the queen of heaven > (Juno, sister and wife of Jove)
3 And Sisyphus a huge round stone did reel
Sisyphus > (In later accounts, a corrupt king of Corinth, the father of Ulysses. For his wickedness he was condemned to push uphill a great marble boulder which constantly rolled down again. See Virgil's Gnat 389-92) reel > roll
4 Against a hill, nor might from labour lin;
lin > cease, leave off
5 There thirsty Tantalus hung by the chin;
Tantalus > (An evil king, variously said to be of Lydia, Phrygia, Argos, or Corinth. According to the account preferred, his fatal crime was (1) to have divulged secrets entrusted to him by Jupiter, (2) to have offered his son Pelops, in cooked pieces, as food for the gods, (3) to have stolen ambrosia and nectar from the table of the gods, or (4) to have feloniously received a golden dog, the property of the goddess Rhea. He was punished by being placed within reach of food and water which drew back whenever he tried to eat or drink; moreover, a giant rock was suspended over his head, perpetually threatening to fall and crush him. See Odyssey 11.582-92, Virgil's Gnat 385-8)
6 And Tityus fed a vulture on his maw;
Tityus > (A giant who attempted to rape the goddess Latona (Diana, in some accounts): he was killed, stretched out on a rack, and condemned to having his liver perpetually eaten by two vultures. See Virgil's Gnat 377) maw > stomach
7 Typhoeus' joints were stretched on a gin;