Yet not of will in him, but grace in me
Freely vouchfaf'd; once more I will renew
His lapfed pow'rs, though forfeit and inthrall'd
By fin to foul exorbitant defires;

Upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand
On even ground against his mortal foe,

By me upheld, that he may know how frail
His fall'n condition is, and to me owe
All his deliverance, and to none but me.
Some I have chosen of peculiar grace

Elect above the reft; fo is my will:

175

180

The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warn'd 185
Their finful state, and to appease betimes
Th' incenfed Deity, while offer'd grace
Invites; for I will clear their fenses dark,
What may fuffice, and foften ftony hearts

To

pray, repent, and bring obedience due.

180. By me upheld,] It was before, ver. 178. Upheld by me. The turn of the words is remarkable. And we have the oftner taken notice of these turns of the words, because it has been objected by Dryden and others, that there were no turns of the words in Milton.

183. Some I have chofen of peculiar grace &c.] Our author

190

To

fpells this word, and it is most endevor'd] So Milton agreeable to our pronunciation of

To pray'r, repentance, and obedience due,
Though but endevor'd with fincere intent,
Mine ear shall not be flow, mine eye not shut.
And I will place within them as a guide
My umpire confcience, whom if they will hear,
Light after light well us'd they fhall attain,
And to the end perfifting, fafe arrive.

This my long fufferance and my day of
grace
They who neglect and scorn, shall never taste;
But hard be harden'd, blind be blinded more,
That they may stumble on, and deeper fall;
And none but fuch from mercy I exclude.
But yet all is not done; Man disobeying,
Difloyal breaks his feälty, and fins
Against the high fupremacy of Heaven,
Affecting God-head, and so lofing all,
To expiate his treason hath nought left,

it, as well as to its derivation from the French en and devoir.

197. And to the end perfifting, safe arrive.] He that indureth to the end fhall be faved, Mat. X. 22. 198. This my long fufferance and

my day of grace They who neglect and fcorn, fhall never tafte;] It is a great pity that our author fhould have thus debafed the dignity of the VOL. I.

196

200

205

But

But to deftruction facred and devote,
He with his whole pofterity muft die,
Die he or justice muft; unless for him
Some other able, and as willing, pay

210

The rigid fatisfaction, death for death.

Say heav'nly Pow'rs, where fhall we find fuch love?
Which of ye will be mortal to redeem

Man's mortal crime, and just th' unjust to fave?
Dwells in all Heaven charity fo dear?

He afk'd, but all the heav'nly quire ftood mute,
And filence was in Heav'n: on Man's behalf

Patron or interceffor none appear'd,

215

Much less that durft upon his own head draw 220 The deadly forfeiture, and ranfome fet.

And now without redemption all mankind

215-and juft th' unjust to fave?] That is, Which of ye will be fo juft as to fave the unjuft? Which of ye will be righteous enough to fupply the defects of others righ, teoufnefs? It is plainly an allufion to 1 Pet. III. 18. For Chrift alfo hath once fuffer'd for fins, the juft for the unjuft.

Muft

Addifon.

a filence in Heaven. This beautiful circumftance is raifed upon Rev. VIII. 1. where upon a certain occafion it is faid, There was filence in Heaven. And fo, as there was filence in Hell, when it was propos'd who fhould be fent on the dangerous expedition to deftroy mankind, there is likewife 217.-flood mute,] I need not filence in Heaven, when it is afk'd point out the beauty of that cir- who would be willing to pay the cumftance, wherein the whole hoft price of their redemption. Satan of Angels are reprefented as ftand-alone was fit to undertake the one, ing mute, nor fhow how proper as the Son of God the other. But the occafion was to produce fuch tho' the filence is the fame in both

places,

Must have been loft, adjudg'd to Death and Hell
By doom severe, had not the Son of God,
In whom the fulnefs dwells of love divine,
His deareft mediation thus renew'd.

225

Father, thy word is past, Man fhall find grace; And shall grace not find means, that finds her way, The speedieft of thy winged meffengers,

To vifit all thy creatures, and to all

239

Comes unprevented, unimplor'd, unfought?

Happy for Man, fo coming; he her aid

Can never feek, once dead in fins and loft;
Atonement for himself or offering meet,

Indebted and undone, hath none to bring:
Behold me then; me for him, life for life
I offer; on me let thine

anger fall;

places, the difference of the expreffion is remarkable. In Hell it is faid all fat mute, II. 420, as there the infernal peers were fitting in council; but here it is faid they flood mute, as the good Angels were ftanding round about the throne of God.

231. Comes unprevented,] Prevent from prævenire to come before. This grace is not preceded by mcrit or fupplication; itself prevents or goes before; 'tis a free gift, as XI. 3. Prevenient grace defcending, &c. 2 Tim. I. 9. Not according to

235

Account

236. Behold me then; me for him, life for life

I offer; on me let thine anger fall; Account me Man:] The frequent and vehement repetition of me here

Account me Man; I for his fake will leave
Thy bofom, and this glory next to thee
Freely put off, and for him laftly die
Well pleas'd; on me let Death wreck all his

Under his gloomy pow'r I shall not long

rage;

Lie vanquish'd; thou haft giv'n me to poffefs
Life in myself for ev'r; by thee I live,

240

Though now to Death I yield, and am his due 245 All that of me can die; yet that debt paid,

Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsome grave

His prey, nor fuffer my unspotted foul

For ever with corruption there to dwell;
But I fhall rife victorious, and fubdue

250

My vanquisher, fpoil'd of his vaunted spoil;
Death his death's wound fhall then receive, and stoop

Inglorious,

249.with corruption there to

dwell;] According to the Pfalmift, For thou wilt not leave my foul in Hell, neither fuffer thine Holy One to fee corruption, Pfal. XVI. 10. applied to our Saviour's refurrection by St. Peter, Acts II. 20, 21, &c.

252. Death his death's wound fball

then receive,] I am very forry to obferve, that the quaint conceit in this line is very inconfiftent with the character of the fpeaker, and unworthy of the majefty of the reft of the fpeech. Milton might perhaps be led into