And Devils to adore for Deities:

Then were they known to men by various names,
And various idols through the Heathen world. 375
Say, Mufe, their names then known, who first, who last,
Rous'd from the flumber, on that fiery couch,
At their great empe'ror's call, as next in worth
Came fingly where he stood on the bare ftrand,
While the promifcuous croud ftood yet aloof. 380
The chief were those who from the pit of Hell
Roaming to seek their prey on earth, durft fix

Milton means religious rites, as Cicero uses the word, when he joins religiones et ceremonias. De Legib. lib. 1. c. 15. and elsewhere.

Pearce.

376. Say, Mufe, &c.] The catalogue of evil Spirits has abundance of learning in it, and a very agreeable turn of poetry, which rifes in a great measure from its defcribing the places where they were worshipped, by thofe beautiful marks of rivers, fo frequent among the ancient poets. The author had doubtlefs in this place Homer's catalogue of fhips, and Virgil's lift of warriors in his view. Addifen. Dr. Bentley fays that this is not the fineft part of the poem: but I think it is, in the defign and drawing, if not in the coloring; for the Paradife Loft being a religious epic, nothing could be more artful than thus deducing the original of

Their

fuperftition. This gives it a great advantage over the catalogues he has imitated, for Milton's becomes thereby a neceffary part of the work, as the original of fuperftition, an effential part of a religious epic, could not have been fhown without it. Had Virgil's or Homer's been omitted, their poems would not have fuffered materially, becaufe in their relations of the following actions we find the foldiers, who were before catalogued: but by no following hiftory of fuperftition that Milton could have brought in, could we find out these Devils agency, it was therefore neceffary he fhould inform us of the fact. Warburton.

Say, Mufe, &c. Homer at the beginning of his catalogue invokes his Mufe afresh in a very pompous manner. Virgil does the like, and Milton follows both fo far as to make a fresh invocation, though

fhort;

Their feats long after next the feat of God,
Their altars by his altar, Gods ador'd

Among the nations round, and durst abide

385

Jehovah thund'ring out of Sion, thron'd
Between the Cherubim; yea, often plac'd
Within his fanctuary itself their shrines,
Abominations; and with curfed things
His holy rites and folemn feasts profan'd,

And with their darkness durft affront his light.
First Moloch, horrid king, befmear'd with blood

fhort; because he had already made a large and folemn addrefs in this very book, at the beginning of his poem. 376. their names then known,] When they had got them new names. Milton finely confider'd that the names he was obliged to apply to thefe evil Angels carry a bad fignification, and therefore could not be those they had in their ftate of innocence and glory; he has therefore faid their former names are now loft, ras'd from amongst those of their old affociates who retain their purity and happiness. Richardfon. 376. who first, who last,] Quem telo primum, quem poftremum &c. Virg. Æn. XI.664. 386.

thron'd

Between the Cherubim ;] This relates to the ark being placed between the two golden Cherubim,

390

Of

1 'Kings VI. 23. 1 Kings VIII. 6
and 7. See alfo 2 Kings XIX. 15.
O Lord God of Ifrael which dwellet
between the Cherubim. Hezekiah's
prayer. Hume.

387.
yea, often plac'd
Within his fanctuary itself their
fhrines,

Abominations;] This is complain'd of by the prophet Jeremiah VII. 30. For the children of Judah bave done evil in my fight, faith the Lord; they have fet their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. And we read of Manaffeh, 2 Kings XXI. 4 and 5. that He built altars in the boufe of the Lord, of which the Lord faid, In Jerufalem will I put my name: And he built altars far all the boft of Heaven, in the two courts of the boufe of the Lord. See alfo Ezek. VII. 20. and VIII. 5, 6.

392. Firft Moloch, horrid king,] Firft after Satan and Beelzebub. M 3

The

Of human facrifice, and parents tears,

396

Though for the noife of drums and timbrels loud
Their childrens cries unheard, that pafs'd through fire
To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite
Worshipt in Rabba and her wätry plain,
In Argob and in Bafan, to the ftream
Of utmost Arnon. Nor content with fuch

Audacious

The name Moloch fignifies king, and Ammon, 1 Kings XI. 7. and was he is call'd horrid king, because of worshipped in Rabba, the capital the human facrifices which were city of the Ammonites, which Damade to him. This idol is fup- vid conquer'd, and took from pofed by fome to be the fame as thence the crown of their God Saturn, to whom the Heathens fa- Milcom as fome render the words crificed their children, and by others 2 Sam. XII. 30. and this Rabba to be the Sun. It is faid in Scrip- being called the city of waters, ture that the children paffed through 2 Sam. XII. 27. it is here faid the fire to Moloch, and our author Rabba and her watry plain: and employs the fame expreffion, by likewife in Argob and in Bafan, which we muft understand not that neighbouring countries to Rabba they always actually burnt their and fubject to the Ammonites, as far children in honor of this idol, but as to the fiream of utmoft Arnon, fometimes made them only leap which river was the boundary of over the flames, or país nimbly be- their country on the fouth. Solotween two fires, to purify them by mon built a temple to Moloch on the that luftration, and confecrate them mount of Olives, 1 Kings XI. 7. to this falfe deity. The Rabbins therefore called that opprobrious hill; affure us that the idol Molech was and high places and facrifices were of brafs, fitting on a throne of the made to him in the pleafant valley fame metal and wearing a royal of Hinnom, Jer. VII. 31. which lay crown, having the head of a calf fouth-eaft of Jerufalem, and was and his arms extended to receive called likewife Topbet from the Hethe miferable victims which were brew Toph a drum, drums and fuch to be confumed in the flames; and like noify inftruments being used to therefore is very probably ftiled drown the cries of the miferable here his grim idol. He was the children who were offer'd to this God of the Ammonites, and is called idol, and Gehenna or the valley of the abomination of the children of Hinnom is in feveral places of the

New

400

Audacious neighbourhood, the wifeft heart
Of Solomon he led by fraud to build
His temple right against the temple' of God
On that opprobrious hill, and made his grove
The pleasant valley' of Hinnom, Tophet thence
of Hell. 405
And black Gehenna call'd, the type of Hell.
Next Chemos, th' óbfcene dread of Moab's fons,

New Teftament, and by our Sa-
viour himself made the name and
type of Hell, by reafon of the fire
that was kept up there to Moloch,
and of the horrid groans and out-
We
cries of human facrifices.
might inlarge much more upon
each of thefe idols, and produce a
heap of learned authorities and
quotations; but we endevor to be
as fhort as we can, and fay no more
than may serve as a fufficient com-
mentary to explain and illuftrate

our author.

406. Next Chemos, &c.] He is rightly mention'd next after MoLoch, as their names are join'd together in Scripture 1 Kings XI. 7. and it was a natural tranfition from the God of the Ammonites to the God of their neighbours the Moabites. St. Jerom and feveral learned men affert Chemos and Baal Peor to be only different names for the fame idol, and fuppofe him to be the fame with Priapus or the idol of turpitude, and therefore called here th' abfcene dread of Moab's fons, from Aroar, a city upon the river Arnon, the boun

From

dary of their country to the north,
afterwards belonging to the tribe
of Gad, to Nebo, a city eastward,
afterwards belonging to the tribe
of Reuben, and the wild of fouth-
moft Abarim, a ridge of mountains
the boundary of their country to
the fouth; in Hefebon or Hefhbon,
and Horonaim, Seon's realm, two ci-
ties of the Moabites, taken from
them by Sihon king of the Amo-
rites, Numb. XXI. 26. beyond the
flow'ry dale of Sibma clad with
vines, a place famous for vine-
yards, as appears from Jer. XLVIII.
32. O vine of Sibmah I will weep
for thee, and Elealé, another city of
the Moabites not far from Hefh-
bon, to th' Afphaltic pool, the Dead
Sea fo call'd from the Asphaltus or
bitumen abounding in it; the river
Jordan empties itfelf into it, and
that river and this fea were the
boundary of the Moabites to the
weft. It was this God under the
name of Baal Peor, that the If-
raelites were induced to worship in
Sittim, and committed whoredom
with the daughters of Moab, for
which there died of the plague

M 4

twenty

From Aroar to Nebo, and the wildt foto"." "C.

Of fouthmoft Abarim; in Hefebon

Peor his other name, when he entic'd

Ifrael in Sittim on their march from Nile

To do him wanton rites, which coft them woe.
Yet thence his luftful orgies he inlarg'd
Ev'n to that hill of fcandal, by the grove

twenty and four thousand, as we read in Numb. XXV. His high places were adjoining to thofe of Malach on the mount of Olives, therefore called here that hill of fcandal as before that opprobrious bill, for Solomon did build an high place for Chemof the abomination of Moab in the hill that is before Jerufalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon, 1 Kings XI. 7. But good Jofiah brake in pieces their images, and cut down their groves. See 2 Kings XXIII. 13, 14.

415. orgies] Wild frantic rites; generally by orgies are understood the feafts of Bacchus because they were fuch, but any other mad ceremonies may be fo call'd, as here the lewd ones of Chemos or Peor. Richardfon. 417.- luft hard by bate;] What

415

Of

a fine moral fentiment has our author here introduc'd, and couch'd in half a verfe! He might perhaps have in view Spenfer's Mak of Cupid, where Anger, Strife &c. are reprefented as immediately following Cupid in the proceffion See Fairy Queen. B. 3. Cant. 12.

Thyer.

419.from the bordring flood Of old Euphrates &c.] It is rightly called old, being mention'd by the oldeft hiftorian in the earlieft accounts of time, Gen. II. 14. And it is likewife called the bordring flood, being the utmost limit or border eastward of the promis'd

land, according to Gen. XV. 18. Unto thy feed have I given this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: and the Pfalmift speaking of the vine that was brought out of Egypt fays Pfal. LXXX. 11. fhe fent aut

her