Other armies pitch their ensigns when they encamp, and lift them up when they march: so does the Lord of Hosts, leading forth his people. But, what ensigns! how sublime! Milton seems too concise here.-RICHARDSON.

21 Ver. 283. So many laws argue. The scruple of our first father, and the reply of the angel, are grounded upon St. Paul's epistles, and particularly those to the Ephesians, Galatians, and Hebrews, as the reader, who is at all con-. versant with these sacred writings, will easily perceive. Compare the following texts with the poet: Gal. iii. 19. Rom. vii. 7, 8. Rom. iii. 20. Heb. ix. 13, 14. Heb. x. 4, 5. Rom. iv. 22, 23, 24. Rom. v. 1. Heb. vii. 18, 19. Heb. x. i. Gal. iii. 11, 12. 23. Gal. iv. 7. Rom. viii. 15. Milton has here, in a few verses, admirably summed up the sense and argument of these and more texts of Scripture. It is really wonderful how he could comprise so much divinity in so few words, and at the same time express it with so much strength and perspicuity.-NEWTON.

22 Ver. 307. And therefore shall not Moses. Moses died in Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab, from whence he had the prospect of the Promised Land, but not the honour of leading the Israelites to possess it; which was reserved for Joshua; Deut. xxxiv. Josh. i.-HUME.

23 Ver. 311. His name and office bearing. Joshua was in many things a type of Jesus; and the names are the same, "Joshua" according to the Hebrew, and "Jesus" in Greek. The Seventy always render "Joshua" by "Jesus;" and there are two passages in the New Testament, where "Jesus" is used for "Joshua ;" once by St. Stephen, Acts vii. 45. and again by St. Paul, Heb. iv. 8. And the name Joshua, or Jesus, signifies a Saviour.-NEWTON.

24 Ver. 355. Their strife pollution brings. For it was

chiefly through the contests between Jason and Menelaus, high-priests of the Jews, that the temple was polluted by Antiochus Epiphanes. See 2 Maccab. v. and Prideaux. At last they seize the sceptre; Aristobulus, eldest son of Hyrcanus, high-priest of the Jews, was the first who assumed the title of king after the Babylonish captivity; before Christ 107. And regard not David's sons, none of that family having had the government since Zerubbabel. Then lose it to a stranger; to Herod, who was an Idumean, in whose reign Christ was born. See Josephus and Prideaux.NEWTON.

25 Ver. 514. Though not but by the Spirit understood. I do not think Milton, in all his writings, ever gave a stronger proof of his enthusiastical spirit than in this line.→ WARBURTON.

26 Ver. 517. Secular power. On this subject he had been particularly copious in the tract of' Reformation in England,' Prose Works, i. p. 264, ed. 1698:-" If the life of Christ be hid to this world, much more is his sceptre unoperative, but in spiritual things. And thus lived for two or three ages the successours of the apostles. But when, through Constantine's lavish superstition, they forsook their first love, and set themselves up too in God's stead, Mammon and their belly; then, taking advantage of the spiritual power which they had on men's consciences, they began to cast a longing eye to get the body also, and bodily things, into their command; upon which, their carnal desires, the Spirit daily quenching and dying in them, knew no way to keep themselves up from falling to nothing, but by bolstering and supporting their inward rottenness by a carnal and outward strength.”—TODd.

27 Ver. 522. Laws, which none shall find. Laws, as Hume and Dr. Newton observe, neither agreeable to revealed or

natural religion; neither to be found in Holy Scripture, or written on their hearts by the Spirit of God; laws contrary to his promise, who has said, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts," Jer. xxxi. 33.—TODD.

28 Ver. 526. His consort Liberty. "For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty," 2 Cor. iii. 17.-Newton.

29 Ver. 527. His living temples. Christians are called "the temples of God," 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17; and vi. 19.— NEWTON.

See also Milton's Prose Works, vol. i. p. 231, ed. 1698:— "As if the touch of a lay Christian, who is nevertheless God's living temple, could profane dead Judaisms."— TODD.

30 Ver. 545. Last, in the clouds. " Coming in the clouds of heaven," Matt. xxvi. 64 :-"The Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father," Matt. xvi. 27.-GILLIES.

31 Ver. 549. New heavens, new earth. The very words of St. Peter, 2 Pet. iii. 13:-" Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." This notion of the heavens and earth being renewed after the conflagration, and made the habitation of angels and just men made perfect, was very pleasing to Milton, as it was to Dr. Burnet; and must be to every one of a fine and exalted imagination: and Milton has enlarged upon it in several parts of his works, and particularly in this poem, b. iii. 333, &c.; b. x. 638; b. xi. 65, 900; b. xii. 462.-NEWTON.

Compare with this poetic passage Milton's animated description in prose of Christ's "universal and mild monarchy through heaven and earth; where they undoubtedly, that, by their labours, counsels, and prayers, have been earnest for the common good of religion and their

country, shall receive, above the inferiour orders of the blessed, the regal addition of principalities, legions, and thrones, into their glorious titles; and in supereminence of beatific vision progressing the dateless and irrevoluble circle of eternity, shall clasp inseparable hands with joy and bliss in over-measure for ever." See the end of his 'Reformation in England.'-TODD.

"God hath

* Ver. 568. Subverting worldly strong. chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty," 1 Cor. i. 27. And so in the rest there is the sense of Scripture, if not the very words: as, to obey is best::-" Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice," 1 Sam. xv. 22. And, on him sole depend :-" Casting your care upon him, for he careth for you," 1 Pet. v. 7. And, merciful over all his works :— mercies are over all his works," Psalm cxlv. 9.-NEWTON.

"His

33 Ver. 576. Though all the stars. The turn of the sentence resembles, as Mr. Stillingfleet observes, what St. Paul says, 1 Cor. xiii. 2:-" And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and have not charity, I am nothing."-TODD.

34 Ver. 588.

Of speculation.

From this top

From this hill of prophecy and prediction. Speculation, a watching on a tower or high place; thence a discovery, and therefore applied to the prophets in the sacred page, who are called "seers" and "watchmen," speculators, of specula, Latin, a "watch-tower." See Ezekiel, iii. 17; and also chap. xxxiii. 3-7.-HUME.

35 Ver. 611. For God is also in sleep. See Numb. xii. 6:"If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will

make myself known unto him in a vision, and I will speak unto him in a dream." And thus Homer, Il. i. 63:— Καὶ γάρ τ' ὄναρ ἐκ Διὸς ἐστιν. And the application is very elegant in this place, as Adam's was a vision, and Eve's a dream; and God was in the one as well as in the other.NEWTON.

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36 Ver. 643. Waved over by that flaming brand. Of brand for sword take the following explanation from Hickes :"In the second part of the ' Edda Islandica,' among other appellations, a 'sword' is denominated brand ;' and 'glad,' or 'glod,' that is, 'titio, torris, pruna ignita;' and the hall of Odin is said to be illuminated by drawn swords only. A writer of no less learning than penetration, N. Salanus Westmannus, in his dissertation, entitled, Gladius Scythicus,' p. 6, 7, observes, that the ancients formed their swords in imitation of a flaming fire; and thus from brand,' a 'sword,' came our English phrase, to 'brandish a sword,' 'gladium strictum vibrando coruscare facere.'"-T. WAR

ΤΟΝ.

Ver. 644. The poetical imagery of this passage is splendid, sublime, and at the same time pathetic; and of a majestic conciseness.

The eleventh and twelfth books are built upon the single circumstance of the removal of our first parents from Paradise; but though this is not in itself so great a subject as that in most of the foregoing books, it is extended and diversified with so many surprising incidents and pleasing episodes, that these last two books can by no means be looked upon as unequal parts of this divine poem.

Milton, after having represented in vision the history of mankind to the first great period of nature, dispatches the remaining part of it in narration.

In some places the author has been so attentive to his