8. all (doctrines). 11. in diameter, in diametrical opposition. 13. improperations, taunts, reproaches. 15. difference, show the difference of. 20. am not scrupulous, do not hesitate. 22. in defect of ours, where ours do not exist. 44. morosity, moroseness. 49. violate, injure. b. 12. consorts, companions. 15. questionless, unquestionably. 34. mediocrity, moderation. 46. difference myself, distinguish my opinions. 202. a. 7. humor, mood. 10. disproving, disapproving. 11. disavouched, disavowed. 12. Council of Trent. See 192. b. 5, note. 13. Dort. In the Netherlands, where a great Protestant Synod was held in 1618-19. 18. Geneva. The center of Protestantism on the European Continent. 58. Solomon. See Proverbs i, 7, 22, &c. b. 15. Doradoes, rich men; literally gold-fishes. 18. politicians, statesmen. 54. as the world (is one). 207. a. 2. buffet, box. 3. at sharp, with pointed weapons. 5. Lepanto, a battle between the Italians and Turks, 1571. 10. dastards, intimidates. 28. epidemical, common to all people. b. 1. the world, the macrocosm which man, the microcosm, resembles. 21. grammarian, student of Latin grammar. 23. construction, construing. 30. Babel. See Genesis xi, 1–9. 35. chorography, description of countries. 46. pointers, the Dipper. 53. simpled, collected simples, or herbs. Cheap side, a famous London herb market. 208. a. 9. Euripus, a strait dividing Attica from Euboea, where the tide, according to classical tradition, ebbed and flowed seven times a day. The story that Aristotle drowned himself there because he could not discover the cause of the phenomenon is discussed by Browne, along with the fable as to the death of Homer because he could not guess the fisherman's riddle, in Pseudodoxia epidemica, Bk. VII, ch. 13. Stoics, Academics. Classical 16. Peripatetics, schools of philosophy. 19. Janus, facing both ways. 33. attending, waiting. 35. which (knowledge). b. 9. music of the spheres. The ancients had a fancy that the rotation of the planets produced music; this kept its place in poetry after it had been denied by the astronomers. See Merchant of Venice, V. i, 60–62. 24. first composer. God. 48. ephemerides, astrological tables. HYDRIOTAPHIA, URNBURIAL 209. b. 1. ossuaries, receptacles for bones. In this essay Browne discourses about some urns containing bones, dug up in Norfolk and supposed to be of Roman origin. 10. tutelary observators, guardian spirits of the place. 15. pyramidally, by means of a tombstone. 25. Atropos, the Greek Fate who cut the thread of human life. 31. meridian, the noon of the world's lifetime. 39. Charles V (1500-1558), Emperor of Germany. 47. Janus, facing past and future. 210. a. 25. Gruter, Dutch philologist (1560–1627) 35. Cardan, a celebrated Italian (1501-1576). 38. Hippocrates, famous Greek physician (460-357 B. C.). 42. entelechia, actual being, a term in the philosophy of Aristotle. 4. Adrian (76-138 A. D.), Emperor of Rome. 8. Thersites, the foul-mouthed rogue of Homer's Iliad, in which Agamemnon is one of the heroes. 23. the first story. See Genesis v. 24. one living century, a hundred people still remembered. 31. Lucina, the goddess of childbirth. 211. a. 23. Cambyses, king of Persia and conqueror of Egypt, d. 521 B. C. 25. Mizraim, the brother of Cush, is the Hebrew name of Egypt. 26. Pharaoh, the name of many kings of ancient Egypt. In Browne's time Egyptian mummies were used for medical prescriptions. 36. Nimrod, the founder of the Babylonian Empire. See Genesis x, 8-12. In Hebrew astronomy he corresponds to the Greek constellation Orion. 37. Osiris, an Egyptian deity. 42. perspectives, telescopes. b. 12. scape, a momentary chance. 23. Sardanapalus, the last Assyrian king of Nineveh, unable to withstand a siege there, burnt himself and his household on a huge funeral pile 876 B. C. 30. Gordianus. Emperor of Rome, third century. The Man of God. Moses. See Deuteronomy xxxiv, 1-6. 34. Enoch. See Genesis V, 24. 35. Elias, Elijah. See 2 Kings ii, 1-11. 48. Losarus. See John xi. 50. die but once. See Revelations xxi, 8. 53. coverings of mountains. 15-17. See Revelations vi, WALTON: THE COMPLETE ANGLER This chapter is in the form of an open-air dialogue between the Angler (Piscator), who represents the author, and the Hunter, who is his pupil. The Angler continues the discourse he had begun in Chapter III, on the chub. 212. a. 12. generous, originally high born, and hence full of spirit, rich and full of strength, invigorating. 16. Gesner, a Swiss physician and naturalist who wrote a book On Animals (1551-8). 17. offspring, origin; there is little doubt, however, that the word trout comes through the Latin trutta from the Greek τρώκτης. 41. three cubits, 41⁄2 feet. The trout of the Great American Lakes is sometimes even larger. b. 2. Mercator, a Flemish scientist who died in 1594. 25. Fordidge trout are salmon trout and live in the ordinary way: so do grasshoppers. Walton's aspersions on the mother raven are groundless. 213. a. 44. Michaelmas, September 29. 51. Albertus, Magnus (1193-1280), a German 10. Cimmerian desert, according to Homer, a land of perpetual darkness beyond the ocean-stream.' 12. yclept, called. Euphrosyne, Mirth, one of the three Graces of classical mythology. 19. Zephyr, the West Wind. Aurora, the Dawn. 29. Hebe, goddess of Youth, Jove's cupbearer. 62. dight, decked. 67. tells his tale, counts his sheep. 80. cynosure, center of attraction; in Greek the name of the constellation containing the pole-star. 83. Corydon, Thyrsis, The stylis, Phillis, conventional names in pastoral poetry. 19. starred Ethiop Queen, Cassiope, changed into the constellation Cassiopeia. 23. Vesta, goddess of the fireside. 24. Saturn, father of Jupiter. 29. Ida, a mountain near Troy. 39. commércing, having commerce or intercourse with. 56. Philomel, the nightingale. 59. Cynthia, the moon. 239. 74. curfew, the evening bell. 87. Bear, the Great Bear which never sets in the latitude of Great Britain. To out watch the Bear is therefore to stay awake till all the stars have faded in the light of day. 88. Hermes, an ancient Egyptian philosopher. 95. consent, sympathy. 99. Thebes - Troy, subjects of classical tragedy. 102. buskined, tragic. See 238. 132, note. 109. him that left half told, Chaucer in the Squire's Tale. 113. virtuous, magical. 124. Attic boy. Cephalus, beloved of Aurora. 134. Sylvan, the god of woods. 148. his, of sleep. 154. genius, guardian spirit. 156. pale, enclosure. 159. storied, adorned with stories from Scripture. 170. spell, read slowly. LYCIDAS The purpose of the poem is best explained in Milton's own words: In this monody the author bewails a learned friend, unfortunately drowned in his passage from Chester on the Irish seas, 1637. and by occasion foretells the ruin of our corrupted clergy, then in their height.' Milton's friend was Edward King, of Christ's College, Cambridge. Lycidas was written in 1637 and published along with other elegies in a memorial volume for King in 1638. 240. 8. Lycidas, a name used in the Seventh Idyll of Theocritus, the founder of pastoral poetry. ere his prime. King was 25. 15. sacred well, the fountain of the Muses on Mount Helicon. 27. drove (our flocks). 29. battening, fattening. 36. Damatas, a conventional name in pastoral poetry. Possibly Milton's college tutor is meant. Both Milton and King wrote Latin verse of merit. 46. weanling, weaned. 52-55. The Welsh hills, Mona (Anglesea), and the River Dee bound the Irish sea on the east. 59. the Muse, Calliope, mother of Orpheus; he was torn to pieces by Thracian women, and his head floated down the river Hebrus to Lesbos. 64. boots, profits. 68. Amaryllis, Neæra, maidens of classical pastoral. 75. blind Fury. More properly the Fate Atropos, who cuts the thread of human life. 77. Phœbus. Apollo, the god of poetry. 79. glistering foil, glittering tinsel. 124. scrannel, screeching. 130. two-headed engine, the axe. 132. Alpheus, a classical river, lover of Arethusa. 133. Sicilian Muse, Theocritus. Milton is returning to the more conventional tone of pastoral poetry. 138. swart star, the dog-star, which was supposed to blast vegetation. 142. rathe, early. forsaken, unsought for, or perhaps there is an allusion to an old myth of the wooing of certain flowers by the sun. See Shakspere's Winter's Tale, IV, iv, 122-5. 144. freaked, freckled, sprinkled. 149. amaranthus, emblem of immortality. 151. laureate, adorned with the poet's laurel. hearse, a platform adorned with black hangings and containing an effigy of the deceased. 152. so, by imagining that the body of Lycidas has been recovered. 242. 156. Hebrides, islands to the far north of Scotland. 160. Bellerus. Land's End, the most western point of England, was anciently called Bellerium. Near it is St. Michael's Mount, a rocky island with a fortress on top and a craggy seat from which visions of St. Michael were seen. 162. Namancos, in Spain, near Cape Finisterre and the Castle of Bayona. 163. ruth, pity. 169. anon, immediately. repairs, refreshes. 183. genius, protecting deity, guardian angel. 189. Doric, pastoral, rude, as of a shepherd. 193. A forecast of the very different occupations of the poet during the next few years. SONNETS WHEN THE ASSAULT WAS INTENDED TO THE CITY Written Nov., 1642; pub. 1645. 10. Emathian conqueror. Alexander of Macedon, when he sacked Thebes in 333 B. C., spared the house of the poet Pindar, who died almost a century before. 13. Electra, one of the tragedies of Euripides, the recital of whose verses are said to have saved the walls of Athens from destruction after the capture of the city by Lysander the Spartan in 404 B. C. TO A VIRTUOUS YOUNG LADY 2. the broad way. See Matthew vii, 13. 5. Mary i, 14-17. Ruth. See Luke x, 42; Ruth 12. the Bridegroom. See Matthew xxv, 1-13. ON THE DETRACTION WHICH FOLLOWED UPON MY WRITING CERTAIN TREATISES 1. Tetrachordon, one of Milton's pamphlets in favor of divorce, the full title being Tetrachordon: Expositions upon the four chief places of Scripture which treat of marriage. 243. 7-8. Mile-End Green, in Milton's time, one of the London suburbs. 8-9. Gordon Galasp, names of Scottish generals during the war of 1644-5, soon after which apparently this sonnet was written. This and the following sonnet were not included in the edition of 1645; they first appeared in 1673. 10. our like, like ours. 11. Quintilian, the great Latin writer on literary style. 12. Sir John Cheke (1514-1557), first professor of Greek at Cambridge and tutor of Edward VI. ON THE SAME 6. Latona's twin-born progeny, Apollo and Diana. TO THE LORD GENERAL CROMWELL, MAY 1652 The Puritan Parliament had a committee for propagation of the gospel, to which proposals were submitted by certain ministers that the Puritan preachers should be maintained at the public expense. Milton was a strong believer in the voluntary system, and objected to any interference of the government with religious matters. 7. Darwen stream, in Lancashire, the scene of Cromwell's victory over the Scots, Aug. 17-19, 1648. 8. Dunbar field, another victory, Sept. 30, 1650. 9. Worcester's laureate wreath. Cromwell was accustomed to speak of his success at Worcester (Sept. 3, 1651) as the crowning mercy' of God. 11. new foes, a section of the Independents who proposed to accept state aid, as Milton's old foes, the Anglicans and Presbyterians, wished to do. 12. secular chains, government control. 14. maw, stomach. Compare Lycidas, 11. 114-125. p. 241. ON THE LATE MASSACRE IN PIEDMONT The Protestants of Piedmont were in 1655 subjected to a cruel persecution by the Court of Turin, whose soldiery evicted them from their homes with extraordinary ferocity. The English government, through Milton, who was then Latin secretary, sent a solemn protest against the massacre to the Duke of Savoy. The sonnet expresses Milton's personal feeling. 7-8. The English agent in Piedmont narrated the following incident: A mother was hurled down a mighty rock with a little infant in her arms; and three days after was found dead with the child alive, but fast clasped between the arms of the mother, which were cold and stiff, insomuch that those that found them had much ado to get the child out.' 12. The triple Tyrant, the Pope, from his wearing a triple tiara. 14. Babylonian woc. The Puritans identified Rome with the Babyion of Revelation and of Peter V, 13. At the center of this is the earth, and around it the planets revolve in their several spheres, enclosed by the primum mobile. The distance from heaven to hell is three times the radius of the stellar universe. Heaven Chaos Fig. 1- - Before the fall of the Angels ON HIS BLINDNESS Milton became completely blind about 1653: this sonnet was probably written not long after. ON HIS DECEASED WIFE 244. 1. late espoused saint. Catherine Woodcock, Milton's second wife, died in childbirth, in Febru ary, 1658, fifteen months after their marriage. 2. like Alcestis. According to the classical myth, Alcestis, who gave her life to save her husband, was rescued from death by Hercules. 6. the old law. Leviticus xii. 10. her face was veiled. Although Milton was devotedly attached to his wife, probably he had never seen her. See above as to his blindness. PARADISE LOST, BOOK I 2. forbidden tree. See Genesis iii. 4. one greater Man. The Messiah. See Romans, V, 19. 7. Sinai, the lower part of the mountain range of Horeb, where God appeared to Moses. See Exodus iii and xix. 8. first taught. In Genesis i. 12. fast, close. oracle, the temple at Jerusalem. 15. Aonian mount, Helicon in Boeotia, the seat of the Greek muses. pursues, treats of a classical usage. 19-22. See Genesis i, 2. 21. Dove-like. See Luke iii, 22. 25. assert, vindicate. 245. 29. grand, first. 32. For, because of; or (perhaps) but for. 36. what time, when; a Latin construction. 39. peers, equals. Latin pares. 45-6. See Luke x, 18. 48. See 2 Peter ii, 4. 58. obdurate. Accent on second syllable. 66-7. Reminiscent of Euripides and Dante. 73-4. Milton's ideas of cosmography were founded on the Ptolemaic system, and are illustrated in the accompanying figures. Fig. 1 represents the Universe before the fall, and Fig. 2 after the fall of the Angels. Fig. 3 shows the stellar world, hanging by a golden chain from the floor of heaven. Heaven Chaos Hell Fig. 2 After the fall of the Angels Heaven The World Chaos Hell Fig. 3- - After the creation of the World 81. Beelzebub, the sun-god of the Philistines. 82. Satan' the adversary.' 84. See Isaiah xiv, 12. 246. 114. Doubted, feared for. 120. successful hope, hope of success. 130. conduct, command. 148. suffice, satisfy. 167. if I fail not, if I am not mistaken. Latin construction. 172. laid (to rest). 178. slip, let slip. 187. offend, harm. Latin offendere. 247. 193. uplift, uplifted. 197. whom, those whom. 197-200. fables, of classical mythology, according to which the Titans rebelled against their father Uranus, as the Giants did later against Zeus or Jove. Briareos was a Titan, Typhon a Giant. The latter is described by the Greek poets living in a 'Cilician den.' Tarsus is the capital of Cilicia. 201. Leviathan, a Hebrew word meaning any huge monster. The translators of the Bible identified it with the whale, as Milton does here. 204. night-foundered, overtaken and enveloped by night. 226. incumbent on, lying on, supported by. |