Contains of good, wife, juft, the perfect shape. Urim and Thummim, thofe oraculous gems 15 In he renders forma by shape in the given to the breaft-plate in its conParadife Loft. IV. 848. Virtue in her shape how lovely. 13. On Aaron's breaft; &c.] Aaron's breaft-plate was a piece of cloth doubled, of a span fquare, in which were fet in fockets of gold twelve precious ftones bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Ifrael ingraven on them, which being fixed to the ephod, or upper veftment of the high priest's robes, was worn by him on his breaft on all folemn occafions. In this breaft plate the Urim and Thummim, fay the Scriptures, were put. And the learned Prideaux, after giving fome account of the various opinions concerning Urim and Thummim, fays it will be fafeft to hold, that the words Urim and Thummim meant only the divine virtue and power, fecration, of obtaining an oracu lous anfwer from God, whenever counfel was afked of him by the high-prieft with it on, in fuch manner as his words did direct; and that the names of Urim and Thummim were given hereto only to denote the clearness and perfection, which thefe oracular answers always carried with them. For Urim fignifieth light, and Thummim perfection. But Milton by adding thofe oraculous gems On Aaron's breastfeems to have been of the common received opinion among the Jews, that the answer was given by the precious ftones, that it was by the fhining and protuberating of the letters in the names of the twelve tribes graven on the twelve. ftones in the breaft-plate of the high-prieft, and that in them h● did read the answer. But as Dr. Prideaux In battel, though against thy few in arms. In favage wildernefs? wherefore deprive Prideaux fays, it appears plain from Scripture, that when the high-prieft appeared before the veil to ask counsel of God, the answer was given him by an audible voice from the mercy feat, which was within behind the veil. -or tongue of feers old Infallible: The poet by mentioning this after Urim and Thummim feems to allude to another opinion of the Jews, that the Holy Spirit fpake to the children of Ifrael during the tabernacle by Urim and Thummim, and under the first temple by the prophets. See Prideaux Connect. Part I. Book III. 20 25 All which would be an alteration for the worfe, the commendation in this place not being of his skill in general, but of his skill of conduct in particular. 25. glory the reward,] Our Saviour having withftood the allurement of riches, Satan attacks him in the next place with the charms of glory. I have fometimes thought, that Milton might poffibly take the hint of thus connecting thefe two temptations from Spenfer, who in his fecond book of the Faery Queen reprefenting the virtue of temperance under the character of Guyon, and leading him through various trials of his conftancy, brings him to the house of riches or Mammon's delve as he terms it, and immediately after it to the palace of glory, which he defcribes in his allegorical manner under the figure of a beautiful woman call'd Philotimè. Thyer. 27. Of moft erected spirits,] The H 4 author All treasures and all gain esteem as dross, Won Afia, and the throne of Cyrus held 3.0 At his difpofe; young Scipio had brought down The Carthaginian pride; young Pompey quell'd 35 The Pontic king, and in triumph had rode. Yet Spain, and was only between 28 and 29, when he was chofen conful before the ufual time, and transferred the war into Africa. Young Pompey quell'd the Pontic king, and in triumph had rode. In this inftance our author is not fo exact as in the reft, for when Pompey was fent to command the war in Afia against Mithridates king of Pontus, he was above 40, but had fignalized himself by many extraordinary actions in his younger years, and had obtained the honor of two triumphs before that time. Pompey and Cicero were born in the fame year; and the Manilian law, which gave the command in Afia to Pompey, was propofed when Cicero was in the 41ft year of his age. But no wonder that Milton was mistaken in point of time, when feveral of the Ancients were, and Plutarch himself, who fpeaking of Pompey's three memorable triumphs over the three parts of the world, his first over Africa, his fecond Yet years, and to ripe years judgment mature, To whom our Saviour calmly thus reply'd. 40 For See Plutarch's Life of Cæfar. Others fay, it was at the fight of an image of Alexander the greatanimadverfa apud Herculis templum magni Alexandri imagine ingemuit; et quafi pertæfus ignaviam fuam, quod nihil dum à fe memorabile actum effet in ætate quajam Alexander orbem terrarum fubegiffet, &c. Suetonii Jul. Cæf. cap. 7. 44. Thou neither doft perfuade me &c] How admirably does Milton in this fpeech expofe the emptiness and uncertainty of a popular character, and found true glory upon its only fure bafis, the approbation of the God of truth? There is a remarkable dignity of fentiment runs quite through it, and I think it will be no extravagance at all to affert, that he has comprised in this fhort compafs the fsubstance and quinteffence of a subject which has exercifed the pens of the greatest moralifts in all ages. Thyer. 1 For empire's fake, nor empire to affect The juftness of this remark will appear to greater advantage by the learned collection out of the Heathen moralifts in the following note of Mr. Jortin. 47. For what is glory &c.] The love of glory is a paffion deeply rooted in us, and difficultly kept under. Την κενοδοξίαν, ὡς τελευταίον χιτωνα, ἡ ψυχη πεφυκεν αποτίθεσθαι, fays Plato. Helvidius Prifcus, as Tacitus relates, was poffeffed of all the virtues which make a great and a good man. He was a Stoic into the bargain, and therefore bound by the principles of his philofophy to fet a fmall value upon the τα εκ εφ' ημίν• yet erant quibus appetentior famæ videre. tur: quando etiam fapientibus cupido gloriæ noviffima exuitur. HiA. IV. 5. As at Rome and in Greece a fpear, a crown of oak or laurel, a statue, a public commendation, was efteemed an ample recompenfe for many brave actions; fo it is as true, that not a few of their great men were over fond of fame, and mere flaves to the love of it. Let us fee what the philofophers have faid concerning a greedy defire of glory, fuch a defire of it as leads men to make it the ruling principle of their actions, and incites them to do well only, or chiefly in order to be admired. We fhall find them condemning it, and faying things 45 For agreeable enough to what Milton puts into the mouth of our Saviour. Illud autem te admoneo, ne eorum more, qui non proficere fed confpici volunt, facias aliqua. Seneca, Epift. V. Qui virtutem fuam publicari vult, non virtuti laborat, fed gloriæ. Id. Epift. CXIII. Cavenda eft gloriæ cupiditas, is a lefon delivered by one who in that particular did not practife what he taught. De Officiis I. Laudis amore tumes? funt certa piacula, quæ te Ter pure lecto poterunt recreare libello. Hor. Epift. I. 1. An quidquam ftultius, quam quos fingulos, ficut operarios barbarofque contemnas, eos effe aliquid putare univerfos? Cicero, Tufc. Difp. V. 36. where Dr. Davies: Egregium hoc monitum Socrati debetur, qui Alcibiadem, in concionem populi prodire veritum, ita excitavit: Ov naтapzovers (EITTE Σωκρατης) εκείνα τα σκυτοτομε; το ονομα ειπων αυτε φησαντος δε το Αλκιβιαδε, ὑπολαβων παλιν ὁ Σωκράτης, ετι δε εκεινε τε εν τοις κύκλοις κηρυτ τονος, η εκείνο το σκηνογραφο; ὁμολο γενloς δε το Κλεινιο μειρακις, εκ εν, ἔφη ὁ Σωκράτης, ὁ δημος Αθηναίων εκ τετων ήθροισαι ; και ει των καθ' ενα και ταφρονητέον, άρα και των ηθροισμένων. Epictetus, Enchir. XLV. fays: Σημεία προκοπίολος αδένα ψεγει, εδένα |