17. (1) Also called Philadelphia, now Ammon, 2 Sam. xii. 26, 27.

(2) Deut. iii. 4, 13; 1 Kings, iv. 13.
(3) Deut. iii. 4, 5; Josh. xii. 4.

8. 1 Kings, xi. 7; 2 Kings, xxiii. 13.

10. 'Sandys' Travels,' a book popular in Milton's time, thus describes the dreadful sacrifices to Moloch :-'Wherein (the valley of Tophet) the Hebrews sacrificed their children to Moloch, an idol of brass, having the head of a calf, the rest of a kingly figure, with arms extended to receive the miserable sacrifice, seared to death with his burning embracements. For the idol was hollow within, and filled with fire; and lest their lamentable shrieks should sad the hearts of their parents, the priests of Moloch did deaf their ears with the continual clangs of trumpets and timbrels.'

LINES 406-418.

1. (1) Nom. to came understood; (10) adv. mod. the phrase, to that hill of scandal; (11) nom. abs.

3. Dread, the object of religious awe.

The Saxon word dread is probably connected with the Latin terreo. In its original sense, it means a trembling. It usually denotes respect mixed with fear, or awe.

4. Orgies,-from the Greek orgé, fury, Lat. orgia, Fr. orgies. The word was used to denote the frantic revels at the feast insti

tituted by Orpheus in honour of Bacchus. This feast was generally celebrated during the night on the mountains, by wild distracted women, called Bacchantes.

6. Jerome identifies this god with Baal-Peor, while others suppose him to be the same as Mars or Saturn. Consult I Kings, xi. 33; Numb. xxv. 1-9; Deut. iv. 3; Josh. xxii. 17; Psa. cvi. 28; and Isa. xv. 2.

7. Read Numb. xxi. and xxxii.; also Isa. xv. and xvi.

I. Aroer (naked),- -on the river Arnon, the northern boundary. See Judg. xi. 18; Deut. ii. 36, &c.

2. Nebo,-near Mount Nebo.

3. Abarim (beyond or further heights),- —a range of mountains extending along the coast of the Dead Sea.

4. Hesebon or Heshbon (understanding),—the ancient ca-
pital of Sihon.

5. Horonaim. The dual form would seem to imply that
there were two Horons, as there were two Beth-Horons.
6. Elealé (God has gone up!),-
-one mile from Heshbon.
Jer. xlviii. 34, &c.

7. Sittim (acacias). See Numb. xxv. and xxxiii. 49,

F

where it is called Abel-Shittim, the moist place of the acacias.

8. Sibma (sweet smell),-half a mile from Heshbon, noted for its vines. See Jer. xlviii. 32.

9. Seon (a sweeping away),-Sihon.

10. Asphaltic pool. The Dead Sea is so called by Josephus and the classical writers, from the immense quantity of bitumen or asphalt that rises to its surface in large masses (Isa. xxxiv. 9, 10). This substance was used for embalming the dead and for mixing with medicines, as well as for more common purposes. II. (1) Kings, xi. 7; 2 Kings, xxiii. 13; (2) 2 Chron. xxxiv. 4.

LINES 419-437.

1. (5) Conj. ill.; (8) adj.; (9) they can fulfil; (11) adv. of deg.; (12) verb; (13) part.

2. Their, soft,, uncompounded, pure, not tied with, &c., or manacled with, &c., nor founded, &c.

3. Those these. The former-the latter.

5. Manacled,-Lat. manus, the hand; literally, hand-bound. 6. (1) Read Gen. ii. 10-14; (2) compare Isa. viii. 7, and (3) Gen. xv. 18.

7. The river of Egypt-the Sihor. It is now called the Wady-el-Arish, and flows past the town of El-Arish.

8. Baalim is the plural of Baal, and Ashtaroth the plural of Ashtoreth.

9. Baal is a Hebrew word, signifying lord or master, and with this meaning it enters into the composition of other words, as Baal-Peor, Baalzebub, Baalbec, Jezebel, Hasdrubal, Hannibal, &c. Baalim usually designates the male, and Ashtaroth the female gods of the Carthaginians and Phoenicians. But the word Baal has a very wide meaning, and was sometimes applied to Jehovah himself. See Hosea, ii. 16, 17. Baal was the tutelar divinity of Tyre, from the earliest foundation of the city. We learn from Scripture that the temples of these gods were built on hills or in groves, that incense and bullocks were offered to the gods, and that the priests danced round the altar and cut themselves, thinking to be heard for their much suffering. See I Kings, xviii. Baal corresponded to Hercules, as Ashtoreth to the Aphrodite of Grecian mythology.

LINES 437-446.

1. (6) Qual. Ashtoreth.

3. (1) 2 Kings, xxiii. 13; (2) 1 Kings, xi. 1-6; (3) 1 Kings, iv. 29.

4. Ashtoreth, in the Sept. Astarté, was the principal female divinity of the Phoenicians. The worship of this goddess was very ancient and widely spread. In the earlier books of the Bible, however, only the plural Ashtaroth occurs. It is not till the time of Solomon, who introduced the worship of the Sidonian Astarté, that the singular is found, and then only in reference to that particular goddess. The moon was worshipped under these names, and the cakes offered to the divinity were made in the shape of a sickle. Augustine, who was an eyewitness of the horrid rites at Carthage, describes with horror the part played by the virgins.

5. Jer. viii. 18; xliv. 17.

7. The Phænicians were a branch of the Semitic race, and therefore related to the Hebrews. They originally dwelt on the shores of the Red Sea, but early emigrated to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, where they rose to be one of the greatest commercial people in the world.

LINES 446-457.

3. (5) Ditties,-Sax. diht, dightan, to set in order, to write. It is probably related to the Latin dictum. Milton uses it again in Paradise Lost,' xi. 584, where it is qualified by the same adjective

"To the harp they sung

Soft amorous ditties, and in dance came on.'

5. Thammuz or Tammuz occurs only once in the Old Testament, and then in a somewhat obscure passage, so that very many conjectures as to its meaning have been offered. Some suppose the word to signify 'a melting away,' while others derive it from a word denoting 'heat,' or 'to make hot.' The tradition recorded by Jerome, which identifies Thammuz with Adonis, is now adopted by most commentators. The Greek story runs as follows:-The youth Adonis was born in Arabia, and grew up a model of manly beauty. He was greatly beloved by Aphrodite (Venus), who left Olympus to dwell with him. He was passionately fond of the chase; but one day, while hunting, he was killed by a wild boar. Aphrodite was inconsolable, so Zeus (Jupiter) permitted him to spend six months of every year with his celestial mistress. The rites were twofold. They began with weeping on account of his death, and then changed into rejoicing for his return to life.

6. Adonis, in Syria. Byblos, a town near it, was one of the chief places of worship. At a certain period of the year, the

waters, according to the legend, were tinged with the blood of the youth. Modern travellers corroborate the redness; and one tells us that after every storm that breaks upon the brow of Lebanon, the Adonis still "runs purple to the sea. The rushing waters tear from the banks red soil enough to give them a ruddy tinge, which poetical fancy, aided by popular credulity, converted into the blood of Thammuz."

7. See Ezek. viii. 12–14.

I. (4) Nom. absolute.

LINES 457-466.

2. Lopp'd, of doubtful derivation; perhaps the same as lob, slap, or flap. To lop means to cut off the extremities, as in Book iv. 629, where, speaking of overgrown branches, Milton saysTo lop their wanton growth.' Grunsel,-ground sill, like window-sill, port-sill, &c. 4. I Sam. v.

5. Dagon,‚—a diminutive of Dag, a fish. The fish-like form of a god was common among seafaring tribes.

6. See note on line 80. The word is from the Latin costa, Fr. côte, a side or boundary; and here, as often in Scripture, it signifies a district within certain limits.

7. Azotus or Ashdod, -the chief seat of Dagon's worship, I Sam. v. 5, 6. Its famous temple was destroyed by Jonathan in the Maccabæan wars.-Jos. Antiq.. xiii. 4.

Gaza,-see Gen. x. 19, and Judg. xvi. 21-30.

,-2 Chron. xi. 8; 1 Sam. xxi. 10.

Gath,

Ascalon or Ashkelon,-Jer. xlvii. 7.

Accaron or Ekron,-Josh. xiii. 3; 1 Sam. v. 10.

LINES 467-476.

3. Disparage,-Norm. desperager, from Lat. dis and par—(1) to dishonour by comparison; (2) to treat with contempt.

4. (1) Sottish is here used in its original sense of foolish. "He only is a sot now whose stupor and folly is connected with, and the result of, excessive drink. But any fool would once bear this name.'-Trench.

'The word lucid

(2) Lucid,-Lat. lucidus, shining, pellucid. here gives to the idea all the sparkling effect of the most perfect landscape.'-Hazlitt.

6. Rimmon only occurs once in the Bible, 2 Kings, v. 18. One scholar supposes the name to be derived from rimmon, a

pomegranate; while another proposes that it is from ram, and means most high.'

7. Damascus, -one of the most ancient and most important of the cities of Syria. Julian terms it 'the great and sacred Damascus'; the Orientals style it 'a pearl surrounded by emeralds'; and all travellers describe its situation as very beautiful.

8. 2 Kings, v.

9. 2 Kings, xvi. 10-13.

LINES 477-489.

2. (3) Sorceries,-Lat. sors, Fr. enchantments. 'Adder's wisdom I have learned,

To fence my ear against thy sorceries.'

3. (5) Compare Exod. xii. 35, and xxxii. 1-4; (6) 1 Kings, xii.; (7) Psa. cvi. 19, 20, &c.

4. Osiris and Isis held much the same place among the Egyptians as Baal and Ashtoreth did among the Syrians. They represented the sun and moon, and were the national gods of the Egyptians. Isis was the sister and wife of Osiris, and Orus was their son. The Egyptians worshipped their deities under the figures of the lower animals, as dogs, cats, goats, crocodiles, oxen, &c. Osiris is generally represented with the head and horns of a bull; Isis with the horns of a cow; and Orus with the head of a hawk, on which is placed the pshent or double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

5. Exodus, xxxii. 1-6; Psa. cvi. 19. The Israelites, while in Egypt, seem to have worshipped the Egyptian gods. See Josh. xxiv. 14; Ezek. xx. 7, 8,

6. 1 Kings, xii. 25-33,

7. See Exod. xii. 29-30.

1. (8) Third plu. imp.

LINES 490-505.

2. Than has the force of a preposition before the relative. This construction is made use of to avoid circumlocution. 4. Latin.

5. (1) Lewd,-Welsh, lodig, having a craving; lawd, growing, hence lad. "There are three distinct stages in the meaning of the word lewd; of these it has entirely overlived two, and survives only in the third-namely, in that of wanton or lascivious. Without discussing here its etymology or its exact relation to lay," it is sufficient to observe that, as "lay," it was often used in the sense of ignorant, or rather unlearned. Next, according