Of force believe almighty, since no less Than such could have o'erpowered such force as ours) 146 Have left us this our spirit and strength entire, 150 155 Whereto with speedy words the Arch-Fiend replied: "Fallen Cherub! to be weak is miserable, Doing or suffering; but of this be sure, As being the contrary to his high will, 160 And out of good still to find means of evil; 165 170 152. Deep. Chaos, as in Gen. i. 2, "darkness was upon the face of the deep." Cf. i. 177, and indeed many other lines in our books. Chaos, as will be seen when we get to ii. 79, lay between Heaven and Hell. 156. Arch-Fiend. The chief enemy: I make no doubt that Milton had in mind the older meaning of "fiend," which was the opposite of "friend." 157. Cherub. Like Seraphim just above and elsewhere, the term is used generally. 165. Still, always. Back to the gates of Heaven; the sulphurous hail, 175 Seest thou yon dreary plain, forlorn and wild, 180 185 Consult how we may henceforth most offend What re-enforcement we may gain from hope, 190 If not, what resolution from despair." Thus Satan, talking to his nearest mate, 171-3. As hard rain beats down the surf on the beach. 195 178. Slip. "Let slip" would be more common nowadays. The meaning is, Let us take the chance, however we have come by it. 186. Powers, forces, i. e., the other fallen angels. 187. Offend, more serious in meaning than at present. 191. An ellipsis: what resolution we may gain from despair. 197. As whom. As those whom. 198. The Titans of Greek mythology, the older deities, who heaped Mt. Pelion upon Mt. Ossa in their attempt to scale Heaven and Briareos or Typhon, whom the den 200 205 Moors by his side under the lee, while night Invests the sea, and wishèd morn delays: So stretched out huge in length the Arch-Fiend lay, Chained on the burning lake; nor ever thence 210 Had risen, or heaved his head, but that the will And high permission of all-ruling Heaven 215 cast down Zeus, or Jove, as Milton calls him, using his Latin name. Briareos and Typhon were not Titans, but giants or earth-born monsters the first had a hundred arms, the second a hundred heads. 200. Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, Asia Minor. 201. Leviathan. The reference is to Job xli. It is now supposed that the animal there described was the crocodile. But Milton had obviously no such idea. He conceived of the Leviathan as being some great sea monster. 203-208. These lines are like the similes of Homer, each of which presents a picture complete in itself. See Introd., p. xlv. and Appendix B. 204. Night-foundered, sunk in night. 208. Invests, clothes, and so covers. 210. Chained. It is not clear what Milton had in mind here (cf. 48 above), unless he conceived of Satan as being that moment loosed, according to the next lines. 214. Reiterated, repeated. 215. Damnation, in its earlier sense of condemnation. 217. But, only. Infinite goodness, grace, and mercy, shewn 220 Driven backwards, slope their pointing spires, and, rolled That felt unusual weight, till on dry land With stench and smoke: such resting found the sole Both glorying to have 'scaped the Stygian flood, 225 230 235 240 218. See Book xii., in which the Redemption of man is shown to Adam. 220. See x. 504-584. 226. Incumbent, lying upon; cf. recumbent. 232. Pelorus, Etna, mountains in Sicily; the former a promontory, the latter as appears in the lines following, a volcano. 235. Sublimed. The word has a definite chemical meaning, or rather the noun sublimate has. Here sublimed means no more than 'brought to its essential strength." 238. Next mate. Nearest companion; nearest actually, and nearest in rank. 239. Stygian. The Styx was in classical mythology one of the rivers of Hades, cf. ii. 577 and note. Milton takes the adjective as appropriate to Hell, "Is this the region, this the soil, the clime," Said then the lost Archangel, "this the seat That we must change for Heaven? this mournful gloom, For that celestial light? Be it so, since he, Who now is Sovran, can dispose, and bid 245 What shall be right; farthest from him is best, Whom reason hath equalled, force hath made supreme Above his equals. Farewell, happy fields, Where joy forever dwells! hail, horrors! hail, 250 Infernal world! and thou, profoundest Hell, 255 And what I should be, all but less than he Whom thunder hath made greater? Here at least We shall be free; the Almighty hath not built 260 265 242. Is this. With emphasis on this. We have no demonstrative (Lat. iste) which indicates contempt. 243. Archangel. According to popular conception there were seven archangels, or chiefs among the angels. See Introd., p. xxiii. 246. Sovran, Milton's customary spelling: he derives the word from his favourite Italian, sovrano. 248. Satan imagines himself quite equal to God in everything but power; cf. 1. 258. 252. He is no longer speaking to Beëlzebub, but to himself, following his own thoughts. 263. A famous line with which one must compare: "It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. |