Nofes on Miltoiis Nativity Ode. 355 



The marble pillers and images echeone 

 Swet all for sorowe. 



196. Cf. Virgil, .^n. 2. 351-2 (Richardson): 



Excessere omnes, adytis arisque relictis, 

 Di quibus imperium hoc steterat. 



Add ^H. 2. 326-7; Horace, Od. 2. 1. 25-6; Augustine, Civ. Dei 

 3. 15; .-Eschylus, Sept. 218, and scholium on 310; Euripides, Ti'oj. 

 25; Herodotus 8. 41. The remarkable story told by Tacitus {Hist. 

 5. 13), in his account of the Jewish War, must not be forgotten : 

 ' The doors of the inner shrine were suddenly thrown open, and a 

 voice of more than mortal tone was heard to cry that the gods 

 were departing. At the same instant there was a mighty stir, as 

 of departure.' Similarly Josephus, Bell. Jud. 6. 5. 3 : ' Moreover, at 

 that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by 

 night into the inner [court of the] temple, as their custom was, to 

 perform their sacred ministrations, they said that in the first place 

 they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they 

 heard a sound as of a multitude, saying, " Let us remove hence." ' 

 Cf. Mantuan, Opera 1. 193a: 



Jam nova progenies coelo descenderat alto 

 Et prodire alius saeclorum incoeperat ordo ; 

 Dii Phlegethontaei, regnata tyrannide longa, 

 Et maria et terras animis crelestibus aegre 

 Cedere compulsi, errabant deserta latentes 

 Per nemora extremi gelido sub cardine mundi. 



197. Peor. Properh* the name of a mountain (Num. 23. 28), then 

 used as the name of a local divinity (Num. 25. 18; 31. 16; Josh. 22. 

 17), identical with Baal-Peor (Deut. 4. 3; Num. 25.5; Ps. 106.28). 

 Because of the association of the name of Peor with that of Balaam, 

 there may be a confusion here of Balaam with Baalim. Thus, Num. 

 31. 16: 'Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the 

 counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the 

 matter of Peor ' ; Rev. 2. 14 : ' Thou hast there them that hold the 

 doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock 

 before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and 

 to commit fornication.' Cf. Num. 25. 1—3. See P.L. 1. 412. 



Baalim. The word occurs eighteen times in the A.V. The 

 singular, Baal, means ' owner,' or ' lord,' and the plural, Baalim, des- 

 ignates a great variety of local gods. ' The Baalim were chiefly 

 worshiped at the high-places, but also on housetops ' (Hastings, 



