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Regions of forrow, doleful fhades, where peace 65
And reft can never dwell, hope never comesk.
That comes to all; but torture without end
Still urges, and a fiery deluge, fed
With ever-burning fulphur unconfum'd:
Such place eternal Justice had prepar'd

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For those rebellious, here their prison ordain'd
In utter darkness, and their portion set

As far remov'd from God and light of Heaven,
As from the center thrice to th' utmost pole.

72. In utter darkness,] Dr. Bentley reads outer here and in many other places of this poem, because it is in Scripture, το σκοτG το εξε ωτερον: But my dictionaries tell me that utter and outer are both the fame word, differently fpell'd and pronounc'd. Milton, in the argument of this book, fays in a place of utter darkness, and no where throughout the poem does the poet ufe: quter. Pearce.

Spenfer juftifies the prefent read ing by frequently ufing the word utter for outer, as in Fairy Queen, B. 2. Cant. 2. St. 34.

And inly grieve, as doth an hidden moth

The inner garment fret, not th’utter touch.

And again, B. 4. Cant. 10. St. 11.

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74. As from the center thrice to

th' utmost pole.] Thrice as far, as it is from the center of the earth (which is the center of the world according to Milton's fyftem, IX. 103. and X. 671.) to the pole of the world; for it is the pole of the univerfe, far beyond the pole of the earth, which is here call'd the utmost pole. It is obfervable that Homer makes the feat of Hell as far beneath the deepeft pit of earth, as the Heaven is

above the earth,

Τόσσον ενερθ ̓ αϊδεω, όσον κραν

es' ano youns. Iliad. VIII. 16. Virgil makes it twice as far,

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O how unlike the place from whence they fell! 75
There the companions of his fall, o'erwhelm'd
With floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire,
He foon difcerns, and welt'ring by his fide
One next himself in pow'r, and next in crime,
Long after known in Palestine, and nam'd
Beelzebub. To whom th' Arch-Enemy,

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And thence in Heav'n call'd Satan, with bold words Breaking the horrid filence thus began.

If thou beeft he; but O how fall'n! how chang'd

Bis patet in præceps tantum ten-
ditque fub umbras,
Quantus ad æthereum cœli fufpe-
&us Olympum. Æn. VI. 577.

And Milton thrice as far,

As far remov'd from God and light of Heaven,

As from the center thrice to th' utmoft pole:

From

ferrea turris, and horrifono ftridentes cardine porta of Virgil, in comparifon with this defcription by Milton, concluding with that artful contraft,

O how unlike the place from whence they fell!

81. Beelzebub.] The lord of flies, an idol worshipped at Ecron, a city of the Philiftines, 2 Kings I. 2. He is called prince of the Devils, Mat. XII. 24. therefore deservedly here made fecond to Satan himself. Hume.

82. And thence in Heav'n call'd

As if these three great poets had. ftretched their utmoft genius, and vied with each other, who fhould extend his idea of the depth of Hell fartheft. But Milton's whole defcription of Hell as much exceeds theirs, as in this fingle circumftance of the depth of it. And how cool and unaffecting is the TapTαgv neegela, the aid nearειτε πυλαι και χαλκεον «δG of 84. If thou beeft be; &c.] The Homer, and the lugentes campi, the thoughts in the firft fpeech and

Satan,] For the word Satan in Hebrew fignifies an enemy: he is the enemy by way of eminence, the chief enemy of God and Man.

de

185

From him, who in the happy realms of light
Cloth'd with transcendent brightness didst outshine ¦
Myriads though bright! If he whom mutual league,
United thoughts and counfels, equal hope
And hazard in the glorious enterprise,

Join'd with me once, now mifery hath join'd
In equal ru'in into what pit thou feest

description of Satan, who is one of the principal actors in this poem, are wonderfully proper to give us a full idea of him. His pride envy and revenge, obftinacy defpair and impenitence, are all of them very artfully interwoven. In fhort, his firft fpeech is a complication of all those paffions, which discover themselves feparately in feveral other of his peeches in the poem.

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Addifon.

The change and confufion of these enemies of God is most artfully exprefs'd in the abruptnefs of the beginning of this fpeech: If thou art he, that Beelzebub He ftops, and falls into a bitter reflection on their prefent condition, compared with that in which they lately were. He attempts again to open his mind; cannot proceed on what he intends to fay, but returns to thofe fad thoughts; ftill doubting whether 'tis really his affoeiate in the revolt, as now in mifery and ruin; by that time he had expatiated on this (his heart was opprefs'd with it) he is affured to

go

From

whom he fpeaks, and goes on to declare his proud unrelenting mind. Richardfon.

84. but O bow fall'n! bow chang'd

From him,] He imitates Ifaiah and Virgil at the fame time. Ifa. XIV. 12. How art thou fallen, &c. and Virgil's Æn. II. 274.

Hei mihi qualis erat! quantum mutatus ab illo !

86. Cloth'd with transcendent
brightness didft outfine
from Homer, Odyff. VI. 110. where
Myriads though bright!] Imitated
Diana excels all her nymphs in
beauty, though all of them be
beautiful.

Ῥέα δ' αειγνωτη πέλεται, καλαι
Bentley.

δε τε πασαι.

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From what highth fall'n, fo much the ftronger prov'd
He with his thunder: and till then who knew
The force of thofe dire arms? yet not for those,
Nor what the potent victor in his rage

95

Can elfe inflict, do I repent or change,
Though chang'd in outward luftre, that fix'd mind,
And high disdain from fenfe of injur'd merit,

thefe words for the other; and other inftances perhaps may occur in the course of this work. Equal ruin hath join'd now, as equal bope join'd before; fomewhat like that in Ovid's Metamorphofis, I. 351.

O foror, O conjux, O fœmina fola fuperftes,

Quam commune mihi genus, et patruelis origo, Deinde torus junxit, nunc ipfa pericula jungunt. In equal ruin cannot anfwer to in the glorious enterprife, because Milton places a comma after enterprise, and in conftruction it follows after hazard, and not after join'd.

93: He with his thunder: ] There is an uncommon beauty in this expreffion. Satan difdains to utter the name of God, tho' he cannot but acknowledge his fuperiority. So again ver. 257.

all but less than he

Whom thunder hath made greater. yet not for thofe,

94.

That

Nor what the potent viðlor in his

rage

Can elfe infit, do I repent or

change, &c.] Milton in this and other paffages, where he is defcribing the fierce and unrelenting to have copied after the picture fpirit of Satan, feems very plainly Thus Prometheus fpeaking of Juthat Æfchylus gives of Prometheus. piter. Prom. Vinct. 991.

- ειπεπω μεν αιθαλεσα φλοξ, Λευκοπτέρω δε νιφάδι, και βρον

τημασι

Χθονίοις κυκατω παντα, και τα

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That with the Mightiest rais'd me to contend,
And to the fierce contention brought along
Innumerable force of Spirits arm'd,
That durst dislike his reign, and me preferring,
His utmost pow'r with adverse pow'r oppos'd
In dubious battel on the plains of Heaven,

100

And shook his throne. What though the field be loft?, All is not loft; th' unconquerable will,

106

And study of revenge, immortal hate,

And courage never to submit or yield,
And what is elfe not to be overcome;
That glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me. To bow and fue for
With fuppliant knee, and deify his power,

105. What though the field be

Loft?

All is not loft; &c.] This paffage is an excellent improvement upon Satan's speech to the infernal Spirits in Taffo, Cant. 4. St. 15. but feems to be exprefs'd from Fairfax his tranflation rather than from the original.

We loft the field, yet loft we not our heart.

109. And what is elfe not to be

overcome;] Here fhould be no note of interrogation, but only a femi-colon. The words And what elfe not to be overcome fignify Et fi quid fit aliud quod fuperari nequeat,

grace

110

Who

and if there be any thing else (befides the particulars mention'd) which is not to be overcome.

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Pearce.

110. That glory &c.] That refers to what went before; his unconquerable will and fiudy of revenge, his immortal hate and courage never to fubmit or yield, and what befides is not to be overcome; thefe Satan esteems his glory, and that glory he fays God never fhould extort from him. And then begins a new fentence according to all the beft editions, To bow and fue for grace, &c-that were low indeed, &c that ftill referring to what went before; and by obferving this punctuation,

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