Mistrustful, grounds his courage on despair Of all his aim, after fome dire revenge. 130 First, what revenge? the tow'rs of Heav'n are fill'd from the known profeffion of the ancient Sophifts, Tor hoyor for now κρείτίω ποιειν. Bentley. 124.1 in fact of arms,] Dr. Heylin fays it is from the Italian Fatto d'arme a battel; or else we fhould read here feats of arms, as in ver. 537. 140 Victorious. Or poffibly the author might have given it in facts of arms, fuch errors of the prefs being very common and cafy. 138.- would on his throne Sit unpolluted,] 'Tis a reply to that part of Moloch's speech, where he had threaten'd to mix the throne with feats of arms itfelf of God with infernal fulphur From either end of Heav'n the and strange fire, welkin burns. Victorious. Thus repuls'd, our final hope Th' almighty victor to spend all his rage, And that muft end us, that must be our cure, 145 Devoid of fenfe and motion? and who knows, 151. Devoid of fenfe and motion?] Dr. Bentley reads Devoid of fenfe and action: but motion includes action. Mr. Warburton is of opinion, and fo likewife is the learned Mr. Upton in his Critical Obfervations upon Shakespear, that it fhould be read Devoid of fenfe and notion: but the common reading seems better, as it is stronger and expreffes more; they fhould be deprived not only of all fenfe but of 150 155 Them in his anger, whom his 160 Whatever doing, what can we fuffer more, His red right hand to plague us? what if all prey Ages of hopeless end? this would be worse, 175 189 185 My 174. His red right band] So Horace fays of Jupiter rubente dextara. But being poken of Vengeance, it must be her right hand, as in the next line ber ftores. Bentley. There is fomething plaufible and ingenious in this obfe vation: but by his feems to have been meant God's, who is mention'd fo often in the course of the debate, that he might very well be underflood without being nam'd; and by her tores in the next line, I fuppofe, are meant Hell's, as mention is made afterwards of her catara&s of fire. My voice diffuades; for what can force or guile Than wife to fruftrate all our plots and wiles. 191. 195 Chains and these torments; better these than worfe The victor's will. To fuffer, as to do, 200 If ferved that this is conftantly Milton's way, and the true way of fpelling highth, and not as commonly heighth, where what the e has to do or how it comes in it is not easy to apprehend. 199. To fuffer, as to do,] Et facere, et pati. So Scævola boafted that he was a Roman, and knew as well how to fuffer as to act. Et facere et pati fortia Romanum eft. Liv. II. 12. So in Horace, Od. III. XXIV. 43. Quidvis et facere et pati. |