40. 12. it might prove a dangerous matter. Milton, a Christian idealist, always insists that temporal affairs shall be subordinate to spiritual interests-religion, liberty, honor, etc. His sarcasm, however, savors somewhat of the aristocratic contempt for tradesmen. Cf. the contemporary Grand Concernments: 'Trade and tradesmen, all along, hath been the very scorn and envy of the Court; not fit to keep a gentleman company, but at a distance. . . . A gentleman's son should be bred up for the gallows, rather than be dishonoured by a trade. . . . The time was when these were not fit to be numbered with the dogs of their flock.... Men will be content to be anything or nothing, to be base and dishonourable, to get riches in the way of trade.' 40. 15. set to sale religion, etc. Plato in the Laws (3. 697) ranks values, in their order of importance, as (1) goods of the soul; (2) goods of the body; (3) money, and property in general. 40. 17. after all this light. Advice furnished by Milton, Marchamount Needham, Harrington, Wither, Vane, etc. 40. 19. made use of by the Jews. See Ex. 16. 3. 40. 20. idol queen. Perhaps Milton alludes to Hathor, the ancient Egyptian 'goddess of love and joy.' She was 'the sum and substance of feminine godhead, and all goddesses were considered as forms or attributes of Hathor worshipped under different names. . . . Hathor is generally represented as a woman, sometimes with the ears, the horns, or even the head of a cow, that being the animal sacred to her' (Wiedemann, Religion of Ancient Egyptians, pp. 142-3). But she was also represented as a cow; for there is a 'bas relief at Florence, No. 1225 (Petrie, Photographs, No. 232),' which 'represents the king Horemheb sucking a cow, the embodiment of the goddess Hathor' (ibid., p. 184). We know that the Jews did worship idols in Egypt (see Joshua 24. 14; Ezek. 20. 7–8; Amos 5. 26). We also read (Ex. 32. 4) of their relapsing into idolatry shortly after leaving Egypt, and that the image which they set up took the form of a golden calf. As Milton had doubtless read of Hathor, the Egyptian Aphrodite, in Greek authors, it would have been only natural for him to associate the bovine symbolism under which she was worshipped with that of the children of Israel. 40. 26. national judgments. Visitations of God's wrath. See note on 40. 2. 40. 30. wth all hazard. This is doubtless a reference to the tumults raging in London on, and immediately after, Feb. II and Feb. 21 (see Introd., p. xiii). As 'champion of the Rump,' Milton might well expect even worse treatment than Barebone got. But as the vehement defender of the regicides, he could look for nothing less than death in case the king was restored. 41. 3. want at no time who, etc. Lack at no time men who, etc. 41. 3a. good at circumstances. Good at carrying out in detail some fundamental suggestion of another. 41. 4. main matters. Fundamental principles. 41. 7. that which is not call'd amiss. The good old cause of the commonwealth-that is, of the deceased, but lately resurrected, republic of 1649-53-had come to be a subject of derision, even among the Presbyterians. Prynne had lately written his Winding Sheet for the Good Old Cause. Milton is here reasserting the dignity of the phrase, probably in answer to the still more recent gibes of L'Estrange and The Censure (see Appendix B, p. 173). 41. 9. convincing to backsliders. This sentence was written while the Rump was still in authority. By the time Milton reached this point in the revision, it was evident that nothing was to be hoped for from the Presbyterians; so the contemptuous reference to backsliders is allowed to stand. 41. II. spoken only to trees and stones. The peroration was probably written just after Monk's turn against the Rump (Feb. 11), and the outburst of anti-republican enthusiasm. 41. 12. the Prophet. Jeremiah (see note on 41. 17). 41. 15. Thou... who didst create mankinde free. See note on 28. 22. 41. 15a. Thou...who didst redeem, etc. See note on 37. 7. 41. 17. determined of Coniah and his seed. Never did Milton launch the Old Testament at his foes with more reckless courage or more terrible force. The parallel seemed too striking to be neglected. And surely nothing could stay the usurper if not the tremendous denunciation of God himself against Jehoiakim and his son Coniah: 'And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. But to the land whereunto their soul longeth to return thither shall they not return. Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord. Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper' (Jer. 22. 26-30). The reference is omitted in the second edition, as Charles was returning, despite Jeremiah and Milton. 41. 23. resolutions... to give a stay, etc. This is evidently an appeal for all republicans to come to the support of Lambert and the Fanatics, who were then making the last armed resistance to kingship. See Introd., p. xxviii. 41. 25. to exhort this torrent. 'To exhort a torrent! The very mixture and hurry of the metaphors in Milton's mind are a reflex of the facts around him. Current, torrent, rush, rapid, avalanche, deluge hurrying to a precipice: mix and jumble such figures as we may, we but express more accurately the mad haste which London and all England were making in the end of April 1660 to bring Charles over from the Continent' (Masson, Life of Milton 5. 668). GLOSSARY This glossary is designed to include all obsolete, archaic, dialectical, and rare words that occur in the text. For the sake of clearness or convenience, a few current words have been admitted. The principal authorities that have been consulted are the New English Dictionary (NED.), the Century Dictionary, Skeat's Etymological Dictionary, and Lockwood's Lexicon. A dagger (†) before a word or meaning indicates that the word or meaning is obsolete; an interrogation (?), that the interpretation is doubtful. †Acquisite, a. [ad. L. acquisit-us Assistances, sb. Assistance; sucpa. pple. of acquirere.] Ac- cour. Arch. in pl. 14. 27. quired; obtained for oneself. 25. II. Addicted, ppl. a. Bandy, v. intr. †Attached by one's own act; given up, devoted, inclined (to a person or party). 21. 22. Admirable, a. †To be wondered To contend, to strive. 26. 15. at; wonderful, surprising, mar- Censur'd, v. trans. † Judged to velous. 18. 26. be. 13. 29. Admiration, sb. Wonder, aston-Charges, sb. 'Expenses often ishment, surprise. Arch. 10. 8. Admire, v. fintr. To wonder, to marvel. 19. 13. Affected, ppl. a. Disposed, in clined. II. 17. Aftergame, sb. Prop. A second game played in order to reverse or improve the issues of the first; hence "The scheme which may be laid or the expedients which are practised after the original game has miscarried; methods taken after the first turn of affairs" Johnson.' NED. 15. 4. Anough. Obs. form of enough. II. 24. Answerable, a. Corresponding; with sense scarcely or not at all distinguishable from the sing.' NED. Arch. in pl. 16. 5. Cheapning, v. trans. Haggling terms about; ?endeavoring to lower the price of. 16. 32. Circumstances, sb. 'Subordinate matters or details strictly, matters "appendant or relative to a fact" Johnson), viewed as extraneous to its essence, but passing into the sense of "subordinate parts of the fact, details."' NED. Obs. in pl. 40. 35. Civilest, a. Having proper public or social order; well-ordered, orderly, well-governed. 31. 13. Commodious, a. Convenient. Arch. 38. 18. Conceit, sb. Notion, idea. 29. 5. Concernment, sb. †Interest. 9. 20. | Face, sb. Aspect; visible conConclude, v. trans. †To prove. dition. 9. I. 18. 19. Faces, sb. Outward shows. 33. 6. Constantly, adv. With mental Discoveries, sb. †Investigations. 32. 33. Dooms-day, sb. [OE. dōmes dæg.] Judgment day. 21. 3. Driving, v. intr. Moving energetically. 29. 7. Faction, sb. †Party-strife; intrigue. 35. 21. Fain, adv. Gladly; willingly. Humour, sb. Groundless fancy, Imposition, sb. Tax. 32. 25. more advantageous to one party than to another.' NED. Effects, sb. Outward signs; evi38. 19. dence. 40. 34. Inferrs, v. Logically necessiElection, sb. tchoice. tates. 39. 10. Endevord, v. trans. Attempted. Obs. exc. arch. II. 33. Equal, a. +Impartial. 38. 19. Estates, sb. Orders of society. 15. 35. Ingenuous, a. †Noble in char acter; highminded. 38. 33: 4I. 20. Judicatures, sb. Courts of justice. |