470

Which
every

wife and virtuous man attains:
And who attains not, ill aspires to rule
Cities of men, or head-strong multitudes,
Subject himself to anarchy within,
Or lawless passions in him which he feryes.
But to guide nations in the way of truth
By saving doctrin, and from error lead
To know, and knowing worship God aright,
Is yet more kingly; this attracts the soul,
Governs the inner man, the nobler part;
That other o’er the body only reigns,
And oft by force, which to a generous mind
So reigning can be no sincere delight.
Besides to give a kingdom hath been thought

475

480

Greater

Quisnam igitur liber? Sapiens ; fibi qui im- 481. Besides to give a kingdom &c] So Heperiofus, &c.

phæstion to those who transferred the kingdom 473. But to guide nations &c.] In this speech of Sidon from themselves to another. Quint. concerning riches and realms, our poet has Curt. IV. 1. Vos quidem macti virtute, inquit, culld all the choicest, finest Aowers out of eftote, qui primi intellexiftis, quanto majus the heathen poets and philosophers who have esset, regnum fastidire quam accipere &c. written upon these subjects ; it is not so much Diocletian, Charles V, and others who have their words, as their substance sublimated and resign'd the crown were no doubt in our auimprov'd: but here he foars above them, and thor's thoughts upon this occasion. nothing could have given him so complete an Seneca says, Thyest. III.

Greater and nobler done, and to lay down
Far more magnanimous, than to assume.
Riches are needless then, both for themselves,
And for thy reason why they should be sought, 485
To gain a scepter, oftest better miss’d.

The end of the Second Book.

Τ Η Ε

T H I R D

Β Ο Ο Κ

Ο F

PARADISE REGAIN'D.

5

So spake the Son of God, and Satan stood

O ,

A while as mute confounded what to say,
What to reply, confuted and convinc'd
Of his weak arguing, and fallacious drift;
At length collecting all his ferpent wiles,
With soothing words renew'd, him thus accosts.

I see thou know'st what is of use to know,
What best to say canst say, to do canst do;
Thy actions to thy words accord, thy words
To thy large heart give utterance due, thy heart

Contains

IO

10.

thy heart

Of good, wise, just, the perfect shape. I should Contains of good, wise, just, the perfect shape.] rather think it express’d from the perfecta Milton, no doubt, by the word shape intended forma honestatis, and the forma ipsa honesti of to express the meaning of the Greek term Cicero. De Fin. II. 15. Habes undique explesosd, but in my opinion it does not at all tam et perfe&tam, Torquate, formam honestacome up to it, and seems rather harsh and tis, &c. De Off. I.

De Off. I. 5. Forinam quidem ip

5 inelegant. There are words in all languages, Sam, Marce fili, et tanquam faciem bonessi which cannot well be translated without losing vides; quæ, si oculis cerneretur &c. And much of their beauty, and even some of their the more, because he renders forma by Jhap: meaning; of this sort I take the word idea to in the Paradise Lost. IV. 848. be, Tully renders it by the word species with as litele success in my opinion as Milton has Virtue in her pape how lovely. cone here by his English shape. Thyer,

13:

1

as