Within unfeen. Far lefs abhorr'd than thefe
Vex'd Scylla bathing in the sea that parts
Calabria from the hoarfe Trinacrian fhore:
Nor uglier follow the night-hag, when call'd
In fecret, riding through the air fhe comes,
Lur'd with the smell of infant blood, to dance
With Lapland witches, while the lab'ring moon
Eclipses at their charms. The other shape,
If shape it might be call'd that thape had none
Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb,

have the fame way of fpeaking in VI. 212. VII. 66. and elsewhere.

Pearce.

660. Vex'd Scylla bathing in the

fea] For Circe having poifon'd that part of the fea where Scylla used to bathe, the next time Scylla bath'd, her lower parts were changed into dogs, in the fea that parts Calabria, the fartheft part of Italy towards the Mediterranean, from the hoarfe Trinacrian Shore, that is from Sicily, which was formerly call'd Trinacria from its three promontories lying in the form of a triangle: and this fhore may well be called boarse not only by reafon of a tempeftuous fea breaking upon it, but likewife on account of the noises occasion'd by the eruptions of mount Ena; and the number of r's in this verfe very well express the hoarfenefs of it. You have the ftory of Scylla in the beginning of the 14thbook of Ovid's Metamorphofis, ver. 59. &c.

660

664

Or fubftance might be call'd that shadow feem'd,
For each feem'd either: black it stood as Night,
Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell,

And shook a dreadful dart; what feem'd his head
The likeness of a kingly crown had on.

671

675

Satan was now at hand, and from his feat
The monster moving onward came as faft
With horrid ftrides, Hell trembled as he ftrode.
Th' undaunted Fiend what this might be admir'd,
Admir'd, not fear'd; God and his Son except,

Created thing nought valu'd he nor shunn'd;
And with difdainful look thus first began.

680

685

Whence and what art thou, execrable shape, That dar'ft, though grim and terrible, advance Thy mifcreated front athwart my way To yonder gates? through them I mean to pass, That be affur'd, without leave afk'd of thee: Retire, or taste thy folly', and learn by proof, Hell-born, not to contend with Spi'rits of Heaven. To whom the goblin full of wrath reply'd. Art thou that traitor Angel, art thou He, Who first broke peace in Heav'n and faith, till then Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms 691 Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's fons Conjúr'd against the Hig'heft, for which both thou

and B. 2. Cant. 7. St. 42.

And

I mean not thee intreat
To pafs; but mauger thee will

pass or die. Jortin. 692. Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's fons] An opinion, as we noted before, grounded on Rev. XII. 3, 4. Behold a great red dragon-and his tail drew

Nor mortal feel empierce his mif- the third part of the fears of Heaven created mold. Bentley. and did caft them to the earth. 684.through them I mean to pas, &c.] Spenfer, Faery Queen, B. 3. Cant. 4. St. 15.

693. Conjur'd against the Hig'heft,] Banded and leagued together a gainst the most High. Of the Latin

con

695

And they, outcaft from God, are here condemn'd
To waste eternal days in woe and pain?
And reckon'st thou thyself with Spi'rits of Heaven,
Hell-doom'd, and breath'ft defiance here and fcorn
Where I reign king, and to enrage thee more,
Thy king and lord? Back to thy punishment,
Falfe fugitive, and to thy speed add wings,
Left with a whip of fcorpions I pursue
Thy lingring, or with one stroke of this dart
Strange horror feise thee', and pangs unfelt before.
So spake the grifly terror, and in shape,

700

So fpeaking and fo threatning, grew ten-fold 705
More dreadful and deform: on th' other fide
Incens'd with indignation Satan stood
Unterrify'd, and like a comet burn'd,

That fires the length of Ophiuchus huge
In th' arctic fky, and from his horrid hair
Shakes peftilence and war. Each at the head
Level'd his deadly aim; their fatal hands
No fecond ftroke intend, and fuch a frown
Each caft at th' other, as when two black clouds,
With Heav'n's artillery fraught, come rattling on
Over the Cafpian, then stand front to front
Hovering a space, till winds the fignal blow
To join their dark encounter in mid air:
So frown'd the mighty combatants, that Hell

710

716

Grew

rius as it is commonly call'd, a length of about 40 degrees, in the averic fy, or the northern hemifphere, and from his horrid hair hakes peftilence and war. Poetry delights in cmens, prodigies, and fuch wonderful events as were fuppoled to follow upon the appearance of comets, ecliples, and the like. We have another inftance of this nature in 1. 598. and Taflo in the fame manner compares Argantes to a comet, and mentions the like fatal effects, Cant. 7. St. 52.

Qual con le chiome fanguinofe horrende

Splender cometa fuol per l'aria adufta,

Che i regni muta, ei feri morbi adduce,

A i purpurei tiranni infaufta luce.

As when a comet far and wide defcried,

In fcorn of Phoebus midft bright

Heav'n doth shine, And tidings fad of death and mifchief brings

To mighty lords, to monarchs, and to kings. Fairfax.

714.—as when two black clouds, that Milton took the hint of this &c.] It is highly probable, noble fimile from one of the fame fort in Boiardo's Orlando Inamo

rato, tho' it must be own'd that he has excell'd the Italian much, both in the variety of its circumstances, and the propriety of its application Beiardo is defcribing an encounter betwixt Orlando his hero, and the Tartar king Agricane, and b.gins it thus, B. . C. 16.

Se