Torment with ease, and soonest recompense 895 His will who bounds us? Let him surer bar In that dark durance: thus much what was ask'd. 900 Thus he in scorn. The warlike angel moved, Or not, who ask what boldness brought him hither So judge thou still, presumptuous; till the wrath, But wherefore thou alone? wherefore with thee Thou surely hadst not come sole fugitive. To which the fiend thus answer'd, frowning stern:-- 896. And wilt thou object. 977. Thy fiercest, that is, thy fiercest attack, or power; or it may mean, thy 905 910 915 920 - 925 930 935 940 fiercest enemy. Milton often thus uses adjectives as substantives. "The sensible of pain." "The stony from their hearts." Though for possession put to try once more To whom the warriour angel soon replied:- 945 Satan, and couldst thou faithful add? O name, 950 O sacred name of faithfulness profaned! Faithful to whom? to thy rebellious crew? Army of fiends, fit body to fit head. Was this your discipline and faith engaged, 955 Allegiance to the acknowledged Power supreme? So threaten'd he: but Satan to no threats From my prevailing arm; though heaven's King His stature reach'd the sky, and on his crest 971. Proud limitary. That is, set to guard the bounds or limits.-974. Ride on thy wings. Ezek. i. 6 to 10; and xi. 22. 960 965 970 975 980 985 980. Ported. A military term, borne pointed towards him. What seem'd both spear and shield. Now dreadful deeds 990 At least had gone to wrack, disturb'd and torn Satan, I know thy strength, and thou know'st mine; Neither our own, but given: what folly then Where thou art weigh'd, and shown how light, how weak, His mounted scale aloft: nor more; but fled 995 1000 1005 1010 Murmuring, and with him fled the shades of night. 1016 999. Job xxviii. 25; Is. xl. 12. 1012. Dan. v. 27. REMARKS ON BOOK V. THIS book consists of elements of the same character and of sirailar combinations as the fourth. Eve's dream, and the manner of relating it, are in a very high degree poetical: here the invention is perfect, both in imagery, sentiment, and language. The approach of the angel Raphael, as viewed at a distance by Adam, is designed with all those brilliant circumstances, and those undefinable touches, which give the force of embodied reality to a vision. Milton never relates with the artifices, and attempts to excite attention, of a technical poet: what he creates stands before him as life: he does not struggle to embellish or exaggerate, but simply relates what he believes that he beholds or hears: but none could have beheld or heard these high things, except one inspired. The hints of a great part of the incidents are taken from the Scriptures; but the invention is not on that account the less. To bring the dim general idea into broad light in all its lineaments is the difficulty, and requires the power. The conversation between Raphael and Adam is admirably contrived on both sides. These argumentative portions of the poem are almost always grand: and poetical, because they are grand. Now and then, indeed, the bard indulges in the display of too much abstruse learning er metaphysical subtleties. As to this portion of the work, which occupies a large space, it is less easy to reconcile it to the general taste: but we must take it as a part of the two essential divisions of an epic poem-character and sentiments. Taken by itself, separated from the story, much of it would not be poetical: as part of the story, it is primary essence. Without it, mere imagery would lose almost all its dignity, as well as its instructiveness, because it would lose its intellectual and spiritual charın. In relating the cause of Satan's rebellion, Raphael sustains all the almost unutterable sublimity of his subject. The hero is drawn wicked and daring beyond prior conception; but mighty and awful as he is wicked. Language to express these high thoughts would have sunk before any other genius but Milton's: and as he had to convey the movements of heavenly spirits by earthly comparisons, the difficulty increased at every step. To cite detached passages from other poets, as containing a supposed similitude to Milton, is very fallacious. These are patches:-Milton's is a uniform, close-wove, massy web of gold. Numerous particles of the ingredients may be traced in other authors: it is the combination, and the design by which that combination is conducted, that makes the merit. SIR EGERTON BRYDGES. 108 BOOK V. THE ARGUMENT. MORNING approached, Eve relates to Adam her troublesome dream; he likes it not, yet comforts her: they come forth to their day-labours: their morning hymn at the door of their bower. God, to render man inexcusable, sends Raphael to admonish him of his obedience, of his free estate, of his enemy near at hand, who he is, and why his enemy, and whatever else may avail Adam to know. Raphael comes down to Paradise; his appearance described; his coming discerned by Adam afar off, sitting at the door of his bower; he goes out to meet him, brings him to his lodge, entertains him with the choicest fruits of Paradise got together by Eve; their discourse at table: Raphael performs his message, minds Adam of his state and of his enemy; relates, at Adam's request, who that enemy is, and how he came to be so, beginning from his first revolt in heaven, and the occasion thereof; how he drew his legions after him to the parts of the north, and there incited them to rebel with him, persuading all but only Abdiel a seraph, who in argument dissuades and opposes him, then forsakes him. Now Morn, her rosy steps in the eastern clime And temperate vapours bland, which the only sound 5. Which refers to sleep, which was dispersed only by the sound of leaves and fuming rills-called fuming from the steam that rises from the water in the 10 15 20 morning. Aurora's fan, the cause for the effect-the fanning winds of the morning among the leaves. |