115

Who from the terror of this arm fo late
Doubted his empire; that were low indeed,
That were an ignominy' and shame beneath
This downfall; fince by fate the ftrength of Gods.
And this empyreal fubftance cannot fail,
Since through experience of this great event
In arms not worse, in forefight much advanc'd,
We may with more fuccessful hope refolve
To wage by force or guile eternal war,
Irreconcileable to our grand foe,

Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy
Sole reigning holds the tyranny of Heaven.

120

So fpake th' apoftate Angel, though in pain, 125 Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with deep despair:

this whole paffage, which has perplex'd and confounded fo many readers and writers, is render'd plain and easy to be understood.

116. fince by fate &c.] For Satan fuppofes the Angels to fubfift by fate and neceflity, and he reprefents them of an empyreal, that is a fiery fubftance, as the Scripture itself doth; He maketh his Angels fpirits, and his minifters a flame of fire. Pfal. CIV. 4. Heb. I. 7. Satan difdains to fubmit, fince the Angels (as he fays) are neceffarily immortal and cannot be deftroy'd, and fince too they are now improved in experience, and may hope to carry on the war more

And

fuccefsfully, notwithstanding the prefent triumph of their adversary in Heaven.

124.

-

the tyranny of Heaven.] The poet fpeaking in his own per fon at ver. 42. of the fupremacy of the Deity calls it the throne and monarchy of God; but here very artfully alters it to the tyranny of Hea ven. Thyer.

125. So pake th' apoflate Angel,
tho' in pain,
Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with

deep defpair:] The fenfe of the last verfe rifes finely above that of the former: In the first verse it is only faid, that he spake though in pain: In the last the poet expreffes

And him thus anfwer'd foon his bold compeer.
O Prince, O Chief of many throned Powers,
That led th' imbattel'd Seraphim to war
Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds
Fearless, indanger'd Heav'n's perpetual king,

And put to proof his high supremacy,

130

Whether upheld by ftrength, or chance, or fate;
Too well I fee and rue the dire event,

That with fad overthrow and foul defeat

135

Hath loft us Heav'n, and all this mighty host

In horrible deftruction laid thus low,

As far as Gods and heav'nly effences

Can perish: for the mind and fpi'rit remains
Invincible, and vigor foon returns,
Though all our glory' extinct, and happy state

140

Here

Here swallow'd up in endless mifery.

But what if he our conqu'ror (whom I now

Of force believe almighty, fince no lefs

Than fuch could have o'er-pow'r'd fuch force as ours)

Have left us this our spirit and ftrength entire

Strongly to fuffer and fupport our pains,

That we may fo fuffice his vengeful ire,
Or do him mightier service as his thralls

146

By right of war, whate'er his business be

150

Here in the heart of Hell to work in fire,
Or do his errands in the gloomy deep;
What can it then avail, though yet we feel
Strength undiminish'd, or eternal being

To undergo eternal punishment?

155

Whereto with speedy words th' Arch-Fiend reply'd.

Fall'n Cherub, to be weak is miferable

Doing or fuffering: but of this be fure,

To do ought good never will be our task, But ever to do ill our fole delight,

As being the contrary to his high will Whom we refift. If then his providence Out of our evil feek to bring forth good,

Our labor must be to pervert that end,

And out of good still to find means of evil;
Which oft-times may fucceed, fo as perhaps
Shall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturb
His inmoft counfels from their deftin'd aim.
But fee the angry victor hath recall'd
His minifters of vengeance and pursuit

Thefe accounts are plainly contrary the one to the other: but the author doth not therefore contradict himself, nor is one part of his scheme inconfiftent with another. For it fhould be confidered, who are the perfons that give thefe different accounts. In book the 6th the Angel Raphael is the speaker, and therefore his account may be depended upon as the genuin and exact truth of the matter. But in the other paffages Satan himself or fome of his Angels are the fpeakers; and they were too proud and obftinate ever to acknowledge the Meffiah for their conqueror; as their rebellion was rais'd on his account, they would never own his fuperiority; they would rather afcribe their defeat to the whole hoft of Heaven than to him alone;

or if they did indeed imagin their purfuers to be fo many in number, their fears multiplied them, and it ferves admirably to exprefs how much they were terrified and confounded. In book the 6th, 830. the noife of his chariot is compard to the found of a numerous VOL. I.

165

170 Back

But what a condition was Chaos in
during the fall of the rebel Angels ?
See VI. 871.

Nine days they fell; confounded
Chaos roar'd,

And felt tenfold confufion in their
fall

Through his wild anarchy, fo huge a rout

Incumber'd him with ruin.

We muft fuppofe him therefore to
fpeak according to his own frighted
and difturb'd imagination; he might
conceive that fo much

Ruin upon ruin, rout on rout,
Confufion worfe confounded