Alter'd her check. On whom the Angel Hail 385 Beftow'd, the holy falutation us'd Long after to bleft Mary, fecond Eve. Hail Mother of Mankind, whofe fruitful womb Shall fill the world more numerous with thy fons, Than with these various fruits the trees of God 390 Have heap'd this table. Rais'd of graffy turf Their table was, and moffy feats had round, And on her ample square from fide to fide All autumn pil'd, though spring and autumn here Danc'd hand in hand. A while discourse they hold No fear left dinner cool; when thus began Our author. Heav'nly ftranger, please to tafte fuperior being, who had vouchfafed to be his gueft; the folemn Hail, which the Angel beftows upon the mother of mankind, with the figure of Eve miniftring at the table, are circumftances which deferve to be admired. Addifon. 387- -to Mary, Second Eve.] Sce Luke I. 28. She is call'd fecond Eve, as Chrift is fometimes called fecond Adam. 394. All autumn pil'd,] The table had mofly feats round it, and all autumn pil'd upon it; that is the fruits of autumn. So in Virgil Georg. II. 5. -pampinco gravidus autumno Floret ager. ; 396 Thefe It may be obferved here (as Dr. Greenwood adds) that when Milton introduces any thing that might give occafion to a captious critic to inquire how Adam could be furnifhed with fuch utenfils in his first ftate; he hath always the caution fo to explain himself as to prevent any mistake. Thus when he hath mentioned the table, he tells us it was rais'd of graffy turf. A little above ver. 348. where he fays Eve wanted not fit veffels, he takes no farther notice of them there, because the reader was prepared to understand it by a paffage in IV. 335. -and in the rind Still as they thirfted fcoop the brimming ftream. 399. per These bounties, which our Nourisher, from whom 400 405 To whom the Angel. Therefore what he gives As doth your rational; and both contain 399 perfect] Milton writes it perfet after the French parfait or the Italian perfetto; our ufual way of fpelling it is after the Latin perfectus; and very rightly, efpecially as we make ufe likewife of the word perfection. And in the general it is better furely to derive our language from the original Latin, than to make it only the copy of a copy. 407. No ingrateful food:] There being mention made in Scripture of Angels food, Pfal. LXXVIII. 25. that is foundation enough for a poet to build upon, and advance thefe notions of the Angels cating. 415-of clements &c.] Dr. Bentley is for omitting here eleven lines pure 410 Of together, but we cannot agree with him in thinking them the editor's, tho' we entirely agree with him in wifhing, that the author had taken more care what notions of philofophy he had put into the mouth of an Arch-Angel. It is certainly a great miftake to attribute the pots in the moon (which are owing to the inequalities of her furface, and to the different nature of her conattribute them, I fay, to vapors not ftituent parts, land and water) to certainly very unphilofophical to lay yet turn'd into her fubftance. It is that the fun fups with the ocean, but it is not unpoetical. And what ever other faults are found in thefe lines, they are not fo properly the faults of Milton, as of his times, and 1 Of fenfe, whereby they hear, fee, fmell, touch, taste, Tafting concoct, digeft, affimilate, And corporeal to incorporeal turn. For know, whatever was created, needs To be fuftain'd and fed; of elements 415 The groffer feeds the purer, earth the sea, and of thofe fyftems of philofophy which he had learned in his younger years. If he had written after the late difcoveries and improvements in fcience, he would have written in another manner. It is allow'd by all philofophers, that the fun and fixed ftars receive their fupplies of nourishment; but in what manner they are fed and fupply'd is a great queftion: and furely a greater latitude and liberty may be indulged to a poet in fpeaking of thefe things, than to a philofopher. The fame kind of thought runs through an ode of Anacreon, Ode 19. Η γη μελαινα πως Πίνει δε δενδρι αυτην Ο δ' ηλια θαλασσαν, 420 From Πίνει θάλασσα δ' αύρας, From all his alimental recompenfe. 425 Sups with the ocean. Though in Heav'n the trees As may compare with Heaven; and to tafte 426. Though in Heav'n the trees, &c.] In mentioning trees of life and vines in Heaven he is juftified by Scripture. See Rev. XXII. 2. Mat. XXVI. 29. As in fpeaking afterwards of mellifluous dews and pearly grain he manifeftly alludes to manna, which is called the bread of Heaven. Pf. CV. 40. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as jmall as the boar frost on the ground. Exod. XVI. 14. and it was like coriander feed, white; and the tafle of it was like wafers made with kony, ver. 31. 435- -the common glofs Of Theologians; The ufual comment and expofition of divines. For feveral of the Fathers and ancient Doctors were of opinion, that the Angels did not really eat, but The only feemed to do fo; and they The Angel, nor in mift, the common gloss Of real hunger, and concoctive heat 435 To transubstantiate what redounds, transpires Through Spi'rits with eafe; nor wonder; if by fire Of footy coal th' empiric alchemist Can turn, or holds it poffible to turn, Metals of droffieft ore to perfect gold As from the mine. Mean while at table Eve 440 With pleasant liquors crown'd: O innocence 445 Deferving his Tetrachordon, p. 223. Vol. i. pix in Greek from up a trial Edit. 1738. 438.-what redounds, tranfpires &c.] This artfully avoids the indecent idea, which would elfe have been apt to have arifen on the Angels feeding, and withal gives a deTicacy to thefe Spirits, which finely diftinguishes them from us in one of the most humbling circumstances relating to our bodies. Richardfon. 439.-nor wonder; if by fire &c.] Nor is it a wonder, that the Angels have concoctive heat in their tomachs fufficient to tranfubftantiate, to turn their food and nourishment into their own fubftance, to affimilate as it was faid before, and turn corporeal into incorporeal; if by fire the alchemift can turn or thinks to turn all metals to gold. The empiric alchemift, is one who makes bold trials and experiments (26 or experiment) without much skill and knowledge in the art, like a quack in phyfick. And they must be ftrange empirics indeed, who can hope to find out the Philofopher's ftone, and turn metals of droffieft ore to perfect gold. But it is not trange that our author fo frequently alludes to alchemy (as he does in 517. III. 609. as well as here) when Johnson has written a whole comedy upon it. II. 445. With pleafant liquors crown'd:] To crown their cups was a phrafe among the Greeks and Romans for filling them above the brim, but yet not fo as to run over. Thus it is ufed by Homer, Iliad. I. 470. Κεροι μεν κρητηρας επιτεψαντο WOTOIO. and |