صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

Bad influence into th' unwary breast

Of his affociate: he together calls,

695

Or feveral one by one, the regent Powers,
Under him regent; tells, as he was taught,
That the most High commanding, now ere night,
Now ere dim night had difincumber'd Heaven, 700
The great hierarchal standard was to move;
Tells the fuggefted cause, and casts between
Ambiguous words and jealoufies, to found

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

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;
His count'nance, as the morning ftar that guides
The starry flock, allur'd them, and with lies
Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's host. 710
Mean while th' eternal eye, whose fight difcerns
Abstruseft thoughts, from forth his holy mount

Pearce.

to be Milton's meaning, yet it may
be faid that Satan's countenance, fe-
ducing his followers by disguifing
the foul intentions of his heart,
may be very properly faid to fe-
duce with lies. We read in Cicero's
Epistles to his brother, frons, oculi,
vultus perfape mentiuntur. Lib. 1.
Ep. 1. c. 5.
710. Drew after him the third part
of Heav'n's hoft.] Behold a
great red dragon-and his tail drew
the third part of the ftars of Heaven,
and did caft them to the earth. Rev.
XI. 3, 4. Dr. Bentley finds fault
with this verfe as very bad mea-
fure: but as a perfon of much
better tafte obferves, there is a
great beauty in the fall of the
numbers in this line after the ma-
jefty of thofe before and after it,
occafion'd principally by the change
of the fourth foot from an iambic
into a trochaic; an artifice often
made ufe of by Milton to vary his
numbers by thofe difcords.

'And

Drew after him the third part of
Heav'n's hoft.

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
Nightly before him, faw without their light
Rebellion rifing, faw in whom, how spread
Among the fons of morn, what multitudes
Were banded to oppofe his high decree;
And smiling to his only Son thus faid.

Son, thou in whom my glory I behold
In full refplendence, Heir of all my might,
Nearly it now concerns us to be fure

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
drew after kim &c. The eternal eye
favs
fa &c, and Smiling faid-give
great offenfe to Dr. Bentley, and
Dr. Pearce fays, his countenance and
the eternal eye are the part for the
whole or the perfon. But a very
learned and ingenious friend que-
itions, whether they are not here
ufed equivocally, and to be con◄.
trued either as one or the other ac-
cording as the fenfe requires. Tis
Satan's countenance that allures
them like the morning far, but
'tis Satan himfelf that draws them
after him with lies; fo the eternal
eye fees, but the fmiling faid must
relate to the Eternal himself. Spen-
fer has a ftronger inftance of the
impropriety here taken notice of
by the critics, and it is repeated as
here in Milton. Spenter's Epitha-

Jamion.

[blocks in formation]

Of our omnipotence, and with what arms.
We mean to hold what anciently we clame
Of deity or empire; fuch a foe

Is rifing, who intends to' erect his throne

725

Equal to ours, throughout the fpacious north;
Nor fo content, hath in his thought to try
In battel, what our pow'r is, or our right.
Let us advife, and to this hazard draw
With speed what force is left, and all employ 730

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.

[blocks in formation]

In our defense, left unawares we lose

This our high place, our fanctuary, our hill.
To whom the Son with calm afpéct and clear,
Lightning divine, ineffable, ferene,

Made anfwer. Mighty Father, thou thy foes 735
Justly haft in derifion, and secure

Laugh'ft at their vain defigns and tumults vain,
Matter to me of glory, whom their hate
Illuftrates, when they fee all regal power
Giv'n me to quell their pride, and in event
Know whether I be dextrous to fubdue
Thy rebels, or be found the worst in Heaven,
So fpake the Son; but Satan with his Powers
Far was advanc'd on winged speed, an host
Innumerable as the stars of night,
Or ftars of morning, dew-drops, which the fun

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.

« السابقةمتابعة »