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 The classical mythology of Milton's Engl 
 
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YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH 
 ALBERT S. COOK, Editor 
 
 VIII 
 
 THE CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY 
 
 OF 
 
 Milton's English poems 
 
 CHARLES GROSVENOR OSGOOD, Ph.D. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 
 
 igoo 
 

 Ss9a 
 
 Copyright, igoo, 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES GROSVENOR OSGOOD, Ph.D. 
 
 J^ 7/SS 
 
TO 
 
 PROFESSQR ALBERT S. COOK 
 
 AND 
 
 PROFESSOR THOMAS D. SEYMOUR 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The student who diligently peruses the lines of a 
 great poem may go far toward a realization of its char- 
 acter. He may appreciate, in a degree, its loveliness, 
 strength, and direct hold upon the catholic truth of life. 
 But he will be more sensitive to these appeals, and 
 receive gifts that are richer and less perishable, accord- 
 ing as he comprehends the forces by whose interaction 
 the poem was produced. These are of two kinds — 
 the innate forces of the poet's character, and certain 
 more external forces, such as, in the case of Milton, are 
 represented by Hellenism and Hebraism. Their activ- 
 ity is greatest where they meet and touch, and at this 
 point their nature and measure are most easily dis- 
 cerned. From a contemplation of the poem in its gene- 
 sis one returns to a deeper understanding and enjoyment 
 of it as a completed whole. The present study, though 
 it deals with but one of the important cultural influ- 
 ences affecting Milton, and with it but in part, endeav- 
 ors by this method to deepen and clarify the apprecia- 
 tion of his art and teaching. 
 
 My interest in the present work has found support 
 and encouragement in the opinions of Mr. Churton 
 Collins, as expressed in his valuable book. The Study of 
 English Literature. The particular subject was suggested 
 by Miss Alice Sawtelle's study of the sources of Spen- 
 ser's Mythology, which has served also as a helpful model. 
 What is here printed as the second part was submitted 
 as a doctoral thesis to the Philosophical Faculty of Yale 
 University. 
 
 Any one who deals seriously with Milton's relation 
 to his sources, especially to the classical ones, must 
 become indebted in many ways to the scholarly editions 
 of Newton and Todd, as well as to the increase of their 
 
vi Preface 
 
 wealth in the editions of Browne, Masson, Jerram, Ver- 
 ity, Hales, Cook, and Trent. In the tracing of the 
 sources, however, I have, for the most part, worked 
 independently of editorial annotations, and have found 
 it both necessary and possible to carry the work beyond 
 the limit of previous researches in this field. So thor- 
 ough and extensive was Milton's reading that a study 
 of his sources may be prolonged indefinitely before it 
 fails of interest and profit. For this reason I have 
 doubtless transgressed, in places, the strict boundary of 
 my subject, as in my discussion of Milton's use of 
 ' Chance,' or his allusion to the Chalybeans. The requi- 
 site apparatus included Roscher's Lexikon der Griechischen 
 und Romischen Mythologie, Preller's Griechische Mythologie, 
 and the Pauly-Wissowa Realencyclopadie, to which I may 
 add Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and 
 Mythology. The text used is generally that of Masson, 
 but I have now and again taken liberties with respect 
 to spelling and punctuation, usually with the aim of 
 securing more perfect consistency. The principal 
 translators cited are as follows: of the Iliad, Liang, Leaf, 
 and Myers; of the Odyssey, Butcher and Lang; of 
 Vergil, Lonsdale and Lee; of Plato, Jowett; of Ovid, 
 Riley; of Theocritus, Lang; of Pindar, Myers; of .^schy- 
 lus and Sophocles, Plumptre. 
 
 I speak with hesitation of my debt to my teachers, 
 since I can hope to express but inadequately my grati- 
 tude to them. Of such indebtedness this work repre- 
 sents, indeed, but a small part. Had it not been for the 
 advice and unfailing inspiration of Professor Albert S. 
 Cook, it would never have been begun. To the enthu- 
 siasm and delicate appreciation of Professor Thomas D. 
 Seymour I owe the beginning and deepening of an 
 interest in Greek literature which has imparted zest to 
 my labors. I am also grateful to Professor Seymour, 
 to Miss Laura E. Lockwood, of Wellesley College, whose 
 Milton Lexicon is shortly to appear, and especially to 
 Professor Cook, for their care in reading the proof, and 
 
t^rejace vii 
 
 the freedom with which they have suggested corrections 
 and improvements. To my brother, Mr. H. W. Osgood, 
 I would record my acknowledgments for his assistance 
 in compiling indexes and in preparing the manuscript 
 for the press. 
 
 In the consciousness of one's mistakes and short- 
 comings it is a comfort to find one's sentiments 
 expressed, with his peculiar nobility of tone and 
 phrase, by the great lexicographer and essayist of the 
 last century, whose success in most things that he 
 undertook must be the despair of lesser abilities: ' In 
 things difficult there is danger from ignorance, and in 
 things easy from confidence; the mind, afraid of 
 greatness, and disdainful of littleness, hastily with- 
 draws herself from painful searches, and passes with 
 scornful rapidity over tasks not adequate to her powers, 
 sometimes too secure for caution, and again too anxious 
 for vigorous effort; sometimes idle in a plain path, and 
 sometimes distracted in labyrinths, and dissipated by 
 different intentions.' 
 
 C. G. O. 
 
 Yale University, December 23, 1899. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 / The importance of Greek and Roman mythology is 
 :' proved by its unfailing vitality. After the visible forms 
 I of states and empires had passed away, the myths of 
 I the ancients survived with their politics and philosophy 
 I ajid^poetry as a part of the heritage jwhich the new peo- 
 [ pies received frorri._the_old. This power of classical 
 iHy ths fo'survive is explained principally by two facts : 
 first, they were the embodiment of the moral, religious, 
 and artistic ideals of the Greeks and Romans; secondly, 
 morality, religion, and art were serious and fundamen- 
 tal realities in ancient life. 
 
 These two facts explain also the kind of vitality by 
 which the myths have survived. It consists not merely 
 in the repetition of a tale through centuries, but also in 
 the variation of its quality, and in its susceptibility to 
 employment for various uses. The old mythology was 
 a kind of plastic material which received through indi- 
 viduals a national impress. As the life of the Greeks 
 became modified from century to century, so Greek my- 
 thology was similarly modified by the poets, teachers, 
 philosophers, and artists who were the master-workmen 
 of this people. The stories and conceptions of gods 
 and heroes are strong, aspiring, or weak, as the people 
 who invented and cherished them manifested the cor- 
 responding qualities. And when the Roman civiliza- 
 tion adopted Greek culture, Greek mythology suffered 
 modification, and became in some degree a reflex of the 
 Roman life into which it had entered. 
 
 The poet who was religious, and hence peculiarly and 
 continually sensitive to moral truth, found in exist- 
 ing mythology a partial expression of the truths dear 
 to him, and in his poetic treatment added to the moral, 
 religious, or imaginative value of the myth which he 
 
X Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 employed. Reverence as well as imagination character- 
 izes such treatment. We feel it in the mythology of poets 
 like Homer, Plato, and Vergil. Thus in the first book 
 of the Iliad, where Chryses prayed for revenge upon 
 Agamemnon, ' Phoebus Apollo heard him, and came down 
 from the peaks of Olympus wroth at heart, bearing on 
 his shoulders his bow and covered quiver. And the 
 arrows clanged upon his shoulders in his wrath, as the 
 god moved; and he descended like to night." This 
 passage not only shows Homer's imagination in its viv- 
 idness and dramatic power, but contains moral enthu- 
 siasm for divine justice, and reverence for the superior 
 and majestic power of the god. But Homer's rever- 
 ence had a lower object than that of either Plato or the 
 Christian. His ideal of conduct, as represented by his 
 heroes, and magnified in his divinities, was nourished by 
 a smaller life and alower conception of the universe than 
 the Platonic or the Christian ideal. His greatest men 
 and women are brave, dignified, and generous, some- 
 times even tender. Yet they treat their enemies with 
 horrible cruelty, they violate our ideas of moral purity, 
 and they exhibit lack of self-control and fear of death. 
 Already in the palmy days of Greek civilization Plato 
 criticizes them for such shortcomings.' 
 
 The reverence of this poet-philosopher for mythology 
 was not based upon a literal belief in the old religion. 
 He appreciated the beauty of some of its myths, and 
 saw that they were sufficiently plastic to receive his 
 teaching. In his adaptation he has impressed them 
 with the imagination, and with the enthusiasm and rev- 
 erence for truth which are exhibited in his philosophy. 
 Under the influence of his higher and larger ideals and 
 conceptions, mythology underwent a sort of expansion. 
 It was sublimated, rarefied, and projected into larger 
 space. It received a nobler form than that which it 
 possessed in Homer. At the same time, however it 
 
 ' ■•45- 
 
 " Rep. 3. 386. 
 
Introduction xi 
 
 assumed a new function; it became symbolic and almost 
 allegorical. Thus in the Phmdrus, where Plato is dis- 
 cussing the upward flight of the perfect soul, he says : 
 ' Now the divine is beauty, wisdom, goodness, and the 
 like; and by these the wing of the soul is nourished, and 
 grows apace; . . . Zeus, the mighty lord holding the 
 reins of a winged chariot, leads the way in heaven, order- 
 ing all and caring for all ; and there follows him the heav- 
 enly array of gods and demi-gods, divided into eleven 
 bands; for only Hestia is left at home in the house of 
 heaven; but the rest of the twelve greater deities march 
 in their appointed order. And they see in the interior of 
 heaven many blessed sights; and there are ways to and 
 fro, along which the happy gods are passing, each one 
 fulfilling his own work; and any one may follow who 
 pleases, for jealousy has no place in the heavenly choir. 
 This is within the heaven. But when they go to feast 
 and festival, then they move right up the steep ascent, 
 and mount the top of the dome of heaven.' ' To appre- 
 ciate more fully the difference between Homer and Plato, 
 this passage should be compared with the famous feast 
 of the gods in the first book of the Iliad,'' where jealous 
 Hera stirs a quarrel with Zeus; but at his threats 'the 
 ox-eyed queen was afraid, and sat in silence, curbing her 
 heart; but throughout Zeus' palace the gods of heaven 
 were troubled.' Then the drollery of Hephaestus made 
 a truce, and 'laughter unquenchable arose amid the 
 blessed gods to see Hephaestus bustling through the 
 palace.' 
 
 An allegorical and naturalistic application of my- 
 thology was made by Plutarch. The attempt was after- 
 wards made to identify many myths with early or 
 sacred history through euhemeristic interpretation, or 
 to discover in them an allegorical form of Christian and 
 moral truth. Such uses of mythology find early prece- 
 
 * Pkeedrus 246, 247. Compare also the use of mythology in the story of the journey 
 of Er, Rep, 10. 614-621. 
 
 * 1. 493-600. 
 
xii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 dent in a euhemerist like Diodorus, or a moralist like 
 Plutarch. They were later practised by certain of the 
 fathers, such as Eusebius, and were resumed with great 
 enthusiasm by scientific writers of the Renaissance, 
 such as Bacon and Bochart." 
 
 In the times of Greek and Roman decadence, when 
 faith in the old religion had died, leaving empty the 
 hearts of men, and when morality was by many 
 regarded as inconvenient and unnecessary, the treat- 
 ment of a myth in art became correspondingly irreli- 
 gious and non-moral. As a diverting tale it admitted of 
 imaginative treatment only. A Horace or a Claudian 
 made it serve as a dainty and effective ornament. Ovid 
 clothed the old stories in new apparel and ornament, 
 and, thus renovated, they gave the world fresh amuse- 
 ment; his importance to us as a mythologist consists 
 much less in any moral or artistic excellence of his 
 treatment than in his great accumulation of mytho- 
 logical material from sources many of which have long 
 since disappeared. 
 
 Having thus considered the vitality of ancient myths 
 as illustrated by their varying quality and the various 
 ways in which they were applied, we may ask whether 
 this vitality has failed at last, or whether it is so 
 great that the myths may live with us a life in some 
 degree as intimate as that which they lived with the 
 ancients. When Christian civilization supplanted that 
 of Greece and Rome, it seemed likely that pagan my- 
 thology would perish with the old order of things. 
 It was too closely interwoven with earlier belief to 
 survive the antagonism of the new faith, which iirst 
 dreaded the ancient world, and then triumphed over it. 
 Within the last five hundred years classical mythology 
 has been partially revived, generally as a relic or a 
 plaything. But whether it can again receive the inspir- 
 ing power of revelation which it possessed for many of 
 
 ' See pp. 7, 17, 26, 33, 34, 37, 43, 46, 49, 54, 68, 71, 84, 85. 
 
Introduction xiii 
 
 the ancients remains a question. The answer to such a 
 question we may hope to find by a study of this ele- 
 ment in the art of Milton. 
 
 Before passing to a detailed examination of Milton's 
 classical mythology, let us notice an architectural anal- 
 ogy which shows how a product of the classical civiliza- 
 tion, by yielding to the transforming power of a new 
 faith, has been brought into a more beautiful life than 
 it had known before. In Greek temples of the purer 
 type, shafts and capitals play a conspicuous part, even 
 exceeding in size and number the requirement for the 
 support of the building, and existing in large measure 
 for the sake of their own splendor. Each column is 
 itself a complete and beautiful thing. It rises grandly 
 in heroic proportion, and is* crowned with the glory of 
 its capital. It has the proud character of Athene or of 
 the far-darting Apollo, and in its definite and circum- 
 scribed perfection it reflects the finite nature of the old 
 religion. 
 
 It sometimes happens, as one wanders along the 
 ambulatory of an old cathedral, that he sees in the 
 apse, or in the triforium of the choir, a column which 
 reminds him of those in some of the Greek temples. It 
 has something of their individuality; it is distinguished 
 by volutes and a sort of acanthus foliage. It is in- 
 deed less conspicuous than they were. Its position is 
 a modest one; it may pass unnoticed in all the grandeur 
 of the building. The pagan pride is gone, but in its 
 new humility the column is more beautiful than of old. 
 Its beauty has fallen upon it from the infinite beauty of 
 the new faith in the service of which it has been estab- 
 lished, and those who reared the column have given it 
 the tenderness, the strength, and the repose of their 
 religion. 
 
 Let us now consider some of the principal facts 
 •evealed by an examination of the classical mythology 
 in Milton's poems. His methods of introducing such 
 
xiv Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 allusions are principally three. First, they may be 
 introduced in simile or comparison. Thus in the Second 
 Book of Paradise Lost he describes the turmoil of the 
 fiends who 
 
 Rend up both rocks and hills, and ride the air 
 In whirlwind; Hell scarce holds the wild uproar: — 
 As when Alcides from CEchalia crowned 
 With conquest, felt the envenomed robe, and tore 
 \ Through pain up by the roots Thessalian pines, 
 
 \ And Lichas from the top of CEta threw 
 
 \ Into the Euboic sea.' 
 
 V At times the comparison may be very brief, as when 
 
 the beasts are represented more obedient to the call of 
 
 Eve 
 
 Than at Circean call the herd disguised.' 
 
 Or it may even not exceed the mere mention of 
 'Typhoean rage" or 'Atlantean shoulders.'* 
 
 Milton often masses classical allusions of this kind, 
 piling them sometimes four or five deep, and obtaining 
 by means of this accumulation an effect of great rich- 
 ness. Thus of the tempter disguised as a serpent he 
 
 says: 
 
 Pleasing was his shape 
 And lovely; never since of serpent kind 
 Lovelier — not those that in lUyria changed 
 Hermione and Cadmus, or the god 
 In Epidaurus; nor to which transformed 
 Ammonian Jove, or Capitoline, was seen. 
 He with Olympias, this with her who bore 
 Scipio the highth of Rome.'' 
 
 Even supposing that the reader is not familiar with all 
 the allusions of this passage, the very succession of sono- 
 rous vowels and liquids, which Milton so often effected 
 by his choice and arrangement of proper names, 
 
 1 p. L. a. 540-546. 
 
 2 P. L. 9. 522; c£. 4. 250; s. 16, 378; 10. 559; V. E. 93. 
 s P. L. 2. 539. 
 
 4 P. L. 2. 306; cf. 655; 3. 359; 10. 444; Son. 15. 7. 
 ' P.L.g. 503-5 lo- 
 
Introduction xv 
 
 f 
 
 enhances the splendor of this massed comparison. In 
 some cases such comparisons are reinforced or extended 
 by allusions which are not mythological or even classi- 
 cal. Or mythological allusions introduced for another 
 purpose than comparison may occur in close connection 
 with these passages. It_is_by such treatment^ that the 
 description of Eden, in the Fourth Book of Paradise 
 235?7'"expreises throi3gK"its own rich luxuriance^ the 
 luxuriance of the garden?' We hear first the sound of 
 clear water running over beds of pearl and gold, now 
 sparkling in the sun, now lost in the green twilight of 
 deep woods. Against the dark foliage is the gleam of 
 fruits with golden rind, ' Hesperian fables true.' The 
 air is filled with the fragrance of gorgeous flowers, 
 and with the soft call of unseen birds. Where the 
 leafy branches part little vistas invite exploration. 
 
 Airs, vernal airs, 
 Breathing the smell of field and grove, attune 
 The trembling leaves, while universal Pan, 
 Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance. 
 Led on the eternal Spring. Not that fair field 
 Of Enna, where Proserpin gathering flowers. 
 Herself a fairer flower, by gloomy Dis 
 Was gathered — which cost Ceres all that pain 
 To seek her through the world — nor that sweet grove 
 Of Daphne, by Orontes and the inspired 
 Castalian spring, might with this Paradise 
 Of Eden strive; nor that Nyseian isle, 
 Girt with the river Triton, where old Cham, 
 Whom Gentiles Ammon call and Libyan Jove, 
 Hid Amalthea, and her florid son, 
 Young Bacchus, from his stepdame Rhea's eye; 
 Nor where Abassin kings their issue guard, 
 Mount Amara, though this by some supposed 
 True Paradise, under the Ethiop line 
 By Nilus' head, enclosed with shining rock, 
 A whole day's journey high, but wide remote. 
 From this Assyrian garden, where the Fiend 
 Saw undelighted all delight, all kind » 
 
 Of living creatures, new to sight and strange. 
 
 ^ 205-387. 
 
xvi Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 It will be noticed that Eden has been compared to three 
 mythical gardens, and then to a garden of Abyssinia, 
 and that besides these allusions, reference is also made 
 to the Hesperides, to Pan, the Graces, and the Hours. 
 This method of accumulation or massing of mythology 
 is not confined to similes, but is also practised in other 
 connections, as we shall see later. 
 
 Here we may pause to consider a characteristic of 
 all great art which attempts to interpret the beauty of 
 the natural world to men. Every work of art which 
 maintains a strong and permanent influence over men 
 contains some element which brings it in touch with 
 humanity. However divine the truth which the artist 
 feels, however radiant the beauty of nature is to him, 
 his art is incomplete if his thoughts of these things are 
 not brought home to men in terms of human life. It is 
 for this reason that a painting or a description of a land- 
 scape which reproduces simply the landscape itself is 
 imperfect. The best art therefore personifies the forces 
 c f nature, or perhaps is content with suggesting types 
 or phases of human life which seem to correspond in 
 spirit to the particular type or phase of nature. It is 
 thus that in Corot's pictures of the glad morning, figures 
 are seen dancing, or blithe and tuneful Orpheus appears, 
 giving utterance to the joyful harmony around him. In 
 Milton's description of Eden the same principle applies 
 to the mention of Pan and the Hours. Furthermore, in 
 the comparisons occurring here Milton has not stopped 
 with mere allusions to myths, as in his description of 
 the serpent-fiend, but has outlined in his concise and 
 significant way the stories of Proserpina and Amalthea, 
 and has suggested the voice heard in the Castalian 
 spring sacred to the Apollo and Daphne of the Orient, 
 thus furnishing appropriate personal types to reflect the 
 natural beauty previously described.' 
 
 1 Other examples of accumulated mythology iu simile or comparison are P. L. i. 
 196-208, 575-587; 2. 628; 4. 705-719; 5. 377-382; 9. 14-19, 386-396, 439-444; P. R. 2. 353-365; 
 Arc. 18-23; C 441-452; Eleg^. I. 63-73. 
 
Introduction xvii 
 
 Of all the allusions to mythology in simile by far 
 the greatest strength and finest balance are found in a 
 certain double mythological simile in the Fourth Book 
 of Paradise Regained, in which each member is firmly and 
 concisely outlined. It is where Satan, in the last temp- 
 tation, commands Christ to leap from a pinnacle of the 
 temple : 
 
 To whom thus Jesus : ' Also it is written 
 
 " Tempt not the Lord thy God." ' He said, and stood. 
 
 But Satan, smitten with amazement, fell. 
 
 As when Earth's son, Antseus (to compare 
 
 Small things with greatest), in Irassa strove 
 
 With Jove's Alcides, and, oft foiled, still rose, 
 
 Receiving from his mother Earth new strength, ' 
 
 Fresh from his fall, and fiercer grapple joined. 
 
 Throttled at length in the air expired and fell; 
 
 So, after many a foil, the Tempter proud. 
 
 Renewing fresh assaults, amidst his pride ' 
 
 Fell whence he stood to see his victor fall. 
 
 And, as that Theban monster that proposed 
 
 Her riddle, and him who solved it not devoured, 
 
 That once found out and solved, for grief and spite 
 
 Cast herself headlong from the Ismenian steep, 
 
 So, strook with dread and anguish, fell the Fiend.' 
 
 It may be observed that the similes and comparisons 
 which have been cited are all from Paradise Lost and 
 Paradise Regained. We may say that with few excep- 
 tions, principally in Comus, this manner of introducing 
 mythological allusion is peculiar to these two longer and 
 and later poems;' but it is not just to infer from this 
 
 1 p. R. 4. 560-576. The strength of this passage is not due alone to the balance of 
 these two similes, nor to the fact that not more than two are used. It lies partly in the 
 grandeur of diction, but most of all in the deeper meaning common to the three solemn 
 events here described. Each is the victory of a hero; each is the triumph of right over 
 wrong, of light over darkness; and in each struggle is involved the fate of generations. 
 The comparison of Christ to Heracles is implied in Pass. 13. The idea may have been 
 suggested to Milton by some writer of the Renaissance, or more likely by one of the 
 Fathers. Of. P. L. 2. 1017-1020; 4. yis-yrg. 
 
 ^ In Samson Agonistes^ the nature of the subject and the form in which it was cast 
 naturally prevented almost entirely the use of Greek mythology. Neither Samson nor his 
 friends and enemies could very appropriately be made to talk of things so far removed 
 from them as classical myths, and in the drama the poet may not appear in person, as in 
 
xviii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 that Milton ultimately came to prefer such a form of 
 allusion. It seems more likely that the subjects of the 
 two epics offered so little opportunity for the incorpora- 
 tion of classical mythology within the story itself that, 
 if the poems were to be enriched to any extent by means 
 of pagan lore, it must be accomplished by the somewhat 
 more remote method of simile and comparison. 
 y A second method of introducing allusions to classical 
 mythology is illustrated in nearly all the poems, though 
 the earlier and so-called minor poems supply the best 
 examples. It consists in the incorporation of a myth or 
 the ancient conception of a divinity into a poetical set- 
 ting of Milton's own creation. 
 ^ This is accomplished in two distinct ways. First, 
 the myth or conception, of which the several details 
 may come from several different sources, may be 
 removed, for example, from the peculiar setting of 
 Homer, Apollonius, or Ovid, and placed in the different 
 setting of Comus, II Penseroso, or the First and Second 
 Books of Paradise Lost. Thus the indefinite and shadowy 
 classical idea of Chaos, as either a place or a divin- 
 ity, or merely an unordered condition of things, has 
 been elaborated under Milton's treatment, and sepa- 
 rated into two distinct meanings in the cosmography of 
 Paradise Lost. On the one hand, the word is applied to 
 the deep and confused region between heaven and hell. 
 On the other, it names the divinity who rules in this 
 region. The principal source of the latter conception 
 is in Hesiod, though his representation is much less 
 definite than Milton's, and amounts to little more than 
 
 the epic, to make these allusions in his own name. Strictly, only one such allusion occurs 
 in this dramatic poem, and that a very remote one. It is where Samson accuses himself 
 of revealing God's secrets, 
 
 a sin 
 
 That Gentiles in their parables condemn 
 
 To their abyss and horrid pains confined, 
 
 (499-501.) 
 He evidently means Tantalus and Prometheus (see p. 80). But in addition to this one 
 instance I have also discussed in their respective places the references to the Chalybeans 
 (133), to 'dire Necessity' (1666), and to the phoenix (1699), as being mythological and hav- 
 ing their probable sources among classical writers. 
 
Introduction xix 
 
 a personification of a condition in the order of nature's 
 earliest development. \r\.^£,atadise.^LQsL.fCa.®. Qous,ci^A--.oi 
 Chaos, and his co-ruler, is Night. The Miltonic con- ,./ 
 iSep'tio'n of l?IgHT'is"^ase3^upon°T;hat of the Orphic cos- 
 mogony, which makes her eldest and first of all things. 
 Thus the two early Greek cosmogonies are combined, 
 and introduced into the Second Book of Milton's great 
 epic. By the same method, Saturn and Jove and the 
 other Greek gods are made to appear among the devils, 
 the most conspicuous of them all being Hephaestus, or 
 Mulciber,' the skilful craftsman and architect of Pande- 
 monium." In Paradise Regained, Naiads, wood-nymphs, 
 and the ' ladies of the Hesperides ' figure in the tempta- 
 tion of Christ, and harpies snatch away the feast which 
 has been spread by Satan.' Much of the mythology 
 of the earlier poems is introduced in this manner. 
 Thus in Arcades the Arcadian background is suggested 
 by the presence of silver-buskined nymphs and gentle 
 swains, these latter being the descendants 
 
 Of that renowned flood, so often sung, 
 Divine Alpheus, who, by secret sluice, 
 Stole under seas to meet his Arethuse. 
 
 And the last song of the poem is musical with the 
 sweetness of such names as Ladon, Cyllene, Erymanth, 
 and Lycseus, places dear to Pan and the nymphs. In 
 Comus the element of enchantment and sensuality is 
 largely composed of references to Bacchus and Circe 
 It also includes the mention of dark-veiled Cotytto, who 
 rides with Hecate through the night, concealing the 
 wicked excesses of her worshippers. The malgic song 
 of Circe and the sirens quiets the rage of Scylla and 
 Charybdis, and Comus is consigned to be girt with 
 Harpies and Hydras, and 
 
 With all the griesly legions that troop 
 Under the sooty flag of Acheron. 
 
 1 Of. p. I. 
 
 2 p. L. I. 732-751. 
 ^ 2- 353-357, 403- 
 
XX Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 This element of sensuality in Comus is offset, on the 
 other hand, by an element of purity and benignity. The 
 latter is composed of references to the high air of 
 Jove's court, to the propitious aid of Neptune and all 
 sea-gods, to the glory of Iris, the sweetness of Echo, the 
 virgin majesty of Diana and Minerva. It is sustained 
 at the end by a description of the paradise of Virtue, 
 where the Hesperides sing, and whither the Graces and 
 Hours bring abundance. Here the air is cooled with 
 Elysian dew, and here sleeps the translated Adonis. 
 Here Love is reunited with Psyche, and to them are 
 born Youth and Joy.' L' Allegro and II Penseroso should be 
 mentioned as important examples of this manner of 
 treatment. In these poems Milton has selected certain 
 conceptions of the ancient divinities, and expressed 
 them through the scenes and activities occurring in the 
 life of a refined man. It is the light spirit of Zephyr 
 and Aurora which predominates in the one poem, and the 
 sombre spirit of Vesta and Saturn which predominates 
 in the other. A more detailed analysis of these com- 
 panion-pieces may be deferred until later in our dis- 
 cussion." 
 J, Occasionally, instead of removing the whole myth 
 
 1 It is worthy of notice in passing, that Milton, in making Youth and Joy the children 
 of Psyche and the celestial Cupid, has transcended the grosser treatment of Apuleius, 
 who makes Voluptas their daughter. Spenser is content with this version, and calls her 
 Pleasure. See p. z6; Spenser, F. Q. 3. 6. 50; Hy. of Love 288. A comparison of these 
 passages in Spenser with the closing speech of Comus reveals the principal difference 
 hetv7een Milton's method of treatment and Spenser's. The latter poet is nearly always 
 the more diffuse. Though the amount of mythology in his considerably larger body of 
 poetry appears to be much greater than in Milton, yet it represents less extensive reading 
 in the classics, and covers a range of allusion no wider, if as wide. Milton's wonderful con- 
 ciseness is of great artistic import, as one of the necessary elements of his classicism. With- 
 out the composure, reticence, and finish which this implies, no work of art is truly Hellenic. 
 We feel that Milton has gained these traits, or at least has developed them through direct 
 contact with pure Greek culture. We feel, on the other hand, that, however much Latin 
 and Greek Spenser read, he was in some degree perverted by the restless and unsettled 
 spirit of the early Renaissance from a deep and just sense of true classicism. He is there- 
 fore less faithful to originals. His mythology has more the nature of external ornament 
 rather profusely applied. There is evidence that, like the Italians, he was more charmed 
 with its sensuous and even sometimes fleshly aspect than with the deeper spiritual signifi- 
 cance — which indeed he may not have perceived. It is in this way that his treatment 
 becomes more lavish of epithet, color, and circumstance than Milton's. 
 
 2 See p. lii. 
 
Introduction xxi 
 
 from its classical setting and inserting it in his own, 
 ^Milton adapts certain mythological events or features 
 by removing from them the persons and localities with 
 which they are connected in his sources, and substituting 
 his own persons and localities. This is the second way 
 in which mythology is incorporated or inwoven with his 
 story. One i^^stance is Eve's story gf_j discoygnng_her 
 own beauJjT^' ' IjL.is Ovid's story o|_^Narcissus and his 
 l^^^^^t^e^ face, thaiJm.4«i-^ j;eflected in the water oTa 
 spring, except that Eve is put foFSarcissuST'"1MTitOTrpas^' 
 -^TCSUSTTronows many of the details ofnH original, but 
 by a process of selection and exclusion renders them more 
 delicate.'' The same sort of adaptation occurs when 
 Milton derives incidents from the visit of Odysseus 
 to Circe in the Odyssey,' and inserts them in his story 
 of Comus and the lady. As Circe by means of her 
 drug and wand changes all strangers to swine, so 
 Comus with his orient liquor and wand changes trav- 
 elers into brutish forms. As Odysseus was protected 
 against these charms by the moly, so the good spirit 
 checks the magic of Comus with a plant called haemony.'^ 
 Again, in the battle between the rebel angels and the 
 army of God, many incidents are transferred from 
 Hesiod's battle of the Titans and the gods. Since the 
 occasion and general character of these two struggles, 
 as well as certain details, are similar, a comparison of 
 the two descriptions as a whole would be profitable. 
 We have space, however, only to point out a few details 
 in the Theogony which are adapted by Milton. Hesiod 
 tells us that the gods, taking great masses of rock in 
 their hands, hurled them upon the Titans. Zeus, with- 
 out exerting his full strength, smote the Titans with his 
 thunderbolt, and drove them into the depths of Tarta- 
 rus, whither an anvil could not fall in nine days. Here 
 they are confined for ever. Nearly the same incidents 
 
 ' p. L. 4. 453-469- 
 2 See p. 86. 
 » 10. I35-S74- 
 < See p. 39. 
 
xxii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 are repeated in Hesiod's story of the fight between 
 Zeus and Typhoeus. In Milton these details all appear 
 with slight modification. As the Son of God advanced 
 to battle, the steadfast empyrean shook beneath the 
 wheels of his chariot, 'yet half his strength he put not 
 forth.' His warriors 
 
 plucked the seated hills, with all their load, 
 Rocks, waters, woods, and, by the shaggy tops 
 Uplifting, bore them in their hands. ^ 
 
 He himself hurled his thunders upon the host of 
 Satan, who fell headlong from Heaven: 
 
 Nine days they fell; confounded Chaos roared, 
 And felt tenfold confusion in their fall 
 Through his wild anarchy; so huge a rout 
 Encumbered him with ruin. Hell at last, 
 Yawning, received them whole, and on them closed.^ 
 
 We may now consider the third method by which 
 Milton introduces allusions to classical mythology. His 
 
 1 p. i. 6,' 644-646. 
 
 2 P, L. 6. 871-87^. Many instances of this treatment exist in Milton., The descent 
 of Raphael in P. L. 5. 277-2S7 is derived in part from similar descriptions of Hermes 
 in Vergil and Homer {/En. 4. 222 S..\ II, 24. 341). When in P. L. 8. 59, the poet says, 
 speaking of Eve, 
 
 With goddess-like demeanor forth she went, 
 Not unattended; for on her as Queen 
 A pomp of winning Graces waited still, 
 
 he is thinking of a conception of Venus, or Aphrodite, which is very common in the 
 classics, and is illustrated in Od. 8. 364, where the Graces bathe and anoint the goddess. 
 Of. Horn. Hy. to Aphrodite 3. 61; Hor. C. i. 4; i. 30; 3. 21. In P. L. 8. 510, where 
 Adam leads Eve to the nuptial bower, Earth and the powers of nature * gave sign 
 of gratulation.' The situation is similar to one in JEn. 4. 165, where Earth and the 
 storm show approval of the union of Dido and jSlneas in a cave. The amorous words 
 addressed by guilty Adam to Eve {P. L. 9. 1029-1033) are much like those spoken by 
 Paris to Helen in //. 3, 442, or by Zeus to Hera in lU 14. 315. In P. L. 11. 184-203 the 
 eagle appears as a bird of omen in the manner of /Sn. i. 393-397; 12. 247-256. The 
 description of the bounds of Hell in P. L. 2. 645 ff. bears traces of similar description in 
 Homer, Hesiod, and Vergil. The sound of Hell's gates in P. L. 2. 879-882 suggests as 
 an original /Sn. 6. S73i 574- In P- L.- 2. 252-258 Sin is represented as springing from 
 the head of Satan, as Athene sprang from the head of Zeus. When Satan was 
 wounded {P. L. 6. 320 ff.) 
 
 A stream of nectarous humor issuing flowed 
 
 Sanguine, such as celestial Spirits may bleed. 
 
 So Homer speaks of the wounded Aphrodite: ' Then flowed the goddesses immortal blood, 
 such ichor as floweth in the blessed gods' (//, 5. 339) . 
 
Introduction xxiii 
 
 descriptions of nature are generally either mythologi- 
 cal or touched with mythology. Especially is this true 
 in descriptions of the dawn, of night, and of the prog- 
 ress of the sun and moon.' 
 
 We have already noticed how Milton can enliven 
 and illuminate a description of natural beauty by throw- 
 ing into it a touch of human life which reflects the 
 spirit of that which he is describing. This is what 
 Shakespeare does in peopling the forest of Arden with 
 blithe spirits who make us forget that trees are not 
 always green, and brooks merry; and in Milton the 
 same result is produced by reflecting the spirit of 
 nature from the personalities of the old gods, often 
 slightly modified by the poet's art. It is thus that he 
 tells of the beginning of another day: 
 
 Now Morn, her rosy steps in the eastern clime 
 Advancing, sowed the earth with orient pearl.^ 
 
 And again he speaks of the Sun, 
 
 who, scarce uprisen. 
 With wheels yet hovering o'er the ocean-brim, 
 Shot parallel to the earth his dewy ray. 
 Discovering in wide landskip all the east.' 
 
 While it is true that Milton humanizes nature by 
 means of mythology, we may go further, or perhaps 
 reverse the statement, and say that in general, what- 
 ever the occasion of introducing the myth, if its per- 
 sons or incidents connote even in the slightest degree 
 the beauty or the power of nature, Milton makes us feel 
 it. Thus broad meadows and shady places are made 
 visible when he speaks in Comus of 
 
 such court guise 
 As Mercury did first devise 
 With the mincing Dryades 
 On the lawns, and on the leas.* 
 
 1 Strictly speaking, the use of mythology in descriptions of nature is only another 
 application of the second method by which myths are incorporated into Milton's poetry. 
 Yet in a consideration of its artistic excellence it falls more conveniently under a separate 
 head. 
 
 ^ P. L. 5. I.; cf. p. xvi, 
 
 = P. L. 5. 139. 
 
 « C. 962. 
 
xxiv Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 The sound of the sea is suggested in the following 
 
 lines: 
 
 Scylla wept. 
 And chid her barking waves into attention, 
 And fell Charybdis murmured soft applause.' 
 
 The luxuriance of spring is felt in a reference to the 
 
 love of Zeus and Hera: 
 
 As Jupiter 
 On Juno smiles when he impregns the clouds 
 That shed May flowers. "^ 
 
 The name of Jove seems often to suggest the upper air 
 and the broad sky.' 
 
 This consideration of the mythology in Milton's 
 descriptions of nature is the most important of any 
 thus far, since it opens the way to more thorough appre- 
 ciation of his independence and originality, and of the 
 true nature of his classicism and his artistic tempera- 
 ment. 
 
 As we approach these questions, the first thing for 
 us to consider is that^e part assigned to mythology in 
 such descriptions varies widely in extend One descrip- 
 tion may be entirely made up from mythology; another 
 may reveal only a slight touch of it; in a third the 
 mythical element may be wholly lacking, the personi- 
 fication employed being derived from another source. 
 An analysis of several passages will clearly reveal the 
 variation. In Lycidas the line, 
 
 While the still morn went out with sandals gray,* 
 
 contains no mythological allusion. In the same poem 
 
 occur the lines, 
 
 Oft till the star that rose at evening bright 
 
 Toward heaven's descent had sloped his westering wheel. * 
 
 1 C. 257- 
 
 '^ P. L. 4. 499: see p. 49. 
 
 3 This is evident in Cotnus^ especially in the beginning, and in the lines On the Death 
 of a Fair Infant 43-46. 
 
 *Lyc. 187. The ancients did not speak of the morning as 'gray.' Milton, however, 
 seems to have delighted in this color as applied to the morning. See P. L. 7. 373; P. R. 
 4. 427; cf. the use in P. L, 5. 186; V Al. 71. 
 
 " 3°. 31- 
 
Introduction xxv 
 
 This last passage contains only a slight mythical color- 
 ing. It consists in the allusion to the star's chariot, an 
 idea which is more commonly associated with the 
 sun, or moon, or night' The mythological element is 
 slightly increased in the following passage of Paradise 
 Regained: 
 
 Thus passed the night so foul, till Morning fair 
 Came forth with pilgrim steps, in amice gray, 
 Who with her radiant finger stilled the roar 
 Of thunder, chased the clouds, and laid the winds.' 
 
 The mention of the Morning's ' radiant finger ' appears 
 to be an adaptation of the Homeric epithet 'rosy-fin- 
 gered,' and her action in driving away the clouds may 
 be partly suggested by the common idea that she puts 
 the Night to rout, and partly by an expression which 
 Vergil uses of Neptune.* The rest of the passage is 
 peculiar to Milton. Again in the Fifth Book of Para- 
 dise Lost the Morning Star is addressed as 
 
 Fairest of Stars, last in the train of Night, 
 
 If better thou belong not to the Dawn, 
 
 Sure pledge of day, that crown'st the smiling Morn 
 
 With thy bright circlet* 
 
 Of this passage the words ' last in the train of Night ' 
 are all that suggest the classical idea that the stars 
 are attendant upon Night." 
 
 Let us now examine a passage in which the myth- 
 ological element is increased, even though it is not 
 more conspicuous than the actual phenomenon of 
 nature itself. Referring to sunset and sunrise, Milton 
 says in Lycidas: 
 
 1 Milton often used the chariot or moving throne as an accessory in myths. It occurs 
 frequently in his reference to the sun, or moon, or night, and is often transferred to other 
 connections. Examples are found in P. L,, z. 786; 2. 930; 3. 522; 5, 140, 166; 6. 100, 338, 
 358, 390, 711, 749-759, 770, 829, 881; 8. 162; 9, 65; 5". A. 27; D. F. I. 15, 19, 56; C. N. 84, 
 145, 241; Pens. S3, 59, 121; C. 95, 134, 190, 892. 
 
 = P. R. 4. 426. 
 
 3 j^n. 1. 143: * Collectasque f ugat nubes.' 
 
 « 5. 166. 
 
 ^ See p. 63. 
 
xxvi Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 So sinks the day-star in the ocean bed, 
 
 And yet anon repairs his drooping head, 
 
 And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore 
 
 Flames in the forehead of the morning sky.' 
 
 In the beginning of this passage we have the old figure 
 of the god Helios sinking to rest in his bed at the end 
 of a long day's journey. But as the passage proceeds 
 this mythological idea fades, and in its place shines the 
 brightness of the sun itself, like a flaming jewel in the 
 forehead of the morning. Still more pronounced is the 
 mythological character of the following lines : 
 
 First in his east the glorious Lamp was seen, 
 Regent of day, and all the horizon round 
 Invested with bright rays, jocund to run 
 His longitude through heaven's high road; the gray 
 Dawn and the Pleiades before him danced 
 Shedding sweet influence.'' 
 
 Though this passage is founded principally upon the 
 Bible, yet Milton, in combining the different parts, has 
 given it a decided classical coloring, slightly modified 
 by characterizing the Dawn as 'gray'; and so nicely are 
 the parts fitted together that a seam is imperceptible, 
 nor is it easy to tell where classical mythology ends and 
 any other element begins. 
 
 The majority of natural descriptions in Milton re- 
 semble the last four examples in that they contain a 
 more or less prominent suggestion of the mythical con- 
 ception, together with a large element of Milton's 
 elaboration. 
 
 We may now consider what is more rare, namely, a 
 
 •■ 168-171. 
 
 ^ p. L. 7. 370-375. At least two Biblical passages are represented by tbese lines. The 
 more important one is Ps. ig, 4-6 ; * Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their 
 words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as 
 a bridegroom coming out of bis chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His 
 going forth is from the end of heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is 
 nothing hid from the heat thereof.' The second passage is Job 38. 31, where is mentioned 
 * the sweet influence of the Pleiades.' The resemblance of the dance of the Pleiades to 
 the dance of seven figures, who may represent Pleiades, in Guide's picture of Aurota, has 
 been remarked by Todd. Apparently this is the only classical antecedent of these lines. 
 
Introduction xxvii 
 
 description composed almost entirely of mythology. It 
 occurs at the opening of the Sixth Book of Paradise __ 
 Lost. 
 
 All night the dreadless Angel, unpursued, 
 
 Through Heaven's wide champaign held his way, till Morn, 
 
 Waked by the circling Hours, with rosy hand 
 
 Unbarred the gates of Light. There is a cave 
 
 Within the Mount of God, fast by his throne, 
 
 Where Light and Darkness in perpetual round 
 
 Lodge and dislodge by turns, which makes through Heaven 
 
 Grateful vicissitude, like day and night; 
 
 Light issues forth, and at the other door 
 
 Obsequious Darkness enters, till her hour 
 
 To veil the Heaven, though darkness there might well 
 
 Seem twilight here. And now went forth the Morn, 
 
 Such as in highest Heaven, arrayed in gold 
 
 Empyreal; from before her vanished Night, 
 
 Shot through with orient beams. 
 
 "-I 
 
 In this passage there is an almost literal adaptation 
 
 of at least four classical poets or poetic conceptions. 
 The general idea of Dawn's opening the gates is from 
 Ovid; the action of the Hours is from Homer; the cave 
 of Light and Darkness is Hesiod's house of Day and 
 Night; the final rout of Night before the beams of the 
 sun is a common conception in Greek poetry, though 
 perhaps in this case referable to Dante.' "^ 
 
 We may notice that in this passage Milton intends to 
 describe not the earthly dawn, but the grateful vicissi- 
 tude of light and darkness in heaven. There is, how- 
 ever, in his description a beautiful reflection of the day- 
 spring as it has appeared to many men, and this reveals 
 to us a mostim|3orjlanfc.«aalila^^ 
 
 ■'"n?7l3S3SiV- 'a»d,aiat,ure. He3tifa;e a ates ..t 3a.<»--^ato«fe of 
 two thingjs, ^nata xs,^arirl iiJja«iiiii»>FJtitii.,..bjiiifc-feO'-'fe*^?''''^^fe-aMtog 
 
 ''''^r^S^^'^^^^,,^SLsL£8MiJm^^ This accounts 
 f0ig»''tSl''^ivianess and reality and enthusiasm, which, if 
 the proportion of values were reversed, would tend to 
 become pedantry and dry conventionality. With a view 
 
 ' See pp. IS, 33. 
 
xxviii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 to this statement, let us take the first lines of the pre- 
 ceding passage : 
 
 Morn, 
 
 Waked by the circling Hours, with rosy hand 
 Unbarred the gates of Light. 
 
 Let us analyze this passage in comparison with its 
 originals. As already suggested, there are two pas- 
 sages in the classics which are here represented. The 
 first is in the Fifth Book of the Iliad, where Hera drives 
 forth her chariot from Olympus : ' Self -moving groaned 
 upon their hinges the gates of Heaven( whereof the 
 Hours are warders, to whom is committed great Heaven 
 and Olympus, whether to throw open the thick cloud or 
 set it to.' ' The other passage is in the Second Book of^ 
 Ovid's Metamorphoses : 
 
 Ecce vigil rutilo patefecit ab ortu 
 
 Purpureas Aurora fores et plena rosarum 
 
 Atria. 5i 
 
 We may first inquire what help Ovid has given Mil- 
 ton. He suggests the idea that the Dawn at her rising 
 throws open certain gates, but further than this his 
 influence can hardly be said to extend. As usual he has 
 made a tableau, overloading it with gay color. Milton, 
 however, in speaking of Aurora's rosy hand, lends color 
 enough, and stops before he smears. He is speaking of 
 dawn in Heaven, and the thought of gates naturally 
 leads him to think of the Hours, who are the warders 
 of Heaven's gates. They are therefore adapted from 
 Homer, with the addition of a beautiful epithet, 'cir- 
 cling,' from the common tradition of Greek poetry. But 
 the mere juxtaposition of these things is not enough. 
 Milton, like a true artist, realizes that though color is 
 lovely, something else is still lovelier, more important, 
 and more vital. He loves the morning for its freshness, 
 its action, its grace, its dignity, its progress toward glo- 
 
 ' S- 749-7SI- 
 
 2 2. 112. Lo, the watchful Aurora opened her purple doors in the ruddy east and 
 her halls filled with roses. 
 
Introduction xxix 
 
 rious climax, and all these qualities are present in his 
 description. There is action in the words ' waked ' and 
 'circling' and 'unbarred,' and in the intervening or 
 accompanying movement which they suggest. There is 
 freshness and grace in the swift Hours, in the modest but 
 effective touch of color, and in the fact that we do not 
 hear the harsh groan of the gates upon their hinges. 
 There is dignity, because the movement, though rapid, is 
 not hurried, and stays slightly at the words 'with rosy 
 hand.' Lastly, there is progress toward a climax. Morn 
 is waked by the Hours; she rises, throws back the bolt; 
 the gates swing open without effort, and Light leaps forth 
 and overspreads the sky. This action is suggested, if 
 not expressed, and to feel the full effect of progress and 
 climax the passage should be read aloud slowly with 
 perfect enunciation. Much of its movement and prog- 
 ress is expressed in the effect of light consonants and 
 liquids, and in the fine succession of vowels which 
 seems to accompany the meaning and open out at the 
 end. 
 
 It would be a mistake to assume that Milton delib- 
 erately and consciously went about arranging his 
 description in this way. He rather felt deeply and 
 keenly the glories of a new day at first hand, so deeply 
 and keenly that his poetic sense of these things rushes 
 in and informs his description, with a result such as 
 this before us. Thus the myth does not remain or 
 become, in his hands, a lifeless convention; nor is it a 
 sort of mythological veil, through which we faintly see 
 the loveliness of nature. Rather, on the one hand, he 
 understands the spirit of nature, and is in harmony with 
 it; on the other, he has sympathized with the Greek 
 imagination until he imagines in part as a Greek. When, 
 therefore, he hears from the Greek lyre, though echoed 
 never so faintly, a note first stirred by the great harp of 
 nature, he recognizes it, and sounds it again, loud and 
 clear, inseparably mingling the qualities of the two 
 instruments in one tone. 
 
XXX Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 It follows from this as a sort of converse statement 
 that Milton was also independent in his use of the myth. 
 It never threatens to get the best of him, for his use of 
 it is governed by an unfailing sense of things more 
 serious and important to the human heart and mind. 
 However extensive the mythological element in a given 
 passage, the result is no less vivid and imaginative. The 
 myth never encumbers the poet and gets in his way. It 
 does not have the appearance of something in the wrong 
 place, which makes itself the excuse for being there. 
 Rather it is properly related to the more important 
 thing, and falls into the place where it belongs. 
 
 After this somewhat detailed analysis and considera- 
 tion of the more apparent facts in connection with Mil- 
 ton's treatment of nature, let us endeavor to weigh the 
 value of the mythological element in Milton's art, and 
 discover, if possible, the true benefit of its influence 
 upon him. 
 
 As we have already seen, mythology is not the pro- 
 duct of one man, possessing the marks of his peculiari- 
 ties, but is the reflection of national character and ideas. 
 It is only in part subject to the personal variation of the 
 individual who treats it. Its nature is therefore chiefly 
 universal, containing qualities and truths which appeal 
 not to men of a certain narrow class, but to nearly all 
 men. For this reason classical myths, when presented 
 in an artistic and appreciative manner, exert a strong 
 and refining influence, and many have therefore insisted 
 upon a study of them as an element in the best culture. 
 For culture is not an exaggeration and development of 
 the oddities and idiosyncrasies of the individual, but is 
 rather the result of assimilating in one soul, so far as 
 may be, the best part of the past and contemporary life of 
 men, that is, the part which is most permanent and uni- 
 versal. It is according to such a principle that mythol- 
 ogy possesses artistic value. The best and most perma- 
 nent qualities of the Greek people are to be found 
 
Introduction xxxi 
 
 there; and the artist who selects his material from it, 
 and who treats it lovingly and with understanding, 
 may be sure of a certain steadiness and universality 
 in his art, while at the same time the material is of 
 such a pliant nature that he may express with it much 
 of the best that he has within himself. Take, for exam- 
 ple, the passage which we have already discussed: 
 
 Morn, 
 Waked by the circling Hours, with rosy hand 
 Unbarred the gates of Light. 
 
 We have seen already the extent and importance of the 
 classical element in this passage. The pure and beauti- 
 ful imagery is wholly classical. It possesses Greek dig- 
 nity and repose. It contains the elements of expectancy, 
 action, progress, and climax, and these qualities are the 
 essential and universal ones by which the beauty of the 
 dawn appeals to men. But thoroughly mingled with the 
 universal elements of these lines are some of the best 
 personal qualities of Milton himself. They are not 
 introduced in the form of a curious and outlandish con- 
 ceit; by his selection of certain qualities from the 
 Greek, and his emphasis of them, he reflects the same 
 qualities in his own nature. Such are his delicacy, dig- 
 nity, and repose. Then we feel also his purity of 
 thought and emotion, and his high reserve, which is felt 
 elsewhere, in nearly every line, as a distinguishing trait 
 of the poet. 
 
 Milton lived in a time when the importance and 
 development of individuality had become the impor- 
 tance and development of personal peculiarity. Much 
 of the poetry of his time suffered from this fact, and as 
 a result is full of conceits and curious figures, while 
 generally it no longer appeals strongly to men, and is 
 now read only at the promptings of an idle interest in 
 its quaintness. Milton himself did not always escape 
 this tendency to conceit and oddity. Whether he was 
 aware of it or not, the fact remains that mythology often 
 
xxxii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 served in his case as a sort of safeguard against such mis- 
 takes, for while it suffered some modification under the 
 influence of his individuality, it kept his poetry within 
 the bounds of universal appeal. 
 
 For the sake of illustration let us compare with the 
 passage last quoted two or three others, which, as it 
 happens, all describe the dawn or the sun. The first is 
 in L' Allegro, where the poet is walking upon high ground 
 
 at sunrise, 
 
 Right against the eastern gate 
 Where the great Sun begins his state. 
 Robed in flames and amber light, 
 The clouds in thousand liveries dight.' 
 
 Here also is the figure of the opening gates as in the 
 other description, but notice the difference between its 
 two applications. There the figure was simply sug- 
 gested. Here it has been developed into a conceit 
 whose artificiality is not in keeping with the freedom of 
 nature. The sunrise is a grand ceremony. The Sun is 
 ushered forth in all the pride of state and of gorgeous, 
 shining robes, attended by numberless clouds in gay 
 and pompous livery. The figure has lost some of its 
 former appropriateness. There is now a sort of dis- 
 crepancy between its formality and the unrestrained 
 grandeur of the sunrise. The image has been slightly 
 overworked, so that it begins to resemble an odd fancy. 
 It is impressionistic in character, and seems to be the 
 effluence of a single, changeful mood of the poet. It 
 follows that, in so far as this is true, no man is subject 
 to the full appeal of this passage, unless, at the moment 
 when he considers it, his mood coincides with the mood 
 in which the poet first conceived it. As moods are 
 superficial as well as occasional in character, the art 
 which is dependent upon them for its value must be 
 narrowly confined both in the range and depth of its. 
 appeal, and must be in a corresponding degree weak. 
 
 1 L'Al. 59-62 
 
Introduction xxxiii 
 
 Another example of the same tendency to conceit on 
 the part of Milton is found in a speech of Comus, who 
 prays that Hecate may befriend his nocturnal orgies 
 
 till utmost end 
 Of all thy dues be done, and none left out, 
 Ere the blabbing eastern scout, 
 The nice Mom on the Indian steep, 
 From her cabined loophole peep, 
 And to the telltale Sun descry 
 Our concealed solemnity.' 
 
 There is possibly a mythological allusion in the epi- 
 thet 'telltale,'" but the description of the Dawn is pecu- 
 liar and odd — so much so that we think only of this 
 curious figure and not of the natural phenomenon which 
 it would typify.' 
 
 One more instance remains which is even more fan- 
 tastic and unusual than those already cited, and mars 
 the serious close of the beautiful Ode on the Nativity: 
 
 So, when the sun in bed, 
 Curtained with cloudy red. 
 Pillows his chin upon an orient wave. 
 The flocking shadows pale 
 Troop to the infernal jail.* 
 
 Here is a figure so overwrought that it becomes almost 
 a burlesque. It may be that to a few men, who are in a 
 sufficiently light mood, the sunrise might suggest a 
 figure of this kind, but to the multitude it can only 
 remain far-fetched and meaningless. 
 
 Before going on, let us notice one passage in which 
 mythology and the personality of Milton are balanced 
 in almost equal proportion. It is in // Fenseroso, where 
 the poet wishes to be hidden in a shady nook near a. 
 running stream, 
 
 ' C. 136-142. 
 
 » See p. II. 
 
 3 The odd imagery of this passage may be partly intentional, since the words are- 
 spoken by Comus, whose life is irregular, and who therefore hates the light of day as 
 unfavorable to his wickedness. 
 
 * 229-233. 
 
xxxiv Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 While the bee with honeyed thigh, 
 That at her flowery work doth sing. 
 And the waters murmuring. 
 With such consort as they keep. 
 Entice the dewy-feathered Sleep. 
 And let some strange mysterious dream 
 Wave at his wings in airy stream 
 Of lively portraiture displayed, 
 Softly on my eyelids laid.' 
 
 The substance of this passage is mythological. It is 
 practically contained in the epithet ' dewy-feathered.' 
 The conception of sleep as a dew falling upon wearied 
 limbs is expressive at once of its gentleness and its 
 power to refresh, and holds good also in the fact that the 
 night brings both. The figure is a classical tradition, and 
 appears in Homer, Vergil, and Statius. No less com- 
 mon is the conception of Sleep as winged, which also 
 appears in Homer, Vergil, Ovid, and other Latin poets. 
 These two conceptions are united by Statius in the 
 expression ' humentes alae,' and again with lighter 
 and softer effect by Milton in his 'dewy-feathered.' 
 Silius Italicus has elaborated this conception in describ- 
 ing the dreams of Hannibal, as the great general lies 
 before the walls of Rome.'' As the god descends to the 
 
 soldier, 
 
 quatit inde soporas 
 Devexo capiti pennas, oculisque quietem 
 Inrorat, tangens Lethsea tempora virga.^ 
 
 This is followed by a long train of dreams in solemn 
 succession. The passage in Silius is enough like Mil- 
 ton's to be its original, but, whether it is or not, Milton 
 gains by the comparison. The meaning of his lines has 
 never been definitely explained, and we almost shrink 
 at the thought of defining it closely. This very indefi- 
 niteness is in harmony with the evasive and shadowy 
 
 » 142-150. 
 
 2 PuniciTo. 337-371. 
 
 8 * Then waves he his sleepy wings over the bowed head, and sheds the dew of rest 
 upon his eyes, touching his temples with his Lethean wand,' 
 
Introduction xxxv 
 
 character of dreams. In view of Silius, however, the 
 thought seems to be that in an airy and graceful line 
 move faint, mysterious figures of a dream, following the 
 motion of the wings of Sleep, as he gently waves them 
 above the slumbering mortal. With these facts in mind, 
 we may perceive more clearly how the dignity and grace 
 and gentleness of Milton's soul, together with his deep 
 love and knowledge of nature, have here met the beauty 
 and truth of classical imagery, and how all are insep- 
 arably blended in the single loveliness of the whole 
 passage. 
 
 To return now to the beginning of the Sixth Book of 
 Paradise Zost,^e description of celestial dawn quoted 
 at length above, ^ring;s_to mind another important char- 
 acteristic of Milton's treatment of classical mythology r? 
 Taken as a whole, it is a beautiful synthesis, or 
 fitting together, of three or four very distinct class- 
 ical ideas. As we have seen. Homer and Ovid are"" 
 united, these are joined to Hesiod, and the group is 
 finished with a tradition common to classical poets. We 
 have already noticed in the treatment of similes the 
 tendency to accumulation or synthesis, and it occurs 
 frequently in the use of mythology throughout Milton's 
 poetry. In the description of Eden, Pan, the Graces _j 
 and the Hours, Proserpina, Daphne, and Amalthea were 
 all gathered to illustrate the beauty of the garden, like 
 petals about the honeyed center of a flower. So also in 
 the Second Book of Paradise Lost, the description of 
 the terrors of Hell is reinforced by a reference to 
 ' Typhoean rage,' and by describing the death agony 
 of Hercules, when, mad with pain, he slew his own com- 
 panion. The infernal rivers are mentioned — hated Styx, 
 Lethe, Acheron, Cocytus, ' named of lamentation loud,' 
 and Phlegethon, the torrent of flames. There also is 
 the wretched Tantalus, together with Medusa and the 
 other Gorgons, and Hydras and Chimeras dire. At the 
 bounds of Hell are two monsters, the one, like Scylla, 
 girt with wide Cerberean mouths, the other black as 
 
xxxvi Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 Night, and fierce as ten Furies. Here again the allu- 
 sions are all arranged about one idea and focused upon 
 it, thus emphasizing it and throwing it into relief. 
 '^ But by far the best example of this grouped arrange- 
 ment occurs in Comus, or, more accurately, contains 
 Camus. It consists in bringing together the earth and 
 sea and sky to serve as a kind of setting or background 
 for the poem. At the beginning of the masque is this 
 stage direction: ' The first scene discovers a wild wood.' 
 We soon hear of .the nodding horror of its shady brows, 
 and of fountain-brims where wood-nymphs play. Here 
 wanders the Lady, singing her song of Echo, who lives 
 in an airy shell 
 
 By slow Meander's margent green. 
 And in the violet-embroidered vale. 
 
 Here prevails the good influence of Pan or Sylvan, 
 while through green alley and bushy dell steals' tflTe son 
 of Circe. There is mention, too, of quivered nympfiTand 
 flowery-kirtled Naiads, of Diana, queen of the woods, 
 and of a shepherd who, sitting on the tender grass, 
 discourses of haemony and moly, while others in the 
 green meadows offer wreaths of pansies and gaudy 
 daffodils to the nymph of the river. _Thus it„is..liat,_ 
 Miltpn hafi-not Jiaerfefe2;,gei^-circumscribed .Jaa-aks^FoiMid 
 of woods, for. the action of Comus, but has filled it with 
 the larger atmosphere of forest and field, and. has_jsjag- 
 gested beyond the bounds^of his scene the wide exLeat 
 of the green earth. Such a result is hardly accom- 
 plished by the representation of a single limited land- 
 scape. The landscape is likely to exhibit nature in one 
 of her moods, and, since she is changeful and fickle, it 
 may not contain, or at least may not effectively show 
 forth, her permanent and underlying qualities. Milton 
 has therefore endeavored to suggest these permanent 
 c[ualities of Nature, such as her inystery, her swee_tj>lay- 
 fulness, her terror, her dignity, and he has done it largely 
 by his use of mythology. Thus Echo embodies her 
 
Introduction xxxvii 
 
 sweetness, the nymphs her playfulness, Circe and 
 Comus her terror, Diana her dignity, and all of them 
 her mystery. Ajid,. the myths thus arranged blend in a 
 certain JiarEC(.Qj!4j- JJaxouglL, their, .parts XnJhe_plo^]while 
 -i]i?X_SiS§.«.ta-il;Siure a human and ^^ejgfla^iL-ciiaraeter, 
 and thus bring her neaTerTomenT^ 
 
 But the earth is not the only manifestation of nature 
 in Comus. Now and then, not far away, we hear the 
 sound o f a quiet ocean, and may sometimes look off 
 over its expanse, or feel the mystery of its blue depths. 
 Its influence is first felt in these lines: 
 
 Neptune, besides the sway 
 Of every salt flood and each ebbing stream, 
 Took in by lot, 'twixt high and nether Jove, 
 Imperial rule of all the sea-girt isles 
 That, like to rich and various gems, inlay 
 The unadorned bosom of the deep ; 
 Which he, to grace his tributary gods. 
 By course commits to several government, 
 And gives them leave to wear their sapphire crowns 
 And wield their little tridents.' 
 
 And again: 
 
 The sounds and seas, with all their finny drove. 
 Now to the moon in wavering morrice move; 
 And on the tawny sands and shelves. 
 Trip the pert fairies and the dapper elves. ^ 
 
 Comus speaks of a swelling sea and unsought diamonds 
 
 which 
 
 Would so emblaze the forehead of the deep, 
 And so bestud with stars, that they below 
 Would grow inured to light, and come at last 
 To gaze upon the sun with shameless brows. ^ 
 
 In the end comes Sabrina, the nymph of Severn, from 
 under the glassy, cool, translucent wave. She is invoked 
 
 ' 18-27. 
 
 ■■' iis-n8. 
 " 732-735- 
 
xxxviii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 In name of great Oceanus, 
 By the earth-shaking Neptune's mace, 
 And Tethys' grave majestic pace; 
 By hoary Nereus' wrinkled look, 
 And the Carpathian wizard's hook; 
 By scaly Triton's winding shell, 
 And old sooth-saying Glaucus' spell; 
 By Leucothea's lovely hands. 
 And her son that rules the strands; 
 By Thetis' tinsel-slippered feet. 
 And the songs of Sirens sweet; 
 By dead Parthenope's dear tomb. 
 And fair Ligea's golden comb, 
 Wherewith she sits on diamond rocks, 
 Sleeking her soft alluring locks; 
 By all the nymphs that nightly dance 
 Upon thy streams with wily glance." 
 
 Sabrina appears in a chariot 
 
 Thick set with agate, and the azurn sheen 
 Of turkis blue, and emerald green. 
 That in the channel strays." 
 
 By means of such lines as these the spirit of tfie sea is 
 present in Comus. 
 
 But around and above the earth and the sea of Comus 
 I is the sky. It is now seen inwrought with bright stars, 
 I and now flooded with the light of day. It is, , through- 
 I out, the home and symbol of purity and virtue, the 
 I palafije„.of eternal,^happiliess. It is the heaven where 
 aspiration to good things receives its reward, and in 
 pity for the weak it stoops to help them. As the earth 
 is included by the sea, both earth and sea are sur- 
 rounded by the air of heaven, for with it the poem 
 begins and ends. It opens with these lines of the 
 Attendant Spirit: 
 
 Before the starry threshold of Jove's court 
 My mansion is, where those immortal shapes 
 Of bright aerial spirits live insphered 
 In regions mild of calm and serene air. 
 
 J 868-884. 
 2 893. 
 
Introduction xxxix 
 
 Here and there throughout the poem one may look out 
 into the infinite depth of the sky as through an open win- 
 dow in the pictures of old Dutch and Flemish masters. 
 At the command of Jove, the good spirit doffs his sky- 
 robes, spun out of Iris' woof, and descends ' swift as the 
 sparkle of a glancing star ' to convey wanderers through 
 the precincts of Comus. The magician and his rout 
 enter with these words: 
 
 The star that bids the shepherd fold 
 Now the top of heaven doth hold; 
 And the gilded car of day 
 His glowing axle doth allay 
 In the steep Atlantic stream ; 
 And the slope sun his upward beam 
 Shoots against the dusky pole, 
 Pacing toward the other goal 
 Of his chamber in the east.' 
 
 Comus speaks of the starry quire 
 
 Who, in their nightly watchful spheres, 
 Lead in swift round the months and years.'' 
 
 Again he compares the two brothers to gay creatures of 
 the element 
 
 That in the colors of the rainbow live, 
 
 And play i' the plighted clouds.' 
 
 While at the end of the poem the good spirit flies away 
 
 to 
 
 those happy climes that lie 
 "Where day never shuts his eye, 
 Up in the broad fields of the sky. 
 There I suck the liquid air. 
 All amidst the gardens fair 
 Of Hesperus, and his daughters three 
 That sing about the golden tree. 
 Along the crisped shades and bowers 
 Revels the spruce and jocund spring; 
 The Graces and the rosy-bosomed Hours 
 Thither all their bounties bring. 
 
 > 93-I01. 
 
 = 113. 
 
 »30o. 
 
Xl Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 There eternal Summer dwells, 
 
 And west winds with musky wing 
 
 About the cedarn alleys fling 
 
 Nard and cassia's balmy smells. 
 
 Iris there with humid bow 
 
 Waters the odorous banks, that blow 
 
 Flowers of more mingled hue 
 
 Than her purfied scarf can shew. 
 
 And drenches with Elysian dew 
 
 (List, mortals, if your ears be true) 
 
 Beds of hyacinth and roses, 
 
 Where young Adonis oft reposes. 
 
 Waxing well of his deep wound. 
 
 In slumber soft, and on the ground 
 
 Sadly sits the Assyrian queen. 
 
 But far above, in spangled sheen, 
 
 Celestial Cupid, her famed son, advanced 
 
 Holds his dear Psyche, sweet entranced 
 
 After her wandering labors long, 
 
 Till free consent the gods among 
 
 Make her his eternal bride, 
 
 And from her fair unspotted side 
 
 Two blissful twins are to be born. 
 
 Youth and Joy; so Jove hath sworn.' 
 
 We have now seen how Milton's imagination trans- 
 cends the particular locality of Comus, and in so doing 
 surrounds it with the large exterior world of earth and 
 sky and sea. Nor is the action unrelated to this outer 
 atmosphere, but rather draws sky and sea and earth 
 together on one horizon, as the Attendant Spirit and 
 Sabrina come from their distant homes to mingle with 
 the lives of men on earth. In accomplishing this result, 
 classical mythology plays the iniportant part oLjaxietic 
 ^uggi^Mffli^adaicfcSSI^vealready seen assignedjjo-itan 
 oth er descriptions of nalajeT' — " "" 
 
 "' . But these examples taken from Comus illustrate also 
 another quality of Milton's art — a quality which it is 
 difficult to define. I refer to a certain width of range 
 and sweep, which often, as in this case, accompanies a 
 synthesis of mythological legends; the myths seem to 
 
 * 977-IOII. 
 
Introduction xli 
 
 be transformed from their original state into something 
 large and exalted. Milton seems to carry them into a 
 larger universe, where through his poetic imagination 
 and his sense of truth he expands and purges them, 
 somewhat as Plato has done in the passage from the 
 Fhcedrus quoted near the beginning of our discussion. 
 It is this quality of range which distinguishes a passage 
 in the lines for a Vacation Exercise, where the poet 
 apostrophizes his native language: 
 
 Yet I had rather, if I were to choose, 
 
 Thy service in some graver subject use, 
 
 Such as may make thee search thy coffers round, 
 
 Before thou clothe my fancy in fit sound: 
 
 Such where the deep transported mind may soar 
 
 Above the wheeling poles, and at Heaven's door 
 
 Look in, and see each blissful deity 
 
 How he before the thunderous throne doth lie. 
 
 Listening to what unshorn Apollo sings 
 
 To the touch of golden wires, while Hebe brings 
 
 Immortal nectar to her kingly sire ; 
 
 Then, passing through the spheres of watchful fire, 
 
 And misty regions of wide air next under. 
 
 And hills of snow and lofts of piled thunder, 
 
 May tell at length how green-eyed Neptune raves, 
 
 In Heaven's defiance mustering all his waves; 
 
 Then sing of secret things that came to pass 
 
 When beldam Nature in her cradle was ; 
 
 And last, of kings and queens and heroes old, 
 
 Such as the wise Demodocus once told 
 
 In solemn songs at king Alcinous' feast, 
 
 While sad Ulysses' soul, and all the rest 
 
 Are held, with his melodious harmony, 
 
 In willing chains and sweet captivity.' 
 
 Behind these two qualities of synthesis and range 
 there lie two conditions. The first is the enormous 
 extent of Milton's learning. The second may be called 
 his inclusion of material, that is, his power of master- 
 ing it and making it subservient to the truths embodied 
 in his poetry. The first qualification is extensive, the 
 second intensive. 
 
 ' 3°-52- 
 
xlii Classical Mythology in Miltofi 
 
 A study of Milton's mythology, being limited to a par- 
 ticular kind of subject-matter, cannot furnish complete 
 evidence, but only an indication, of his attainments and 
 preferences in reading. Yet with but this partial knowl- 
 edge, we may justly wonder at the greatness of these 
 attainments. There are four poets from whom he cer- 
 tainly derived more help than from any others. These 
 are Homer, Hesiod, Vergil, and Ovid. Hesiod, in pro- 
 portion to the body of his poetry, probably furnished 
 Milton with the greatest amount of material, and nearly 
 all of this comes from the Theogony. That Milton should 
 have known Hesiod so well is not unnatural, since the 
 character of b oth poets is dignified and au stere. Of the 
 Iliad we find most frequent allusions to the First Book, 
 especially to its closing episode, and to the Second, Fifth, 
 and Eighteenth Books. Of the Odyssey the Eighth, 
 Tenth, and Eleventh Books are the favorites. The First 
 and the Sixth Books of the ^neid are apparently much 
 preferred to any others, though not infrequent use is 
 made of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth. Ovid's Metamor- 
 phoses and Fasti would naturally appeal to Milton more 
 strongly than the same poet's rather sordid love-poetry. 
 Of the Metamorphoses the First Book is most often used, 
 and the Twelfth is the only one which I have not had 
 occasion to cite. Such preferences are what we should 
 expect of Milton. He listened most gladly to the songs 
 that tell the solemn origin of the world, that celebrate 
 the noble character of a hero, declare the sanctity of poet 
 and prophet, or reveal the mysteries of the after-life. 
 
 Next in importance to these four sources are Euri- 
 pides, Pindar, Theocritus, and the Homeric Hymns. With 
 these we may mention also the prose writers, Pausanias 
 and ApoUodorus. Milton has also drawn some of his 
 mythology from JEschylus, Sophocles, Plato, the Orphic 
 Hymns, and ApoUonius of Rhodes; from Herodotus, 
 Plutarch, Pliny, Diodorus, and Strabo; from Horace, 
 Statins, Claudian, and the tragedies of Seneca. To 
 these we may add, though the list will be by no means 
 
Introduction x li i i 
 
 exhaustive, Cicero, Athenaeus, Hyginus, Aratus, Ma- 
 crobius, Lucretius, and most of the minor poets of the 
 empire.' 
 
 Having thus considered the extent of Milton's read- 
 ing, we may see how it becomes a condition of the two 
 qualities of range and synthesis already mentioned as 
 qualities of his poetry. These qualities are simply the 
 reflex of corresponding ones in the poet himself. To 
 Milton an extension of his reading was an extension of 
 his own life, with all its experience, sympathies, and 
 understanding, into the life and times of which he read. 
 It is not in the enormous store of information revealed 
 in his poems that this quality of range is principally 
 felt; it lies rather in the dignity and impressiveness 
 with which each myth has been treated, in an under- 
 lying consciousness of the high and universal truth of 
 these myths, which frees them from the limitations of 
 time and space. It is a commonplace that travel en- 
 larges a man's nature. For the high and sensitive mind 
 books do the same, and in the casse of Milton the quality 
 of wide range in his poetic utterance was a direct con- 
 sequence of the range of his own mind, which his read- 
 ing had done much to extend. 
 
 The broader and more universal knowledge and 
 sympathy which he thus acquired reinforced his ten- 
 dency to synthesis. When he came to deal with a given 
 idea or truth, he dealt with it more authoritatively and 
 universally, since he was able to summon from widely 
 divergent sources such instances as, converging upon 
 this truth, would uphold and illustrate it. 
 
 We may pause at this point to consider two or three 
 inferences, less significant in themselves, which fol- 
 low from a detailed study of Milton's classical sources. 
 The sources of his mythology served him in one or 
 both of two ways. They either furnished him with 
 mythological information, or contained poetic sugges- 
 
 ^ For a more complete idea of the topics discussed here the reader may consult the 
 index of sources on pp. 89 f¥. 
 
xliv Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 tion of which he made use in his own treatment. It may- 
 even be said that nearly every writer of whom he made 
 any considerable use assisted him to some extent in 
 both of these ways, though some of them did so princi- 
 pally in the former way, some principally in the latter, 
 and several about equally in both. The writings of the 
 prose mythographers, ApoUodorus and Hyginus, are 
 little more than storehouses of legend, and serve Milton 
 as such. He makes a similar use of the historians, 
 and some of the poets, such as ApoUonius. Yet hard 
 lines of division are impossible, for even so prosy a 
 writer as ApoUodorus may contain a word which Milton 
 transforms by the magic of poetry.' On the other hand, 
 Vergil, Pindar, Theocritus, and Horace generally contain 
 poetic beginnings for Milton — the seeds which he brings 
 to flower in a single finished epithet or expression, or 
 which, increasing, give color to an entire poem.'' Lastly, 
 the poets who served Milton most equally in both ways 
 are Homer, Hesiod, and Ovid. 
 
 The question of Milton's conformity with his origi- 
 nals is also an interesting one. It may be said, in spite 
 of well-known apparent exceptions to the contrary," 
 that he follows the details of his originals with strict 
 accuracy. The present discussion has already fur- 
 nished striking instances of this fact, and almost every 
 mythological allusion illustrates it in some way.* Yet , 
 
 1 Cf. the use of ' throttled ' at the head of a fine climax in P. R. 4. 568. This detail 
 of the fight with Antaeus is drawn from the account by ApoUodorus. See p. 8. Other 
 instances may be found in a comparison of ApoUodorus i. 6 with the poetical condensa- 
 tion in C. N. 226, and of Aristotle with the catalogue of winds in P. i.io. 695-706. See 
 pp. 83, 86. 
 
 ^Cf. * rosy-bosomed Hours,' p. 44; 'Plutonian hall,' p. 70; ' flowery-kirtled Naiads/ 
 pp. 58, 59; cf. also the relation of V A llegro to Pindar's Fourteenth Olympian ode, pp. 
 liv, 39- 
 
 3 For example the genealogies \t\ V A llegro and II Pejiseroso; but see pp. lii ff ., Iviii ff . 
 
 * I can hardly refrain from calling attention to a typical example in Arcades^ where 
 the poet speaks of 
 
 Divine Alpheus, who, by secret sluice, 
 Stole under seas to meet his Arethuse, 
 
 ' Secret sluice ' is apparently a pretty combination of Vergil's ' occultas vias' and 
 Statins' *demerso canali.' See p. 5. Of course Milton's accuracy here, as always, 
 is not observed merely for its own sake, but rather for the purpose of keeping, and, if 
 possible, of refining the poetic quality of the originals. 
 
Introduction xlv 
 
 with all his careful adherence to his sources, it seems 
 impossible that he ever adapted them directly from 
 the printed text, or that his relation to them was 
 sustained in any degree by the open book. Though 
 his treatment of a given myth may reveal the use of 
 Homer, Hesiod, and Ovid, even in minutest details, yet 
 the elements are united and mingled only as they could 
 be after not merely a process of memory, but of absorp- 
 tion and appropriation by the poet. 
 
 It is in the spirit of his treatment, however, that 
 Milton departs from his originals, for while the mythol- 
 ogy of his poetry contains a great deal which is classi- 
 cal in the best sense, and while it may contain some- 
 thing which resembles the directness of Homer, the 
 austerity of Hesiod, the exaltation of Plato, the dignity 
 of Vergil, or even the facility of Ovid, it possesses the 
 grandeur and purity that characterize Milton, and it has 
 been removed from its old surroundings that it might 
 be subservient to a new faith.' 
 
 More essential than the extent of Milton's learning 
 is what we have called his inclusion of it. His treat- 
 ment of mythology is throughout characterized by firm- 
 ness and control. It is felt in his compression of myths, 
 and in the freedom with which he moves among them 
 and groups them. It is felt more distinctly in the sub- 
 jection to which he reduces every myth. Frequently as 
 they occur, it is impossible to find one of them which is 
 not in some way subordinate to a ruling idea or truth . 
 Whether in simile, or in description of nature, or in the 
 development of a great theme, the function of the myth 
 
 1 Strongly imbued with the classics as Milton was, it would of course be wrong to 
 suppose that his mythology was not frequently modified by intermediate influences, such 
 as the patristic writings, but more often the poets, painters, and scientists of the Renais- 
 sance. The names of Lactantius, Eusebius, Dante, Boccaccio, Chaucer, Spenser, 
 Boiardo, Guido, Tasso, Ariosto, are only a few of a list which careful investigation could 
 make much longer. Yet it can hardly be doubted that when Milton turned to account in 
 his own poems a mediaeval or modern treatment of mythology, he would at the same 
 time be conscious of its original in classical literature. This being the case, the influ- 
 ence of the original upon him was likely to mingle with that of the later treatment, 
 so that his relation to the classics could hardly ever become wholly second-hand. 
 
xlvi Classical Mythology in Miltoti 
 
 in Milton's poetry is always subservient. He never 
 treats it for its own sake,. that is, merely for the sake of 
 the story or invention which it contains. Such an em- 
 ployment of the myth would have been to him a mere 
 dissipation or idle indulgence. Even the story of Bac- 
 chus and Circe, which plays an important part in Comus, 
 stands for the basest forces in humanity, and these are 
 met and overcome by others which are high and purify- 
 ing. In order to gain a clearer idea of the sense in 
 which Milton included his material it is necessary to 
 inquire into his theory concerning mythology. 
 \ J Both the early and the late poems contain direct evi- 
 dence of his view in this respect. (^The patristic and 
 mediaeval idea that, being pagan, mythology was at war 
 with Christianity) appears in the Nativity Hymn, where 
 heathen gods flee before 'the dreaded Infant's hand.' In 
 Paradise Lost all the Ionian gods — Oceanus, Saturn, Jove, 
 and the rest — belong to the host of Satan. In three 
 places Milton speaks of their oracles as abominable, or 
 as the diguised voice of Satan. While these opinions 
 were common in the Middle Ages, they were foreshad- 
 owed in the writings of Plutarch, especially in his 
 treatise on the Cessation of Oracles, nor is it unlikely that 
 in each expression of this opinion Milton may have had 
 Plutarch in mind. Thus he says in the Nativity Hymn, 
 ' The oracles are dumb,' actually quoting Plutarch; and 
 again in Paradise Regained he says, ' Henceforth the ora- 
 cles are ceased.' ' 
 
 V Milton sometimes represents the myths themselves as 
 of Satanic origin, invented to deceive men, or he speaks 
 of the gods as disguises assumed by the devils in order 
 to practise more successfully their wickedness among 
 men. I The fallen angels are said to have fabled 
 
 1 See Plutarch, Cess, of Oracles 38; P. R. l. 456; compare also Plutarch 15 with P.R. 
 2. 173-igi. Other traces of this work are to be found in Milton. Thus Night's ' shadowy- 
 cone' of P. L. 4. 776 may be compared with Cess. Or. 4, where the earth's shadow is called 
 conical. In Cess. Or. 7 Apollo is called ' lord and father of the sun,' and in 13 the moon is 
 called the ' province of Hecate.' Both expressions reserablea line in Milton's twelfth son- 
 net referring to 
 
 Latona's twin-born progeny, 
 Which after held the sun and moon in fee. 
 
Introduction xlvii 
 
 how the Serpent, whom they called 
 Ophion, with Eurynome (the wide- 
 Encroaching Eve perhaps), had first the rule 
 Of high Olympus, thence by Saturn driven 
 And Ops, ere yet Dictsean Jove was born.^ 
 
 Satan accuses Belial of hiding to waylay 
 
 Some beauty rare, Calisto, Clymene, 
 
 Daphne, or Semele, Antiopa, 
 
 Or Amymone, Syrinx, many more 
 
 Too long, then lay'st thy scapes on names adored, 
 
 Apollo, Neptune, Jupiter, or Pan, 
 
 Satyr, or Faun, or Silvan.^ 
 
 ^ p. L. lo. 580-584. This passage illustrates a theory which began with the euhemer- 
 istic method of interpreting mythology, and which seems to have been very popular in 
 Milton's time. It first consisted in explaining mythology by identifying the gods with 
 mortals mentioned in the earliest traditions. Thus Saturn was said to have been an early 
 king of men, and ^olus a weatherwise friend of sailors. Of. pp. Iviii, 43. Christian 
 writers seized upon this method of condemning mythology for its false origin, and went 
 further in identifying the classical divinities with characters of Biblical history. Thus 
 Eurynome, whose name means 'wide-encroaching,' or rather ' wide-ruling,' is identified 
 with Eve, to whom these epithets are quite as appropriate. Ophion is said to be the same 
 as the serpent of Eden, by virtue of the etymological idea of * serpent ' which the name 
 contains. Such identification often rested upon etymology, as that of Hammon with 
 Ham, y. 7. The theory is stated in P. R. 4. 334 ff. Instances are noted on pp. 17, 46, 57. 
 The most beautiful use which Milton made of this idea is found in C. N. 85 ff.: . 
 
 The shepherds on the lawn, 
 Or ere the point of dawn, 
 Sat simply chatting in a rustic row; 
 Full little thought they than 
 That the mighty Pan 
 Was kindly come to live with them below. 
 
 The identification of Pan with Christ is implied in Spenser, Skepkeards Calender^ 
 May 53. E. K., in a gloss on the passage, says ; ' *' Great Pan " is Christ, the very god 
 of all shepheards, which calleth himselfe the greate, and good shepherd. The name is 
 most rightly (methinkes) applyed to him; for Pan signifieth all, or omnipotent, which is 
 onely the Lord Jesus.' E. K. cites as an authority the PreBparaiio Evangelica of Euse- 
 bius, but the latter (5. 17. 13), on the basis of the wonderful story of Thamus at Paxi,' 
 first related by Plutarch {Cess, of Oracles 17) and recounted by E, K., seems to make Pan 
 merely a type of paganism overcome by Christianity, Plutarch relates that Thamus, an 
 Egyptian mariner, when once becalmed near the islands of Paxi, heard a loud voice 
 admonishing him to carry to Palodes the message that Great Pan was dead. At Palodes 
 Thamus in a loud voice uttered the words, * Great Pan is dead,' and forthwith the air was 
 filled with the noise of groans and dreadful lamentations. Tiberius was at that time 
 emperor in Rome, and when he heard of the matter from Thamus inquired earnestly of 
 the wise men who this Pan was, E. K. also cites Lavater, a writer of the Renaissance, 
 who In his book, De Spectrzs, etc. (pp. 114-116), after mentioning Eusebius says: 'Alii 
 religionis nostras sanctissimi viri asserunt, ut Paulus Marsus in suis annotationibus in 
 librum I. Fastorura Ovidii annotavit, earn vocem auditam e Paxis ea nocte, quse secuta 
 est passionis Dominicae diem, decimo nono anno Tiberii, quo quidem Christus passus est: 
 qua voce miraculo quodam ex solitudine desertorum scopuloram edita, nuntiatum illud sit 
 Dominum et Deum nostrum passura. Pan enim totum significat. Totius autem et 
 universse naturae dominus passus erat.' 
 2 P. R. 2. 185-191. 
 
xlviii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 ■^ Milton often speaks of the myths as fables, or affects 
 to entertain a doubt of their literal truth. He mentions 
 ' Elysian fields (if such there were).' ' He refers to 
 ' Hesperian fables,' ^ to Titans and Giants, 'whom fables 
 name of monstrous size,' and to the ' fable ' of Deucalion 
 and Pyrrha.' He contrasts the Greek Muse Calliope with 
 his own Heavenly Muse, as an 'empty dream.'* He 
 avers that the Greeks derived their songs from the 
 Hebrews, 
 
 111 imitated while they loudest sing 
 
 The vices of their deities, and their own, 
 
 In fable, hymn, or song, so personating 
 
 Their gods ridiculous, and themselves past shame. 
 
 Remove their swelling epithets, thick-laid 
 
 As varnish on a harlot's cheek, the rest. 
 
 Thin-sown with aught of profit or delight, 
 
 Will far be found unworthy to compare 
 
 With Sion's songs, to all true tastes excelling. 
 
 Where God is praised aright, and godlike men.' 
 
 If 
 "i The above passages seem to prove that Milton 
 
 assumed an attitude of antagonism and contempt 
 toward classical mythology, regarding it as empty, false, 
 and unprofitable. Taking this last quotation from Para- 
 dise Regained as the most elaborate and explicit state- 
 ment of his view, it cannot be denied that he is right in 
 charging classical myths with much that is ridiculous, 
 shameful, and even vicious. On the other hand, how 
 are we to reconcile this view with his frequent and 
 loving and reverent treatment of the myths in his 
 poetry ? 
 
 There are two passages which, presenting as strongly 
 as they do the opposite position, are most important in 
 helping us to effect such a reconciliation. The first of 
 these passages occurs in the Ninth Book of Paradise 
 
 1 D. F. I. 40. 
 
 2 p. L. 4. 250. 
 
 a P. L. 1. 197; P. R. 2. 215; cf. P. L. J. 628; 4. 706; 5. 381; 9. 431; II. 11; P. R. 2. 358. 
 
 « P. L. 7. 39. 
 
 s P. R. 4. 339-348- 
 
Introduction 
 
 Lost, where Milton calls the place in which the serpent 
 appeared to Eve 
 
 Spot more delicious than those gardens feigned 
 Or of revived Adonis, or renowned 
 Alcinous, host of old Laertes' son; 
 Or that, not mystic, where the sapient king 
 Held dalliance with his fair Egyptian spouse.' 
 
 And again in Comus the good spirit says: 
 
 'Tis not vain or fabulous 
 (Though so esteemed by shallow ignorance) 
 What the sage poets, taught by the Heavenly Muse, 
 Storied of old in high immortal verse 
 Of dire Chimeras and enchanted isles 
 And rifted rocks whose entrance leads to Hell ; 
 For such there be, but unbelief is blind.' 
 
 In the first of these quotations Milton plainly asserts 
 that the classical legends are mystic, intending thereby 
 not merely an antithesis to historical or true narrative, 
 but also the additional idea that they contain hidden or 
 deep truth of which they are the symbolic expression.' 
 In the second quotation he says that they are in the 
 best sense true, implying that they contain the deep 
 truths of life. More than that, he calls the poets who 
 treat them sage, and their poetry -high and immortal, 
 and above all says that the myths are the gift of divine 
 inspiration. What more could he say of them ? We 
 are likely to lose some of the emphasis of his statement 
 unless we remember well what divine inspiration meant 
 
 I p. L. 9. 439-443- 
 
 = c. 513-519. 
 
 =* A similar idea of poetic legend occurs in Pens. 120 : * 
 
 And if aught else great bards beside 
 In sage and solemn tunes have sung, 
 Of turneys, and of trophies bung, 
 Of forests, and enchantments drear. 
 Where more is meant than meets the ear. 
 
 The last line is almost a paraphrase of Seneca, E^. 114. i; 'in quibus plus intellegen- 
 dum esset quam audiendum.' Of. Eji. sg. 5 : ' Plus signiflcas quam loqueris." 
 
1 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 to Milton, with his pure and steadfast faith in Chris- 
 tianity, and his regard for sacred history, both Christian 
 and Hebraic, as shown in the passage already quoted 
 from Paradise Regained} 
 
 With these two apparently contradictory opinions 
 over against each other, it is only fair to make allow- 
 ance for a certain amount of inconsistency in Milton's 
 position. It is possible that at the moment of broader 
 conception he may have felt the community of truth 
 existing between Christianity and Hebraism on the one 
 hand, and Hellenism on the other,'' while at a moment 
 when for some reason his view was narrowed, the weak- 
 ness and uncertain utterance of Greek teaching may 
 have condemned it in his mind. Along with this goes 
 the fact already suggested that classical mythology con- 
 tains at once that which is both good and bad, both 
 profound and superficial, both pure and defiling. As 
 treated by one poet it becomes the outgrowth of high 
 living and aspiration; as treated by another it reflects 
 an idle and vicious imagination. These facts impose 
 upon Milton the necessity of choice. / He therefore dis- 
 tinguishes clearly between the good and the bad, exalt- 
 ing the one and condemning the other, or passing it 
 over in silence. I* Thus in one place the conception of 
 Zeus as just and powerful and beneficent is magnified;" 
 in another this divinity and his associates are thrust 
 down for their vices and depravity.* The same may be 
 said concerning Milton's use of other divinities, such as 
 the nymphs and Apollo and the Graces, and in every 
 case for his opposed conceptions there is abundant sup- 
 port in classical lore." /He prefers, too, those myths 
 which are sublime and noble, or pure and sweetv Thus 
 he deals often, as we have seen, with the mythology of 
 
 1 The entire passage, P, R. 4. 286-364, should be read. 
 
 2 Of. S. A. 497-501 and p. 80. 
 
 s Of. P. R. 4. 56s; D. F. I. 45; r. E. 39; Peni. 48; Arc. 44; C. ., 20, 41, 78, etc.; 
 Lye. 82. 
 
 « Of. P, L. I. S12; ID. 580; P. R. ^. 190, 214. 
 s See pp. 38, 39, and Ivjii with N. 1. 
 
Introduction li 
 
 the after-life, with heroes like Heracles and Odysseus, 
 and dwells upon their manliness, while he is silent 
 concerning their ungoverned passions. He loves the 
 purity of Artemis and Athene, and the gentleness of 
 the gods of the sea. 
 
 In all this Milton is not the victim of idle or change- 
 ful preference, since nothing inspired his imagination 
 without relation to his one purpose, namely, by his 
 utterance to make the soul of man purer and wiser and 
 stronger. It is the ruling force of this conscious pur- 
 pose which gives not only his treatment of mythology, 
 but all his art, its strength, completeness, and positive 
 appeal. In a time when men travel in the circle of ' art 
 for art's sake,' and turn from Milton because he is 
 'moral,' and therefore certainly not an artist, as they 
 say, the necessary relation of a definite philosophic pur- 
 pose to art, as illustrated in his poetry, should not be 
 unheeded. 
 
 It will now be better understood what is meant by 
 Milton's inclusion of his material, in which he renders 
 it subservient to a definite idea or expression. Every 
 occurrence of mythology in his poems illustrates the 
 quality of this inclusion in some way, but none of 
 them better than the companion-pieces L' Allegro and // 
 Penseroso. 
 
 Perhaps the most noticeable thing, in a first reading 
 of these poems, is the existence throughout each of cor- 
 respondence and contrast with the other. Editors com- 
 monly say that they represent the world as seen under 
 the influence of two distinct moods, and therefore the 
 melancholy so hateful at one time becomes attractive at 
 another, while of the spirit of mirth the reverse is true. 
 This merely raises the problem instead of solving it, for 
 it implies either that Milton was insincere in at least 
 one of these poems, or that he was so largely a man of 
 moods, and therefore so superficial and unphilosophical, 
 that the world which he endeavored to interpret might 
 assume, at various times, appearances diametrically 
 
Hi Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 opposed. Either implication is hardly reconcilable with 
 the order and positive consistency which generally 
 characterize his art. ' 
 
 As Milton achieved the expression of his thought in 
 these poems by means of mythology, so we may most 
 profitably approach them through the same medium. 
 The keynote of them both, that is, the deeper truth 
 which lies beneath them, is discoverable in a thorough 
 analysis of their mythology — an analysis which indeed, 
 in a few cases, has been carried on in the right direc- 
 tion, but has never been made sufficiently exhaustive in 
 any. Let us begin with L' Allegro.^ 
 
 We are to notice first of all that the poem is largely 
 concerned with the external aspect of things, and espe- 
 cially with their sound and color. This fact is illus- 
 trated by the opening lines: 
 
 Hence, loathed Melancholy, 
 
 Of Cerberus and blackest Midnight bom 
 In Stygian cave forlorn 
 
 'Mongst horrid shapes, and shrieks, and sights unholy! 
 Find out some uncouth cell, 
 
 Where brooding Darkness spreads his jealous wings, 
 And the night-raven sings; 
 
 There, under ebon shades and low-browed rocks. 
 As ragged as thy locks, 
 
 In dark Cimmerian desert ever dwell. 
 
 The genealogy of Melancholy was invented by Mil- 
 ton. It is based upon the etymology of the word, which 
 is derived from the Greek fxekayxoXia, composed of 
 jjiiXas, black, and x^V j ^^^^- The first element is repre- 
 sented by blackest Midnight, as one of the parents, and 
 is borne out by the mention of brooding Darkness, the 
 night-raven, ebon shades, and the dark Cimmerian 
 desert. The second element, meaning bile, and often 
 used by poets in the sense of anger, is typified by the 
 fierce and implacable Cerberus more successfully per- 
 
 * As the poems are too long to quote at length, the analysis will be more intelligible to 
 the reader if he follows it with the text before him. 
 
Introduction liii 
 
 haps than by any other mythical figure.' This is fur- 
 ther carried out by the mention of the Stygian cave 
 forlorn, of horrid shapes and unholy sights, of the 
 jealous wings of brooding darkness, and the ragged, 
 low-browed rocks of his abode. Sounds also, in harmony 
 with the general conception, are suggested by the 
 shrieks heard in infernal caves, and by the dissonant 
 song of the night-raven. 
 
 After this introduction the poem proper begins with 
 the invocation of Euphrosyne or Mirth. The poet first 
 mentions a late classical genealogy of the Graces, by 
 which they are made the daughters of Bacchus and 
 Venus.'' He rejects this, however, for obvious reasons. 
 The Bacchus of the ancients always denotes, in his 
 interpretation, a force antagonistic to high poetic and 
 
 1 This idea of Cerebus is prominent in Vergil and Dante^ both of whom Milton doubt- 
 less had in mind. Thus Vergil says (^Em. 6. 417-422) ; 
 
 Cerberus haec ingens latratu regna trifauci 
 Personal, adverse recubans immanis in antro. 
 Cui vates, horrere videns jam colla colubris, 
 Melle soporatam et medicatis frugibus ofEam 
 Objicit. 
 
 Dante*s description is even more elaborate {Inf. 6. 13-33) '• 
 
 Cerbero, fiera crudele e diversa, 
 
 Con tre gole caninamente latra 
 
 Sovra la gente, che quivi e sommersa. 
 Gli occhi ha vermigli, e la barba unta ed atra, 
 
 £ '1 ventre largo, ed unghiate le mani ; 
 
 Graffia gli spirti, gli scuoia ed isquatra. 
 
 Quando ci scorse Cerbero, il gran vermo, 
 
 Le bocche aperse, e mostrocci le sanne : 
 
 Non avea membro che tenesse fermo. 
 E '1 Duca mio distese le sue spanne, 
 
 Prese la terra, e con piene le pugna 
 
 La gittd dentro alle bramose canne. 
 Quale quel cane, ch' abbaiando agugna, 
 
 £ si racqueta poi che 'I pasto morde, 
 
 ChS solo a divorarlo intende e pugna; 
 Cotai si fecer quelle facce lorde 
 
 Dello demonic Cerbero, che introna 
 
 L' anime si, ch' esser vorrebber sorde. 
 2 This genealogy is found only in a scholium of Servius on the ^neid. See pp. 
 38. 39. 
 
liv Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 spiritual attainment,' and therefore not in harmony 
 with the present theme. Moreover, there is something 
 in common between the elevation and purity of Milton 
 and the elevation and purity of a poet like Pindar, of 
 whose conception of the Graces, as exemplified in the 
 Fourteenth Olympian ode, certain traces are visible in 
 this poem. Milton seems to have perceived the discord 
 between such a conception and the later and grosser 
 Grseco-Latin ideas of Bacchus and Venus. In preference 
 to this he cites from the song of ' sager poets ' another 
 origin of Mirth, namely. Zephyr and Aurora.^ This gen- 
 ealogy is usually explained as meaning that the merry 
 man's day begins at dawn, when the soft west wind is 
 blowing, but in addition to this it seems to contain 
 another idea. We have spoken already of the sensuous- 
 ness of these poems, especially with reference to color 
 and sound. The spirit of Melancholy is reflected in 
 blackness and gruesome sounds. In contrast with this 
 is Aurora, who in Milton, as at all times, suggests bright 
 color,' Mirth being thus not unnaturally associated with 
 the enjoyment of bright hues. Milton causes Euphrosyne 
 to inherit her mother's power of suggestion by filling 
 this poem with color, both through direct description 
 and through allusion. Thus the conception of Mirth 
 took place on beds of violets blue and fresh-blown roses. 
 The poet speaks of the dappled dawn, of the sweet-briar 
 and eglantine which grow near his window, of the hoar 
 hill at a distance. Beneath elms and over green hills 
 he goes to meet the sun, which comes forth 
 
 Robed in flames and amber light, 
 The clouds in thousand liveries dight. 
 
 1 Not only here is the god in effect condemned, but also by his position in Cotnus as 
 the father of an evil spirit. Especially clear is the idea in P, L, 7. 30 ff. where Milton 
 prays for the heavenly inspiration which repels the barbarous dissonance of Bacchus and 
 his revelers. See also Ele^;. 6. 55-78, quoted on p. Ix; Pens. 45-48. 
 
 2 Who the sager poets are I have not discovered. It is not unlikely that Milton had 
 some original in mind, whether classical or not, and after working some time in search of 
 his sources, one is inclined to think that he had. Until it is proved, however, the possi- 
 bility remains that his words, ' as some sager sing,' are only a modest way of saying that 
 in this case he prefers his own invention to a classical tradition. 
 
 * Cf. P. L. 5. 1, 2; 6. 3, 12; 7, 30; II. 175; /*. R. 4, 428; Pens. 123. 
 
Introduction Iv 
 
 The landscape reveals warm brown furrows and russet 
 lawns. On the barren breasts of the mountains repose 
 the clouds. The meadows are bright with daisies. Old 
 towers are seen, ' bosomed high in tufted trees,' the 
 home, perhaps, of a fair lady. Not far away arises the 
 blue smoke from a humbler hearth. We hear too of 
 ' tanned haycocks in the mead,' of dances ' in the cheq- 
 uered shade ' on sunshine holidays. At night comes the 
 nut-brown ale, with stories of the hairy goblin and his 
 shadowy flail, and after that dreams of bright-eyed 
 
 ladies: 
 
 There let Hymen oft appear 
 In saffron robe, with taper clear. 
 And pomp, and feast, and revelry, 
 With mask and antique pageantry; 
 Such sights as youthful poets dream 
 On summer eves by haunted stream. 
 
 And last comes the music which would wake Orpheus 
 
 from his golden slumber on heaped Elysian flowers. 
 
 But fully as important as the color-element is the 
 
 element of sound in this poem. The origin of Mirth is 
 
 in the combination of bright color with cheerful sound. 
 
 As Aurora represents the former, so Zephyr stands for 
 
 the latter. Milton elsewhere twice speaks, of the sound 
 
 of the west wind,' and this general conception is 
 
 extended throughout the poem. After the song of the 
 
 lark 
 
 From his watch-tower in the skies, 
 
 comes the shrill clarion of the cock, and after that the 
 voices of hounds and horn multiplied in echoes. Then 
 is heard the ploughman's cheerful whistle and the song 
 of the milkmaid, with the merry rhythm of the whetstone 
 on the scythe. On a holiday the bells ring gaily all 
 
 1 These are two out of the four references which he makes to Zephyr, In P. L. 5. 15 
 Adam speaks 
 
 with voice 
 Mild as when Zephyrus on Flora breathes. 
 Cf. V Al. 20 and Son. 20. 6. In P. L. 10. 70s Milton speaks of the lateral noise of 
 Zephyrus. 
 
Ivi Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 about, and young people come to dance to the tune of 
 jocund rebecks. At night whispering winds bring sleep, 
 and with it dreams of towered cities and the busy hum 
 of men. Then also the poet would hear 
 
 sweetest Shakespeare, Fancy's child, 
 Warble his native wood-notes wild. 
 And ever, against eating cares. 
 Lap me in soft Lydian airs, 
 Married to immortal verse, 
 Such as the meeting soul may pierce, 
 In notes with many a winding bout 
 Of linked sweetness long drawn out 
 With wanton heed and giddy cunning, 
 The melting voice through mazes running. 
 Untwisting all the chains that tie 
 The hidden soul of harmony; 
 That Orpheus' self may heave his head 
 From golden slumber on a bed 
 Of heaped Elysian flowers, and hear 
 Such strains as would have won the ear 
 Of Pluto to have quite set free 
 His half-regained Eurydice. 
 
 This perhaps will be sufficient to show how the poet 
 has adapted certain conceptions from mythology, and 
 has informed the poem throughout with their spirit. 
 
 The same thing is true of // Penseroso, although in 
 that poem it is not the color and sound which are sug- 
 gested by the mythologies at its opening. The color- 
 element is rather a reflection of the etymological idea 
 of darkness contained in the word melancholy, and the 
 element of sound supplements it in order to complete 
 the correspondence and contrast to L' Allegro. First the 
 joys of Mirth are bidden to depart and possess fond 
 fancies with gaudy shapes 
 
 As thick and numberless 
 
 As the gay motes that people the sunbeams. 
 
 Then Melancholy comes veiled in black, staid Wisdom's 
 hue, such as becomes the sister of Memnon or the ill- 
 
Introduction Ivii 
 
 fated Cassiopeia,' and wears a robe of darkest grain, 
 ' and sable stole of cypress lawn.' With her may she 
 bring Abstinence, who best hears the song of the Muses 
 about the altar of Jove; may she come at night with 
 silence or the song of the nightingale, when the moon 
 sheds her pale light and fills the trees with dark 
 shadows, or when on the stillness is borne 
 
 the far-ofiE curfew sound, 
 Over some wide-watered shore, 
 Swinging slow with sullen roar. 
 
 Within, the fire on the hearth with flickering glow 
 teaches the 'light to counterfeit a gloom,' while the 
 cricket sings, and from without is heard faintly the 
 sound of the bellman's drowsy charm. In some lonely 
 tower the poet would consort with gorgeous Tragedy, 
 moving by in sceptred pall, or listen to the sage and 
 solemn tunes of old bards and such music as that with 
 which Eurydice was won: 
 
 Thus, Night, oft see me in thy pale career. 
 
 Till civil-suited Morn appear. 
 
 Not tricked and frounced, as she was wont 
 
 With the Attic boy to hunt, 
 
 But kerchieft in a comely cloud, 
 
 While rocking winds are piping loud. 
 
 Or ushered with a shower still. 
 
 When the gust hath blown his fill, 
 
 Ending on the rustling leaves, 
 
 With minute-drops from off the eaves. 
 
 And, when the sun begins to fling 
 
 His flaring beams, me. Goddess, bring 
 
 To arched walks of twilight groves, 
 
 And shadows brown, that Sylvan loves. 
 
 Of pine, or monumental oak. 
 
 There the hum of the bee mingles drowsily with the 
 sound of murmuring waters, and there is heard the 
 
 * Cassiopeia and the sister of Memnon, being Ethiopians, are types of dark beauty. 
 Classical accounts agree tliat Cassiopeia was punished for boasting not her own beauty, 
 but that of Andromeda, her daughter. Verity says, * It is said that Apollonius the Gram- 
 marian told the story in this [Milton'sl way.' 
 
Ti 
 
 Iviii Classical Mythology i?t Milton 
 
 sweet music of spirits of the wood. Thence the poet 
 seeks the dim, colored light of a great church where 
 voices mingle with the solemn organ, and bring heaven 
 to earth. 
 
 It is thus that sound and color play throughout this 
 poem. But these rather external elements are less con- 
 spicuous than in L' Allegro by reason of others, which lie 
 deeper, and are represented by Saturn and Vesta as the 
 father and mother of Melancholy. Two characteristics 
 of the ancient Saturn or Cronus are here suggested by 
 Milton: first, his fondness for solitude and retirement; 
 second, his generally gloomy or melancholy disposition.' 
 The classical conceptions of Saturn in this respect were 
 harsh, and Milton has softened and purified them in his 
 use of them here. More distinct, however, than these 
 ideas of Saturn are the ideas of Vesta, which are princi- 
 pally three of classical origin, and a fourth, which is in 
 reality a sort of modern corollary.'' First, Vesta is the 
 goddess of the hearth, that is, of domestic retirement, 
 and in respect to her fondness for seclusion she possesses 
 something in common with Saturn." Thus they met in 
 glimmering bowers and glades, and in the secret places 
 of woody Ida's inmost grove, and there was Melancholy 
 conceived. She is invoked to bring with her Peace and 
 
 Quiet, and to 
 
 add to these retired Leisure, 
 That in trim gardens takes his pleasure. 
 
 1 The former trait seems nowhere in the classics to be explicitly attributed to him. It 
 is true that he lived in banishment in the western isles after being dethroned, but Milton 
 refers to his life in Crete. Possibly his solitude, as has been suggested, is to be inferred 
 from his hatred and suspicious fear of his wife and sous, and the plots of each against the 
 other, as well as from the fact that, though the youngest of six brothers, he usurped their 
 rights by plotting against his father and seizing the throne. See pp. 82, 74. He is also 
 generally represented by later euhemeristic writers as a king who, unlike the other gods, 
 ruled upon earth rather than in heaven. Diodorus Siculus says that he was remarkable 
 for his greed and impiety, and that Zeus, his son, by pursuing a mode of life the opposite 
 of his father's, and by rendering himself agreeable and kindly disposed to everybody, 
 drove out his father. (3. 61.) See also 5. 66, 70 and the excellent article Kronos in 
 Roscher's Lexikon der Griech. und Rom. Mythologies especially the section on euhemer- 
 istic interpretation. 
 
 2 See Preller, Grieckiscke Mythologies pp. 422, 423. 
 
 s The original distinctness of this trait in Vesta may have suggested to Milton'the 
 possibility of attributing it to Saturn, on the basis of stories already cited, though it is 
 nowhere emphasized in the classics. 
 
Introduction lix 
 
 The poet meets her near a secluded oak or in the 
 woods, where all is silence beneath the wandering 
 moon, except for the song of Philomel, 
 
 Sweet bird, that shunn'st the noise of folly, 
 Most musical, most melancholy! 
 
 In stormy weather the poet seeks Melancholy in the 
 still, removed nook beside the fireplace, 'far from all 
 resort of mirth,' or with solitary lamp at midnight he 
 would be found in a high lonely tower deep in phil- 
 osophy or poetry. When morning comes he retires into 
 the woods, beyond the reach of woodman: 
 
 There, in close covert, by some brook, 
 Where no profaner eye may look, 
 Hide me from day's garish eye. 
 
 Often he would walk in the secluded cloister or steal 
 into the retirement of a great church. At last in old 
 age his refuge becomes the mossy cell of the hermit, 
 where he may attain a ripeness of knowledge like very 
 prophecy. 
 
 A second characteristic of Vesta is that of fixity or 
 constancy, as opposed to instability, or by Milton to 
 fickleness or instability of mind.' The idea appears at 
 the very beginning of the poem, where the poet, address- 
 ing the joys of Mirth, exclaims: 
 
 How little you bested, 
 
 Or fill the fixed mind with all your toys! 
 
 He compares them also to ' hovering dreams, The fickle 
 pensioners of Morpheus' train.' But Melancholj'-, stead- 
 fast and demure, is to come in different manner, keep- 
 ing her wonted dignity, 'with even step and musing 
 gait.' Forgetting herself to marble, she fixes her eyes 
 constantly upon the earth with sad, leaden, downward 
 cast. Throughout the poem the thought of permanence 
 
 1 This is illustrated by the passage from the Phisdrus of Plato, quoted in part on p. 
 xi, where Hestia, or Vesta, remains seated in heaven while the other gods move to and fro. 
 
Ix Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 and stately dignity is present in the references to 
 tragedy, philosophy, and great poetry, and in all the 
 suggestions of movement and music and architecture/ 
 
 A third characteristic of the classical Vesta was her 
 virgin purity.' This, however, has been extended by 
 Milton to apply not only to moral purity, but also to 
 the general idea of abstinence as an indispensable con- 
 dition of highest meditation and poetic utterance.' In 
 
 1 This is especially true in 31-44, 85-102, 135 (where the poet mentions the shadows of 
 pine or monumental oak), 157-174. 
 
 ^'This trait is emphasized in the Homeric HymnSy especially in the hymn to Aphrodite, 
 21 £f. 
 
 3 This thought, so important to Milton, must constantly be kept in mind in an intel- 
 ligent reading of his poetry. Besides its beautiful elaboration in the present poem (cf. 
 esp. 45-48) it is set forth in a wonderful passage of the Sixth Latin Elegy, which for its 
 noble loveliness I cannot refrain from quoting at length. To his friend Diodati, who is 
 enjoying the festivities of Christmas with friends near Chester, he admits that convivial 
 pleasures find a certain place in poetry, though not a noble one : 
 
 Namque Elegia levis multorum cura deorum est, 
 
 Et vocat ad numeros quemlibetilla suos; 
 Liber adest elegis, Eratoque, Ceresque, Venusque, 
 
 Et cum purpurea matre tenellus Amor. 
 Talibus inde licent convivla larga poetis, 
 
 Ssepius et veteri^commaduisse mero. 
 At qui bella refert, et adulto sub Jove cselum, 
 
 Heroasque pios, semideosque duces, 
 Et nunc sancta canit superUm consulta deorum, 
 
 Nunc latrata fero regna profunda cane, 
 Ille quidem parce, Samii pro more magistri, 
 
 Vivat, et innocuos prsebeat herba cibos; 
 Stet prope fagineo pellucida lympha catillo, 
 
 Sobriaque e puro pocula fonte bibat. 
 Additur huic scelerisque vacans et casta juventus, 
 
 Et rigidi mores, et sine lafae manus; 
 Qualis veste nltens sacra, et lustralibus undis, 
 
 Surgis ad infensos augur iture Deos. 
 Hoc ritu vixisse ferunt post rapta sagacem 
 
 Lumina Tiresian, Ogygiumque Linen, 
 Et lare devoto profugum Calchanta, senemque 
 
 Orpheon edomitis sola per antra feris; 
 Sic dapis exiguus, sic rivi potor Homerus 
 
 Dulichium vexit per freta longa virum, 
 Et per monstrificam Ferseise Phcebados aulam, 
 
 Et vada fosmineis insidiosa sonis, 
 Perque tuas, rex irae, domos, ubi sanguine nigro 
 
 Dicitur umbrarum detinuisse greges : 
 Diis etenim sacer est vates, divflraque sacerdos, 
 
 Spirat et occultum pectus et era Jovem. 
 At tu si quid agam scitabere (si modo) saltern 
 
 Esse putas tanti noscere siquid agam). 
 
Introduction Ixi 
 
 so doing he includes with the ancient and more lim- 
 ited conception a modern adaptation or corollary of it^ 
 by which the word * vestal,* originally the vowed purity 
 of the pagan priestess, becomes nearly synonymous 
 
 Paciferum canimuscEelesti semine regem, 
 
 Faustaque sacratis SEecula pacta Ubris; 
 Vagituraque Dei, et stabulantem paupere tecto 
 
 Qui suprema suo cum patre regna colit; 
 Stelliparumque polum, modulantesque aethere turmas, 
 
 Et subito elisos ad sua fana Deos, 
 Dona quidem dedimus Christi natalibus ilia; 
 
 Ilia sub auroram lux mihi prima tulit. 
 
 The following translation of these lines is taken from the Cambridge edition of 
 Milton's poems : ' For light elegy is the care of many gods, and calls to its numbers 
 whom it will; Erato, Ceres, Venus, all gladly come, and tender stripling Love with his 
 rosy mother. But the poet who will tell of wars, and of Heaven under adult Jove, and 
 of pious heroes, and leaders half-divine, singing now the holy counsels of the gods above, 
 and now the realms profound where Cerberus howls, — such a poet must live sparely, after 
 the manner of Pythagoras, the Samian teacher. Herbs must furnish him his innocent 
 food; clear water in a beechen cup, sober draughts from the pure spring, must be his 
 drink. His youth must be chaste and void of offence; his manners strict, his hands 
 without stain. He shall be like a priest shining in sacred vestment, washed with lustral 
 waters, who goes up to make augury before the jealous gods. Thus righteously, they 
 say, wise Tiresias lived, after his eyes were darkened; and Linus, and Calchas, who fled 
 from his doomed hearth, and Orpheus, roaming in old age through lonely caverns, 
 quelling the wild beasts with his music. So, a spare eater and a drinker of water, Homer 
 carried Odysseus through the long straits, through the monster-haunted hall of Circe, 
 and the shoals where the sirens made insidious music; and through thy realms, nether- 
 most king, where they say he held with a spell of black blood the troops of the shades. 
 Yea, for the bard is sacred to the god ; he is their priest ; mysteriously from his lips and 
 his breast he breathes Jove. But if you will know what I am doing, I will tell you, if 
 indeed you think my doings worth your concern. lam singing the King of Heaven, 
 bringer of peace, and the fortunate days promised by the holy book; the wanderings of 
 God, and the stabling under a poor roof of Him who rules with his father the realms 
 above; the star that led the wizards, the hymning of angels in the air, and the gods 
 flying to their endangered fanes. This poem I made as a birthday gift for Christ; 
 the flrst light of Christmas dawn brought me the theme.' 
 
 The reference to the Nativity Hymn^ in view of the sublimity of that poem, seems 
 like an unconscious proof of the poet's statement. The same thought occurs in 
 Comus 453-463 : 
 
 So dear to Heaven is saintly chastity 
 
 That, when a soul is found sincerely so, 
 
 A thousand liveried angels lackey her, 
 
 Driving far ofE each thing of sin and guilt, 
 
 And in clear dream and solemn vision 
 
 Tell her of things that no gross ear can hear; 
 
 Till oft converse with heavenly habitants 
 
 Begin to cast a beam on the outward shape, 
 
 The unpolluted temple of the mind. 
 
 And turns it by degrees to the soul's essence. 
 
 Till all be made immortal. 
 See also P. L. 7. 30-39; cf. C. 702-705, 784-787. 
 
Ixii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 with the word ' nun ' arid its connotation of a temperate 
 or abstemious life, devoted to truth and goodness. A 
 somewhat similar idea appears in Shakespeare's Venus 
 and Adonis: 
 
 Love-lacking vestals and self -loving nuns/ 
 
 and in Pericles: 
 
 A vestal livery will I take me to, 
 And never more have joy.' 
 
 In Milton, the invocation of Melancholy reflects the 
 same association of ideas: 
 
 Come, pensive Nun, devout and pure. 
 Sober, steadfast, and demure. 
 
 It is continued in the lines, 
 
 Come; but keep thy wonted state. 
 With even step, and musing gait. 
 
 Melancholy is again addressed as 'sad Virgin, sage and 
 holy,' and is represented as hidden from profane eyes. 
 The idea of holy retirement is continued in the refer- 
 ence to the cloister and the cathedral, and receives its 
 highest and broadest expression in the closing lines. 
 
 And may at last my weary age 
 Find out the peaceful hermitage. 
 The hairy gown and mossy cell, 
 Where I may sit and rightly spell 
 Of every star that heaven doth shew, 
 And every herb that sips the dew. 
 Till old experience do attain 
 To something like prophetic strain. 
 
 In addition to these leading mythological ideas of 
 // Penseroso there may also be another. Vesta was pri- 
 marily the goddess of fire, with which element her 
 name is thought to be etymologically connected. Under- 
 
 ' 7S2- 
 
 = 3. 4. 10; cf. 4. 5. 7; R. and J. 2. 2. 8; 3. 3. 38. 
 
Introduction Ixiii 
 
 neath Milton's poem a sort of dazzling brightness or 
 fire appears to smolder, which here and there breaks 
 through into sight, and is again covered. Thus Melan- 
 choly is a celestial being at first: 
 
 But, hail ! thou Goddess sage and holy ! 
 Hail, divinest Melancholy! 
 Whose saintly visage is too bright 
 To hit the sense of human sight, 
 And therefore to our weaker view 
 O'erlaid with black, staid Wisdom's hue. 
 
 So Melancholy is brought from the glory of her heav- 
 enly abode into the lower life of men. There is a touch 
 of light in the mention of 'bright-haired Vesta,' and 
 
 again in those 
 
 looks commercing with the skies, 
 Thy rapt soul sitting in thine eyes; 
 There, held in holy passion still, 
 Forget thyself to marble. 
 
 Dying out with Melancholy's 'sad, leaden, downward 
 cast,' it reappears in the lines, 
 
 But, first and chiefest, with thee bring 
 Him that yon soars on golden wing, 
 Guiding the fiery-wheeled throne, 
 The Cherub Contemplation. 
 
 There is another suggestion of it in the glowing embers 
 on the retired hearth, and in the far-reaching gleam of 
 the lamp at midnight from the high, lonely tower, and 
 possibly in the suggestion of rich, burning colors of 
 cathedral windows. It is difficult to explain the mean- 
 ing of this fiery element. It would seem, however, to 
 signify the burning enthusiasm of true and lofty genius, 
 or perhaps the flame of pure truth — the flame that fires 
 genius in a contact effected only by temperance and 
 retirement. 
 
 The course pursued by otir analysis has of necessity 
 been intersected by its own line more than once. This, 
 however, is simply a proof of Milton's great artistic 
 
Ixiv Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 power in blending the different ideas so that they are 
 inextricably mingled in one word or expression. Thus 
 the epithet 'pensive' suggests a steady as well as a 
 retiring nature, and the downcast eyes are significant of 
 both reticence and purity. 
 
 With the aid of this detailed inquiry we may come, 
 perhaps, to a better understanding of these two poems, 
 and realize that after all they are not directly anti- 
 podal, but rather complemental. Thus, as we have 
 already noticed, the general aspect of things in L' Alle- 
 gro is more external than in // Penseroso. It charms 
 most of all with its gaiety of color and sound. 
 These elements are present also in the more serious 
 poem, but being in this case unessential, are not sug- 
 gested by the mythology. The most important differ- 
 ence between the two is marked by the fact that 
 mythology is here reserved for the expression of 
 deeper and more permanent thoughts, to which sound 
 and color bear an incidental relation. We may look 
 upon the two poems as harmonized expressions of a 
 great personality, the one presenting the world as it 
 appears to the poet in his less thoughtful contempla- 
 tion of it, the other a more penetrating view, using the 
 world as the interpreter of a permanent and devout 
 philosophy by which all life proves to be serious and 
 full of meaning, though still deeply and constantly joy- 
 ous, because its meaning is understood. 
 
 Somewhat the same thought may be approached 
 from another direction. It will be noticed that the 
 monstrous Melancholy at the beginning of L' Allegro is 
 not in any sense the same as the ' Goddess sage and 
 holy ' of // Penseroso, nor is the meretricious Folly in the 
 prelude of the latter the same as the Euphrosyne of the 
 former. Each prelude seems rather to represent an 
 extreme of which the poems proper are the corrective. 
 The gaudy and uncertain brood of Folly designates the 
 joys of the man |who has no philosophy or religion, 
 whose entire life is lived only in view of the present 
 
Introduction Ixv 
 
 tnoment, with the one hope that the next moment will 
 in some way vary the sensual enjoyment of this. On 
 the other hand, the daughter of Cerberus and black- 
 est Midnight typifies a morbid brooding over self and 
 the world, in disregard of the joyous aspect of life, 
 ending in monstrous pessimism, which looks upon all 
 things asquint. But true joy of heart, however spon- 
 taneous and buoyant, is never gross and fleshly. It is 
 good and lovely by reason of an underlying temper- 
 ance which gives it gentleness, and makes it positively 
 moral and artistic. Likewise true melancholy in its re- 
 tirement and meditation does not forget innocent play- 
 fulness and the sound of sweet laughter, but is kept 
 pure by a consciousness of these things. Taken in 
 this sense, each of these poems represents a sort of 
 prerequisite for the enjoyments and appreciations set 
 forth in the other. Only the man who is pure in heart 
 and able to withdraw into himself can with safety and 
 genuine delight enjoy the pleasures described in L'Alle 
 gro. Only the man who knows these joys can safely 
 and truly be his own philosopher or the teacher of other 
 men. 
 
 That Milton deliberately set about the exposition of 
 this abstract truth by means of these two poems is 
 improbable. He is himself a beautiful example of the 
 nature which insists upon knowing both the joyous and 
 the serious side of life, and upon harmonizing the two 
 in his own manner of living. It is such a character that 
 pervades both of these poems through and through, and 
 it is the artistic and moral quality of this character 
 which we feel more distinctly the more we reflect upon, 
 them. 
 
 We shall now better understand in what sense Mil- 
 ton included his poetic material, or, in this case, his 
 mythology. Without detracting from its ancient rich- 
 ness and significance, he has refined and exalted it to 
 become the medium through which he gives himself to 
 the world. 
 
Ixvi Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 But in order to fit his mythology for this purpose, 
 the process of inclusion had first to affect it in a differ- 
 ent way. I refer to Milton's quick and accurate percep- 
 tion of the highest poetic quality and possibilities in 
 the mythology of which he made use. This has already 
 been illustrated in our analysis of the descriptions of 
 nature.' Once having felt the poetic value of any 
 mythical representation or oft-repeated tradition, he has 
 the great artist's power of purging away the grosser 
 elements, and of reducing it to the pure and final form. 
 Take, for example, a refence in Comus to ' the flowery- 
 kirtled Naiades." This little epithet includes in a 
 beautifiilly chaste manner a tradition which recurs a 
 number of times in the classics, and is occasionally 
 adapted in modern times.' It consists in the natural 
 association of flowers with the apparel, particularly the 
 robes, of wood-nymphs or water-nymphs, or with the 
 Hours who come leading the Spring. The idea is found 
 as early as a fragment of the Cypria, quoted by Athenseus,' 
 where it is somewhat elaborate. It is seen again in the 
 Orphic Hymns,^ in a fragment of Hermippus," in Ovid,' 
 and possibly in Plato. ^ Two instances of its modern 
 adaptation may also be mentioned. The one is the 
 figure of Primavera in Botticelli's Spring. Her robe, 
 loose and flowing, is richly embroidered all over with 
 a pattern consisting of little bunches of flowers. The 
 other instance is in Watson's translation of Italian 
 madrigals: 
 
 Zephyrus, breathing, now calls nymphs from out there bowres. 
 To play and wanton, in roobes of sundry flow'rs.' 
 
 1 See pp. xxviii, xxix; cf. xxxiv. 
 
 ^ C 254- 
 
 s See pp. s8, 59- 
 
 * IS. 682. 
 = 42. 6. 
 
 * Kock, Com. AH. Frag. 3. 226. 
 
 ^ Fast. 5. 217; cf, Ars Am, 3. 173 ff. 
 e Rei>. 8. 5S7 C. 
 
 * See The Journal of Germanic Philology 2. 337, in an article, Watson^ s ' Italian 
 Madrigals Englished; by F. I. Carpenter. To Professor Albert S. Cook I owe acknowl- 
 edgment for calling my attention to this instance. 
 
Introduction Ixvii 
 
 The idea is here introduced by the translator, and does 
 not occur in the original. 
 
 Between these several instances the conception 
 varies. In some it evidently is that of an embroidered 
 flower-pattern, as in Botticelli and possibly Ovid, in 
 others of garments dyed in the variegated colors of 
 flowers, as in the Cypria and in a comparison of the two 
 citations from Ovid; in others still of robes of fresh 
 flowers actually woven together, as in the close of the 
 fragment of the Cypria, and in the Orphic hymn, and the 
 fragment of Hermippus. The question of the compara- 
 tive artistic value of these conceptions seems hardly sig- 
 nificant, for each, if defined too closely, loses suggest- 
 iveness and illusion by that very fact. Ovid seems to 
 have realized this, and in speaking of the Hours as 
 'pictis incinctae vestibus' he apparently depends upon 
 his context and the general nature of these divinities for 
 any suggestion of flowers.' If anything, he has gone 
 too far in the opposite direction, and lacks sufficient 
 definiteness. The epithet ' flowery-kirtled,' however, 
 contains a more vivid suggestion of flowers and of 
 dainty and graceful dress. Yet it does not go far 
 enough to define the particular mode of applying the 
 one to the other. It is thus that Milton establishes the 
 just balance between the definite and the indefinite, and 
 includes the full content of the classical tradition within 
 an expression at once brief, restrained, and finished. 
 The sweetness of many an ancient verse has been gath- 
 ered and distilled, like the honey of Hymettus, into 
 this single pellucid and quintessential epithet.' 
 
 These examples are enough to show that, in the rela- 
 tion of Milton to the myths which he used, his mere 
 
 1 The passage is Fast. 5. 217, 218 ; 
 
 Conveniunt pictis incinctae vestibus Horse 
 Inque leves caiathos munera nostra legunt. 
 
 2 Milton's power of toucliing a thing lightly, and leaving it richly charged with sug- 
 gestion by the avoidance of hard definition, is found in his characterization of Sleep in // 
 Penseroso, See p. xxxiv. 
 
Ixviii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 acquaintance with the facts or story — that which often 
 seems like the most wonderful thing, by reason of its 
 extent — is after all the least significant and profitable to 
 us. What we are rather to consider is the power of the 
 artist, the teacher, the great character, which perceives 
 and adds to the value of the fables, and makes them a 
 new and living revelation. 
 
 In attempting to explain Milton's power over his 
 material one word suggests itself, but it names a char- 
 acteristic of the poet which differentiates him from his 
 period, and, in fact, from all the movement known as 
 the Renaissance. It is his clearness of vision. With 
 the detailed scrutiny of the Renaissance added to the 
 exalted faith of the Middle Ages, and the clearness 
 and intellectuality of true classicism, he looked upon 
 the world with a more perfect comprehension of its 
 meaning and of the right purpose in life. Throughout 
 his poems there is passionate but steady contemplation 
 of things which men of his time either failed to see, or 
 saw but faintly and apart from life itself. They are the 
 eternal truths which lie around and above this life, and 
 through which all things act in cooperation, and not in 
 contradiction, as it appears to the worldly man. Of 
 such a vision the poet is conscious in the beautiful 
 lament for his blindness at the opening of the Third 
 Book of Paradise Lost:^ 
 
 So much the rather thou, Celestial Light, 
 
 Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers 
 
 Irradiate; there plant eyes; all mist from thence 
 
 Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell 
 
 Of things invisible to mortal sight. 
 
 This light shines through the passage already quoted 
 from the Vacation Exercise,^ in which the poet apos- 
 trophizes his native language. Milton's starting-point 
 in this passage is evidently Homer. One remem- 
 bers Homer's famous picture of the gods gathered on 
 
 ' 3- 51-55- 
 " p. xli. 
 
Introduction Ixix 
 
 Olympus, enjoying feast and song, upon which the open- 
 ing of Milton's lines is based.' So the song of Demod- 
 ocus, further on, is drawn from the Odyssey, and the rag- 
 ing of Neptune may be a reminiscence of the god's oppo- 
 sition to Zeus in the Iliad^ Hesiod and the Orphic 
 Hymns and Ovid, who sang of the early beginnings of 
 things, are suggested. But Milton's use of the old 
 authors in this case implies an extension of their orig- 
 inal meaning. For example he could not have believed 
 that it requires a deep transported mind to enjoy 
 Homer's Olympus. Nor were circumstances all that he 
 would call blissful on the occasion described in the 
 Iliad. He would not wholly approve the song which 
 Homer was likely to put into the mouth of Apollo, 
 and he certainly would not suffer sweet captivity 
 at the songs of Demodocus about the sordid intrigue 
 of Ares with Aphrodite, and the desperate fight at 
 Troy. He did not, as a poet, attempt to subject men to 
 the bondage imposed by such tales. 
 
 This whole passage seems to be informed with the 
 high philosophy of Milton, and though this philosophy 
 is at first hardly perceived for the sensuous richness of 
 the lines, yet, when once discovered, it is beautifully 
 illuminated by the very cause of the former obscurity. 
 The deep transported mind, rising above the temporal 
 and incomplete things of life, looks in at Heaven's door, 
 and there beholds in unclouded vision the infinite and 
 eternal ideals of bravery, purity, wisdom, love, power, 
 constancy, justice. Each is in harmony with the rest, 
 and all are in harmony with final and perfect truth. In 
 loving consciousness of such ideals life is to be meas- 
 ured, determined, and directed, that it may not be in 
 vain. Only with the sense of the true values revealed 
 in such a vision is the poet to interpret the world to 
 men, to sing of origins and causes, to contemplate hills 
 of snow and lofts of piled thunder, or the raging sea, 
 
 >■ II. I. 584 ff.; see p. 40, 
 
 2 Od. 8; //. 1. 399; 15. 162 ff.; see p. 62. 
 
Ixx Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 and to recount histories of kings and queens and heroes 
 old. Such songs transcend those of Demodocus and 
 Hesiod and Ovid, for they reveal a profounder vision to 
 men, and captivate them to a bondage which alone lib- 
 erates the pent-up energies of the spirit. 
 
 This perception of the organic and concordant nature 
 of the universe — a perception which should control and 
 beautify even the lowliest acts — often suggested to 
 Milton the harmonious sound of perfect music. The 
 conception of truth and noble conduct as sweet music 
 is Platonic, but it is exalted by Milton into the solem- 
 nity of Christian worship and service, just as the Greek 
 chant may have become by religious transformation the 
 pure and uplifting Gregorian. The Platonic thought 
 appears in these lines of Arcades, spoken by the Genius 
 of the Wood: 
 
 But else, in deep of night, when drowsiness 
 Hath locked up mortal sense, then listen I 
 To the celestial Sirens' harmony, 
 That sit upon the nine infolded spheres, 
 And sing to those that hold the vital shears. 
 And turn the adamantine spindle round 
 On which the fate of gods and men is wound. 
 Such sweet compulsion doth in music lie. 
 To lull the daughters of Necessity, 
 And keep unsteady Nature to her law. 
 And the low world in measured motion draw 
 After the heavenly tune, which none can hear 
 Of human mold with gross unpurged ear.' 
 
 But Milton's most perfect expression of this truth is 
 the poem known as the Solemn Music: 
 
 Blest pair of Sirens, pledges of Heaven's joy, 
 Sphere-born harmonious sisters. Voice and Verse, 
 Wed your divine sounds, and mixed power employ, 
 Dead things with inbreathed sense able to pierce; 
 And to our high-raised phantasy present 
 That undisturbed song of pure concent. 
 Aye sung before the sapphire-colored throne 
 
 1 Arc. 61-73. 
 
Introduction Ixxi 
 
 To Him that sits thereon. 
 
 With saintly shout and solemn jubilee; 
 
 Where the bright Seraphim in burning row 
 
 Their loud uplifted angel-trumpets blow, 
 
 And the Cherubic host in thousand quires 
 
 Touch their immortal harps of golden wires, 
 
 With those just Spirits that wear victorious palms, 
 
 Hymns devout and holy psalms 
 
 Singing everlastingly: 
 
 That we on earth, with undiscording voice 
 
 May rightly answer that melodious noise; 
 
 As once we did, till disproportioned sin 
 
 Jarred against nature's chime, and with harsh din 
 
 Broke the fair music that all creatures made 
 
 To their great Lord, whose love their motion swayed 
 
 In perfect diapason, whilst they stood 
 
 In first obedience, and their state of good. 
 
 O, may we soon again renew that song, 
 
 And keep in tune with Heaven, till God ere long 
 
 To his celestial consort us unite. 
 
 To live with Him, and sing in endless morn of light! 
 
 It has already been remarked that Milton's inclusive 
 vision distinguishes him from his age and from the 
 spirit of the Renaissance. The nature of this differ- 
 ence is essentially described by certain words of Ruskin 
 in The Stones of Venice. He says at the beginning of his 
 chapter on the Roman Renaissance: ' The moral, or 
 immoral, elements which unite to form the spirit of 
 Central Renaissance architecture are, I believe, in the 
 main two — pride and infidelity.' Of these we may set 
 aside infidelity as the natural consequence of pride, and 
 extend Ruskin's statement by saying that in greater or 
 less degree pride formed an element in the life and art 
 of the Renaissance wherever the influence of this 
 movement was felt. 
 
 The pride of the Renaissance consisted in its human- 
 ism, that is, its extreme yet often narrow interest, not 
 in humanity as a whole composed of interdependent 
 parts, but in the human individual. So absorbing did 
 this interest tend to become that men forgot to think of 
 
Ixxii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 things which are higher and more important than even 
 the single human life. Their attention was devoted to 
 the facts and phenomena of this world. Their ideal of 
 beauty was the human body. They were absorbed in 
 contemplation of the individual heart and mind, not as a 
 revelation of divine truth, but simply as interesting 
 and curious in themselves. They devoted themselves 
 body and soul to the studies which most supported and 
 satisfied this interest, namely the classics. They dwelt 
 long upon the humanistic element in classical literature, 
 and generally missed the finer and more elevating influ- 
 ence of Hellenism. 
 
 One of the commonplaces of the art of drawing is 
 the necessity of perfect proportion. If in a picture 
 every line and mass is not justly related to every other 
 in size, shape, direction, and quality, the representation 
 is not a true one, and loses value according to these 
 shortcomings. Any one who has tried to draw will 
 remember his encounter with this principle. He may 
 have attempted to draw a house with a tree beside it. 
 He sets out to draw the house first, and becomes so 
 interested in it that he entirely forgets the tree; then 
 in turn the operation of reproducing the tree drives 
 any thought of the house out of his mind. The result 
 is two pictures, one of a house, the other of a tree, not 
 one picture in which the tree and house serve each to 
 reveal the character of the other. 
 
 The pride of the Renaissance is at bottom just such 
 a fault, and consists in an imperfect sense of values and 
 proportions. It exaggerates out of all proportion the 
 human individual and his earthly interests, and disre- 
 gards the divine and transcendent things which give 
 human life its real and highest value. 
 
 In two ways this pride of the Renaissance makes itself 
 manifest. In its first phase it appears as the wonder 
 and enthusiasm which accompany the discovery and 
 revelation of strange new things in the world and in 
 human life. It must be admitted that this spirit of 
 
Introduction Ixxiii 
 
 enthusiasm is most charming and attractive, especially 
 as it is felt in the paintings of Holbein or Rembrandt, 
 or in the plays of Shakespeare. Men who were pos- 
 sessed with it seem thrilled with the strangeness of 
 human nature and human beauty. They were deter- 
 mined to become familiar with these wonderful things. 
 They examined, experimented, measured, and reflected, 
 in order to gain the power of holding the mirror up to 
 nature'. Each man, according to his peculiar nature 
 and power, might be fascinated with a particular phase 
 of human life, and would devote his entire energy to 
 an expression of it, but in whatever direction he 
 worked the general result was the same, and all labored, 
 in effect, to exalt and glorify the individual man. 
 
 The pictures of Holbein, for example, demonstrate 
 first of all the glory of the human intellect. He was 
 the artist who could most fully express the intellectual 
 vigor of Erasmus, More, and Amerbach. His other 
 portraits reveal the same mental energy, and it appears 
 in many of his compositions. It is marked by the full 
 brow, the firm lips, the spare face, and the keen eye. 
 Especially in the portraits are felt the repose and 
 confidence which go with power of intellect. The 
 glance of the eye is direct and searching, and so intense 
 that the artist makes it a rule to turn the face aside. 
 When he does not do so, the penetrating gaze of the 
 eyes is almost violent. Holbein's manner of working 
 is itself intellectual. His expression is distinct and 
 clear-cut. He draws only the most significant lines, 
 but each one is as fine and incisive and telling as 
 expert argument. He makes most effective use of con- 
 trast. Though he does not become cold and hard, yet 
 at his best he lacks the geniality of the great Dutch 
 artists, a lack which often goes with great intellectual 
 power. 
 
 If Holbein glorifies the human intellect, Rembrandt 
 glorifies human state and bearing. Not by gorgeous col- 
 ors or the display of dazzling physical beauty and gigan- 
 
]xxiv Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 tic muscular strength does he produce his result, but by 
 dignity of proportion and movement and attitude and 
 countenance. Whether the expression is grave, as it 
 more often is, or jovial, one can always see in it the same 
 assured repose, the same sense of great attainment, of 
 mastery and superiority. Rembrandt prefers large and 
 noble features. He often throws a warm shadow over 
 the eyes, thus increasing the impressive mystery of 
 their power. The glory of his subject is enhanced by a 
 certain Oriental richness, due perhaps to the large 
 Hebraic element in his art, and consisting partly in the 
 peculiar use of chiaroscuro. While the most important 
 part of his picture is flooded with a soft light, the rest 
 is enveloped in a deep golden gloom, through which 
 objects only half appear. The effect of richness is 
 increased by Rembrandt's choice of these objects. Per- 
 haps he suggests the heavy texture of velvets and furs 
 and brocades, or we catch the subtile gleam from a 
 jewel or a gold chain. Sometimes it is the splendid 
 line of a long plume in a portrait, or in composition 
 a grand architectural background of tall pillars and 
 high vaulting and broad steps. Whatever the detail it 
 contributes in some way to the glory of the central 
 figure or group. 
 
 In these two examples of northern Renaissance art, 
 the humanistic interest concerns itself with the phys- 
 ical aspects principally as a means of expressing that 
 which lies beneath. The interest in physical beauty 
 itself is more characteristic of the south, and one of 
 many examples is the so-called portrait of Mona Lisa by 
 Leonardo da Vinci. In spite of what the picture has 
 suffered from restoration, Mona Lisa is still generally 
 regarded as one of the most beautiful women in art. In 
 the sense of purely superficial appearance this may be 
 true, but when it comes to the question of Mona Lisa's 
 character the world is divided. The picture is one of a 
 woman sitting, slightly turned to the left, with her 
 crossed hands resting upon some low support in front 
 
Introduction Ixxv 
 
 of her. Her head is erect, and she looks straight out of 
 the picture. Her dress is simple — not even rich. The 
 hair, partly covered by a veil, falls in fine, loose curls to 
 either shoulder. All the outlines are unobtrusive, and 
 the head and features are extremely regular and well- 
 proportioned. A faint smile emphasizes the fulness of 
 the face, especially above and under the eyes and about 
 the mouth. No less beautiful are the hands. They are 
 neither so full that they are flabby, nor so thin that 
 they are angular, but a perfect combination of softness 
 and firmness. They seem to be not painted, but molded, 
 so that their fine form and texture can almost be felt. 
 The whole figure is gentle, graceful, and dignified. So 
 great is its external charm that we are likely to forget 
 for a time that there is aught beside to be considered. 
 Yet something is evidently meant by those eyes, partly 
 covered as they are with the lids, by the arched brow, 
 by the rising oblique shadows at the corner of the 
 mouth, by the half visible curl of the under lip. What 
 are we to think ? Is this lady gentle, and pure, and 
 sweet .' Or is she, as one feels convinced at times, a 
 woman versed and practised in all the vice and iniquity 
 of the Italian Renaissance, quietly regarding the world, 
 with shameless defiance ? The case of Mona Lisa 
 remains just this. The picture is valuable merely as an 
 expression of the exterior beauty of a woman. The 
 problem to which it gives rise may furnish gossip, but 
 it does not make the picture a great work of art, any 
 more than the problem of Hamlet's madness proves the 
 essential excellence of Shakespeare's drama. 
 
 The sincere interest and enthusiasm with which 
 these artists worked is charming enough to make us 
 often forget that their vision was limited to this world, 
 and that the celestial light in the pictures of Memling 
 and VanEyck does not find its way into theirs. The real 
 danger of a vision thus limited is better understood 
 when we consider the second way in which the pride of 
 the Renaissance is manifest. The early enthusiastic 
 
Ixxvi Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 ardor of humanism remained fresh in the hearts of 
 many men. Especially was this true in the north, where 
 their study of the individual always offered them some- 
 thing new and fascinating. But where the lively inter- 
 est did pass away, it left in its place the ambition to 
 exalt self, to perform some astonishing feat which 
 should dazzle the world and cover the performer with 
 vainglory. It was the spirit of self-conscious achieve- 
 ment which characterized the works of art and scholar- 
 ship. The painter was proud of his technique, the 
 scholar became a pedant, the artist exulted in fulsome 
 extravagance and oppressive bigness, and painter and 
 scholar and architect alike forgot the glory of God, 
 which they of all men should uphold. It was such a 
 spirit which produced quantities of hollow and artificial 
 neo-Latin poetry. It built a cathedral like St. Paul's in 
 London, with its heavy piers, and low-browed, ponder- 
 ous cornices, and tawdry grossness, and filled it with 
 tombs hideous as a nightmare. It painted the religious 
 pictures of Rubens, tricky and meretricious and insin- 
 cere as they are. Perhaps the most wonderful thing 
 about Rubens is his technique, that is, his ready power 
 to perform brilliant feats of drawing and coloring, and 
 to throw into his pictures a certain superficial unity of 
 arrangement. Since the only value of these pictures is 
 spectacular, any deeper unity of meaning is absent. He 
 aims, furthermore, by violent and sensational means to 
 impress and stagger men, with a view only to the first 
 effect. He forgot, or perhaps never knew, that the in- 
 fluence of the best art is not violent or sudden, but 
 gradual and incessant. 
 
 Let us take, for example, the Christ on the Cross in 
 the Antwerp Museum. Rubens has produced his unity 
 by dividing his figures into five groups, and putting one 
 in each corner and one in the middle. The two upper 
 corners are occupied each by a thief. In the lower left- 
 hand corner are the soldiers, in the lower right are the 
 women, and the figure of Christ, as the centre of inter- 
 
Introduction Ixxvii 
 
 est, is raised somewhat above the middle of the canvas. 
 This grouping is further emphasized by a system of 
 strongly contrasted lights and shadows. These are so 
 skilfully thrown into relief that they mark lines of direc- 
 tion which lead the eyes from outside the picture to the 
 central figure of Christ, placed full in the highest and 
 most conspicuous light of all. Thus from the lower 
 left-hand corner the glance is easily carried along by 
 lights on the tail and neck of a horse, and on the soldiers' 
 long spears. Above, the body and arms of a prisoner 
 serve the same purpose. On the right side the line of 
 direction is first assumed in the lower corner by the 
 weak and voluptuous lines of the Virgin's hands and 
 drapery, and the light on her averted face. The line is 
 then picked up by the trunk of the cross on which the 
 right hand prisoner hangs, and thus transferred to his 
 distorted legs. One of these is stretched down, the 
 other drawn up under his body until his knee nearly 
 touches the body of Christ, thus extending the line of 
 direction and carrying it to the centre. Another line 
 descends from above along the arm of the prisoner and 
 the high light on his body. So much for the tricks by 
 which Rubens gains his effect of apotheosis. 
 
 As much might be said of his violence. It pervades 
 the picture, from the agonized writhing of the man 
 whose legs are being broken to the restless hoof of a 
 horse, and the hard gleam of light on the armor of a 
 Roman soldier. The prisoner's enormous muscles are 
 swollen and twisted with his struggle. The soldier 
 below rests a moment to enjoy the suffering of his 
 victim and so holds the bar of iron that it stands in cruel 
 relief against the legs of Christ. The other prisoner is 
 worn out and relaxed with pain. His eyes are rolled 
 up, his jaw dropped. Beneath, with horribly deliberate 
 precision, another soldier thrusts his spear into the side 
 of Christ. But not merely in this violence does the sen- 
 sational excitement of the picture consist. It is due 
 quite as much to the theatrical arrangement, bearing, 
 
Ixxviii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 and facial expression of the figures, especially of the 
 women. At the foot of the cross kneels the Magdalene 
 as in a tableau, with plump arms outstretched to the 
 soldiers in deprecation. The languid behavior and 
 fleshly beauty of the other women amount to the same 
 thing. All facial expression is treated by Rubens 
 according to rote. One red stroke in one corner of the 
 eye stands for pity, another in another corner for grief, 
 and so on. The result is as meaningless as the expres- 
 sion assumed by an unskilful and shallow actress, and 
 lacks any refinement of distinction or conception. 
 
 These characteristics are the most important which 
 Rubens exhibits. The result is that, returning to his 
 pictures for the twelfth or twentieth time, one finds 
 nothing new, nothing but the same trick, now no longer 
 astonishing, the same violence and pride and self-satis- 
 faction. 
 
 It is in contrast with this narrow and more disturbed 
 life and art of the Renaissance that we are to consider 
 the art of Milton. He was himself in part a product of 
 the Renaissance, and embodied the best qualities of that 
 movement. As we have seen in his treatment of my- 
 thology, he possessed the expert technique which the 
 Renaissance made vastly important. As a man of his 
 times, he greatly appreciated the beauty and wonderful 
 significance of the human individual and the world 
 about him. He realized the necessity in art of studying 
 man and nature until the artist can reproduce them as 
 they are, whether he idealizes them or not. Lastly, 
 Milton stands as a most eminent type of the Renais- 
 sance by reason of his enormous store of learning, 
 especially of classical learning. All this gave him 
 much in common with the men of his times. He 
 resembles them in his brilliant accomplishments. 
 He differs from them in the most important con- 
 sideration, namely, the use to which he put these 
 accomplishments. His knowledge of classical mythol- 
 ogy represents only a part of his attainments, but 
 
Introduction Ixxix 
 
 his relation to it, and his use of it, reveal a nature 
 which not only included the best that his times had to 
 give, but established the true value of these gifts and 
 their true relation to the infinite and everlasting Power 
 whom men had forgotten. Milton was not in the nar- 
 rower sense either classicist or romanticist; he was not 
 exclusively Platonic, Hellenic, Hebraic, mediaeval, or 
 modern. He rather includes in the compass of his great 
 nature the best of each manner of culture, and, by using 
 them all in the expression of his personality, shows 
 their common truth and vitality as related to the highest 
 conduct of life. His clear, high vision did not belittle 
 the value of even an obscure, quaint myth, but exalted 
 it above the height of its own intrinsic worth, just as 
 at Chartres or Lincoln the cathedral exalts above mean- 
 ness or narrow ostentation the least detail of its orna- 
 ment. 
 
 Thus it was with the column, mentioned in an earlier 
 illustration. In the Greek temple it was conspicuous 
 and proud. Its power to delight and benefit men was 
 almost entirely confined to itself, and to appreciate it 
 there was no need of considering facts or truth which 
 lay far beyond its own strength and beauty. But the 
 centuries have brought to men a new faith and a larger 
 vision; they have humbled the pride of this column and 
 devoted it to a higher service. Its glory does not now 
 depend upon itself; to understand it we must feel the 
 infinite peace and strength and duration of the building 
 to which it belongs. As we remain within its walls the 
 sense of these things reaches us continually in many 
 ways. It comes through the beatific faces of saints and 
 prophets crowded within the niches of the doorways. 
 It comes through the stillness and sanctity within. It 
 comes through the multitude of varied forms converg- 
 ing in one plan and one thought. We feel it in the quiet 
 seclusion of a side aisle with the soft light and shadow 
 alternating along its length, and in the form of the 
 great, solemn cross which, marked on the ground by the 
 
Ixxx Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 foundations, is transformed as it rises in the superstruc- 
 ture, and lost in the glory above. We feel it in 
 
 the high embowed roof, 
 With antique pillars massy-proof, 
 And storied windows richly dight, 
 Casting a dim, religious light. 
 There let the pealing organ blow 
 To the full-voiced quire below. 
 In service high and anthems clear. 
 As may with sweetness, through mine ear. 
 Dissolve me into ecstasies. 
 And bring all Heaven before mine eyes. 
 
 The influence of the place drives away the turmoil and 
 perplexity of life. It causes one to feel the security 
 of some new and mighty support, and the most serious 
 question of life is resolved naturally and easily. There 
 is no longer any difficulty in deciding what things are 
 really desirable in life and what are worthless, for their 
 real and permanent value is no longer obscure. Clarity 
 of vision, consciousness of infinite support, sense of true 
 value, belonged to the man who shaped our column, and 
 carved the volutes and acanthus of its capital. Not in 
 pride, but in love, not in the hope of having his work 
 praised and admired, but of showing forth the glory 
 of God he wrought, and the meaning of the whole 
 cathedral has passed through his heart and mind into 
 his handiwork. How beautiful is the shaft! Springing 
 easily near the altar, it rises without effort. It bears a 
 burden, but does not seem to feel the weight. Its stone 
 and mortar have been transformed to spirit, and, pass- 
 ing the glory of its capital, it loses itself in soft celestial 
 light above. It is the transfigui-ing power of a pure 
 faith and a clear vision, such as form the essential 
 greatness of Milton's poetry. Not the extent of his 
 acquaintance with the generations of men, not his bril- 
 liant execution, but his perception of universal truth, 
 and his infusion of truth into the smallest detail of his 
 work, are the cause of its immortal influence. 
 
Introduction Ixxxi 
 
 There remains yet one aspect of Milton's treatment 
 of mythology for us to consider. The work of an artist, 
 viewed as a whole, reveals changes of spirit and method 
 which occur along the way from youth to old age. In 
 the case of Milton these changes are superficial modi- 
 fications of permanent and underlying character. He 
 was always temperate, and upright, and devoted to high 
 ideals. These qualities are felt in both the early and 
 the late poems, but their aspect is modified by certain 
 differences between the two, as though the poet's qual- 
 ity were at first more sensuous, and afterward became 
 more severe. The principal differences are clearly per- 
 ceptible in his treatment of myths, and no instance 
 shows them more distinctly than four occurrences of the 
 story of Orpheus. 
 
 In L Allegro the poet calls for soft Lydian airs, 
 
 Untwisting all the chains that tie 
 
 The hidden soul of harmony; 
 
 That Orpheus' self may heave his head 
 
 From golden slumber on a bed 
 
 Of heaped Elysian flowers, and hear 
 
 Such strains as would have won the ear 
 
 Of Pluto to have quite set free 
 
 His half-regained Eurydice.' 
 
 The second occurrence, which may be regarded as con- 
 temporary with the first, is from // Penseroso: 
 
 But, O sad Virgin! that thy power 
 Might raise Musaeus from his bower; 
 Or bid the soul of Orpheus sing 
 Such notes as, warbled to the string. 
 Drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek. 
 And made Hell grant what Love did seek.'' 
 
 The third is from Lycidas, where the poet reproaches 
 the nymphs for neglecting his friend: 
 
 ' I43-I50- 
 2 103-108. 
 
 6 
 
Ixxxii Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 Ay me! I fondly dream 
 
 • Had ye been there,' . . . for what could that have done? 
 
 What could the Muse herself that Orpheus bore, 
 
 The Muse herself, for her enchanting son, 
 
 Whom universal nature did lament, 
 
 When, by the rout that made the hideous roar. 
 
 His gory visage down the stream was sent, 
 
 Down the swift Hebrus to the Lesbian shore ? ' 
 
 The fourth is from the Seventh Book of Paradise Lost, 
 where the poet, modulating his theme from Heaven to 
 sing in lower key of earthly things, invokes the Muse: 
 
 Still govern thou my song, 
 Urania, and fit audience find, though few. 
 But drive far off the barbar&us dissonance 
 Of Bacchus and his revelers, the race 
 Of that wild rout that tore the Thracian bard 
 In Rhodope, where woods and rocks had ears 
 To rapture, till the savage clamor drowned 
 Both harp and voice; nor could the Muse defend 
 Her son.' 
 
 Of all these passages the last is the most concise, 
 that is, it contains the greatest amount of meaning and 
 specific reference in proportion to its length. It includes 
 a suggestion of the ecstatic sweetness of Orpheus' song, 
 found in the first two passages, together with the harsh 
 violence of the lines in Lycidas. It is generally more 
 specific than the others in the mention of Bacchus and 
 his revelers, of their discordant clamor and confusion, 
 of Rhodope, and woods and rocks. This compression of 
 many significant details into small space is a characteris- 
 tic of mythological allusions in the late poems. 
 
 We may observe, in the second place, that in the ear- 
 lier poems the meaning or application of a myth is more 
 deeply buried beneath its sensuous element, and there- 
 fore less conspicuous than in the later poems. In the first 
 two citations the application of the myth consists in its 
 
 ' 36-63. 
 
 2 p. Z.[7. 30-38. 
 
Introduction Ixxxiii 
 
 appropriateness of content and presentation to the 
 mood which controls either poem. Though we feel the 
 effect of this application, we are partly or wholly uncon- 
 scious of it, while our conscious thought dwells upon 
 the story of Orpheus and Eurydice itself. In the pas- 
 sage from Lycidas the reader is more aware of the under- 
 lying thought that divine poetry could not save Orpheus 
 from death in an evil hour, nor could it save Lycidas. 
 In the passage from Paradise Lost the meaning is so prom- 
 inent that Milton's treatment almost makes allegory of 
 the myth. His thought is that only the true inspiration 
 which comes from heaven can protect the poet against 
 the babble and revelry of the world and the appeal of 
 earthly and temporal pleasures, and for such inspiration 
 Milton seeks. Thus as he grew old the sensuous veil 
 which hung between him and pure spiritual truth grew 
 thinner and more pervious to the white light beyond. _ 
 
 Not only does the proportion of the spiritual and 
 sensuous elements change with increasing years, but 
 with it there is a change in the poet's choice and appli- 
 cation of myths. We have already seen that Milton at 
 any time selects a story for its inherent sweetness or 
 delicacy or sublimity, or for the element of moral and 
 aesthetic truth which it contains. But the later poems 
 show a modification of his preference and treatment 
 such as may also be traced through his use of the 
 Orpheus myth. In his first citations of it he has 
 selected the gentlest and tenderest and most pathetic 
 episode from the life of Orpheus, namely the recovery 
 of Eurydice, which he unites with a suggestion of the 
 blissful reward of Orpheus in Elysium. In Lycidas he 
 uses the tragic story of the Maenads, but its violence is 
 tempered with some of the earlier pathos, and the dom- 
 inant note is not harsh, but plaintive. The same story 
 is employed in the latest allusion to Orpheus. It is no 
 longer tender or pathetic or plaintive, but informed 
 with the sublime austerity which characterized the 
 later life and art of Milton. So it may be said, in gen- 
 
Ixxxiv Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 eral, that his epics contain less frequent reference to 
 Apollo and the nymphs and the milder legends than the 
 earlier poems. Their mythology is grave and impres- 
 sive, and is often drawn from the primitive poets, such 
 as Hesiod and Homer. It concerns itself with the deeds 
 of heroes, the certain and terrible punishment of wrong- 
 doing, the awful majesty of the gods, and their victories 
 over grim monsters and the powers of darkness. We 
 hear of Hercules and Bellerophon, of Epimetheus and 
 Tantalus, of Jove and the Titans, of Chaos and Night 
 and Rhea and Saturn.' Milton's treattnent of these 
 stories reveals a deep and unfailing sensitiveness to the 
 grand and awful truths of life. 
 
 To explain the growing austerity of Milton by any 
 one of the many influences which entered into his life is 
 impossible. It must rather have been the combined 
 effect of several large elements in his culture, each of 
 which is essentially austere. Such are certain aspects 
 of Hellenism, to which he was strongly attracted, 
 especially those represented by Homer, Hesiod, and 
 -^schylus. More important is the Hebraic element, 
 and the sublime influence of the Psalms and the Proph- 
 ets. Something similar he must also have felt in his 
 devoted study of patristic learning and early Christian- 
 ity, whose simple severity was largely that of the 
 Hebrews. Closely akin to both are the Puritanism of 
 Milton's England and his own Presbyterianism, both of 
 which would tend to nourish such influences of culture 
 and intercept any others. Nor must we forget the 
 afflictions of his private life. We may say, then, that it 
 was the conspiracy of these different elements within 
 his deep" and serious nature which rendered him more 
 susceptible to the solemn aspects of the human life of 
 all times. 
 
 After all, the true and complete nature of the poet is 
 of most importance, and upon that the details of 
 
 See p. li. 
 
Introduction Ixxxv 
 
 our study should converge. We shall not, then, be 
 far astray if, recalling the words with which Christ, 
 when tempted with all the learning of the world, 
 repelled Satan, we find in them a summation of the 
 power by which Milton triumphed over the world, and 
 as victor claimed the riches of its poetry and learning 
 for the kingdom of God: 
 
 Many books. 
 Wise men have said, are wearisome; who reads 
 Incessantly, and to his reading brings not 
 A spirit and judgment equal or superior, 
 (And what he brings what needs he elsewhere seek?) 
 Uncertain and unsettled still remains. 
 Deep-versed in books and shallow in himself, 
 Crude or intoxicate, collecting toys 
 And trifles for choice matters, worth a sponge. 
 As children gathering pebbles on the shore. 
 
THE SOURCES 
 
 OF 
 
 MILTON'S CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY 
 
THE SOURCES 
 
 AOHEBON.-P. L. i. 578 ; C. 604. 8ee Slvera of HeU. 
 ACHIIiLBa.-P. I.. 0. 16. 
 
 The subject of the Iliad is ' the wrath of Achilles, Peleus' son, 
 the ruinous wrath that brought on the Achaeans woes innumerable ' 
 (//. I. I f.). //. 22 tells of Achilles' fight with Hector. Cf . 22. 165 f. : 
 
 S>g TO) Tpl( lipii/wio Trttiv ircpiSivr/ti^^iv 
 KapiraMfLotffc Trddeffffc. 
 
 ' Stern ' is not a Homeric epithet of the hero. Vergil calls him 
 'immitis' (JEn. i. 34; 3, 87). 
 
 AI>SS.— p. L. 2. 964. 
 
 Hades or Adas, after the Homeric spelling Aides, was a son of 
 Cronus (//. 15. 188), ' who drew as his domain the murky darkness,' 
 and was 'ruler of the folk in the under-world.' In//. 9. 158 f. he 
 is ' not to be softened, neither overcome, and therefore is he hate- 
 fullest of all gods to mortals.' Cf. Orcus and Pluto. 
 
 ADONIS. -p. f. 1.416; 9. 410; C. 909; (C. N. 204). 
 
 The story of Adonis or Adon is of Oriental origin. He is identi- 
 fied with the Syrian Thammuz (cf. Ezek. 8. 14), and one center of 
 his worship was the region of Lebanon (Strabo 16. 755, and Lucian, 
 De Dea Syria 6 ff.). Ovid (Met. 10. 503 fE.) tells the love of Venus 
 and Adonis in Cyprus. In disregard of her warning he entered 
 the chase, and was killed by a wild boar. Venus laments him 
 saying (727): 
 
 repetitaque mortis imago 
 Annua plangoris peraget simulamina nostri. 
 
 Lucian (De Dea Syria 6 fE.) says that the people of Byblus, 
 near Lebanon, relate the story of Adonis' death as occurring in 
 Mount Lebanon. The river Adonis, which flows from that mountain, 
 became tinted annually with his blood at the festival of mourn- 
 ing for the youth, and thence derived its name. Lucian also speaks 
 of the festival of Adonis' revival (cf. Theoc. 15. 102, 136, 144). The 
 scholium on 102 speaks of his returning from Hades for intervals 
 of six months, and the Orphic hymn to Adonis (55. 12) says that 
 he brings with him the fruits. His return is thought to signify 
 the annual revival of Nature. 
 
4 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 The epithet ' Assyrian queen ' (C. 1003) is not only appropriate 
 to the legend, but consistent with the statement of Pausanias (i. 
 14. 6), that the Assyrians were ' the first of men to pay reverence to 
 Celestial Aphrodite." 
 
 In P. L. 9. 439 Kden is described as fairer than the gardens of 
 Adonis or Alcinous, and according to Pliny (N. H. 19. 4 . 19), 'antiquitas 
 nihil prius mirata est, quam Hesperidum hortos, ac regum Adonis 
 et Alcinoi.' Ancient writers have little else to say about the gardens 
 of Adonis. Hesychius defines the 'k.&iniiSoq KijnoL as the plants used 
 at the festival Adonia, as in Theocritus 15. 112 ff. In connection 
 with P. L. 9. 439 should be read C. 976-1011, which Todd refers to 
 Spenser's elaborate description of the gardens of Adonis, F. Q. 3. 
 6. 29-51, and Hymn of Love 41, 42. As Milton refers to actual gar- 
 dens of 'revived Adonis,' he may be thinking of Spenser, who 
 describes his revival and his union with Venus. 
 
 Milton refers to the legend of Adonis in Nat. non pati Sen. 63 ; 
 Eteg. I. 62; Eikonoklastes, P. W. i. 330. Baudissin discusses the 
 identification of Thammuz with Adonis in Stud. z. Semit. Religions- 
 gesch. 1.295. 
 
 AFER.— p. I. 10. J02. See Winds. 
 AliCBSTIS.— Son. 23. z. 
 
 Milton's version of Alcestis' surrender to Death in place of her 
 husband, Admetus, is the one given by Euripides in his drama of 
 Alcestis. Other accounts make Hades the scene of the capture, in- 
 stead of the tomb. Heracles speaks of himself (1119) as ' Jove's son. 
 Browne suggests tl ^dcjia veprkpuv (1127), as an original of 'pale and 
 faint.' 
 
 ALOINOUS.— p. I. 6. 341 i ». *41 i T. E. 40. 
 
 Alcinous was king of the Phaeacians in the island of Scheria. 
 He received and entertained Odysseus (Od. 6-13. 92), who was cast 
 upon this island after his long wanderings. About the palace were 
 the gardens, described in Od. 7. 112 ff. There are many kinds of 
 trees whose fruit ' never perisheth, neither faileth, winter or summer, 
 enduring through all the year. . . . There too, skirting the 
 farthest line, are all manner of garden beds, planted trimly, that 
 are perpetually fresh, and therein are two fountains of water, 
 whereof one scatters his streams all about the garden, and the other 
 runs over against it beneath the threshold of the courtyard, and 
 issues by the lofty house, and thence did the townsfolk draw water.' 
 These gardens are mentioned by Eustathius Macrembolites (12th 
 cent.) in his Hysinin. and Hysm. i. 4, as though they were a familiar 
 example of luxuriance, and Pliny (TV. H. 19. 4. 19) says that these 
 gardens and those of Adonis were greatly admired by antiquity. 
 V. E. 49 refers to the two feasts given by Alcinous {Od. 8. 40 ff., 470 
 
The Sources 5 
 
 fE.). At the first banquet Demodocus sang of the quarrel of Odysseus 
 and Achilles (73 ff.), and at the second of the capture of Troy (499 ff.)- 
 His theme after the games which intervened was the love of Ares 
 and Aphrodite (266 ff.). All the Phseacians were delighted, but when 
 Odysseus heard his own deeds sung, he wept bitterly (83-93, 368, 
 521-531). Demodocus was 'the beloved minstrel whom the muse 
 loved dearly, and she gave him both good and evil; of his sight she 
 reft him, but granted him sweet song ' (62-64). He was both ' divine ' 
 and ' famous ' (43,83). 
 
 AIiPHBXTS.— Arc. SO ; L; o. 19'2. 
 
 Alpheus, the river-god of Elis, was much honored as early as 
 Homer (cf. //. 11. 725 if.), and 'often sung' by later poets (cf. Find. 
 01. 13. 48; Moschus, Id. 7; Statius, Theb. 1. 271; 4. 239). Seneca 
 I^Nat. Qucsst. 6. 8) calls Alpheus 'celebratum poetis.' In Ovid, Met, 
 5. 572-641, Arethusa tells the story of Alpheus' love for her as she 
 bathed in his upper waters in Arcadia, and of the pursuit into Sicily, 
 where she became the spring which bears her name in Ortygia near 
 Syracuse. Vergil, ./En. 3. 694, refers to the legend: 
 
 Alpheum fama est hue Elidis amnem 
 Occultas egisse vias subter mare: qui nunc 
 Ore, Arethusa, tuo Siculis confunditur undis. 
 
 Statius (Silv. i. 2. 205) says Alpheus passed under the sea ' de- 
 merso canali.' Arethusa and Alpheus are used by Milton as suggest- 
 ive of Sicily and Arcadia, the lands of pastorals {,Lyc. 85, 132); cf. 
 Verg. Eel. 10. i: 
 
 Extremum hunc, Arethusa, mihi concede laborem. 
 
 In the Epitaph of Bion (Mosch. 3), Bion is said to have drunk of 
 Arethusa (77; cf. 10). 
 
 AlIAIiTHBA.-P. I. 4. 278 ; P. B. a. 856. 
 
 According to ApoUodorus (2. 7. 5), the river-god Achelous con- 
 tended in the form of a bull with Heracles for the hand of Deianeira. 
 Heracles tore off one of his horns, which Achelous ransomed with 
 the horn of Amalthea. Amalthea, he says, was a daughter of 
 Haimonios, who had in her possession a bull's horn which yields 
 either food or drink whichever anyone desires. In 1. 1. 6 he mentions 
 the belief that she was the goat which nourished the boy Zeus in 
 Crete. Strabo (10. p. 458) says that the two horns were identified 
 by many, as appears in Ovid (,Met. 9. 87 ff.), where Achelous him- 
 self tells the story of his lost horn, which, 'heaped with fruit and 
 odoriferous flowers, the Naiads have consecrated, and the bounteous 
 goddess. Plenty, is enriched by my horn.' Milton's mention of the 
 Hesperides may have been suggested by the account of Hyginus 
 (^Fab. 31), where Hercules gave the horn to the Hesperides or the 
 nymphs. 
 
6 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 For Amalthea, as mother of Bacchus, see Rhea. 
 
 AmABYLLIS.-lye. «8. 
 
 "With Milton's line: 
 
 To sport with Amaryllis in the shade, 
 
 compare Verg. Eel. i. 4: 
 
 Tu, Tityre, lentus in umbra 
 Formosam resonare doces Amaryllida sylvas. 
 
 In Theoc. 3 a goatherd serenades his Amaryllis. These ex- 
 amples explain the general association of the name with pastoral 
 poetry. 
 
 AXTAZOITS P. I. 9. 1111. 
 
 The Amazons are mentioned by Homer (//. 3. 189; 6. i85), who 
 calls them avriavEipai, 'women peers of men.' Vergil (^«. i.4gofE.) 
 describes Penthesilea leading them to the aid of the Trojans. They 
 are armed 'lunatis peltis' (of . ^». 11. 660 if.). Pollux in the Greek 
 Onomasiicon i. 134 speaks of the f!D\.Tri ' k.fm!^oviidi as resembling, 
 according to Xenophon, an ivy leaf. The tte/It)? was a small rhomboid 
 shield (Paus. i. 41. 7; Plut. Thes. 27). 
 
 AMBEOSIA AND NEOTAE..— P. 1. 2. 245; 4. 240; 5. 57, 683, 842; 0. 882; 9. 888; 11. 379; 
 P. R. 4. 590; D. F. 1. 49; V. £. 89; C. 16, 888, 840; Lyr. 175. 
 
 Ambrosia and nectar are primarily the meat and drink of 
 the gods (Hom. Od. 5. 92 ff.; //. i. 598), but the corresponding adjec- 
 tives are used in the sense of 'immortal ' (cf. aiippdaio^). In //. 5. 331 if. 
 Diomed has wounded Aphrodite; 'straight through the ambrosial 
 raiment (cf . C. 16) that the Graces themselves had woven her, pierced 
 the dart into the flesh. . . . Then flowed the goddess's immortal 
 blood, such ichor as floweth in the blessed gods; for they eat no bread 
 neither drink they gleaming wine, wherefore they are bloodless and 
 are named immortals.' Cf. P. L. 6. 331. Milton is faithful to the 
 classical usage of these words. Homer speaks of 'ambrosial night' 
 (//. 2. 57); cf. P. L. 5. 642. Zeus has ambrosial locks (//. i. 529); cf. 
 P. L. 5. 57. Euripides {Hippol. 748) mentions the ambrosial foun- 
 tains in the gardens of the Hesperides; cf. P. L. 11. 279. With the 
 'ambrosial oils' of C. 840 compare the anointing of Sarpedou's 
 wounds with ambrosia, //. 16. 680. In //. 14. 169 ff., where Hera 
 prepared to meet Zeus, she anointed herself with ambrosia, and 
 'plaited her shining tresses, fair and ambrosial'; cf. P. L. 5. 57. 
 The fragrance of ambrosia is referred to by Milton in P. L. 2. 245. 
 It is suggested in such passages as //. 23. 187; Od. 4. 445. Cf. hSiiijg 
 a/il3poaii;g of Theognis 9. 
 
 Nectar also is an ointment in D. F. I. 49 and Lye. 175. The 
 suggestion of fragrance may be added to that of immortality. Cf. 
 //. 3. 385; Ov. Met. 4. 250. As Homer speaks of viicrap ipvdpdv (//. 19. 
 38; Od. 5. 93), Milton speaks of 'rubied nectar' {P. L. 5. 633). 
 
The Sources 7 
 
 AMUON'.-P. L. 4. ill; 0. 509i C. N. 303. 
 
 Ammon or Haramon was one of the chief divinities of the 
 Africans, -whom the Greek colonists called Zeus Ammon, and the 
 Romans Jupiter Ammon. 
 
 In P. L. 4. 277 'Ammon is identified with Cham or Ham, the 
 son of Noah, as in 4. 717 lapetus is called Japhet. Samuel Bochart, 
 who in 1646 published his Geographia Sacra, discusses this corre- 
 spondence, and says (i. i) that the learned had for some time main- 
 tained that Noah and Saturn were the same. Among other reasons 
 for believing that Cham was Ammon, he says that Ham is the same 
 word as Hammon, and that Ham and Zeus both mean 'hot,' and 
 he adds that each was his father's youngest son. He mentions also 
 the fact that Egypt, 'the land of Ham,' was the home of Ham's 
 descendants. The identification rests upon the 'poetarum ju- 
 dicium' (2. I). Ralegh says that Cham was no other than Satumus 
 Egyptius, and gives his reasons in his History of the World 2. 2. 4. 
 
 A passage which throws some light upon C. N. 203 may be 
 found in Macrobius, Sat. i. 21: 'Ideo et Ammonem, quern deum 
 solem occidentem Libyes existimant, arietibus cornibus fingunt, 
 quibus maxime id animal valet, sicut sol radiis.' 
 
 The love of 'Ammonian Jove ' and Olympias, mother of 
 Alexander {P. L. 9.508; P. R. 3.84), may be referred to Plutarch's 
 Alexander 2. Among other accounts of Alexander's birth, Plutarch 
 says, 'A serpent was also seen lying by Olympias as she slept;' 
 and in 3, 'Apollo commanded him (Philip) to sacrifice to Jupiter 
 Ammon and to pay his homage principally to that god.' The story 
 is told afterwards by Justin 11. 11; 12.16. Milton refers to it again 
 in Eleg. 4.26. See Rhea. 
 
 AIIFHITBITB.-u. 921. 
 
 Amphitrite was a daughter of Nereus (cf. C. 835), who with her 
 sisters ' calmed the blasts of the divine winds' (Hesiod, Theog. 243, 
 254.) She became the wife of Poseidon (Pindar, 01. 6. 104 f.). The 
 name Amphitrite is sometimes used of the sea, as in Ovid, Met. i. 
 14; Hom. Od. 12. 60. 
 
 AmmiOlTE.-P. B. 2. 188. 
 
 ApoUodorus (2. i. 4, 5) tells the story of Amymone, one of the 
 fifty daughters of Danaus, who, having fled from Egypt, were seek- 
 ing water in Argos. Amymone threw her weapon at a deer, but 
 struck a sleeping sat3rr, who offered her violence. Poseidon, who 
 came to the rescue, won her love. Lucian {Dial. Mar. 6) speaks 
 of her beauty, and relates that Poseidon stole her away into the sea. 
 Cf. Hyginus, Fab. 169. 
 
 ANOHISBS.-C. 938. 
 
 Locrine was the son of Brutus, first king of Britain, who was the 
 
8 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 'son of Silvius: he of Ascanius; whose father was ^neas,' son of 
 Anchises of Troy. Cf. Milton's History of Britain, P. W. 5. 168. 
 The legend is related by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his history. 
 Chap. 3. 
 
 ANTJEtTB.-P. B. «. 568. 
 
 Antaeus was the giant son of Poseidon and Ge, the Earth 
 (ApoUod. 2. 5.11), and king of Libya. The name Irassa, of the city of 
 Antaeus, seems to have been taken by Milton from Pind. P. g. io6: 
 
 "Ipaaa rrpof Trd^^cv, ^Avralov /isra KaXViiw/iov 
 [ivoGT^peQ ayaKXea icoijpav. 
 
 The scholiast on Pindar says, however, that the Antaeus living in 
 the city Irassa was not the one who strove with Heracles, but he 
 adds that, among others, Pherecydes says that 'the latter Antaeus 
 came from Irassa (neut. plur.) on Lake Tritonis in Cjrrene. Herod- 
 otus mentions Irassa (neut. plur.) as a locality of Libya (4. 159). 
 That Milton says ' in Irassa ' indicates reference rather to a region as 
 the home of Antaeus, for which he has the scholiast's authority. 
 
 The story told by Milton is a later version, related by Apol- 
 lodorus (2. 5. II) and Lucan (4. 597 fif.). The incidents of the fight 
 with Hercules coincide with Lucan's longer description, except that 
 apafisvoc afijiaai of Apollodorus gives the cue to 'throttled' (P. P. 
 4.568). See also Hercules. 
 
 AlfTIOFA.— F. B. 2. XS7. 
 
 Pausanias (2. 6. i) says that Antiopa, daughter of Nykteus 
 of Thebes, was famous among the Greeks for her beauty. Apol- 
 lonius (4.1090) calls her Evin\>. Ovid {Met. 6. no), in a list of the 
 loves of the disguised Jove, mentions Antiopa, whom the god 
 embraced in the form of a satyr. 
 
 AONIAN MOUNT. -p. L. 1. 15. See Huses. 
 
 APOLLO.— P. 1. I, 617; 4. 273; 10. 296; P. E. 2. 190; D. F. I. 23; C. 662; Lye. 106; Son. 18. 6; See 
 alao Apollo aB God of Prophecy, and as Sun-god. 
 
 The aggregated soil 
 Death with his mace petrilic, cold and dry, 
 As with a trident smote, and fixed as firm 
 As Delos, floating once. 
 
 In these lines {P. L. lo. 293 ff.) Milton refers to the myth of Delos as 
 the birthplace of Apollo. The earliest source of the myth in this 
 form is a quotation from Pindar by Strabo (10. 485). He says, in 
 speaking of Delos: ' For here, as the story goes, Leto suffered in 
 the birth of Apollo and Artemis; " For of old time," says Pindar, 
 "it drifted before the waves and stress of winds from every side; 
 but when she of Koios set foot thereon, as the swift pains of her 
 
The Sources 9 
 
 travailing drew nigh, then verily from roots deep down in earth 
 there sprang upright four pillars with adamantine base, and on their 
 capitals they held up the rock: there was the goddess delivered, and 
 looked upon her blessed brood." ' But another story, told by Aris- 
 tides (7. 77), says that Apollo himself, according to the poets, caused 
 Delos to become stationary, ' planting it firmly in the sea, because 
 he had been born there.' Cf. Verg. ^n. 3. 75. 
 
 The story of the hinds 'that were transformed to frogs '(5i3«. 
 12. 6) is told by Ovid, Met. 6. 337 fE. This was their punishment for 
 refusing the waters of a Lycian spring to the thirsty Leto and her 
 new-born babes (358 ff.). Cf. Apollo as Sun-god. 
 
 The story of Apollo's love and pursuit of Daphne {P. L. 4. 273; 
 P. R. 2. 187; C. 661) is related by Ovid, Met. i. 453 ff. As she fled, 
 
 Fes, modo tarn velox, pigris radicibus haeret. 
 
 She was changed to the laurel, which thenceforth was sacred to 
 the god. 
 
 In P. L. 4. 272 ff. Eden is lovelier than 
 
 that sweet grove 
 Of Daphne, by Orontes and the inspired 
 Castalian spring. 
 
 The legend of Daphne was transferred to the banks of the 
 Orontes (Paus. 8. 20), and its centre was the famous gardens of 
 Daphne at Antioch. As described by Strabo (16. 750), they were 
 about forty stadia above the city, ' a great and thickly shaded 
 grove traversed by streams of spring water.' Libanius in his Anti- 
 ocheus {Orations) gives a detailed description of these gardens, and 
 praises the springs ecstatically. He says (p. 352, ed. Reiske) that 
 they were the abode of the nymphs, in which these delighted as 
 much as Apollo in Delphi. According to Philostratus {Life of Apol- 
 lonius of Tyana i. j6) several names of places associated with Apollo 
 and Daphne were transferred to Antioch, and thus the spring men- 
 •tioned above was called ' Castalian ' (Johannes Phocas, Compend. 
 Descriptio p. 2). We learn from Sozomen, in his Historia Ecclesi- 
 astica 5. 19, that this Castalian spring ('aqua divinatrix ') had the 
 same prophetic power as the one at Delphi, and that on one occasion 
 a prophecy was obtained by dipping in the spring a laurel-leaf, which 
 came forth bearing a prophetic inscription. Accounts seem generally 
 to point to an utterance of some sort from the spring itself, rather than 
 from a priest of the spring. Ammian (22. 12. 8) mentions the ' vense 
 fatidicse Castalii fontis' and the ' prsecinentes aquae.' The same 
 belief seems to have been held with regard to the Castalian spring 
 at Delphi. Gregory Nazianzen {Or. 5. 31) says that Castalia 'is 
 now silent, no longer giving forth prophecies.' The same idea 
 appears in Claudian (81. i): ' Castalio de gurgite Phoebus anhelat'; 
 cf. 4. 7. 
 
10 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 Clymene, who is mentioned in P. R. 2. 186, was the wife of 
 Merops of j35thiopia, and the mother of Phaethon by Apollo. Phae- 
 thon's high origin was disputed by Epaphus, but confirmed by 
 Clymene's appeal to Apollo (Ov. Met. i. 748 ff.; cf. Trist. 3. 4. 30). 
 
 The arraignment of the gods in P. R. 2. 186 ff. is not unlike 
 that in the Protrepticus of Clement of Alexandria, 27 P ff., where 
 among others, Poseidon, Apollo, and Zeus are named with Amy- 
 mone. Daphne, Semele, and others. In Ovid, Met. 6. 70 ff., is a 
 recital of the loves of Jupiter, Neptune, Apollo, and Bacchus, but 
 excepting Antiopa the names of the women are other than those men- 
 tioned by Milton. 
 
 The story of Apollo's love for Hyacinth is touched upon in D. 
 F. I. 25; Lye. 106. Ovid {Met. 10. 162 ff.) tells how by accident the 
 discus from the hand of Apollo struck and killed Hyacinthus, son of 
 Amyclas of Sparta. Apollo laments his death saying (206) ; 
 
 Flosque novus scripto gemitus imitabere nostros. 
 
 And while he laments, 
 
 Ecce cruor, qui fusus humi signaverat herbam, 
 
 Desinit esse cruor; Tyrio niteutior ostro 
 
 Flos oritur . . 
 
 Non satis hoc Fhcebo est, is enim fuit auctor honoris, 
 
 Ipse SUDS gemitus foliis inscribit; et ai ai 
 
 Flos habet iascriptum; funestaque litera ducta est. 
 
 Nee genuisse pudet Sparten Hyacinthon; honorque 
 
 Durat in hoc £evi, celebrandaque more priorum 
 
 Annua prselata redeunt Hyacinthia pompa. 
 
 Cf. Milt. ^at. non pati Sen. 62. Apollo's love for the river Eurotas 
 is referred to by Vergil {Eel. 6. 83). Servius says, ' hunc fiuvium 
 Hyacinthi causa Apollo dicitur amasse. ' 
 
 Apollo as the God of Prophecy, Music, and Poetry. — P. L. i. 
 517; P- R- I. 458; 4- 260; V. E. 37; C. N. 176; Pass. 23; Ep. Shah. 12; 
 C. 478; Lye. 77; Son. 13. 10. 
 
 Such a conception is as old as Homer (//. i. 603; Od. 8. 79), and 
 is common throughout the classics. The most famous oracle of 
 Apollo was that upon 'the steep of Delphos.' In Horn. Hy. Pyth. 
 Ap. 103 ff. is a description of the founding of this shrine : ' From 
 hence thou swiftly earnest rushing (reading %m) to the rock, and 
 thou didst reach Crissa below snowy Parnassus . . . but above 
 the rock is suspended aloft, and a rugged hollow cave runs below. 
 Here King Phoebus Apollo resolved to construct a pleasant temple. ' 
 C. N. 176 ff. is referred by Warton to the general representation 
 in the Ion of Euripides. Cf. Ion 1-183. The ' hollow shriek ' 
 may be reminiscent of the frenzy of the Sibyl in ^n. 6. 42 ff. ; 
 cf . 98 ff. : 
 
 CuniEea Sibylla 
 Horrendas canit ambages, antroque remugit, 
 Obscuris vera involvens : ea frena furenti 
 Concutit, et stimulos sub pectore vertit Apollo. 
 
The Sources n 
 
 Cf. Ion 91 ffi. : 
 
 On the tripod most holy is seated the Delphian Maiden 
 Chanting children of Hellas the wild cries, laden 
 With doom, from the lips of ApoUo that ring. 
 
 The 'pomp and sacrifice ' of P. R. 1. 457 also are illustrated by 
 the Ion. 
 
 In the Homeric hymn to Apollo the god is associated with the 
 lyre and song. In Pyth. Ap. 10 ff. the Muses sing, while the Graces, 
 the Hours, Harmony, Hebe, and Aphrodite dance, and ' Phcebus 
 Apollo strikes the harp, taking grand and lofty steps.' Cf. Hy. to 
 Herm. 476 fE., 500 ff. According to Hes. Here. Sh. 203 his lyre was 
 golden. In Son. 13. 10 Milton addresses Lawes as ' priest of Phoebus' 
 quire.' According to Pyth. Ap. 338 ff. the Cretans followed Apollo 
 to Delphi as his first choir, chanting lo-Paean. Plutarch {^De Musica 
 3. 1132 A) quotes Heraclides to the effect that Philammon, a Delphian, 
 celebrated in song the births of Leto, Apollo, and Artemis, and es- 
 tablished the choruses at Delphi. (Cf. Schol. Od. ig. 432; Milton's 
 Ad Salsil. 26.) The passage in V. E. yi, where the gods listen to 
 Apollo's song, may be referred to //. i. 603 ff. The epithet ' unshorn' 
 is used of Apollo in Homer //. 20. 39; cf. Horn,. Hy. Ap. Del. 134. 
 It occurs in later writers, as Pindar, P. 3. 26; Isth. i. 8; Ov. Met. 12. 
 
 585. 
 
 In P. R. 4. 260 Phoebus is spoken of as challenging the song of 
 Homer for his own, 'alluding,' says Newton, 'to a Greek epigram in 
 the first book of the Anthologia : 
 
 ijuSov /ih iyiiv kx&pa.aci 6s Belog "O/ir/pog.' 
 
 This appears on p. 91 of the Anthology of Stephanus, and again 
 in Anth. Pal. 9. 455. It is preceded by the line 
 
 Tiva^ av etTTot. ^dyovg 'ATrtiAAuv irspl 'Ofi^pov ; 
 
 Phoebus appears twice as the patron god of the poet (/"a jj. 23; 
 Lye. 77). Odysseus says to the bard of Alcinous, ' Demodocus, I 
 praise thee far above all mortal men, whether it be the Muse . . . 
 that taught thee, or even Apollo' {Od. 8. 487). Lye. 77 has been re- 
 ferred by Todd to the familiar ' Cynthius aurem Vellit, et admonuit ' 
 of Verg. Eel. 6. 3. 
 
 Apollo as the Sun-god. — P. L. 5. 423; C. N. 19, 36, 79; C. 51, 66, 
 95, 141, 190; Lye. 168; Son. 12. 7. 
 
 Phoebus is supposed to have been a sun-god from earliest times, 
 although his identification with Helios, the chariot-driver, is peculiar 
 to the Latin writers. 
 
 In C. 141 the Sun is called ' tell-tale.' This epithet is com- 
 monly referred to Hom. Od. 8. 270 ff. where Helios told Hephsestus of 
 the secret amour of Aphrodite and Ares. He is called ayyEkoq. 
 In Od. II. 109 Helios is the god 'who overseeth all, and overheareth 
 
12 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 all things.' He tells Demeter of the rape of Persephone in Horn. Hy. 
 to Dejn, 74 fE. 
 
 Milton mentions the sun's ' bright throne ' and ' burning axle- 
 tree ' (C. N. 84), and again he speaks of ' the gilded car of day' and 
 ' his glowing axle' (C 95, 96). Ovid says in Met. i. 776; z. i if. that 
 Phaethon, wishing to drive his father's chariot, went to his palace in 
 the east, where 
 
 sedebat 
 In solio Phcebus, Claris lucente zmaragdis. 
 
 The chariot is described in 107 S.. : 
 
 Aureus axis erat, temo aureus, aurea summae 
 Curvatura rot£e; radiorum argenteus ordo. 
 Per juga chrysolithi, positseque ex ordine gemniEe 
 Clara repercusso reddebant lumina Phoebo. 
 
 To speak of Apollo as holding ' the sun in fee ' {^Son. 12. 7), does not 
 seem classical, though his character is regal in the foregoing cita- 
 tions from Ovid. 
 
 It is related that Hyperion's chariot hissed as it met the waters 
 of the western ocean at sunset (Stat. Silv. 2. 7. 25; Juv. 14. 280). Mil- 
 ton may have reference to this idea in C. 96, 97. Ovid {Met. 4. 632 S..) 
 says it was the sea, ' qui Soils anhelis -^quora subdit equis, et fessos 
 excipit axes.' Cf. Milt. Eleg-. 3. 32 if. 
 
 Though the sun at setting is represented by ancient writers as 
 sinking into Ocean (//. 8. 485), yet he never ' sups with Ocean' as in 
 P. L, 5. 423. Statius {Theb. 3. 407 ff.) describes the sunset as follows: 
 
 Solverat Hesperii devexo margine ponti 
 Flagrantes Sol pronus equos, rutilamque lavabat 
 Oceani sub fonte comam. 
 
 The Hours and Nereids feed the horses, which in Ovid {Met. 
 4. 214) are refreshed with ambrosia. Cf. Lye. 168 ff. Athenseus 
 quotes different poets to show the manner in which Helios at sun- 
 down returned to his chamber in the East (11. 469, 470). Stesich- 
 orus says that he embarked in a golden boat, and sped to the depths 
 of dark night, to his mother, wife, and children. According to Mim- 
 nermus he was borne in a golden, winged bed to the Ethiopians 
 where his horses and chariot await him. The ' other goal ' of C. 100 
 may have been suggested by Homer's Tponal Tjelloio {Od. 15. 404). 
 
 In the Ion (82 ff.) we again find a representation of the sun-god 
 not dissimilar to Milton's (cf. Lye. 168 fE. ; C. N. 79), though more 
 elaborate: 
 
 Lo, yonder the Sun-god is turning to earthward his splendor-blazing 
 
 Chariot of light 
 And the crests of Parnassus untrodden are flaming and flushed, as with yearning 
 Of welcome to far-flashing wheels with glory of daylight returning 
 To mortal sight. 
 
The Sources 13 
 
 With C. 190 compare the description of the Delphic tapestry (Ion 
 
 ii48fE.): 
 
 His steeds the Sun drave to their goal of fire, 
 After him drawing the brig^ht Evening Star, 
 And sable-vestured Night with team of twain 
 Up floated: and the stars companioned her, 
 
 C. N. 31 ff. refers to the Sun as Nature's 'lusty paramour.' 
 This suggests the story of the new creation after the flood by the 
 cooperation of Earth and Sun (Ov. Met. i. 416 fE.; of. Milt. Eleg. 
 5. 55 f.). 
 
 -fl.QTnLO.-D. P. I. 8. See Winds. 
 STAB OF ABOADY.-C. 341. See Oallsto. 
 AKETHUSA.— ^0. 81; Lfo. 85, ISS. See AlpheuQ. 
 AB.GESTES.-P. L. 10. 699. See Winds. 
 AKQO.— P. L. a. 1017. 
 
 The story of Jason's voyage in the Argo in search of the golden 
 fleece is told by ApoUonius and by Apollodorus i. 9. Both relate the 
 incident of the'justling rocks' (Ap. Rh. 2. 537 fiE.; ApoUod. i. 9. 22). 
 These were at the end of the Bosporus where the Argo entered the 
 Black Sea. • Justling ' may be Milton's translation of ' Symple- 
 ^ades,' which is really an adjective {avjiTrlrryag), but Find. Pyth. 
 4. 207 should also be considered: ' Then as they set forth toward an 
 exceeding peril they prayed the lord of ships that they might shun 
 the terrible shock of the jarring {cmSpdfiuv) rocks: for they were 
 twain that had life, and plunged {nv'KLvSEaicovTo) along more swiftly 
 than the legions of the bellowing winds.' Juvenal (Sat. 15. 19) 
 speaks of the ' concurrentia saxa.' 
 
 AEQTJS.— p. L. 11. 131. 
 
 Michael, the archangel, is sent to dispossess Adam and Eve of 
 Eden with a cohort of Cherubim whose bodies are all 
 
 Spangled with eyes more numerous than those 
 Of Argus, and more wakeful than to drowse, 
 Charmed with Arcadian pipe, the pastoral reed 
 Of Hermes, or his opiate rod. 
 
 lo, a priestess of Hera, was beloved by Zeus (Apollod. 2. i. 2). 
 When Hera discovered their relation, Zeus changed lo into a white 
 heifer, and Hera, in jealousy and mistrust of his oath, set Argus to 
 guard her. Apollodorus calls Argus Panoptes because he had eyes 
 all over his body. Hermes was sent by Zeus to steal lo, and killed 
 -the all-seeing one with a stone. Ovid (Met. i. 601 ff.) tells the story 
 with pretty elaboration. Of the many eyes of Argus not more than 
 two sleep at one time. Hermes, seating himself in the shade, sings a 
 :gentle pastoral of Syrinx until Argus falls asleep. Then he makes 
 
14 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 sure of his victim, ' Languida permulcens medicata lumina virga, ' 
 and kills him with his sword. Cf. //. 24. 343. 
 
 AHIMASPIAN'S.-P. L. Z. 916. 
 
 Herodotus (3. 116) speaks of the one-eyed Arimaspians who are 
 said to steal gold from the 'gold-guarding' griffins (4. 13) in the north. 
 Pausanias (i.,24) quotes Aristeas the Proconnesian to the effect that 
 ' the griffins are like lions, but have the wings and beak of an eagle.' 
 Pliny {N. H. 7. 2) says: ' haud procul ab ipso aquilonis exortu, spe- 
 cuque ejus dicto . . . produntur Arimaspi . . . quibusassi- 
 due bellum esse circa metalla cum Gryphis, ferarum volucri genere, 
 quale vulgo traditur, eruente ex cuniculis aurum, mira cupiditate et 
 feris custodientibus, et Arimaspis rapientibus, multi sed maxime 
 illustres Herodotus et Aristeas Proconnesius scribunt.' 
 
 ASSYEIAIir QTJBBN.-C. 1002. See Adonis. 
 ATIiAS.— P. L. 2. 80G; 4. 987; 10. 674. 
 
 In the Prometheus of .ffischylus, 348 f£. , Prometheus grieves for 
 his kinsman Atlas, 
 
 who doth stand 
 In the far West, supporting on his shoulders 
 The pillars of the earth and heaven. 
 
 Cf. Hom. Od. I. 52 if; Verg. jEn. 4. 481 ff.; Ov. Met. 4. 631 ff. In 
 this last passage Ovid tells the story of Atlas' transformation into a 
 mountain by the Gorgon's head in the hands of Perseus. Cf . Pleiades. 
 
 ATEOPOS.-E. M.w. 29. See Fates. 
 ATTIC BOX.— Pons . 124. See Cephalus. 
 
 ATT E0BA .-P. 1. 5. 1, 6, 124; 6. 2, iai\j. 878^11. 178; P. E. 4. 430; Mk\. 19, 64; Pent. 182; K. 
 
 The dawn is often personified in Milton, and in many cases the 
 accompanying description bears a distinct reference to the Eos or 
 Aurora of classical writers. The adjective 'rosy' in connection 
 with the morn occurs three times [P. L. 5. 1; 6. 3; 11. 175; cf. P. R. 
 4. 428). It is common among the ancients. In Homer's stock 
 description we find 'the rosy- fingered Dawn' (//. 1. 477; 6. 175; Od. 
 2. i; 5. 121 etc.; cf. Hom. Hy. to Helios 6; Verg. ..^n. 6. 535). In //. 
 8. I. she is ' saffron-robed'; cf . Verg. Georg, 1. 4. 47. Purple is alsa 
 her color (Ov. Met. 2. 113). With ' gold empyreal ' of P. L. 6. 13 cf. 
 Od. 15. 250. Similar coloring is seen in Milton's In Quint. Nov. 133. 
 f. The ' tricked and frounced ' of Pens. 123 may be an elaboration 
 of ' lutea ' in the story of Cephalus (Ov. Met. 7. 703), including 
 however, a reminiscence of similar conventional epithets and de- 
 scriptions. In L'Al. 54 'the slumbering Morn' is 'roused,' with 
 possible reference to Homer, who represents the Dawn as rising: 
 from the bed of Tithonus (//. 11. 1; Od. 5. i; cf. Verg. Georg. i. 447). 
 
The Sources 15 
 
 In P. L. 5. 5. Milton speaks of the sleep of Adam as 
 
 temperate vapours bland, which the only sound 
 Of leaves and fuming rills, Aurora's fan. 
 Lightly dispersed. 
 
 ■Aurora's fan' suggests the gentle breezes of morning which took 
 personified forms with the ancients. According to Hes. Tkeog. 378 
 Aurora (Eos) was the mother of Boreas, Notus, and Zephyrus. Mil- 
 ton departs from classical tradition in making Zephyrus instead of 
 Tithonus the paramour of Aurora. 
 In P. L. 6. 2 we read that 
 
 Morn, 
 Waked by the circling Hours, with rosy hand 
 Unbarred the gates of Light. 
 
 This may be referred to two passages, the one in Hom. //. 5. 749, 
 where ' self-moving groaned upon their hinges the gates of heaven 
 whereof the Hours are warders, to whom is committed great heaven 
 and Olympus, whether to throw open the thick cloud or set it to.' 
 The other passage here to be considered is Ov. Mei. 2. 112: *ecce 
 vigil rutilo patef ecit ab ortu Purpureas Aurora fores et plena rosarum 
 Atria. ' One office of the Hours was to attend the Sun (cf . Apollo). 
 
 The conception of the Dawn as routing the Night and her shades 
 is expressed in P. L. 6. 13 and P. R. 4. 426. "With these lines com- 
 pare Orph. Hy. 77. 4, where Dawn is addressed as the goddess 
 ' who drivest the dark and gloomy progress of Night beneath the 
 earth with thy rising.' In Ov. Met. 2. 114, ' Diffugiunt stellse, qua- 
 rum agmina cogit Lucifer.' Cf. 144; Eurip. Ion 84; also Milton's 
 Epist. 18. III. In his comment on a similar passage in Dante (Purg. 
 2. 56) Gary refers P. Z. 6. 15 to Sophocles, Track. 94, where Night is 
 represented as slain or despoiled by the flaming Sun whom she 
 brings forth. As the Orphic Hymn speaks of Night's ' gloomy prog- 
 ress,' so Milton {P. L. II. 175) speaks of the 'rosy progress' of the 
 Morning. In Orph. Hy. 78. 2 the Dawn is described as ipvBaLvoiiivrj 
 Kara Kda/iov. This may have suggested Milton's epithet ' nice ' (C. 
 139), though the latter conveys a somewhat different sense. 
 The fifth book of Paradise Lost opens : 
 
 Now Morn, her rosy steps in the eastern clime 
 Advancing, sowed the earth with orient pearl. 
 
 The passage evidently refers to the legend mentioned by Ovid {Met. 
 13. 621). Memnon, the son of Aurora, was slain by Achilles at Troy. 
 His mother gives herself up to her grief, ' piasque Nunc quoque dat 
 lacrimas et toto rorat in orbe.' A similar idea appears in the ' lumine 
 consent arva ' of Lucretius 2. 211. See also Leucothea and Cephalus, 
 
 BACCHTTB.-F. L. 4. 270 ; 7. 33 ; L>AI. 16 ; C. 46, 622. 
 
 Bacchus is represented by Milton as the son of Amalthea (P. L. 
 
1 6 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 4. 279; see Rhea), and the father of Euphrosyne (L.'Al. 16; see 
 Graces). 
 
 In the passage last cited he is ' ivy-crowned.' The ivy was one 
 of his best known symbols. Euripides in the Phcenissce 650 ff., says 
 that in the Aonian plains Bacchus was born, ' whom the wreathed 
 ivy twining around him (wepiarec^iig) instantly, while yet a babe, 
 blessed and covered with its verdant shady branches.' The worship- 
 per of Bacchus was ' crowned with ivy ' {Baccha 81), as is the god 
 himself in fr. 46 of Pindar (Bergk). 
 
 Bacchus was a wine-god only in post-Homeric times. Plato in 
 the Laws (2. 672 A) speaks of him as the giver of wine, and a scholium 
 on Od, 9. ig8 calls him the discoverer of wine. 
 
 The story of the transformed mariners in C. 46 ff. is told by Ovid 
 {Met. 3. 583 ff.). Some Tyrrhene pirates, 'qui postea Tusci sunt 
 dicti ' (Hyg. jFab. 134), engaged to carry Bacchus to Naxos, but as 
 they turned aside to sell him into slavery, their ship became wreathed 
 with ivy, their oars became serpents, and the sailors dolphins (cf. 
 Horn. Hy. 7; Apollod. 3. 5. 3). The classics recount no adventure of 
 Bacchus with Circe. The supposed location of the .ffisean isle of 
 Circe in the Tyrrhene sea may have been Milton's cue to his inven- 
 tion. A scholium on Od. 10. 135 says that some identified it with 
 Circaeum off Italy. This is Vergil's location (^Mn. 7. 10 ff.). Com- 
 pare also Diod. Sic. 4. 45. 
 
 The Baccha of Euripides is a representation of ' the barbarous 
 dissonance of Bacchus and his revellers,' especially in the following 
 passages ; 64-162; 680-764; 977-1022. The story of the fate of Or- 
 pheus referred to in P. L. 7. 33 ff. (see Orpheus), is told by Ovid in 
 Met. II. 1-66, who describes the wild rout of the Msenads: 
 
 ingens 
 Clamor, et inflato Berecynthia tibia cornu, 
 Tympanaque, plaususque, et Baccliei ululatus 
 Obstrepuere sono citharse. 
 
 BBIiLEBOPHON.— P. L. i. t8. 
 
 In the sixth book of P. L. the Heavenly Muse has led the poet 
 in his flight upon Pegasus. At the opening of the seventh book he 
 prays that she may bring him down to earth in safety: 
 
 Lest, from this flying steed unreigned (as once 
 Belleroplion, tiiougii from a lower clime) 
 Dismounted, on the Aleian field I fall, 
 Erroneous there to wander and forlorn. 
 
 Bellerophon, son of Glaucus, was loved by Anteia, the wife of Proe- 
 tus, but when he did not return her love she openly accused him of 
 attempted violation. He was sent with a letter to the king of Lycia, 
 to the end that he might be killed. The Lycian king sent him on 
 dangerous expeditions in the course of which he slew the Chimara 
 
The Sources 17 
 
 'trusting in the signs of the gods' (//. 6. 155 ££.)• Pindar {01. 13. 
 63 fE.) tells how Athene helped Bellerophon subdue the winged horse, 
 Pegasus, which carried him in the flight. The rest of the story is 
 suggested by Pindar (Isik. 6. 45). On the back of Pegasus Bellero- 
 phon aspired to reach the assembly of Zeus, but Pegasus threw him. 
 Milton infers that he fell into the Aleian plain, probably from 
 Homer's conclusion of the story (//. 6.200): ' But when even he became 
 hated of all the gods, he went wandering alone through the Aleian 
 plain, consuming his heart, shunning the path of men.' 
 
 BEIiLONA.-P. I. 2. 922. 
 
 The Romans worshipped Bellona as a goddess of war. See ^n. 
 8. 703. According to Statins, Tkeb. 7. 72, 
 
 regit atra jugales 
 Sanguinea Bellona manu, longaque fatigat 
 Cuspide. 
 
 BOREAS.— P. L. 10. 099. See Winds. 
 
 BRIAB.EOS.— P. L. 1. 199; T. E. 03. 
 
 Briareos, also called ^gseon (//. i. 404), was a. son of Ge and 
 Uranus, and a brother of Cottus and Gyges. The brothers had each 
 one hundred arms and fifty heads and were of invincible strength 
 (Hes. Tkeog. 147). In Homer (//. i. 396) Briareos helped Thetis to 
 free Zeus from the bonds imposed by the other gods, and again in 
 Hesiod {Tkeog-. ti"] ff.) Briareos and his brothers assisted the 
 Olympian gods against the Titans. But Vergil {JEn. 10. 565) makes 
 him the enemy of Zeus: 'As was 2E,%sson. who, they say, had one 
 hundred arms and one hundred hands and fire flashed from a hun- 
 dred mouths and a hundred chests when he strove against the thun- 
 der-bolts of Jove.' See Earth. 
 
 BTTSnilS.-P. 1. 1. 80J. 
 
 Busiris is the name given by ApoUodorus (2. i. 5) to one of the 
 sons of -^gyptus who were slain by the daughters of Danaus. Diodo- 
 rus Siculus uses the name as that of an Egyptian king (i. 45; 4. 27) 
 and son of Poseidon, who, in order to drive off a famine, sacrificed 
 strangers, but was slain by Heracles. Milton gives the name to the 
 oppressor of Israel as does Ralegh in his History of the World 
 (2. 2. 7): ' Now that Orus the II. or Busiris, was the king that first 
 oppressed Israel, . . . it is a common opinion of many great and 
 most learned writers, who also think that hereupon grew the fable 
 of Busiris sacrificing strangers.' Ralegh says, however, that Chencres 
 was the Pharaoh who perished in the Red Sea (2. a. 8). 
 
 OADMXrS.-P. L. 9. 606. 
 
 Cadmus and Harmonia (rather than Hermione) reigned in 
 Thebes. After an eventful life Cadmus retired to lUyria where he 
 
i8 Classical Mythology tn Milton 
 
 prayed that he might be transformed to a serpent (Ov. Met. 4. 
 
 562 ff.): 
 
 ut serpens, in longam tenditur alvum ; 
 Durataeque cuti squamas increscere sentit, 
 Nigraque caeruleis variari corpora guttis. 
 
 Following his example Harmonia was transformed in the same 
 manner. The story is cited to illustrate the loveliness of the serpent of 
 Eden. None was lovelier, 'not those that in lUyria changed Her- 
 mione and Cadmus.' The meaning of ' changed' in this passage has 
 been disputed, but no unusual interpretation seems necessary if 
 we consider Milton's source to be in Nonnus {Dion. 44. 107-118). 
 Agaue, daughter of Cadmus, in a prophetic dream saw a gentle 
 serpent approach Cadmus, and, winding fondly about his temples 
 like a fillet, it caressed him. In the same manner a female serpent 
 encircled the head of Harmonia. ' And the son of Cronus changed 
 to stone the limbs of the two serpents, because by the mouth of the 
 serpent-nourishing Illyrian sea Harmonia and Cadmus, with altered 
 countenance, were about to assume the stony form of serpents." 
 Milton seems to refer to these serpents as effecting the change of 
 Cadmus. 
 
 CffiCIAS.— p. l. 10. eon. see WinclB. 
 CALISTO.— P. R. a. 186; C. 841. 
 
 The love of Zeus for Callisto is told by Apollodorus (3. 8. 2) and 
 Hyginus {Fab. 176, 177; Astron. z. i), both of whom quote Hesiod, 
 and is again to be found in Ovid {Met. 2. 401-530). Callisto was a 
 daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia. She followed Artemis in the 
 hunt, but was approached and violated by Zeus in the form of the 
 goddess. Callisto was changed to a bear by the angry Diana, says 
 Ovid, or by Juno or, according to Apollodorus, by Zeus, who carried 
 her to heaven, where she appears as the Great Bear. Hence Mil- 
 ton's ' Star of Arcady ' (C. 341). 
 
 The poet's mention of the ' Tyrian Cynosure ' (C. 342) refers to 
 another story concerning the constellations of the bears. Hyginus 
 {Astron. 2. 2) says that according to the belief of some, Helice and 
 Cynosura, two of the Cretan nurses of Jove, were honored with 
 places in heaven, where Helice appears as the Great Bear and Cyno- 
 sura as the Little Bear. Aratus {Pkcen. 36-39) adds that in naviga- 
 tion the Greeks were guided by the former and the Phoenicians by 
 the latter. In this connection Newton cites two passages, Ov. 
 Fast. 3. 107, 108, and Val. Flacc. Arg. i. 17: 
 
 neque enim in Tyrias Cynosura carinas 
 Certior, aut Gratis Helice servanda magistris. 
 
 OAPITOLINU JOVE. -P. L. 9. 608. See Jove. 
 
 f 
 OAB or DAY.-C. 06. Sea ApoUo. 
 
The Sources 19 
 
 OAB.PATHIAU' WIZABI}.— C. 872. See Proteus under Sea-eods. 
 CASSIOPBIA.-Pem. 10. 
 
 Cassiopeia was the wife of Cepheus, king of j^thiopia. ApoUo- 
 dorus (2. 4. 3) tells us that she contended with the Nereids, setting 
 the beauty of her daughter Andromeda above theirs. Poseidon in 
 revenge sent a sea-monster to afiflict the land, which would retire only 
 at the sacrifice of Andromeda. Hyginus {A sir on. 2. lo) says that 
 Cassiopeia was placed among the stars as a penalty for her boast. 
 
 CEPHAltrS.— PeiM. 124. 
 
 In the legend of Cephalus there is some confusion. ApoUodorus 
 (3. 14. i) says that Cecrops, an autochthon, was the first king of Attica. 
 One of his daughters was Herse, the mother, by Hermes (ApoUod. 3. 
 14. 3), of Cephalus. To him Milton refers as ' the Attic boy '. Another 
 Cephalus is mentioned by ApoUodorus (i. 9. 4) as the son of Deion, 
 and husband of Procris. He relates (3. 14. i; i. 9. 4) that both of these 
 men were stolen by Eos (Aurora), who was enamored of them. Ovid 
 (Met. 7. 690 f£.) says that the husband of Procris on the morning 
 after his wedding was engaged in the chase on Mount Hymettus, 
 when Aurora stole him away against his will. To end his pining, she 
 restored him to Procris. Servius (on JEn. 6. 445) says that Cephalus 
 had the habit of hunting on Hymettus, and implies that Aurora 
 ' was wont ' to see him there. 
 
 CEBBBRirS.-P. L. a. 065; I'Al. 3. 
 
 In his description of Sin the poet says: 
 
 About her middle round 
 A cry of Hell-hounds never-ceasing barked 
 With wide Cerberean mouths full loud, and rung 
 A hideous peal, 
 
 Cerberus is first mentioned by Hesiod (Theog. 311) as the dog 
 of Hell with fifty heads, shameless and strong. According to later 
 tradition he had only three heads (Verg. ^n. 6. 417; Georg. 4. 483). 
 The expression ' Cerberean mouths ' suggests Ovid's ' Cerbereos ric- 
 tus ' in his description of Scylla (Met. 14. 65). Milton rather curiously 
 describes the barking of Hell-hounds as ringing 'a hideous peal.' 
 The figure may be a development from Hesiod, who calls Cerberus 
 ' brazen-voiced ' ( Theog. 311). 
 
 The genealogy of Melancholy (L.'Al. 2) is Milton's own. The 
 wife and sister of Erebus was Night (Theog. 123 ff.). Cf. Saturn, 
 
 CEBSS.— p. L. 4. 271, 881; 9. 396. 
 
 Ceres, to the Greeks Demeter, was the daughter of Cronus and 
 Rhea (Hes. Theog. 453) and the mother by Zeus of Persephone, the 
 Roman Proserpina (Theog. 912). She is generally mentioned as the 
 goddess of agriculture and nourishment, and is thus characterized 
 
20 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 by the epithets of Callimachus {Hy. to Dem. 2), and in ffom. Hy. to 
 Dem. 4. 
 
 The best-known incidents in connection with Ceres are the rape of 
 her daughter and the mother's weary search through the world, both 
 suggested by Milton in P.L. 4. 268 fE. Ovid thus describes the ' fair 
 field of Enna' (,Met. 5. 385 ff.): 
 
 Haud procul Hennseis lacus est a mcsnibus altas, 
 Nomine Fergus: non illo plura Caystros 
 Carmina cycnonim labentibus audit in undis. 
 Silva coronat aquas, cingens latus omne; suisque 
 ■ Frondibus, ut velo, Phoebos submovet ictus. 
 Frigora dant rami, Tyrios humus humida fiores, 
 Perpetuum ver est. 
 
 Here Proserpina was gathering lilies and violets when Dis ('moestus,' 
 396) stole her away to be his wife and queen of the Lower World. 
 Cf. Horn. Hy. 417-430. Horn. Hy. to Dem. 47 says: ' Nine days 
 then through earth did revered Deo wander about with flaming 
 torches in her hands, nor did she once taste of ambrosia or sweet 
 nectar in her grief, nor refresh her body with the bath.' Incidents 
 of her wandering are related by Ovid in Met. 5. 438 fE. and Fast. 
 4. 421 ff. 
 
 CHAIiTBBAN.— S. A. 133. 
 
 Samson's strength made useless all armor and ' Chalybean-tem- 
 pered steel.' The Chalybeans, according to Apollonius (2. 375), 'are 
 workmen, and busy themselves with the working of iron.' A scho- 
 lium on the passage says that they were a Scjrthian people, ^schy- 
 lus in the Prometheus 740 calls them aid^ipoTi/a-ovec. 
 
 CHAM.— p. I. ». 278. See Ammon. 
 
 OHAKCE.— P. li. 2. 233; 551, 910, 985; 7. 172; C. 5S8. 
 
 How much of Milton's use of Chance may be referred to the 
 Tyche of Greek mythology and the Latin Fortuna, is uncertain. 
 Where so varied a conception is possible, the line between mythol- 
 ogy and philosophy often cannot be clearly determined, and in most 
 of the instances which may have been Milton's antecedents we find 
 little or no suggestion of personification. The poet speaks without 
 personification of Fate and Chance as treated by the Greek tragedians 
 (,P. P. 4. 265). A fragment of .ffischylus is quoted by Stobseus (1.6. 16) 
 to the effect that ttAvtuv rvpawog ?J tvxv 'cm rav Beav. In Euripides 
 (Phcen. 1202) are the words, KoKa^ ra rav Beav koI to. t^; rhxi^ ^X^i- 
 Milton's conception of Chance as a malignant divinity is not in 
 harmony with the earlier poets, but she is associated by him with 
 malice and sorcery (C 588); with Orcus, Demogorgon, and Dis- 
 cord (/". L. 2. 233, 910, 965). With this last association may be com- 
 pared a passage in Plato (Laws 4. 709), where the Athenian says, ' I 
 
The Sources 21 
 
 was going to say that man never legislates, but that destinies and 
 accidents happening in all sorts of ways, legislate in all sorts of 
 ways. Either the violence of war has overthrown governments and 
 changed laws, or the hard necessity of poverty. . . . Any one 
 who sees all this, naturally rushes to the conclusion . . . that 
 no mortal legislates in anjrthing, but that in human affairs chance is 
 almost everything.' A contest between Chance and Fate or other 
 divinities, such as we find in P. L. 2. 232, is only hinted at in fr. 38 
 of Pindar : iv ipyjuuaiv Si vinq, Thx<i <A cBhog. Pausanias (7. 26. 8) quotes 
 Pindar as his authority that ' Tyche is one of the Moerse (Fates) and 
 is somewhat stronger than her sisters.' In 4. 30. 3 he speaks as 
 though it were common belief that ' this goddess is the greatest of 
 divinities in the affairs of men, and shows the greatest strength.' 
 Plutarch (De Fort. Rom. i, 2) speaks of the contest between Virtue 
 and Tyche, but believes that they work together. 
 
 As to her fickleness, Pindar addresses Tyche in 01. 12 sa3ring, 
 ' Up and down the hopes of men are tossed as they cleave the waves 
 of bafiding falsity: and a sure token of what shall come to pass 
 hath never any man on the earth received from God.' Pliny 
 (N. H. 2. 5. 7) says that in his time Fortuna was believed to be 
 'cseca, vaga, inconstans, incerta, varia, indignorum fautrix.' 
 
 On /". Z. 2. 551 Todd quotes Bentley to the effect that 'this is 
 taken from the famous distich of Euripides, which Brutus used when 
 he slew himself: 
 
 <5 TTJjfiov 'ApETij, MyoQ ap' fiaff, kyi> di ae 
 <5f Ipyov TjOKow av d* ap' £6ov?ievsg rvxy. 
 
 In some places for Big. force, it is quoted tvxv fortune. Milton has 
 well comprehended both.' The poet has shown the same conserva- 
 tism in C. 586: 
 
 Against the threats 
 
 Of malice or of sorcery, or that power 
 
 Which erring men call Chance, this hold I firm : 
 
 Virtue may be assailed, but never hurt, 
 
 Surprised by unjust Force, but not enthralled. 
 
 Dion Cassius, from whom Bentley's story of Brutus is taken (47. 49), 
 does not say that the distich is from Euripides, but calls the say- 
 ing TovTo Th ''B.pa.K.lem/. In Nauck's Trag. Grcsc. Frag, the fragment 
 is given among the Adespota (305). Milton has discussed the relation 
 between Chance and Causes in his Artis Log. plen. Instit. i. 5, ed. 
 Symmons 6. 208 ff. 
 
 CHAOS.— p. L. 1. 10, 64S; 2. 238, 895, 907, 980, 970, 1038; 8. 18, laij C. 871: 7. 221; <. 272; 
 10. 410,477; C. 884. 
 
 Milton's use and representation of Chaos have something in 
 common with classical tradition, but his conception is much more 
 definite and elaborate, and seems to bear some reference to the 
 
22 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 word's etymological meaning of chasm or abyss. (Cf . xalvtm, x"-'^"^^'"' 
 to yawn.) In P. L. 2. 891 the realm or region of Chaos is ' the hoary 
 Deep — a dark Illimitable Ocean.' Again it is 'the wasteful Deep' 
 {P. L. 2. 961), the 'nethermost' and 'intractable Abyss' {P. L. 2. 
 969; 10. 476). In The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, P. W. 
 3. 224., Milton speaks of ' that uttermost and bottomless gulf of chaos, 
 deeper from holy bliss than the world's diameter multiplied.' This is 
 founded also on Homer's Tartarus (//. 8. 13). 
 
 The first mention of Chaos is made by 'R&AoA.iTheog. 116), who 
 says that of all things Chaos was (born ?) first. His statement, how- 
 ever, may be a mere personification in order to reconcile speculation 
 with popular belief, and after his times Chaos became associated 
 rather with philosophical discussion than with pure mythology. 
 There is therefore little or no classical authority for Chaos as a dis- 
 tinct divinity ruling and maintaining the great region of anarchy and 
 confusion above Hell. (Cf. P. L. 1. 54.3; 2. 894, 960; 7. 272; jo. 477.) 
 Plutarch {De Is. et Os. 57) says that Hesiod seems to make Chaos a 
 kind of region or place and the foundation of all. Milton's general 
 conception as well as his description of the elements warring in 
 Chaos {P. L. 2. 884-906) seem to refer to Ovid, Met. i. 5 ff. : 
 
 Ante, mare et tellus et quod tegit omnia caelum, 
 Unus erat toto Naturae vultus in orbe, 
 Quern dixere Chaos, rudis indigestaque moles; 
 Nee quidquam, nisi pondus iners; congestaque eodem 
 Non bene junctarum discordia semina rerura. 
 
 Sic erat instabilis tellus, innabilis unda, 
 Lucis egens aer; null! sua forma manebat, 
 Obstabatque aliis aliud; quia corpore in uno 
 Frigida pugnabant calidis, humentia siccis 
 Mollia cum duris, sine pondere habentia pondus. 
 
 Ovid (Met. 10. 30) speaks of Chaos as synonymous with Hell, and 
 in 14. 404 as a divinity of the Lower World; cf. Verg. .^n. 4. 510. 
 Though in Milton the old personal conception has been elaborated 
 generally into a ruling divinity, yet Chaos occasionally may denote 
 both ruler and realm, as in P. L. 7. 221 ; 10. 416. 
 
 There is no classical authority for Night as the consort of Chaos. 
 According to the Orphic cosmogony {Orph. Hy. to Night 2), Night 
 is the ancestress of gods and men, in fact, the yfoemf ■Kh.vTm). Milton 
 apparently attempts a reconciliation of the two cosmogonies in 
 making ' unoriginal Night and Chaos wild ' co-rulers and ' ancestors 
 of Nature.' 
 
 In one of his early writings (Prolusions) Milton identifies Chaos 
 with Demogorgon. Ci. Demogorgon. Discussions of Chaos may be 
 found in Schoemann's edition of the Theogony, pp. 83-85, and on pp. 
 10-23 of H. Flach's Das System der Hes. Kosmogonie. 
 
The Sources 23 
 
 OHAH.TBDIS.— p. t. 2. lOaOi C. !60. See Scylla. 
 
 OHiita)aA.-p. 1. 2. 828i e. su. 
 
 Of the Chimsera Homer tells us (//. 6. 180) that ' she was of the 
 generation of gods and not of men, in front a lion, and behind a ser- 
 pent, and in her middle a she-goat, breathing forth the terrible 
 strength of flaming fire.' 
 
 The enumeration in P. L. 2. 628, of ' Gorgons, and Hydras, and 
 Chimseras dire' is drawn from Vergil's enumeration of the monsters 
 whose abode is at the entrance of Hades (j^n. 6. 287): 
 
 bellua Lernse 
 Horrendura stridens, flammisque armata ChiniKra 
 Gorgones, Harpyixque. 
 
 This location of the Chimsera may account for the connection in 
 C. 57: 
 
 dire Chimeras and enchanted isles, 
 And rifted rocks whose entrance leads to Hell. 
 
 Vergil describes the place 237-241: 
 
 Spelunca alta fuit, vastoque immanis hiatu, 
 Scrupea, tuta lacu nigro nemorumque tenebris. 
 
 But the mention of ' enchanted isles ' in such close connection with 
 the entrance to Hell is strongly reminiscent of the Odyssey, for it was 
 directly from Circe's enchanted isle, and in following out her com- 
 mands that Odysseus made his visit to the Lower World. The story 
 is found in Odysseus' narrative, Od. 10. 503-11. 50. Cf. Bellerophon. 
 
 CnCMIERIAlT.— L'AI. 10; cf. Prnlnslona, ed. STmmonB 6. 152. 
 
 Homer (O^. ii. 13) tells how the ship of Odysseus 'came to the 
 bounds of deep-flowing Ocean. There are the land and city of the 
 Cimmerians, hidden in gloom and mist; and never does the beaming 
 sun look down upon them with his rays, neither when he mounts up 
 in the starry heaven, nor when he turns back toward the earth from 
 heaven, but malignant night is outstretched over unhappy mortals.' 
 In connection with UAL 8 we may consider Ovid, Met. 11. 592: 
 
 Est prope Cimmerios longo spelunca recessu 
 Mons cavus, ignavi domus et penetralia Somni. 
 
 The abode of the Cimmerians was a matter of dispute among the an- 
 cients. Herodotus (4. 12) locates the historic Cimmerians in Scythia, 
 and Strabo (5. 244) mentions the belief that the mythical Cimmerians 
 lived in Italy near Lake Avernus. 
 
 CIEOB.— p. I. 9. 522 ; C. 50, 153, 258, 522. 
 
 In the Odyssey lo. 136 Circe is an ' awful goddess of mortal 
 speech . . . begotten of Helios'; and again (276), 'the enchant- 
 ress ' (voTivfdp/mKog). ^s Eurylochus and his companions approached 
 
 her palace they heard her singing so sweet a song as she was weav- 
 
24 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 ing at the loom, that Polites wondered whether it was the voice of 
 goddess or woman. Cf. C. 244 ff. About them thronged the wolves 
 and lions which Circe had bewitched "with evil drugs.' With a 
 magic drug and a touch of her wand she turned the companions of 
 Odysseus into swine. But the hero with the aid of Hermes restored 
 them. Cf. Verg. yE7i. 7. 11-20. See Hermes. 
 
 Milton remembers Ovid's account also {^Met. 14. 248 ff.). When 
 the heroes reached the palace of Circe they found her with the 
 Nereids and Nymphs about her (267 ff.): 
 
 Gramina disponunt, sparsosque sine ordine flores 
 Secernunt calathis, variasque coloribus herbas. 
 Ipsa, quod h^e faciunt, opus exigit. 
 
 Cf. C. 'Zi'i and see Naiads. It will be seen that in C. 244-257 Milton, 
 with his usual sensitiveness to sound, has taken his cue from Homer, 
 and greatly surpassed Ovid in this particular representation. As 
 the charm took effect the victims began (280), 
 
 pro verbis edere raucum 
 Murmur, et in terram toto procumbere vuUu. 
 
 Cf. C. 50 ff. See also Bacchus and Sirens. 
 
 CLTMENB.— p. R. 2. 186. See Apollo. 
 COOYTTJS.-P. I.. 2. 679. See Rivers of Hell. 
 C0MT7S.— See Ba,ccbus and Circe. 
 COE'STION' AND THmiSIS.-L'Al. 83. 
 
 Lines 81-90 of V Allegro form an idyll of Milton's own making, 
 
 but the names, Corydon, Thyrsis, Phillis, Thestylis, as well as some of 
 
 the details of the picture, show the influence of Vergil. Corydon (Thepc. 
 
 4; Verg. Eel. 2 and 7) and Thyrsis (Theoc. i; Verg. Eel. 7) are 
 
 shepherds, and Phyllis {Eel. 7. 14) and Thestylis (Theoc. 2. 95; 
 
 Eel. 2. 10) are attendants. With Milton's description compare 
 
 also Eel. i. 81: 
 
 Et jam summa procul villarum culmina fumant. 
 
 and Eel. 2. jo, ii: 
 
 Tliestylis et rapido fessis messoribus sestu 
 
 Allia serpyllumque herbas contundit olentes. 
 COTTTTO.-C. 120. 
 
 Cotytto or Cotys was originally a goddess of the Thracian tribe 
 Edoni, and was worshipped with noisy rites similar to those used in 
 the celebration of the Phrygian Rhea or Cybele (Strabo 10. 470). 
 According to Suidas (diaaiiTJig, 'K6tvq) and Hesychius (KotottA) her 
 worship in a licentious form was to be found in Corinth. Whether 
 it actually existed in Athens is disputed. Juvenal at any rate would 
 imply that it did {Sat. 2. 91, 92); 
 
 Talia secreta coluerunt Orgia tEeda 
 Cecropiara soliti BaptEe lassare Cotytto. 
 
Tfie Sources 25 
 
 The scholium on this passage says: 'Bapta, titulus libri, quo impu- 
 dici describuntur ab Epolide, qui inducit vires Athenienses ad imi- 
 tationem foeminarum saltantes, lassare psaltriam. Sapice, ergo 
 moUes,' etc. It is evident that Milton had this passage and its schol- 
 ium in mind in C. 129: 
 
 Dark-veiled Cotytto, to whom the secret flame 
 Of midnight torches burns ! 
 
 Compare also 143, 144: 
 
 Come, knit hands, and beat the ground 
 In a light fantastic round. 
 
 The 'secret flame' may be referred to ' secreta tasda' (Juv. 2. 91), 
 and ' thy vowed priests' (136) to the Baptse, a word which, according 
 to conjecture, derives its significance from some form of lustral rite 
 at initiation. That Cotytto was worshipped at night is implied most 
 directly in ' secreta taeda,' though the few cases in which the goddess 
 is mentioned would seem by their association to point to nocturnal 
 rites. In Strabo (10. 470, 471) Cotytto is mentioned in connection 
 with such gods of nocturnal worship as the Thracian Bendis (cf . 
 Plat. Rep. I. 327), and the Phrygian Sabazius (cf. Cicero, De Leg. 
 2. 15). The same conception a.'g^e.a.T:s,\a.Va^ Defensio contra Alex. 
 Mor. ed. Symmons 5. 291: ' Nunc non Deus te, sed tua ilia Dea audit 
 Cotytto . . . labra tacite moventem: 
 
 Da raihi fallere; da justo sanctoque videri: 
 Noctem peccatis^ et stupris objice nubem,' 
 
 From the subject of Juvenal's second satire, and from Horace {Epod. 
 17. 56): 
 
 Inultus ut tu riseris Cotyttia 
 Volgata, sacrum liberi Cupidinis, — 
 
 it is to be inferred that Cotytto was also worshipped at Rome with 
 great license. 
 
 In making Cotytto appear in a ' cloudy ebon chair ' Milton fol- 
 lows the tradition of Latin poets, who are fond of this accessory; cf . 
 Ov. Met. 2. 531; 5. 645; Verg. ^n. i. 147; Senec. Med. 787; see 
 Hecate. 
 
 A discussion of Cotytto may be found in Buttmann's Mythol- 
 ogus 2. 159 ff. 
 
 CUFrD.— F. L. i. 303; 11. 680; C. 134, U5, lOOt; Son. 1. 13. 
 
 In the infrequent use which Milton makes of this divinity he 
 follows the later conception of Love as a sportive, winged boy, 
 armed with the bow, arrows, and firebrands. This is especially true 
 of his Latin poems, in which distinct marks of Ovid's influence are 
 evident. (Cf. Eleg. 5. 97; 6. 52; 7. 3, 4; Ep. Dam. 191 fE.) In Met. 
 I. 468 fP. Cupid carries two arrows, one of gold, to excite love, and 
 the other of lead, to repel it. Venus depends upon her son for the 
 
26 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 strength of her own influence. Cf. Met. 5. 365 fE. : Verg. ^n. 664 £E. ; 
 C. 124. Speaking of ideal marriage in P. L. 4. 763, the poet says, 
 
 Here Love his golden shafts employs, here lights 
 His constant lamp, and waves his purple wings. 
 
 These lines seem to be the very reverse of a passage in Ovid {Am. 
 
 3- 9. 7-9): 
 
 Ecce puer Veneris fert eversaraque pharetram, 
 
 Et fractos arcus, et sine luce facem. 
 
 Aspice, demissis ut eat miserabilis alis. 
 
 Ovid also mentions Love's ' purpureas alas ' in the Remedia Amoris 
 701. All these accoutrements of Cupid appear in Milton's Latin 
 poems {Eleg. 5. 98; 7-17; 47). See Hesperus. 
 
 The story of Cupid and Psyche to which Milton refers in C. 1003 
 fE. was late in origin. It is related in detail as an allegory by Apu- 
 leius in his Metamorphoses 4. 28-6. 24. Psyche was the youngest 
 and most beautiful of three sisters. Venus was jealous of her 
 beauty, and the oracle commanded her father to expose her upon the 
 mountains. There, in a splendid palace, she became the wife of 
 Cupid, who warned her not to reveal his name to her sisters. But 
 Psyche could not resist their questions, and Cupid left her. She 
 wandered alone over the earth pursued by the implacable Venus, 
 who imposed many labors upon her. These she accomplished by 
 miraculous means. At length Cupid besought Jove for her restora- 
 tion. A council of the gods assembled to consider the matter, and 
 Jove decreed that Cupid and Psyche should be united in eternal 
 marriage, at which all the gods assisted. Psyche became the mother 
 of Voluptas. Milton, however, with greater delicacy says that her 
 children are Youth and Joy. 
 
 CTBSIjE.— Arc. 31. See Khea. 
 
 CTrUTHIA.— C. N. 108; Pem. 69. See Diana. 
 
 CYTHBBEA.-P. L. 9. 19. See Venus. 
 
 BAMCETAS.— Lyt. 86. 
 
 Damoetas is a name associated with pastoral poetry, and occurs 
 in the sixth idyll of Theocritus, from which it is derived by Vergil in 
 his third eclogue. In both cases Damoetas is a young shepherd who 
 engages in a song contest, of which the chief subject is love. 
 
 DAPHNE.— p. 1. 4. 378! P. It. 2. 18J. C. 601. See ApoUo. 
 DASKNESS.-P. 1. a. 431; P. R. 4. S97; I'Al. 3, S. See Erebus and Night. 
 death:.— P. L. 3. 780; 10. 380; P. R. 8. 65; Son. 38. 4. 
 
 If Milton's Death as represented in P. L. 2. 666-703, 785-848, is 
 compared with Thanatos in the Alcestis of Euripides (cf. Son. 23. 4), 
 certain points of resemblance and difference are to be noticed. In 
 Ale. 843 he is ' the sable-vested king of the departed.' In Milton he 
 
The Sources 27 
 
 is also a king (673,698). As Thanatos rebukes Apollo for unjustly 
 interfering with the Fates and saving the life of Admetus (/4/c. 29- 
 37), so with even greater vehemence Death defies Satan (689-703). 
 Death is armed with a dart (672), while Thanatos carries a sword 
 {^Alc. 74, 76.), which, however, serves another end than to smite his 
 victims. 
 
 According to Hesiod (Theog. 212) Death was born of Night with- 
 out a father. Hyginus (Pref. to Fab.) names Erebus as the father. 
 Homer makes Death the brother of Sleep (//. 4. 231), and to Sleep he 
 ascribes a characteristic which Milton gives Death (cf. P. L. 2. 698; 
 P.P. 3. 85). He is addressed as ' lord of all gods and of all nien.' 
 
 DEIiIA.— F. L. 9. 8S7 . See Diana. 
 
 DEIiOS.-P. L. 10. 296. SeeApoUo. 
 
 SEIiFHI.— F. L. 1. 517; F. B. 1. 468,' C. K. 178; Slmk. 12. See Apollo. 
 
 SEMOaOBGOIT.-F. L. 9. 966. 
 
 Near the throne of Chaos and Night stood 
 
 Orcus and Ades, and the dreaded name 
 Of Demogorgoa. 
 
 It may be well to consider in this connection a passage in the 
 Prolusions of Milton (Utrum Dies an Nox prcsst., ed. Symmons 
 6. 146), where he says : ' Apud vetustissimos itaque mythologise 
 scriptores memorias datum reperio Demogorgonem deorum omnium 
 atavum (quem eundem et Chaos ab antiquis nuncupatum hariolor) 
 inter alios liberos, quos suceperat plurimos, Terram genuisse; hac, 
 incerto patre Noctem fuisse prognatam.' That Demogorgon and 
 Chaos were the same is not the classical idea. We find it in 
 Boccaccio, who devotes the first book of his De Genealogia Deorum 
 to Demogorgon and his progeny, and calls him (i. i) ' vetemosus ille 
 deorum omnium gentilium proavus . . . nomine ipso horribilis'; 
 cf. P. L. 2. 964. One of Milton's ' vetustissimi scriptores' appears to 
 be Hesiod. See Chaos. 
 
 A passage in the Thebaid of Statins may throw light upon 
 Milton's use of Demogorgon. Tiresias in calling forth the shade of 
 Laius, urges the other divinities of Hades, but one name he dares 
 not mention (4. 516). 
 
 Et triplicis mundi summum, quem scire nefastum est; 
 Ilium sed taceo; prohibet tranquilla senectus. 
 
 In commenting upon the adjuration Lactantius says : ' dicit deum 
 demogorgona summum, cujus nomen scire non licet.' 
 
 DETJOAIiIOlir.-F. L. 11. 13. 
 
 In his reference to the Greek story of the flood and the restora- 
 tion of man through Deucalion and Pjrrrha, Milton has followed the 
 account of Ovid {Met. i. 260-415), who is authority for the state- 
 
-28 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 ment that ' the ancient pair ' consulted the oracle of Themis, as to the 
 right course of action (321; cf. 375). Milton's citation of the legend 
 may have indirect connection with the statement of Apollodorus that 
 Pyrrha was the first mortal woman (i. 7. 2; cf. P. L. 11. 11). 
 
 SIAIfA.— p. L. 1. lii; 3. 726; 9. S87; P. B. 3. 855; C. N. 103; Peni. 59; C. 135, 441, 985; Son. 12. 3. 
 
 In Homer Artemis (Diana) is especially characterized byher.chas- 
 tity {Qd. i8. 202; 20. 71) and her stately beauty. Helen and Penelope 
 are compared with her (Od. 4. 122; 17. 37). In Od. 6. 102 ff. Nausicaa 
 among her handmaids comes forth ' even as Artemis, the archer, 
 moveth down the mountain, either along the ridges of lofty Taygetus 
 or Erymanthus, taking her pastime in the chase of boars and swift 
 deer, and with her the wild wood-nymphs disport them, . . . 
 while high over all she rears her head and brows, and easily may she 
 be known, — but all are fair.' Compare Vergil's imitation (^«. i. 499): 
 
 Exercet Diana chores; quam mille secutse 
 Hinc atque hinc glomeraatur Oreades. 
 
 The description occurs frequently. See Horn. Hy. 26; Callim. Hy. to 
 Art.: P. L. 9. 386 £E.; P. R. 2. 355. 
 
 In C. 442 Diana is called 'the silver-shafted queen. ' According 
 to //. 20. 70 her shafts are golden. Milton's alteration may have 
 been considered more in harmony with his idea of womanly purity 
 and beauty (cf. Arc. 16, 33), and there seems also to be a remote ref- 
 erence to the moonbeams, since her brother Apollo's golden shafts 
 were supposed to represent the sun's rays (Macrobius i. 17. 57). But 
 in Homer he is the god of the silver bow (//. 2. 766; 5. 449). 
 
 Milton (C 445) represents Diana as also setting at nought 
 
 The frivolous bolt of Cupid; gods and men 
 
 Feared her stem frown, and she was queen o' the woods. 
 
 The poet evidently refers to such stories as those of Actseon (Ov. 
 Met. 3. 131 ff.) and of Callisto. In Met. 5. 365 fE. Venus commands 
 Cupid to defend her with his all-powerful arrows: 
 
 Spernimur; ac mecum vires tenuantur Amoris. 
 Pallada nonne vides, jaculatricemque Dianam 
 Abscessisse mihi ? 
 
 Diana is called ' queen of wild beasts ' by Homer (//. 21. 470). 
 
 The Moon-goddess became identified with Artemis later than 
 Homer. In jEsch. fr. 171 (ed. Wecklein) the moon is called 'bright 
 eye of the daughter of Leto.' She is named Cynthia {Pens. 59; C. 
 N. 103), as her brother was called Cynthius, from Mount Cynthus of 
 Delos, their birth-place. 
 
 In Pens. 59 (cf. In Obit. Eliens. 56) she drives a yoke of drag- 
 ons. This conception seems to be without classical authority. The 
 car of Selene, the moon-goddess, was drawn by foals (Horn. Hy. 31), 
 
The Sources 29. 
 
 or, according to a quotation in Fulgentius {My t hoi. i. ed. Staveren 
 p. 618), she rode behind bulls as in Claudian {Rapt. Proserp. 3. 403). 
 Diana drives either horses (Horn. Hy. 8), or deer (Ap. Rh. 3. 879). 
 Cf. Paus. 5. 11. But it is worthy of notice that in Ov. Met. 7. 192-221 
 Medea's prayer to the moon and other divinities is answered by the 
 descent of a chariot drawn by dragons, though in 398 it appears that 
 these belonged to the sun. Dragons pull the chariot of Ceres in 
 
 5. 642. 
 
 The regal character of the moon, as represented in P. L. 4. 
 606-609; 5- 41; 7' 381, is not common in the classics. The bright- 
 ness of her golden crown is mentioned in Horn. Hy. 32. 5, and 
 Horace calls her 'siderum regina bicornis' (C. ScBc. 35). The 
 queenly nature of Diana is easily .transferable to the moon. In P. L. 
 4. 609 the moon ' o'er the dark her silver mantle threw.' According 
 to Horn. Hy. 32. 8 she begins her progress, ' having put on her far- 
 shining garments.' 
 
 Hecate was originally a moon-goddess, but Milton follows the 
 later conception and makes her the malignant divinity of sorcery 
 and the Lower World. Vergil {jEn. 6. 247) represents her as ' Cseloque 
 Ereboque potentem ' and as ' Tergeminamque Hecaten, tria vir- 
 ginis ora Dianae' (4. 511). In a note on this line Servius says that 
 some explain ' tergeminam ' by the three phases of the moon, quarter, 
 half, and full, or it may have reference to the three forms, Luna, 
 Diana, and Proserpina (Hecate ?), as regents of Heaven, Earth, and 
 Hell. Cf. P. L. 3. 730. 
 
 In C. 135 Hecate is associated with Cotytto, and rides with her 
 in 'a cloudy ebon chair,' facts which Masson explains by their 
 common origin in Thrace. But Hecate appears frequently in com- 
 pany with the different gods of darkness, as in Ov. Met. 14. 403, 
 where in Circe's enchantment 
 
 Ilia nocens spargit, virus succosque veneni : 
 Et Noctem, Noctisque Deos Ereboque Chaoque 
 Convocat, et longis Hecaten ululatibus orat. 
 
 This passage may throw the necessary light on C. 532-535. It also 
 suggests the howl of Medea in Met. 7. 190. The general character 
 of C. 130-135 is not dissimilar to Ovid's description of Medea's noc- 
 turnal journey in the chariot drawn by dragons (7. 220-237). Com- 
 pare also the chariot of Night. 
 
 For the solitudes suggested by the name of Hecate instances are 
 to be found in Theoc. 2. 12 and in the enchantments of Medea, Met. 
 7. 179-190, who performs the ' abhorred rites' in 240 ff. ; cf. Theoc. 
 2. 1-16. Other examples of these rites may be found in Verg. ^n. 
 
 6. 257; Sen. CEd. 548 flf.; TibuU. i. 2. 52; Lucan 6. 685. 
 
 J3IS.— p. L. 4. 270. See Ceres, Kuto. 
 
30 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 DISOOKD.— p. I. 2. »67; 10.707. 
 
 In the light of classical tradition Milton's treatment of Discord 
 is rather indefinite. He makes her the daughter of Sin (/". L. lo. 
 708), while Hjrginus {Pre/, to Fab.) says that she was the daughter 
 of Nox and Erebus, apparently identifying her with Eris (Hes. 
 Theog. 225). 
 
 The ancients did not give Discord ' a thousand various mouths. ' 
 Among the horrors at the mouth of Hades Vergil names ' Disoordia 
 demens Vipereum crinem vittis innexa cruentis ' (^n. 6. 280). Mil- 
 ton may have referred to 'vipereum crinem,' or he may have adapted 
 Vergil's description of Fama {^n. 4. 181), which in part is based 
 upon Homer's Eris (//. 4, 440-43): ' quot sunt corpore plumse . . . 
 Tot linguse, totidem ora sonant.' Cf. also //. 11. 3 with P. L. 10. 
 708-710. 
 
 DODONA.— p. L. 1. 618. See Jove. 
 
 DRYADS.— P. 1. 9. 887; C. 96S. See Nymphs. 
 
 SARIS.— P. L. 1. 198, 909, 687, 778; o. 338; 7. 453; 9. 1000; P. B. 4. 663, 666; D. F. 1.47. 
 
 Earth is frequently and naturally represented as the ' all-bear- 
 ing Mother ' as in P. L. 5. 338; cf. 1. 687; 9. 1000. In Hesiod Theog. 
 117 ff. Gaia or Ge (Earth) is the first child of Chaos, and from her is 
 bom Uranus (Heaven). Ge and Uranus become the parents of the 
 line of Olympian gods. Cf. P. L. i. 509. Pindar seems to refer to 
 Earth when in Nem. 5. i ff. he says that there is one race of gods 
 and one of men, ' and it is from one mother that we both draw the 
 breath of life.' Cf. Ov. Met. i. 78 ff. After the flood, when Deu- 
 calion and Pyrrha could not at first interpret the command to begin 
 the new creation by throwing behind them the bones of their 
 mother, Deucalion at last exclaimed {Met. i. 393), 
 
 Magna parens Terra est: lapides in corpore terrse 
 Ossa reor dici. 
 
 Then the Earth, pregnant with the rays of the sun, brought 
 forth many different creatures. (Cf. ' viscera terrse ' of Met. i. 138 
 with P. L. I. 687 ff.; see P. L. 7. 453.) Milton speaks of Earth as 
 the mother of the hundred-handed giants, Briareos and his broth- 
 ers, of Typhon and the Giants {P. L. i. 198, 778); of Antceus (P. P. 
 4. 563 fE.); of the Titans (P. L. 1. 198; D. F. I. 47). A discussion of 
 each will be found in its place. In P. L. i. 199 'Briareos or Ty- 
 phon' explain 'Earth-born,' in the previous line, and could not be 
 called Titanian. ' Earth-born ' also suggests the Giants proper, as in 
 P. L.i. 778. The ' Giant-angels ' of P. L. 7. 605 is evidently a refer- 
 ence to Titans rather than the Giants, since their leader, like the 
 angels, was fighting to maintain his place in Heaven. The ' Earth- 
 bom giant ' mentioned in V. E. 93 is Briareos or one of his brothers, 
 as the context shows. See also Nature. 
 
The Sources 31 
 
 3:CH0.-C. aaO-213; 376. 
 
 In his treatment of the legend of Echo, Milton has been very free. 
 But the ancients seem to have differed widely in their conception of 
 the nymph. For example, with some writers as Euripides (,Hec. 
 nog if.), she is a mountain-nymph. Cf. Ov. Met. 3. 363. In later 
 writers she is a water-nymph as in Anih. Pal. 9. 825. But the 
 poet has some authority for making her a wood-nymph whose haunts 
 are the ' violet-embroidered vale,' a ' flowery cave,' or ' mossy couch ' 
 (275). In Anth. Pal. 9. 382, 383 she dwells ' on the border of the 
 land where trees grow tall.' The description of Echo's retreat in C. 
 230-233, 276 may be an expansion of Ov. Met. 3. 393: 
 
 Spreta latet silvis, pudibundaque frondibus ora 
 Protegit; et solis ex illo viyit in antris. 
 
 The nymph is frequently represented as living in a cave; cf. Lucian, 
 De Domo 3; Senec. Troad. log ff. There seems to be no classical 
 authority, however, for her dwelling 
 
 By slow Meander's margent green. 
 
 The story of how Juno deprived Echo of the power of voluntary 
 speech, and how she pined away in her love for the fair Narcissus, 
 until she became nothing but an echoing voice, may be found in Ov. 
 Met. 3. 351 fB. ; cf. Nat. non pati Sen. 61. 
 
 .BIiTSrUM.— p. I. a. 869, 473; D. F. I. 40; L>A1. 147i C. 267, 996. 
 
 The words Elysium and Elysian are in a general way used by 
 the poets of that which is free from care. They are as old as Homer, 
 who sang of Elysium as the place where worthy men continued their 
 earthly life without having seen death. In Od. 4. 563 Proteus says to 
 Menelaus, ' The deathless gods will convey thee to the Elysian plain 
 and the world's end . . . where life is easiest for men. No snow 
 is there nor yet great storm, nor any rain; but always ocean sendeth 
 forth the breeze of the shrill West to blow cool on men.' It must be 
 noticed, however, that the idea of Elysium is closely associated in the 
 mind of Milton with that of flowers, as the following citations show. 
 
 Iris there with humid bow 
 Waters the odorous banks, that blow 
 Flowers of more mingled hue 
 Than her purfled scarf can shew, 
 And drenches with Elysian dew 
 
 Beds of hyacinth and roses. 
 
 C. 992-998. 
 
 I have oft heard 
 My mother Circe with the Sirens three, 
 Amidst the ilowery-kirtled Naiades, 
 Culling their potent herbs and baneful drugs, 
 Who, as they sung, would take the prisoned soul. 
 And lap it in Elysium. — C. 252-257. 
 
32 Classical Mythology tn Milton 
 
 And where the River of Bliss through midst of Heaven 
 Rolls o'er Elysian flowers her amber stream ! 
 
 P. L. 3. 358, 359. 
 
 That Orpheus' self may heave his head 
 From golden slumber on a bed 
 Of heaped Elysian flowers. 
 
 L^Al. 145-147, 
 
 To refer this association to some particular passage or poet wotild be 
 impossible. Mention may be made, however, of instances where it 
 occurs among the ancients, which make it appear that Milton has 
 borrowed from descriptions of the Blessed Isles. In the Odyssey 
 ' the mead of asphodel ' is the place ' where dwell the souls, the phan- 
 toms of men outworn.' (24. 13; cf. 11. 539). Pindar, however, gives 
 the best example. In 01. 2 he describes the place of reward of the 
 good, saying: ' There round the islands of the blest the Ocean-breezes 
 blow, and golden flowers are glowing, some from the land on trees of 
 splendor, and some the water feedeth, with wreaths whereof they 
 entwine their hands' (78 fE.). Plutarch in the Consol. ad Apollon. 
 120 C saves a fragment of the Threnoi of Pindar, which, he says, 
 describes the happy reward of the good: ' And the space of crimson- 
 flowered meadows before their city is full of the shade of frankincense- 
 trees, and of fruits of gold, . . . and among them thriveth all fair- 
 flowering bliss.' Among the Latin poets may be cited Ovid, who 
 makes Chloris, the goddess of flowers, appear as ' a Nymph of the 
 blessed plains, where, as thou hast heard, was formerly the abode of 
 blessed men' (Fast. 5. 195 if.). Mention should also be made of the 
 description which immediately follows this passage. See also Naiads 
 and Circe. 
 
 EPIDATJBTIS.-P.l. 9. 607. 
 
 Milton speaks of .lEsculapius, the divinity of medicine, as ' the 
 god in Epidaurus,' illustrating by this citation the beauty and gentle- 
 ness of the serpent of Eden. He is evidently thinking of a story in 
 Roman history as told by Valerius Maximus (i. 2). In the early days, 
 dtiring a pestilence, the city of Rome, by the advice of the Sibyl- 
 line books sent an embassy to Epidaurus, that they might seek the 
 help of ^sculapius in his temple there. Their prayers were answered 
 by the god himself in the form of a serpent. 'Siquidemis anguis, 
 quern Epidauri raro, sed numquam sine magno ipsorum bono visum 
 in modum ..3Esculapii venerati fuerunt, per urbis celeberrimas partes 
 mitibus oculis et leni tractu labi ccepit, triduoque inter religiosam 
 omnium admirationem conspectus, hand dubiam prse se adpetitse 
 clarioris sedis alacritatem ferens, ad triremem Romanam perrexit, 
 paventibusque inusitato spectaculo nautis eo conscendit, ubi Q. 
 Ogulni legati tabernaculum erat, inque multiplicem orbem per sum- 
 mam quietem est convolutus.' At Antium the serpent left the ship. 
 
The Sources 33 
 
 but the sailors waited for it to return. On their arrival at Rome it 
 swam to an island in the Tiber, where a temple was erected to it, 
 since the plague had subsided. The same story is told by Livy 
 {Epit. II; cf. Paus. 3. 23). 
 
 EKESXrS.— p. L. 2. 883; C. 804. 
 
 In Homer Erebus is used indefinitely of the abode of the dead. 
 In Od. II. 37, ' the spirits of the dead that be departed gathered them 
 from out of Erebus.' But Erebus was also the personified Darkness 
 of the Depths (Hes. Theog. 123). Plutarch {De Prim. Frig. 953 A) 
 says: koI to hpejioq tovto ^ apa rb x^^^^^ /^^ kyyacov (TicdTog. Milton, how- 
 ever, makes no distinction between Erebus and Tartarus in the light 
 of his apparent sources. 
 
 The mention of thunder and chains (C 804) points to the story 
 of the battle with the Titans, as told by Hesiod {Theog. 664 fE.). See 
 Titans. In P. L. 2. 883 the infernal doors 
 
 on their hinges grate 
 Harsh thunder, that the lowest bottom shook 
 Of Erebus. 
 
 This is reminiscent of Vergil's description of Tartarus A£n. 6. 573 ff., 
 
 beginning, 
 
 Turn deraum horrisono stridentes cardine sacrae 
 Panduntur portse. 
 
 Milton's personified treatment of Darkness has reference at times to 
 classical myth. In P. L. 3. 421 Darkness seems to be identical with 
 Night as the latter is represented elsewhere. In two -places, however, 
 (/". R. 4. 397; L'Al. 6) there is a suggestion of Erebus, though Night 
 was not his offspring but his sister and wife (Hes. Theog. 123 ff.; In 
 Quint. Nov. 69). In L'Al. 2 there may some allusion to the cave of 
 Scylla, ' a dim cave, turned to Erebus, towards the place of darkness.' 
 Compare also the description of the mouth of Hell, the abode of 
 Scylla and other monsters, Verg. ^n. 6. 273 ff. See Rivers of Hell. 
 The cave of Darkness is described in P. L. 6. 4-1 1, a passage whose 
 principal antecedent is Hes. Theog. 748-757. In the west is the place 
 ' where Night and Day, going about meet one another, passing over 
 the great bronze threshold. While the one shall go in, the other 
 Cometh forth out of doors, and never doth the house confine them 
 both within, but ever doth one being without the house wander over 
 the earth, while the other abiding within, awaits the hour of her jour- 
 ney, until it come. The one goeth with far-seeing light for mortals, 
 the other, deadly Night, concealed in a dark cloud, goeth bearing 
 Sleep, the brother of Death, in her arms.' 
 
 ERYHANTH.-Arc. 100. See Pan. 
 
 BTHIOP fttJEEIir.— Pens. 10. See CasBiopeia. 
 
 ETJPHEOSYNB.-L'AI. IS, as, 88. See Graces. 
 
 3 
 
34 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 BT7B.US.— p. L. 10. JOB. See 'Wllias. 
 ETTYRTUICE.— L'Al. 150; Pens. 107. See OrplLeus. 
 ETJB-YNOME.— P. L. 10. 581. 
 
 The story of Eurynome and Ophion is told by ApoUonius of 
 Rhodes (Arg. i. 503 ff.), where Orpheus sings 'how once Ophion and 
 Eurynome, daughter of Ocean, held the rule of snowy Olympus, 
 and how he, struggling with mighty arms, yielded honor to 
 Cronus, and she to Rhea, and they fell into the waves of Ocean, 
 . . . while Zeus, still a boy, and still with boyish thoughts in 
 mind was living within the Dictsan cave.' There seems to be no 
 distinct statement of the ancients to the effect that this revolution in 
 Olympus took place ' ere yet Dictsean Jove was born,' though Hesiod 
 implies that Cronus deposed Uranus before the birth of Zeus ( Tkeog. 
 176 fE., 453-465; cf. Paus. 5. 7. 4). Tzetzes also has told the story in the 
 scholia on Lycophron 1191, but Milton's mention of Olympus and the 
 epithet ' Dictsean' would seem to indicate ApoUonius as the source. 
 In introducing the story the poet suggests an etymological connec- 
 tion between Ophion and o^if , serpent. 
 
 BVEN.-C. 188. See ApoUo. 
 FATES.— E. M. W. 28; Arc. dS; Ljo. 75. 
 
 The part played by the Fates or Moeras in classical mythology 
 seems to have been rather indefinite, and it varied from century to 
 century. In Homer as a rule they are not clearly personified, and are 
 associated with birth and death, but their number is uncertain, as in 
 Od. 3. 236-238; 7. 197; //. 24. 49. In Od. 7. 196 fE. we first find the spin- 
 dle of life's thread associated with Fate; ' But thereafter he 
 (Odysseus) shall endure such things as Fate and the stern spinning 
 women drew off the spindles for him at his birth.' Hesiod (Tkeog. 
 217) first speaks of Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, but does not assign 
 to them their respective functions, though Clotho by etymology, 
 would be the spinner, Lachesis the assigner of fate, and Atropos the 
 implacable one. In all times the Mceras were associated with birth 
 as well as death, a fact which is suggested by Milton's mention of 
 Atropos in E. M. W. 28 ff. In the first part of the seventh Nemean 
 ode Pindar addresses Eileithyia, ' that sittest beside the deep-coun- 
 selling Mosrse, child of mighty Hera, thou who bringest babes to the 
 birth.' The Roman Lucina performed a similar office, though her 
 association with Atropos seems to be of Greek origin. 
 
 In Lye. 75 Milton calls Atropos ' the blind Fury.' Though the 
 Fates were not regarded as identical with the Furies they were 
 sometimes associated with them, especially in tragedy. The Pro?ne- 
 iheus of ^schylus (516) furnishes perhaps the best example. ' Who 
 guides the helm, then, of Necessity ? ' inquires the chorus, and 
 Prometheus answers, ' Fates triple formed, Erinnyes unforgetting.' 
 
The Sources 35 
 
 The shears which cut the thread of life are a common accessory 
 of Atropos in modern literature, but rarely appear in classical liter- 
 ature, and seem to be of late Roman origin. In the Latin Antho- 
 logy I. 792, ed. Riese (Teub.) occur the lines: 
 
 Tres sunt fatales quae ducunt fila sorores: 
 
 Clotho colum baiulat, Lachesis trahit, Atropos occat. 
 
 The passage in Arcades (62 ff .) which describes the subduing of the 
 Fates by the music of the Spheres is clearly drawn from Plato's story 
 of the journey of Er after death {Rep. 10. 616, 617). The spirits saw 
 the line of light which binds together the circle of the universe 
 (616 C), ' and there in the midst of the light, they saw reaching from 
 heaven the extremities of the chains of it. . . . And from the 
 extremities of the chains is extended the spindle of Necessity, on 
 which all the revolutions turn. The shaft and hook of this spindle 
 are made of steel (Ef aSafrnvTOQ, Milton's adamantine spindle, 66). 
 And again in 617 B: 'The spindle turns on the knees of Necessity; 
 and on the upper surface of each circle is a siren, who goes round 
 with them, hymning a single sound and note. The eight together 
 form one harmony; and round about, at equal intervals, there is 
 another band, three in number, each sitting upon her throne: these 
 are the Fates, daughters of Necessity, who are clothed in white 
 raiment and garlands upon their heads, Lachesis, and Clotho, and 
 Atropos, who accompany with their voices the harmony of the sirens 
 — Lachesis singing of the past, Clotho of the present, Atropos of the. 
 f uttire. ' 
 
 FATTNS, FATTNUS.— P. R. a. 191; Lye. 34; P. L. 4. 70S. See Wood-gods. 
 FAVONIXTS.— Son. 20. 6. See Winds. 
 FLEECY STAB. -P. L. 8. 6 8. 
 
 Here Milton speaks of Aries as ' the fleecy star that bears Andro- 
 meda far off Atlantic seas.' Aratus says that this constellation is 
 obscure, but that one may locate it by the girdle of Andromeda, ' for 
 it is situated not far beneath her ' {Phcen. 229). Eratosthenes (Katas- 
 terismoi 19) says that Aries was the ram of the golden fleece, who 
 bore away Phrixus and his sister, Helle, as they were about to be 
 sacrificed by their father, Athamas. Among the stars, according to 
 Milton, he bears Andromeda, as he had borne Helle on earth. The 
 story of Phrixus is told by ApoUodorus (i. 9. i). 
 
 FLOKA.— p. L. 5. 16; P. E. i. 365. 
 
 The story of Zephyrus and Flora, to which Milton alludes in P. L. 
 5. 16 is really the story of Zephyrus and Chloris (Ov. Fast. 5. 195 ff.); 
 ' I, who now am called Flora, was once called Chloris. The Greek 
 spelling of my name became corrupted by the Latin pronunciation.' 
 Thus she begins to tell how Zephyrus stole her away. 
 
 Dum loquitur, vernas efflat ab ore rosas. 
 
36 Classical Mythology tn Milton 
 
 At the end of her story (375), 
 
 tenues secessit in auras, 
 Mansit odor. 
 
 This may have suggested to Milton the expression ' Flora's earliest 
 smells' {P. R. 2. 365). 
 
 POBOE.— p. I. 2. 66l! 0. 5»0. See Chanos. 
 
 rUBIES.— P. I. 2. 698, Oils P. L. o. 869; 10. 500; P. K. *. 422; C. 641; Ijc. 76. 
 
 From earliest writers the idea of Furies held by the ancients is 
 indefinite and varied. Homer in //. g. 454 speaks of only one, hut 
 elsewhere of a greater number. Among the tragedians the number 
 varies. Apollodorus (i. i. 4) names three, Alecto, Tisiphone, and 
 Megsera. They are variously represented, with fire-breathing gar- 
 ments (Eurip. Iph. T. 288), and with fiery hair (Senec. Here. Fur. 
 87). Serpents writhed in their hair (Hor. C. 2. 13. 35), and Claudian 
 speaks particularly of the snaky locks of Megsera (In Ruf. i 378, 
 134; cf. P. L. 10. 560). A famous description of the Furies may be 
 found in the Orestes of Euripides, 255 ff. 
 
 Beginning with Homer (//. ig. 25g) the Furies are always the 
 avengers of crime and are associated with the Lower World. The 
 passage in P. L. 2. 5g6 may have some connection with Verg. ^n. 
 6. 570 fit.: 
 
 Continuo sontis ultrix adcjncta flagello 
 
 Tisiphone quatit insultans, torvosque sinistra 
 
 Intentans anguis, vocat agmina sKva sororum. 
 
 Tisiphone is here presiding over the punishment of the damned. 
 
 In P. L. 2. 5g6 Milton speaks of the Furies as 'harpy-footed.' 
 This epithet seems to have no particular forerunner among those 
 used of the Eumenides. However we find the following passage in 
 .^schylus comparing the Furies with the Harpies (Eunten. 45 ff.): 
 
 And a troop 
 Of women strange to look at sleepeth there, 
 Before this wanderer, seated on their stools; 
 Not women they, but Gorgons I must call them; 
 Nor yet can I to Gorgon forms compare them; 
 I have seen painted shapes that bear away 
 The feast of Phineus. Wingless though are these, 
 And swarth, and every way abominable. 
 
 In the Ji.neid Celseno, the Harpy, speaks of herself as ' Furiarum 
 maxima' (3. 252), and Servius in commenting upon 3. 2og says of the 
 Harpies, 'ipsse furise esse dicerentur: unde etiam epulas prohibentur 
 abripere, quod est furiarum.' See Fates. 
 
 GAimiED.-P. R. 2. 353. 
 
 The story of Ganymed was popular in all times. It is first told 
 by Homer in //. 20. 231: ' To Tros three noble sons were born, Ilos 
 and Assarakos and godlike Ganymedes, who became the most beauti- 
 
The Sources 37 
 
 fill of mortal men. Him the gods caught up to be cupbearer to 
 Zeus, for sake of his beauty, that he might dwell among immortals.' 
 Cf. Hylas. 
 
 QENIUS.— C. K. 186; Pens. 161; Fersou In Arcndos; Lyo. 183. 
 
 The genius-cult of Rome was of Italian origin, though in later 
 times it is colored by the Greek belief in the dasmon. The word is 
 associated with gignere, and at first always, and afterward gener- 
 ally is the force which brings human beings into the world. ' In 
 lucem editis hominibus cunctis . . . hujusmodi qusedam velut 
 actus rectura numina sociari,' says Ammianus Marcellinus (21. 14. 3). 
 Servius says, by way of comment on Verg. Georg. i. 302, 'Genium 
 autem dicebant antiqui, naturalem deum imiuscujusque loci, vel rei, 
 aut hominis.' The genius of a place was propitious and tutelary 
 (cf. Verg. ^n. 5. 84 ff.), and Milton elaborates this conception in 
 assigning specific duties to the genii of the wood and of the shore. 
 Cf. Preller, Rom. Myth. pp. 65 ff. 
 
 OEEYON.-P. 1. 11. 410. 
 
 Geryon lived in Erytheia, an island of Spain, and his cattle were 
 stolen away by Heracles (ApoUod. 2. 5. 10). Milton's lines suggest 
 a passage in Spenser {F. Q. 5. 10. 9): 
 
 And sooth they say that he was borne and bred 
 Of Gyants race, the sonne of Geryon; 
 He that whylome in Spaine so sore was dred 
 For his huge power and great oppression. 
 
 Servius (on ^cEn. 7. 662) says; 'Geryones rex fuit Hispanise, qui ideo 
 trimembris fingitur, quia tribus insulis prsefuit, quae adjacent His- 
 panise: Baliaricse minori et majori et Ebuso . . . hunc Gery- 
 onem alii Tartessiorum regem dicunt fuisse.' Diodorus mentions 
 the fact that Chrysaor, Geryon's father, was named from his wealth 
 of gold (4. 17), and that the inhabitants of the Baleares ' do not make 
 use of gold or silver, rigorously forbidding either to be brought into 
 the island, and giving this reason for it, that Geryon, son of Chry- 
 saor, was killed by Heracles on account of these metals' (5. 17). In 
 calling the Spanish explorers ' Geryon's sons ' Milton may have in- 
 tended some reference to the name's connotation of gold. 
 
 GIANTS.— p. 1. 1. 1»8, 6J7, 7J8. 
 
 The giants on the plain of Phlegra are cited by Milton to illus- 
 trate the strength of the legions of Hell. Hesiod describes them as 
 strong and tall, gleaming with armor and holding long spears ( Theog. 
 185, 186). Apollodorus (i. 6. i) says that they were unsurpassed in 
 size of body, and in strength invincible, and their glance was 
 terrible. Pindar is among the first to mention Phlegra as the scene 
 of their battle with the gods (Nem. i. 67), and Apollodorus (i. 6) 
 gives us the oldest story of the fight. The latter says that in her 
 
38 ■ Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 anger at the defeat of the Titans by the gods, Earth brought forth 
 these monsters to oppose the Olympians, who overcame them in 
 single combat. The Giants and Titans are associated by Horace 
 (C 3. 4. 43) and Vergil {Georg. i. 278), as in P. L. i. 198. Cf. Earth, 
 Briareos, Titans. 
 
 GIiATTCTJS.— i:. 874. See Sea-gods. 
 
 GOEGON.— P. L. 2. 6tl, 628; 10. 297, 627; C. 447. 
 
 Homer speaks of only one Gorgon. In //. 5. 738 ff. Athena, arm- 
 ing for battle, cast about her shoulders ' the tasselled segis terrible, 
 . . . and therein is the dreadful monster's Gorgon head, dreadful 
 and grim, portent of aegis-bearing Zeus.' Odysseus in his account 
 of his visit to the Lower World {Od. 11. 633) says, ' Pale fear gat hold 
 of me, lest the high goddess Persephone should send me the head of 
 the Gorgon, that dread monster, from out of Hades.' This treat- 
 ment of the Gorgon as one of the terrors of Hades may account for 
 Milton's use of the monster in P.L, 2. 611, 628; see Chiincera. 
 Hesiod names three Gorgons, Stheino, Euryale, and Medusa, of 
 whom Medusa alone was mortal. He describes them {Herac. 
 Sh. 230) as unapproachable : ' on their belts two serpents hung, 
 thrusting their heads forward. They darted forth their tongues and 
 gnashed their teeth with violence, glancing wildly about. ' ApoUo- 
 dorus (2. 4. 2) tells of their ' heads covered with serpents' scales, and 
 great teeth as of hogs, and brazen hands and golden wings with 
 which they flew; and those who looked upon them they turned to 
 stone.' Then follows the story of how Perseus slew Medusa, and how 
 her head was fixed on the shield of Athene, still retaining its awful 
 power; cf. Pind. P. 10. 47. Ovid also tells the story in Met. 4. 
 771 S., and in C. 447 ff. Milton follows his account. He says that of 
 three Gorgons, Medusa was the only one with snaky locks. She had 
 once been fair, but as a penalty for sacrilege in the temple of 
 Minerva the goddess changed her hair to snakes, which finally be- 
 came a part of the divine armor (801, 802): 
 
 Nunc quoque, ut attonitos forraidine terreat hostes^ 
 Pectore in adverse, quos fecit, sustinet angues. 
 
 In Met. 4. 616 ff. we find a later story, the basis of P.L. 10. 525 ff., 
 to the eifect that the drops of blood from Medusa's head fell upon 
 Libya, and from them serpents sprang up in the land (619): 
 
 Unde frequens ilia est, infestaque terra colubris. 
 
 The story is first told by ApoUonius of Rhodes (4. 15 15). 
 
 GBACES.-P. L. 1. 267; Vk\. 12, 16; C. 9S6. 
 
 Homer speaks of an indefinite number of Graces (//. 14. 267). 
 Hesiod, however, says that to Zeus ' Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus, 
 bore three fair-cheeked Graces, . . . Aglaia, and Euphrosyne, 
 
The Sources 39 
 
 and the lovely Thalia.' This genealogy was the commonest though 
 many others are to be found. Milton himself says in L'Al. 14 that 
 Venus bore the Graces to Bacchus, for which Servius (on jEn. i. 724) 
 is his authority: ' Acidalia Venus dicitur. ... a fonte Acidalio 
 . . . in quo se Gratise abluunt, quas Veneri constat esse sacra- 
 tas. Ipsius enim et Liberi filise sunt, nee immerito.' The other 
 genealogy of the Graces, as daughters of Zephyr and Aurora (L'Al. 
 ig), is without classical authority except that it seems more in har- 
 mony with the early and more elevated conception of the Graces as 
 exemplified in Pindar. Milton seems to favor it especially in L' Alle- 
 gro, for his Euphrosyne is distinctly tuneful, as she is in the four- 
 teenth Olympian of Pindar, where she is addressed as 'lover of 
 song.' Thalia too, appears 'delighting in sweet sounds,' while all 
 the Graces are called 'queens renowned in song.' Pindar sings this 
 light and beatitiful ode "in Lydian mood of melody'; cf. UAl. 136. 
 The Graces are associated with most of the principal divinities, 
 and very frequently with the Hours, as in Paus. 2. 17. 4; 5. 11. 7. In 
 the Homeric hymn to Pythian Apollo (16 ff.) occurs this description: 
 ' But the fair-tressed Graces, and the wise Hours, and Harmony, and 
 Hebe, and Venus, the daughter of Jove, dance, holding each others' 
 hands by the wrist.' Beyond such association as this the Graces have 
 nothing to do with the coming of Spring, though their name often 
 suggested flowers, especially roses {Anacreont. 44; 56, Bergk; Apul. 
 Met. 6. 24; see Hours). The association of the Graces with Pan 
 {P. L. 4. 266) seems to be Pindaric. In fr. 62 (Bergk) the poet calls 
 Pan ' delightful darling of the Graces,' perhaps because he also 
 speaks of him as ;(;op™r^ii TsktCyraTov deav (Aristides i. 49). 
 
 HAMHON.— C. N. 203. See Ammon. 
 H.ffiKOirZ'.-C. 688. 
 
 Milton's use of this name may have reference not only to Thes- 
 saly or Haemonia as the landt of magic, but to Ovid's description of 
 Jason's renewal of youth by means of Medea's incantation (Met. 7. 
 159 ff.). Among the countries which the sorceress visited in search 
 of ingredients was Thessaly (264, 265): 
 
 lUic Hsemonia radices valle resectas, 
 Seminaque, floresque, et succos incoquit acres. 
 
 Compare Milton's second elegy 7, 8: 
 
 O dignus tamen Hxmonio juvenescere succo, 
 Dignus in jEsonios vivere posse dies. 
 
 HARPIES.— 1*. K. !£. 403, 590; C. 005. 
 
 In P. R. 2. 403 the feast of Satan vanishes ' With sound of harpies' 
 wings and talons heard.' As this passage contains no definite evi- 
 dence of a particular source, it may best be referred to the ' locus 
 classicus,' Verg. ^n. 3. 216 ff.: 
 
40 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 Virginei volucrum vultus, fcedissima ventris 
 Proluvies, uncseque manus, et pallida semper 
 Ora fame. 
 
 The comrades of ^neas had spread their feast upon the shore of the 
 Strophades (225-227): 
 
 At subitse horrifico lapsu de montibus adsunt 
 Harpise, et magnis quatiunt clangoribus alas, 
 Diripiunt dapes. 
 
 Cf. 233: 
 
 Turba sonans prsedam pedibus circumvolat uncis. 
 
 In C. 605 Harpies and Hydras are closely associated -with ' the 
 griesly legions that troop Under the sooty flag of Acheron.' One is 
 reminded of jEn. 6. 287, where, among the crowd of monsters at the 
 gate of Hell, are the Harpies. See Chimara, Rivers of Hell, 
 Furies. 
 
 HEAVEN. -p. 1. 1. 509. See.Eartll. 
 HEBE.— V. H. 38; L'Al. 29; C. 290. 
 
 Hebe is mentioned by Homer {Od. ii. 604) as the daughter of 
 Zeus and Hera, and in //. 4. 2 she serves wine to her father and the 
 other gods. The scene in which she appears in V. .ff. 35 £E. is evi- 
 dently suggested by //. I. 5S4 f£., though Hebe herself is not pres- 
 ent in the latter case, and the only reference to her is the burlesque 
 of Hephsestus acting in her capacity. See Apollo. 
 
 Hebe is the Greek personification of youth, and is identified 
 with the Roman Juventas. In Ov. Met. 9. 397 lolaus is restored to 
 his youth, having his cheeks covered with an almost imperceptible 
 down, and his visage changed to that of the first years of manhood. 
 Hebe had granted this favor. Cf. C. 289, 290! Homer {Od. 11. 603) 
 speaks of ' Hebe of the fair ankles,' and Theocritus repeats the epi- 
 thet (17. p2). Pindar calls her OaXepd {JVem. i. 71) and noKkioTa 8eav 
 {Nem. 10. 19), and Propertius adds the epithet 'cselestis' (i. 13. 23). 
 
 HEOATE.— C. 185, 584. See Diana. i 
 
 HELENA.— e. 076. 
 
 This passage is founded upon Hom. Od. 4. 219-230. Tele- 
 machus is entertained in the house of Menelaus. ' Then Helen, 
 daughter of Zeus, turned to new thoughts. Presently she cast a 
 drug into the wine whereof they drank, a drug to lull all pain 
 {vt/Tr£v6i(, Milton's Nepenthes) and anger, and bring forgetfulness 
 of every sorrow. Whoso should drink a draught thereof, when it 
 is mingled in the bowl, on that day he would let no tear fall down 
 his cheeks, not though his mother and his father died, not though 
 men slew his brother or dear son with the sword before his face, and 
 his own eyes beheld it. Medicines of such virtue and so helpful had 
 the daughter of Zeus, which Polydamna, the wife of Thon, had 
 
The Sources 41 
 
 given her, a woman of Egypt.' Menelaus and Helen returned from 
 Troy by way of Egypt (3. 300; 4. 83, 125). The epithets 'born of 
 Zeus ' and ' daughter of Zeus ' are common in connection with Helen, 
 as illustrated by the above passage and //. 3. 199, 418, 426. 
 
 HELICON. -E. in . W. 60. See Muses. 
 
 SEBAIiD OS THE SEA.— Lye. 89. See Triton under Ssa-BOds. 
 
 HEB.CTTLES,— P. L. -i. 542; 0. lOGD; P. R. 1. 505; Pass. U; Son. 2S. 3. 
 
 In Pass. 14 the reference to Hercules is evident. The story of 
 his labors is told by ApoUodorus (2. 4. 8), but the many stories about 
 the hero were popular with classical writers of all ages. The Latin 
 poets commonly call him Alcides from his grandfather Alceus, father 
 of Amphitryon. But in Son. 23. 3 Milton follows another tradition, 
 and calls him Jove's son according to Homer (//. 14. 324) and others. 
 
 The poet has compared the wild uproar of Hell to the dying 
 agony of Hercules (P. L. 2. 541-546): 
 
 As when Alcides, from Qlchalia crowned 
 With conquest, felt the envenomed robe, and tore 
 Through pain up by the roots Thessalian pines, 
 And Lichas from the top of CEta threw 
 Into the Euboic sea. 
 
 The source of this passage is in Ovid {Met. 9. 134 fE.), as is shown 
 by its adaptation of the following expressions: 'Victor ab CEchalia 
 CenEeo sacra parabat Vota Jovi' (136; cf. Soph. Track. 751); ' Ster- 
 nentemque trabes' (209); ' Mittit (Lichas) in Euboicas, tormento 
 fortius, undas' (218). There is some obscurity in Ovid's story. The 
 other accounts (Soph. Track. 753;Senec. Here. CEt. 783) show clearly 
 that these incidents took place in Censeum, a promontory of Eubosa, 
 but Ovid, though he mentions the sacrifice to Censean Jupiter, and 
 speaks of the Euboic waves, twice afterward speaks of Mount CEta 
 in Thessaly as the scene (165, 204). Milton follows this version. 
 There is evident reference to the Ovidian account in Milton's Pro- 
 lusions (ed. Symmons 6. 145); cf. In Ob. Procan. 10. 
 See also Antceus, Alcestis, Hylas, Hydra. 
 
 HEBHES.-P. L. S. COS; 4. 717; 5. 289; II. 133; C. G37, 963. 
 
 In P. L. J,. 603 Milton speaks of ' volatile Hermes' in poetic desig- 
 nation of the metal, mercury. Hermes, as a messenger, was a 
 winged god with all the ancients, and the adjective ' volatile' seems 
 to bear reference to this fact, in addition to its chemical meaning. In 
 Vergil's famous introduction of Mercury (jEn. 4. 222 fE.), the verb 
 volar e is a favorite (cf. 246, 255, 256). This same passage is suggested 
 by Milton's description of Raphael's descent from heaven [P. L. s. 
 277-287). Vergil (4. 239) and Homer (//. 24. 341) both speak of the 
 god's golden sandals, the former calling them winged; but Milton's 
 gorgeous coloring of the wings is wanting among the ancients, 
 and Raphael's equipment is more complete than that of Hermes. 
 
42 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 In C. 959 Hermes is associated in the dance with the Dryades. 
 While there is no one passage to which Milton's rather specific men- 
 tion may be referred, yet we find good authority for it in several 
 places. In the Homeric hymn to Aphrodite (262) the nymphs in 
 company with the immortals moved in the fair dance. ' And with 
 them the Sileni and the sharp scout, the slayer of Argus, were 
 mingled in love, in a. recess of the pleasant caves. But together 
 with them at their birth were born either fir-trees or high- 
 crested oaks' In the hymn to Hermes the god is a patron of music 
 and the dance, and the chorus of Aristophanes' Thesmophoriazusa 
 invoke the pastoral Hermes and the nymphs to smile favorably upon 
 their dance (977). Aristides says that the poets call Hermes the 
 choregus of the nymphs (vol. 2, p. 708, ed. Dindorf). Milton's whole 
 description is in tune with Horn. Hy. 18. 
 
 In Hom. Od. 10. 21S-306 Odysseus himself tells how Hermes 
 gave him a ipapfiaKov kadUv, an herb which the gods call moly, as a safe- 
 guard against the charms of Circe. 
 
 See Argus, Pandora. 
 
 HEEMIONE.— p. 1. 9. 506. See Cadmus. 
 HBSPEBIDES.— See Hesperus. 
 
 aESFEBUS.— P. h. 1. 520; 3. 5eS; 4. 250, 60S; 8. 682; 9. 49; 11. hSi; P. R. M. S57; C. 393, 982. 
 
 Among the ancients Hesperus is at first the evening star, and 
 generally this conception is preserved. See Lucifer. Homer says 
 (//. 22. 317, 318) that the light gleamed from the spear of Achilles- 
 'as a star goeth among stars in the darkness of night, Hesperos, 
 fairest of all stars set in heaven.' Cf. P. L. 4. 605. In a similar 
 manner Milton speaks of Lucifer in P. L. 7. 133^ 
 
 Milton speaks of Hesperus as the star ' whose office is to bring 
 Twilight upon the Earth' (P. L. 9. 49). The idea appears in CatuU. 
 62; Claud. 14. I, 2; and in Senec. Hip. 749-751: 
 
 Qualis est primas referens tenebras 
 Nuntius noctis, mode lotus undis 
 Hesperus. 
 
 In the citations from Catullus and Claudian Hesperus is hailed 
 more than once as the bringer of Hjrmen and the wedding-night, and 
 's thus ' Love's harbinger,' as he is represented in P. L. 11. 589. Cf. 
 Claud. De Rapt. Proserp. 2. 361. See also Hymen. 
 
 The epithet ' short arbiter twixt day and night ' (50) may be based 
 ultimately upon Hesiod. He says that Adas stands at the meeting- 
 place of day and night (746 ff.), and thiat this was in the bounds of 
 the earth, that is, the west, near the Hesperides (518), whom Milton 
 closely relates to Hesperus, While the ancients generally speak of 
 the gardens of the Hesperides, he prefers the adjective Hesperian in 
 three references to the gardens and their fruit (/". Z. 3. 568; 4. 250; C. 
 
The Sourcei 43 
 
 393), and makes the Hesperides daughters of Hesperus (C. 982). 
 Their genealogy varies from Hesiod down (Tkeog. 215; cf. Diod. Sic. 
 4. 27), but Milton follows Servius, who adds that there were but 
 three daughters (on jEn. 4. 484; c£. Apollon. Rh. 4. 1427; C. 982). That 
 they were famous for their songs appears in several places. Hesiod 
 calls them Xvyvip(Moi {Theog. 518), Euripides says that they were 
 musical (//z^. 743; Herac. Fur. 394), and ApoUonius that they sang 
 delightfully (4. 1399). Milton follows Ovid in speaking of the golden 
 tree {Met. 4. 636 f.): 
 
 Arborese frondes, auro radiante virentes, 
 Ex auro ramos, ex auro poma tegebant. 
 
 The beauty of the Hesperides themselves seems to have been 
 little 'feigned of old' {P. R. 2. 358). The same might also be said 
 of the gardens, though Pliny (TV. H. 19. 4) says, 'Antiquitas nihil 
 prius mirataest, quam Hesperidum hortos.' Cf. Mart. 4. 64: 
 
 Juli jugera pauca Martialis 
 Hortis Hesperidum beatiora. 
 
 But Milton, as appears by P. L. 3. 568 ff. (cf. 8. 631), has identi- 
 fied these with Homer's Elysium, the i^eipara -yati/g, and the Islands of 
 the Blest (cf. Hes. Theog. 334, 518; see Elysium). Authorities from 
 Hesiod to Servius speak of the dragon who guarded the golden 
 apples. 
 
 In P. L. I. 520 Hesperian is used as Vergil and others use it, as 
 applied to the western lands, that is, Italy or Spain {A£n. 2. 781; cf. 
 Milt. Eleg. 3. 46). 
 
 HIPPOTADBS.— lyc. 98. 
 
 jEoIus, god of the winds, is called Hippotades (son of Hippotas) 
 by Homer (Od. lo. 2, 36). The name appears again in Ov. Met. 
 14. 86. His home, where Odysseus found him, was a rocky island in 
 which the winds lived with him. But Milton is here indebted to two 
 later traditions. First, he mentions a dungeon, after the manner of 
 Vergil, who says that in such a place .<Eolus confined the winds, — 
 ' vinclis et carcere frenat' {A^n. i. 50 flf., 84, 141; Ov. Met. 14. 224). 
 Furthermore the epithet ' sage ' seems to go back to a passage in Dio- 
 dorus, who speaks of .lEolus as reverent and just. ' He also taught 
 the use of the sails to the seamen, and by close observation of the 
 omen of fire he gave his countrymen a correct forecast of the winds: 
 therefore fable represents him as dispenser of the winds, and for his 
 unusual reverence he is called friend of the gods' (5 . 7). 
 
 BORBOB.— p. L. 4. 989. 
 
 Warton, in a note on In Quint. Nov. 148, quoted by Todd, refers 
 this passage to Spenser, F. Q. 2. 7. 23, where Horror with ' his yron 
 wings ' soars above the hideous shapes about the cave of Mammon. 
 
44 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 But Milton's association of Horror with the onset of battle is dis- 
 tinctly similar to the Greek treatment of $(i/3of. In the descrip- 
 tion of Agamemnon's preparation for battle (//. ii. 15 fif.) Homer says 
 that on his shield ' was embossed the Gorgon fell of aspect glaring 
 terribly, and about her were Dread and Terror (<i6j}og).' His 
 helmet bore • a plume of horse-hair, and terribly the crest nodded 
 from above.' In the preparations in 13. 299 £f. <i6liog is called 
 ' stark and fearless, that terrifies even the hardy warrior.' In the 
 form of a lion's head he adorns a shield of Agamemnon on the chest 
 of Cypselus in Pausanias 5. 19. 4. 
 
 HOtTBS.— p. L. 4. 267; 0. 3; T. 3; C. 980; Son. 1. i. 
 
 According to Hes. Theog. goi Themis bore to Zeus the Hours, 
 Eunomia, Dike, and Eirene. The description of the dawn which 
 occurs in P. L. 6. 2-4 is discussed under Aurora. The epithet 'cir- 
 cling' is a translation of KD/cAddEf, which occurs frequently in this 
 connection (cf. Orph. Hy. 60. 10; Eurip. Ale. 449). ' The lazy leaden- 
 stepping Hours ' of 7". 2 suggests at once Theocritus, who calls them 
 ' slowest of the Blest' (15. 104). 
 
 The Hours stand for all the seasons as early as Homer {Od. 10. 
 469), but Milton, with later classical writers, associates them with 
 Spring and the flowers. Pindar says (fr. 75. 13-16, Bergk), 'with the 
 opening of the chamber of the Hours, the nectareous plants perceive 
 the fragrant Spring. Then are strewn over the face of the eternal 
 earth the lovely violet-tufts, then are roses twined in hair. ' (Compare 
 also Call. Hy. to Ap. 81 ff.; Theoc. 15. 102-105.) 
 
 The Hours are often associated with the Graces as in C. 986 fE., 
 where both bring their bounties to the garden of Hesperus. The 
 passage is suggestive of one in Ovid {Fast. 5. 200 ff.) about the gar- 
 den of Flora, whither (217), 
 
 Conveniunt pictis incinctse vestibus Horse; 
 
 Inque leves calathos munera nostra legunt. 
 Protinus arripiunt Charites; nectuntque coronas, 
 
 Sertaque caslestes implicitura comas. 
 
 The epithet ' rosy-bosomed ' of C. 986 offers some difficulty. Verity 
 is reminded of 'poS6vaxvg, applied to Adonis in Theoc. 15. 128. 
 It would thus seem to describe the glow of the flesh, and to carry out 
 Milton's association of the Hours with the Dawn in P. L. 6. 3. Cf. 
 Aurora. On the other hand roses were often mentioned in connec- 
 tion with the Hours {Anacreont. 4, Bergk; Apul. Met. 6. 24), and 
 these were represented as clothed in long garments either dyed in 
 the bright colors of flowers, or actually woven of them (see quota- 
 tions under Naiads). ' Rosy-bosomed ' may be intended to suggest 
 this fact. 
 
 HYACINTH.— D. F. I. 25j Lyo. 100, 148. See ApoUo. 
 
The Sources 45 
 
 HTDEA.-P. L. 2. 828; C. 806; Son. 15. 7. 
 
 In p. L. 2. 627 f . Hell is represented as the breeding place of 
 monsters 
 
 worse 
 Than fables yet have feigned or fear conceived, 
 Gorgons, and Hydras, and Chimzeras dire. 
 
 Thus Vergil stations at the mouth of Hades {^n. 6. 286 ff.) 
 
 bellua LerncB 
 Horrendum stridens, flammisque armata Chimsera, 
 Gorgones, Harpygeque. 
 
 Cf. Harpies. 
 
 The story of Heracles' fight with the Hydra is told by Apollo- 
 dorus (2. 5. 2). He says that she had nine heads, eight of them 
 mortal, but the middle one immortal, and for ever}' mortal one that 
 Heracles struck off, two grew in its place. There may be a slight 
 reminiscence of this story in Son. 15, 7. In ^n. 8. 300 the Hydra 
 has a ' turba capitum,' and elsewhere fifty heads (6. 576). Euripides 
 {Herac. Fur. 1190) calls her eKaToynti^akoq and /ivpidKpavog (419). 
 Verity in his note on P. L. 2. 628 cites the phrase in Milton's Of 
 Reformation, P. W. 2. 411, 'a continual hydra of mischief and 
 molestation.' With this may be compared Eikonoklasies, P. W. 
 I- 395. where he quotes the king's epithet of Parliament: a ' many- 
 headed hydra of government, full of factious distractions, and not 
 more eyes than mouths.' He adds, 'Yet surely not more mouths, 
 or not so wide, as the dissolute rabble of all his courtiers had.' 
 
 Son. 15. 8 mentions the Hydra's ' serpent wings.' Todd cites 
 Ttravbv ■Kvpitp^snTov of Euripides (Ion. 195) as the only authority. The 
 reading Trravdv, controverted then, has been abandoned. 
 
 HYIiAS.— p. B. 2. 858. 
 
 Hylas was beloved of Heracles, but was stolen away by the 
 Naiads as he went to draw water at a spring {Theoc. 13; cf. ApoUon. 
 Rh. I. 1207 ff.). His beauty was famous. ApoUonius represents him 
 KoXkii Kal y'KvKepr)aiv epevBdfitvov ;fapiTe(7m. Theocritus calls him ^av66g 
 (13.36) and KaUtarog (72), and Valerius Flaccus mentions his ' niveos 
 artus' (i. 219). Milton's lines may be founded upon Martial 9. 26. 
 The poet wishes that he may look at fair Hyllus: 
 
 Trux erat Alcides; sed Hylam spectare licebat. 
 Ludere Mercurio cum Ganymede licet. 
 
 In the same way in Eleg. 7. 21-24 Milton illustrates the beauty of 
 Cupid by referring to Hylas and Ganymed. 
 
 HYMEN.— p. 1. 11. 591; UAI. 126; E, M. W. 18. 
 
 Hymen or Hymenseus is a conception of the later classical mjrthol- 
 ogy of not infrequent occurrence in the Latin poets. Servius (on 
 .iEn. I. 651) says that some call him the god of marriage, but that 
 
.46 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 rather he was a young Athenian whom brides invoke, because he had 
 saved the Athenian maidens in time of war. Again (on ^n. 4. 
 127) he says, 'Alii hunc Veneris at Liberi filium dicunt primum nuptiis 
 prospere usum, ob quod in nuptiis vocatur: unde nuptiale carmen 
 Hymenaeus.' In the note to Eel. 8. 30 he says that Hesperus, the 
 evening-star, loved the fair youth Hymen. Cf. P. L. 11. 588 ff. 
 The torch and garland are often associated with Hymen, whose 
 presence is the signal for glad music and revelry. At the wed- 
 ding of Perseus and Andromeda (Ov. Met. 4. 757 ff.) 'Hymen 
 and Cupid wave their torches before them . . . Garlands, too, 
 are hanging from the houses; flageolets, and lyres, and pipes, and 
 songs resound, the happy tokens of a joyous mind.' Cf. Seneca, 
 Med. 67 fif. ; Claudian, Epithal. Pall, et Cel. 34 fE. esp. 96, 97. 
 The invocation by Catullus (61. i fl:.)may be compared with L'Al. 125. 
 
 Cinge tempora floribus 
 Suaveolentis amaraci. 
 Flammeum cape: laetus hue 
 Hue veni, niveo gerens 
 Luteum pede soceum; 
 
 Excitusque hilari die, 
 Nuptialia coneinens 
 Voce carmina tinnula, 
 Pelle humuni pedibus, manu 
 Fineam quate tsdam. 
 
 .According to Todd, Jortin first noted the parallel between E. M. IV. 
 18 ff. and Ov. Met. 10. 1 ff. Hymen was invoked at the marriage of 
 Orpheus and Eurydice, and came, ' croceo velatus amictu ' ; but he 
 brought 'neither auspicious words, nor joyful looks, nor happy 
 omen,' nor did his torch burn with a steady flame, but blinded the 
 eyes with smoke, for Eurydice, soon after her marriage, perished of 
 a serpent's sting. The ' croceo velatus amictu ' of verse i seems to 
 be the original of ' saffron robe,' L'Al. 126. Warton cites the stage- 
 direction at the beginning of Jonson's Masque of HymeUy where 
 Hymen appears 'in a saffron-colored robe.' Cf. Milton, Eleg. 5. 
 105 ff. 
 
 lAPETTJS,— p. 1. 4. 7U. 
 
 lapetus, whom Milton identifies with Japhet, was one of the 
 Titans, and the father of Prometheus and Epimetheus (Hes. Theog. 
 507 ff.). See Pandora. According to Jerome {Hebr. Qucest. in Gen. 
 10. 2). from Javan, the son of Japhet, are sprung the 'lones, qui et 
 Grffici." Cf. P. L. I. 508; 5. A. 716. The fact is mentioned by 
 Ralegh in his History of the World i. 8. 7. 
 
 IDA.— p. L. 1. 616i 6. 892; Pens. 29. See Venus and Saturn. 
 IlilXTM.— P. L. 1. 578; 9.10; Pons. 100. 
 
 In this passage Milton refers to the war of Troy, which is the 
 background of the story of the Iliad. The catalogue of the heroes 
 
The Sources 47 
 
 is found in 2. 484-877. Poseidon, Pallas, and Hera sided with the 
 Greeks, while Apollo, Ares, and Aphrodite took the part of the Tro- 
 jans, and Zeus turned the tide of battle this way and that for the 
 glory of Achilles. The sack of Troy is described in Verg. ^n. 2. 
 The story of Troy was a, favorite subject with tragic poets {Pens. 
 100). It was treated by Sophocles in the Ajax, by Euripides in the 
 Andromache, the Helena, the Hecuba, the Trojan Women, and the 
 Rhesus, and by Seneca in the Troades. ' Troy divine ' of Pens. 
 100 suggests Homer's ' sacred Ilios ' {Od. 11. 86; 17. 293). See Achilles. 
 
 IBIS.— p. I. 11. 244; C. 88, 982. 
 
 Iris was the daughter of Thaumas (Hes. Theog. 780; cf. Eleg^' 
 3. 41) and messenger of the gods (//. 15. 158). As the persouifisd 
 rainbow. Iris is suggestive of brilliant colors of raiment in Milton. 
 With this application may be compared Ov. Met. 11. 589, where Iris 
 • induitur velamina mille colorum. ' In Verg. jEn. 4. 700 she descends, 
 
 croceis per coelum roscida pennis, 
 Mille trahens varies adverse Sole colores ; 
 
 and in 5. 609, 'viam celerans per mille coloribus arcum.' The idea 
 that Iris is clothed in bright-colored raiment is found again in Met. 
 I. 270, where it is joined with the conception that through the rain- 
 bow, water is drawn up into the clouds, which afterwards falls as 
 dew or rain: 
 
 Nuntia Junonis varies induta colores, 
 
 Concipit Iris aquas, alimentaque nubibus adfert. 
 
 These two conceptions are adapted by Milton in C. 992 flE. : 
 
 Iris there with humid bow 
 Waters the odorous banks, that blow 
 Flowers of more mingled hue 
 Than her purpled scarf can shew, 
 And drenches with Elysian dew 
 
 Beds of hyacinth and roses. 
 
 Reference to the agency of Iris in bringing the rain occurs in Senec. 
 CEd. 314; TibuU. i. 4. 44; Stat. Tkeb. 9. 404; Verg. Georg, i. 380, 
 and in his comment on this last citation Servius says that this con- 
 ception was the vulgar one. Seneca refers to it in Nat. Qucest. i. 6. 
 I, and asserts that the rainbow which appears at noon will bring on 
 a heavy rainfall, but if it appears at evening, there will be a fall of 
 dew and light rain. In the above citations from Seneca's CEdipus, 
 TibuUus, and Statius, the rainbow bears the epithet ' imbrifer,' 
 which may explain Milton's 'humid bow.' 
 
 JAKTTS.— p. 1. 11. 13». 
 
 According to Ov. Fast. i. 44 ff. Janus was a Latin divinity, con- 
 sidered as guardian of the universe (119). He is the gate-keeper of 
 heaven, and has two faces, that he may at the same time behold the 
 
48 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 east and the west, or, according to Macrobius {Sat. i. 9. 4), in token 
 of his knowledge of the past and future. A ' double Janus ' of four 
 faces was not unknown (Macr. i. 9. 13; cf. Serv. on ALn, 7. 610). 
 
 JAPHET, JAVAN.— P. l. 4. '"; !• 608; S. i. 716. See lapetus. 
 
 JOVE.— P. 1. 1. 198, 613, 514, 741: a. 1005; 4. 499, JIO; 9. 896, 508; 10. 684; 11. 185; P. K. 2. 190, 
 314; 3. 84; 4. 565; D. F. I. 45; T. E. 39; Vtm. 30, 48; Arc. 44; C. 1, 20, 41, 78, 676, 803, 1011; Lye. 
 16, S3; Son. 1. 7;23. S. 
 
 The name of Jove frequently occurs in Milton, but the poet's 
 treatment of the legends of Jove is somewhat fragmentary, and 
 it often happens that the god takes a place incidental and sub- 
 ordinate to another personage, about whom some legend is grouped. 
 Hiscussion of this subject will therefore be found partly under other 
 heads, to which reference will be made. 
 
 Cronus (Saturn) and Rhea were the father and mother of Jove (Hes. 
 Theog. 453 if.), and Milton refers to the fact in P. L. i. 512; 10. 584. 
 Pens. 30. See Eurynome and Rhea. In //. 15. 187 ff. Poseidon tells of 
 drawing lots for his domain with his brothers Zeus and Hades, known 
 also as 'nether Jove' (Zctc Karax^lmoq, II. 9. 457; cf. C. 20 and 
 Neptune). On the other hand tiirarof, highest, is a frequent epithet 
 of Zeus, to whom was given ' the wide heaven, in clear air and 
 clouds' (//. 5. 756; 15. 192). After his boyhood in Crete, where he 
 was hidden from his father, Jove took his position on Olympus 
 {Theog. 633), and warred with 'Saturn's crew,' the Titans, for ten 
 years. These giants were confined in chains {Theog. -j-li if.), and 
 hurled to Tartarus, where they trembled to hear the angry thun- 
 der of Jove in his battle with Typhon {Theog. 850). Cf. P. L. 1. ig8, 
 512; Pens. 30; C. 803, and see Titans and Typhon. Milton mentions 
 other contentions of Jove such as the expulsion of Mulciber {P. L. i. 
 741; see Vulcan), and his vengeance on Prometheus {P. L. 4. 719; 
 see Pandora, Tantalus). 
 
 In P. L. 2. 1005, 1051, we find the world linked to Heaven with a 
 golden chain. This figure is found first in Hom. //. 8. 18 if., where 
 Zeus exclaims, ' Fasten ye a rope of gold from heaven, and all ye 
 gods lay hold thereof and all goddesses; yet could ye not drag from 
 heaven to earth Zeus, . . . not though ye toiled sore.' 
 
 The origin of the scales as a sign of the Zodiac in P. L. 4. 996 is 
 suggested by the well-known passages in the Iliad. In 22. 209 
 ff. ' the Father (Zeus) hung his golden balances, and set therein 
 two lots of dreary death, one of Achilles, one of horse-taming 
 Hector, and held them by the midst and poised. Then Hector's 
 fated day sank down, and fell to the house of Hades.' In the same 
 manner the fate of the Achseans sank to earth in 8. 69. Cf. Verg. 
 ^n. 12. 725. Newton shows that in these lines Milton also conforms 
 with Scripture, and he cites such passages as Is. 40.12; Job 28.25; 
 37.16; Dan. 5.27. To what extent he has adapted his sources will 
 
The Sources 49 
 
 te apparent. The identification of the scales of God with the con- 
 stellation, Libra, is after the manner of stories such as those found 
 under the subjects, Calisto, Cassiopeia, Fleecy Star, Justice, Twins. 
 Among the later classics the eagle is the bird of Jove, as repre- 
 sented in P. L. II. 185. The passage may be referred to Mn. i. 393, 
 ■where as an omen Venus pointed to a flock of swans, 
 
 jEtheria quos lapsa plaga Jovis ales aperto 
 Turbabat caelo. 
 
 A similar omen appears in Mn. 12. 247 ff. The eagle figures as an 
 ominous bird in //. 12. 200 ff. ; Od. 15. 160. 
 
 The oracle of Jove at Dodona in Epirus, which Milton mentions 
 in P. L. I. 518, was considered the oldest in Greece, according to 
 Herodotus 2. 52. In Od. 19. 296 Odysseus says of himself that he 
 had gone 'to Dodona to hear the counsel of Zeus, from the high leafy 
 oak-tree of the god, how he should return to his own dear country.' 
 ^schylus {Prometh. 858) speaks o£ ' the strange portent of the talk- 
 ing oaks' with reverence. Cf. Soph. Track. 1164; //. 16. 233 ff. 
 
 Hera (Juno) was the wife of Zeus. Homer tells the story of Hera's 
 beguiling of Zeus in order to withdraw his attention from the Trojans, 
 who with his help were then winning success in battle (//. 14). She 
 first obtained the girdle of Aphrodite (cf. P. R. 2. 214; see Venus), 
 then having adorned herself she met and charmed her lord; ' and 
 beneath them the divine earth sent forth new grass, and dewy lotus, 
 and crocus, and hyacinth, thick and soft, that raised them aloft from 
 the ground. Therein they lay, and were clad on with a fair golden 
 cloud, whence fell drops of glittering dew ' (346-351)- But the words 
 of Milton seem to contain a naturalistic sense which is explained 
 in the elaborate allegory set forth by the scholiast in his note on this 
 passage. He believes that Hera typifies the lower air or haze which 
 surrounds the earth, and Zeus the upper air (sether). The min- 
 gling of the two produces the spring with its flowers. The golden 
 cloud represents those clouds which in the spring flash back the 
 golden rays of the sun. Cf. Verg. Georg. 2. 324 ff . 
 
 Several love intrigues of Jove are mentioned by Milton, such as 
 the one with Ceres {P. L. 9. 396); with Antiopa, Callisto, andSemele 
 {,P. R. 2. 190; cf. Eleg. I. 64). Each of these is discussed under its 
 respective head. It was a common thing among the ancients to 
 ascribe superhuman origin to the great warriors, and Milton refers 
 to this fact in P. L. 9. 508; P. R. 3. 84. For Jove as the father of 
 Alexander see Ammon. The story of Scipio's miraculous birth is 
 told by Livy (26. 19; cf. Gellius 7. i; Silius 13. 615). Capitoline Jove 
 appeared' to his mother in the form of a serpent. See also Cadmus, 
 Epidaurus . 
 
 Among the other children of Jove Milton mentions Proserpina 
 {P. L. 9. 396; see Ceres), Hercules (P. R. 4. 565; Son. 23. 3), Hebe 
 
50 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 ( V. E. 39), Helena (C 676). A discussion of each may be found in 
 its respective place. In connection with Pens. 48 and Lye. 16 see 
 Muses. 
 
 It remains to consider several characteristics o£ the Miltonic Jove 
 which may be referred to general conceptions held by the ancients. 
 In D. F. I. 45 Jove acts ' in nature's true behoof;' cf. Son. i. 7. 
 From earliest times it is evident that he was regarded as a controller 
 of nature. He is the wielder of thunder and lightning, and Apuleius 
 {De Mundo yfj mentions the Latin epithets Inibricitor and Serenaior. 
 He quotes from an Orphic poem to show that Jove is the father of 
 all — of the earth, the heaven, and the sea — and he is the sun and the 
 moon. 
 
 With this conception is related the conception of Zeus as the 
 giver of power in Arc. 43, where the Genius of the Wood receives 
 his power from Jove. In this case there seems to be a reference to a 
 tradition that Jove was born in Arcadia (Callim. Hy. to Jove. 7; Ov. 
 Met. 2. 405 f.). The mention of the ' oaken bower ' in Arc. 45 may 
 refer to the fact that the oak was sacred to Jove, as illustrated by 
 ' the oracle at Dodona. It is from Zeus that kings in the Homeric 
 poems derive their power (//. 2. 205; 9, 99). He hates injustice (//. 
 16. 387), and gives protection and reward to brave men. Thus Ovid 
 represents the apotheosis of Hercules as coming from Jove (Met. 
 9. 242 fE. ; cf. 258). In Lye. 82-84 Jove is the judge of merit and the 
 giver of fame. Cf. C. loii and Cupid. In the Comus the Attend- 
 ant Spirit bears much the same relation to Jove (i, 41, 78) as does the 
 Satyr to Pan in John Fletcher's Faithful Shepherdess. The influ- 
 ence of this play on the Comus is well known, and is illustrated in 
 C. I , where the Attendant Spirit descends from his abode, ' Before 
 the starry threshold of Jove's court.' Thenot, in Act 2. Sc. 2 of the 
 play, addresses the moon as 
 
 whiter than that way 
 That leads Co Jove's high court. 
 
 Cf. Eleg. 5. 37, and see Olympus. In connection with C. 41, 78 and 
 the general conception of the poem it may be well to consider Verg. 
 J£n. 6. 129 ff., where the poet speaks of the difficult return from 
 Hades: 
 
 Pauci, quos sequus amavit 
 Juppiter, aut ardens evexit ad sethera virtus, 
 Dis geniti potuere. 
 
 JUNO.— 1*. iJ. 4. SOO; 5. 3S2; 9. 18; Aro. 38; C. 701. 
 
 Juno, or Hera, was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and the 
 wife and sister of Zeus (BS& Jove). In Arc. 23 she appears with 
 Latona and Cybele as an example of queenly beauty. No concep- 
 tion of the goddess among the ancients is more in harmony with 
 Milton's comparison than the one found in the Iliad. She is ' Hera 
 of the golden throne' (i. 611; 14. 153), 'the goddess queen ' (5. 721; 14. 
 
The Sources 51 
 
 194), and the epithet Trdrwa occurs frequently. Especially im- 
 portant is the celebrated description of Hera arrayed to meet Zeus 
 (14. 170-187). Having anointed herself with ambrosial oil and 
 plaited her shining hair, ' she clad her in her fragrant robe that 
 Athene wrought delicately for her, and therein set many things 
 beautifully made, and fastened it over her breast with clasps of gold. 
 And she girdled it with a girdle arrayed with a hundred tassels, and 
 she set earrings in her pierced ears, earrings of three drops, and 
 glistening ; therefrom shone grace abundantly. And with a veil over 
 all the peerless goddess veiled herself, a fair new veil, bright as the 
 sun, and beneath her shining feet she bound goodly sandals.' C. 
 701 may best be referred to //. i. 584 ff., where Hephaestus re- 
 stored quiet at the banquet of the gods by first offering the cup to 
 Hera. 
 
 In P. L. 9. 18 Milton refers to Vergil's story of Mne.as, Cytherea's 
 son, who was driven abroad ' saevas memorem Junonis ob iram' 
 (^». I. 8). ' See Venus in connection with P. L. 5. 382. 
 
 JXrSTlOE.— p. L. 10. 857, 868; D. P. I. 60; C. ». 141. 
 
 In these passages Justice is associated with Mercy and Truth. 
 In Hes. W. and D. 200 we find that Aidos and Nemesis, after 
 the golden age, clothe their fair bodies in white robes, and ascend 
 to the abode of immortals, leaving men to grievous affliction. In 
 Latin writers it is Pudicitia and Astrsea (Justitia) who are the 
 last of the gods to leave earth (Juv. Sat. 6. 19. if.; Ov. Met. 1. 149). 
 We find a slightly different grouping in Horace's lament for Quinc- 
 tilius [C. I. 24. 6): ' Pudor et Justitise soror, Incorrupta Fides, 
 nudaque Veritas.' Among later poets it is Dike (Justice) who leaves 
 the earth, and Aratus {Pkan. 96 ff.) describes her in the form of 
 the constellation Virgo (Astrsea, P. L. 4. 998), which she assumed in 
 heaven. 
 
 Milton's Mercy is a youth, if Heskin emends correctly (see Todd) 
 while Aidos is a goddess. Yet it is worth noticing that Aidos seems 
 to have suggested Pudor to Latin poets (cf. Hor. supra; Ov. Fast. 1. 
 251), and that something like 'mercy' may be contained in the 
 meaning of both. (Cf. Plat. Laws 867 E; Soph. O. C. 1268.) In 
 Philostratus (Imagg. , A mpktaraus) Aletheia (Truth) is 'white-robed ' 
 as in D. F. I. 54. In connection with C. N. 141-143 Verity quotes 
 from Eikonoklastes 28, P. W. i. 484: ' Either truth and justice are 
 all one (for truth is but justice in our knowledge, and justice is but 
 truth in our practice), ... or else if there be any odds, that 
 justice, though not stronger than truth, ... is to put forth and 
 exhibit more strength in the affairs of mankind.' 
 
 IiADON.— Arc. »7. See Fan. 
 LAEBTES.— P. I*. 9. 441. See UlySBes. 
 
52 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 LAKS AOTJ IiBlItrE.ES.-C. N. 101. 
 
 The Lars, or Lares, and Lemures are peculiar to the Roman 
 mjrthology. The distinction between them is not quite clear, though 
 St. Augustine {De Civitate Dei^. ii) quotes the neo-Platonic opinion, 
 ' animas hominum dsemones esse, et ex hominibus fieri Lares, si boni 
 meriti sunt; Lemures, si mali.' They were often confounded with 
 the Manes, but St. Augustine adds that the latter-'were not dis- 
 tinguished by the moral consideration which affected the Lares and 
 the Lemures. Apuleius (^De Deo Soc. c. 15) says that the bad spirit, 
 'nullis bonis sedibus, incerta vagatione . . . punitur, inane 
 terriculamentum bonis hominibus, ceterum noxium mails.' The 
 scholium on Hor. Epist. 2. 2. 209 explains 'nocturnos Lemures' as 
 ■umbras vagantes hominum ante diem mortuorum, et ideo metu- 
 endas.' Ovid {Fast. 5. 421 ff.) gives an account of the festival of the 
 Lemures, at which gifts were offered to the ashes of the dead, and 
 at midnight a solemn ceremony was performed to exorcise the ghost 
 from the house, as was first done when the gibbering ghost of Remus 
 visited the living. Pliny {N. H. 21. 8) speaks of both public and 
 private Lares, whose office was protective (Ov. Fast. z. 617). Ovid 
 also describes the protective office of the public Lares"(pr8estites) in 
 Fast. 5. 129-146. Distinguished members of a family became its 
 Lares after death. Servius says ' omnes in suis domibus sepelie- 
 bantur, unde ortum est ut Lares colerentur in domibus ' (on ^n. 6. 
 152). The private worship of the Lares is described in Marquardt's 
 Rbmische Staatsverwaltung 3. iig-123. It centered about the 
 hearth, and Pliny speaks of the 'focus Larium, quo familia 
 convenit ' (N. H. 28. 20. 81). The altar for the ofiEerings of food and 
 prayer was called the 'lararium.' Cf. Ov. Fast. 2. 634. It has al- 
 ready been noticed, however, that Lares and Lemures sometimes 
 stood for all departed spirits, and Milton's lines may reflect a pas- 
 sage like Ov. Fast. ^. 533-570, where offerings of grain, wine, and 
 flowers are recommended to appease the dead. Once upon a time, 
 says Ovid, when these rites were neglected, ghosts howled omi- 
 nously through the streets at night, but now they wander about 
 peacefully to receive the offerings. 
 
 LATOITA.— Arc. 20; Son. 13. 8. 
 
 Latona, the Greek Leto, was the mother of Apollo and Diana. 
 (See Apollo.) In Arc. 20 she is mentioned as an example of queenly 
 majesty. The ancient poets treated Latona with reverence, as the 
 mother of glorious children. In Horn. Hy. to Del. Ap. 5 she is 
 throned with Jove, and throughout the first part we meet epithets such 
 as 'revered' (11), and ' far-renowned' (182). In Orph. Hy. 34 the same 
 conception is held. Milton's ' wise ' seems to have no definite clas- 
 sical original. Plato says (Cratylus 406 A): ' Leto is called by this 
 name, because she is such a gentle goddess, and willing to grant our 
 
The Sources 53 
 
 requests; or her name may be Letho, as strangers often call her; they 
 seem to imply in this her slowness to anger, and her readiness to 
 forgive and forget.' 
 
 LAVINIA— p. I. ». 17. See Turuus. 
 LETHE.— ±'. L. a. 588, 604. See Bivers of Hell. 
 liETTCOXHEA.— P. I:. 11. 13S; C. 836. 
 
 Homer {Od. 5. 333) speaks of ' Ino of the fair ankles, Leucothea, 
 ■who in time past was a maiden of mortal speech, but now in the 
 depths of the salt sea she had gotten her share of worship from the 
 gods.' She gave Odysseus the veil which bore him up as he strug- 
 gled with the waves, and when he reached land he cast it again into 
 the water. It was borne out to sea, ' and lightly Ino caught it in her 
 hands ' (;tfEpcr^ ^j/It^o-jv, 462; cf. C. 875). Ino was the wife of Athamas, 
 but having incurred his anger she fled with Melicertes her son, and 
 plunged into the sea, where they became sea-divinities (Ov. Met. 4. 
 513-541). In Fast. 6. 541 ff. she is addressed in these words: 
 
 gaude, defuncta laboribus, Ino, 
 
 Dixit; et huic populo dextera semper ades. 
 Numen eris pelagi: natum quoque pontus habebit 
 
 In vestris aliud sumite nomen aquis. 
 Leucothee Graiis, Matuta vocabere nostris: 
 
 In portus nato jus erit omne tuo. 
 Quern nos Portunum, sua lingua PalEemona dicet. 
 
 Cf. Verg. ^n 5. 241. Leucothea (Matuta) is a goddess of the dawn as 
 represented in P. L. 11. 135. According to Lucretius 5. 655, 
 ' roseam Matuta per oras j^theris Auroram def ert, et lumina pandit. ' 
 Cf. 5- 462 f. 
 
 LIBEBTT.— L'il. 86. 
 
 In classical mythology Liberty was not a mountain-nymph, but 
 a Roman goddess who appears in art having a Phrygian cap in her 
 right hand and a javehn in her left (Hirt, Bilderb.fur Mythol.). 
 
 LICHAS.— p. I. 2. 645. See Hercules. 
 
 LIGEA.-C. 880. See Sirens. 
 
 liOVB.— e. 124i Son. 1. 18. See Cupid. 
 
 LTTOIEBB.— P. L. 6. 760 ; 7. 131 ; 10. 425 ; C. N. 74 ; Jlay IBorn. 1. 
 
 Milton is true to the ancient distinction between Hesperus and 
 Lucifer. Pliny says {N. H. 2. 8), ' Ante matutinum exoriens, Luciferi 
 nomen accipit, . . . contra ab occasu refulgens nunoupatur Ves- 
 per.' Cf. Hyg. Astr. 2. 42. In C. N. 6g ff. Lucifer warns the stars 
 to flee, as in Ovid Met. 2. 114: 
 
 diffugiunt stellee; quarum agmiua cogie 
 Lucifer, et cseli statione novissimus exit. 
 
 As in Horn. //. 23. 226 ' the Morning Star goeth forth to herald light 
 upon the earth,' so in the May Morn, i he is ' Day's harbinger.' 
 
54 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 Lucifer becomes a name of Satan through Is. 14. 12, ' How art 
 thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning' (Author- 
 ized Version). See/". Z. 5. 760; 7. 131; 10. 425; of. i. 745. Lucifer 
 (Eosphorus) was the son of Eos, the Dawn (Hes. Theog. 381). See 
 Hesperus. 
 
 LXrOINA.— E. JI. W. Se, 28. 
 
 Lucina is the Latin name of the goddess invoked at childbirth 
 (Hor. Car. Scec. 13 ff.). To the Greeks she was Eileithyia {Horn, Hy. 
 to Del. Ap. 97, 115). She was sometimes identical with Juno or Diana, 
 as Catullus suggests (34. 13 ff.). Cf. Fates. 
 
 LYCffiTJS.— Ape. 98. See Pan. 
 LYOIDAS. 
 
 Jerram, in his introduction to Lycidas, says, ' The name " Lyci- 
 das " was a common one with the ancient bucolic poets, but perhaps 
 the seventh idyll of Theocritus was especially in Milton's mind when 
 he adopted it.' In this idyll Lycidas is a goatherd, ' a favorite with 
 the Muses' (12; cf. 95; Bion 15). In Verg. Eel. 7. 67 he is called 
 'formosus.' Cf. Hor. C. i. 4. 19. 
 
 MLffiNAIitrs.-Ja-c. 102. See Pan. 
 
 maioiiiDES.— P. 1. 3. »6. 
 
 This is the name which Milton gives Homer, as in P. R. 4. 259 
 he calls him Melesigenes. Plutarch (De Vita Horn. i. 2) says that he 
 was born near the river Meles, and was therefore called Melesigenes, 
 and that the name Homer was given him because of his blindness. 
 In 2. 2 Plutarch mentions the belief that he was the son of Mseon. 
 Ovid {Am. 3. 9. 25) calls him Mseonides. 
 
 MAIA.— F. L. 6. 286. See Sermes. 
 SLABS.— F. R. 8. 84. 
 
 Mars was the Roman god of war, generally identified with the 
 Greek Ares. He was the father of Romulus, the mythical founder 
 of Rome, and Remus, by the vestal, Rhea Silvia (Liv. i. 4). Plutarch 
 {Rom. 28) relates that after death Romulus appeared to his friend Pro- 
 culus, and announced that he was henceforth to be saluted as the 
 god Quirinus. 0-^\&{Fast. 2. 511, 512) mentions the temples and 
 sacrifices connected with his worship. 
 
 MEDUSA.— F. L. 2. 611. See Qorgons. 
 
 ICEa.ajIlA.-F. L. 10. 660. See Puiiea. 
 
 ICEIiESlaEITES.— P. R. 4. 269. See IfEeonldes. 
 
 ICEIilBCEirS.-C. 822. 
 
 Milton here uses a name which owes its association with pastoral 
 poetry to Vergil. In Eel. i the poor fortune of the goatherd Meli- 
 boeus is contrasted with the better one of his friend. 
 
The Sources 55 
 
 UEUCNOIT.— p. L. 10. 808; Feni. 18. 
 
 Milton describes the robe of Melancholy as 
 
 Black, but such as in esteem 
 
 Prince Memnon's sister might beseem, 
 
 Memnon, king of the Ethiopians, was the son of Eos and 
 Tithonus (Hes. Theog. 984). He took part in the Trojan war, and 
 Odysseus afterward said of Eurypylus, ' He truly was the comeliest 
 man that ever I saw, next to goodly Memnon ' {Od. 11. 522). In Od. 
 
 4. 188 he is called ' the glorious son of the bright Dawn.' Commen- 
 tators have said that Memnon's sister is not mentioned in the classics, 
 but that Milton argues her beauty from that of her brother. Verity 
 cites Trench to the effect that Himera, or Hemera, was the sister of 
 Memnon. In the History of the Trojan War ascribed to Dictys 
 Cretensis we are told that she was named after her mother, but her 
 beauty is not mentioned. The later writers used Hemera as the 
 name of Eos (Pans. 3. 18. 12), though in Hesiod, Hemera and Eos are 
 distinct (J'^^iJ^. 124, 372). 
 
 In P. L. 10. 308 the poet speaks of Xerxes' Memnonian palace at 
 Susa. Herodotus (5.53) says that this palace was called Memnonian. 
 Pausanias (10. 31. 7) says that Memnon went from Susa to the aid of 
 Troy, and Strabo (15. 3. p. 728) relates the tradition that the city was 
 founded by Tithonus, the father of Memnon, and its citadel was 
 called Memnonia. 
 
 mBECUB.T.— C. 968. See Hermes. 
 MEBC'Z'.— D. F. I. 58; C. S. 144. See Justice. 
 UXDAS.— Son. 13. 4. 
 
 The allusion to Midas' ears is explained by the accounts in Ov. 
 Met. II. 146 ff., and Hyg. Fab. igi. Midas is a name proverbial for 
 wealth and asininity. In a contest of song between Apollo and Pan 
 on Mount Tmolus, he would have given the reward to Pan, but for 
 his bad judgment Apollo caused his ears to assume the form of asses' 
 ears. 
 
 mXDNIGHT.-L'Al. 3. See Brsbus. 
 MIITBEVA.— P. 1. 6. 882; C. 448. 
 
 Minerva is the Latin name of Athene, virgin daughter of Zeus. 
 She was a celebrated example of womanly purity. In the Homeric 
 hymn to Athene (27. 3) she is ' the revered virgin, guardian of cities, 
 valiant. ' ' Innupta ' and ' casta ' are Latin epithets (Verg. JEn. 
 2. 31; Ov. Met. 4. 798; Am. i. 7. 18). For the Gorgon's head upon 
 the shield of Minerva see Gorgons, and in connection with P. L. 
 
 5. 382 see Venus. 
 
 IIZBTH.— L'Al. See Graces. 
 
 SEOOIT.— P. L. 1. 784; 3. 736; C. N. 103; Feu. 59; Son. 13. 7. See Diana. 
 
56 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 MOB.IT.— F. L. S. 1; «. 12; 11. 17S; P. It. 1. 426; FenB. 122; C. 139. See Aurora. 
 mOEPHEtrS.— Fem. 10. 
 
 The ' locus classicus ' concerning Morpheus and the dreams is in 
 Ov. Met. II. 633-652. Somnus (Sleep) was father of the dreams, and 
 they are represented as 'populus natorum mille suorum.' Morpheus 
 is older than the rest, and in his apparitions assumes the forms of men 
 alone. The others may appear as a beast, a bird, or a serpent. Mil- 
 ton's epithet ' fickle ' is consistent with the general classical conception 
 of dreams as propitious or baneful (Horn. //. 2. 6 fE. ; Orph. Hy. 86). 
 
 BrcriiOIBBE..-P. L. 1. 740. See Vulcan. 
 MTrS.a3XIS.— Pens. 104. 
 
 In his journey through Elysium .ffineas saw the souls of patriots 
 and priests and bards ' banqueting, and chanting in chorus the joy- 
 ful Psean amid the fragrant grove of bay-trees,' with Musseus in 
 their midst, towering above all (jEn. 6. 656 ff.). This fragrant grove 
 seems to be the bower mentioned by Milton. Servius, in comment- 
 ing upon ASn. 6. 667, says that there were various opinions about the 
 mythical poet Musseus, some saying that he was a son of Orpheus, 
 ' and it is a fact that he was his pupil.' 
 
 MUSES.— p. L. 1. 6, 856; S. 19, 27; 7. 0, 87; 9. 21; T. E. 68; C. N. 15; Pa»». 4; E. M. W. 68; Fens. 47; 
 C. 616; !.;(!. 16, 19, 68, 66, 13S; Son. 1. 18; 8. ». 
 
 The number and genealogy of the Muses vary among the 
 ancients, but the common tradition is that of Hesiod, who gives the 
 names of nine Muses {Theog. -ji), the daughters of Zeus and 
 Mnemosyne (52 ff.). In //. 2. 484 Homer invokes the Muses 'that 
 dwell in the mansions of Olympus.' Cf. P. L. 7. 7. Hesiod (Theog. 
 2) says that their seat is the ' great and divine ' mountain of Helicon. 
 Cf. E. M. W. 56. In P. L. I. 15 Milton refers to the 'Aonian mount ■ 
 as the abode of the Muses. ' Aonian ' is a. word frequently asso- 
 ciated with the Muses by Latin poets, and Vergil {Georg. 3. 11) 
 speaks of Helicon as ' Aonius vertex. ' The adjective is derived 
 from Aonia, the older name of the mountainous part of Boeotia, 
 especially the region about Thebes. 
 
 Milton's reference to Hesiod is marked in three places. In Pens. 
 47 the Muses 
 
 in a ring 
 Aye round about Jove's altar sing. 
 
 In Lyc. 1 5 he addresses them as 
 
 Sisters of the sacred well. 
 That from beneath the seat of Jove doth spring. 
 
 Hesiod begins his Theogony with the Muses of Helicon, ' who dance 
 about the dark spring with tender feet, and about the altar of the 
 mighty son of Cronus, . . . lifting up their fair voices in praise 
 of segis-bearing Zeus.' Homer also represents them as singing 
 
The Sources 57 
 
 sweetly on Olympus (//. 1. 604). The dark spring is probably 
 Aganippe (Pans. 9. 29. 5). The association of the Muses with 
 springs and groves is common among the ancients; cf. P. L. 3. 
 26-32; 1. 10; Lye. 133-151; Son. 1. 13; 8. 9. Pausanias (9. 28. j) de- 
 scribes the beauty of Helicon, and Ovid {Met. 5), besides mentioning 
 Hippocrene and Aganippe (312), tells how Pallas beheld there 'the 
 groves of the ancient wood, and the caves and the grass studded 
 •with flowers innumerable; and she pronounces the Mnemonian 
 maids happy ... in their retreat' (265 ff.). Zy^r. 133-151 is 
 another instance of Milton's flowery elaboration. Cf. Theoc. i. 133 
 and Elysium. 
 
 The third reference to Hesiod is found in P. L. i, 6 ff., where 
 Milton invokes the Muse who on Oreb or Sinai inspired 
 
 That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed 
 In the beginning how the heavens and earth 
 Rose out of Chaos. 
 
 Aside from the direct reference to Moses, there is here a suggestion 
 of Hesiod, whom the Muses inspired to sing the cosmogony, as he 
 tended sheep at the foot of Helicon {Theog. 22). Ralegh, an 
 example of the learned enthusiasm of his times for classico-Biblical 
 comparison, says that Moses and Musseus were considered the same 
 (Hist, of the World 1. 3. i). 
 
 The relation of the Muse or Muses to the poet, as it appears in 
 Milton (P. L. I. 6, 376; 7. 1-20; 9. 20-41; C. 515), is much the same as 
 that in Homer, Hesiod, and the later poets and imitators. Odysseus 
 says that minstrels are honored of men, ' inasmuch as the Muse 
 teacheth them the paths of song, and loveth the tribe of minstrels ' 
 iPd. 8. 479; cf. 63). At the beginning of both the Iliad and the 
 Odyssey, the poet appeals to the Muse as the source of his song, and 
 renews his appeal in //. 2. 484, 761; 14. 508; 16. 112; cf. P. L. i. 376 ff. 
 This early example is followed by Vergil, Pindar (Nem. 3. i), Non- 
 nus {Dionys. i. i), and Statius in the Thebaid. In P. L. i. 6 Milton 
 invokes the Heavenly Muse (cf. P. L. i. 376; 3. 19; 7. i; 9. 21; C. N. 
 15; Pass. 4), and implies that she was the Muse who inspired the 
 ancient epic poets (C. 515). In P. L. 7. i he addresses her as Urania, 
 but explains that she is not that one of the nine known as Urania; 
 she is ' heavenly-born,' for it is ' the meaning, not the name ' which 
 he calls. The later writers assigned functions to the different 
 Muses, and Urania was appointed to govern the stars and their 
 movements (Ausonius 22. 3. 7. Id. 20; Plut. Qucest. Conv. g. 14. 7). 
 Diodorus (4. 7) says that Urania is so called because those who are 
 taught by her are borne aloft by fame and courage to the highest 
 heavens. Cf. P. L. 7. 12. In Lye. 133 the ' Sicilian Muse ' is 
 invoked in imitation of Vergil {Eel. 4. i), or of Moschus {Id. 3. 8. ff.). 
 The ' Sicilian Muse ' stands in each case for pastoral poetry as 
 
58 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 exemplified by Theocritus. The conception of the Muses as it 
 appears in Lye. 15, 66, 133 is in accord with that of Theocritus (i. 
 64-145; 16), though in Lye. 66 ' Muse' may mean poetry itself as in 
 Verg. £el. i. 2. 
 
 The association of Pegasus with the Muses, as suggested in P. 
 L. 7. 4, 17, is based upon the story told by Strabo (8. p. 379). Near 
 Corinth is the spring Peirene, sacred to the Muses, which Pegasus, 
 the winged horse, had caused to gush forth by the stroke of his 
 hoof. The conception of the poet as borne aloft on the back of 
 Pegasus is referred in Pauly's Real-Eneye. 5. 1275 to Boiardo's 
 Orlando Innamorato. Cf. Bellerophon. 
 
 For Calliope as the mother of Orpheus (/". L. 7. 37; Lye. 58) see 
 Orpheus. 
 
 NAIADS.— p. It. '.:. SS5; C. 254, 8SS. 
 
 The Naiads are generally distinguished by the ancients as the 
 nymphs of springs and rivers. In the description of the landing- 
 place of Odysseus in Ithaca {Od. 13. 103 f£.). Homer says, ' Hard by 
 is a pleasant cave and shadowy, sacred to the nymphs that are called 
 Naiads. . . . And there are great looms of stone whereon the 
 nymphs weave a raiment of purple stain, a marvel to behold, and 
 therein are waters welling evermore. ' 
 
 Milton's use of flowers as an accessory of the Naiads is charac- 
 teristic, as is seen elsewhere (Elysium, Hours). In P. R. 2. 355 the 
 Naiads appear 
 
 With fruits and flowers from Amalthea's horn. 
 
 In C. 254 they are ' flo wery-kirtled. ' This epithet is in harmony with 
 a common phase of the classical conception of the Naiads and the 
 nymphs in general. In the Homeric hymn to Demeter, Persephone 
 and the nymphs gather ' the beauteous crocus, and the iris, and the 
 hyacinth, and the rosebuds, and the lilies ' (417 if.). Cf. also ApoUon. 
 Rh. Arg. 4. 1 143. Corydon in his love-song to Alexis says (Verg. 
 Eel. 2. 45 ff.): 
 
 tibi lilia plenis 
 
 Ecce ferunt Nymphse calathis; tibi Candida Nais, 
 
 Fallentes violas et summa papavera carpens, 
 
 Narcissum et florem jungit bene olentis anethi. 
 
 Cf. Theoc. 13. 39 ff Ovid, in speaking of the Hours, who in many 
 respects resemble the Naiads, says (Fast. 5. 217, 218) that in the 
 spring 
 
 Conveniunt pictis incinctae vestibus Horae 
 
 Inque leves calathos munera nostra legunt. 
 
 ' Pictis ' doubtless has reference to flowers, as the context and the 
 classical conception of the Hours show, but ' pictis incinctse vestibus ' 
 and ' flowery-kirtled ' are in themselves equally indefinite, nor does 
 the one explain the other. Three interpretations of Ovid are possi- 
 ble, which would likewise apply to Milton. The first and least proba- 
 
The Sources 59 
 
 ble explanation is that the kirtles or ' vestes ' were embroidered with a 
 flower-pattern. Examples oipictus in this sense are Verg. jEn. i. 708, 
 711; 9. 582; Ov. Her. 12. 30; Mart. 10. 72. 7. A John Gower of Cam- 
 bridge (1640) renders the passage, ' in broydred gowns.' 
 
 A second and more probable explanation is that the robes were 
 dyed in the bright colors of flowers. In Ars Am. 3. 173 fE. Ovid, in 
 prescribing colors for the dress of women in love, names the color of 
 the sky, or that of the golden fleece, or the color of the waves. ' 1 
 could imagine that the nymphs are clad in vestments of this color. 
 . . . Another resembles the Paphian myrtles; another the pur- 
 ple amethysts or the white roses. ... As many as the flowers 
 which the new earth produces, when in warm spring the vine puts 
 forth its buds and sluggish winter retreats, so many, or still more, 
 shades of dye does the wool imbibe.' The majority of translators in 
 different languages seem to prefer this meaning, and imply that the 
 garments of the Hours were of bright and variegated colors. The 
 most notable supporter of this interpretation is Bentley, who appeals 
 to a fragment of the Cypria given by Athenseus (i?. 682): 'Then 
 were donned garments, which the Graces and the Hours had made 
 and dyed (^/Soi/iot) in spring flowers, such as the Hours wear (or 
 bring); in the crocus, and the hyacinth, and in the blooming violet, 
 and in the fair flower of the rose, sweet and nectareous, in the 
 ambrosial calixes, . . . the flowers of the narcissus and the lily, 
 such garments as Aphrodite wears, fragrant with all kinds of odors ' 
 (bd^aig iravToiatg redvufieva). 
 
 This last expression suggests the third and apparently most 
 probable interpretation of Ovid, namely, that the robes of the Hours 
 are actually woven of different kinds of flowers. This is the belief 
 of Heinsius, who cites Orph. Hy. 42. 6, where these divinities appear, 
 ' wearing dewy robes of many flowers that grow.' He mentions also 
 the reading 'pictis floribus,' which occurs in three cases for 'pictis 
 vestibus.' In addition to this should be considered a fragment of 
 Hermippus (Kock, Comicorum Atticorum Fragmenta 3. 226); 'The 
 Hours' fresh close-woven robe of flowers. (The breeze) blow- 
 ing the fine garments full of flowers.' Cf. Plat. Rep. 8. 557 C. 
 Whatever light this evidence may throw upon Ovid and the tradition 
 which he had in mind, it can hardly be determined whether Milton's 
 'flowery-kirtled' suggested a definite thing to the poet, or whether he 
 realized an artistic possibility in leaving it indefinite, as Ovid had 
 done. That ' kirtle ' was put for a long, flowing garment, implied in 
 ' vestibus,' seems not unlikely, for the kirtle, already becoming an 
 antiquity at Milton's time, had often been a long garment, as worn 
 by women. See Planch^, Cycl. of Costume i. 320. 
 
 For his association of the Naiads with Circe (C 253), Milton has 
 Homer as his authority {Od. 10. 350). Circe's handmaids were ' born 
 of the wells, and of the woods, and of the holy rivers.' 
 
6o Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 In the story of the British Sabrina, told in C. 24 ff., we find traces 
 of the classics, as in 833, where the water-nymphs draw the ' guiltless 
 damsel' into the river. Whether Milton is thinking of Naiads or 
 Nereids (C 835), the passage is reminiscent of a somewhat similar 
 experience of Hylas, whom the Naiads stole away into the spring 
 whence he was drawing water, as related by Theocritus in the 
 thirteenth idyll. Verity cites Jonson's Sad Shepherd 1.2: 
 
 and those nymphs, 
 Those treacherous nymphs pulled in Earine. 
 
 See Amalthea in connection with P. R. 2. 356. 
 
 NABCISSXrS.-P. L. 4. 458; C. 287. 
 
 Eve's story of her discovery of her own beauty, told in P. L. 
 4. 453-469, is based upon Ovid's account of Narcissus {^Met. 3. 407 ff.): 
 'There was a clear spring, like silver with its unsullied waters.' 
 Grass grew roundabout, nourished by the water, and trees shut out 
 the rays of the sun. Narcissus lay here resting from the hunt, when 
 he caught sight of his own figure in the water, and fell in love with 
 it. In vain he tried to embrace it. ' What thou seest,' says the poet, 
 ' the same is but the shadow of a reflected form; it has nothing of its 
 own. It comes and stays with thee; with thee it will depart.' As 
 Narcissus started forward, so did the image, ever imitating his 
 movements. In the course of time he pined away, and in that place 
 grew the flower which bears his name. See Echo. 
 
 ITATTTB.!!.— p. L. 2. 895, gil, 10S7; 9. 465; 9. 1001; C. N. 32; V. E. 46. 
 
 In their treatment of Nature the ancients get little beyond a 
 mere personification, and in Milton's representation of the goddess we 
 find much that is borrowed from the classical conception of Earth 
 (Tellus or Ge; see Earth). Among the Orphic hymns is one ad- 
 dressed to Nature (9), in which the poet employs such epithets as 
 ' mother of all,' ' ancient, ' (cf. V. E. 46). She is also ' the ruler,' ' the 
 guardian in air, under earth, and in the sea ' (14), ' the vanquisher, 
 the unsubdued ' (3; cf. P. L. 2. 1037). 
 
 In P. L. 2 895 Chaos and Night are 'ancestors of Nature.' As 
 shown elsewhere, Milton has here reconciled the cosmogonies of 
 Hesiod and of Orpheus (see Chaos). Earth was the eldest child of 
 Chaos, and the mother of gods and men, according to Hesiod, but in 
 this passage Nature seems to include not only Earth but all that 
 sprang from her. The sources of such passages as P. L. 2. gii; 
 9. looi; V. E. 46 must be found in ancient philosophy, from which 
 the poet has derived mythology by increasing the vividness of per- 
 sonification. Before the world was created all was Chaos: ' conges- 
 taque eodem Non bene junctarum discordia semina rerum ' (Ov. Met. 
 1. 8). Diodorus (i. 7) describes the 
 
 secret things that came to pass 
 When beldam Nature in her cradle was. 
 
The Sources 6i 
 
 The world (k6b\io(;) gathered the elements within itself, where they 
 they became impregnated, increasing by the night mists, until they 
 burst forth in the forms of all created things. According to Ovid 
 Met. I. 416 fE.), this order of creation followed the flood: ' fecundaque 
 semina rerum, Vivaci nutrita solo, ceu matris in alvo Creverunt.' Cf. 
 P. L. 2. 911; 9. rooi. For the allusion in C. N. 32 see Apollo. In 
 connection with P. L. 2. 911 editors cite Lucretius 5. 260: ' Earth, the 
 universal mother, is found at the same time to be the general tomb of 
 things.' 
 
 At the fall of man {P. L. 9. looi) Earth trembled, ' and Nature 
 gave a second groan.' This seems to be a reference to the theory of 
 creation just given. It is related by Hesiod, however, that Earth 
 groaned deeply when Heaven banished her children from her sight 
 {Theog. J 59). 
 
 IT:E.S:BA.— Lye. 09. 
 
 Nesra is a name common among Latin erotic poets and their 
 imitators. Since Warton, Lye. 69 has generally been referred to 
 Buchanan (Elegies and Epigratns). See also Trent's edition of 
 Lycidas. In Hor. C. 3. 14. 21 we find the lines 
 
 Die et argutEe properet Neserse 
 Murrhenum nodo cohibere crinem. 
 
 Cf. Tibull. 3. 2. 11; Verg. Eel. 3. 3. 
 
 KEOBSSITY.-S. a. 1666; Arc. 69. 
 
 Milton's ' dire Necessity' in 5. ^. 1666 is adapted from the ' dira 
 Necessitas' of Hor. C. 3. 24. 6, as Todd suggests. Such personifica- 
 tion of Necessity (Ananke) was especially common among the Greek 
 dramatists. According to a fragment of Sophocles (236, Nauck, 
 Trag. Grac. Frag.) not even Ares can withstand Necessity, and 
 j^schylus speaks of 'the resistless might of Necessity' {Prom. 105). 
 On Are. 69 see Fates. 
 
 KIBCTAS..— See Ambrosia. 
 
 N:EPTTJNE.— P. L. 9. 18; p. R. 2. 190; V. E. 48; C. 18, 869; Lyo. 80. 
 
 C. i8 fE. refers to the division of the world among the gods. 
 Poseidon (Neptune) himself tells the story in //. 15. 1S7 fE. : 'For 
 three brethren are we, and sons of Cronus, whom Rhea bare, Zeus, 
 and myself, and Hades is the third. . . . And in three lots are 
 all things divided, and each drew a domain of his own, and to me 
 fell the hoary sea, to be my habitation forever, when we shook the 
 lots: and Hades drew the murky darkness, and Zeus the wide 
 heaven, in clear air and clouds.' Milton speaks of Neptune's rule as 
 extended over each ebbing stream and ' all the sea-gfirt isles.' 
 Servius, in a note on Verg. Georg, i. 12, says that Neptune presides 
 over the rivers, the springs, and all waters. Plato in the Crztias, 
 
62 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 113 C, relates that in the distribution of territory among the gods, 
 Poseidon obtained the rich island of Atlantis, where he reared his 
 children. Plato enumerates these and the realms -which Neptune 
 appointed them, and says (114 C); 'All these and their descendants 
 (for many generations) were the inhabitants and rulers of divers 
 islands in the open sea.' 
 
 The Homeric Poseidon is mighty and warlike, driving his chariot 
 up from his palace in the sea, and rushing fiercely into battle (//. 13. 
 13, 10-65). He is frequently called the Earth-shaker by Homer 
 (kvoaix^av^ cvvoai-ymo;, 13. 10, 59; cf. C. 869). In //. 12. 27 he appears 
 wielding his ' mace,' the trident, against the Greek wall. With his 
 trident he also stirred up storms against Odysseus, as the hero was 
 returning home from Calypso's isle (Od. 5. 291 &.). In one case 
 (//. 13. 59) Poseidon carried a sceptre or staff, whose stroke inspired 
 strong courage. 
 
 Among the great epic subjects referred to in P. L. 9. 14 ff. 
 occurs ' Neptune's ire . . . that so long Perplexed the Greek.' 
 Milton means the Odyssey. Homer begins his narrative with the 
 year ordained by the gods for the return of Odysseus to Ithaca; ' not 
 even there was he quit of his labors, not even among his own; but 
 all the gods had pity on him save Poseidon, who raged continually 
 against godlike Odysseus, till he came to his own country' (Od. i. 
 16-21). Poseidon was angry because Odysseus had blinded the one 
 eye of his son Polyphemus. ' From that day forth Poseidon the 
 Earth-shaker doth not indeed slay Odysseus, but driveth him wander- 
 ing from his own country ' (74). 
 
 V. E. 42 ff . may be a remote reference to strife between Zeus 
 and Poseidon. It was Poseidon who conspired against Zeus in //. 
 I. 399. They are enemies again in //. 15. 162 ff., and finally we see 
 them engaging in battle on opposite sides (20. 54 ff.); 'And terribly 
 thundered the father of gods and men from heaven above; and from 
 beneath Poseidon made the vast earth shake and the steep mountain 
 tops.' 
 
 The epithet ' green-eyed ' {V. E. 43) may be referred to Pau- 
 sanias or Cicero. The former (i. 14. 5) says that Poseidon's eyes 
 were yuivmi, that is, the color of the sea (blue or gray). Cicero 
 {N. D. I. 30) calls them ' caerulei ' (dark-green or dark-blue). The 
 word is often used of the sea. 
 
 For Neptune and Triton (Lye. 90) see Sea-gods. For Neptune 
 and Amymone (P. R. 2. 190) see Amymone . 
 
 NEREUS.— C. 886.871. See Sea-godB. 
 
 NIGHT.— P. t. 1. 54Sj 2. 160, 439, 894, 902, 970, 980, 1002, lOSO; 8. 18, 71, 421, 424; 4. 778i 
 6. 686i 0. 14, 400; 7.106; 0. 05; 10. 477; P. K. 4. 898; PnM. 29; Pcni. 68, 121; C. 196; L'AI. 2. 
 
 Milton's treatment of Night presents some difficulty in distin- 
 guishing between personification and mythology, nor is the line 
 clearly drawn by the ancients, especially the later writers. 
 
The Sources 63 
 
 In P. L. Night is represented as the wife of Chaos, and co-ruler 
 -with him in the confused abyss between Heaven and Hell. See 
 Chaos. Many of the epithets used by Milton such as ' old ' (P. L. 
 
 1. 543; 2. 1002; 3. 421), 'ancient' (2. 970, 986), 'eldest' (2.894), seem 
 to be derived from the place of Night in the Orphic cosmogony. 
 In 3. 18 she is 'eternal,' as in Orph. Arg. 15 she is called auyviiTrig 
 and mav^ in ^sch. Eum. 408. The epithets ' uncreated ' {P. L. 
 
 2. 150) and 'unoriginal' (10. 477) cannot be referred directly to 
 classical originals. As ' ancestor of nature ' and ' eldest of things ' 
 (2. 894, 962) she may be considered as without origin, since 'the begin- 
 ning is unbegotten ' {ayevrp-ov. Plat. Phcedr. 245 D). In P. L. 2. 
 439 Night is ' unessential,' where the word refers rather to the dark 
 realm than to the goddess herself. She is called ' unsubstantial ' in 
 P. R. 4. 399, where Milton makes her the oifspring of Darkness. 
 This, however, is contrary to classical tradition, according to which 
 lier parent, if she had one, was Chaos (Hes. Theog. 123), or Phanes 
 (Proclus on Tim. 5. 291). Georgius Cedrenus {Hist. Comp. 57 C) 
 says that according to Orpheus asther was first created, and 'on 
 either side were Chaos and gloomy Night, wherein all things beneath 
 aether were concealed, showing that Night was the oldest.' Of the 
 other epithets of Night used by Milton, ' thievish ' (C. 197) may be 
 compared with ' furtivse noctis' of Ov. Eleg. i. 11. 3. 'Sable- 
 vested (P. L. 2. 962) has been referred to Eur. Ion 1150 (see Apollo). 
 
 In P. L. 2. 434-441, 877-883 there seems to be some suggestion 
 of Hesiod's description of the gates and walls of Ta.rta,Tus (Theog. 
 721 ff.). They were of bronze, and night lay about them threefold. 
 There was the terrible abode of dark Night, concealed in murky 
 clouds, whence Day and Night go forth to mortals, each in turn, the 
 one bearing light, the other concealed in a, dark cloud (cf. P. L. 
 5. 685; 6. 409). The figure of Night's thick mantle (Pass. 30; cf. P. 
 L. 6. 407) is similar to //. 8. 485, where the sun set ' drawing black 
 night across Earth.' Cf. Juvencus ^.2: 'furvamque super Nox 
 cserula pallam . . . per inane trahebat. ' Night's mantle is men- 
 tioned in Orph. Hy. 6. 10. 
 
 The ' car of Night' is mentioned in P. L. 9. 65 (cf. Pens. 121). 
 ^schylus speaks of the ' dusky car of Night ' in Choeph. 646. In 
 Theoc. Id. 2. 166 Simaitha bids farewell to the bright Moon and ' ye 
 other stars, attendants on the chariot of stilly Night.' This suggests 
 Milton's 'pale career' (Pens. 121). It was common among the Latin 
 poets to represent Night as driving a chariot; (cf. Verg. jEn. 5. 721; 
 TibuU. 2. I. 87; Claud. 15. 213). 
 
 As in Pass. 29 Night is the ' best patroness of grief,' so Ovid 
 calls her ' curarum maxima nutrix ' (Met. 8. 81). In the Orestes of 
 Euripides (174) the Chorus calls upon Night: 'venerable Night, 
 thou that dispensest sleep to languid mortals, come from Erebus, 
 ... for by our griefs and by our sufferings we are quite undone.' 
 
64 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 The royal and warlike character of Night as exemplified in P. L. 
 2. 986; 1002; 3, 421 is almost without classical antecedent. Homer 
 calls Night ' the subduer of gods and men,' and Proclus (on Tim. 
 5. 291) says that after Phanes, Night held the rule. 
 
 See Erebus and Sleep. In connection with P. L. 2. 1036; 6. 14 
 see Aurora. 
 
 NOTTTS. - P. I/. 10. J02. See ■Winds. 
 
 NYMPHS.-P. 1. 4. 107! 6. 881; 9. 888; P. B. 2. 184-189, 397, 855, 874; C. H. 188; I/AI. 25, 86; 
 Feni. 21, 137; Ire. 1. 88, OS; C. 54, 120, 280, 254, 275, 422, 824, 888, 883, 9S3; lye. 50, 09. 
 
 Of the different classes of nymphs Milton distinguishes the 
 Oreads and Dryads {P- L. g. 387; C. 963), the Naiads, and the 
 Nereids {Pens. 21), though the first two may be included under the 
 name "wood-nymph' (P. L. 5. 381; 9. 386; P. R. 2. 297; C. 120), and 
 ' water-nymph ' may apply to either Naiads or Nereids (C. 833). Ser- 
 vius says (on ^n. i. 500); ' nymphse montium Oreades dicuntnr, 
 sil varum Dryades, . . . fontium Napese vel Naides, maris vero 
 Nereides.' (See Naiads, Diana, Cassiopeia, Echo.) The Nereids, 
 daughters of Nereus and Doris, are mentioned by Homer (//. 18. 35 
 ft'.), and Hesiod gives the names of fifty (Theog. 240-264). Both of 
 them mention Panope. The epithet ' sleek ' (Lye. 99) seems to have no 
 distinct original in this connection, though Hesiod, in a conventional 
 way, speaks of her sisters as ' charming,' ' lovely,' ' smiling,' ' fair- 
 ankled,' 'fair-haired.' In the light of C. 882, the last epithet may 
 have suggested ' sleek.' In Verg. jEn. 5. 825 it is ' Panopea virgo ' 
 and her sisters who sport upon the calm surface of the sea after the 
 storm. 
 
 Milton dwells often upon the beauty of places haunted by the 
 nymphs (P. L. 4. 705-708; P. R. 2. 184 f., 289-297, 354; Pens. 133-146; 
 Arc; C. 119-121, 230-243, 423, 964). Homer speaks of the nymphs 
 ' that haunt fair thickets, and springs of rivers, and grassy water- 
 meadows ' (//. 20. 8; cf. Od. 6. 123). Theocritus describes a place 
 where he lay under the poplars and elms, ' while close at hand the 
 sacred water from the nymphs' own cave welled forth with murmurs 
 musical ' (7. 135 ft.). The bathing place of Diana and her nymphs is 
 thus described by Ovid {Met. 3. 155 ff.): ' There was a valley, thick 
 set with pitch-trees and the sharp-pointed cypress; by name Gar- 
 gaphie, sacred to the active Diana (cf. P. L. 4. 706). In the extreme 
 recess of this, there was a grotto in a grove, formed by no art . . . 
 A limpid fountain ran murmuring on the right hand with its little 
 stream, having its spreading channels edged with a border of grass.' 
 In Arcadia was another bathing place of Diana, ' a cool grove, out of 
 which a stream ran, flowing with its murmurming noise, and borne 
 along the sand worn fine by its action.' Hither came the nymphs 
 with their mistress, to rest from the chase. In the Arcades Milton 
 has represented his Arcadian nymphs as silver-buskined (33), and in 
 
The Sources 65 
 
 Comus they are armed with quiver and arrows (422). The followers 
 of Diana were dressed and armed for hunting {Met. \l. 411-421; i. 695). 
 The association of the nymphs with Arcadia may be traced to their 
 association with Artemis or Diana, or with the wood-divinities (see 
 Wood-gods). This association is common in pastoral poetry, and 
 examples may be found in Theocritus (i; 5) and in Vergil's Eclogues. 
 As in Arcades Milton represents the nymphs and shepherds dancing 
 together, so Vergil {Eel. 5. 58) says, ' sprightly pleasure charms the 
 woods and all the fields beside, and Pan, and shepherd swains, and 
 Dryad girls.' For the localities mentioned in Arc. 97 ff. see Pan. 
 
 As the nymphs are considered the protectors of Lycidas (Lye. 
 50), so in Id. I. 66 Theocritus appeals to the nymphs who failed 
 Daphnis in his distress. Jerram suggests that Milton follows Ver- 
 gil's imitation of Theocritus {Eel. 10. 9) in identifying the Muses with 
 the nymphs. The latter poet calls the Muses ' Castalian nymphs ' 
 (7- 148; cf. Milt. Ep. Bam. i). 
 
 Examples of the fondness of nymphs for the dance are of fre- 
 quent occurrence (see Diana and Hermes). In Orphic Hymn 50 
 they are addressed as 'dancing with Pan upon the mountains.' In 
 Hor. C 1. I. 34 they are thus associated with the satyrs, and in 4. 7. 
 5 with the Graces. 
 
 Occasionally we find among the classics a suggestion of their 
 ' flower-inwoven tresses ' (C. N. 187). In Hes. Theog. 255 Alimede, a 
 Nereid, is EvBTk(^avoi;. Cf. C. 120, 862. Claudian (22. 345) speaks of 
 the nymphs as ' redimilffi tempora. ' Offerings of wreaths were made 
 to them (Hor. C. 3. 27. 30; Ov. Met. 9. 377). 
 
 Milton seems to use the word nymph in the more inclusive sense 
 of maiden in L'Al. 25; cf. Ov. Ep. 16. 126; 9. 50. In C. 54 he calls 
 Circe a nymph, as does Homer in Od. 10. 543. 
 
 0CEANT7S.— C. 868. See Sea-gods. 
 
 OLYMPIAS.— P. 1. ». 509. See Ammon. 
 
 CliYHI'TJS.-P. 1. t. 516; !. 7 10. 688; D. F. I. 44. 
 
 Milton illustrates the earlier conception of Olympus as a 
 mountain, distinguished from heaven itself, in P, L. i. 516; 7. 7; 
 10. 583; cf. //. 15. 192; 5. 750; Od. 6. 42-46. In two cases he uses 
 Homeric epithets. Olympus is 'high', 'snowy' {P. L. 10. 583; i. 515; 
 cf, Eleg. 5. 117), as in Homer it is frequently uaKpdg, aydvvupog, vixjiSet^ 
 {II. I. 532, 420; 18. 186, 616). The later conception of Olympus as 
 heaven itself appears in D. F. /. 44; cf. C. i. This is especially com- 
 mon among the Latin poets (cf. Verg. Eel. 5. 56). Olympus is 
 called 'stelliger' in Seneca, Here. GLt. 1907. See Saturn, Muses, 
 Jove, Eurynome. 
 
 OPHION.— p. 1. 10. 581. See Eurynome. 
 OPS.— P. L. 10. 684. See Bhea. 
 
 5 
 
66 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 OBOTJS.— p. l. 2. 98*- 
 
 Though by later writers Orcus is confounded with Pluto (Ades), 
 Milton here observes a distinction. Hesiod ( W. and D. 804) calls 
 him ' avenging Orcus, whom Strife bore as a bane to men forsworn.' 
 Hesiod and Vergil {Georg. i. 277) associate Orcus with the Eumen- 
 ides (Furies). 
 
 OB.EADS.— p. I/. 9. 887. See NjmipllB. 
 
 OBPHBTTS.— P. Ii. 3. 17; 7. 38; L'Al. 146; Pens. 106; Lye. 58. 
 
 Orpheus is the name of a mythic singer of lyrics to whom was 
 assigned a body of poetry, including the story of the Argonauts and 
 a number of hymns. Milton seems to refer to the Orphic hymn to 
 Night (2) in P. L. 3. 17, though the passage has been interpreted in 
 several ways. At any rate, the Miltonic representation of the divin- 
 ity of Night difEers almost entirely from the Orphic Night, who is 
 addressed as gentle and much beloved by mortals for her benefits. 
 
 The story of Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus, whom her husband 
 half regained from Hades by his sweet song, but lost by looking 
 back, is related by Ovid in Met. 10. 11-77. As his plaintive music 
 was heard in Hades, the punishment of evil-doers ceased, tears moist- 
 ened the cheeks of the Eumenides, and Proserpina and Pluto were 
 moved to grant his request. According to Seneca (Here. Fur. 578), 
 whose account is similar to Ovid's, ' Deflent et lacrymis difficiles dei.' 
 Cf. Here. (Et. 1031-1089; Ad Pat. 21. 
 
 The Muse referred to in P. L. 7. 37 and Lye. 58, as the mother 
 of Orpheus, is Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry (Auson. Id. 22. 3, ed. 
 Peiper). In the Rhesus of Euripides (947) there is evident reference 
 to this story of his parentage, which, according to Pausanias (9. 30), 
 was a common belief. Cf. schol. on Rhesus 895. 
 
 The story of the fate of Orpheus at the hands of the angry 
 Maenads is told by Ovid {Met. 11. 1-66). Though both of Milton's 
 accounts are rather general, they present distinct correspondence 
 with certain details given by Ovid. Met. 10. 90-105 is an elaborate 
 list of the trees which assembled on Rhodope to hear the song of the 
 Thracian bard. The expression, ' had ears to rapture ' (P. L. 7. 35), 
 suggests the 'auritas quercus' of Hor. C. i. 12. 11. The 'hideous 
 roar' and 'savage clamor' are described in Met. 11. 15-18. Cf. Bac- 
 chus. The sweet music at first prevailed, but was at length over- 
 come. 
 
 Te, moestae volucres, Orpheu, te turba ferarum, 
 Te, rigidas silices, tua carmina saepe secutae 
 Fleverunt silva:: positis te frondibus arbos, 
 -Tonsa comam, luxit: lacrymis quoque flumina dicunt 
 Increvisse suis; obscuraque carbasa puUo 
 Naiades et Dryades, passosque habuere capillos. 
 
 The poet was torn in pieces, and his head and lyre were rolled down 
 the Hebrus, 
 
 Et Methymnsese potiuntur litore Lesbi. 
 
The Sources 67 
 
 His spirit passed to Elysium and, 
 
 quBerens per arva piorum 
 Invenit Eurydicen, cupidisque amplectitur ulnis. 
 
 Cf. L'Al. 145-150. Vergil (^Mn. 6. 645) represents Orpheus singing 
 among the shades in Elysium. Milton refers again to Ovid in this 
 connection in the Prolusions, ed. Symmons, 6. 173. Cf. Tractate on 
 Education, P. W. 3. 466 f. 
 
 PALES.— p. L. 0. aos. 
 
 Pales was a Roman goddess of the pastures (Serv. on Verg. 
 Georg. 3. i; Ov. Fast. 4. 721 ff.). In Ovid she is 'alma' (722), 'rustica,' 
 ' silvicola ' (744, 746). Cf. Ep. Dam. 32. 
 
 PAN. -p. t. 4. 266, 707i p. R. a. 190; C. N. 89; Arc. 108; C. 175, 268. 
 
 Pan was the ' goat-footed, two-horned god of shepherds ' (Horn. 
 Hy. ig. 2, 5). We find him going 'hither and thither through the 
 dense thickets, sometimes allured by the gentle streams, but some- 
 times again he passes over the sun-traversed mountains . . . 
 and oftentimes he runs over the long hoary mountain ranges. . . . 
 And with him then the mountain-nymphs of sweet song, coming 
 frequently on foot to the dark-watered fountain, raise the song, and 
 the echo sounds around the height of the mountain ' (Horn. Hy. 19. 
 8-21). In 19. 24 he appears ' delighting his mind with sweet lays in 
 the soft meadow, where the crocus and fragrant hyacinth flourishing 
 are mingled with abundant grass.' With this description compare P. 
 L. 4. 266 and Milton's more elaborate description of Eden preceding; 
 see also 705 fE.; C. 268; P. R. 2. 184 ff. 
 
 The story of Pan's love for Syrinx (P. R. 2. 188; Arc. 106) is told 
 by Ovid {_Met. i. 689-706) in Mercury's song to Argus. 
 
 Arcadise gelidis sub montibus, inquit, 
 Inter Hamadryadas celeberrima Nonacrinas 
 Naias una fuit. Nymphse Syringa vocabant. 
 
 In purity she emulated Diana, whom she followed in the chase. 
 Often had she escaped the satyrs, but Pan, meeting her as she was 
 returning from Lycseus, pursued and overtook her ' arenosi placidum 
 Ladonis ad amnem ' (702). With the last quotation, and the ' calamos 
 palustres' of 706, compare 'sandy Ladon's lilied banks ' of ^ ;'c. 97. 
 The localities of Arcadia here mentioned, were all associated with 
 Pan, and so with the nymphs. Lyc»us (98) and Meenalus (102) are 
 mentioned by Theocritus (i. 123, 124) as haunts of Pan. At least a 
 part of Mount Erymanthus was sacred to the god (Paus. 8. 24. 3), 
 and ' Cyllene hoar ' was sacred to Pan's father, Hermes (Horn. Hy. 3. 
 2). Vergil {.iEn. 8. 139) speaks of the 'gelido vertice' of Cyllene; cf . 
 'Arcadise gelidis sub montibus ' of Ov. Met. i. 689. 
 
 In P. L. 4. 266; C. 175; C. N. 89 we find suggestions of the con- 
 ception of Pan which appears in Orpk. Hy. 10, where he is called 'the 
 
68 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 god of shepherds ' (i), and ' the giver of increa;se, of light, and of 
 fruits' (ii). In I ff. he is addressed as ' mighty Pan . . . entire 
 substance of the universe, the heaven, and the sea, and the earth, 
 queen of all, and immortal fire.' He is also 'the father of all' (lo), 
 ' the ruler of the world ' (n), 'for in thee the boundless soil of the 
 earth is established, and to thee yield both the deep-sown water of 
 the untiring sea, and Ocean, circling in waters about the earth'; cf. 
 Serv. on Verg. Eel. 2. 31. In each of these cases there is evident 
 reference to the etymology of Pan, as suggested in Milton's epithet 
 'universal' {P. L. 4. 66). Isidorus, in Etymol. 8. 11. 81, says, 'Pan 
 dictus est, id est, onme. Fingunt enim eum ex universal! elemen- 
 tonim specie.' Cf. C. N. 89. 
 
 In Or ph. Hy. 10. 4 Pan is ' enthroned with the Hours' ; cf . P. L. 
 4. 267; see Hours and Graces. As Milton speaks of Pan asleep in P. 
 L. 4. 707; Ep. Dam. 52, so in Theocritus (i. 16) the goatherd fears to 
 disturb the god while he rests at noon, weary of the chase. 
 
 PANDOIIA.-P. 1. i. 114. • 
 
 In revenge for the theft of the fire of Zeus for mortals by Prome- 
 theus, or Forethought, Zeus ordered Hephsestus and the other immor- 
 tals to fashion a woman, godlike in mind and body. She was called 
 Pandora, and was conducted by Hermes to Epimetheus, or After- 
 thought (called d/mpTivoog in Hes. Theog. 511), ' unwiser son ' of 
 lapetus. He received her, and thus were engendered all the ills 
 that flesh is heir to. The story is told by Hesiod in W. and D. 50 ff. 
 
 PANOPB.— 1)0. 90. See ITymphs. 
 PAHTHENOPE.-C. 879. See Sirens. 
 PEGASUS.— P. I', "i. 4, 17. See Belleroplion and MuseB. 
 PBIiOPS.— Pens. 99. 
 
 Milton here refers to Pelops' line as the subject of ancient trag- 
 edy. The line of descent in this Argive family ran thus: Tantalus, 
 Pelops, Atreus, Agamemnon, the last being the father of Orestes, 
 Electra, and Iphigenia, and the brother of Menelaus (Eur. Or. 5-26). 
 Three of the remaining tragedies of j95schylus, two of Sophocles, 
 and five of Euripides deal with the stories of this house. Of these 
 the most celebrated are the Agamemnon, the Choephorce, and the 
 Eumenides of j^schylus, the Electra of Sophocles, and the Orestes, 
 the Iphigenia at Tauris, and the Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides. 
 The family frequently went by the patronymic name Pelopid» (Soph. 
 El. 10). Plato mentions the sufferings of the Pelopids and the 
 events of the Trojan war as subjects of tragedy {Rep. 2. 380 A). 
 
 To one of their calamities Milton refers in P. L. 10. 688. The 
 story of the Thyestean banquet is as follows: Atreus contended with 
 his brother Thyestes for the throne of their father, but Thyestes 
 seduced the wife of Atreus, and gained the power by dishonest means. 
 
The Sources 69 
 
 In revenge Atreus slew the children of his brother, and served them 
 before him at a banquet. The Sun could not endure this transgres- 
 sion, and turned his course for one day from west to east. A refer- 
 ence to the story is to be found in Eur. El. 714 if. It appears in 
 detail in the scholium on Eur. Or. 812, and in Hyg. Fab. 88. 
 
 PHlIililB.-L'Al. 88. See Corydon. 
 
 FHIIiOltrBIi.— Peni. 50. 
 
 The name Philomel, meaning the nightingale, is a reference to 
 the story of Tereus, the husband of Procne, who, preferring Procne's 
 sister Philomela, violated the latter and cut out her tongue. Accord- 
 ing to the usual account, Philomela was changed to a swallow 
 {Apollod. 3. 14. 8), but Hyginus says that she became a nightingale 
 (Fab. 45; of. Ov. Met. 6. 668). 
 
 PHINETJS.-P. L. S. 86. 
 
 Phineus was a 'prophet old' who dwelt at Salmydessos in 
 Thrace, and was visited by the Argonauts (Apollod. i. g. 21; ApoUon. 
 Rh. 2. J78 ff.). Because he prophesied, he was visited by the gods 
 with blindness. He is described by Ovid as ' Perpetuaque trahens ■ 
 inopem sub nocte senectam ' (Met. 7. 2). 
 
 PHIiEQETON.-P. li. a. 680. See Blvers of HeU. 
 
 PHLBGBA.— P. L. 1. hit. See Olants. 
 
 PHCEBT7S.— P. R. 4. 260: Fusi. SS; C. 66, 180; L;o. ^^■, Sod. 18. 10. See ApoUo. 
 
 PHCENIX.— P. L. 5. 273; S. A. 1009. 
 
 For his two accounts of the phoenix Milton draws upon several 
 sources. According to Herodotus (2. 73) there lived but one phoenix 
 at a time. It resembled the eagle, and had wings of gold and ruby. 
 Once in five hundred years it flew from its home in Arabia to the 
 temple of the Sun in Egypt, bearing the remains of the parent bird en- 
 closed in myrrh. Milton's authority for saying that the phoenix flew to 
 Thebes is not in the classical writers. These all agree that the bird 
 visited Heliopolis. Ovid (Met. 15. 391 ff.) describes the pyre of in- 
 cense which the phoenix erects for itself. From the ashes of the old 
 bird the young one is born. In 5. A. 1703 the new phoenix is not 
 represented as a young bird, but as the old one rejuvenated by the 
 fire. Pomponius Mela tells the legend in the same way {De Situ 
 Orbis 3. 8). 
 
 As Raphael descends to earth {P. L. 5. 269 ff.), 'to all the fowls 
 he seems A phoenix ' as it flies to Egypt. This may have some re- 
 lation to the narrative found in Achilles Tatius 3. 25, who says 
 that a company of other birds flies with the phoenix toward 
 Egypt as a bodyguard, ' and he is like a king departing from his own 
 country.' 
 
70 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 The brilliant plumage suggested by Herodotus, and elaborated 
 by Pliny {N. H. lo. 2. 2), helps to establish the connection between 
 Milton's figure and Raphael. 
 
 5. A. 1707 is an adaptation of Met. 15. 395: ' Hsec ubi quinque 
 suae complevit secula vita.' As Milton speaks of the ' sole bird ' 
 {P. L. 5. 272), so Ovid says 'unica avis' {Am. 2. 6. 54). Cf. Ep. 
 Dam. 187 ff. The adjective occurs also in Claud. 22. 417 and Lac- 
 tantius, De Ave Phosn. 31, 32. 
 
 PLEIADES.— p. 1. J. 874; 10. 6J4. 
 
 The Pleiades are mentioned as daughters of Atlas in Hesiod 
 {W. and D. 383; cf. P. L. 10. 674), who adds that their rising was 
 the sign of the beginning of summer. The fact is repeated in 
 Aratus, Phan. 254-267, and their genealogy and number are dis- 
 cussed by Athenseus (11. 489, 490), who mentions the story that they 
 were transferred to heaven to save them from Orion. Cf. Hyg. 
 A sir. 2.21. They were originally seven in number. 
 
 PLtTTO.- p. L. 1. 2J0i 10. 444; L'Al. 149; Pcm. 107. 
 
 Plato says, ' Pluto is concerned with ttIovtoq, and means the 
 giver of wealth, because wealth comes out of the earth beneath. 
 People in general use the term as a. euphemism for Hades ' (Crat. 
 403 A). The adjective ' Plutonian ' in P. L. lo. 444 is used in a gen- 
 eral sense of that which belongs to the Lower World. ' Plutonian 
 hall' suggests the ' domus Plutonia' of Horace (C. i. 4. 17). See 
 Ades. In connection with P. L. 4. 270 see Ceres, and on L'Al. 149 
 and Pens. 107 see Orpheus. 
 
 POMONA. -P. L. 6. 878; 9. 898. 
 
 In both cases Milton's representation of Pomona is drawn from 
 Ovid {Met. 14. 623 ff.). She was a beautiful maiden, more skillful 
 than any of the Hamadryads of Latium in caring for the trees and 
 vines. She enclosed her little orchard with a wall to shut out her 
 many suitors, but the god Vertumnus often found his way to her in 
 disguise, unsuccessfully pleading his own cause, until at length he 
 captivated her by appearing in his own splendor. Pomona is men- 
 tioned by Servius (on Verg. ALn. 7. 190) as 'pomorum dea,' the god- 
 dess of fruits. 
 
 PBOMETHETTS.— 8. A. 600. See Pandora, Tantalus. 
 PEOSEEPINA.— P. L. 4. 209; 9. 886. See Ceres. 
 PEOTETTS.-P. l. 8. 004. See Sea-sods. 
 PSYCHE.— C. 1005. See Oupld. 
 PXGMIES.— P. !• !• 578,780. 
 
 Homer speaks of the pygmies in //. 3. 6 as meeting the cranes in 
 battle, but does not name their dwelling-place. In placing them ' be- 
 
The Sources 71 
 
 yond the Indian mount ' Milton follows Pliny (TV. H. 7. 2. i), wlio 
 also describes them as ■ ternas spithamas longitudine, hoc est, temos 
 dodrantes non excedentes,' the equivalent of twenty-seven inches 
 in length, and says that they live ' extrema in parte montium.' Just 
 what mountains Pliny meant is uncertain, though he intimates 
 that they were ' ad extremos fines Indias ab oriente circa fontem 
 Gangis.' This seems to indicate the range of Imaus. In 6. 19. 22 
 he speaks of a report that the pygmies live in Maleus, a mountain of 
 the interior. 
 
 PYBBHA.— p. L. 11. 12. See Deucalion. 
 
 PTTHCON.— P. L. 10. 681. 
 
 According to Ovid the Python was engendered during the new 
 creation which followed the flood. The story runs as follows (Met. 
 I. 434-440): 'When therefore the Earth, covered with mud by the 
 late deluge, was thoroughly heated by the ethereal sunshine and a 
 penetrating warmth, she produced species of creatures innumerable. 
 . . . She indeed might have been unwilling, but then she pro- 
 duced thee as well, thou enormous Python; and thou, unheard-of 
 serpent, wast a source of terror to this new race of men, so vast a part 
 of a mountain didst thou occupy'. Accounts do not say that this 
 took place in the Pythian vale, as Milton says, though it was there 
 that Apollo slew the Python with arrows soon after. The story is 
 first told in Horn. Hy. to Pyth. Ap. 122 f[. Ovid and others say that 
 in memory of this deed Apollo established the Pythian games, which 
 in historic times were celebrated near Delphi in his honor. Cf . Hyg. 
 Fab. 140; P. L. 2. 530. 
 
 In the Reason of Church Government, P. W. 2. 505, the story is 
 worked into a simile of the pestiferous contagion of prelaty, with 
 evident reference to the interpretation given in Macrobius (i. 17. 57), 
 who says that the myth typifies the sun dispelling the mists, and his 
 rays are the arrows. Cf. Prolusions, ed. Symmons, 6. 152. 
 
 KHEA.— p. !<■ 1. 618; 1. S79; 10. 581; Arc. 31. 
 
 Cybele is the Phrygian name of Rhea, the revered mother of 
 gods, according to Strabo lo. 469, 470. As an illustration of stately 
 divinity Milton speaks of ' the towered Cybele, Mother of a hundred 
 gods' (Arc. 21). His words seem to be based principally on Verg. 
 .^n. 6. 785-788: 
 
 qualis Berecynthia mater 
 Invehitur curru Phrygias turrita per urbes 
 Lseta deum partu, centum complexa nepotes, 
 Omnes CEelicoJas, omnes supera alta tenentes. 
 
 Servius makes the following comment on this passage: ' Berecynthia 
 mater . . . Nam Berecynthos castellnm est Phrygise juxta 
 Sangariumfluvium: ubi mater deum colitur. Turrita. Vel quia ipsa 
 
72 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 est terra, quae urbes sustinet.' Ovid says, however, that she wears a 
 crown of towers, because she gave towers to the Phrygian cities. 
 That this was also Vergil's idea seems probable in the light of jEn. 
 lo. 252: 
 
 Alma parens Idasa Deum, cui Dindyma cordi, 
 
 Turrigerseque urbes, bijugique ad frena leones. 
 
 Cf. Eleg. I. 65, 74; 5. 62. To Rhea is applied the ephithet Kvfjyofdpoc 
 (Suidas). Hesiod {Theog. 453 ff.) says that Rhea was the mother 
 of Istia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. She was 
 well known as 'the mother of gods and mortal men,' or simply 
 as 'the mother.' Cf. Orph. Hy, 13. 9; 40. i; 26. i; Ov. Fast. 4. 202, 
 250, 259, 263; Anth. Pal. 6. 220. 
 
 The story of the jealous Rhea, as related in P. L. 4. 275 fE., is 
 taken from Diodorus Siculus (3. 68-70), the only ancient authority for 
 this version of the Dionysus myth. Diodorus cites Thymoetes, ' a 
 contemporary of Orpheus,' as his authority, and says that Ammon 
 first took Rhea to wife, but afterward met the beautiful Amalthea, 
 who bore him a son, 'a wonder of beauty and strength.' Milton 
 calls the boy 'florid.' In fear of Rhea's jealousy Ammon sent the 
 child Dionysus to the distant Nysa, which lies in an island ' girt with 
 the river Triton ' {P. L. 4. 276). Here, safe from the wiles of Rhea, 
 the boy was reared in a cave under the guardianship of Athene. 
 uvrpvm (Diod. 3. 70) may have suggested the epithet 'stepdame' 
 (P. L. 4. 279). The Latin goddess Ops was identified with Rhea, as 
 in Macrobius {Sat. 1. 10. 19). Thus Milton speaks of Rhea and 
 Cronus as Ops and Saturn in P. L. 10. 584. See Eurynome. 
 
 HrVX^RS OF EEIili.— p. I,. 1. 239; 2. 506, 574-aSO, C04, 875; 3. 14; 10. 453; L'Al. 3; C. 132, 604. 
 
 In the passage P. L. 2. 574-586 Milton names and describes the 
 five rivers of the Lower World as they were known to the ancients. 
 He assigns to them the attributes which classical tradition generally 
 gave them, and which it connected with their etymology. A good 
 illustration is Porphyry's quotation of Apollodorus, cited by Stobasus 
 {Eel. Phys. I. 52. 46), where Styx is connected with the root arvy, to 
 hate; Acheron with axoi;, sorrow, pain; Cocytus with kukoslv, to 
 lament; and Phlegethon with (fiMyeadai, to burn with a flame. 
 Milton speaks of 'fierce Phlegeton ' and its ' waves of torrent fire.' 
 So in Vergil, round about Tartarus 'rapidus flammis ambit torren- 
 tibus amnis ' {^n. 6. 550). Lethe is so called because it is the river 
 of forgetfulness. The fact is mentioned by Lucian {De Luctu 5). Cf . 
 P. L. 2. 604 ff,; Plat. Rep. 10. 621; Verg. ^n. 6. 714. In this last 
 passage the souls of the blessed drink the ' secures latices et longa 
 oblivia.' Cf. also Ov. Met. 11. 602 ff. 
 
 In C. 603 mention is made of 
 
 the griesly legions that troop 
 Under the sooty flag of Acheron, 
 
The Sources 73 
 
 The figure is referred by Todd to Phineas Fletcher's Locusts: ' All 
 Hell run out, and sooty flagges display. ' The context seems to show 
 that by ' g^iesly legions ' Milton referred to monsters which were 
 found about the entrance to Hell, as in Vergil (see Harpies, Hydra). 
 Compare Hesiod's description of the region about Tartarus in Theog. 
 725-817, which passage also contains a suggestion of the illimitable 
 Deep of Chaos {P. L. 2. 879 ff.). C. 603, 604 in some measure resem- 
 bles P. L. 2. 898-906, where the elements contend in Chaos, 
 
 ' and to battle bring 
 Their embryon atoms: they around the flag 
 Of each his faction, in their several clans, 
 Light-armed or heavy, sharp, smooth, swift or slow. 
 Swarm populous. * 
 
 This passage may be referred to Ovid's description of Chaos (Met. 
 I. 18-20; see Chaos). 
 
 The topography of the infernal rivers is rather indefinite and 
 varied in classical writers. Lethe is generally removed from the 
 rivers of horror as in Milton. Plato gives an elaborate, but ob- 
 scure, description of these waters in Phcsdo 112 ff. He says that 
 Phlegethon passes through a lake of fire into Tartarus, which is also 
 the mouth of Cocytus. Along the different rivers are borne the 
 souls of wicked men to their destinies; cf. P. L. 2. 570-576. 
 
 Milton's use of the word Stygian, in the general sense of that 
 which belongs to the Lower World, is classical. Thus we have 
 ' Stygius lacus ' (Ji.n. 6. 134; cf. P. L. 3. 14); ' Stygise tenebrse ' (Verg. 
 Georg. 3. 551; cf. C. 132); 'Stygius rex' {JEn. 6. 252; cf. P. L. 2. 506, 
 875, etc.). The ' Stygian cave ' haunted by Cerberus and Midnight 
 in L'At. 3, 4, or the ' uncouth cell' (5), may owe something to the 
 cave of Sleep, described by Ovid (Met. 11. 592 ff.) as lying near the 
 Cimmerians, and covered with eternal darkness. It has been noted 
 by Hales, however, that the ' Stygian cave' may have been suggested 
 by Vergil's cave of Cerberus {^En. 6. 418-423), near the bank of the 
 Styx. See also Morpheus and Erebus. 
 
 iiu]B;oii..-p. L. 2. DOS. 
 
 Rumor is named among the monsters which stand about the 
 throne of Chaos. She is hardly a divinity, since Vergil's Fama, 
 which seems to be her antecedent, and which is in turn based on 
 Homer's Eris (//. 4. 440; see Discord), is only a personification. Fama 
 is described in jEn. 4. 174-188 as ' surpassed in swiftness by nothing 
 else that is bad; she grows by her restless motion, and gathers vigor 
 as she speeds along; small through fear at first, presently she exalts 
 herself towards heaven, and stalks along the ground, and hides her 
 head amid the clouds.' She was born ' with nimble feet and rapid 
 vsdngs, a monster frightful, huge; who, for every feather on her 
 body, had as many wakeful eyes beneath, (wondrous to tell) as many 
 
74 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 loud tongues and mouths, as many ears that she pricks up to listen. 
 By night she flies between heaven and earth, through the gloom, 
 with buzzing wings, nor droops her eyelids in soothing sleep; by day 
 she keeps watch, perched either on the very top of a house, or on 
 high towers, and continually terrifies great cities, being as firmly 
 attached to what is false and wrong as she is a messenger of truth.' 
 
 SATXrBN.— p. t. 1. 612, olOi 10. 688; Ponii. 24; C. 805. 
 
 Cronus (Saturn) was the youngest, but most terrible, of the sons 
 of Earth and Heaven. He unmanned his father, and ruled in his 
 stead (Hes. Theog. 137, 138, 176 ff.). According to the Orphic the- 
 ogony, however, it was against Ophion and Eurynome that Cronus 
 rebelled, and Milton makes use of this version in P. L. 10. 580-584. 
 See Eurynome. Fearing his own children, Cronus swallowed them 
 all except Zeus, who was removed by stratagem to Dicte in Crete, 
 where he grew to manhood. The hundred-handed giants armed him 
 with the thunderbolt, and he was thus enabled to usurp his father's 
 throne (Hes. Theog. 453-506). 
 
 According to Diod. Sic. 5. 70, it was in Mount Ida that the young 
 Zeus was reared, and in Crete that Cronus held sway. Zeus also 
 reigned there (71), but afterward took up his seat in Olympus. Vergil, 
 however, says (^n. 8. 319): 
 
 Primus ab setherio venit Saturnus Olympo 
 Arma Jovis fuglens, et regnis exsul ademtis. 
 
 He thus implies that Saturn reigned in Oljrmpus, and was thence 
 driven to the Hesperian fields. Cf. Ov. Fast. i. 235. Diodorus 
 relates the tradition of the Cretans (3. 61) that Cronus reigned not 
 only in Italy, but in Sicily and Africa, and generally in the western 
 parts of the world. Dionysius of Halicarnassus (i. 38) says that he 
 was worshipped among the Gauls (cf. P. L. 1. 521), and from Plu- 
 tarch {De Defectu Oraculorum 18) we learn that ' of the islands 
 around Britain, many, scattered about, are deserted. . . . And 
 there is one there in which Cronus in slumber is held prisoner by 
 Briareos; for this bond of slumber was invented against him; and 
 about him are many divinities, his companions and servants.' Cf. 
 P. L. I. 519. Again, in De Facie in Orbe LiincE 26, Plutarch says 
 that these divinities were the ones who had been associated with the 
 god while he was still the king of gods and men. He is called ' old ' 
 in Verg. ^n. 7. 180; cf. JEsch. Eum. 638. 
 
 The reign of Saturn, to which Milton refers indirectly in Pens. 
 23, was celebrated by ancient writers as the Golden Age (Hes. W. and 
 D. 111-126; Ov. Met. I. 89-112). Men enjoyed themselves without 
 growing old, .and the earth of her own accord yielded all things. 
 Plato {Laws 4. 713 B) says that it furnished a model of political 
 administration. Milton refers again to the ' pleasing license ' of 
 Saturn's reign in Doct, and Discip. of Divorce, P. W. 3. 227. 
 
The Sources 75 
 
 Vesta, a goddess of the hearth (Cic. N. D. 2. 27), was celebrated 
 for her purity {Horn. Hy. to Aphrod. 21 ff; Ov. Fast. 6. 286 ff.)- 
 Vesta never bore any other relation to Saturn than that of daughter 
 (Hes. Theog. 454). Milton's reasons for making them the parents of 
 Melancholy {Pens. 23) have been a subject of con]'ecture. Warton's 
 explanation is that the ' bright-haired Vesta ' signifies Genius, and 
 Saturn is ' the god of Saturnine dispositions, of pensive and gloomy 
 minds.' Browne says that Saturn, the origin of civilization, means 
 Culture, and the virgin-goddess Retirement. Masson interprets 
 Saturn as Solitude, but is uncertain as to Vesta. He says, ' One_ 
 remembers, however, that Vesta was the goddess of the saered eter- 
 nal fire that could be tended only by vowed virginity; and here one 
 is on the track of a peculiarly Miltonic idea.' 
 
 Classical writers sometimes praise Cretan Ida for its woods, as in 
 Ovid {Am. 3. 10. 39): 'Ipse locus nemorum canebat frugibus Ide;' 
 cf. Claud. 33. 205. Phrygian Ida, however, was the more noted on 
 this account. Euripides {Hipp. 1252) speaks of the many pines of 
 Ida, though the scholiast is uncertain which Ida is meant. 
 
 For the reference in C. 805 see Titans. 
 
 SATYR. -p. K. 2. 191; Lye. 34. See ■Wood-Bods. 
 
 SOYT/LA AND CHABYBDIS.— P. L. 2. Ceo, loaos C. 267, 259. 
 
 In Od. 12. 73 £E. Circe describes to Odysseus the terrors of the 
 cruel monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis, which beset either 
 side of his homeward way. Among later writers a more definite loca- 
 tion was assigned to Scylla and Charybdis on the Italian and Sicilian 
 shores, ri'.spectively, of the strait separating these lands (Verg. ^n. 
 3. 420; c;. Ov. Met. 14. 47 fE. ; schol. Od. 12. 85). At the same time 
 the islakad of Circe was located at Circeii on the Italian coast, and the 
 home of the Sirens, whom Odysseus passed just before encountering 
 Scyll'i, lay somewhere between Circeii and the Sicilian straits. Cf. 
 disc/assion in Strabo i. 22, 23. That Milton accepts this location is 
 evi?Lent both in P. L. 2. 1019 and in C. 49 (see Bacchus). Thus 
 Odjysseus, holding a southward course, ' on the larboard shunned 
 Charybdis.' 
 
 .' In P. L. 2. 660 we have a reference to the story of Scylla's trans- 
 formation, told by Ovid {Met. 14. 40-74; cf. Hyg. Fab. igg). Circe, 
 /'jealous of Glaucus' love for the beautiful Scylla, overcame her with 
 enchantments as she was bathing in the Sicilian straits. Scylla was 
 beset with barking dogs: 
 
 Ac primo non credens corporis illas 
 Esse sui partes, refugitque, abigitque, tiraetque 
 Ora proterva canura: sed quos fugit, adtrahit una. 
 
 In this plight she was changed into a rock, a menace to sailors. The 
 epithet ' fell ' of Charybdis (C 259) may be a rendering of Vergil's 
 
76 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 'implacata' (^n. 3. 420). The passage in Comus has been referred 
 to SiHus Italicus 14. 471-474. The music of Daphnis 
 
 Mulcebat silvas, non umquam tempore eodem 
 Siren adsuetos effudit in aequore cantus; 
 Scyllsei tacuere canes; stetit atra Cliarybdis. 
 
 SEA-QODS.— P. 1. 8. 604; C. 24-29, 836, 867-88»! lye. 89. 
 
 The ' tributary gods ' of C. 24 seem to be distinguished from the 
 ' blue-haired deities ' (29), though no such distinction exists in the 
 classics. Strictly speaking, none but Neptune carried a trident, if 
 we except Nereus (Verg. JEn. 2. 418). ' Blue-haired ' seems to be an 
 adaptation of Poseidon's epithet Kvavoxatra {II. 13. 563; 14. 390). The 
 Nereids are KvavowUmimi in Quintus Smymaus 5. 345, and Ovid 
 calls the marine gods ' caerulii ' {Met. 2. 8; see Neptune). 
 
 Much of the detailed work of identifying Milton's classical 
 sources under this head has been done by Newton. Neptune, Leuco- 
 thea, and the sirens are discussed in their respective places. In 
 Homer Oceanus is the personification of the streams which encircle 
 the earth. He lives at the ends of the earth, and is called ' father of the 
 gods ' (//. 14. 301 f.). Milton's epithet ' great ' has an antecedent in 
 21. 193 fiE. : ' Against the son of Cronus it is not possible to fight. For 
 him not even king Acheloios is a match, nor yet the great strength 
 of deep-flowing Ocean.' Hesiod also calls Oceanus ' ^e^sA,' {Theog. 
 20). In P. L. I. 510 Oceanus is a Titan. See Titajis. 
 
 Tethys was the wife of Oceanus {Theog. 337), and both were 
 children of Earth and Heaven (133 ff.). Tethys is called 'lovely' 
 (136), and 'august' or 'revered' (368). Her 'grave majestic pace' 
 (C. 870) suggests her appearance at the wedding of the Med.svay and 
 the Thames (Spenser, F. Q. 4. 11. 18): 
 
 Next came tlie aged Ocean and liis Dame ' 
 
 Old Tetiiys, tli' oldest two of all the rest. 
 
 In Homer (//. 18. 141) Nereiis is called ' the Ancient One of the 
 Sea,' whose house is a bright cave in the depths of the sea fto). 
 ApoUonius of Rhodes (4. 772) locates it in the ..Egean. Nereus vizas 
 the oldest son of Pontus, says Hesiod ( Theog. 234). They call li,im 
 the Ancient One ' because he is unfailing and gentle, neither does be 
 forget the laws, but knows just and gentle counsel.' Vergil calls hirw 
 • grandsevus ' {Georg. 4. 392). Servius (on Georg. 4. 402) says that , 
 most of the sea-gods are aged: ' Albent enim eorum capita spumis 
 aquarum. ' 
 
 When Odysseus landed in Egypt he was told that to gain knowl- 
 edge of his return home he must catch the prophetic sea-god, Pro- 
 teus, when he should come on shore to count his seals. ' And when 
 he has told their tale and beheld them, he will lay him down in the 
 midst, as a shepherd mid the sheep of his flock' {Od. 4. 412 £E.). In 
 
The Sources 77 
 
 the light of this figure editors explain Proteus' hook (C. 872) as a 
 shepherd's crook. Cf. Verg. Georg. 4. 433; Hor. C. i. 2. 7; Milt. 
 Eleg. 3. 26; Ep. Dam. 99; Spenser, C. C 248. In captivity Proteus 
 would ' take all manner of shapes of things that creep upon the earth, 
 of water likewise, and of fierce fire burning' {Od. 4. 417 f.). Thus 
 when Odysseus seized him, he took the shapes of a lion, a snake, a 
 pard, a boar, then of water and of a tree (456 ff.). 
 
 Proteus is a ' Carpathian wizard ' in Vergil {Georg. 4. 387): ' Est 
 in Carpathio Neptuni gurgite vates Caeruleus Proteus.' Cf. also ' Car- 
 pathius vates' of Ov. Met. 11. 249. The Carpathian sea, to which 
 Vergil refers as the home of Proteus, took its name from Carpathos, 
 an island in its midst, between Crete and Rhodes. Servius says that 
 by ' Carpathian ' Vergil may mean ' Egyptian ' since ' Carpathos is 
 an island of Egypt.' The Homeric tradition was that Proteus dwelt 
 in the depths of the sea around Pharos, a day's journey from Egypt 
 {Od. 4. 355, 385). 
 
 Triton was a sea-monster whose body, according to Apollonius 
 (4. 1610 fiE.), resembled that of the gods, but supported the forked tail 
 of a fish. Pausanias (9. 21. i) says that the Triton was covered with 
 scales, and Pliny {N. H. 9. 4. 5) speaks thus of Triton and .the 
 Nereids: ' squamis modo hispido corpore, etiam qua humanam 
 efiigiem habent'; cf. C. 873. This divinity appears as Herald of the 
 Sea in Ov. Met. i. 333 ff., where Neptune calls him to give signals to 
 the waves and rivers. Cf. Lye. 89. He sounds them with a shell: 
 ' Cava buccina sumitur illi Tortilis, in latum quae turbine crescit 
 ab imo.' 
 
 Glaucus was originally a. fisherman of Anthedon, who, having 
 eaten of a certain herb, became immortal, and was changed to a sea- 
 divinity. The scholium on ApoUon. Rh. 1. 1310 says that he was an 
 old man when he took his place in the sea. It was said that he after- 
 wards prophesied (Athen. 7. 297; Paus. 9. 22. 6), and Apollonius 
 calls him soothsayer (i. 1310). Spenser mentions ' Glaucus, that 
 wise southsayes understood' {F. Q. 4. 11. 13). 
 
 Thetis was a Nereid, and the mother of Achilles (//. 18. 35). In 
 C. 877 Milton adapts Homer's apyvpdTre^a, ' silver-footed,' a frequent 
 epithet of the goddess (//. 18. 127, 146). 
 
 BEA-NYMKHS.— Pen". 21. See Nymphs. 
 SEMELE.— P. K. 2. 187. 
 
 Semele was a daughter of Cadmus, king of Thebes, and the 
 mother of Dionysus (Bacchus) by Zeus. Her beauty is mentioned by 
 Diodorus (4. 2), and in the Homeric hymn to Dionysus (6. 58). In 
 P. R. 2. 187 Milton seems to refer to Ovid's narrative of the fate of 
 Semele. She resented the disguise and secrecy of Jove in his visit to 
 her, but when he appeared in his glory of thunder and lightning, 
 she was consumed, and Bacchus was born. Cf. Eleg. 5. gi. 
 
78 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 SIljENCiE.— F. L. 4. eOi; 3. lOG; Fens. 56; C. 2S0, 537. See Sleep. 
 S1B.ENS.— S. m. 1; Aic. 63; C. 25S, 878. 
 
 Circe warned Odysseus against the sirens in Od. 12. 39, saying, 
 ' To the sirens first shalt thou come, who bewitch all men, whosoever 
 shall come to them. Whoso draws nigh them unwittingly, and hears 
 the sound of the sirens' voice, never doth he see wife or babes stand 
 by him on his return, . . . but the sirens enchant him with their 
 clear song, sitting in the meadow.' The adventure with the sirens is 
 told in 12. 166-200. According to 167 there were two of them, whom 
 Eustathius, the commentator, calls Aglaopheme and Thelxiepeia 
 (1709). He adds that later writers tell of three sirens, Parthenope, 
 Ligeia, and Leukosia; cf. C. 879, 880. Strabo says that the Neapolitans 
 claimed to possess the tomb of Parthenope (i. 23, 26; 5. 246). Later 
 writers, such as Vergil {^Sn. 5. 864), represent the sirens sitting upon 
 rocks rather than in a meadow (cf. C. 881). That these rocks were 
 diamond or adamantine' does not seem to be stated in the classics. 
 Strabo says that some located the sirens in Sicily, on the promontory 
 of Pelorus, and others at the Sirenusse, off the promontory of Minerva, 
 between the bays of Naples and Psestum. These three small islands 
 are not high, though desert and rocky (i. 22). 
 
 The sirens nowhere in the classics are represented as combing 
 their hair, but we do find the following lines in Vergil (Georg. 4. 
 336, 337): 
 
 Drymoque, Xanthoque, LIgeaque, Phyllodoceque, 
 Csesariem eif usse nitidam per Candida coUa. 
 
 See Fates in connection with Arc. 63. 
 
 SLEEP.— F. L. 706; Feus. 146-150; C. 654. 
 
 To the early poets Sleep was the brother of Death, and a subduer 
 of men(//. 14. 231 flE. ; Hes. Theog. 756 if.). The epithet 'dewy-feath- 
 ered' of Pens. 146 is evidently the equivalent for 'humentibus alls,' 
 in Stat. Theb. 10. 148, which is in turn explained by ' Rore madens 
 Stygio' of Theb. 198. As early as Homer the idea of moisture is 
 connected with sleep and its influence. In //. 2. 19 the dream found 
 Agamemnon sleeping, with ' ambrosial slumber poured over him,' 
 and the expression is varied in 14. 165; Od. 2. 395. Among the Latin 
 poets the figure occurs frequently. It is suggested in Vergil's ' Fessos 
 sopor irrigat artus ' {^En. 3. 511; cf. 5. 854), and is elaborated in Stat. 
 Theb, 5. 199; 2. 143, where the god Somnus pours his influence upon 
 mortals from a horn. Milton uses it without mythological signifi- 
 cance in P. L. 4. 614: 
 
 The timely dew of sleep. 
 Now falling with soft slumberous weight, inclines 
 Our eye-lids. 
 
 Cf. P. L. 9. 1044. On the other hand, Sleep is winged, as appears 
 by Hom. //. 14. 287, and by Ovid's epithet 'plumeus' (Met. 11. 611). 
 Cf. Senec. Here. Fur. 1068; Stat. Theb. 10. 137; TibuU. 2. 1. 89. 
 
The Sources 79 
 
 Following the poet's petition for Sleep {Pens. 139-146), is another 
 petition: 
 
 And let some strange mysterious dream 
 Wave at his wings, in airy stream 
 Of lively portraiture displayed, 
 Softly on my eyelids laid. 
 
 The meaning of these lines has been much disputed. The pas- 
 sage among the classics which approaches it most closely is in the 
 Punici oi Silius Italicus (10. 337-371), where Juno urges Sleep to visit 
 Hannibal with his dreams. As the god approaches the warrior, 
 
 quatit inde soporas 
 Devexo capiti pennas, oculisque quietem 
 Inrorat, tangens Lethaea terapora virga. 
 
 Then follow baneful dreams in order. In his vision Hannibal now 
 girds the Tiber with his army, now stands before the very walls of 
 Rome, and now in triumph ascends the Tarpeian rock, whence he 
 sees the smoking plains about the city. The passage just cited 
 would seem to support the explanation of Milton, that in airy stream 
 the order of visions follows the movement of the wings of Sleep, as 
 he waves them over the sleeping mortal. But withal, our poet shows 
 greater delicacy than his original, and is appropriately indefinite. 
 Compare the description of dreams in Met. 11. 592-649, Morpheus. 
 
 The Attendant Spirit in Comus says (552) that when the uproar 
 of the revellers ceased, the sudden silence 
 
 Gave respite to the drowsy-flighted steeds 
 That draw the litter of close-curtained Sleep. 
 
 Macbeth 2. i. 51 and Romeo and Juliet 3. 2. 5 have been cited as 
 originals of 'close-curtained.' and 2 Henry V/ 4. i. 3-6 as an original 
 of ' drowsy-flighted.' To this last may be added the ' drowsy race of 
 night' of K'zn£- John 3. 3. 39. Many editors, however, prefer the 
 reading ' drowsy frighted.' Warton cited the fact that Sleep drives 
 the horses of Night in Claudian, De Bella Gildonico 213: ' Humentes 
 jam Noctis equos, Letheaque Somnus Frena regens, tacito volvebat 
 sidera curru.' He also cites Stat. Theb. .i. 59. To these may be 
 added TibuU. 2. i. 89, where Night's chariot is followed by the stars; 
 ' Postque venit tacitus fuscis circumdatus alls Somnus.' Sleep some- 
 times drove the chariot of the moon, as in Theb. 12. 307, where Juno 
 meeting Cynthia, says: ' Huncquoque, qui curru madidas tibipronus 
 habenas Ducit, in Aonios vigiles demitte Soporem.' The epithet 
 'lenti,' used of Night's team in Valerius Flaccus 3. 211, and the 
 ' Lethea frena' of Claudian may be compared with ' drowsy-flighted.' 
 Milton associates Sleep with Night and Silence in personification 
 (/". L. 7. 105; C. 557), but without well-defined reference to the 
 classics. Ovid's grouping is not dissimilar, when in Met. 11. 602, 606 
 he says that in the cave of Sleep 'mute Rest (Quies) has her abode,' 
 
8o Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 and from the juice of the poppies growing there ' humid Night gath- 
 ers sleep, and spreads it over the darkened earth.' We find 'mute 
 Silence' mentioned in Pens. 56. According to Statius, at the door of 
 Sleep stands ' opaca Quies,' and there sit the Silentia with folded 
 wings (Theb. 10. 89). In C. 249 the wings of Silence are distended. 
 
 STTX. STYOIAN.-P. I. 1. 289; 2. 608, 077, 876; S. 14; 10. 453; I/Al. 3; C. 182. See EiverS 
 ofHeU. 
 
 STTN.-See Apollo. 
 
 SYIiVAN.— P. L. 4. 707; P. R. 2. 191; Pens. 184; 0. 208. See Wood-goda. 
 
 SYBINX.— P. E. 2. 188; Are. 100. See Pan. 
 
 TANTAIiTJS.— P. L. 2. 014; S. A. 600. 
 
 ' Now if any man ever had honor of the guardians of Olympus, 
 Tantalus was that man; but his high fortune he could not digest, 
 and by excess thereof won him an overwhelming woe, in that the 
 Father hath hung above him a mighty stone that he would fain ward 
 from his head ' (Pind. 01. i. 55 if.). Pindar adds that his crime was the 
 theft of ambrosia and nectar from the table of the gods, at which he 
 was a favored guest. The stories of Tantalus vary, but in 5. A. 500 
 Milton seems to refer to the version that the crime of Tantalus was 
 the revelation of divine secrets. This is implied in Eur. Or. 10, and 
 asserted by Tzetzes (Chiliades Histor. Variarum 471). The pun- 
 ishment of Tantalus, as related in P. L. 2. 614, follows the version 
 found in the scholium on Eur. Or. 7. He was afflicted with terri- 
 ble thirst in the abyss of Hades, and compelled to stand in water up 
 to his chin, but, as he attempted to drink, the water receded. Clas- 
 sical writers do not place him in Lethe, as does Milton with greater 
 effectiveness. The suffering of Tantalus was frequently cited by 
 Latin writers (cf. Hor. Sat. i. 1. 68; Ov. Met. 4. 457; Verg. ^^ii. 6. 
 604; Cic. Tusc. Disput. 1. 5). 
 
 Beside the reference to Tantalus in 5. A. 501, Milton seems to 
 refer to the somewhat similar case of Prometheus, who, having 
 stolen fire from the gods, gave it to mortals. For his offence Zeus 
 had him chained to a cliff of the Caucasus, where his liver was 
 torn each day by an eagle, and renewed each night. The story is 
 first told by Hesiod in Theog. 521 ff., but the principal source is the 
 Prometheus Bound of ..Eschylus, which deals with the sufferings of 
 the hero; cf. especially 1-35. The account of Hesiod more closely 
 resembles that of Milton in one respect; he differs from .^schylus 
 in his apparent disapproval of Prometheus. Horace associates 'Tan- 
 talus with Prometheus in Epod. 17. 66. 
 
 TABTARTJS.-P. L. 2. SB, 868; 7. 288; 0. 64; S. A. 500. 
 
 In //. 8. 10 Zeus addresses the assembly of gods, and threatens 
 any who shall disobey him, saying: ' I will take and cast him into 
 misty Tartarus, right far away, where is the deepest gulf beneath 
 
The Sources 8i 
 
 the earth; there are the gate of iron and threshold of bronze, as far 
 beneath Hades as heaven is high above the earth.' Hesiod describes 
 Tartarus in Theog. t2,\ S. It is surrounded with a brazen wall, and 
 about its neck or mouth night is enfolded in triple thickness. Above 
 it are the foundations of earth and sea. Here, ' in the gloomy 
 gulf ' (cf . P. L. 2. 858), are confined the vanquished Titans, guarded 
 by Briareos and his brothers. Vergil, in his more elaborate descrip- 
 tion (^n. 6. 548-627), names the evil-doers who are suffering there. 
 Tartarus proper is not represented as fiery (cf. /". Z. 6. 55; 2. 69), 
 though such an idea is not strange in view of such general represen- 
 tations of Hades as are found in Verg. ^n. 6. 240; Sil. Ital. 13. 570. 
 The fiery river Phlegethon would reinforce this idea (see Rivers 
 of Hell). Vergil speaks of 'Tartareus Phlegethon' (^n. 6. 551), 
 using the adjective in the general sense of 'infernal,' which it car- 
 ries in the ' Tartarean sulphur' of P. L. 2. 69; cf. 7. 238. 
 See Chaos, Erebus, Titans, Night. 
 
 TETHYS.-C. 870. See Sea-gods. 
 THAHnnjZ.— P. 1. 1. ««; c. N. 204. See Adonis. 
 TTTAivrv-PTH _T L. S. 36. 
 
 In //. 2. 594 Homer speaks of Dorion, ' where the Muses met 
 Thamyris, the Thracian, and made an end of his singing, as he was 
 faring from Oichalia, from Eurytos the Oichalian; for he averred 
 with boasting that he would conquer, even did the Muses themselves 
 sing against him, the daughters of aegis-bearing Zeus; but they in 
 their anger maimed him; moreover, they took from him the high gift 
 of song, and made him to forget his harping.' Euripides refers to 
 Thamyris in Rhesus 925, and says that he was punished with blind- 
 ness. 
 
 THEBES.— p. L.l. 578; 8. 86; P. E. 4. SJS; Pens. 89. 
 
 That part of the story of Thebes related by Milton in P. R. 4. 
 572-575 corresponds with the version of ApoUodorus (3. 5. 8). The 
 latter describes the Sphinx as having the face of a woman, the breast, 
 gait, and rear of a lion, and the wings of a bird. This monster, sent 
 by the angry Hera, took up her position on the Phician mount. Mil- 
 ton calls it ' the Ismenian steep ' (P. R. 4. 574). Pausanias speaks of 
 a hill at Thebes called Ismenian, from the river Ismenus, which flows 
 by. It was the seat of Ismenian Apollo (9. 10. 2), but is nowhere 
 spoken of as the hill of the Sphinx, and Pausanias also says that she 
 remained on Phicium (9. 26. 2). It is probable, however, that Milton 
 uses ' Ismenian' in the general sense of 'Theban,' according to the 
 practice of later writers (Stat. Thei. 1. 673; 7. 124). The Sphinx pro- 
 posed the following riddle: What is that which has one voice, and 
 goes on four legs, on two, and on three ? While this remained iman- 
 swered the Sphinx continued to devour the Thebans, until CEdipus 
 
 6 
 
82 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 finally guessed correctly that it is Man, who at first creeps, then 
 walks upright, and at last goes with a staff. Thus he escaped destruc- 
 tion by the Sphinx, who threw herself down from the height. As his 
 reward, he married the queen, who proved afterward to be his mother. 
 This complication, with those which ensued, was a theme for tragic 
 poets (Pens. gg). Of the extant plays, .lEschylus has dealt with the 
 legends in The Seven against Thebes, Sophocles in the (Edipus 
 Tyrannus, the CEdipus at Colonus, and the Antigone, Euripides 
 in the Bacchce and the Phcenissce, and Seneca in the CEdipus and 
 the Phcenissa. Tiresias (P. L. 3. 36) is the old seer, who throughout 
 is the spokesman of the gods. He was blind because, as some say, 
 he had revealed in his prophecy the secrets of the gods (ApoUod. 
 
 3- 6- 7)- 
 
 After CEdipus died, his sons, Eteocles and Polynices, quarrelled 
 over the succession. Polynices, having withdrawn to Argos, gathered 
 about him six other heroes, who encamped against Thebes. To these 
 warriors Milton refers in P. L. 1. 578. They are described at length 
 by the messenger in ..^sch. Seven against Thebes 375-652, and a list 
 of those who fought is given by Statins (Theb. 4. 1-344). Apollodorus 
 also tells the story of the fight (3. 6). 
 
 THEMIS.— p. I. It. 14; Son. 21. a. 
 
 Themis, really a personification of justice, in Homer is the god- 
 dess 'who looseth and gathereth the meetings of men' (Od. 2. 68; cf. //. 
 20.4). Pindar mentions her as ' sitting (in judgment) by Zeus'; cf. 
 Horn. Hy. 23. 
 
 In early days Themis presided over the oracle at Delphi, which 
 later fell to Apollo (see Ov. Met. i. 321 and Deucalion). 
 
 THESTYLIS.— I'Al. 88. See Corydon. 
 THETIS.— C. 877. See Sea-sods. 
 THONB.— C. 076. See Helena. 
 THB.AOIAN BAUD.- P. I. i. 84. See Orpheus. 
 THBASOIAS.-P. 1. 10. 700. See Winds. 
 THTESTES.-P. L. 10. 688. See Pelops. 
 THYKSIS.— 1" *1. 83; C. 404, 512, 657. See Corydon. 
 T;IE.ESIAS.-P. 1. S. ao. see Thebes. 
 
 TITANS.— P. 1. 1. 198, 510; 7. 605; D. F. I. 47; C. 804. 
 
 According to Hes. Theog. 133, 207, the Titans were sons of 
 Earth and Heaven, and were named by their father. Apollodorus 
 in I. I. 3 mentions six of them — Oceanus, Coins, Hyperion, Crius, 
 lapetus, and Cronus. In P. L. 1. 510 Milton speaks of Oceanus 
 as the first-born, and as afterward deprived of his birthright 
 by the younger Saturn (Cronus). Saturn usurped his rights 
 
The Sources 83 
 
 by responding to his mother's appeal for vengeance upon 
 Heaven, who had banished her sons, the hundred-handed giants 
 (Theog. 164 ff.; cf. Apollod. 1. i. 4). The brood of Oceanus is in 
 part enumerated by Hesiod (Theog. 337-368). More than three 
 thousand daughters had he, and as many were his sons, the rivers. 
 
 The battle waged by Cronus and the Titans against Zeus, is 
 described by Hesiod {Theog. 664-721; cf. Apollod. i. 2. i). Both 
 sides fought with such strength that the shock was felt even in Tar- 
 tarus. Zeus hurled his thunderbolt, and blinded the eyeS of the 
 Titans, mighty though they were. At length by a compromise 
 between Earth and Zeus, who promised to release her hundred- 
 handed sons, the Titans were vanquished and hurled into Tartarus. 
 See also Saturn, Sea-gods, and Earth. 
 
 TBITON.-C. 878; Ljro. 89. See Sea-sods. 
 TROTT.— p. 1. 0. lOj Pons. 100. See Ilium. 
 T»TJTH.-B. F. I. 64; c. N. 141. Seo Justice. 
 TtTEinjS.-P. 1. 9. 17. 
 
 In the enumeration of great epic themes in P. L. g. 15-19 occurs 
 the rage of 'Turnus for Lavinia disespoused. ' The story is told in 
 y£n. 7-12. Latinus, whom .ffineas found reigning in Latium, had 
 promised his daughter Lavinia to Turnus, but, warned by a dream, 
 he made a final choice of ^Eneas. A Fury, sent by Juno, aroused 
 the rage of Turnus (7. 413, 466), which was renewed in 12. 1-2. The 
 character of Turnus is fierce and intrepid throughout the struggle. 
 
 TWINS.— p. L. 10. 074. 
 
 In the passage cited Milton speaks of a sign in the zodiac as ' the 
 Spartan Twins.' This is a reference to the Dioscuri, Castor and 
 Polydeuces, sons of Tyndareus and Leda of Sparta (Od. 11. 299; cf. 
 //. 3. 236 ff.). According to Hyg. Astr. 2. 22 they were changed into 
 the constellation Gemini by command of Jove, as a reward for 
 ■ their mutual affection and fidelity. 
 
 TYPHON.— p. li. 1. 199; 282; 2. 639; C. N. 226. 
 
 Typhon, or Typhoeus, was the last and mightiest son of Earth 
 (Hes. Theog. 821; Apollod. i. 6. 3). He is described by Hesiod as 
 having arms and feet invincible. From his shoulders grew a hun- 
 dred serpents' heads whose eyes flashed fire, and from each was 
 heard a voice, which resembled now a bull, now a lion, now a, 
 whelp, or a hissing serpent. ApoUodorus says that above his 
 thighs he was human in form, towering above the mountains, and 
 striking the stars. Below his thighs he wore the great folds of 
 serpents which rose about his head (cf . C. N. 226). Fire flashed from 
 his mouth and eyes, and the gods fled before him. But Zeus met 
 him in a battle whose shock was felt even in Tartarus, and, after 
 
84 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 vanquishing him with the thunderbolt, overwhelmed him, as usually 
 related, beneath jEtna (of. jEsch. Prom. 360 ff. ; schol. on Find. P 
 
 1. 31 ; /". Z. 1. 232). Pindar in /". i. 32 speaks of the retreat of Typhon in 
 the Cilician cave, which ApoUodorus calls the Corycian cave. It was 
 near the coast, about fifty miles west of Tarsus (cf. P. L. i. 199). 
 Nonnus speaks of Tarsus and Corycium as the scene of Typhon's 
 exploits (i. 258). 
 
 The list of Egyptian gods in C. N. 211-226 is based upon Plu- 
 tarch's treatise on Isis and Osiris. Typhon is the name which Plu- 
 tarch gave to the Egyptian god Set, and it is to Typhon of Egypt 
 that Milton refers in C. N. 226. The identification of Typhon with 
 Set appears also in Herodotus (2. 156; 3. 5). According to Plutarch 
 Typhon represents the power of evil as opposed to the power of good 
 in the person of Osiris, his brother. The latter he entrapped in a 
 chest, but an avenger of the crime appeared in the person of Horus, 
 or Orus, the foster-son of Isis, the wife of Osiris. Typhon was 
 vanquished in a single-handed combat. Plutarch says that in ApoU- 
 inopolis the crocodiles were hunted down, from a belief that Typhon 
 escaped from Horus in the form of a crocodile. But when Milton 
 characterizes Typhon as 'huge' and 'ending in snaky twine,' he 
 seems to adapt the Greek description as cited above. 
 
 TTEIAN CYNOSTJBE.-C. 342. See OaUsto. 
 TJIiTSSES.-P. 1. a. 1019; 9. Ml; T. E. 50; C. 6S7. 
 
 The relation of Ulysses to Laertes is beautifully set forth in Od. 
 24- 315-360. What use Milton makes of his story is discussed under 
 Alcinous, Hermes, and, in connection with P. L. 2. 1019, Scylla. 
 
 TJBANIA.-P. L. 7. 1, 81. See Muses. 
 
 VEITTTS.— F. L. e. S82; 9. W; P. R. 2. 214; Vk\. 14: C. 124, 1002. 
 
 From Homer down, Venus (Aphrodite) is generally regarded as 
 the goddess of love. The reference to her charmed girdle {P. R. 
 
 2. 214) finds an explanation in //. 14. 187-221. Hera, in her prepara- 
 tion to beguile Zeus, applied to Aphrodite, and obtained on a false 
 
 - pretense ' the broidered girdle, fair-wrought, wherein are all her 
 enchantments; therein are love, and desire, and loving converse, that 
 steals the wits even of the wise.' Then, with the girdle in her breast, 
 she met and fascinated Zeus. See Jove. 
 
 Milton (P. L. 5. 382) describes Eve as fairer than 
 
 the fairest goddess feigned 
 Of three that ia Mount Ida nalced strove. 
 
 To determine the poet's exact source in this case seems impossible. 
 We find a reference to the story in a doubtful passage of the Iliad 
 (24. 28 if.). Hyginus (^Fab. 92) tells it as follows. Discordia, who was 
 offended because she was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and 
 
The Sources 85 
 
 Thetis, sent an apple for the fairest goddess. Venus, Juno, and 
 Minerva each claimed the prize. The judgment was referred to 
 Paris, who met the goddesses in Mount Ida and gave the prize to 
 Venus. Cf. also Eur. Iph. Aul. 1289 fE.; Troad. 925 ff.; Paus. 
 5- 19- I- 
 
 In P. L. 9. 19 is a reference to the jEneid, the story of 
 ' Cjrtherea's son ' i^&eejuno). The relationship of .^neas to the god- 
 dess is prominent throughout Vergil's epic (cf . i. 22gS.; 8. 370 ff.). 
 The name Cjrtherea, frequent among Latin poets (^n. i. 257; Ov. 
 Mei. 4. 190; 10. 640), was probably derived from the island Cythera, 
 sacred to Aphrodite (Paus. 3. 23. i; Ov. Jfer. 7. 59; Verg. ^n. i. 680; 
 10. 51). 
 
 See also Adonis and Graces. 
 
 VERTXrilNXJS.— p. L. 9. S95. See Fomona. 
 VESTA.— Peiu. as. SeeSatvim. 
 VrXLOAlf.— P. L. 1. 788.151; C. 655. 
 
 The passage first cited is an adaptation to Milton's theme of the 
 god Hephsestus, the Latin Vulcan. Diodorus Siculus says that men 
 considered him the inventor of the arts of working iron, bronze, 
 gold, silver, and, in fact, all the materials worked by means of fire 
 (5. 74). Thus he is the patron god of all artisans. Milton's principal 
 source, however, is to be found in Homer, where Hephaestus appears 
 again and again as the god of fire, and the craftsman renowned for 
 his skill (//. 21. 331 ff.). Thus in //. i8 we find him fashioning curi. 
 ous tripods (373), and he speaks of the 'cunning work of bronze, 
 brooches, and spiral arm-bands, and cups, and necklaces,' which he 
 had made for the gods (400 f.). Above all is the splendid armor of 
 Achilles (478-613; cf. Od. 7. 92). As an architect he built his own 
 house, ' imperishable, starlike, far seen among the dwellings of Im- 
 mortals, a house of bronze ' (370). In 20. 11 are mentioned ' the pol- 
 ished colonnades which Hephaestus in the cunning of his heart had 
 wrought for father Zeus,' and we are told in 1. 607 that for each of 
 the gods Hephaestus had built a palace. The glorious gates of the 
 Sun, described by Ovid (Met. 2. 4-30), were made by Heph»stus, or 
 Mulciber, a name connected with mulceo, to smooth, says Macrobius 
 (6. 5. 2). Cf. P. L. L. 740. 
 
 The story of his fall from heaven (740-746) seems to be founded 
 upon the god's own account in //. I. 590 ff.: 'Yea, once ere this, . . . 
 he (Zeus) caught me by my foot, and hurled me from the heavenly 
 threshold; all day I flew, and at the set of sun I fell in Lemnos '; cf • 
 E^^g^- 7. 81; Nat. non Pati Sen. 23. 
 
 C. 655 is commonly referred to Verg. ./En. 8. 191 ff., where the 
 monster Cacus is described as a son of Vulcan, 'illius atros Ore 
 vomens ignis.' He was vanquished in a fight with Hercules, after 
 
86 Classical Mythology in Milton 
 
 attempting to overcome his foe by emitting great volumes of smoke 
 (251-255). 
 
 'WIin>S,— !*■ I" i- SaS; 5. IS; 10. 695-700: D. F. I. 8; PAI. 19; Son. 20. 6. 
 
 In the main Milton follows classical tradition when he makes the 
 north the home of fierce winds {P. L. lo. 695). Boreas was generally 
 supposed to come from Thrace {Or ph. Hy. 80. 2; //. 23. 229). In 697 
 the 'brazen dungeon' is evidently a reference to the lordship of 
 jEolus over the winds in the .ffiolian Islands. With this expression 
 may be compared Vergil's ' vinclis et carcere ' {^n. i. 54). Valerius 
 Flaccus describes the prison as ' in monte chalybs iterataque muris 
 saxa' (i. 593). In Aristotle (Meteor. 2. 6) we find mention and de- 
 scription of most of the winds, and in fact, of the several passages 
 in classical literature whose infiuence may be seen in these lines of 
 Paradise Lost, the infiuence of Aristotle is most apparent, though 
 Milton of course adds a suggestion of personification. According to 
 Aristotle, Boreas, the north wind, Csecias, the northeast, Argestes, 
 the northwest, and Thrascias from north-northwest, form one group. 
 The north winds bring the snow and hail. In P. L. 10. 697 the north 
 winds are 'armed with ice.' The expression has been referred 
 (Richardson in Todd) to Claudian 23. 69 f£. : 
 
 Ceu turbine rauco 
 Quum gravis armatur Boreas, glacieque nivali 
 Hispidus et Getica concretus grandine pennas, 
 Bella cupit, pelagus, silvas, camposque sonoro 
 Flamine rapturus. 
 
 This military characterization of the winds is to be found elsewhere 
 (Ov. Met. 1. 65; Verg. ^n. i. 82), and is used again in D. F. I. 8, 
 where Aquilo is called winter's charioteer. 
 
 According to Aristotle, Notus, the south wind, and Lips (Apri- 
 cus or Afer, Senec. Nat. Quasi. 5. 16. 6), from west-southwest, form 
 another group. Lips is moist (cf. etymology), and brings rain. He is 
 described by Vergil as ' creber procellis ' (JEn. i. 85), and by Seneca 
 as ' furibundus et ruens.' Eurus is an east or east-southeast wind. 
 Zephyrus is the west wind. In the passage under discussion Milton 
 follows Homer in making Zephyrus a stormy wind (//. 23. 200, 208, 
 214, 215). In the Odyssey, however, it is soft and cool (4. 567), and 
 by western writers is regarded as the gentle bringer of spring (Verg. 
 ^eorg. I. 43; Hor. C. 4. 7. 10; cf. P- L. 4. 329; 5. 16; L'Al. 19; see 
 Flora, Aurora). By Lucretius it is called ' Veris prasnuntius (5. 736). 
 Favonius, another name of Zephjrrus, occurs in Son. 20. 6; Eleg. 3. 
 47. The context in the sonnet suggests Hor. C i. 4. j: 
 
 Solvit ur acris hiems grata vice veris et Favoni. 
 
 In D. F. I. 8 we find a reference to the story of the rape of 
 Orithyia, daughter of Erectheus, king of Athens, by Boreas, or, as 
 
The Sources 87 
 
 Milton calls him, Aquilo (Plin. N. H. 2. 46). The story is told in 
 Ovid, Met. 6. 677. When the god's prayers availed nothing, he raised 
 a great storm, and bore the maiden away on his wings in a cloud. 
 
 WOOD-QOSS.-F. L. 4. t07, 70B; P. R, a. 191, !tl7, 974; Puiii. 184; C. 268; Lyo. S4. 
 
 Milton refers indefinitely to the wood-gods in P. R. 2. 297 (cf. 
 374), and elsewhere calls them by name. In Met. i. 192 Ovid men- 
 tions the ' rustica numina, nymphse, Faunique, satyrique, et mon- 
 ticolse silvani.' See also Pan and Nymphs. 
 
 Faunus was a Latin divinity of the woods, sometimes con- 
 founded with the Greek Pan (Ov. Fast. 3. 84, 299-316). In Verg. 
 jSn. 10. 551 he is called 'sylvicola.' In Fast. 5. 99 he is 'bicornis,' 
 and in loi ' semicaper.' We find frequent mention of an indefinite 
 number of fauni. It was when Silenus began his song 'that you 
 might see fauns and wild beasts bounding to the measure' (Verg. 
 Eel. 6. 27; cf. Lye. 34). 
 
 The fauns seem to have been the Latin form of the Greek 
 Satyrs. Ovid {Met. 6. 392 f.) speaks of them as ' ruricolse, silvarum 
 numina, fauni, Et satyri fratres.' Horace (C. 2. 19. 4) mentions the 
 ' aures Capripedum satyrorum acutas.' The ancients frequently 
 represented them in the dance (Ov. Met. 14. 637; Hor. C. i. 1. 31; 
 Verg. Eel. 5. 73), as does Milton in Lye. 34. 
 
 According to Vergil {^n. 8. 601), Sylvan was the god of the 
 fields and flocks. Servius in his comment says that this was the 
 popular belief, but that more strictly he was a god of the .woods. 
 The description of his grove (^n. 8. 597-599) is in harmony with the 
 descriptions in P. L. 4. 707; Pens. 134; cf. Eleg. 5. 121. The plu- 
 ral sylvani may refer to a whole class of wood-divinities, like those 
 already described (Ov. Met. i. 192; cf. P. R. ■^. 191). See also Eleg. 
 5. 119-125. 
 
 Milton refers in P. R. 2. 191 to the fear which the nymphs had of 
 different wood-divinities. Thus Syrinx (Ov. Met. i. 692) is said to 
 have escaped the satyrs more than once, and in Fast. 1. 397 we find 
 the words, 'in Venerem satyrorum prona juventus.' Hor. C. 3. 18 
 begins, ' Faune, nympharum f ugientum amator. ' 
 
NDEXES 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 Achilles Tatius, 69. 
 
 ^schylus, xlii, Ixxxiv, 14, 20, 28, 
 
 32, 34> 36, 61, 63, 68, 74, 80, 
 
 82, 84. 
 Ammian, 9, 37. 
 Anacreontics, 39, 44. 
 Anthology, Latin, 35. 
 Anthology, Palatine, 11, 31, 72. 
 Apollodorus, xlii, xliv, and N., 5, 
 
 7, 8, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 28, 35, 
 
 36, 37. 38, 41. 44, 69, 81, 82, 83. 
 ApoUonius the Grammarian, 
 
 Ivii N. 
 ApoUonius of Rhodes, xviii, xlii, 
 
 xliv, 8, 13, 20, 29, 34, 35, 38, 
 
 43, 58, 69, 76, 77. 
 Apuleius, 26, 39, 44, 52, 53. 
 Aratus, xliii, 18, 35, 51, 70. 
 Ariosto, xlv N. 
 Aristides, 9, 39, 42. 
 Aristophanes, 42. 
 Aristotle, xliv N., 86. 
 Athenseus, xliii, Ixvi, Ixvii, 12, 59, 
 
 70, 77. 
 Augustine, 52. 
 Ausonius, 57, 65. 
 
 Bacon, xii. 
 Bion, 15, 54. 
 Boccaccio, xlv N., 27. 
 Bochart, xii, 7. 
 Boiardo, xlv N., 58. 
 Botticelli, Ixvi, Ixvii. 
 Buchanan, 61. 
 
 Callimachus, 20, 44, 50. 
 Catullus, 42, 46, 54. 
 
 Chaucer, xlv N. 
 
 Cicero, xliii, 25, 62, 75, 80. 
 
 Claudian, xii, xlii,- 9, 29, 36, 42, 
 
 46. 63, 79. 
 Clement of Alexandria, 10. 
 Cypria, Ixvii, 59. 
 
 Daniel, 48. 
 
 Dante, xxvii, xlv N., liii N., 15. 
 
 Dictys, 55. 
 
 Dio Cassius, 21. 
 
 Diodorus Siculus, xii, xlii, Iviii 
 
 N., 16, 17, 37, 43, 51, 60, 6t, 
 
 72. 74. 77, 85. 
 Dionysius of Halicamassus, 74. 
 
 Eratosthenes, 35. 
 
 Euripides, xlii, 4, 6, 10, 13, 15, 16, 
 20, 21, 26, 27, 31, 36, 43-47, 
 63, 66, 68, 69, 75, 80-82, 85. 
 
 Eusebius, xii, xlv N., xlvii N. 
 
 Eustathius Macrembolites, 4. 
 
 Eustathius of Thessalonica, 78. 
 
 Ezekiel, 3. 
 
 Fletcher, John, 50. 
 Fulgentius, 29. 
 
 Gellius, 49. 
 
 Geoffrey of Monmouth, 8. 
 Georgius Cedrenus, 63. 
 Gregory Nazianzen, 9. 
 Guido, xxvi, xlv N. 
 
 Hermippus, Ixvi, Ixvii, 59. 
 Herodotus, xlii, 8, 14, 23, 55, 69, 
 84. 
 
92 
 
 Index of Authors 
 
 Hesiod, xviii, xxi, xxii, and N., 
 xxvii, XXXV, xlii, xliv, xlv, 
 Ixix, Ixx, Ixxxiv, 7, il, 15, 
 17-19, 22, 27, 30, 33, 34, 37, 
 
 38, 42-44, 46-48, 51, 54, 57, 60. 
 61, 63-66, 68, 70, 72-76, 78, 
 80-83. 
 
 Hesychius, 4. 
 
 Holbein, Ixxiii. 
 
 Homer, x, xi, xviii, xxii N., xxvii, 
 xxxiv, XXXV, xlii, xliv, xlv, 
 Ixix, Ixxxiv, 3-7, 10-12, 14-17, 
 22, 23, 27, 28, 30-34, 36, 38, 
 40-44, 46-51, 53, 55-59, 61-65, 
 73. 75-78, 80-86; scholia, 11, 
 16. 49. 75; see Eustathius of 
 Thessalonica. 
 
 Homeric Hymns, xxii N., xlii, 
 Ix N., 10-12, 14, 16, 20, 28, 29, 
 
 39, 42, 52, 54. 55, 58, 67, 71, 
 77- 
 
 Horace, xii, xxii N., xlii, xliv, 29, 
 
 36, 38, 51, 52, 54, 61, 65, 66, 
 
 70, 77, 80, 86, 87. 
 Hyginus, xliii, xliv, 5, 7, 16, 18, 
 
 19, 27, 30, 53, 55, 69, 70, 71, 
 
 75, 83, 84. 
 
 Isaiah, 48, 54. 
 Isidorus, 68. 
 
 Jerome, 46. 
 
 Job, xxvi, 48. 
 
 Johannes Phocas, 9. 
 
 Jonson, 46, 60. 
 
 Justin, 7. 
 
 Juvenal, 12, 13, 24, 25, 51. 
 
 Juvencus, 63. 
 
 Lactantius, xlv N., 27, 70. 
 Lavater, xlvii. 
 Leonardo da Vinci, Ixxiv. 
 Libanius, 9. 
 Livy, 33. 49, 54. 
 Lucan, 8, 29. 
 
 Lucian, 3, 7, 31, 72. 
 Lucretius, xliii, 15, 53, 61, 86, 
 
 Macrobius, xliii, 7, 28, 48, 71, 72, 
 
 85. 
 Martial, 43, 59. 
 Memling, Ixxv. 
 Moschus, 5, 57. 
 
 Nonnus, 18, 57, 84. 
 
 Orphic Hymns, xviii, xlii, Ixvii, 
 Ixix, 3, 15, 22, 52, 56, 59, 60, 
 63, 65, 67, 68, 72, 86. 
 
 Ovid, xii, xviii, xxi, xxvii, xxviii, 
 xxxiv, XXXV, xlii, xliv, xlv, 
 Ixvi, and N., Ixvii, Ixix, Ixx, 
 3, 5-16, 18-20, 22-32, 35, 36, 
 38-41, 43, 44, 46, 47, 50-61, 
 63-67, 69-80, 82, 85, 87. 
 
 Pausanius, xlii, 4, 6, 8, g, 14, 21, 
 
 29. 33. 34. 39, 44, 54, 57, 62, 
 
 66, 67, 77, 81, 85. 
 Philostratus, 9, 51. 
 Pindar, xlii, xliv, liv, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 
 
 13. 17. 21, 30, 32, 37-40, 57. 8o» 
 
 84; scholium, 84. 
 Plato, X, xi, xii, xlii, xlv, lix N., 
 
 Ixvi, Ixx, 16, 20, 25, 35, 51, 
 
 52, 59. 61-63, 68, 70, 72-74. 
 Pliny, xlii, 4, 14, 21, 43, 52, 53, 
 
 70, 71. 77, 87. 
 Plutarch, xi, xii, xlii, xlvi, and 
 
 N., xlvii N., 6, 7, II, 21, 22, 
 
 32, 54, 57, 74, 84. 
 Pollux, 16. 
 Pomponius Mela, 69. 
 Proclus, 63, 64. 
 Propertius, 40. 
 Psalms, xxvi N. 
 
 Quintus Smymaeus, 76. 
 
 Raleigh, 7, 17, 57, 64. 
 Rembrandt, Ixxiii. 
 Rubens, Ixxvi, Ixxvii. 
 
Index of Authors 
 
 93 
 
 Seneca, xlii, xlix N., 25, 29, 31, 
 
 41, 42, 46, 47, 65, 66, 78, 82, 86. 
 Servius, liii, 19, 29, 37, 39, 43, 
 
 45. 46, 48, 52i 64, 67, 70, 71, 
 
 76. 
 Shakespeare, xxiii, Ixii, and N., 
 
 62, 79. 
 Silius Italicus, sxxiv, 49, 76, 79. 
 Sophocles, xlii, 15, 41, 47, 49, 51, 
 
 61, 68, 82. 
 Sozomen, 9. 
 , Spenser, xx N., xlv N., xlvii N., 
 
 4, 37, 41, 42, 43, 76, 77- 
 Statius, 5, 12, 17, 27, 47, 57, 78, 
 
 79, 80, 81, 82. 
 Stesichorus, 12. 
 Stobseus, 20, 72. 
 Strabo, xlii, 3, 5, 8, 9, 23-25, 55, 
 
 58, 71. 75, 78. 
 Suidas, 24. 
 
 Tasso, xlv N. 
 
 Theocritus, xlii, xliv, 3, 4, 6, 24, 
 26, 29, 40, 44, 45, 54, 57, 58, 
 60, 63-65, 68; scholium, 3. 
 
 Theognis, 6. 
 
 Tibullus, 29, 47, 63, 78, 79. 
 
 Tzetzes, 34, 80. 
 
 Valerius Placcus, 18, 45, 79, 86. 
 
 Valerius Maximus, 32. 
 
 Van Eyek, Ixxv. 
 
 Vergil, ji., xxii N., xxxiv, xlii, 
 xliv, xlv, liii N., 3, 5, 6, 9-1 1, 
 14, 16, 17, 19, 22-26, 29, 30, 
 33, 36-38, 40, 41, 43. 45, 47- 
 49, 51, 53-59, 61, 63, 64, 66- 
 68, 71-74. 76, 77. 78, 80, 81, 
 83. 85-87; see Servius. 
 
 Watson, Ixi. 
 
II 
 
 INDEX OF PASSAGES FROM MILTON'S WORKS 
 
 In the citations from Milton's prose works the numbers refer in 
 most cases to the volvune and page of the Bohn edition (P. W.). 
 The Prolusions and the Authoris Pro Se Defensio are cited 
 from the edition by Charles Symmons, 1806. 
 
 PARADISE LOST 
 
 
 
 PARADISE LOST 
 
 Book I 
 
 
 
 
 Book I 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 6 
 
 56. 57 
 
 
 
 521 
 
 74 
 
 6fE. 
 
 57 
 
 
 
 543 
 
 21, 22, 62, 63 
 
 10 
 
 21, 57 
 
 
 
 575-587 
 
 xvi 
 
 15 
 
 56 
 
 
 
 576 
 
 70 
 
 57 
 
 44 
 
 
 
 577 
 
 37 
 
 196-208 
 
 xvi 
 
 
 
 578 
 
 46, 81, 82 
 
 197 
 
 xlviii 
 
 
 
 687 
 
 30 
 
 198 
 
 30, 37. 
 
 38, 
 
 48, 82 
 
 687 £f. 
 
 30 
 
 199 
 
 17. 30, 
 
 83, 
 
 84 
 
 732-751 
 
 xix, 81 
 
 208 
 
 xlvi 
 
 
 
 740 
 
 85 
 
 232 
 
 83 
 
 
 
 741 
 
 48 
 
 239 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 745 
 
 54 
 
 307 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 778 
 
 30,37 
 
 376 
 
 56, 57 
 
 
 
 784 
 
 28 
 
 376 ff. 
 
 57 
 
 
 
 780 
 
 70 
 
 446 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 786 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 508 
 
 46 
 
 
 
 
 
 509 
 
 30 
 
 
 
 Book 2 
 
 
 510 
 
 76,82 
 
 
 
 69 
 
 80, 81 
 
 512 
 
 1, 74, 48 
 
 
 150 
 
 62,63 
 
 513 
 
 71 
 
 
 
 233 
 
 20, 21 
 
 514 
 
 48 
 
 
 
 245 
 
 6 
 
 515 
 
 65 
 
 
 
 252-258 
 
 xxii N. 
 
 516 
 
 65 
 
 
 
 306 
 
 xvi, 14 
 
 517 
 
 8, 10 
 
 
 
 434-441 
 
 63 
 
 518 
 
 49 
 
 
 
 439 
 
 62,63 
 
 519 
 
 74 
 
 
 
 506 
 
 72 
 
 520 
 
 42 
 
 
 
 530 
 
 71 
 
Index of Passages from Milton's Works 
 
 95 
 
 PARADISE LOST 
 
 
 
 PARADISE LOST 
 
 
 Book 2 
 
 
 
 
 Book 2 
 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 
 Line 
 
 
 Page 
 
 
 539 
 
 xiv 
 
 
 
 962 
 
 
 62, 63 
 
 
 539-628 
 
 XXXV, xxxvi 
 
 964 
 
 
 3, 27, 66 
 
 
 540-546 
 
 xiv, 
 
 41 
 
 
 965 
 
 
 20, 27, 73 
 
 
 542 
 
 41 
 
 
 
 967 
 
 
 30 
 
 
 551 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 969 
 
 
 22 
 
 
 570-576 
 
 73 
 
 
 
 970 
 
 
 21, 62, 63 
 
 
 574-586 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 986 
 
 
 62, 63, 64 
 
 
 596 
 
 36 
 
 
 
 988 
 
 
 21 
 
 
 604 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 1002 
 
 
 62, 63, 64 
 
 
 604. fE. 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 1005 
 
 
 48 
 
 
 614 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 IOI7 
 
 
 13 
 
 
 628 
 
 xvi. 
 
 xlviii N., 23, 
 
 1017-] 
 
 [020 
 
 xvii N. 
 
 
 
 45 
 
 
 1019 
 
 
 75. 84 
 
 
 643 ff. 
 
 81 
 
 
 
 1036 
 
 
 62, 64 
 
 
 645 
 
 xxij 
 
 
 
 1037 
 
 
 60 
 
 
 655 
 
 xiv, 
 
 19 
 
 
 1038 
 
 
 21 
 
 
 660 
 
 75 
 
 
 
 
 Book 3 
 
 • 
 
 
 671 
 
 36 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 
 72, 73 
 
 
 672 
 
 27 
 
 
 
 17 
 
 
 66 
 
 
 673-698 
 
 27 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 21, 62, 63 
 
 
 689-703 
 
 27 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 
 57 
 
 
 698 
 
 27 
 
 
 
 26-32 
 
 
 57 
 
 
 784-848 
 
 26 
 
 
 
 27 
 
 
 56 
 
 
 789 
 
 26 
 
 
 
 35 
 
 
 54, 81 
 
 
 858 
 
 81 
 
 
 
 36 
 
 
 69, 81, 82 
 
 
 875 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 51-55 
 
 
 Ixviii 
 
 
 877-883 
 
 xxii 
 
 ,N. 
 
 ■ 63, 73 
 
 71 
 
 
 62 
 
 
 883 
 
 33 
 
 
 
 135 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 884-906 
 
 22 
 
 
 
 358 
 
 
 32 
 
 
 891 
 
 22 
 
 
 
 359 
 
 
 xix, 31. "32 
 
 
 894 
 
 22, 
 
 62, 
 
 63 
 
 421 
 
 
 21, 33, 62, 63, 
 
 64 
 
 895 
 
 21, 1 
 
 60 
 
 
 424 
 
 
 62 
 
 
 898-906 
 
 73 
 
 
 
 455 
 
 
 60 
 
 
 907 
 
 21 
 
 
 
 472 
 
 
 31 
 
 
 910 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 522 
 
 
 xxv N. 
 
 
 911 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 558 
 
 
 35 
 
 
 922 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 568 
 
 
 42 
 
 
 930 
 
 xxv 
 
 N. 
 
 
 568 ff. 
 
 
 43 
 
 
 945 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 603 
 
 
 41 
 
 
 960 
 
 21, : 
 
 22 
 
 
 604 
 
 
 76 
 
 
 960 fE. 
 
 xix 
 
 
 
 726 
 
 
 28 
 
 
 961 
 
 22 
 
 
 
 730 
 
 
 29 
 
 
96 
 
 Index of Passages from Milton's Works 
 
 PARADISE LOST 
 
 PARADISE LOST 
 
 Book 4 
 
 
 Book 5 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 205-287 
 
 XV, XXXV 
 
 I 
 
 xxiii, liv, 14 
 
 240 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 4iv 
 
 250 
 
 xiv, xlviii, 42 
 
 6 
 
 14 
 
 265 
 
 20 
 
 15 
 
 IvN. 
 
 266 
 
 39, 67, 68 
 
 16 
 
 xiv, 35, 86 
 
 267 
 
 38, 44, 68 
 
 41 
 
 29 
 
 268 ff. 
 
 20 
 
 57 
 
 6 
 
 270 
 
 70 
 
 106 
 
 63 
 
 271 
 
 19 
 
 124 
 
 14 
 
 272 
 
 9 
 
 139 
 
 xxiii 
 
 273 
 
 8,9 
 
 140 
 
 XXV N., II, 12 
 
 275 ff- 
 
 72 
 
 166 
 
 XXV, and N., 53 
 
 277 
 
 7 
 
 186 
 
 xxiv N. 
 
 278 
 
 5 
 
 266^. 
 
 69 
 
 279 
 
 16, 71 
 
 272 
 
 69, 70 
 
 '329 
 
 86 
 
 277-287 
 
 xxii N., 41 
 
 355 
 
 42 
 
 285 
 
 41 
 
 453-469 
 
 xxi, 60 
 
 300 
 
 13,30 
 
 499 
 
 48 
 
 338 
 
 30 
 
 500 
 
 S"® 
 
 341 
 
 4 
 
 598 
 
 63 
 
 377-382 
 
 xiv, xvi, xlviii N., 
 
 605 
 
 42 
 
 
 50, 51, 55, 64, 
 
 606-609 
 
 29 
 
 
 70,84 
 
 609 
 
 29 
 
 395 
 
 44 
 
 614 
 
 78 
 
 423 
 
 II, 12 
 
 705-708 
 
 64 
 
 427. 428 
 
 6 
 
 705-719 
 
 xvi 
 
 499 
 
 xxiv 
 
 705 ff. 
 
 67 
 
 633 
 
 6 
 
 706 
 
 xlviii N., 64 
 
 642 
 
 6 
 
 707 
 
 64, 68, 87 
 
 645 
 
 63 
 
 708 
 
 87 
 
 658, 659 
 
 54 
 
 713-719 
 
 xvii N. 
 
 685 , 
 
 62, 63 
 
 714 
 
 68 
 
 700 
 
 63 
 
 717 
 
 41.46 
 
 760 
 
 53. 54 
 
 719 
 
 43 
 
 
 
 763 
 
 25,26 
 
 Book 6 
 
 
 776 
 
 xlvi N., 62 
 
 1-15 
 
 xxvii, XXXV 
 
 976 
 
 50 
 
 2 
 
 14, 15 
 
 981 
 
 19 
 
 2-4 
 
 xxviii, xxix, liv,44 
 
 987 
 
 14 
 
 4-1 1 
 
 33 
 
 989 
 
 43 
 
 12 
 
 liv, 14 
 
 996 
 
 48 
 
 13 
 
 15 
 
 998 
 
 51 
 
 14 
 
 62, 64 
 
1 
 
 ndex of Passages from -Mtltcrf^s JVoris 97 
 
 PARADISE LOST '^ 
 
 r 
 
 PARADISE LOST, 
 
 Book 6 
 
 i 
 
 ■ 
 
 Book 7 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page \ 
 
 Line 
 
 
 Page 
 
 15 
 
 15 
 
 37 
 
 
 56, 58, 66 
 
 54 
 
 80 
 
 39 
 
 
 xlviii. 
 
 55 
 
 81, 83 
 
 105 
 
 
 62, 78,'79 
 
 100 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 1 ^31 
 
 
 53, 54 
 
 320 ff. 
 
 xxii N. ' 
 
 1 ^33 
 
 
 42 
 
 321 
 
 6 
 
 1 "72 
 
 
 20 '' 'j 
 
 332 
 
 6 
 
 '■ 221 
 
 
 21, 22 \ 
 
 338 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 ; 238 
 
 
 80, 81 
 
 358 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 i 272 
 
 
 21, 22 
 
 390 
 
 >xv N. 
 
 276 
 
 
 30 
 
 406 
 
 62 
 
 370 
 
 
 II 
 
 407 
 
 63 
 
 370-375 
 
 xxiv N., xxvi, 14, 
 
 409 
 
 63 
 
 
 
 70 
 
 475 
 
 6 
 
 381 
 453 
 
 
 29 
 
 640 ff. 
 
 83 _ 
 
 
 30 , 
 
 644-646 
 
 xxii 
 
 |605 
 
 
 30, 82 / 
 
 711 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 \ 
 
 
 (* 
 
 749-759 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 \ 
 
 Books 
 
 xxii N., xxvi | 
 
 770 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 |59 
 i 60 
 
 
 829 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 
 ■39 / 
 
 859 
 
 36 
 
 |i6i 
 
 
 11 / 
 
 871 
 
 21 
 
 162 
 
 
 XXV N. / 
 
 871-875 
 
 xxii 
 
 Sio 
 
 
 ssxii N. / ■ 
 
 881 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 519 
 631 
 
 
 42 / 
 
 43 /' 
 
 Book 7 
 
 
 632 
 
 
 42 / 
 
 I 
 
 57 
 
 \ 
 
 
 -'-" 
 
 iff. 
 
 16 
 
 
 Book- 9 
 
 
 1-20 
 
 57 
 
 14-19 
 
 
 xvi, 3, 46, 50, 51, 
 
 4 
 
 58 
 
 
 
 61, 62, 83, 84, 
 
 6 
 
 56 
 
 
 
 85 
 
 7 
 
 65 
 
 20-41 
 
 
 57 
 
 12 
 
 57 
 
 21 
 
 
 56, 57 
 
 17 
 
 58 
 
 49 
 
 
 42 
 
 18 
 
 16 
 
 65 
 
 
 XXV N., 62, 63 
 
 29 
 
 14 
 
 386 
 
 
 64 
 
 30 
 
 liv 
 
 386-396 
 
 xvi, 28 
 
 30 ff. 
 
 livN. 
 
 387 
 
 
 28, 64 
 
 30-38 
 
 Ixxii, Ixxxxiii 
 
 393 
 
 
 67,70 
 
 30-39 
 
 IxiN. 
 
 395 
 
 
 19 
 
 33 
 
 16,66 
 
 369 
 
 
 48, 49 
 
 35 
 
 66 
 
 413 
 
 
 xlviii N. 
 
98 
 
 Index of Passages from Milton's Works 
 
 PARADISE LOST 
 
 PARADISE LOST 
 
 Book 9 
 
 
 Book 10 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 439 
 
 4 
 
 695 
 
 86 
 
 439-443 
 
 xvi, xlix 
 
 695-706 
 
 xliv N. 
 
 440 
 
 3 
 
 705 
 
 Iv N., 86 
 
 441 
 
 4, 84 
 
 707-710 
 
 30 
 
 452 
 
 28, 64 
 
 857-858 
 
 51 
 
 503-510 
 
 xiv 
 
 Book II 
 
 
 506 
 
 17 
 
 II 
 
 xlviii N., 2S 
 
 507 
 
 32 
 
 
 
 508 
 
 7. 48, 49 
 
 12 
 
 27 
 82 
 
 522 
 
 xiv, 23 
 
 14 
 
 838 
 
 6 
 
 129 
 
 47 
 
 852 
 
 6 
 
 131 
 
 13 
 
 1000 
 
 30 
 
 133 
 
 41 
 
 lOOI 
 
 60 
 
 135 
 
 53 
 
 I029-I033 
 1044 
 
 xxii N. 
 78 
 
 173 
 175 
 
 14 
 
 xliv, 14, 15 
 
 1060 
 
 41 
 
 184-203 
 
 xxii N. 
 
 nil 
 
 6 
 
 185 
 
 48,49 
 
 
 
 244 
 
 47 
 
 Book 10 
 
 
 279 
 
 6 
 
 230 
 
 26 
 
 410 
 
 37 
 
 293 
 296 
 
 308 
 
 8 
 8 
 
 588 
 588 fE. 
 
 42 
 46 
 
 55 
 
 589 
 
 25,42 
 
 416 
 
 21, 22 
 
 591 
 
 45 
 
 425 
 
 53, 54 
 
 
 
 444 
 
 xiv, xliv N., 70 
 
 PARADISE REGAINED 
 
 453 
 476 
 
 72 
 22 
 
 Book I 
 
 
 477 
 
 21, 22, 62, 63 
 
 57 
 
 44 
 
 525 ff. 
 
 38 
 
 456 
 
 xlvi 
 
 531 
 
 71 
 
 457 
 
 11 
 
 539 
 
 xiv 
 
 458 
 
 10 
 
 560 
 580 
 
 36 
 
 I 
 
 Book 2 
 
 
 580-584 
 
 xlvii, 74 
 
 173 
 
 67 
 
 581 
 
 34 
 
 173-191 
 
 xlvi N. 
 
 583 
 
 65. 74 
 
 184 ii. 
 
 64, 67 
 
 584 
 
 48, 71. 72 
 
 184-189 
 
 64 
 
 620 
 
 36 
 
 185-191 
 
 xliv 
 
 674 
 
 xiv, 70, 83 
 
 186 
 
 10, 18 
 
 688 
 
 68 
 
 187 
 
 8, 9. 77 
 
Index of Passages from Milton's Works 
 
 PARADISE REGAINED PARADISE REGAINED 
 
 99 
 
 
 Book 2 
 
 
 
 Book 4 
 
 
 Line 
 
 
 Page 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 i88 
 
 
 7.67 
 
 
 560-576 
 
 xvii 
 
 190 
 
 
 1, 8, 48, 
 
 49. 61, 62 
 
 563 
 
 8,36 
 
 191 
 
 
 87 
 
 
 565 
 
 41. 48. 49 
 
 214 
 
 
 1, 48, 49i 
 
 ,84 
 
 566 
 
 30 
 
 215 
 
 
 xlviii 
 
 
 568 
 
 xliv N., 8 
 
 289-297 
 
 64 
 
 
 572 
 
 81 
 
 297 
 
 
 64,87 
 
 
 572-575 
 
 81 
 
 355 
 
 
 58 
 
 
 589 
 
 6 
 
 353 
 
 
 36,45 
 
 
 590 
 
 6 
 
 353- 
 
 367 
 
 xix 
 
 
 619 
 
 54 
 
 353- 
 
 365 
 
 xVJ 
 
 
 
 
 354 
 355 
 
 
 64 
 28, 64 
 
 
 SA MSON A GONISTES 
 
 356 
 
 
 5, 60 
 
 
 
 xvii 
 
 357 
 358 
 
 
 42 
 xlviii N., 
 
 .43 
 
 27 
 133 
 
 XXV N. 
 xviii N. 
 
 365 
 
 374 
 
 
 35 
 64, 87 
 
 
 499-501 
 SOO 
 
 xviii N., 1 
 80 
 
 403 
 596 
 
 
 xix, 39 
 39 
 
 
 501 
 716 
 1666 
 
 80 
 46 
 xviii N., 61 
 
 
 Book 3 
 
 
 
 1699 
 
 xviii N., 69 
 
 84 
 85 
 
 
 7. 48/49, 
 26, 27 
 
 , 54 
 
 1703 
 1707 
 
 69 
 70 
 
 
 Book 4 
 
 
 
 ON THE DEA TH OF A FAIR IN- 
 
 259 
 
 
 54 
 
 
 FANT 
 
 
 260 
 
 
 10, 11 
 
 
 8 
 
 86 
 
 286-364 
 
 1 
 
 
 15 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 334 
 
 
 xlvii N. 
 
 
 19 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 339-348 
 
 xlviii 
 
 
 23 
 
 8 
 
 397 
 
 
 33 
 
 
 25 
 
 10 
 
 398 
 
 
 62 
 
 
 40 
 
 xlviii, 31 
 
 399 
 
 
 63 
 
 
 43-46 
 
 xxiv N., 1, 48, 50, 
 
 428 
 
 
 xliv 
 
 
 
 65 
 
 565 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 47 
 
 30, 82 
 
 422 
 
 
 36 
 
 
 49 
 
 6, 83 
 
 426 
 
 
 XXV, 14, 
 
 15 
 
 50 
 
 51 
 
 427 
 
 
 xxiv N. 
 
 
 54 
 
 51 
 
 428 
 
 
 14 
 
 
 56 
 
 XXV N. 
 
Index of Passages from Milton's Works 
 
 AT A VAC A TION EXERCISE 
 
 THE PASSION 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 5 
 
 79, 
 
 80 
 
 
 4 
 
 56, 57 
 
 30-52 
 
 xli, 
 
 Ixviii, Ixix, 
 
 13 
 
 xvii N. 
 
 
 
 Ixx 
 
 
 14 
 
 41 
 
 37 
 
 10, 
 
 II 
 
 
 23 
 
 10, II 
 
 38 
 
 40 
 
 
 
 29 
 
 62, 63 
 
 39 
 
 1,6 
 
 ,48, 
 
 50 
 
 30 
 
 63 
 
 42 ff. 
 
 62 
 
 
 
 
 
 43 
 
 61, 
 
 62 
 
 
 ON TIME 
 
 
 46 
 49 
 
 60 
 4 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 44 
 
 50 
 
 53 
 
 84 
 56 
 xiv 
 
 
 
 ATA SOLEMN MUSIC 
 
 93 
 
 , 17, 
 
 30 
 
 
 Ixx, Ixxi 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 78 
 
 ON THE MORNING OF 
 
 CHRIST'S 
 
 
 
 NA TIVITY. 
 
 xlvi, Ixi N. 
 
 SONG ON MA y MORNING 
 
 15 
 
 57. 
 
 60. 
 
 
 I 
 
 53 
 
 19 
 32 ff. 
 
 II 
 13 
 
 
 
 ON SHAKESPEARE 
 
 32 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 36 
 
 II 
 
 
 
 
 
 74 
 
 53 
 
 
 
 EPITAPH ON 
 
 MARCHIONESS OF 
 
 79 
 
 II, 
 
 12 
 
 
 WINCHESTER 
 
 84 
 
 XXV N., 
 
 12 
 
 17 
 
 46 
 
 85 ff. 
 
 xlvii N. 
 
 
 18 
 
 45 
 
 89 
 
 67, 
 
 68 
 
 
 18 ff. 
 
 46 
 
 103 
 
 28 
 
 
 
 26 
 
 54 
 
 135 
 
 74 
 
 
 
 28 
 
 34, 54 
 
 141 
 
 51 
 
 
 
 43 ff. 
 
 15 
 
 141-143 
 
 51 
 
 
 
 56 
 
 56 
 
 145 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 
 
 
 173 
 
 xlvi 
 
 
 V ALLEGRO 
 
 
 176 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 XX, xliv, li, lii, 
 
 186 
 
 37 
 
 
 
 
 liii, liv, Iv, Ivi, 
 
 187 
 188 
 191 
 203 
 204 
 
 65 
 
 64 
 
 52 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 4 
 6 
 
 Iviii, Ixiv 
 19, 33, 62 
 72, 73 
 73 
 33 
 
 211-226 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 23 
 
 226 
 
 xlivN., 
 
 ,83 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 229-233 
 
 xxxiii 
 
 
 12 
 
 38 
 
 236 
 
 63, 
 
 79 
 
 
 14 
 
 39, 84 
 
Index of Passages from Milton's Works 
 
 VALLEGRO 
 
 
 
 IL PENSEROSO 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 15 
 
 38 
 
 
 58 
 
 62 
 
 16 
 
 16 
 
 
 59 
 
 28 
 
 17 
 
 liv 
 
 
 59-62 
 
 xxxii 
 
 ^9 
 
 14, 39, 86 
 
 
 85-102 
 
 IxN. 
 
 20 
 
 IvN. 
 
 
 99 
 
 68,81 
 
 25 
 
 64,65 
 
 
 100 
 
 46 
 
 29 
 
 40 
 
 
 103-108 
 
 Ixxxi, Ixxxii 
 
 36 
 
 53.64 
 
 
 
 Ixxxiii 
 
 54 
 
 14 
 
 
 104 
 
 56 
 
 59-62 
 
 xxxii 
 
 
 105 
 
 66 
 
 71 
 
 xxiv N. 
 
 
 107 
 
 60 
 
 81-90 
 
 24 
 
 
 120 
 
 xlix N. 
 
 125 
 
 45.46 
 
 
 121 
 
 XXV N. , 62, 63 
 
 126 
 
 46 
 
 
 122 
 
 14 
 
 136 
 
 39 
 
 
 123 
 
 liv 
 
 143-150 
 
 Ixxxi, Ixxxii , 
 
 124 
 
 xix 
 
 
 Ixxxiii 
 
 
 133-146 
 
 64 
 
 145 
 
 66 
 
 
 134 
 
 87 
 
 145-147 
 
 32 
 
 
 135 
 
 IxN. 
 
 145-150 
 
 66 
 
 
 137 
 
 64 
 
 147 
 
 31 
 
 
 139-146 
 
 Ixvii N., 79 
 
 149 
 
 70 
 
 
 142-150 
 146-150 
 
 xxxiv 
 
 78 
 
 IL PENSEROSC 
 
 1 
 
 
 147-150 
 154 
 
 79 
 37 
 
 
 XX, li, Hi, Ivi, 
 
 , Ivii, 
 
 157-166 
 
 Ixxx 
 
 
 Iviii, lix, Ix, Ixi, 
 
 157-174 
 
 IxN. 
 
 
 Ixii, Ixiii, 
 
 Ixiv, 
 
 
 
 
 Ixv 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 56 
 
 
 ARCADES 
 
 
 17 
 
 IviiN. 
 
 
 
 xix, 37, 66 
 
 18 
 
 55 
 
 
 I 
 
 64 
 
 19 
 
 19 
 
 
 16 
 
 28 
 
 21 
 
 Ivii N., 64 
 
 
 18-23 
 
 xvi 
 
 23 
 
 .74. 75 
 
 
 20 
 
 52 
 
 24 
 
 74 
 
 
 21 
 
 71 
 
 30 
 
 48 
 
 
 23 
 
 50 
 
 31-44 
 
 IxN. 
 
 
 30 
 
 5 
 
 45-48 
 
 livN. 
 
 
 30-31 
 
 xliv N. 
 
 47 
 
 56 
 
 
 33 
 
 xxviii, 64 
 
 48 
 
 1, 48, 50 
 
 
 43 
 
 50 
 
 53-59 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 
 44 
 
 1,48 
 
 56 
 
 69, 80 
 
 
 45 
 
 50 
 
Index of Passages from Milton's Works 
 
 ARCADES 
 
 
 COMUS 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 56 
 
 15 
 
 129 
 
 24. 25 
 
 61-73 
 
 Ixx 
 
 130-135 
 
 29 
 
 62 ff. 
 
 35 
 
 132 
 
 72, 73 
 
 63 
 
 78 
 
 134 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 65 
 
 34 
 
 135 
 
 28,29 
 
 69 
 
 61 
 
 136 
 
 25 
 
 96 
 
 64 
 
 136-142 
 
 xxxiii 
 
 97 
 
 67 
 
 139 
 
 14 
 
 97 ff. 
 
 65 
 
 141 
 
 II 
 
 98 
 
 67 
 
 143 
 
 25 
 
 102 
 
 67 
 
 145 
 
 25 
 
 106 
 
 67 
 
 153 
 
 23 
 
 
 
 175 
 
 67 
 
 COMUS 
 
 
 190 
 
 XXV N., II, 13 
 
 
 xvii, xix, XX, 195 
 
 62 
 
 
 xxxvi, liv 
 
 197 
 
 63 
 
 I 
 
 48, 50, 65 
 
 230 
 
 64 
 
 1-4 
 
 xxxviii 
 
 230-233 
 
 31 
 
 i£E. ' 
 
 xxiv N. 
 
 230-243 
 
 31. 64 
 
 16 
 
 2,6 
 
 237 
 
 60 
 
 18 
 
 61 
 
 244-257 
 
 24 
 
 18-27 
 
 xxxvii 
 
 249 
 
 80 
 
 20 
 
 1 
 
 252-257 
 
 31 
 
 24-29 
 
 76 
 
 253 
 
 23. 24, 78 
 
 41 
 
 1, 48, 50 
 
 254 
 
 xlivN., Ixvi, 58, 
 
 46 
 
 16 
 
 
 64 
 
 49 
 
 75 
 
 257 
 
 xxiv, 31. 75 
 
 50 
 
 23 
 
 259 
 
 75 
 
 50 ff. 
 
 24 
 
 268 
 
 67,87 
 
 51 
 
 II 
 
 275, 276 
 
 31. 64 
 
 54 
 
 64,65 
 
 289, 290 
 
 40 
 
 66 
 
 II 
 
 300 
 
 xxxix 
 
 78 
 
 1, 48, 50 
 
 3?4 
 
 21 
 
 83 
 
 47 
 
 341 
 
 i3 
 
 93-101 
 
 xxxix 
 
 393 
 
 42 
 
 95 
 
 XXV N., II 
 
 422, 423 
 
 64, 65 
 
 96 
 
 12 
 
 441 
 
 28 
 
 97 
 
 12 
 
 441-552 
 
 xvi 
 
 113 
 
 xxxix 
 
 442 
 
 28 
 
 115-118 
 
 xxxvii 
 
 445 
 
 25 
 
 119-121 
 
 64 
 
 447 ff. 
 
 38 
 
 120 
 
 64.65 
 
 448 
 
 55 
 
 124 
 
 25, 26, 84 
 
 453-463 
 
 IxiN. 
 
Index of Passages from Milton's Works 
 
 103 
 
 COMUS 
 
 
 COMUS 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 47S 
 
 10 
 
 892 
 
 XXV N. 
 
 513-519 
 
 xlix 
 
 893 
 
 xxxviii 
 
 515 
 
 56, 57 
 
 921,923 
 
 7 
 
 517 
 
 23 
 
 959 
 
 42 
 
 522 
 
 15. 23 
 
 962 
 
 xxiiii 
 
 535 
 
 28 
 
 963 
 
 41, 64 
 
 552 
 
 7<5 
 
 964 
 
 64 
 
 554 
 
 78 
 
 976-1023 
 
 XX 
 
 557 
 
 79 
 
 976-101 I 
 
 4 
 
 588 
 
 20 
 
 977-1011 
 
 xxxix, xl 
 
 603, 604 
 
 72, 73 
 
 982 
 
 42,43 
 
 605 
 
 39, 40, 45 
 
 986 
 
 xlivN., 33, 44 
 
 637 
 
 41, 84 
 
 986 ff. 
 
 44 
 
 638 
 
 39 
 
 992 
 
 47 
 
 641 
 
 36 
 
 992-998 
 
 31 
 
 655 
 
 85 
 
 996 
 
 31 
 
 661 
 
 9 
 
 999 
 
 3 
 
 662 
 
 8 
 
 1002 
 
 84 
 
 676 
 
 40, 48, 50 
 
 1003 
 
 4 
 
 701 
 
 50, 51 
 
 1003 ff. 
 
 26 
 
 702-705 
 
 IxiN. 
 
 1004 
 
 25 
 
 732-735 
 
 xxxvii 
 
 lOII 
 
 XX, 48, 50 
 
 753 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 784-787 
 
 IxiN. 
 
 LYCIDAS 
 
 
 803 
 
 48 
 
 
 liv 
 
 804 
 
 33, 82 
 
 ^15 
 
 56,58 
 
 805 
 
 74. 75 
 
 16 
 
 48, 50 
 
 822 
 
 54 
 
 .^19 
 
 56 
 
 824 
 
 64 
 
 26 
 
 14 
 
 824 ff. 
 
 60 
 
 30,31 
 
 xxiv 
 
 833 
 
 58, 60, 64 
 
 34 
 
 87 
 
 835 
 
 60.76 
 
 36 
 
 26 
 
 838, 840 
 
 6 
 
 50 
 
 64,65 
 
 862 
 
 65 
 
 56-63 
 
 Ixxxii, Ixxxiii 
 
 867-889 
 
 76 
 
 58 
 
 56, 58, 66 
 
 868-884 
 
 xxxviii 
 
 /'66 
 
 56,58 
 
 869 
 
 61, 62 
 
 68 
 
 6 
 
 870 
 
 76 
 
 69 
 
 61 
 
 872, 873 
 
 77 
 
 75 
 
 34, 36 
 
 875 
 
 53 
 
 77 
 
 10, II 
 
 877 
 
 77 
 
 82 
 
 1,48 
 
 878-881 
 
 78 
 
 82-84 
 
 50 
 
 882, 883 
 
 64 
 
 85 
 
 5 
 
I04 
 
 Index of Passages from Milton's Works 
 
 LYCIDAS 
 
 
 
 ^Z^C/^5 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 
 Line 
 
 Page 
 
 89 
 
 76, 77 
 
 
 5.37 
 
 SO 
 
 90 
 
 61, 62 
 
 
 62 
 
 72 
 
 96 
 
 43 
 
 
 91 
 
 77 
 
 99 
 
 64 
 
 
 97 
 
 25 
 
 106 
 
 8, 10 
 
 
 98 
 
 26 
 
 132 
 
 5 
 
 
 105 ft. 
 
 46 
 
 yi33 
 /133-151 
 
 56, 57. 
 
 58 
 
 117 
 
 65 
 
 57 
 
 
 119-125 
 
 87 
 
 148 
 
 10 
 
 
 121 
 
 87 
 
 168 
 
 II, 12 
 
 
 6.49 
 
 IxN. 
 
 168-171 
 
 xxvi 
 
 
 52 
 
 25 
 
 175 
 
 6 
 
 
 55-78 
 
 livN. 
 
 183 
 
 37 
 
 
 88 
 
 IxN. 
 
 187 
 
 xxiv 
 
 
 7. 3. 4 
 17-47 
 
 25 
 26 
 
 SONNETS 
 
 
 
 21-24 
 
 45 
 
 1.4 
 
 44 
 
 
 81 
 
 85 
 
 7 
 
 48, 50 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 25, 56. 
 
 57 
 
 IN OBITUM 
 MEDICI 
 
 PROCANCELLARII 
 
 8.9 
 
 56, 57 
 
 
 10 
 
 41 
 
 12, 6 
 
 8, 9, 55 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 xlvi N. 
 
 . 11, 12, 
 
 28 IN QUINTUM NOVEMBRIS 
 
 13,4 
 
 55 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 10, II 
 
 
 69 
 
 33 
 
 15,7 
 
 xiv, 45 
 
 
 148 
 
 43 
 
 20,6 
 
 Iv N., 
 
 86 
 
 
 
 21,2 
 
 82 
 
 
 IN OBITUM PRyESULIS ELIENSIS 
 
 23,2 
 
 4. 26 
 
 
 56 
 
 28 
 
 3 
 
 41, 48, 
 
 49 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 NA TURAM NON PA Tl SENIUM 
 
 ELEGIES 
 
 
 
 23 
 
 85 
 
 I, 62 
 
 4 
 
 
 61 
 
 31 
 
 63-73 
 
 xvi 
 
 
 62 
 
 10 
 
 64 
 
 49 
 
 
 63 
 
 4 
 
 65 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 
 74 
 
 72 
 
 
 AD PA TREM 
 
 
 2,7 
 
 39 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 39 
 
 
 21 
 
 66 
 
 3,26 
 
 77 
 
 
 
 
 32 
 
 12 
 
 
 EPITAPHIUM DAMONIS 
 
 41 
 
 47 
 
 
 I 
 
 65 
 
 46 
 
 43 
 
 
 52 
 
 67 
 
 47 
 
 86 
 
 
 99 
 
 77 
 
Index of Passages from Milion's Works 105 
 
 PROLUSIONS (ed. Symmons) 
 
 6- 145 41 
 
 146 22, 27 
 
 152 23, 71 
 
 173 67 
 
 OF EDUCA TION 
 3. 466 f. 67 
 
 Oi? REFORM A TION 
 2. 411 45 
 
 APOLOGY FOR SMECTYMNUUS 
 3. 100, 117, 118, Ixi 
 
 DOCTRINE AND DISCIPLINE OF 
 DIVORCE 
 
 3. 227 
 
 74 
 
 EIKONOKLA S TES 
 
 1. 330 
 395 
 484 
 
 4 
 45 
 51 
 
 -4 UTHORIS PRO SE DEFENSIO (ed. 
 SymmonsJ 
 REASON OF' CHURCH GOVERN- 5. 291 25 
 
 MENT 
 
 2. 479 
 505 
 
 Ixi 
 
 71 
 
 HISTORY OF BRITAIN 
 
 5. 168 8 
 
Ill 
 
 INDEX OF MYTHOLOGICAL NAMES AND SUBJECTS 
 
 Achelous, 5, 76. 
 
 Acheron, xxxv, 40, 72; see Riv- 
 ers of Hades. 
 
 Achilles, 3, 5, 15, 42, 47, 48, 77, 
 85. 
 
 Actseon, 28. 
 
 Ades, see Pluto. 
 
 Admetus, 4, 27. 
 
 Adonia, xx, 4. 
 
 Adonis, 3, 4, 44. 
 
 ^gaeon, 17. 
 
 jEneas, xxii N., 8, 40, 51, 56, 83, 
 85. 
 
 .ffiolus, xlvii N., 43, 86. 
 
 .lEsculapius, 32. 
 
 .^son, 39. 
 
 Afer, 86, 
 
 Agamemnon, 44, 68, 78. 
 
 Aidos, see Justice. 
 
 Alcestis, 4. 
 
 Alcides, see Hercules. 
 
 Alcinous, 4, II. 
 
 Aletheia, 51. 
 
 Alexander, 7, 49. 
 
 Alpheus, xliv N., 5. 
 
 Amalthea, xvi, xxxv, 5, 15, 72. 
 
 Amaryllis, 6. 
 
 Amazons, 6. 
 
 Ambrosia, 6. 
 
 Ammon, xlvii N., 72. 
 
 Amphitrite, 7. 
 
 Amymone, 7, 10. 
 
 Anchises, 8. 
 
 Andromeda, Ivii N., 19, 35, 46. 
 
 Antseus, xliv N., 8, 30. 
 
 Antiopa, 8, 10, 49. 
 
 Aphrodite, see Venus. 
 
 Apollo, xiii, xvi, xlvi N., 1, Ixxxiv, 
 7, 8-13, 27, 28, 47, 52, 55, 71, 
 81, 82. 
 
 Aquilo, see Boreas. 
 
 Ares, see Mars. 
 
 Arethusa, 5. 
 
 Argestes^ 86. 
 
 Argo, 13. 
 
 Argonauts, 66, 69. 
 
 Argus, 13, 42, 67. 
 
 Aries, 35. 
 
 Arimaspians, 14. 
 
 Artemis, see Diana. 
 
 Assyrian Queen, see Venus. 
 
 Astrasa, 51. 
 
 Athene, see Minerva. 
 
 Atlas, xiv, 14, 42, 70. 
 
 Atreus, 68, 69. 
 
 Atropos, 34, 35- 
 
 Aurora, Eos, Dawn, Mom, Morn- 
 ing, XX, xxiv, XXV, xxvi, and 
 N., xxvii, xxviii, xxxi, xxxiii, 
 liv and N., Iv, 14-15, 19, 39, 
 44, 53. 54, 55. 
 
 Bacchus, xix, xlvi, liii, liv, and 
 
 N., 10, 15-16, 39, 46, 72, 77. 
 Bellerophon, Ixxxiv, 16-17. 
 Bellona, 17. 
 Blessed Isles, 32, 43. 
 Boreas, 15, 86, 87. 
 Briareos, 17, 30, 81. 
 Brutus (of Britain), 7. 
 Busiris, 17. 
 
 Cacus, 85. 
 Cadmus, 17-18, 77. 
 
Index of Mythological Names, and Subjects 
 
 107 
 
 Caecias, 86. 
 
 Calisto, 18, 28, 49. 
 
 Calliope, xlviii, 58, 66. 
 
 Calypso, 62. 
 
 Carpathos, 77. 
 
 Cassiopeia, Ivii, and N., 19. 
 
 Castalia, xvi, 9. 
 
 Castor, 83. 
 
 Cephalus, 14, 19. 
 
 Cerberus, xxxv, lii, liii N., Ixv, 
 
 19. 73- 
 Ceres, 12, 19, 20, 29, 49, 72. 
 Chalybeans, xviii N., 20. 
 Cham, 7. 
 Chance, 20, 21. 
 Chaos, xviii, xix, Ixxxiv, 21-22, 
 
 27i 29, 30, 60, 63, 73. 
 Charybdis, xix, 75-76. 
 Chimsera, xxxv, 16, 23, 45. 
 Chloris, see Flora. 
 Chrysaor, 37. 
 Cimmerian, lii, 23, 73. 
 Circe, xiv, xix, xx, xxxvi, xxxvii, 
 
 xlvi, 16, 23-24, 29, 42, 59. 75, 
 
 78. 
 Clotho, see Fates. 
 Clymene, 10. 
 Cocytus, xxxv, 72, 73. 
 Comus, xxxiii N., xxxix. 
 Corydon, 24. 
 
 Cotytto, Cotys, xix, 24, 25, 29. 
 Cronus, see Saturn. 
 Cupid, XX N., 25-26, 28, 46. 
 Cybele, 24, 50, 71- 
 Cyllene, xix, 67. 
 Cynosure, 18. 
 Cynthia, see Diana. 
 Cynthius, see Apollo. 
 Cytherea, see Venus. 
 
 Daemon, 37. 
 
 Damcetas, 26. 
 
 Daphne, xvi, xxxv, 9, 10. 
 
 Daphnis, 65. 
 
 Darkness, lii, 33. 63; see Erebus. 
 
 Dawn, see Aurora. 
 Day, xxvii, 33, 55, 63. 
 Death, 4, 26-27, 33. 78- 
 Delos, 8, 9, 28. 
 Delphi, 9, 10, II, 71, 82. 
 Demeter, see Ceres. 
 Demodocus, Ixix, Ixx, 5, 11. 
 Demogorgon, 20, 22, 27. 
 Deucalion, xlviii, 27, 28, 30. 
 Diana, xx, xxxvi, xxxvii, li, 8, 11, 
 18, 28-29, 52, 54. 64, 65, 67, 79. 
 Dionysus, see Bacchus. 
 Dioscuri, 83. 
 Dis, see Pluto. 
 Discord, 20, 30, 84. 
 Dodona, 49, 50. 
 Dreams, 56, 79. 
 Dryades, 42, 65. 
 
 Earth,, xxii N., 8, 13, 17, 27, 30, 
 
 38, 60, 61, 71, 74, 76, 82, 83. 
 Echo, XX, xxxvi, 31. 
 Eileithyia, 34, 54. 
 Electra, 68. 
 Elysium, xx, xlviii, Iv, Ixxxiii,. 
 
 31-32, 43. 56. 67- 
 Eos, see Aurora. 
 Epidaurus, 32. 
 Epimetheus, Ixxxiv, 46, 68. 
 Erebus, 19, 27, 29, 30, 33, 63; see 
 
 Darkness. 
 Erinnyes, see Furies. 
 Eris, 30, 66, 73. 
 Erymanthus, xix, 67. 
 Eumenides, see Furies. 
 Euphrosyne, liii, liv, Ixiv, 16, 38, 
 
 39; see Mirth. 
 Eurotas, 10. 
 Eurus, 86. 
 
 Eurydice, Ivii, Ixxxiii, 46, 66, 67. 
 Eurynome, xlvii N., 34, 38, 74. 
 
 Fama, see Rumor. 
 Fate(s), 20, 21, 27, 34, 35. 
 Faunus, Fauns, 87. 
 Favonius, 86. 
 
io8 
 
 Index of Mythological Names and Subjects 
 
 Flora, Iv N., 32, 35-36, 44- 
 Folly, Ixiv. 
 Fortuna, see Chance. 
 Furies, xxxvi, 33, 34, 36, 66, 83. 
 
 Gaia, Ge, see Earth. 
 
 Ganymed, 36, 37. 
 
 Gemini, see Dioscuri. 
 
 Genius, 37, 50. 
 
 Geryon, 37. 
 
 Giants, xlviii, 30, 37, 38. 
 
 Glaucus, 16, 75, 77. 
 
 Gods of Olympus, xxi, xlvi, Ixviii, 
 
 II. 17, 30, 38, 48, 62, 71, 76, 
 
 77. 80, 85. 
 Gorgons, xxxv, 23, 36, 38, 45, 55; 
 
 see Medusa. 
 Graces, xvi, xx, xxii N. xxxv, 1, 
 
 liii, liv, 6, II, 38-39, 44, 59, 65. 
 Grif&ns, 14. 
 
 Hades, 3, 4, 20, 22, 23, 27, 30, 33, 
 
 38. 48, 50, 61, 66, 70, 72, 73, 
 
 80, 81. 
 Hsemony, 39. 
 Hamadryads, 70. 
 Ham, see Cham. 
 Hammon, see Ammon. 
 Harmonia, 17, 18. 
 Harpies, xix, 23, 36, 39, 40, 45. 
 Heaven, 17, 30, 74, 76, 82, 83. 
 Hebe, 11, 39, 40, 49; see Youth. 
 Hebrus, 66. 
 
 Hecate, xix, xxxiii, xlvi N., 29. 
 Hector, 3, 48. 
 
 Helen, xxii, N., 28, 40, 41, 50. 
 Helicon, 56, 57. 
 Helios, see Sun. 
 Helle, 35- 
 Hemera, see Day. 
 Hephaestus, see Vulcan. 
 Hera, see Juno. 
 Hercules, xvii N., li, Ixxxiv, 4, 
 
 5. 8, 17, 37. 41.45. 49. 85. 
 Hermes, xxiiN., 13, 19, 24, 41-42, 
 
 67, 68. 
 
 Hermione, 17. 
 
 Hesperides, xv, xvi, xix, xx, 
 
 xlviii, 4, 5, 6, 42, 43. 
 Hesperus, Evening Star, 13, 42- 
 
 43. 44, 46, 53- 
 Hestia, see Vesta. 
 Hippotades, 43. 
 Homer, 11. 
 Horror, 43, 44. 
 Hours, xvi, XX, xxvii, xxviii, xix, 
 
 xxxv, xliv N., Ixvi, Ixvii, 11, 
 
 12, 15. 39. 58, 59- 
 Hyacinth, 10. 
 
 Hydra, xix, xxxv, 23, 40, 45. 
 Hylas, 45, 60. 
 Hymen, 45, 46. 
 Hyperion, see Sun. 
 
 lapetus, 7, 46, 68, 82. 
 
 Ida, Iviii, 74, 75. 
 
 Ilium, Ixix, 5, 6, 8, 15, 46, 47. 
 
 Ino, 53. 
 
 Irassa, 8. 
 
 Iris, XX, xxxix, 47. 
 
 Ismenian, 81. 
 
 Janus, 47, 48. 
 
 Japhet, see lapetus. 
 
 Jason, 13 
 
 Jove, xi, XX, XX, and N., xxi, xxiv, 
 xxxix, xlvi, 1, Ivii, Iviii N., 
 Ixix, Ixxxiv, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 
 
 13. 17, 18, 26, 34, 37, 38, 39, 
 40, 41, 44, 47. 48-50, 51. 52, 
 55. 56, 61, 68, 72, 74, 77, 80, 
 82, 83, 84, 85. 
 
 Joy, 26. 
 
 Juno, xxii N., xxiv, xxviii, 6, 13, 
 
 18, 31, 34, 40, 47. 49. 50-51, 
 
 54. 79. 81, 83, 85. 
 Justice, 44, 51. 
 
 Ladon, xix, 67. 
 
 Laertes, 84. 
 
 Lars, 52. 
 
 Latona, 8. 11, 28, 50, 52-53. 
 
Index of Mythological Names and Subjects 
 
 109 
 
 Lavinia, 83. 
 
 Lemures, 52. 
 
 Lethe, xxxv, 72, 73, 80. 
 
 Leto, see Latona. 
 
 Leucothea, 55, 76. 
 
 Liberty, 53. 
 
 Libra, 49. 
 
 Lichas, 41. 
 
 Ligeia, 78. 
 
 Locrine, 7. 
 
 Love, see Cupid. 
 
 Lucifer, xxv, 15, 42, 53-54- 
 
 Lucina, 34, 54. 
 
 Lycseus, xix, 67. 
 
 Lycidas, Ixxxiii, 54. 
 
 Maenads, Ixxxiii, 16, 66. 
 
 Msenalus, 67. 
 
 Mseonides, 54. 
 
 Manes, 52. 
 
 Mars, Ixix, 5, 11, 47, 54, 6j. 
 
 ilatuta, see Leucothea. 
 
 Medea, 29, 39. 
 
 Medusa, xxxv, 14, 38. 
 
 Megsera, 36. 
 
 Melancholy, lii, liv, Ivi, Iviii, lix, 
 
 hai, Ixiii, Ixiv, 75. 
 Melesigenes, 54. 
 Melicertes, 53. 
 Memnon, Ivi, Ivii N., 15, 55. 
 Menelaus, 31, 40, 41, 68. 
 Mercury, see Hermes. 
 Midas, 55. 
 Minerva, xiii, xx, xxii N., li, 38, 
 
 47. 51. 55, 57, 72. 85. 
 Mirth, liv, Ivi; see Euphrosjme. 
 Mnemosyne, 56. 
 Moly, xxi, xxxvi. 
 Moon, 28, 63; see Diana. 
 Morning, Mom, see Aurora. 
 Morpheus, lix, 56. 
 Mulciber, see Vulcan. 
 Musseus, 56. 
 Muses, Ivii, Ixxxii, 11, 54, 56-58, 
 
 65, 66, 81. 
 
 Naiads, xix, xxxvi, xliv N., Ixvi, 
 
 5, 45, 58-60, 64. 
 Narcissus, xxi, 31, 60. 
 Nature, 13, 60, 61. 
 Neaera, 61. 
 
 Necessity, xviii, 34, 35, 61. 
 Nectar, 6. 
 Nepenthes, 40. 
 Neptune, xx, xxv, Ixix, 7, 8, 10, 
 
 17, 19, 47, 48, 61, 62, 72, 76, 
 
 77- 
 Nereids, 12, 19, 24, 60, 64, 65, 76, 
 
 77- 
 Nereus, 7, 76. 
 Night, xix, xxv, xxvii, xxxvi, 
 
 xlvi N., Ixxxiv, 13, 15, 19, 
 
 22, 27, 29, 30, 33, 60, 61-62, 
 
 64, 66, 79, 80. 
 Notus, 15, 86. 
 Nox, see Night. 
 Nymphs, xix, xxxvi, xxxvii, 
 
 Ixxxi, Ixxxiv, 9, 24, 32, 42, 
 
 58, 64-65, 87. 
 
 Oceanus, xlvi, 12, 34, 38, 76, 82, 
 
 83. 
 Odysseus, see Ulysses. 
 CEdipus, 81, 82. 
 Olympias, 7. 
 Olympus, xxviii, Ixix, 15, 34, 56, 
 
 57> 65. 74, 80; see Gods of 
 
 Olympus. 
 Ophion, xlvii, 34, 74. 
 Ops, see Rhea. 
 Orcus, 20, 66. 
 Oreads, 28, 31, 64, 67. 
 Orestes, 68. 
 Orithyia, 86. 
 Orpheus, xvi, Iv, Ixxxi, Ixxxii, 
 
 Ixxxiii, 16, 34, 46, 56, 58, 66- 
 
 67. 
 Osiris, 84. 
 
 Palasmon, 53. 
 Pales, 67. 
 
Index of Mythological Names and Subjects 
 
 Pallas, see Minerva. 
 
 Pan, xvi, xix, xxxv, xxxvi, xlvii 
 
 N., 39, 50, 55, 65, 67-68. 
 Pandora, 68. 
 Panope, 64. 
 Paris, xxii N. 
 Parthenope, 78. 
 Pegasus, 16, 17, 58. 
 Peleus, 3, 84. 
 Pelopidse, 68. 
 Pelops, 68, 69. 
 Penelope, 28. 
 
 Persephone, see Proserpina. 
 Perseus, 14, 38, 46. 
 Phseacians, 4, 5. 
 Phaethon, 10, 12. 
 Phanes, 63, 64. 
 Philammon, 11. 
 Phillis, 24. 
 Philomel, lix, 69. 
 Phineus, 36, 39. 
 Phlegethon, xxxv, 72, 73, 81. 
 Phlegra, 3. 
 
 Phoenix, xviii N., 69, 70. 
 Phrixus, 35. 
 Pleiades, xxvi N., 70. 
 Plenty, 5. 
 Pluto, 3, 20, 66, 70. 
 Plutonian Hall, xliv N. 
 Polydamna, 40. 
 Polydeuces, 83. 
 Pomona, 70. 
 Pontus, 76. 
 
 Poseidon, see Neptune. 
 Procne, 6g. 
 
 Prometheus, 14, 34, 46, 48, 68, 80. 
 Proserpina, xvi, xxxv, 12, 19-20, 
 
 29, 38, 49, 58, 66. 
 Proteus, 31, 76, 77. ■ 
 Psyche, xx, and N., 26. 
 Pudicitia, 51. 
 Pygmies, 70, 71. 
 Pyrrha, xlviii, 27, 28, 30. 
 Pythian, 71. 
 Python, 71. 
 
 Quies, 79, 80. 
 Quirinus, 54. 
 
 Rhea, 19, 24, 34, 48, 50, 61, 71- 
 
 72, 84. 
 Rhodope, 66. 
 Rivers of Hades, 72, 73. 
 Romulus, 54. 
 Rumor, 30, 73, 74. 
 
 Sabrina, xxxvii, xxxviii, xl, 60. 
 Saturn, xx, xlvi, Iviii, and N., 
 
 Ixxxiv, 3, 19, 34, 48, 50, 56, 
 
 61, 72, 74-75, 82, 83. 
 Satyr, 50, 65, 87. 
 Scipio, 49. 
 
 Scylla, xix, xxxv, 19, 33, 75, 76. 
 Sea-gods, li, 76, 77. 
 Selene, see Moon. 
 Semele, 10, 49, 77. 
 Set, 84. 
 Sibyl, 10 
 Silence, 70, 80. 
 Silenus, Sileni, 42, 87. 
 Sirens, 75, 76, 78. 
 Sleep, xxxiv, xxxv, Ixvii N., 33, 
 
 56, 78, 80. 
 Somnus, see Sleep. 
 Sphinx, 81, 82. 
 Strife, see Eris. 
 Styx, xxxv, liii, 72, 73, 78. 
 Sun, xxvi. xxxii, xxxiii, liv, 11- 
 
 13. 15. 23, 29, 30, 69, 71, 82; 
 
 see Apollo. 
 Sylvan, Sylvans, xxxvi, 87. 
 Symplegades, 13. 
 Syrinx, 13, 67, 87. 
 
 Tantalus, xxxv, Ixxxiv, 68, So. 
 Tartarus, xxi, 22, 33. 48, 63, 72, 
 
 73, 80-S1, 83. 
 Tethys, 76. 
 Thammuz, 3, 4. 
 Thamyris, 81. 
 Thanatos, see Death. 
 
Thebes, 17, 81, 82. 
 
 Themis, 28, 44, 82. 
 
 Thestylis, 24. 
 
 Thetis, 17, 77, 85. 
 
 Thrascias, 86. 
 
 Thyestes, 68. 
 
 Th3rrsis, 24. 
 
 Tiresias, 27, 82. 
 
 Titans, xxi, xlviii, Ixxxiv, 17, 30, 
 
 33, 38, 46, 48, 76, 81, 82-83. 
 Tithonus, 14, 45, 55. 
 Triton, 77. 
 Troy, see Ilium. 
 Turnus, 83. 
 Tyche, see Chance. 
 Typhon, xiv, xxii, xxxv, 30, 48, 
 83, 84. 
 
 Ulysses, xxi, li, 5, 11, 23, 34, 43, 
 53. 55. 57. 58, 62, 75. 76, 77. 
 '78, 84. 
 
 Urania, 57. 
 
 Uranus, see Heaven. 
 
 Venus, xxii N., liii, liv, Ixix, 3, 4, 
 
 5, 6, II, 25, 26, 28, 39, 46, 47, 
 
 49, 51, 59, 84-85, 87. 
 Veritas, 51. 
 Vertumnus, 70. 
 Vesta, XX, Iviii, and N., lix, and 
 
 N., Ix, Ixi, Ixiii, 72, 75. 
 Voluptas, XX N., 26. 
 Vulcan, xi, xix, 11, 40, 48, 51, 65, 
 
 68, 85, 86. 
 
 Water-nymphs, Ixvi, 31, 60. 
 Winds, xlivN., 86, 87. 
 Wood-gods, 65, 87. 
 Wood-nymphs, xxxvi, Ixvi, 28, 
 31- 
 
 Youth, 26; see Hebe. 
 
 Zephyrus, xx, liv, Iv, and N., 15, 
 
 35. 39. 86. 
 Zeus, see Jove. 
 
ERRATA 
 
 p. xKxiii, 1. 19. For sun read Sun. 
 
 P. Ixi, last line. Add Apology for Sntectymnuus, P. W. 3. 100, 117, 
 
 118; Reason of Church Government, P. IV. 2. 479. 
 P. Ixxvi, 1. II. For artist r^a^/ architect. 
 P. II, 1. 17. For Schol. read schol. 
 P. 15, 11. 26, 27. For Milton's Epist. 18. iii, read Ovid, Heroides 
 
 18. III. 
 P. 22, 1. 4 from bottom. After Prolusions insert ^A. Symmons6. 146. 
 P. 23, 1. 14. For C. 57 read C. 517. 
 P. 26, 1. I. For Mn. 664 fiE. read ^«. i. 664 ff. 
 P. 26, 1. 12. For 7-17; 47 read 7. 17, 47. 
 
 P. 27, 1. 5 from bottom. For demogorgona read Demogorgona. 
 P. 28, 1. 3 from bottom. For In Obit, read In Obit. 
 P. 32, 1. 22. For Nymph readnyraph. 
 P. 35, 1. 28. For 3. 5 8 read 3. 558. 
 
 P. 38, 1. 2 from bottom. After Hesiod insert (Theog. 907). 
 P. 42, 1. 5 from bottom. For 746 ff. read Theog, 746 ff. 
 P. 44, 11. 21, 23. For Spring read &^x\u%. 
 P. 48, 1. 2 from bottom. 'Pot fob read Job. 
 P. 55,1. 14. After told insert (6. 10). 
 P. 60, 1. I. For C. 24 ff. read C. 824 ff. 
 
 P. 61, 11. 3, 4. For Ovid, Met i. 416 ff.) read Ovid {Met. i. 416 ff.). 
 P. 64, 1. 2. After Homer insert {II. 14. 259). 
 P. 65, 1. 28. For Ov. Ep. readOv. Her. 
 P. 65, 1. 32. For 7. 7 10 read 7. 7; 10. 
 P. 66, 1. 4 from bottom. Add (Met. 11. 44-49). 
 P. 66, last line. Add I. 55. 
 P. 67, 1. 3. Add II 62, 63. 
 P. 68, 1. 10. For P. L. 4. 66 read P. L. 4. 266. 
 P. 68, 1. 10 from bottom. For Choephorm read Choephori. 
 P. 68, 1. 8 from bottom. After Tauris insert the Electra. 
 P. 72, 1. I. After Ovid insert {Fast. 4. 219, 220). 
 P. 78, 1. 27. For P. L. 706 read P. L. 7. 105. 
 P. 86, 1. 29. For Apricus read Africus. 
 
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