xxxii. Rehoboam. I Reg. xii. Wher is disputed of a politick religion. xxxiii. Abias Thersæus. I Reg. xiv. The queen, after much dispute, as the last refuge, sent to the profet Ahias of Shilo; receavs the message. The Epitasis, in that shee, hearing the child shall die, as she comes home, refuses to return, thinking thereby to elude the oracle. The former part is spent in bringing the sick prince forth as it were desirous to shift his chamber and couch, as dying men use; his father telling him what sacrifice he had sent for his health to Bethel and Dan; his fearlessnesse of death, and putting his father in mind to set [send] to Ahiah. The Chorus of the Elders of Israel bemoning his virtues bereft them, and at another time wondring why Jeroboam, being bad himself, should so grieve for his son that was good, &c. xxxiv. Imbres, or The Showers. I Reg. xviii. xix. xxxv. Naboth συκοφαντούμενος. I Reg. xxi. xxxvi. Ahab. I Reg. xxii. Beginning at the synod of fals profets Ending with relation of Ahab's death: His bodie brought. Zedechiah slain by Ahab's friends for his seducing. (See Lavater, II Chron. xviii.) xxxvii. Elias in the mount. II Reg. i. 'Opeißárns. Or, better, Elias Polemistes. xxxviii. Elisæus Hudrochóos. IT Reg. iii. Hudrophantes. Aqua tor. xxxix. Elisæus Adorodocétas. xl. Elisaus Menutes, sive in Dothaimis. II Reg. vi. xlii. Achabæi Cunoborwmeni. II Reg. ix. The Scene, Jesrael. Beginning, from the watchman's discovery of Jehu, till he go out. In the mean while, message of things passing brought to Jesebel, &c. Lastly, the 70 heads of Ahab's sons brought in, and message brought of Ahaziah's brethren slain on the way. Chap. x. xliii. Jehu Belicola. II Reg. x. xliv. Athaliah. II Reg. xi. xlv. Amaziah Doryalotus. II Reg. xiv. II Chron. xxv. xlvi. Hezechias TоXιoρкovμɛvos. II Reg. xviii. xix. Hesechia besieged. The wicked hypocrisy of Shebna, (spoken of in the xi, or thereabout of Isaiah,) and the commendation of Eliakim, will afford ápópμas λóyov, together with a faction that sought help from Egypt. xlvii. Josiah Aalomenos. II Reg. xxiii. xlviii. Zedechiah vεOTEpílwv. II Reg. But the story is larger in Jeremiah. xlix. Salymov Halosis. Which may begin from a message brought to the city, of the judgement upon Zedechiah and his children in Ribla; and so seconded with the burning and destruction of city and temple by Nebuzaradan; lamented by Jeremiah. 1. Asa, or Ethiopes. II Chron. xiv. with the deposition of his mother, and burning her idol. li. The three children. Dan. iii. liii. Abram from Morea, or Isaac redeem'd. The oiconomie may be thus. The fift or sixt day after Abraham's departure, Eleazar (Abram's steward) first alone, and then with the Chorus, discourse of Abraham's strange voiage, thire mistresse sorrow and perplexity, accompanied with frightful dreams; and tell the manner of his rising by night, taking his servants and his son with him. Next may come forth Sarah herself. After the Chorus, or Ismael, or Agar. Next some, shepheard or companie of merchants, passing through the mount in the time that Abram was in the mid-work, .. relate to Sarah what they saw. Hence lamentations, fears, wonders. The matter in the mean while divulg'd, Aner, or Eschol, or Mamre, Abram's confederats, come to the house of Abram to be more certaine, or to bring news; in the mean while discoursing, as the world would, of such an action, divers ways; bewayling the fate of so noble a man faln from his reputation, either through divin justice or superstition, or coveting to doe some notable act through zeal. At length a servant, sent from Abram, relates the truth; and last he himselfe comes in with a great traine of Melchizedec's, whose shepheards, beeing secretlye witnesses of all passages, had related to their master, and he conducted his friend Abraham home with joy. liii. Baptistes. The Scene, the Court. c In the margin of the MS. Or els the queen may plot, under prætence of begging for his lidraw him into a berty, to seek to snare by his freedom of speech. Beginning, From the morning of Herod's birth-day. Herod, by some counseler persuaded c on his birth-day to release John Baptist, purposes it; causes him to be sent for to Court from prison. The queen hears of it; takes occasion to passe wher he is, on purpose, that, under prætence of reconsiling to him, or seeking to draw a kind retractation from him of the censure on the marriage; to which end she sends a courtier before, to sound whether he might be persuaded to mitigate his sentence; which not finding, she herself craftily assays; and, on his constancie, founds an accusation to Herod of a contumacious affront, on such a day, before many peers; præpares the king to some passion, and at last, by her daughter's dancing, effects it. There may prologize the Spirit of Philip, Herod's brother. It It may also be thought that Herod had well bedew'd himself with wine, which made him grant the easier to his wive's daughter. Some of his disciples also, as to congratulate his liberty, may be brought in; with whom, after certain command of his death, many compassionating words of his disciples, bewayling his youth cut off in his glorious cours; he telling them his work is don, and wishing them to follow Christ his maister. liv. Sodom. The title, Cupid's funeral pile: Sodom burning. The Scene before Lot's gate. The Chorus, consisting of Lot's shepherds come to the citty about some affairs, await in the evening thire maister's return from his evening walk toward the citty gates. He brings with him two young men, or youths, of noble form., After likely discourses, præpares for thire entertainment. By then supper is ended, the gallantry of the towne passe by in procession, with musick and song, to the temple of Venus Urania or Peor; and, understanding of tow noble strangers arriv'd, they send 2 of thire choysest youth, with L the priest, to invite them to thire citty solemnities; it beeing an honour that thire citty had decreed to all fair personages, as beeing sacred to their goddess. The angels, being ask't by the priest whence they are, say they are of Salem; the priest inveighs against the strict reign of Melchisedec. Lot, that knows thire drift, answers thwartly at last. Of which notice given to the whole assembly, they hasten thither, taxe him of præsumption, singularity, breach of citty-customs; in fine, offer violence. The Chorus of shepheards præpare resistance in thire maister's defence; calling the rest of the serviture: but, being forc't to give back, the angels open the dore, rescue Lot, discover themselves, warne him to gether his friends and sons in law out of the citty. He goes, and returns; as having met with some incredulous. Some other freind or son in law (out of the way when Lot came to his house) overtakes him to know his buisnes. Heer is disputed of incredulity of divine judgement, and such like matters. At last is described the parting from the citty. The Chorus depart with their maister. The angels doe the deed with all dreadfull execution. The king and nobles of the citty may come forth, and serve to set out the terror. A Chorus of angels concluding, and the angels relating the event of Lot's journey and of his wife. The first Chorus, beginning, may relate the course of the citty; each evening every one, with mistresse or Ganymed, a gitterning along the streets, or solacing on the banks of Jordan or down the stream. d a gitterning along the streets,] That is, playing on the, cittern along the streets. This musical instrument, the cittern, was called gittern in Milton's time; and has been, in later days, termed by some the guitar. See Sylvester's Du Bartas, ed. 1621, p. 468. "The divers strings of a sweet guittern." And Gayton's Notes on Don Quixote, 1654, p. 280. Milton uses the word gitterning, because the cittern was the symbol of women that lived by prostitution. See Sir John Hawkins's Hist. of Musick, vol. iii. 408. where, among other proofs, Jonson's Volpone is cited, A. ii. S. v. Corvino is there ironically exhorting his wife Celia not to dally with his jealousy, but at At the priests' inviting the angels to the solemnity, the angels, pittying their beauty, may dispute of love, and how it differs from lust; seeking to win them. In the last scene, to the king and nobles, when the fierce thunder begins aloft, the angel appears all girt with flames, which, he saith, are the flames of true love, and tells the king, who falls down with terror, his just sufferings, as also Athane's, that is, Gener, Lot's son-in-law, for despising the continual admonitions of Lot. Then, calling to the thunders, lightning, and fires, he bids them heare the call and command of God to come and destroy a godlesse nation. He brings them down with some short warning to other nations to take heed. liv. Moabitides, or Phineas. The epitasis whereof may lie in the contention, first, between the father of Zimri and Eleazer, whether he [ought] to have slain his son without law ? Next, the ambassadors of the Moabites, expostulating about Cosbi, a stranger and a noble woman, slain by Phi neas. It may be argued about reformation and punishment illegal, and, as it were, by tumult. After all arguments driven home, then the word of the Lord may be brought, acquitting and approving Phineas. lvi. Christus Patiens. The scene in the garden. Beginning, from the comming thither, till Judas betraies, and the officers lead him away. The rest by Message and Chorus. His agony may receav noble expressions. lvii. Christ born. lviii. Herod massacring, or Rachel weeping. Matt. ii. lix. Christ bound. Ix. Christ crucifi'd. lxi. Christ risen. Ixii. Lazarus. John, xi. once to prostitute herself to the supposed mountebank who had courted her at her window:-" Get you a cittern, Lady Vanity, and be a dealer with the virtuous man!". In noticing that these females, in the reign of Elizabeth, added to their other allurements that of musick, Sir John further observes that the cittern was most in use with them, as being light and portable like the lute, to which it bore a near resemblance. The practice seems to have continued in Milton's time, and to have excited his just indignation. Topp. |