That day, as other folemn days, they spent
In fong and dance about the facred hill;
Mystical dance, which yonder starry sphere

620

Of planets and of fix'd in all her wheels
Resembles neareft, mazes intricate,

Eccentric, intervolv'd, yet regular

Then moft, when moft irregular they seem;
And in their motions harmony divine

625

So smooths her charming tones, that God's own ear
Liftens delighted. Evening now approach'd
(For we have alfo' our evening and our morn,
We ours for change delectable, not need)
Forthwith from dance to sweet repaft they turn
Defirous; all in circles as they ftood,
Tables are fet, and on a fudden pil'd

Since he errs not, who doth them guide and move.

Fairfax's Taffo, Cant. 9. St. 6.

630

With

text in Job XXXVIII. 37. that feems to favor the opinion of the Pythagoreans, concerning the mufical motion of the fpheres, though Aftra tum ea quæ funt infixa certis our tranflation differs therein from locis, tum illa non re fed vocabulo other verfions. Concentum cali quis errantia, &c. Cicero Tufc. Difp. dormire faciet? Who fhall lay I. 25. And in their motions fuch afleep, or ftill the confort of the divine perfection appears, and their Heaven? But this is to be unharmonious proportion fo tunes her derftood metaphorically, of the charming notes, that God himself wonderful proportions obferved by pleas'd and delighted, pronounced the heavenly bodies in their various them good, Gen. I. 18. There is a motions.

Hume.

633. — rubied

With Angels food, and rubied nectar flows

In pearl, in diamond, and maffy gold,

Fruit of delicious vines, the growth of Heaven. 635
On flow'rs repos'd, and with fiesh flow'rets crown'd,
They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet
Quaff immortality and joy, fecure....

Of furfeit where full measure only bounds
Excess, before th' all-bounteous King, who show'rd
With copious hand, rejoicing in their joy.
Now when ambrofial night with clouds exhal'd

633. rutied nedar] Nectar of the color of rubies; a tranflation of Homer's vexτap epubev. Iliad. XIX. 38.

641

From

Are fill'd, before th' all-bounteous

King,

In the fecond edition the author alter'd it and added as follows,

— aμbegoiny nau vexTapesuber. They eat, they drink, and in com

and Odyss. V. 93.

- παρέθηκε τραπεζαν Αμβρόσιος πλησασα, κέρασε δε νεκταρ ερυθρων.

634. In pearl, &c.] This feaft of the Angels is much richer than the banquet of the Gods in Homer's Iliad, IV. 3. Homer's Gods drink nectar in golden cups xpusos deTatari; but here the nectar flows in pearl, in diamond, and mafy gold.

637. They eat, they drink, &c.]

In the first edition it was thus,

They eat, they drink, and with refection sweet

munion fweet

Quaff immortality and joy, fecure
Of furfeit where full measure only
bounds

Excefs, before th' all-bounteous
King,

Dr. Bentley is for reftoring the former reading, but we think that in communion fweet gives a much better idea than with refection fweet. To quaff immortality and joy, to drink largely and plentifully of impreffion, and plainly alluding to mortal joy, is a very poetical exPfal. XXXVI. 8, 9. Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleafures, for with thee is the fountain of

From that high mount of God, whence light and fhade Spring both, the face of brightest Heav'n had chang'd To grateful twilight (for night comes not there 645 In darker veil) and roseat dews difpos'd

All but th' unfleeping eyes of God to rest;

Wide over all the plain, and wider far

Than all this globous earth in plain outspread,
(Such are the courts of God) th'angelic throng, 650
Difpers'd in bands and files, their extend
By living streams among the trees of life,

life, and in thy light shall we fee light. If thefe verses were left out, then (as Dr. Pearce rightly obferves) the words in ver. 641. which reprefent God as rejoicing in their joy, would refer to fomething that is fore Milton (he fuppofes) inferted

no where to be found; and there

thefe verfes in the fecond edition, that the joy of the Angels might be exprefs'd. Secure of furfeit, are in no danger of it, are not liable to it, as men are. Where full measure only bounds excefs, full measure is the only thing that ftints and limits them; the utmoft they are capable of containing is the only bound fet to them; they have full measure, but they cannot be too full, they cannot overflow; without o'erflowing full.

641. rejoicing in their joy. ] What an idea of the divine goodnefs, whose perfect happiness feems

camp

Pavilions

to receive an addition from that of his creatures! Richardson.

642. ambrofial night] So Homer calls the night ambrofial, Aubom dia vuxla, Iliad. II. 57. and fleep for the fame reafon ambrofial, ver. 19. because it refreshes and ftrengthens as much as food, as much as ambrofia.

646. In darker veil] Milton fpells this word differently, fometimes vail, fometimes veil; but veil is right from the Latin velum.

647. All but th' unfleeping eyes of

God to reft;] So the Pfalmift, Pfal. CXXI. 4. He that keepeth Ifrael hall neither flumber nor fleep. The author had likewife Homer in mind, Iliad. II. 1.

Αλλοι μεν ρα Θεο
Ενδον παννύχιοι Δια δ' εκεχε
νήδυμο ύπνΘ.
Th'immortals

Pavilions numberlefs, and fudden rear'd,

Celestial tabernacles, where they flept

654

Fann'd with cool winds; fave those who in their course

Melodious hymns about the fovran throne

Alternate all night long: but not fo wak'd
Satan; fo call him now, his former name

Is heard no more in Heav'n; he of the firft,
If not the first Arch-Angel, great in power,
In favor and præeminence, yet fraught
With envy' against the Son of God, that day
Honor'd by his great Father, and proclam'd
Meffiah King anointed, could not bear

660

664

Through pride that fight, and thought himself impair'd. Deep malice thence conceiving and difdain,

Soon as midnight brought on the dusky hour

Th'immortals flumber'd on their thrones above,

Friend

Illi alternantes multa vi prælia mifcent.

All, but the ever-wakeful eyes Virg. Georg. III. 220. of two bulls

Pope.

of Jove. 653.—and fudden rear'd,] There is no need to read rear with Dr. Bentley. Rear'd here is a participle. Their tents were numberlefs, and

rear'd of a fudden.

657. Alternate all night long:] Alternate is a verb here; alternate hymns, fing by turns, and anfwer one another.

fighting.

Hæc alternanti potior fententia vi

fa eft.

En. IV. 287. of Eneas deliberat

ing whether he should stay or go. 671. his next fubordinate ] Beelzebub, who is always reprefented fecond to Satan. Satan addreffes him first here, as he does likewife upon the burning lake, Book I.

673. Sleep't

Friendliest to fleep and filence, he refolv'd
With all his legions to diflodge, and leave
Unworshipt, unobey'd the throne fupreme
Contemptuous, and his next fubordinate
Awak'ning, thus to him in fecret spake.

670

Sleep'ft thou, Companion dear, what fleep can close Thy eye-lids? and remember'st what decree

Of yesterday, fo late hath pafs'd the lips

675

Of Heav'n's Almighty. Thou to me thy thoughts
Waft wont, I mine to thee was wont to'impart;
Both waking we were one; how then can now
Thy fleep diffent? New laws thou seest impos'd;
New laws from him who reigns, new minds may raise
In us who ferve, new counfels, to debate
What doubtful may enfue: more in this place

673. Sleep ft thou, Companion dear,

what fleep can clofe Thy eye-lids? and remember'ft what

decree &c.] We have printed the paffage with Milton's own punctuation. Sleep't thou, Companion dear, Eudes Arpe ; Iliad. II. 23. What fleep can clofe thy eye-lids? and remember'ft &c. that is when thou remember ft &c.

potes hoc fub cafu ducere fomnos ?

681

Το

It is just the fame manner of speaking as in II. 730.

what fury, O Son, Poffeffes thee to bend that mortal dart

Against thy Father's head? and
know'ft for whom;

at the fame time that thou know'st
for whom.
682.

more in this place

To utter is not fofe.] This is a verfe, but I believe the reader will Virg. Æn. IV. 560. agree, that it could not have had

fo