Sublime with expectation when to see 540 They felt themselves now changing: down their arms, Down fell both spear and shield, down they as fast, And the dire hiss renewed, and the dire form Catched by contagion, like in punishment As in their crime. Thus was the applause they meant Turned to exploding hiss, triumph to shame, 545 Cast on themselves from their own mouths. There stood A grove hard by, sprung up with this their change, Now risen, to work them further woe or shame; 550 555 560 561. like that, like the fruit called Apple of Sodom, which resembles a smooth orange or yellow apple. It is fair to the sight, but contains only air and seeds within. It was formerly supposed to be filled with ashes. 562. that bituminous lake, the Dead Sea. where Sodom flamed. See Genesis xix. 24-28. This, more delusive, not the touch, but taste 565 570 Whom they triumphed once lapsed. Thus were they plagued And worn with famine long and ceaseless hiss, This annual humbling certain numbered days Encroaching Eve perhaps), had first the rule Meanwhile in Paradise the hellish pair 565. gust, pleasant taste. 569. writhed, they writhed. 572. triumphed, triumphed over. once lapsed, only once fallen. 576. certain numbered days, for a certain number of days. 579-584. Ophion was one of the Titans, who reigned, with Eurynome, over Olympus, till they were conquered by Saturn and 575 580 585 his wife Rhea, or Ops. Jupiter or Jove was called Dictæan from Dicte, a mountain in Crete, where he was brought up. The Greek name Eurynome means wideencroaching. 587. Once actual, having been there once in act, and therefore in power, though not in person, or in body. Close following pace for pace, not mounted yet 590 "Second of Satan sprung, all-conquering Death, What think'st thou of our empire now, though earned With travail difficult? not better far Than still at Hell's dark threshold to have sat watch, Unnamed, undreaded, and thyself half-starved?" 595 Whom thus the Sin-born monster answered soon: "To me, who with eternal famine pine, Alike is Hell, or Paradise, or Heaven; There best where most with ravin I may meet; Which here, though plenteous, all too little seems 600 To stuff this maw, this vast unhide-bound corpse." To whom the incestuous mother thus replied: "Thou therefore on these herbs and fruits and flow ers Feed first; on each beast next, and fish and fowl, His thoughts, his looks, words, action, all infect, 605 This said, they both betook them several ways, 610 Both to destroy, or unimmortal make All kinds, and for destruction to mature Sooner or later; which the Almighty seeing, 590. his pale horse. "And I looked, and behold, a pale horse; and his name that sat on him was Death." Revelation vi. 8. 593. not better, is it not better. 599. there best, there is it best. ravin, prey, rapine. 601. unhide-bound, capacious; not bound as with a close skin. corpse, body (of Death). From his transcendent seat the saints among, "See with what heat these dogs of Hell advance To waste and havoc yonder world, which I So fair and good created, and had still Kept in that state, had not the folly of man Let in these wasteful furies, who impute Folly to me (so doth the prince of Hell And his adherents), that with so much ease I suffer them to enter and possess 615 620 A place so heavenly, and conniving seem 625 That laugh, as if transported with some fit At random yielded up to their misrule, And knew not that I called and drew them thither, My hell-hounds, to lick up the draff and filth Which man's polluting sin with taint hath shed 630 On what was pure; till crammed and gorged, nigh burst, 635 Then heaven and earth renewed shall be made pure He ended, and the heavenly audience loud Sung hallelujah, as the sound of seas, Through multitude that sung: 618. had, should have. "Just are thy ways, 639 642. hallelujah. The meaning 631. with taint, carrying with of this word is, "Praise ye the it taint. 633. glutted, swallowed. 638. renewed. See 2 Peter lii. 13; also Book III. 333-338. Lord." 643. Through, by reason of. Just are thy ways. See Revelation xv. 3. Righteous are thy decrees on all thy works; 645 Or down from Heaven descend.” — Such was their song, While the Creator, calling forth by name In sextile, square, and trine, and opposite 650 655 660 644. Righteous. See Revela- third of the zodiac, or one huntion xvi. 7. 645. extenuate, diminish in honor; weaken in power. 648. descend. See Revelation xxi. 1, 2. 650. several charge, charge to each; office to be severally performed. 651. sorted with, fitted. 652. precept, command. 656. solstitial. When the sun is in the northern solstice, or point in the ecliptic at which it is farthest north from the equator, it is the height of summer to the northern hemisphere. blanc, white or pale. 657. the other five. See V. 177. 658-661. aspects, their situation with regard to each other. When in sextile, they are separated by one sixth of the zodiac, or sixty degrees; when in square, by one fourth of the zodiac, or ninety degrees; in trine, by one dred and twenty degrees. When they are in opposition, they are one hundred and eighty degrees from each other, or opposite. They are said to be in conjunction, or to join, when they meet in the same part of the zodiac. 660. Of noxious efficacy. The pretended science of astrology taught that the aspects of the planets influenced the destiny of human beings. If the aspect was opposite, their influence was unbenign, as often when they were in conjunction, or met in synod. 661-664, the fixed, the fixed stars. These, like the planets, were supposed to act upon events on earth, and to shower malignant influence, as also to affect the air, so as to cause tempestuous weather, either when they rose or set with the sun. |