ceiv'd, of dire CHIMERAS, (i) HYDRAS, (k) and GORGONS. CHA P. III. Satan paffes on his Journey to Hell Gates; finds them hut, and who fat there to guard them, by whom at length they are open'd, and discover to him the great Gulph between Hell and Hea ven. I N the mean while SATAN, the Adverfary of GoD and MAN, with Thoughts enflam'd with highest Designs puts on fwift Wings, and takes his folitary Flight towards the Gates of Hell: Sometimes he fcours the Right-Hand Courfe, fometimes the Left; now flies over the Deep with fteady Wings, then foars up, mounting as high as the fiery Concave: As when a Fleet difcover'd at Sea, hangs as in the Clouds by Equinoctial (m) Winds, failing clofe from (2) BEN (i) Chimeras;Lat.Gr. i.e.Goats. A Chimera was a fabulous Monfter, faid to have had the Head of a Lion, the Belly of a Goat; and the Tail of a Serpent. It was only a Mountain of Lycia, a Branch of the M. Taurus in Afia; whofe Top did caft out Flames, and abounded with Lions, in the Middle there was good Pafture for Goats; and at the Bottom of it were many Serpents. (k) Hydras; Lat. Gr. i. e. Waters. Hydra is a monftrous GAL, and exceffive Water Serpent; feigned with 50 Heads. It is faid, that Hercules tamed this Monster in the Lake Lerna, between Argi and Mycene. (m) Equinoctial, of the Equinox; Lat. i. e. Equal Night and Days. An Aftron. T. Here, the Trade Winds, that blow in September and March; when the Days and Nights are of equal Length. (n) Bengal, Indian. The antient Name was Beng, i. e. Water; for as the Waters overflow fome GAL, or the Islands of TERNATE, (0) or TIDORE, (p) from whence Merchants bring their Spices, they on the trading Flood ply to the CAPE, (q) through the ETHIOPIAN (r) Sea; juft fo afar off G 4 feem'd fome Parts of that Country, the People made their Fields into Beds of 15 Yards fquare, and two Yards high; which they called Ala; hence, came Bengala, i. e. an overflow'd Country. A large Kingdom in the Eaft-Indies, belonging to the Great Mogul, extending upon the Gulf of Bengal, about 160 Leagues in Length, and more in Breadth. One of the moft fruitful and pleasant Countries of the World; for all Sorts of Commodities; therefore it is called the Storehouse of Afia; well-watered, and abounds in Canals; thro' it the great River Ganges runs, and discharges itself into the Bay of Bengal. The Rivers abound with Crocodiles, &c. the Inlands with Elephants, &c. The Europeans have a vaft Trade there. This Gulf is 800 Leagues over, thro' it the Europeans fail to and from India. (0) Ternate; Ind. The Chief of the five Malacco or Molucco Ilands in the Eaft Indian Sea, by which the Europeans fail to and from the Eaft Indies, viz. Ternate, Tidore, Machian, Moties and Bachian. They lie near the Line, and abound with Spi ces. The Arabs first began to trade there, then the Muhammedans; now they belong to the Hollanders, fince they expelled the Portuguese and Spaniards, A. D. 1641. The Natives are moftly Heathen Idolaters. (p) Tidore, or Tidor ; Ind. Another of the Malacca Islands, near to Ternate, feparated only from it by a narrow Channel. (q) Cape; Fr. from the Lat. i. e. A Head, a Geogr. T. An high Mountain or Head Land running into the Sea; Here the Cape of Good Hope, upon the Point of Africa to the South, whither the Old Phænicians and others paft it or no, is uncertain; but it was first discover'd to the Moderns by Bartholomew Dias, a Portuguese, A. D. 1454. Vafq. de Gama arrived at Calecut, May 20. A. D. 1498. It is called by them Cabo de Bona Speranza: Because they had good Hope of a Paffage to the East Indies by doubling that Cape, as afterwards it did appear. The Dutch purchas'd it of their Kings, founded a strong Fort there, A. D. 1651, and held it ever fince. Some call it the Cape of Tempefts; because they are very common thereabouts. (r) Ethiopian, of Ethiopia, Lat. Gr. i. e. Burnt in the Face. Heb. Chuf. i. e. Black, from Chus, the Son of Cham, who first peopled it. Ethiopia is a large hot Kingdom of Africa, in the Torrid Zone, therefore the People are Sun-burnt, tawny and black; about 3600 Miles in Length, and 2180 in Breadth. It is about one half of all Africa. Here, the Southern Ocean, which washeta feem'd the flying Fiend. At laft the Bounds of Hell appear, reaching high up to the Roof, and the Gates were three Times threefold; three Folds were of Brafs, three of Iron, and three of Adamantine Rock; impenetrable, furrounded with circling Fire, and yet not confumed. BEFORE the Gates there fat on each Side a dreadful Shape, one of which feem'd a Woman to the Waift, and fair, but fhe ended in fcaly Folds like a Serpent, voluminous and vaft, arm'd with a mortal Sting; round about her Middle a Cry of Hell-Hounds bark'd without ceafing, and rung a hideous Peal, with loud and wide CERBERIAN (s) Mouths; yet when they would, if any Thing disturb'd their Noise, crept into her Womb, and kennell'd there, and when not feen, ftill bark'd and howl'd within: Lefs abhorred than these were those that vex'd SCYLLA, (t) bathing in the Sea that parts CALABRIA (u) from S1 wafheth it, and thro' which the European Merchants país, as they go to and come from the Eaft-Indies, China and Japan, &c. (s) Cerberian; Belonging to Cerberus; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Devourer of Flefb, i. e. As wide as thofe of Cerberus the Dog, that kept the Gates of Hell, who had three, fome fay fifty, and Horace fays 100 Heads; fignify. ing his greedy and devouring Nature. The Fable reprefents Time, which devours allThings; the three Heads, Time paft, Prefent, and to come. (t) Scylla; Lat. from the Gr. i. e. Vexation and Disturbance. Scylla was a frightful Rock in the Sea between Italy and Sicily, fo CILY, called from Seyllio, a Caftle on the Italian Shore, upon which the Waves made a Noise, like the Barking of Dogs, which terrify'd Sailors: Or Scylla the Daughter of Pharcus, who was poifoned by Circe, and changed from the Waist down into strange and frightful Monsters; wherefore the threw herself into the Sea. (u) Calabria; Lat. from the Gr. i. e. Good and fruitful. A very fine fruitful Country on the outmoft Part of Italy, facing Sicily, and divided from it by a narrow Strait: It is almoft an Ifland, yields Fruit twice in the Year, and is about 60 Miles wide, called now Terre de Laber; i. e. The Land of Calabria, by CILY, (x) nor do uglier follow the Night-Hag, who, when call'd in fecret, comes riding through the Air, drawn by the Smell of Infant's Blood, to dance with LAPLAND (y) Witches, while the labouring Moon is eclips'd by their Charms. THE other Shape (if it might be call'd fo, that had none distinguishable, in Joint, Limb, or Member, or that might be call'd Substance, that feem'd Shadow, for each feem'd either) ftood as black as Night, as fierce as ten Furies, (z) as terrible as Hell, and fhook a dreadful Dart; what feem'd his Head, had the Likeness of a kingly Crown on it. SATAN was now near at Hand, and the Monster moving from his Seat, came onward as fast with horrid Strides, fo that Hell trembled: SATAN undaunted admir'd what this by an Abbreviation of the old Name. (x) Sicily. It was fo called from the Sicani and Siculi, who were the antient Inhabitants. Sicily is the largest and noblest Isle in the Mediterranean Sea, facing Italy; and, as Thucydides fays, 20 Furlongs from it; therefore it has been a Bone of Contention between the Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, and other adjacent Nations, in all Ages to this Time. (y) Lapland; from the antient Lupiones, or Loppi; i. e. Silly, fottifh, and rude. The Natives call it Lapmark; the Germans, Laplandi: the Mufcovites, Lappi; for they are an illiterate People, void of all Arts and Sciences, grofs Heathens. A cold Northern Country in Europe, belonging partly to Sweden, partly to Norway, and partly to Muscovy; very barren and barbarous: For their dreadful Ignorance, Superftition and Malice, the People are branded with Witchcraft and other Diabolical Practices. (2) Furies; Fr. Ital. Sp. Lat. i. e. Madness and Rage; or Heb. Farar; i.e.Revenge. The threeFuries of Hell were imagined to be the Tormentors of the Damned, and painted with Snakes about their Heads, with Eyes (parkling with Fire, with burning Torches in their Hands; tormenting the Souls of the Wicked in Hell: And their Names imply'd Dread and Terror. Alecto; Gr. i. e, Inceffant, without Reft, never ceafing to torment: Megara, Gr. i. e.Envied, hated: Tefiphone, Gr. i. e. A Revenger of Murder and Ehynides; i. e. Difcord and Revenge. this might be, but without Fear; for he neither valu'd nor fhunn'd any Thing that was created, nor fear'd any Thing, GOD and his SON excepted, and thus with a disdainful Look begun first: THOU execrable Shape! whence and what art thou? That dar'ft, though grim and terrible, to advance thy mifcreant Form athwart my Way to yonder Gates? Be affur'd that I mean to pass through them, without afking any Leave of thee: Give Way, or feel the Effects of thy Folly; and learn by Proof, Hellborn! not to contend with Spirits of Heaven. To whom full of Wrath, the Phantom reply'd, art thou that Traitor Angel? Art thou he, who first didft break Peace in Heaven, and Faith, which 'till then had never been broken, and in proud rebellious Arms, drew after him a third Part of the Sons of Heaven, covenanted against the HIGHEST; for which both thou and they are here condemn'd, outcast from GOD, to pafs Eternity in Woe and Mifery? And doft thou reckon thyfelf with Spirits of Heaven? Helldoom'd! doft thou breath Scorn and Defiance here, where I reign King? (and more to enrage thee, thy King, and Lord) Back, thou Fugitive, to thy Punishment, and add Wings to thy Speed; left I purfue thy lingering Steps with a Whip of SCORPIONS; (a) or at one Stroke of this Dart ftrange Horror fhall feize thee, and fuch Pangs as thou haft never felt before. THE hideous Shadow spoke thus; and fo fpeaking and threatening, grew in Shape ten Times more dreadful and deform'd. On the other Side, SATAN ftood unterrify'd, and incens'd with Rage, and burn'd (z) Scorpion; Gr. Lat. i. e. Throwing out Poifon. A Scorpion is a black, fhort, and very poisonous Serpent, with a fmall like Head like a Craw-fifh, and a long Tail with fix or feven Knots, wherewith it kills Men and Beafts. |