Shone like a meteor ftreaming to the wind,
With gems and golden luftre rich imblaz'd,
Seraphic arms and trophies; all the while
Sonorous metal blowing martial founds:

At which the universal hoft up fent

540

A fhout, that tore Hell's concave, and beyond
Frighted the reign of Chaos and old Night.

I in a moment through the gloom were seen
n thousand banners rife into the air
With orient colors waving: with them rose

545

A

550

A foreft huge of fpears; and thronging helms
Appear'd, and ferried shields in thick array
Of depth immeasurable: anon they move
In perfect phalanx to the Dorian mood
Of flutes and foft recorders; fuch as rais'd
To highth of nobleft temper heroes old
Arming to battel, and inftead of rage
Deliberate valor breath'd, firm and unmov'd
With dread of death to flight or foul retreat; 555
Nor wanting pow'r to mitigate and swage

With folemn touches troubled thoughts, and chase

;

Of dry topt oaks they feem'd two
forefts thick:
So did each hoft with fpears and
fpikes abound. Fairfax.

Thyer.

Anguish

was the moft doleful, the Phrygian the moft fprightly, and the Dorian the most grave and majestic. And Milton in another part of his works ufes grave and Doric almost as fynonimous terms. "If we think "to regulate printing, thereby to

rectify manners, we must regu"late all recreations and paftimes, "all that is delightful to man. "No mufic must be heard, no "fong be fet or fung, but what 548. ferried fields] Lock'd" is grave and Doric." one within another, link'd and clafp'd together, from the French ferrer, to lock, to fhut clofe.

(See his Speech for the liberty of unlicenc'd Printing. Vol. I. p. 149. Edit. 1738.) This therefore was the mealure beft adapted to the fall'n Angels at this juncture; and their inftruments were flutes and pipes and feft recorders, for the fame reason that Thucy lides and other ancient hiftorians affign for the Lacedemonians making ufe of thefe inftruments, because they inspir'd them with a more cool and deliberate

courage,

Anguish and doubt and fear and forrow' and pain
From mortal or immortal minds. Thus they
Breathing united force with fixed thought
Mov'd on in filence to foft pipes, that charm'd
Their painful steps o'er the burnt foil; and now
Advanc'd in view they ftand, a horrid front
Of dreadful length and dazling arms, in guise
Of warriors old with order'd spear and shield,
Awaiting what command their mighty chief
Had to impofe: He through the armed files
Darts his experienc'd eye, and foon traverse

560

565

567.-He through the armed files Darts his experienc'd eye, -] Not

The whole battalion views, their order due,
Their vifages and stature as of Gods,

570

Their number laft he fums. And now his heart
Diftends with pride, and hard'ning in his ftrength
Glories: for never fince created man,

Met fuch imbodied force, as nam'd with thefe
Could merit more than that small infantry 575
Warr'd on by cranes; though all the giant brood
Of Phlegra with th' heroic race were join'd
That fought at Thebes and Ilium, on each fide
Mix'd with auxiliar Gods; and what refounds
In fable or romance of Uther's fon

580 Begirt

unlike that in Shakespear. Anth. affifted by the Gods, therefore call'd

and Cleop. Act. 1.

-Thofe his goodly eyes

auxiliar Gods; and what refounds even in fable or romance of Uther's

That o'er the files and mufters of Jon, king Arthur, fon of Uther

the war

Have glow'd like plated Mars.

575. that Small infantry Warr'd on by cranes ;] All the heroes and armies that ever were affembled were no more than pygmies in comparison with thefe Angels; though all the giant brood of Phlegra, a city of Macedonia, where the giants fought with the Gods, with th' heroic race were join'd that fought at Thebes, a city in Boeotia, famous for the war between the fons of Oedipus, celebrated by Statius in his Thebaid, and Ilium made ftill more famous by Homer's Iliad, where on each fide the heroes were

Pendragon, whofe exploits are romanticly extoll'd by Geoffry of Monmouth, begirt with British and Armoric knights, for he was often in alliance with the king of Armorica, fince called Bretagne, of the Britons who fettled there; and all who fince joufted in Afpramont or Montalban, romantic names of places mention'd in Orlando Furiofo, the latter perhaps Montauban in France, Damafco or Marocco, Damafcus or Morocco, but he calls them as they are call'd in romances, or Trebifond, a city of Cappadocia in the leffer Afia, all thefe places are famous in romances, for jouftings between the baptiz'd and infidels; or whom Bi

fertay

Begirt with British and Armoric knights;
And all who fince, baptiz'd or infidel,
Joufted in Afpramont or Montalban,
Damafco, or Marocco, or Trebifond,
Or whom Bisferta fent from Afric fhore,
When Charlemain with all his peerage fell
By Fontarabbia. Thus far these beyond
Compare of mortal prowess, yet obferv'd
Their dread commander: he above the rest
In shape and gesture proudly eminent
Stood like a tow'r; his form had yet not loft
| All her original brightness, nor appear'd

Serta, formerly call'd Utica, fent from Afric fore, that is the Saracens who pafs'd from Biferta in Africa to Spain, when Charlemain with all his peerage fell by Fontarabbia. Charlemain king of France and emperor of Germany about the year 800 undertook a war against the Saracens in Spain, and Mariana and the Spanish hiftorians are Milton's authors for faying that he and his army were routed in this manner at Fontarabbia (which is a ftrong town in Biscay at the very entrance into Spain, and efteem'd the key of the kingdom): but Mezeray and the French writers give a quite different and more probable account of him, that he was at laft victorious over his enemies and died in peace. And tho' we cannot agree with Dr. Bentley in rejecting VOL. I.

585

590

Lefs

fome of thefe lines as fpurious, yet it is much to be wifh'd that our poet had not fo far indulg'd his taste for romances, of which he profeffes himself to have been fond in his younger years, and had not been oftentatious of fuch reading, as perhaps had better never have been read.

589. he above the reft &c.] What a noble defcription is here of Satan's perfon! and how different from the common and ridiculous reprefentations of him, with horns and a tail and cloven feet! and yet Taffo hath fo defcrib'd him, Cant. IV. The greatest mafters in painting had not fuch fublime ideas as Milton, and among all their Devils have drawn no portrait comparable to this; as every body must allow who have feen the pictures or

F

the