Have found him, view'd him, tafted him, but find

Far other labor to be undergone

Than when I dealt with Adam firft of Men,

Though Adam by his wife's allurement fell,
However to this man inferior far,

If he be man by mother's fide at least,

135

With more than human gifts from Heav'n adorn'd,
Perfections abfolute, graces divine,

And amplitude of mind to greatest deeds.
Therefore I am return'd left confidence

Of my

fuccefs with Eve in Paradife

140

Tell Athens, in the frequence of degree,

From high to low throughout.

136. If he be man by mother's fide

at leaft,] The Tempter had no doubt of Chrift's being a man by the mother's fide: but the want of a comma in its due place after man, hath puzzled both the fenfe

and the conftruction. He is must be understood at the end of the verfe, to fupport the fyntax.

If he be man, by mother's fide

at least [he is]. Calton. We have still preserved the pointing of Milton's own edition; for fome perhaps may choose to join the whole together, and understand it thus. Satan had heard him de

Deceive

clar'd from Heav'n, and knew him to be the Son of God; and now after the trial that he had made of him, he queftions whether he be man even by the mother's fide,

If he be man by mother's fide at least.

And it is the purport of Satan in this fpeech not to fay any thing to the evil Spirits that may leffen, but every thing that may raise their idea of his antagonist.

139. And amplitude of mind to

greatest deeds.] There is a great deal of dignity as well as fignificancy in this expreffion, and none certainly could have been better felected to exprefs the idea which the poet intended to convey. He borrowed it very probably from

the

Deceive ye to perfuafion over-fure
Of like fucceeding here; I fummon all
Rather to be in readiness, with hand
Or counsel to affift; left I who erst

Thought none my equal, now be over-match'd.

So fpake th' old Serpent doubting, and from all With clamor was affur'd their utmost aid

At his command; when from amidst them rofe Belial, the diffoluteft Spi'rit that fell,

The fenfualleft, and after Afmodai
The fleshlieft Incubus, and thus advis'd.

Set women in his eye, and in his walk,
Among daughters of men the fairest found;
Many are in each region paffing fair
As the noon fky; more like to Goddeffes
Than mortal creatures, graceful and discreet,
Expert in amorous arts, inchanting tongues
Perfuafive, virgin majefty with mild
And sweet allay'd, yet terrible t' approach,

155

160

Skill'd

very tone of voice with which thefe of Raguel, and deftroyed her feverfes must neceffarily be read.

Thyer.

153. Set women in his eye, &c.] As this temptation is not mention'd, nor any hint given of it in the Gofpels, it could not fo well have been propos'd to our Saviour, it is much more fitly made the fubject of debate among the wicked fpirits themselves. All that can be faid in commendation of the power of beauty, and all that can be alledged to depreciate it, is here fumm'd up with greater force and elegance, than I ever remember to have feen it in any other author. And the character of Belial in the Paradife Loft, and the part that he fuftains there, fufficiently fhow how properly he is introduced upon the prefent occafion. He is faid to be the fleshlieft Incubus after Afbmodai, or Ajmadai, as it is written Paradise Loft VI. 365. or Afmodeus IV. 168. the luftful Angel, who loved Sarah the daughter

2

ven hufbands, as we read in the book of Tobit.

155. paffing fair] Our author had feveral times met with this phrafe in his beloved Spenfer and Shakespeare; and particularly in Romeo's commendations of his miftrefs. Act 1. Scene 2.

Show me a mistress, that is pas fing fair;

What doth her beauty serve, but

as a note,

Where I may read, who pafs'd

that paffing fair?

161. Skill'd to retire, and in retiring draw

Hearts after them] In the fame manner Milton in his defcription of Eve. Paradife Loft. VIII. 504.

Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retir'd,

The more defirable. Hearts after them tangled in amorous nets. Milton feems to ufe the word

amorous

Skill'd to retire, and in retiring draw
Hearts after them tangled in amorous nets.
Such object hath the pow'r to foft'n and tame
Severeft temper, fmooth the rugged'ft brow,
Enerve, and with voluptuous hope diffolve,
Draw out with credulous defire, and lead
At will the manlieft, resolutest breast,
As the magnetic hardest iron draws.
f

amorous rather in the fenfe of the Italian amorofo, which is applied to any thing relating to the paffion of love, than in its common Englifh acceptation, in which it generally expreffes fomething of the paffion itself. Thyer.

166. Draw out with credulous defire,] This beautiful expreffion was form'd partly upon the Spes animi credula mutui of Horace. Od. IV. I. 30.

-fond hope of mutual fire, The ftill-believing, flill-renew'd defire,

as Mr. Pope paraphrafes it. And as Mr. Thyer thinks, it is partly an allufion to Terence. Andria. IV. I. 23.

-Non tibi fatis effe hoc vifum

folidum eft gaudium. Nifi me lactaffes amantem, et falfa fpes produceres. 168. As the magnetic hardest iron draws.] Lucian hath this fiVOL. I.

165

Women,

mile in his Imagines Vol. II. p. 2. Ed. Græv. Ει δε κακεινη προσο βλέψεις σε, τις εται μηχανη αποσηναι αυτης; απαξει γαρ σε αναδησαμενη ενθα αν εθέλη, όπερ και η λιθα η ήρακλια δρα τον σιδηρον. But if the fair one once look upon you, what is it that can get you from her? She will draw you after her at pleasure, bound hand and foot, juft as the loadstone draws iron. We may obferve that Milton, by reftraining the comparison to the power of beauty over the wifeft men and the moft ftoical tempers, hath given it a propriety, which is loft in a more general application. See a little poem of Claudian's on the Magnet. It is the 5th of his Eidyllia. Calton.

As the magnetic, It fhould be the magnet, or the magnetic ftone: but Milton often converts the adjective, and ufes it as the fubftantive. Mr. Thyer wifhes fome authority could be found to justify the omitting of this line, which in his

F

opinion

170

Women, when nothing elfe, beguil'd the heart
Of wisest Solomon, and made him build,
And made him bow to the Gods of his wives.
To whom quick answer Satan thus return'd.
Belial, in much uneven fcale thou weigh'ft
All others by thyself; because of old

Thou thyself doat'dft on womankind, admiring 175
Their fhape, their color, and attractive grace,
None are thou think'st, but taken with such toys.
Before the flood thou with thy lufty crew,

opinion is very low and mean; and appears too the more fo, as it immediately follows fome of the finest and most masterly verfes in the whole poem. The fimile is in itself trite and common, and the conceit implied in the word hardest boyish to the laft degree. This fhows that all Milton's learning and genius could not entirely preferve him from being infected with that fanciful fort of wit, which too much prevailed in the age, in which he firft form'd his taste.

177. None are, thou think' ft, but taken with fuch toys.] The line would be clearer, if it run thus, None are, thou think'ft, taken

but with fuch toys. Sympfon. 178. Before the flood, &c.] It is to be lamented that our author has fo often adopted the vulgar notion of

Falfe

the Angels having commerce with
women, founded upon that mista-
ken text of Scripture, Gen. VI. 2.
The fons of God Jaw the daughters of
men, that they were fair; and they
took them wives of all which they
choje. See Paradise Loft III. 463.
and V. 447. But tho' he seems to
favour that opinion, as we may
fuppofe, to embellifh his poetry,
yet he fhows elsewhere that he
understood the text rightly, of
the fons of Seth, who were the
worshippers of the true God, in-
termarrying with the daughters
of wicked Cain. Paradife Loft
XI. 621.

To these that fober race of men,
whofe lives
Religious titled them the fons of
God,

Shall yield up all their virtue,
all their fame

Ignobly,