348 Albert S. Cook, 



shall spread his throne. Spread seems to be due to a 

 kind of confusion here. In Jer. 43. 10 a pavilion is spoken of as 

 spread, as a tent is in Gen. 33. 19 ; 35. 21 ; 2 Sam. 16. 22 ; Isa. 40. 

 22 ; and so Milton has {P.L. 2. 960), ' and his dark pavilion spread.' 

 In P.L. 10. 445—7, a throne is spread, under a kind of baldachin 

 or canopy, which may be likened to a pavilion : 



Ascended his high throne, which, under state 

 Of richest texture spread, at the upper end 

 Was placed in regal lustre. 



This is clearly indebted to Jer. 43. 10, referred to above: 'and will 

 set his throne upon those stones that I have laid ; and be shall 

 spread his royal pavilion over them.' Accordingly, there is a kind 

 of contamination between the tirst clause and the second of this 

 passage, so that ' set his throne ' and ' .spread his royal pavihon ' 

 yield ' spread his throne ' ; and this may account for the ' spread ' 

 of both P.L. 10. 446 and our line. 



165—7. Thus Milton spans the whole period from the Nativity to 

 the Last Judgment. 



168. Dragon. Cf. Rev. 20. 1-3; 12. 3-9; P.L. 12. 453 ff. See 

 also Mantuan, Opera 1. 72 a: 



Sunt quoque qui summun traxisse per sethera caudam 

 Fronte sub ardenti mersa Phlegethonte Draconem 

 Commemorent. 



169. straiter. Cf. Isa. 49. 20: 'The place is too strait for me.' 



170. usurped. Cf. P.L. 10. 189; P.R. 4. 182-3. 



171. Jebb translates: 



quassat retorquens 

 Squamigerse fera flagra caudse. 



swinges. Verity quotes from Du Bartas (Grosart 1. 75) con- 

 cerning a lion : 



Then often svvindging, with his sinewy train 

 Sometimes his sides, sometimes the dusty plain. 



scaly. Cf. P.L. 2. 651-2: 



Many a scaly fold. 

 Voluminous and vast. 



Add Spenser, P.O. 1. 7. 31. 9. 



horror. Cf. Lucretius 2. 410-11: 



serrae stridentis acerbum 

 Horrorem constare dementis levibus. 



