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The full relation, which muft needs be strange,
Worthy of facred filence to be heard;

And we have yet large day, for fcarce the fun
Hath finish'd half his journey', and scarce begins
His other half in the great zone of Heaven.

Thus Adam made requeft; and Raphaël
After short pause affenting, thus began.

560

High matter thou injoin'ft me', O prime of men, Sad task and hard; for how fhall I relate

To human sense th' invifible exploits

Of warring Spirits? how without remorse
The ruin of fo many glorious once

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565

And

to Alcinous, and as Virgil's Eneas
recounts the hiftory of the fiege of
Troy and of his own travels to Di-
do; fo the Angel relates to Adam
the fall of Angels and the creation
of the world; and begins his nar-
ration of the fall of Angels, much
in the fame manner as Æneas does
his account of the deftruction of
Troy, Virg. Æn. II. 3.
Infandum, regina, jubes renovare
dolorem.

574. though what if Earth &c.] In order to make Adam comprehend these things the Angel tells him that he must liken spiritual to corporal forms, and questions whether there is not a greater fimilitude and refemblance between

And perfect while they stood? how last unfold
The fecrets of another world, perhaps

Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good

570

This is difpens'd; and what furmounts the reach
Of human fenfe, I fhall delineate fo,

By likening fpiritual to corporal forms,

As may express them beft; though what if Earth
Be but the shadow' of Heav'n, and things therein 575
Each to' other like, more than on earth is thought?
As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild
Reign'd where these Heav'ns now roll, where Earth

now refts

things in Heaven and things in Earth than is generally imagin'd, which is fuggefted very artfully, as it is indeed the beft apology that could be made for thofe bold figures, which Milton has employ'd, and efpecially in his defcription of the battels of the Angels.

577. As yet this world was not, &c. Had I follow'd Monfieur Boffu's method, I fhould have dated the action of Paradife Loft from the beginning of Raphael's fpeech in this book, as he fuppofes the action of the Eneid to begin in the second book of that poem. I could allege many reafons for my drawing the action of the Eneid rather from its immediate beginning in the first book, than

Upon

from its remote beginning in the fecond; and fhow why I have confider'd the facking of Troy as an epifode, according to the common acceptation of that word. But as this would be a dry unentertaining piece of criticism, I fhall not inlarge upon it. Which ever of the notions be true, the unity of Milton's action is preferved according to either of them; whether we confider the fall of Man in its immediate beginning, as proceeding from the refolutions taken in the infernal council, or in its more remote beginning, as proceeding from the first revolt of the Angels in Heaven. The occafion which Milton affigns for this revolt, as it is founded on hints in holy Writ, and

Upon her center pois'd; when on a day (For time, though in eternity, apply'd To motion, measures all things durable

580

By prefent, past, and future) on fuch day

As Heav'n's great year brings forth, th'empyreal hoft Of Angels by imperial fummons call'd,

Innumerable before th' Almighty's throne

Forthwith from all the ends of Heav'n appear'd
Under their Hierarchs in orders bright:
Ten thousand thousand enfigns high advanc'd,
Standards and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear
Stream in the air, and for distinction serve

585

590

on the opinion of fome great writers, fo it was the moft proper that the poet could have made ufe of. The revolt in Heaven is defcribed with great force of imagination, and a fine variety of circumftances. Addifon.

579. Upon her center pois'd;] Ponderibus librata fuis, as Ovid fays Met. I. 13. or as Milton elsewhere expreffes it, VII. 242.

And Earth felf-balanc'd on her center hung.

583. As Heav'n's great year] Our poet feems to have had Plato's great year in his thoughts.

Magnus ab integro feclorum nafcitur ordo. Virg. Ecl. IV. 5.

Of

-Et incipient magni procedere

menfes. Ecl. IV. iz. Hume. Plato's great year of the Heavens is the revolution of all the spheres. Every thing returns to where it fet out when their motion firft began. See Aufon. Idyl. XVIII. 15. A proper time for the declaration of the vicegerency of the Son of God, Milton has the fame thought for the birth of the Angels (ver. 861.) imagining fuch kind of revolutions long before the Angels or the worlds were in being. So far back into eternity did the vaft mind of this poet carry him! Richardfon.

583. th' empyreal hoft] We read of fuch a divine affembly in Job, I, 6. Now there was a day

when

Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees;
Or in their glittering tiffues bear imblaz'd
Holy memorials, acts of zeal and love
Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs
Of circuit inexpreffible they stood,
Orb within orb, the Father infinite,

595

By whom in blifs imbofom'd fat the Son,
Amidst as from a flaming mount, whose top
Brightness had made invisible, thus fpake.
Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light,
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,
Hear my decree, which unrevok'd fhall stand.

when the fons of God came to prefent themselves before the Lord. And again, 1 Kings XXII, 19. I saw the Lord fitting on his throne, and all the boft of Heaven ftanding by him on his right hand and on his left, which was enough to furnish the hint to Milton.

589. Standards and gonfalons] A gonfalon is fome kind of ftreamer or banner, but of what particular fort authors do not seem to be at all agreed, and neither is it very material to know.

598. Amidst as from a flaming mount, &c.] This idea feems to be taken from the divine prefence in the mount, Exod. XIX. when God gave his commandments to the children of Ifrael, as here he is

600

This

giving his great command con-
cerning the Meffiah in Heaven.
598.
whofe top
Brightness had made invisible,]
The fame juft and yet bold thought
with that in III. 380.

Dark with exceffive bright thy
fkirts appear.

See the note on that verfe. Thyer.

602. Hear my decree, &c.] We observed before that Milton was very cautious what fentiments and language he afcribed to the Almighty, and generally confin'd himself to the phrafes and expreffions of Scripture; and in this particular fpeech the reader will eafily remark how much of it is copy'd from holy Writ by comparing it L14

with

This day I have begot whom I declare

My only Son, and on this holy hill

605

Him have anointed, whom ye now behold
At my right hand; your head I him appoint;
And by myself have fworn to him shall bow
All knees in Heav'n, and fhall confefs him Lord:
Under his great vice-gerent reign abide
United as one individual foul

610

For ever happy: Him who difobeys,

Me difobeys, breaks union, and that day
Caft out from God and bleffed vifion, falls
Into' utter darkness, deep ingulf'd, his place
Ordain'd without redemption, without end.

615

So fpake th' Omnipotent, and with his words All feem'd well pleas'd; all feem'd, but were not all.

with the following texts. I have Jet my Anointed upon my holy bill of Sion; I will declare the decree, The Lord hath faid unto me, Thou art my fon, this day have I begotten thee. Pfal. II. 6, 7. By myself have I fworn, faith the Lord. Gen. XXII. 16. At the name of Jefus every knee fhall bow, of things in Heaven

and every tongue shall confefs that Jefus Chrift is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Phil. II. 10, 11.

620. Myftical dance, &c.] Strange

That

myfterious motions, which the shining fphere of the planets and fixed ftars in their various revolutions imitates neareft; windings and turnings intangled and obfcure, involving and furrounding one another, altho' not moving on the fame center, yet then moft regular and orderly, when to our weak and diftant understanding they feem moft irregular and disturb'd. And thofe untruly errant call'd, I trow,

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