With golden architrave; nor did there want
Cornice or freeze, with boffy fculptures graven;
The roof was fretted gold. Not Babylon,
Nor great Alcairo fuch magnificence
Equal'd in all their glories, to infhrine
Belus or Serapis their Gods, or feat

715

720

Their kings, when Egypt with Affyria ftrove

In wealth and luxury. Th' afcending pile
Stood fix'd her stately highth, and strait the doors

adranomos, pan | garbonga? intablature of the column, or freeze, that part of the intablature of columns between the architrave and cornice, fo denominated of the Latin phrygio an imbroiderer, becaufe it is commonly adorn'd with fculptures in baffo relievo, imitating imbroidery, and therefore the poet adds, with boy sculptures graven; the roof was fretted gold, fret-work is fillets interwoven at parallel diftances. This kind of work has ufually flowers in the spaces, and muft glitter much efpecially by lamp light, as Mr. Richardfon obferves.

Opening

and this latter the worfe; because Alcairo is the modern name of Memphis, and not fo fit to join with Belus or Serapis. But tho' thefe lines may poffibly be faulty, yet that is not authority fufficient for an editor to reject them as fpurious.

1720. Belus or Serapis] Belus the fon of Nimrod, fecond king of Babylon, and the firft man worfhipped for a God, by the Chaldæans ftiled Bel, by the Phoenicians Baal. Serapis the fame with Apis the God of the Egyptians.

זי

Hume.

Dr. Bentley objects, that Serapis has the accent upon the first fyllable, whereas he quotes authorities to fhow that it fhould have it upon the fecond, as Martial,

717. Not Babylon, &c.] It muft be confefs'd there is fome weight in Dr. Bentley's objection, that in this fame narration the author had challeng'd Babylon and Memphis, ver. 694. Babylon the capital of Affyria, and Memphis of old Egypt; and now as quite forgetful he reiterates it, Babylon and Alcairo: and another from Callimachus. But

Vincebat nec quæ turba Serápin

amat,

there

Opening their brazen folds discover wide
Within, her ample spaces, o'er the smooth
And level pavement: from the arched roof
Pendent by subtle magic many a row
Of starry lamps and blazing creffets fed
With Naphtha and Asphaltus yielded light
As from a sky. The hafty multitude
Admiring enter'd, and the work fome praise
And fome the architect: his hand was known

there are other authorities, which may ferve to juftify Milton; for we read in Martianus Capella, Te Seråpin Nilus &c. and in Prudentius Ifis enim et Serapis &c. Pearce.

725. Within,] An adverb here and not a præpofition: and therefore Milton puts a comma after it, that it may not be join'd in conAtruction with her ample spaces. So Virgil Æn. II. 483.

Apparet domus intus, et atria longa patefcunt.

725-ber ample spaces,] A beautiful Latinifm this. So Seneca deferibing Hercules's defcent into Hell. Herc. Fur. III. 673

Hinc ampla vacuis spatia laxantur

locis. Thyer.

725

730

In

dependent lychni laquearibus
aureis
Incenfi, et noctem flammis funa-
lia vincunt.

From gilded roofs depending lamps
difplay
Nocturnal beams, that emulate the
day. Dryden,
728.

and blazing creffets fed With Naphtha and Afphaltus] A creffet is any great blazing light, as a beacon. Naphtha is of fo unctuous and fiery a nature, that it kindles at approaching the fire, or the funbeams. Afphaltus or bitumen, another pitchy fubftance. Richardfon. And the word creffet I find ufed likewife in Shakespear, Hen. IV. A& III. Glendower speaks,

In Heav'n by many a towred structure high,
Where fcepter'd Angels held their refidence,
And fat as princes, whom the fupreme King
Exalted to fuch pow'r, and gave to rule,
Each in his hierarchy, the orders bright.
Nor was his name unheard or unador'd
In ancient Greece; and in Aufonian land
Men call'd him Mulciber; and how he fell

738. Nor was his name unbeard&c.] Dr. Bentley says, "This is carelefly exprefs'd. Why does he not "tell his name in Greece, as well "as his Latin name? and Mulciber

I was not fo common a name as "Vulcan." I think it is very exadly exprefs'd. Milton is here fpeaking of a Devil exercifing the founder's art and fays he was not unknown in Greece and Italy. The poet has his choice of three names to tell us what they called him in the claffic world, Hephaeftos, Vulcan, and Mulciber, the laft only of which defigning the office of a founder, he has very judicioufly chofen that. Warburton. and bows he fell Frem Heav'n, &c.] Alluding to thefe lines in Homer's Iliad. I. 590.

740.

735

740 From

From Heav'n, they fabled, thrown by angry Jove
Sheer o'er the crystal battlements; from morn
To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve,

A fummer's day; and with the fetting fun
Dropt from the zenith like a falling star,
On Lemnos th' E'gean ile: thus they relate,
Erring; for he with this rebellious rout
Fell long before; nor ought avail'd him now

745

A

T'have

Where on the 'gean shore a city ftands.

And Fairfax led the way to this
manner of pronouncing the word,
or rather to this poetical liberty;
for in his tranflation of Taffo, C. 1
St. 60. he fays

O'er 'gean feas thro' many a
Greekish hold;

and in C. 12. St. 63.

! AUG£70 4* n¥Ã¡©, na μe Ÿàυ, As Egean feas &c. Pearce.

κυς ύπνο ανήκεν.

746. On Lemnos th Egean ile:] Dr. Bentley reads, On Lemnos thence bis ile, and calls it a fcandalous fault, to write 'gean with a wrong accent for Egéan. But Milton in the fame manner pronounces ThyeBean for Thyefttan in X. 688. and in Paradife Regain'd, IV, 238, we read in the first edition, which Dr. Bentley pronounces to be without faults,

T'have built in Heav'n high tow'rs; nor did he 'scape

By all his engins, but was headlong fentan
With his induftrious crew to build in Hell.

750

A

Mean while the winged heralds by command... pow'r, with awful ceremony

Of lovran pow'r,

i

And trumpet's found, throughout the hoft proclame A folemn council forthwith to be held

At Pandemonium, the high capital

Of Satan and his peers: their fummons call'd
From every band and fquared regiment

755

By

for martial exercifes on horseRichardfon.

764. and at the Soldan's chair

750. By all his engins,] An ingenious gentleman obferves that this back. word in the old English was often ufed for devices, wit, contrivance; fo in the gloffary to Chaucer, 5. and in the Statute of Mortmain, 7 Edw. I. the words aut alio quovis modo, arte, vel ingenio, are English'd in our ftatute books, or by any other craft or engin.

752. the winged heralds] He has given them wings not only as Angels, but to exprefs their speed.

Hume.

Herald is fpelt like the French berault, the Danish berold, and the Spanish beraldo, but Milton fpells it barald after the Italian aralda.

763. Though like a cover'd field,] Cover'd here fignifies inclos'd; Champ clos; the held for combat, the lifts. The hall of Pandemonium, one room only is like a field

&c.] Milton frequently af when the common ones would fuit fects the ufe of uncommon words, the meafure of the verse as well, believing I fuppofe that it added to the dignity of his language. So here he fays the Soldan's chair inftead of the Sultan's chair, and Panim chivalry inftead of Pagan chivalry; as before he faid Rhent or the Danaw, ver. 353. when he might have faid the Rhine or Danube. Spenfer likewife ufes the words Soldan and Panim. See Fairy Queen, B. 5. C. 8. St. 26. and other places.

768. As bees &c.] An imitation of Homer, who compares the Grecians crouding to a' fwarm of bees, Iliad. II. 87

HUTE