Bad influence into th' unwary breast Of his affociate: he together calls, 695 Or feveral one by one, the regent Powers, 709. and with lies &c.] Dr. Bentley fays that the author gave it and bis lies &c. but by the expreffion his countenance is meant he himself, a part being put for the whole, as in II. 683. we have front put for the whole perfon: it is very frequent in Scripture to use the word face or countenance in this fenfe: as in Luke IX. 53. we read of our Saviour, that the Samaritans did not receive him because his face was as tho' be (Greek, it) would go to Jerufalem. See alfo Levit. XIX. 32. But if this will not be allow'd to Or taint integrity: but all obey'd The wonted fignal, and superior voice 795 Of their great potentate; for great indeed His name, and high was his degree in Heaven; Pearce. to be Milton's meaning, yet it may 'And Drew after him the third part of 711. Mean while th' eternal eye, whoje fight difcerns &c.] Dr. Bentley feems very fure that Milton's text is wrong here, because in the courfe of the conftruction it is faid of this eternal eye that it fmiling faid, ver. 718. He would therefore perfuade us that Milton gave it, Mean while th' Eternal, He whofe fight difcerns &c. But would not He in this place thus following th' Eternal be a botch in poetry? Milton frequently takes a liberty, allowable in a poet, of expreffing only fome part or quality of a perfon, when he means the perfon himself, and goes on to fay things which (properly speaking) are applicable only to the perfon himself. And Milton had good authority for doing fo: in Pfal. LIV. 7. the eye is made a perfon, mine eye fhall fee his defire upon mine enemies: And from within the golden lamps that burn Son, thou in whom my glory I behold 715 729 enemies: fo in Mat XX. 15, the eye is put for the whole man, Is thine eye evil, because I am good? See also Prov. XXX. 17. Pearce. His count'nance allur'd, and with lies Jamion. Of our omnipotence, and with what arms. Is rifing, who intends to' erect his throne 725 Equal to ours, throughout the fpacious north; In 716. Among the fons of morn, The Angels are here call'd foas of the morning, as Lucifer is in Ifa. XIV. 12. probably upon account of their carly creation; or to exprefs the angelic beauty and gladnefs, the morning being the most delightful feafon of the day. Job XI. 17. Thine age fhall be clearer than the noon-day; thou shalt fine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. XXXVIII. 7. When the morning fars fang together, and the fons of God fhouted for joy. See alfo Cant. VI. 10. Ifa. LVIII. 8. Richardfon. 718. And Smiling] Let not the pious reader be offended, because the fupreme Being is reprefented as Smiling and fpeaking ironically of his foes; for fuch figures of fpeech are not unufual in the Scripture itfelf. Immediately after the fall of Man we read, Gen. III. 22. And the Lord God faid, Behold the Man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. There are feveral inftances of the like manner of fpeaking in the prophets. But this is particularly grounded upon Pf. II. 1. &c. Why do the Heathen rage, and the people imagin a vain thing? -against the Lord and against his Anointed- He that fitieth in the Heavens fall laugh, the Lord fhall have them in derifion. It appears that our Author had this paffage in view, by his making the Son allude fo plainly to it in his anfwer. -Mighty Father, thou thy foes Juftly haft in derifion, and fecure Laugh' at their vain defigns and tumults vain. In our defense, left unawares we lose This our high place, our fanctuary, our hill. Made anfwer. Mighty Father, thou thy foes 735 Laugh'ft at their vain defigns and tumults vain, 734. Lightning divine,] If Lightning is a participle, the adjective divine is to be taken adverbially, as if he had faid Lightning divinely but it is rather a fubftantive, and in Scripture the Angel's countenance is faid to have been like lightning, Dan. X. 6. Mat. XXVIII. 3. 746. Or fars of morning, dewdrops,] Innumerable as the ftars is an old fimile, but this of 740 745 Impearls the stars of morning, dew drops, fems as new as it is beautiful : And the fun impearls them, turns them by his reflected beams to feeming pearls; as the morn was faid before to fow the earth with orient pearl, ver. 2. 750. In their triple degrees;] This notion of triples in all the oeconomy of Angels is started by Taffo, Cant. 18. St. 96. |