Wak'd by the circling hours, with rosy hand subject in the first book, as also and struck With heav'n's afflicting thunder, and besought There is a cave who look into Homer, are surprised to find his battles still rising one above another, and improving in horror, to the conclusion of the Iliad. Milton's The deep to shelter us? this hell fight of angels is wrought up then seem'd A refuge from those wounds. In short, the poet never mentions any thing of this battle but in such images of greatness and terror as are suitable to the subject. Among several others I cannot forbear quoting that sage, where the Power, who is described as presiding over the Chaos, speaks in the second book, ii. 988. &c. pas Thus Satan ; and him thus the Anarch old, With falt'ring speech and visage incompos'd, Answer'd. I know thee, stranger, who thou art, That mighty leading angel, who of late Made head against heav'n's King, though overthrown. I saw and heard, for such a numerous host with the same beauty. It is ushered in with such signs of wrath as are suitable to Omnipotence incensed. The first engagement is carried on under a cope of fire, occasioned by the flights of innumerable burning darts and arrows which are discharged from either host. The second onset is still more terrible, as it is filled with those artificial thunders, which seem to make the victory doubtful, and produce a kind of consternation even in the good angels. This is followed by the tearing up of mountains and promontories; till, in the last place, the Messiah comes forth in the fulness of majesty and terror. The pomp of his appearance amidst the roarings of his thunders, the flashes of his Fled not in silence through the lightnings, and the noise of his frighted deep With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, Confusion worse confounded; and heav'n-gate Pour'd out by millions her victorious bands Pursuing. It required great pregnancy of invention and strength of imagination, to fill this battle with such circumstances as should raise and astonish the mind of the reader; and at the same time an exactness of judgment, to avoid every thing that might appear light or trivial. Those chariot-wheels, is described with Wak'd by the circling hours, πυλαι ουρανου, ὡς ἔχον Ωραι Της επιτέτραπται μέγας ουρανος, Ου λυμπος τε, Ημεν ανακλίναι τουκινον νέφος, ηδ' ότι θείναι. Within the mount of God, fast by his throne, 5 Lodge and dislodge by turns, which makes through heaven Grateful vicissitude, like day and night; Light issues forth, and at the other door To veil the heav'n, though darkness there might well Empyreal; from before her vanish'd night, 10 Shot through with orient beams; when all the plain 15 Heav'n's golden gates, kept by the The sun's bright portals and the skies command, Involve in clouds th' eternal gates of Or the dark barrier roll with ease 6. Where light and darkness &c.] The making darkness a positive thing is poetical. But besides that, as he thought fit to bring it into heaven, it could not be otherwise represented, for obvious reasons. Warburton. And the thought of light and darkness lodging and dislodging by turns, the one issuing forth and the other entering, is plainly borrowed from a fine passage in Hesiod, Theog. 748. όθι νυξ τε και ήμερα αστον ιούσαι Αλληλας προσέειπον, αμειβόμεναι μεγαν ουδόν Ερχεται, ουδε ποτ' αμφοτέρας δομος 14. —vanish'd night,] It is very absurdly printed in some editions, vanquished night. 15. Shot through with orient beams;] This quaint conceit of night's being shot through &c. is much below the usual dignity. of Milton's descriptions. The Italian poets, even the very best of them, are fond of such boyish fancies, and there is no doubt but we are obliged to them for this. So Marino speaking of Night, Adon. cant. v. st. 120. E di tenebre armata uccise il giorno. Both, in my opinion, very puerile. Thyer. A very ingenious man (Mr. Seward) is still for justifying the expression, and says that nothing can be better suited to the nature of the thing; the rays of light do literally shoot through the darkness. 15. Prudentius, Hymn ii. 6. Caligo terræ scinditur Solis percussa spiculo. See also Buchanan, Silv. iv. p. 58. Opp. edit. 1715. Cover'd with thick imbattled squadrons bright, CUSPIDE jucundæ lucis PERCUSSA renident Arva. And De Sphæra, lib. i. p. 123. CUSPID. See also, ibid. p. 116, 119, 130, 132. And in other places. And Fletcher of the sun, Purpl. Isl. xii. 25. And with his arrowes th' idle fogge doth chase. See note P. R. iv. 244. T. Warton. 19. -war in procinct,] The Roman soldiers were said to stand in procinctu, when ready to give the onset. Hume. 20 25 30 As if you should say ready girded, in allusion to the ancients, who just before the battle used to gird their garments close to them, which on other occasions they wore very loose. See Festus. Richardson. 29. Servant of God,] So the name of Abdiel signifies in Hebrew. 34. Universal reproach, far worse to bear Than violence ;] This sentiment is very just, and not unlike what Florus says in his character of Tarquin the Proud-in omnes superbia, quæ crudelitate gravior est bonis, Than violence; for this was all thy care To stand approv'd in sight of God, though worlds 35 40. 45 41. reason for their law] Alluding to the word Ayos. 44. Go Michael of celestial armies prince,] As this battle of the angels is founded principally on Rev. xii. 7, 8. There was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon, and the Dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven; Michael is rightly made by Milton the leader of the heavenly armies, and the name in Hebrew signifies the power of God. But it may be censured perhaps as a piece of wrong conduct in the poem, that the commission here given is not executed; they are ordered to drive the rebel angels out from God and bliss, but this is effected at last by the Messiah alone. Some reasons for it are assigned in the speech of God, ver. 680. and in that of the Messiah, ver. 801. in this book. B b By thousands and by millions rang'd for fight, Rebellious; them with fire and hostile arms So spake the sovran voice, and clouds began To darken all the hill, and smoke to roll Of wrath awak'd; nor with less dread the loud. 49. Equal in number] As Satan was said to draw after him the third part of heav'n's host, v. 710. so God here sends another third part, equal in number, to pursue him; and the remaining third was probably reserved to attend upon duty about the sovran throne. See v. 655. Greenwood. 55. His fiery chaos] Chaos may mean any place of confusion; but if we take it strictly, Tartarus or Hell was built in Chaos (ii. 1002.) and therefore that part of it, being stored with fire, may not improperly be called a fiery chaos. Dr. Bentley's change of his into its, because which (not who) went before, proceeds upon a supposition that which is not to be re 50 55 60 ferred to a person; though it is well known that formerly which was as often applied to a person as who as Dr. Pearce observes. 56. —and clouds began To darken all the hill, and smoke to roll &c.] In this description the author manifestly alludes to that of God descending upon mount Sinai, Exod. xix. 16, &c. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders, and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount—and mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. 58. reluctant flames,] As slow and unwilling to break forth, Stupa vomens tardum fumum. |