All his right fide: then Satan first knew pain, obferve how finely great geniufes imitate one another. There is a moft beautiful paffage in Homer's Iliad, II. 363. where the fword of Menclaus in a duel with Paris breaks in pieces in his hand; and the line in the original is fo contriv'd, that we do not only fee the action, as Euftathius remarks, but almoft fancy we hear the found of the breaking fword in the found of the words, Τριχθατε και τετραχέα διατροφι εκπεσε χειρα. As this kind of beauty could hardly be equal'd by Virgil, he has with great judgment fubflituted another of his own, and has artfully made a break in the verie to expreís the breaking lort of the word of Turnus against the divine armour of Aneas, Æn. XII. 731 &c. at perfidus enfis The fword of Satan is broken as well as thofe of Paris and Turnus, but is broken in a different manner, and confequently a different kind of beauty is proper here. Their's broke hort, and were shatter'd into various fragments; but the word of Michael was of that irrefiftible fharpnefs, that it cut the fword of Fraigitur, in medioque arden- Satan quite and clean in two, and tem defcritictu. But he did not think this fufficient, he was fenfible that liomer had ftill the advantage, and therefore goes on after feeming to have done with it, the dividing of the fword in half is very well expreis'd by half a vee, as likewife the word defcending is plac'd admirably to expres the iente. The reader cannot read it over again without perceiving this beauty. Neither does Milton flop here, but carries on beauties -poftquam arma dei ad Vulcania of the lame kind to the defcription ventum eft, of the wound, and the veries ieem almok Not long divisible; and from the gash 331 A stream of necta'rous humor iffuing flow'd almoft painful in defcribing Satan's га -deep entring fhar'd All his right fide: then Satan firft knew pain, And writh'd him to and fro convolv'd; fo fore Homer's Gods when wounded bled Ichor, different from human blood, and peculiar to them. And Milton makes his Angels bleed the fame humor, that has no other The griding fword with difcontinu- name. He gave it therefore ous wound 332. Aftream of nect'arcus humor ifuing flow'd Sanguin,] Here's an odious blunder. Nectar is the drink of the Gods; and was Satan's humor or blood a proper drink? But the next line fhows what the author dictated, Aftream of ichorous humor issuing flow'd. Bentley. I fhould have thought that an attentive reader could not have mils'd obferving that the fream which Milton ipeaks of was not of nectarcus humor only, but of nectarous humor fanguin, that is, converted into what celestial Spirits bleed: and what is that but the fame which Homer expreffes by one word Icbor? If this was the poet's meaning, the Doctor's objection is wide of the mark. Befides, if neclarous was wrong, yet ichorous would not feem to be right, becaufe the middle fyllable of it thould be the word from which it is deriv'd. long, according to the profody of Pearce. The paffage wherein Satan is deSanguin, fuch as celeftial Spi'rits fcribed as wounded by the fword may bleed. The whole diftich is word for word taken from a verse in Homer. of Michael is in imitation of Homer. Homer tells us that upon Diomedes wounding the Gods, there flow'd from the wound an Forthwith on all fides to his aid was run 335 By Angels many and strong, who interpos'd 340 Yet For not the bread of man their 335.- to his aid was run] A Latinifm; fo we have ventum eft in the lines just before quoted from Virgil. -poftquam arma dei ad Vulcania ventum eft. 336.who interpos'd] Thus Homer makes the chief of the Trojans interpofe between their wounded hero when he was overborne by Ajax. Satan lighted out of his fun-bright chariot at ver. 103. and according to the Homeric manner, is now wounded, and borne (on the fhields of Seraphim) back to it, where it was plac'd out of the range and array of battel, Iliad. XIV. 428. -Ter Yet foon he heal'd; for Spi'rits that live throughout Vital in every part, not as frail man In entrails, heart or head, liver or reins, 345 Cannot but by annihilating die; Nor in their liquid texture mortal wound 350 much more loofe and redundant than our expreffive author. Hume. 344.- for Spirits that live throughout &c.] Our author's reafon for Satan's healing fo foon is better than Homer's upon a like occafion, as we quoted it juft now. And we fee here Milton's notions of Angels. They are vital in every part, and can receive no mortal wound, and cannot die but by annihilation. They are all eye, all ear, all fenfe and understanding; and can affume what kind of bodies they pleafe. And thefe notions, if not true in divinity, yet certainly are very fine in poetry; but most of them are not difagreeable to thole hints which are left us of thefe fpiritual beings in Scrip ture. 348. Nor in their liquid texture mortal wound Receive, no more than can the fluid air:] The fame comparison in Shakespear, Macbeth, Act V. As eafy may't thou the intren Affume, as likes them beft, condenfe or rare. Mean while in other parts like deeds deferv'd Memorial, where the might of Gabriel fought, 355 And with fierce enfigns pierc'd the deep array Of Moloch furious king; who him defy'd, And at his chariot wheels to drag him bound Threaten'd, nor from the Holy One of Heaven Refrain'd his tongue blafphemous; but anon Down cloven to the wafte, with fhatter'd arms And uncouth pain fled bellowing. On each wing Uriel and Raphaël his vaunting foe, 355-the mightof Gabriel] A manner of expremion like the Ποταμοιο Biny and Exropos vos of Homer, as quoted before in a note of Mr. Hume's upon V. 371. We have the like again in ver. 371. the violence of Ramiel. 362. And uncouth pain fid bellowing] I queftion not but Milton in his defcription of his furious Moloch flying from the battel, and bellowing with the wound he had received, had his eye on Mars in the Iliad; who upon his being wounded is reprefented as retiring out of the fight, and making an outcry louder than that of a whole army when it begins the charge. Homer adds that the Greeks and Trojans, who were engaged in a general battel, were terrify'd on each fide with the belJowing of this wounded deity. The 360 |