by John Milton
virtual potent.
357. To show… future days Prophetic visions are frequent in epic. See e.g. Virgil, Aen. vi 754–854 (Aeneas’s vision of Rome), Ariosto, Orl. Fur. xiii 53–74 (Bradamante’s vision of the House of Este), and Spenser, FQ III iii 29–49 (Britomart’s vision of Britain). An angelic subordinate of Michael relates future events to Daniel in Dan. 10–12.
367. drenched overwhelmed (OED 6). A ‘drench’ was a soporific potion. Cp. ii 73.
373. *chast’ning OED’s earliest participial sense.
374. obvious exposed, vulnerable (OED 2).
377. visions… hill Cp. Ezek. 40. 2: ‘In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain’.
379. ken view.
380. the amplest] Ed II; amplest Ed I.
381–4. that hill… glory When Satan tempted Christ he took ‘him up into an exceeding high mountain’ (Matt. 4. 8). See also Luke 4. 5 and PR iii 251 ff.
388. Cambalu capital of Cathay (north China). M. imagines China and Cathay to be distinct, but the Cathayan khan Kubilai had ruled all China from Cambalu (Beijing).
389. Temir Timur (Tamburlaine), a descendant of Genghis Khan. His capital Samarkand was near the Oxus river in modern Uzbekistan.
390. Paquin Peking (Beijing).
*Sinaean Chinese.
391. Agra and Lahore Mogul capitals in northern India and the Punjab (Pakistan).
Great Mogul the Mogul emperor.
392. golden Chersonese a vaguely defined area east of India, fabled for its wealth. See PR iv 74 and note.
393. Ecbatan Ecbatana, capital of Media and a summer residence of the Persian kings. Isfahan (Hispahan) replaced Kazvin as the Persian capital in the sixteenth century (hence since).
395. Bizance Byzantium (Constantinople, Istanbul), capital of the Ottoman Empire after falling to the Turks in 1453.
396. Turkéstan-born The Ottoman Turks traced their tribal origins to Turkestan, in central Asia between Mongolia and the Caspian.
397. Negus title of the Abyssinian emperors.
398. Ercoco Arkiko, a Red Sea port in modern Ethiopia.
399. Mombaza Mombasa, in Kenya.
Quiloa Kilwa, in Tanzania.
Melind Malindi, in Kenya. All Muslim colonies on the east African coast.
400. Sofala a port in Mozambique, sometimes identified with the biblical Ophir, the source of Solomon’s gold.
402. Niger a river in west Africa.
Atlas the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
403. Almansor Various Muslim rulers were called ‘Al-Mansur’ (‘the victorious’). Here it may be a title (cp. Khan, Ksar, Great Mogul, Negus) or a name (cp. Motezume, Atabalipa). M. may be thinking of Abu’Amir al Ma-Ma’afiri, Caliph of Cordova (r. 976–1002), known to European writers as ‘Almanzor’, or Abu Yusuf Ya’qub al-Mansur (r. 1184–99). Both ruled north Africa and much of Spain.
Fez in Morocco.
Sus Tunis.
404. Tremisen Tlemcen, part of Algeria.
406. in spirit because of the earth’s curvature.
407. Motezume Montezuma II, the last Aztec ruler. His capital Tenochtitlán (Mexico) fell to Cortez in 1520.
409. Atabalipa Atahuallpa, the last Inca ruler, murdered in 1533 by Pizarro, who sacked his capital Cuzco (in Peru).
410. Geryon’s sons the Spanish. Geryon was a mythical three-headed monster (killed by Hercules) who inhabited an island off the Spanish coast. Spenser made him an allegory of the ‘huge powre and great oppression’ of Spain (FQ V x 9).
411. El Dorado a mythical city in the New World. Ralegh, who tried to find it in 1595, wrote in The Discoverie of Guiana: ‘I have beene assured by such of the Spanyardes as have seen Manoa the emperiall Citie of Guiana, which the Spanyardes call el Dorado, that for the greatness, for the riches, and for the excellent seat, it farre exceedeth any of the world’ (10).
412. the film removed So Athena removes the mist from Diomedes’ eyes (Homer, Il. v 127), Venus clears the eyes of Aeneas (Virgil, Aen. ii 604), and Michael clears those of Goffredo (Tasso, Gerus. Lib. xviii 92f.).
414. euphrasy and rue herbs thought to sharpen the eyesight. Fowler notes that Greek euphrasia means ‘cheerfulness’ and rue means ‘sorrow’, so the two names pun on the ‘joy’ and ‘pious sorrow’ (xi 361–2) of Adam’s visions.
416. Well of Life Cp. Ps. 36. 9: ‘With thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light’.
426. excepted forbidden.
427. that sin] Ed I; that Ed II. Sinned thy sin is biblical idiom (Exod. 32. 30, John 5. 16).
429–60. See Gen. 4 for the story of Cain and Abel. Adam never hears these names in book xi, where all his visions are of unnamed persons. Michael speaks names only after recounting the Confusion of tongues (see xii 140n).
430. tilth cultivated land.
432. landmark boundary marker.
436. *Unculled picked at random (unlike Abel’s ‘choicest’ offering, 438).
441. fire from heav’n Acceptable sacrifices were often consumed by ‘fire from heaven’ (Lev. 9. 24,1 Kings 18. 38, etc.). God ‘had respect unto Abel and his offering’ (Gen. 4. 4).
442. nimble glance quick flash.
grateful pleasing.
443. sincere including ‘unmixed, uncontaminated’ (OED 2).
455. Out of thy loins As progenitor of all mankind, Adam need not realize that Cain and Abel will be his own sons.
457. fact evil deed, crime.
469. his grim cave Cp. the ‘deep cave’ leading to Virgil’s underworld (Aen. vi 237). Within the cave dwell Grief, Cares, Diseases, Age, Death and other horrors (Aen. vi 273f).
dismal including ‘malign, fatal’ (OED 2).
476. * inabstinence OED cites ‘abstinence’ from 1382.
477–90. Adam’s vision of future diseases has no one biblical source.
479. lazar-house a hospital for those suffering leprosy or other infectious diseases, named for Lazarus (Luke 16. 20).
485–7. Demoniac… pestilence Added in Ed II. It is odd that Ed I should make no mention of wide-wasting pestilence. The Great Plague had just killed 60,000 Londoners.
486. moon-struck madness lunacy.
487. Marasmus wasting away of the body.
496. not of woman born Cp. Shakespeare, Macbeth IV i 80, V viii 13.
497. best of man manliness, courage. Cp. Shakespeare, Macbeth V viii 18. When Macduff tells Macbeth that he was not born of woman, Macbeth replies that the news has ‘cowed my better part of man’.
502. Better… unborn a commonplace in classical literature. See e.g., Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 1224–6, Theognis 425, and Seneca, Ad Marciam: De Consolatione xxii 3.
512–14. Retaining… Maker’s image Cp. CD i 12: ‘it cannot be denied that some traces of the divine image still remain in us’ (trans. Carey, YP 6. 396).
516. vilified lessened in worth, made morally vile (OED 1, 1b).
519. Inductive mainly to strongly inducing (a repetition of).
528. passages deaths (OED 2b).
531. Not too much This maxim (rule) was carved in Apollo’s temple at Delphi alongside the inscription ‘Know thyself (Plato, Protagoras 343B).
535–7. ripe… mature The comparison of peaceful death to the dropping of ripe fruit goes back to Cicero, De Senectute (19). Cyriack Skinner (who is now known to have written the anonymous Life) reports that M. died ’with so little pain or Emotion, that the time of his expiring was not perceiv’d by those in the room’ (Darbishire 33).
Harshly plucked recalls Eve’s Fall: ‘she plucked, she ate’ (ix 781f.).
536. mother’s lap Cp. x 778.
544. damp depression of spirits (OED 5), noxious vapour (OED 1).
551–2. So Ed II. Ed I has only the one line: ‘Of rend’ring up. Michael to him replied’.
551. attend wait for.
553. Nor love thy life, nor hate a classical commonplace. Cp. Martial: ‘neither dread thy last day, nor hope for it’ (Epigrams X xlvii 13).
557–8. tents… cattle An indication (to us, not Adam) that these are Cain’s descendants: ‘such as dwell in tents, and… such as have cattle’ (Gen. 4. 20). Adam learns the truth at xi 607–10.
560. who Jubal, Cain’s descendant and ‘the father of all such as handle the harp and organ’ (Gen. 4. 21).
561. volant moving rapidly.
562. Instinct *impelled (OED 2).
proportions musical rhythms or harmonies (OED 10).
563. fugue From Latin fuga, ‘flight’. Notice Fled. ‘Jubal’s race is the fugitive race of Cain’ (Fowler). See Gen. 4. 12: ‘a fugitive… shalt thou be’.
564. one Tubal-Cain, Jubal’s brother and ‘an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron’ (Gen. 4. 22).
566. casual accidental (OED 1).
573. Fusile formed by melting or casting.
574. a different sort the descendants of Seth. They dwell on the hither side because Cain had migrated to ‘the east of Eden’ (Gen. 4. 16).
578–9. works / Not hid Josephus (Antiquities I ii 3) credits Seth’s descendants with discovering astronomy. M. implicitly contrasts this lawful science with Tubal-Cain’s metallurgy – a delving after ‘treasures better hid’ (i 688). At viii 166 even astronomy is full of ‘matters hid’.
584. amorous ditties ominously recalling the ‘amorous ditties’ of i 449.
588. ev’ning star Venus, planet of love (cp. viii 519).
591. Hymen god of marriage. Cp. L’Allegro 125–9.
593. interview including ‘glance’ (OED 3b), ‘mutual view of each other’ (OED 2).
event outcome.
595. symphonies harmonies.
attached laid hold of (OED 3).
607–8. tents / Of wickedness Cp. Ps. 84. 10: ‘I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness’. Jabal was the father of ‘such as dwell in tents’ (Gen. 4. 20). Cp. also v 890.
618. completed *accomplished, fully equipped (OED 3).
619. appetence appetite, desire.
620. troll not ‘wag’ (as most editors) but *‘move (the tongue) volubly’ (OED 4b). The gesture implies lustful appetance.
622. sons of God Cp. Gen. 6. 2: ‘the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose’. M. here follows a patristic tradition identifying the sons of God with Seth’s descendants. Elsewhere he adopts a rival tradition that saw the sons of God as fallen angels. See v 446–50 and PR ii 178–81 and notes.
624. trains wiles, snares (OED sb2 1, 2). Cp. SA 533.
625. swim in joy The expression was idiomatic (cp. ‘swim in mirth’ ix 1009). Michael’s pun (not understood by Adam) resembles Satan’s puns on artillery (vi 338–67) which the good angels had at first not understood.
632–3. man’s woe… woman Like his earlier puns on ‘Eve’ (ix 1067, x 867), Adam’s pun on ‘woman’ is based on a false etymology and is motivated by self-exculpation. It was also a cliché.
638–73. Adam’s fourth vision is an elaboration of Gen. 6. 4. The details imitate scenes on the shields of Achilles (Homer, Il. xviii 478–540) and Aeneas (Virgil, Aen. viii 626–728). Homer begins with a wedding-feast but soon proceeds to an assembly, siege, cattle-raid and pitched battle.
641. Concourse hostile encounter (OED 1b).
642. Giants A hint to the reader (but not to Adam) that Adam is witnessing the consequences of the marriages of lines 585–97. Cp. Gen. 6. 4: ‘There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown’.
emprise martial prowess.
643. Part… steed Cp. the chivalric devils in Hell: ‘Part curb their fiery steeds’ (ii 531).
644. ranged drawn up in ranks.
651. makes] Ed II; tacks Ed I. The earlier reading may be an error or an aphetic of ‘attacks’.
654. *ensanguined blood-stained (OED 1).
656. scale scaling-ladder.
665. one Enoch, identified more clearly in lines 700 and 707.
669. Exploded mocked, drove away (OED 1).
670. a cloud… snatched him Gen. 5. 24 states that God ‘took’ Enoch, but never mentions a cloud. M. may have had indirect access to the pseudepigraphical I Enoch where Enoch says ‘clouds invited me’ (14. 8).
678. Ten thousandfold One of Enoch’s prophecies was that ‘the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all’ (Jude 14).
689–90. might… virtue ‘Virtue’could mean’physical strength’,’manliness’ (OED 6, 7), and Latin virtus (from vir, ‘man’) meant ‘valour’. Contrast ‘true virtue’ (790).
698. renown on earth The biblical giants were ‘men of renown’ (see above, 642n).
700. seventh from thee Jude 14 calls Enoch ‘the seventh from Adam’. See also Gen. 5. 1–22.
706. balmy including alchemical ‘balm’ – a mythical substance thought to preserve life.
wingèd steeds Cp. the ‘horses of fire’ that translated Elijah (II Kings 2. 11). Ariosto places Enoch and Elijah together in the earthly Paradise where they dwell ‘far beyond our pestilential air’ (Orl. Fur. xxxiv 59). The climes of bliss are presumably Heaven, but at iii 461 M. had conjectured that ‘Translated saints’ might dwell on the moon.
707. walk with God Cp. Gen. 5. 24: ‘Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him’.
712–53. Adam’s vision of the Flood is based on Gen. 6. 9 – 9. 17. Cp. also Jesus’s account at Luke 17. 26–7: ‘They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came’. The details of lines 738–53 follow Ovid’s account of Deucalion’s flood (Met. i 262–347).
715. luxury including ‘lust’.
riot debauchery, wanton revel. Cp. i 498–500.
717. passing fair both ‘pre-eminent beauty’ and ‘women passing by’.
719. reverend sire Noah (like the other biblical characters Adam sees in book xi, he is never named).
724–5. to souls / In prison So Christ ‘preached unto the spirits in prison’ (I Pet. 3. 19). Peter goes on to liken Christ to Noah (3. 20–21).
734. and insect M. places insects in the ark in accordance with Gen. 6. 20 (‘every creeping thing’). Some commentators thought that insects grew from putrefaction and so need not have been saved by Noah.
740. supply assistance (OED 1).
741. exhalation dusk dark mist.
742. amain with main force.
749–50. sea… without shore Cp. Ovid, Met. i 292: ‘For, all was Sea, nor had the Sea a shore’ (trans. Sandys, 1632).
750–52. palaces… stabled Cp. Ovid, Met. i 299–300: ‘Where Mountaine-loving Goats did lately graze, / The Sea-calfe now his ugly body layes’ (trans. Sandys).
753. bottom boat.
754. How didst thou grieve then, Adam The direct address of a character is a Homeric formula. See ix 404–11 and note.
756–7. flood, / Of tears The conceit is common in Donne. See ‘A Valediction of Weeping’ and ‘Holy Sonnet 5’.
765–6. each… bear Cp. Matt. 6. 34: ‘Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof’.
777. Man is not whom ‘There is no one left’.
797–806. The conquered… depraved M. is probably alluding to the backsliding Englishmen who had betrayed the English Commonwealth in 1660. Cp. SA 268–77.
797. *enslaved OED’s earliest participial sense. The verb ‘enslave’ first appeared in English at the time of the Civil War (OED’s earliest instance is from 1643).
815. denouncing proclaiming.
821. devote doomed.
824. cataracts following the Junius-Tremellius version of Gen. 7.11. Where A.V. speaks of ‘windows of heaven’, Junius-Tremellius has cataractae, ‘flood-gates’. Cp. ii 176.
83
1. hornèd flood Greek and Roman river-gods were depicted as bull-like because of their strength (Homer, Il. xxi 237, Virgil, Georg. 373, Aen. viii 77).
833. the great river Cp. Gen. 15. 18: ‘the great river, the river Euphrates’. gulf the Persian Gulf.
834. salt barren (biblical diction). The description and location of dislodged Paradise suit the island of Hormuz, which M. had associated with Satan at ii 2. Paradise is obliterated by the Flood in Sylvester, DWW (1592–1608), Eden 185–92.
835. ores sea-monsters. Cp. Satan as Leviathan (i 200–202).
sea-mews’ clang harsh cries of gulls.
840. hull float adrift.
842. north wind Gen. 8. 1, Ovid, Met. i 328.
843. Wrinkled… decayed The sea’s face is wrinkled as with age until it mirrors the sun’s clear (unwrinkled) face. Fowler hears a pun on glass (844) as ‘mirror’ and ‘drinking vessel’. Notice thirst and cp. the sun’s supping with the ocean at v 426.
847. tripping running.
851. some high mountain ‘the mountains of Ararat’ (Gen. 8. 4). See above, 429–60n for M.’s avoidance of names in book xi.
854. *retreating OED’s earliest participial instance.
864. Grateful expressing gratitude and pleasing.
866. three listed colours the primary colours (red, yellow, blue) arranged in bands.
867. cov’nant The rainbow signifies God’s covenant with mankind never again to flood the earth (Gen. 9. 8–17).
870. who] Ed II; that Ed I.
880. Distended ‘spread out’ and so ‘not contracted in anger’ (God’s brow).
881. verge limiting or bounding belt (OED 16).
886–7. repenting… Grieved Cp. Gen. 6. 6: ‘And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart’.
888–9. violence… Corrupting Cp. Gen. 6. 11: ‘The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence’.
899. Seed time and harvest Cp. Gen. 8. 22: ‘neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest’.
900. till fire purge all things new II Pet. 3. 6–7.
BOOK XII
1–5. As… resumes These lines were added in 1674 when book x of Ed I became books xi and xii of Ed II.
1. baits of travellers: stops at an inn (OED 7).