Whereby they may direct their future life. At first it may be; but long fince with woe 400 This motu futura præfentiunt; quod & fomniantibus I can by no means agree to the propos'd alfæpe contingit, & nonnunquam vaticinantibus per furorem &c. Cujus generis oracula etiam habenda funt. De Div. I. 18. These three frequently occur together; as again in this firft book. 51. Item igitur fomniis, vaticinationibus, oraculis &c. And again in de Nat. Deor. II. 65. Multa cernunt harufpices: multa augures provident: multa oraculis declarantur, multa vaticinationibus, multa fomniis, (and I will fairly add, tho' it may be thought to make against me) multa portentis. Here portents are join'd with oracula, vaticinationes, and fomnia; and why might not Milton join them with oracles and dreams? In anfwer to this I obferve, that the word portents in our poet is not only irregularly inferted, but excludes another fpecies of divination out of a place, where the authority of Cicero himself, and in this very paffage too, would make one expect to find it; which cannot be faid of portentis. And now perhaps a conjecture may appear not void of probability, that the poet dictated, And anfwers, oracles, prophets, and dreams. I have given this learned note at length, though teration. My greatest objection to it is, that I conceive Milton would not have inferted prophets between oracles and dreams, any more than Cicero would have inferted vates between oracula and fomnia. Cicero has faid oracula, vaticinationes, fomnia; and Milton in like manner would have said by presages and figns, and anfwers, oracles, prophecies, not prophets, and dreams. But I fuppofe the poet was not willing to afcribe prophecy to the Devil; he might think, and very justly think, that it lay not within his sphere and capacity: and by portents he plainly understands fomething more than prefages and figns, as portenta are rank'd with monftra and prodigia in the best Latin authors. The gentleman feems apprehensive that his laft quotation from Cicero may be turned against him: and indeed that paffage and this reflect fo much light on each other, as would incline one to believe that Milton had it in mind as he was compofing. Multa cernunt harufpices: multa augures provident: these are the prefages and figns and answers: multa oraculis declarantur, multa vaticinationibus, multa fomniis, multa portentis: here portents This wounds me most (what can it less?) that man, To whom our Saviour fternly thus reply'd. 405 Who boast'st release from Hell, and leave to come Into the Heav'n of Heav'ns: thou com'ft indeed, 410 As a poor miserable captive thrall portents are annumerated with oracles and dreams: quibus cognitis, multæ fæpe res bominum fententia atque utilitate parte (or as Lambin reads, ex animi fententia atque utilitate parte) multa etiam pericula depulfa funt: the fenfe of which is very well expreffed by the following line in Milton, 400. Whereby they may direct their future life. now I feel by proof, That fellowship in pain divides not fmart,] Our author here had in his eye this line of the poet, Solamen miferis focios habuiffe doloris. Thyer. 402. Nor lightens ought each man's peculiar load.] I think it will not be caviling to fay, that each man's peculiar load fhould not be put in the mouth of Satan, who was no man, who had confeffed to Chrift that he was the unfortunate Arch-Fiend, and who speaks of himself. If Milton had been aware of it, he would have corrected it thus, Nor lightens ought each ones peculiar load, or in fome other manner. Befides, the word man is repeated here too often. Comes Comes to the place where he before had fat To all the host of Heav'n: the happy place 416. the happy place &c] The fame noble sentiment we find alfo in Paradife Loft. IX. 467. But the hot Hell that always in him burns, 417. Imparts to thee] In all the editions it is printed Imports to thee, but in the Errata of the first edition we are defired to read Imparts to thee. It is no wonder that, the errors of the first edition are continued in the subsequent ones, when thofe errors do not much difturb the sense: but even where they make downright nonfenfe of the paffage, they are still continued; and we had a moft remarkable inftance a little before in ver. 400. Never acquainted for Nearer acquainted. 415 420 What 426. With all inflictions? but his patience won.] So Mr. Fenton points this paffage in his edition, and so it should be pointed. And the verb won I think is not often used as a verb neuter, but I find it fo in Spenfer's Faery Queen. B. 1. Cant. 6. St. 39. And he the ftouteft knight that ever won. 434. But what have been thy answers, what but dark,] The oracles were often fo obfcure and dubious, that there was need of other oracles to explain them. Sed jam ad te venio, Sancte Apollo, qui umbilicum certum terra rum obfides, Unde fuperftitiofa primum fæva evafit vox fera, What but thy malice mov'd thee to misdeem For lying is thy fuftenance, thy food. By thee are giv❜n, and what confefs'd more true tuis enim oraculis Chryfippus totum volumen implevit, partim falfis, ut ego opinor, partim cafu veris, ut fit in omni oratione fæpiffime; partim flexiloquis, & obfcuris, ut interpres egeat interprete, & fors ipfa ad fortes referenda fit; partim ambiguis, & quæ ad dialecticum deferenda fint. Cicero De Div. II. 56. Calton. Milton in thefe lines about the Heathen oracles feems to have had in view what Eufebius fays more copiously upon this fubject in the fifth book of his Præparatio Evangelica. That learned father reafons in the very fame way about them, and gives many inftances from hiftory of their delufive and double meanings. It may not perhaps be impertinent to mention one by way of illuftration. Crofus fending to 425 430 435 Which Which they who ask'd have seldom understood, Return'd the wifer, or the more instruct Among them to declare his providence 440 445 To thee not known, whence haft thou then thy truth, 447. But from him or his Angels prefident] Utitur etiam eis Deus (Dæmonibus) ad veritatis manifestationem per ipfos fiendam, dum divina mysteria eis per Angelos revelantur. The words are quoted from Aquinas (2da 2dæ Quæft. 172. Art. 6.) but the opinion is as old at least as St. Austin, whofe authority he and Peter Lombard alledge for it. Calton. This notion Milton very probably had from Tertullian and St. Auftin. Tertullian fpeaking of the Gods of the Heathens and their oracles fays Difpofitiones etiam Dei & · tunc prophetis concionantibus exceperunt, & nunc lectionibus refonantibus carpunt. ita & hinc fumentes quafdam temporum fortes æmulantur divinitatem, dum furantur divinationem. In oraculis autem, quo ingenio ambiguitates temperent in eventus, fciunt Croefi, fciunt Pyrrhi. Apol. C. 22. St. Austin more But appofitely to our prefent purpose, answering |