481. In this dramatic incident the poet has used the facts as they
occurred, with very little change. The incident of the rattlesnake-skin
and the challenge is historic; it took place in 1622.
496. The plot requires that the choleric Captain should at this stage
be removed from the presence of Alden and Priscilla, leaving the issue
in a state of suspense. For this purpose the author finds the material
of the annals almost ready shaped. The only alteration required was to
change the time when the expedition under Standish started to relieve
the threatened Weymouth Colony. This took place in March, 1623, but in
the poem it is made to happen in April, 1621.
559. Alden’s position with one foot on the gunwale and one on the rock
is a striking visualization of a mood.
572. _Adamantine._ “By him forbidden to unlock these adamantine gates.”
(_Paradise Lost_, Book II, 853.)