100

Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.
Such I created all the ethereal Powers
And Spirits, both them who stood, and them
who fail'd;

Freely they stood who ftood, and fell who fell.
Not free, what proof could they have given fincere
Of true allegiance, conftant faith or love,
Where only what they needs muft do appear'd, 105
Not what they would? what praise could they
receive?

What pleasure I from fuch obedience paid, When will and reason (reason also is choice) Useless and vain, of freedom both defpoil'd, Made paffive both, had ferv'd neceffity,

Ver. 101.

110

both them who flood, and them who fail'd ;] Both the antitheton and the repetition in the next line show that the author gave it,

"both them who stood and them who fell; "Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell." BENTLEY. Ver. 108. (reafon alfo is choice)] Milton had expreffed the fame fentiment before in his Areopagitica; "Many there be that complain of Divine Providence for fuffering Adam to tranfgrefs. Foolish tongues! when God gave him reason, he gave him freedom to chufe; for reafon is but choofing: He had been else a mere artificial Adam." NEWTON.

The poet's meaning feems to be this: When two or more things are propofed, 'tis the bufinefs of reason to choose, i. e. netermine fpeculatively, which is the beft; as it is the bufinefs of will to determine practically. These words were thrown in to take off the objection which might have arifen, in the minds of his readers, upon feeing the word freedom in the next line applied to reason. This way of speaking Milton took from Plato. STILLINGFLEET.

Not me? They therefore, as to right belong'd,
So were created, nor can justly accuse
Their Maker, or their making, or their fate,
As if predeftination over-rul'd

Their will difpos'd by abfolute decree

115

Or high foreknowledge; they themselves decreed
Their own revolt, not I; if I foreknew,
Foreknowledge had no influence on their fault,
Which had no less proved certain unforeknown.
So without leaft impúlse or shadow of fate, 120
Or aught by me immutably foreseen,
They trefpafs, authors to themfelyes in all
Both what they judge, and what they choose;
for fo

I form'd them free: and free they must remain,
Till they enthrall themselves; I else must change
Their nature, and revoke the high decree

126

Ver. 117. if] If here does not imply the leaft doubt or uncertainty; but it is used, as it is fometimes in the best authors, in the fenfe of though. "Though I foreknew, that foreknowledge had no influence." NEWTON.

Ver. 121. Or aught by me immutably forefeen,] To foresee immutably, fays Dr. Bentley, are two ideas that cannot unite: He thinks therefore that Milton muft have given it, immutably foredoom'd. His objection is right, but his emendation is wrong, I think. Milton feems rather to have dictated,

"Or aught by me immutable foreseen ;".

where aught immutable may fignify any event that cannot be changed or altered. PEARCE.

Immutably forefeen feems to mean fo foreseen as to be immutable, If Milton had dictated immutable, he would probably have faid, “Or aught immutable by me forefeen." NEWTON.

Unchangeable, eternal, which ordain'd

Their freedom; they themselves ordain'd their fall. The first fort by their own fuggeftion fell, 129 Self-tempted, felf-deprav'd: Man falls, deceiv'd By the other firft: Man therefore shall find grace, The other none: In mercy and justice both, Through Heaven and Earth, so shall my glory excel;

But mercy, first and last, shall brightest shine. Thus while God spake, ambrofial fragrance fill'd

135

1

Ver. 135. Thus while God Spake, &c.] Milton here shows, that he was no fervile imitator of the ancients. It is very well known, that his mafter, Homer, and all who followed him, where they are reprefenting the Deity speaking, describe a scene of terrour and awful confternation. The Heavens, Seas, and Earth, tremble, &c. and this, to be fure, was confiftent enough with their natural notions of the Supreme Being: But it would not have been fo agreeable to the mild, merciful, and benevolent idea of the Deity upon the Christian scheme, and therefore our author has very judiciously made the words of the Almighty diffufing fragrance and delight to all around him. There is a paffage in Ariofto, which is exactly in the fame taste with what Milton has given us, C. 29, ft. 30.

"Dio così diffe; e fe ferena interno

"L'aria, e tranquillo il mar più che mai fuffe." THYER. The breath of Jove is defcribed as fhedding fuch exquifite fragrance, as might infpire the dead with life, in Camöens's Lufiad, C. i. ft. xxii. See alfo the Romance of Huon de Bordeaux, 8vo. Rouen, f. d. fol. 404. a. "Droit à cefte heure que la noble pucelle faifoit fes prieres à Dieu, vne moult grand clarté s'espandit par la chambre, puis apres y furuint vne odeur fi tres-fouëf, fleu rant, qu' aduis eftoit que toute la chambre fut pleine d'encens, & d'efpices aromatiques, puis apres ouirent vne voix angelicque qui de par noftre Seigneur vint & dit, A toy Empereur de Rome, Dieu te mande par moy, &c." TODD.

All Heaven, and in the bleffed Spirits elect
Senfe of new joy ineffable diffus'd.
Beyond compare the Son of God was feen
Moft glorious; in him all his Father shone
Subftantially exprefs'd; and in his face
Divine compassion vifibly appear'd,
Love without end, and without measure grace,
Which uttering, thus he to his Father spake.

140

O Father, gracious was that word which clos'd Thy fovran fentence, that Man fhould find grace; For which both Heaven and earth fhall high extol

Thy praises, with the innumerable found

146

Ver. 139. in him all his Father fhone] P. Fletcher uses a similar phrase in speaking of our Lord, Purp. I. C. xii. ft. 81.

"Full of his Father fhines his glorious face." TODD. Ver. 140. Subftantially exprefs'd;] According to Heb. i. 3. where the Son of God is ftyled, "the brightness of his Father's glory; and the exprefs image of his perfon;" XapaxrÈR TÜÇ ÛÃOsária aur, the character of his fubftance, as the original expresses it. HUME.

Ibid.

in his face

Divine compaffion vifibly appear'd,

Love without end, and without measure grace,] See Ma

rino's Gerufalemme Diftrutta, C. vii. ft, 62.

"Pace, pace e pietà fcritto à vermiglio

“In quei vivi caratteri gli leffe;

"E ne gli occhi, non men libri del core,

"Leffe a lettere di foco, Amor, Amore." J. C.WALKER.

Ver. 147.

with the innumerable found &c.]

So, in B. i. 101. "The innumerable force of spirits." In both places the word innumerable, though joined to found and force, in fense refers to songs and spirits. PEARCE.

Of hymns and facred fongs, wherewith thy throne
Encompass'd fhall refound thee ever bleft.
For fhould Man finally be loft, should Man, 150
Thy creature late fo lov'd, thy youngest son,
Fall circumvented thus by fraud, though join'd
With his own folly? That be from thee far,
That far be from thee, Father, who art judge
Of all things made, and judgeft only right. 155
Or fhall the Adversary thus obtain
His end, and fruftrate thine? fhall he fulfil
His malice, and thy goodness bring to nought,
Or proud return, though to his heavier doom,
Yet with revenge accomplish'd, and to Hell 160
Draw after him the whole race of mankind,
By him corrupted? or wilt thou thyself
Abolish thy creation, and unmake

For him, what for thy glory thou hast made?
So fhould thy goodness and thy greatness both 165
Be question'd and blafphem'd without defence.

Ver. 153. With his own folly ?] Let us remove the mark of interrogation, and point the paffage thus, With his own follyThe fentence is imperfect, and is an apofiopefis. The speech elegantly breaks off; by which means the poet referves, what is here understood, to close all with more emphatically. The entire sentence runs thus, For fhould Man be finally loft &c. thy goodnefs fhould be blafphem'd without defence. STILLING FLEET.

Ver. 153.

That be from thee far,

That far be from thee, &c.] An imitation of Genefis, xviii. 25. "That be far from thee to do after this manner, to flay the righteous with the wicked; and, that the righteous fhould be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" NEWTON.