The bold Ascalonite
Fled from his lion ramp.
—­Samson Agonistes, 139.

“Baptized and infidel” and “barbaric East” are also borrowings from Milton.

9 16. unnumbered numbers.  Notice how effectively in this and the following sentences De Quincey utilizes suggested words:  monstrous, monstrosity; hopelessness, hope.

9 22. fable.  Here used for plot; the idea being that the story of the Revolt has all the compactness and unity of design to be found in the plot of a classic tragedy, which could admit the introduction of no external incidents or episodes to confuse the thread of the main action.

10 8. translation.  Note the etymology of this word, which is here used in its literal sense.

10 17.  But what, etc.  See with what art, as well as with what evident interest, De Quincey catches the very spirit of the plot.  How does the interrogation add strength?

10 25, 26.  Kien Long.  “Emperor of China from 1735 to 1796, was the fourth Chinese emperor of the Mantchoo-Tartar dynasty, and a man of the highest reputation for ability and accomplishment.”—­MASSON.

10 28. religion.  Lamaism.  “A corrupted form of Buddhism prevailing in Tibet and Mongolia, which combines the ethical and metaphysical ideas of Buddhism with an organized hierarchy under two semi-political sovereign pontiffs, an elaborate ritual, and the worship of a host of deities and saints.”—­Century Dictionary.

10 29.  Chinese Wall.  This famous wall was built for defence against the northern Mongols in the third century.  It is 1400 miles in length and of varying height.  In what sense is the phrase used figuratively?

11 17. great Lama.  “Lama, a celibate priest or ecclesiastic belonging to that variety of Buddhism known as Lamaism.  There are several grades of lamas, both male and female.  The dalai-lama and the tesho- or bogdo-lama are regarded as supreme pontiffs.  They are of equal authority in their respective territories, but the former is much the more important, and is known to Europeans as the Grand Lama,”—­Century Dictionary.

The Dalai-Lama (p. 12, l. 11) resides at Lassa in Tibet.

12 34.  With respect to the month.  Notice the extreme care with which the author develops the following details, and the touch of sympathy with which this paragraph closes.

13 28. war raged.  “The war was begun in 1768 when Mustapha III. was Sultan of Turkey; and it was continued till 1774.”—­MASSON.

13 33.  Human experience, etc.  It is a favorite device of this writer to develop a concrete fact into an abstraction of general application.  Do you believe that this is true?  Can you give any illustration?

15 1. a pitched battle.  “It will be difficult, I think, to find record, in the history of the Russo-Turkish war of 1768, of any battle answering to this.”—­MASSON.