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Had not th' eternal King omnipotent

From his ftrong hold of Heav'n high over-rul'd
And limited their might; though number'd fuch
As each divided legion might have feem'd
A numerous hoft, in ftrength each armed hand
A legion, led in fight yet leader feem'd
Each warrior fingle as in chief, expert
When to advance, or ftand, or turn the fway
Of battel, open when, and when to close
The ridges of grim war: no thought of flight,
None of retreat, no unbecoming deed
That argued fear; each on himself rely'd,
As only in his arm the moment lay
Of victory: deeds of eternal fame

ftrength like a legion, and though led in fight was as expert as a commander in chief. So that the Angels are celebrated firft for their number, then for their firength, and laftly for their expertness in war.

236. The ridges of grim war:] A metaphor taken from a plough'd field; the men anfwer to the ridges, between whom, the intervals of the ranks, the furrows are. The ridges of grim, fierce frightful looking, war; that is the ranks of the army, the files are implied. The ranks are the rows of foldiers from flank to flank, from fide to fide,

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230

235

240 Were

from the left to the right; the files
are from front to rear. Richardson.
236. no thought of flight,] So
Homer, Iliad. XI. 71.
Ουδ' ετεροι μνωοντ' ολοοιο φοβοιο.
None ftoop'd a thought to base in-
glorious flight. Pope.
And Iliad. XXIV. 216.

- ούτε φοβο μεμνημόύον, στι
αλεωρής.

239. As only in his arm the moment lay

Of victory:] As if upon his fingle arm had depended the whole 004 weight

Were done, but infinite; for wide was fpread
That war and various, fometimes on firm ground
A ftanding fight, then foaring on main wing
Tormented all the air; all air feem'd then
Conflicting fire: long time in even scale
The battel hung; till Satan, who that day

weight of the victory. The mo.
ment, the weight that turns the ba-
lance, as the word fignifies in
Latin. Ter. Andr. I. V.
31. Dum
in dubio eft animus, paulo momento
huc vel illuc impellitur: And as he
has employ'd here the metaphor
of the weight, fo of the fcale a
little afterwards long time in
even fcale The battel hung ufing
as a metaphor what Homer makes
a fimile of, Iliad. XII. 433.

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Αλλ' έχον, ώτε ταλανία γυνη
Ως μεν των επι ισα μαχη τετα-
το πολεμο τέ.

As when two scales are charg'd

with doubtful loads So ftood the war, till Hector's

matchless might With fates prevailing turn'd the fcale of fight. Pope.

And in feveral particulars he has had his eye upon Homer, and commonly exceeds his master. Ho mer fays that the Greeks and Tiojans fought like burning fire:

Ως δε μεν μαριανής, δέμας που
FD ou sousworn.

Iliad. XIII. 673.

245

Pro

But how much ftronger is it in
Milton, that the war

Tormented all the air; all air
feem'd then
Conflicting fire!

It would be entring into too mi

nute a detail of criticism to mention every little circumftance that is copied from Homer; and where he does not directly copy from Homer, his ftile and coloring is ftill very much in Homer's manner; and one may fee plainly that he has read him, even where he does not imitate him. Wonderful as his drawn the battels of the Angels fo genius was, he could hardly have the Iliad; and Homer taught him well without first reading those in to excel Homer.

242. That war and various, fometimes on firm ground

The fyntax and fenfe is; The war A ftanding fight, then faring &c.] was fometimes a ftanding fight on the ground, and fometimes the war foaring on main wing tormented all the air. Pearce.

244. Tormented all the air;] Here Milton takes the fame liberty of applying

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Prodigious pow'r had shown, and met in arms
No equal, ranging through the dire attack
Of fighting Seraphim confus'd, at length

249

Saw where the fword of Michael fmote, and fell'd
Squadrons at once; with huge two-handed sway
Brandish'd aloft the horrid edge came down

applying the word torment, which the Latin poets did before him in ufing the term vexare. So Marino deferibing Neptune raising a storm, Adon. Cant. 1. St. 123.

e d'Aquiloni

Wide

251. with huge two-handed

fway &c.] It shows how entirely the ideas of chivalry and romance had poffeffed him, to make Michael fight with a two-handed fword. The fame idea occafion'd his expreffing himself very obfcure

Col fulmine dentato (emulo a ly in the following lines of his Ly

Gioue) Tormentando la terra, il mar com

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cidas,

But that two-handed engin at the door

Stands ready to fmite once, and fmite no more.

Thefe are the laft words of Peter predicting God's vengeance on his church by his miniftry. The making him the minifter is in imitation of the Italian poets, who in their fatiric pieces against the church always make Peter the minifter of vengeance. The twohanded engin is the two-handed Gothic fword, with which the painters draw him. Stands ready at the door was then a common phrafe to fignify a thing imminent. To fmite once and fmite no more fignifies a final deftruction, but alludes to Peter's fingle ufe of

Wide wafting; fuch deftruction to withstand

He hafted, and oppos'd the rocky orb

Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield,

A vaft circumference: At his approach
The great Arch-Angel from his warlike toil
Surceas'd, and glad as hoping here to end
Inteftin war in Heav'n, th' arch-foe fubdu'd

255

Or captive dragg'd in chains, with hostile frown 260
And vifage all inflam'd first thus began.

Author of ev'il, unknown till thy revolt,
Unnam'd in Heav'n, now plenteous, as thou feest
These acts of hateful ftrife, hateful to all,
Though heaviest by just measure on thyself
And thy adherents: how haft thou disturb'd
Heav'n's bleffed peace,
and into nature brought

his fword in the cafe of the High Prieft's fervant. Warburton.

255. Of tenfold adamant, ] In other poets the Angels are armed in adamant, and in Taffo there is particular mention of an adamantin fhield, Cant. 7. St. 82. Scudo di lucidiffimo diamante: But Milton's is ftronger, of tenfold adamant.

262. Author of evil, &c.] These fpeeches give breath as it were to the reader after the hurry of the general battel; and prepare his mind, and raise his expectation the

265

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Mifery, uncreated till the crime

270

Of thy rebellion? how haft thou inftill'd
Thy malice into thousands, once upright
And faithful, now prov'd falfe? But think not here
To trouble holy reft; Heav'n cafts thee out
From all her confines. Heav'n the feat of bliss
Brooks not the works of violence and war.
Hence then, and evil go with thee along,

Thy ofspring, to the place of evil, Hell,
Thou and thy wicked crew; there mingle broils,
Ere this avenging fword begin thy doom,

275

Or fome more fudden vengeance wing'd from God Precipitate thee with augmented pain.

So fpake the prince of Angels; to whom thus The Adverfary. Nor think thou with wind

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