He leaves his Gods, his friends, and native soil, From Hamath northward to the Desert south 130 135 commentators seem to suppose, but a mode of speaking natural to the angel, to whom all the future was revealed. It is well observed by Addison, that, as the principal design of this episode was to give Adam an idea of the holy person who was to reinstate human nature in that happiness and perfection from which it had fallen, the poet confines himself to the line of Abraham, whence the Messiah was to descend. The angel is described as seeing the patriarch actually travelling towards the land of promise, which gives a particular liveliness to this part of the narrative. Our poet, sensible that this long historical description might grow irksome, has varied the manner of representing it as much as possible, beginning first with supposing Adam to have a prospect of it before his eyes, next by making the angel the relator of it, and lastly, by imitating the two former methods, and making Michael see it as in a vision, and give a rapturous enlivened account of it to Adam. This gives great ease to the languishing attention of the reader.-THYER. 130. Ur: Situated in Mesopotamia, near the Euphrates, and about four hundred wiles northeast from Jerusalem. A short distance from Ur was Haran, to which Abraham first removed. Ur signifies light or fire, and received this name from the worship of the sun and its symbol, fire, being there practised. 132. And numerous servitude: Many servants. crete.-N. The abstract for the con 139. Hamath: Quite famous in the Bible as the northern limit of the land of Israel. According to Coleman, it is a narrow pass between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, at the head of the great Valley Cocle-Syria, above Baalbec, at the head waters of the Orontes, which runs north and west one hundred and fifty miles into the northeastern coast of the Mediterranean. This river forms the natural boundary of the kingdom of Hamath on the south, and the limit of the land promised to Israel on the north. (Things by their names I call, tho' yet unnamed), 140 145 150 144. Doubled-founted: The Jordan has its origin among the mountains thirty or forty miles north of the Sea of Galilee. The original source is a large fountain just above Hasbeiya, twenty miles from Banias, or Cæsarea Philippi, and the ancient idolatrous city of Dan, where again are large fountains, which have usually been regarded as the head waters of the Jordan. -COLEMAN'S Geography of the Bible. 145. True limit eastward: Though the name of Canaan sometimes includes the whole land possessed by the twelve tribes, yet it appropriately belongs to no more than the country westward of the River Jordan; and the Jews themselves make a distinction between the land promised to their fathers, and the lands of Sihon and Og, which were to the eastward of the river. Moses does the same, Deut. ii. 29, and the land on this side Jordan was esteemed more holy than the land on the other. 146. Senir: Hermon, Deut. iii. 9, lying not far eastward of the sources of the Jordan, moistened with copious dews. It stands pre-eminent among the mountains of the land. It is thus described by an American missionary, Mr. Thompson: “Old Jebel Esh-Sheihh (the modern name), like a venerable Turk, with his head wrapped in a snowy turban, sits yonder on his throne in the sky, surveying with imperturbable dignity the fair lands below; and all around, east, west, north, south, mountain meets mountain to guard and gaze upon the lovely vale of the Huleh. What a constellation of venerable names: Lebanon and Hermon, Bashan and Gilead, Moab and Judah, Samaria and Galilee !” 152. Abraham: See Gen. xvii. 5. It means a father of many nations. His name previously was Abram, signifying a great father. The grandchild with twelve sons increased, departs Egypt, divided by the river Nile.. See where it flows, disgorging at seven mouths He comes, invited by a younger son, 155 160 In time of dearth; a son whose worthy deeds Raise him to the second in that realm Of Pharaoh. There he dies, and leaves his race Suspected to a sequent King, who seeks 165 To stop their overgrowth, as inmate guests Too num'rous; whence of guests he makes them slaves Inhospitably, and kills their infant males: Till by two brethren (those two brethren call Moses and Aaron) sent from God to claim 170 His people from inthralment, they return. With glory and spoil back to their promised land. Must be compell'd by signs and judgments dire. 175 180 And wheel on th' earth, devouring where it rolls ; 185 155. A Latin form of expression, as Plaut. "Cumque es aucta liberis." 158. See where it flows, &c.: This pointing to the river adds a loveliness to the narrative, and the ancient poets seldom mention the river without taking notice of its seven mouths, Virg. Æn. vi. 800; Ovid Met. i. 422; ii. 256. -N. 179. Murren: The spelling conforms to the Latin word murrena.-N. 183. Wheel: Exod ix. 23-4. Must eat, and on the ground leave nothing green : Humbles his stubborn heart: but still as ice 190 195 Swallows him with his host; but them lets pass Awed by the rod of Moses so to stand Divided, till his rescued gain'd their shore. Such wondrous power God to his saint will lend, 200 Though present in his Angel, who shall go Before them in a cloud and pillar of fire 205 And craze their chariot-wheels: when by command 210 Moses once more his potent rod extends Over the sea; the sea his rod obeys; On their embattled ranks the waves return 188. Palpable: In the expressive language of the Bible, "Darkness that 191. The river-dragon is an allusion to the crocodile, the chief inhabitant 207. Darkness defends between, &c.: Darkness between them keeps off his 210. Craze: Crush, from the French ecraser. And overwhelm their war: the race elect Safe towards Canaan from the shore advance 215 Return them back to Egypt, choosing rather Inglorious life with servitude; for life 220 To noble and ignoble is more sweet Untrain'd in arms, where rashness leads not on. In the wide wilderness; there they shall found Their government, and their great senate choose 225 Through the twelve tribes, to rule by laws ordain'd. 230 Of sacrifice, informing them, by types 235 And terror cease. He grants what they besought, Instructed that to God is no access Without Mediator, whose high office now 240 Moses in figure bears, to introduce One greater, of whose day he shall foretell; 214. War: Army. 216. The political cause of their long wanderings is given by Milton; the moral cause is omitted, for it was the design of the angel to comfort and not to distress Adam by this recital, Exod. xiii. 17, 18. 227. Whose gray top: It received this hue from the snow smoke which enveloped it, Exod. xix. clouds, and 230. Part such as appertain, &c.: It is singular that Milton here omits all mention of the moral law, the delivery of which formed so impressive and important a part of the proceedings at Sinai. 241. In figure: As a type or representative. |