which may justify Milton in spelling it sord. Some think it is misprinted for sod, turf, of the Belgic sode, Italian terra soda of solidum or solum: and Mr. Fenton has caused it to be printed sod, as Dr. Bentley has very affectedly swerd.

434. A sweaty reaper from his tillage brought &c.] It may be proper to compare this account with the sacred history, to which it alludes, Gen. iv. 2, &c. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. The poet adds, that Cain took the fruits unculled, as came to hand, whereas Abel selected the choicest and best of his flock; and in this some interpreters have conceived the guilt of Cain to consist. The poet too makes them

First fruits, the green ear, and the yellow sheaf,
Uncull'd, as came to hand; a shepherd next
More meek came with the firstlings of his flock
Choicest and best; then sacrificing, laid
The inwards and their fat, with incense strow'd,
On the cleft wood, and all due rites perform'd
His offering soon propitious fire from heaven
Consum'd with nimble glance, and grateful steam;
The other's not, for his was not sincere ;
Whereat he inly rag'd, and as they talk'd,
Smote him into the midriff with a stone
That beat out life; he fell, and deadly pale
Groan'd out his soul with gushing blood effus'd.
Much at that sight was Adam in his heart

offer both upon the same altar,
for the word brought in Scrip-
ture (which Milton likewise re-
tains) is understood of their
bringing their offerings to some
common place of worship: and
this altar he makes of turf, of
grassy sord, as the first altars are
represented to be, and describes
the sacrifice somewhat in the
manner of Homer. The Scrip-
ture says only, that the Lord had
respect unto Abel, and to his offer-
ing; but unto Cain and to his
offering he had not respect: the
poet makes this respect unto
Abel's offering to be a fire from
heaven consuming it; and herein
he is justified by the authority of
the best commentators Jewish
and Christian; and there are
several instances of such accept-
ance in Scripture. Cain's was
not so accepted, for (says the
poet) his was not sincere. And
'Cain was very wroth-And Cain

435

440

445

talked with Abel his brother: and
il came to pass, when they were in
the field, that Cain rose up against
Abel his brother, and slew him.
The poet makes Cain to smite
him into the midriff or diaphragm,
a nervous muscle separating the
breast from the belly, with a stone,
supposing it the most natural
and the most ready instrument
at hand; and so Cowley, David
i. and in his note 16: but how-
ever he makes his blood to be
spilled, as the Scripture parti-
cularly mentions the blood of
Abel.

Groan'd out his soul with gushing
blood effus'd.
Undantique animam diffundit in

arma cruore. Virg. Æn. x. 908. This is very properly made the first vision, and is so much enlarged upon, as it is of Adam's immediate descendants.

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