[646. Entered the very lime-twigs of his spells.] Lime was a viscous substance, spread upon the twigs of trees and bushes to entangle the feet of birds. The figure is frequent in Shakespeare. See Hamlet III 3 68, “O limed soul, that, struggling to be free, Art more engaged.”
[657. apace:] quickly.
[In] the stage directions, [goes about] means, makes a movement.
[661. as Daphne was, Root-bound, that fled Apollo.] The great god, Apollo, pursuing the nymph Daphne, Diana saved her by transforming her into a laurel tree.
[672. this cordial julep.] Julep is a word of Persian origin, meaning rose-water. Note the poet’s skill in culling words of delicious sound.
[675. Not that Nepenthes which the wife of Thone In Egypt gave to Jove-born Helena.] See Odyssey IV: “Then Helen, daughter of Zeus, cast a drug into the wine whereof they drank, a drug to lull all pain and anger, and bring forgetfulness of every sorrow.... Medicines of such virtue and so helpful had the daughter of Zeus, which Polydamna, the wife of Thon, had given her, a woman of Egypt.”
[685. the unexempt condition:] the condition from which no one is exempt.
[695. These oughly-headed monsters.] Perhaps by this peculiar spelling, oughly, Milton meant to add to the word ugly a higher degree of ugliness.
[698. With vizored falsehood:] falsehood with its vizor, or face-piece, down, to conceal its identity.
[700. With liquorish baits.] Liquorish, now usually spelled lickerish, is allied to lecherous, and has no connection with liquor or with liquorice.