137

PARADISE REGAIN'D.

во ок

IV.

Perplex'd and troubled at his bad success

The Tempter stood, nor had what to reply,
Discover'd in his fraud, thrown from his hope
So oft, and the persuasive rhetoric

That fleek'd his tongue, and won fo much on Eve, 5
So little here, nay loft; but Eve was Eve,
This far his over-match, who felf-deceiv'd
And rafh, before-hand had no better weigh'd
The strength he was to cope with, or his own;
But as a man who had been matchless held

7. This far bis over-match, who felf-decero'd &c.] An ufual construction in Milton, This, far an over-match for him, who felf-deceiv'd and rafh, before-band had no better weigh'd &c. Neither is this inconfiftent, as Mr. Thyer conceives it to be, with what Satan had declar'd in Book II. 131.

10

In

he had weigh'd it, but should have weigh'd it better; if he had been fully appris'd whom he was contending with, he would have ceased from the contention.

10. But as a man &c] It is the method of Homer to illuftrate and adorn the fame fubject with several fimilitudes, as the reader may fee

Have found him, view'd him, tasted him, particularly in the fecond book of the Iliad

but find

Far other labor to be undergone &c.

He had made fome trials of his ftrength, but had not fufficiently confider'd it before-band;

before the catalogue of fhips and warriors: and our author here follows his example, and prefents us, as I may fay, with a string of fimilitudes together. This fecundity and variety of the two poets can never be fufficien ly

In cunning, over-reach'd where least he thought,
To falve his credit, and for very spite,
Still will be tempting him who foils him still,
And never cease, though to his shame the more;
Or as a swarm of flies in vintage time,
About the wine-press where sweet must is pour'd,
Beat off, returns as oft with humming found;
Or furging waves against a folid rock,
Though all to fhivers dash'd, th'affault renew,
Vain batt❜ry, and in froth or bubbles end;

admired but Milton, I think, has the advantage in this refpect, that in Homer the lowest comparison is fometimes the laft, whereas here in Milton they rife in my opinion, and improve one upon another. The first has too much famenefs with the fubject it would illuftrate, and gives us no new ideas. The fecond is low, but it is the lowness of Homer, and at the fame time is very natural. The third is free from the defects of the other two, and rifes up to Milton's ufual dignity and majefty. Mr. Thyer, who has partly made the fame obfervations with me, fays that Milton, as if conscious of the defects of the two foregoing comparifons, rifes up here to his ufual fublimity, and prefents to the reader's mind an image, which not only fills and fatisfies the imagination, but alfo perfectly expreffes both the unmov'd ftedfaftnefs of our Saviour, and the fruftrated baffled attempts of Satan.

15. Or as a swarm of flies in vintage time, &c]

The comparison is very juft, and alfo, in the manner of Homer. Iliad. XVI. 641.

Οι δ' αιαι περί νεκρὸν ὁμιλεῖν, ὡς ὅτε μυαλ
Σταθμῳ ενι βρομέωσι περιγλαγέας κατα πελ
λας

Ωρη εν εαρινή, ότε τε γλαγος αργια ανει.
Illi vero affidue circa mortuum verfabantur,
ut quum mufcæ

In caula fufurrant lacte plenas ad mulctras
Tempore in verno, quando lac vasa rigat.
Iliad. XVII. 570.

Και οι μνης παρά ενι σηθεασιν ενηκεν,
Ήτε και εργομίνη μαλα περ χροος ανδρομέδιο,
Ιχαναα δακεειν.

Et ei muscæ audaciam pectoribus immifit,
Quæ licet abacta crebro à corpore humano,
Appetit mordere.
Fortin.

This fimile is very much in the fame tafte with
one in the fecond Iliad of Homer, where he'

compares

So Satan, whom repulse upon repulse

Met ever, and to fhameful filence brought,

Yet gives not o'er though defp'rate of success,
And his vain importunity pursues.

He brought our Saviour to the western fide.

25

Of that high mountain, whence he might behold
Another plain, long but in breadth not wide,
Wash'd by the southern fea, and on the north
To equal length back'd with a ridge of hills,
That screen'd the fruits of th' earth and feats of men 30
From

compares the Greek army to fwarms of flies buzzing about the shepherds milk-pail in the Spring, and feems liable to the fame objection which is made to that, of being too low for the grandeur of the subject. It must however be allow'd, that nothing could better exprefs the teazing ceaseless importunity of the Tempter than this does. Mr. Pope in his note on this paffage of Homer obferves that Milton, who was a clofe imitator of him, has often copied him in these bumble comparisons, and inftances thofe lines in the end of the fixth book of his Paradife Loft, where the rebel Angels thunderftruck by the Meffiah are compared to a herd of goats or timorous flock together throng'd. The obfervation is juft, but very far in my opinion from being verified by the paffage produc'd. No image of terror or confternation could be too low for that exhausted fpiritless condition, in which those vanquifh'd Angels muft at that inftant be supposed to be, and that abject timorousness imputed to them, instead of lef

fening the dignity of the defcription rather adds to it, by exciting in the reader's mind a greater idea of the tremendous majesty of the Son of God. This comparison of the flies now before us would have answer'd his purpofe much better. Thyer. I cannot entirely agree with my ingenious friend; for Mr. Pope is difcourfing there of low images, which are preceded by others of a lofty strain, and on that account this comparifon, however fuitable in other refpects, would not have been fo proper for his purpofe.

From cold Septentrion blasts, thence in the midst
Divided by a river, of whose banks
On each fide an imperial city stood,
With tow'rs and temples proudly elevate
On fev'n small hills, with palaces adorn'd,
Porches and theatres, baths, aqueducts,
Statues and trophies, and triumphal arcs,
Gardens and groves presented to his eyes,
Above the highth of mountains interpos'd:
By what strange parallax or optic skill
Of vision multiply'd through air, or glass
Of telescope, were curious to inquire:
And now the Tempter thus his filence broke.
The city which thou feeft no other deem.

35

40

Than

35. On fev3n small bills,] Virgil Georg. here alludes to is a fanciful notion which I

II. 535.

Septemque una fibi muro circumdedit arces.

40. By what ftrange parallax or optic skill &c] The learned have been very idly bufy in contriving the manner in which Satan fhowed to our Saviour all the kingdoms of the world. Some fuppofe it was done by vision; others by Satan's creating phantafmns or species of different kingdoms, and presenting them to our Saviour's fight, &c, &c. But what Milton

find imputed to our famous countryman Hugh Broughton. Cornelius a Lapide in fumming up the various opinions upon this fubject gives it in these words: Alii fubtiliter imaginantur, quod Dæmon per multa fpecula fibi invicem objecta fpecies regnorum ex uno fpeculo in aliud et aliud continuò reflexerit, idque fecerit ufque ad oculos Chrifti. In locum Matthæi. For want of a proper index I could not find the place in Broughton's works. But Wolfius in his Curæ philolo