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407. Uncouth. OE uncuth. Meaning?

408. Indefatigable. So Tasso calls Gabriel's wings in Jer. Del. 1:14.

409. Vast Abrupt. Perhaps a reminiscence of Virg., Æn. 3. 421-422

Ter gurgite vastos
Sorbet in abruptum fluctus.

Abruptum is here a noun, like obscurum above.

409. Arrive. Without the preposition, as in Shak., 3 Hen. VI. V. iii. 8; J. C. I. ii. 110.

410. Happy Isle. Cicero (Nat. Deor. 2: 66) likens the earth to a great island -'quasi magnam quandam insulam.' By a somewhat similar figure, Lucretius (5: 276) uses the term mare aëris, 'sea of air' (and so Shak., Timon IV. ii. 21).

412. Senteries. What is the usual spelling? Stations. Posts, guards; a Latinism.

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413. Had need. Had is here an imperfect subjunctive. Had need is a translation from the Latin, as if haberet necesse; thus the Vulgate rendering of 1 Sam. 10: 25 has, Non habet rex sponsalia necesse.' In Mark 2: 17 the following noun is in the ablative, 'Non necesse habent sani medico.'

418. Look suspense. So Cicero has (Clu. 19:54), 'suspensus incertusque voltus.'

420. All sat mute. So Il. 7: 92. It is more instructive to read, as a parallel, Livy 26: 18. Who was finally selected in the latter case, and what was the danger to be incurred?

422. In other's countenance read. So Shak., Macb. I. v. 63–64; Hen. VIII. I. i. 125; Troil. IV. v. 239; Rom. I. iii. 81; V. iii. 74; Haml. II. i. 90. Cicero (Pis. 1 : 1) calls the countenance 'the silent speech of the mind.' For the suggestion to Milton, we must again refer to Livy, as above.

428. Above. Cf. P. L. 1: 39. What 'transcendent glory'? 429. Unmoved. Cf. P. L. 4: 822; 8: 532; P. R. 3: 386; 4: 109. 430. Progeny of Heaven. Cf. Virgil, Ecl. 4 : 7.

431. Demur. Delay.

432. Long, etc. En. 6: 126-129; Dante, Inf. 34: 95.

435. Outrageous. Furious.

436. Ninefold. Cf. En. 6: 439. En. 6: 552.

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adamant. Cf.

438. Void profound. Which is the noun? Cf. vv. 406, 409, 829, and Lucr. 1: 1108, inane profundum.

439. Unessential. Unsubstantial.

440. Wide-gaping. Can you connect this with the etymology of Chaos?

441. 443.

Abortive. In active or causative sense. Cf. P. R. 4: 411.
Remains him. Cf. P. L. 6: 38.

445 ff. There is an interesting parallel in Sarpedon's speech to Glaucus, Il. 12: 310 ff. See also P. R. 2 : 463–465. It is in the spirit of noblesse oblige.

452. Refusing. If I refuse.

457. Intend. Endeavor, essay.

458. What best may ease.

466.

Effect of the pause?

A Latinism.

Cf. vv. 280-281.

482. For neither, etc. Cf. P. R. 1 : 377–382. Would or would not the character of Satan have been more interesting had it been painted in darker colors?

489. While the north wind sleeps. From Il. 5: 524, 'while the might of the north wind sleepeth.' For the general simile see Spenser, Sonn. 40.

490. Heaven's cheerful face. From Spenser, F. Q. II. xii. 34. Element. Cf. Comus 299. Define.

491. What is the object of scowls?

495. Rings. Why singular in form?

496-505. Would Homer thus have moralized in his own person? 504. Enow. Properly the plural of enough.

508. Paramount. A rare use. Generally lord paramount. 512. Globe. Tacitus, speaking of the German chiefs, says (Germ. 13): 'It is an honor, as well as a source of strength, to be thus always surrounded by a large body (globo) of picked youths; it is an ornament in peace and a defence in war.' Cf. P. R. 4 : 581. Fiery. Why especially applicable to seraphim?

513. Horrent. Bristling. Spears are called 'horrent' in En. 10: 178.

514. Bid. Present or past? See P. L. 6 : 202.

515. Trumpet's regal sound. Cf. 1: 532, 754.

517. Alchemy. A metallic composition resembling gold; hence, the trumpet made of it. White alchemy, according to Bacon, was an alloy of brass or copper with arsenic.

518. Scan the line.

526. Entertain. Beguile.

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528. Sublime. Probably modifies part. For a similar construction, see Virgil, Georg. 1: 404, Apparet liquido sublimis in aëre Nisus.'

530. Games. Cf. P. L. 4: 551-552. Are there any notices of games in the Iliad or the Eneid? What Greek author was most distinguished for celebrating victories at Olympian games and Pythian fields?

531-532. Shun the goal with rapid wheels. Why not 'fervid wheels,' as in Hor., Od. I. i. 4?

534. Troubled sky. So 'troubled heaven,' 1 Hen. IV. I. i. 10. Armies. Cf. Shak., J. C. II. ii. 19-20.

536. Cf. 1: 763 ff.

538. Welkin. Sky. Derived (by irregular vowel-change) from OE. wolcen, cloud.

539. Typhœan. Cf. note on 1 : 199.

540. Rend up. So in Claudian, Gigantomachia 66-71:

Hic rotas Hæmonium præduris viribus Eten,
Hic iuga conixus manibus Pangea coruscat.
Hunc armat glacialis Athos, hoc Ossa movente
Tollitur, hic Rhodopen Hebri cum fonte revellit,
Et socias truncavit aquas summaque levatus
Rupe Giganteos umeros irrorat Enipeus.

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A more general indication of the same sort is found as early as Plato, Soph. 246 A. Ride the air. See v. 663.

542 ff. Milton has followed Ovid, Met, 9: 136, 152 ff., 204-218. Echalia. Met. 9: 136.

544. Thessalian pines. Met. 9: 209, 'sternentemque trabes.' 545. Eta. Met. 9: 204.

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547. Sing. Thus Achilles took his pleasure of a loud lyre, . and sang of the glories of heroes' (Il. 9: 186-189). Here, it is to be noticed, they celebrate their own exploits.

550-551. Complain . . . Chance. Bentley says: "This is taken from the famous distich of Euripides, which Brutus used when he slew himself. In some places for B, force, it is quoted rux?, fortune. Milton has well comprehended both.'

554. Suspended Hell. Such is the effect of the music of Orpheus in Virgil, Georg. 4: 481-484. Took. Charmed, captivated. Cf. Od. Nat. 98; Comus 558. Also a Shakespearian sense, as in W. T. IV. iv. 119.

556. Milton was fond of music. Here he seems, however, to assign it a comparatively low rank; is there any evidence as to whether this was his settled conviction? Cf. the passages in which he uses such words as 'music' and 'song.'

559-560. Note the chiastic repetition; what is its purpose? 561. Wandering mazes. Cf. v. 148, and P. L. 5: 622.

564. Passion. In what sense of the word is it antithetical with apathy?

565. So Carlyle (Characteristics): 'In the perfect state, all Thought were but the picture and inspiring symbol of Action; Philosophy, except as Poetry and Religion, would have no being. The disease of Metaphysics, accordingly, is a perennial one. In all ages, those questions of Death and Immortality, Origin of Evil, Freedom and Necessity, must, under new forms, anew make their appearance; ever, from time to time, must the attempt to shape for ourselves some Theorem of the Universe be repeated. And ever unsuccessfully: for what Theorem of the Infinite can the Finite render complete?' Cf. P. L. 3: 102-128.

569. Triple steel. Imitated from Horace, Od. I. iii. 9-10: 'Heart of oak and triple brass (æs triplex) lay around the breast of him,' etc. Cf. Comus 421.

570. Gross. Large; cf. P. L. 6 : 552.

575. Four infernal rivers. All these are named in Homer, Od. 10: 51: 'Thereby into Acheron flows Pyriphlegethon, and Cocytus, a branch of the water of the Styx.' Dante (Inf. 14: 115–120) arranges them differently:

They [tears] in their course

Thus far precipitated down the rock

Form Acheron, and Styx, and Phlegethon;

Then by this straitened channel passing hence
Beneath, e'en to the lowest depth of all,

Form there Cocytus, of whose lake (thyself

Shall see it) I here give thee no account.

The characterization of the rivers is derived from their etymology. 582. Far off. So in Æn. 6: 705, and in Dante, Inf. 14: 136.

583. Lethe. Plato (Rep. 10: 621) is perhaps the first to mention Lethe.

Cf. vv. 607-608.

584. Labyrinth. Cf. P. L. 9: 183.

587. Continent. Connected or continuous tract of land; an obsolete sense.

589. Dire hail. From Horace, Od. I. ii. 1-2.

590. Gathers heap. Cf. P. L. 12: 631.

592. Serbonian bog. First mentioned by Herodotus (2:6; 3:5). 593. Damiata. In Egypt; now Damietta. Mount Casius.

Between Lower Egypt and Arabia.

594. Sunk. Diodorus Siculus (1: 35) mentions this peculiarity. 595. Landor says: "The latter part of this verse is redundant, and ruinous to the former.' Burns. Cold is said to burn by Virgil (Georg. 1:93), Ovid (Met. 14: 763), Tacitus (Ann. 13:35), and others; the Latin verbs urere, amburere, adurere, and torrere, are all used in this way, and so Gr. κaîɛiv and ảπokale. With the line cf. p. 191, v. 13, and p. 193, v. 79.

Frore. Frozen, apparently used in the sense of 'freezing.' Frore is the old past participle of the verb freeze, by contraction from froren. Similarly, forlorn is the past part. of forleese (= modern -lose), which occurs yet in Chaucer. The form frore, without final n, is as old as the beginning of the fourteenth century. For frore in the sense of 'freezing,' cf. Spenser's expression, frozen cold,' F. Q. III. viii. 34; in III. viii. 30 and 35, Spenser uses the adjective frory. 596. Harpy-footed. The Sirens are called 'harpy-legged' by the obscure Greek poet Lycophron. The original Greek conception of the Harpies was that of whirlwinds, or spirits of the storm; thus. Od. 1: 241, 'But now the spirits of the storm have swept him away inglorious.' Milton may possibly have in mind the Virgilian description also, Æn. 3: 212 ff. Haled. See Lk. 12: 58; Acts 8: 3. Frequently used by Shakespeare.

Revolutions. Vicissitudes.

597. 600. 'It appears to me that his imitation of Shakespeare [in this line] is feeble.'-LANDOR. Cf. Meas. for Meas. III. i. 123; and see Dante, Inf. 3: 86; Purg. 3:31. Starve. Pinch, nip. So in Shak., T. G. IV. iv. 159, 'The air hath starved the roses in her cheeks;' cf. 2 Hen. VI. III. i. 343, 'You but warm the starved snake.' From OE. steorfan, die, akin to Ger. sterben.

603. Periods. In its etymological sense; how related to the

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