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And this imperial sovranty, adorned

With splendour, armed with power, if aught proposed

And judged of public moment, in the shape

Of difficulty or danger, could deter

Me from attempting. Wherefore do I assume
These royalties, and not refuse to reign,

450

Refusing to accept as great a share

Of hazard as of honour, due alike

To him who reigns, and so much to him due
Of hazard more, as he above the rest

455

High honoured sits? Go, therefore, mighty Powers,
Terror of Heaven, though fallen! intend at home,
While here shall be our home, what best may ease
The present misery, and render Hell

460

More tolerable; if there be cure or charm
To respite, or deceive, or slack the pain
Of this ill mansion. Intermit no watch
Against a wakeful foe, while I abroad.

Through all the coasts of dark destruction seek
Deliverance for us all. This enterprise

465

None shall partake with me." Thus saying, rose
The Monarch, and prevented all reply;

Prudent, lest, from his resolution raised,
Others among the chief might offer now
(Certain to be refused) what erst they feared;
And, so refused, might in opinion stand
His rivals, winning cheap the high repute,
Which he, through hazard huge, must earn.
Dreaded not more the adventure than his voice
Forbidding; and at once with him they rose.
Their rising all at once was as the sound

457. Intend, much the same as attend to.

470

But they

475

464. Coasts, used now of the sea line, but in Milton's day more generally in the meaning country. There is nothing in the origin of the word to make the expression "sea-coast" tautological 470. Erst, at first.

472, 473. Note the distinction between winning and earning.

Of thunder heard remote. Towards him they bend
With awful reverence prone; and as a god
Extol him equal to the Highest in Heaven:

Nor failed they to express how much they praised
That for the general safety he despised

480

His own for neither do the spirits damned

Lose all their virtue; lest bad men should boast

Their specious deeds on earth, which glory excites,
Or close ambition varnished o'er with zeal.

485

Thus they their doubtful consultations dark
Ended, rejoicing in their matchless chief:
As when from mountain-tops the dusky clouds

Ascending, while the north wind sleeps, o'erspread
Heaven's cheerful face, the lowering element
Scowls o'er the darken'd landskip snow or shower;
If chance the radiant sun with farewell sweet
Extend his evening beam, the fields revive,
The birds their notes renew, and bleating herds
Attest their joy, that hill and valley rings.
O shame to men! Devil with devil damned
Firm concord holds; men only disagree

490

495

Of creatures rational, though under hope

Of heavenly grace, and, God proclaiming peace,
Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife

500

Among themselves, and levy cruel wars,

Wasting the earth, each other to destroy:
As if (which might induce us to accord)
Man had not hellish foes enow besides,
That day and night for his destruction wait.

505

The Stygian council thus dissolved; and forth

In order came the grand infernal Peers:

496-505. This reflection of Milton's may have been called forth by the impossibility of the Puritan leaders coming to any good understanding after the death of Cromwell. He may have felt that had they shown a firm united front, the Restoration would not have

come.

507. See i. 618.

Midst came their mighty Paramount, and seemed
Alone the antagonist of Heaven, nor less

Than Hell's dread Emperor, with pomp supreme,
And god-like imitated state; him round

510

A globe of fiery Seraphim enclosed,
With bright imblazonry, and horrent arms.
Then of their session ended they bid cry
With trumpets' regal sound the great result.
Towards the four winds four speedy Cherubim
Put to their mouths the sounding alchymy,
By herald's voice explained; the hollow Abyss
Heard far and wide, and all the host of Hell

515

With deafening shout returned them loud acclaim.

520

Thence more at ease their minds, and somewhat raised

By false presumptuous hope, the rangèd powers

Disband, and wandering each his several way
Pursues, as inclination or sad choice

Leads him perplexed, where he may likeliest find

525

Truce to his restless thoughts, and entertain

The irksome hours, till his great chief return.
Part on the plain, or in the air sublime,
Upon the wing, or in swift race contend,

As at the Olympian games, or Pythian fields;

530

508. Paramount. Lord Paramount was a legal term meaning supreme lord. The adjective-it was originally an adverbial phrase -is here used as a noun.

509. Alone the antagonist of Heaven; seemed in himself alone to be a sufficient antagonist for God.

511. Imitated state; imitated from the state of Heaven.

513. Horrent, a Latinism, cf. abhorrent.

517. Alchymy. A mixed metal imitating gold, much used for making trumpets. The word is not in common use after the seventeenth century.

518. By herald's voice explained. After the trumpets the heralds proclaimed the results of the conclave.

530. Olympian games, the greatest of the national games, which were so much of a help to Greek unity.

Pythian fields. The Pythian games were also national, but of less fame.

Part curb their fiery steeds, or shun the goal
With rapid wheels, or fronted brigads form :
As when, to warn proud cities, war appears
Waged in the troubled sky, and armies rush
To battle in the clouds; before each van

535

Prick forth the aery knights, and couch their spears,

Till thickest legions close; with feats of arms

From either end of Heaven the welkin burns.
Others, with vast Typhœan rage, more fell,
Rend up both rocks and hills, and ride the air
In whirlwind; Hell scarce holds the wild uproar.
As when Alcides, from Echalia crowned
With conquest, felt the envenomed robe, and tore

540

Through pain up by the roots Thessalian pines,

545

And Lichas from the top of Eta threw
Into the Euboic sea. Others more mild,
Retreated in a silent valley, sing
With notes angelical to many a harp
Their own heroic deeds, and hapless fall
By doom of battle; and complain that fate

Free virtue should enthral to force or chance.

Their song was partial; but the harmony

550

(What could it less, when spirits immortal sing?) Suspended Hell, and took with ravishment

532. Fronted brigads. Brigads is a specific word (see i. 675) used with a general meaning; fronted, presumably, means drawn up in line. 538. Weikin, the heavens, the region of clouds.

539. Typhoan. Typhoeus was one of the Titans. See i. 198.

542. Alcides. Hercules, the grandson of Alcaeus, died of a poisoned robe sent him on his marriage in Echalia, by a former wife, who was ignorant of the mischief she was doing. In his agony he seized Lichas, who had brought the robe, and hurled him into the Euboean sea. The common version represents him as ascending Mount Eta afterwards, and there mounting his funeral pyre.

551. It may not be superfluous to point out that free virtue is the object of enthral.

552. Partial, inclined too much to their own side.

554. Suspended, caused a stop, a silence.

The thronging audience. In discourse more sweet 555
(For eloquence the soul, song charms the sense),
Others apart sat on a hill retired,

In thoughts more elevate, and reasoned high
Of providence, foreknowledge, will and fate-
Fixed fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute—
And found no end, in wandering mazes lost.
Of good and evil much they argued then,
Of happiness and final misery,
Passion and apathy, and glory and shame—
Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy!
Yet, with a pleasing sorcery, could charm
Pain for a while, or anguish, and excite
Fallacious hope, or arm the obdurèd breast
With stubborn patience, as with triple steel.
Another part, in squadrons and gross bands,
On bold adventure to discover wide
That dismal world, if any clime perhaps

560

565

570

Might yield them easier habitation, bend

Four ways their flying march, along the banks
Of four infernal rivers, that disgorge

575

Into the burning lake their baleful streams :
Abhorrèd Styx, the flood of deadly hate;
Sad Acheron of sorrow, black and deep;
Cocytus, named of lamentation loud

Heard on the rueful stream; fierce Phlegeton,
Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage.
Far off from these, a slow and silent stream,

580

555-565. Milton would seem to have little respect for such discussions, if we could judge from this passage. Yet he inserted in his

poem discussions on the same and kindred topics, e. g., iii. 92–343, which have generally been regarded as blemishes.

568. Obdured, hardened; obdurate.

575. Four infernal rivers. These four rivers, with their characteristics, come from classical mythology. Cf., e. g., Qvid, Metam. xiv., or Virgil, Æn. vi.

580. Rueful, the word was stronger than to-day.

581. Torrent, an adjective, cf. horrent, 513.

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