Hypocrify, the only evil that walks
Invisible, except to God alone,

684

By his permiffive will, through Heaven and Earth: And oft, though wisdom wake, suspicion sleeps At wisdom's gate, and to fimplicity

690

Refigns her charge, while goodness thinks no ill
Where no ill feems: Which now for once beguil'd
Uriel, though regent of the fun, and held
The sharpeft-fighted Spirit of all in Heaven;
Who to the fraudulent impoftor foul,

"Hypocrify, that with an angel's likeness
"May well deceive the wisdom of an angel,

"Shall reinftate me in his generous heart." TODD.

Ver. 683. Hypocrify, &c.] What is faid here of hypocrify is cenfured as a digreffion, but it seems no more than is abfolutely neceffary; for otherwise it might be thought very strange, that the evil Spirit fhould pass undiscovered by the Arch-Angel Uriel, the regent of the fun, and the sharpeft-fighted Spirit in Heaven: and therefore the Poet endeavours to account for it by faying, that hypocrify cannot be difcerned by Man or Angel, it is invifible to all but God, &c. But yet the evil Spirit did not pafs wholly undiscovered; for, though Uriel was not aware of him now, yet he found reafon to fufpect him afterwards from his furious geftures on the mount. NEWTON.

A

The poet's recollection of his having been deluded by the matchlefs hypocrify of Cromwell, might have inspired him with this admirable apology for Uriel. HAYLEY.

Ver. 686. And oft, though wisdom wake, &c.] He must be very critically fplenetick indeed, who will not pardon this little digreffional obfervation. There is not in my opinion a nobler fentiment, or one more poetically expreffed, in the whole poem. What great art has the poet shown in taking off the drynefs of a mere moral fentence, by throwing it into the form of a fhort and beautiful allegory! THYER.

695

In his uprightness, answer thus return'd.
Fair Angel, thy defire, which tends to know
The works of God, thereby to glorify
The great Work-master, leads to no excess
That reaches blame, but rather merits praise
The more it seems excess, that led thee hither
From thy empyreal mansion thus alone,
To witness with thine eyes what fome perhaps,
Contented with report, hear only in Heaven: 701
For wonderful indeed are all his works,
Pleasant to know, and worthiest to be all
Had in remembrance always with delight;
But what created mind can comprehend
Their number, or the wisdom infinite
That brought them forth, but hid their causes
deep?

I saw when at his word the formless mafs,

705

Ver. 693. In his uprightness, &c.] So, in Job xxxiii. 3. "My words fhall be of the uprightness of my heart." TODD. Ver. 703. Pleasant to know, and worthiest to be all

Had in remembrance always with delight;] This is one of those places, where a negligence in metre is not only excufable in taking away monotony, but carries with it a dignity which no smoothness of verfe could give it; the words being almost in the fame order as in Scripture. STILLINGFLEET.

Ver. 704, Had in remembrance] Pfalm cxi. 4. In the old version: "He hath fo done his marvellous works, that they ought to be had in remembrance.” GREENWOOD.

Ver. 708. I faw &c.] Perhaps the poet here alludes to the fong of Orpheus in Apoll. Rhod. Argon. i, 496, &c. and in

This world's material mould, came to a heap:
Confufion heard his voice, and wild uproar 710
Stood rul'd, ftood vaft infinitude confin'd;
Till at his fecond bidding Darkness fled,
Light fhone, and order from diforder fprung:
Swift to their several quarters hafted then
The cumbrous elements, earth, flood, air, fire;
And this ethereal quinteffence of Heaven 716

ver. 716 to the doctrine of Plato, who gave to each planet a prefiding fpirit. STILLINGFLEET.

Ver. 712.

Darkness] Darkness is here a perfon, as in L'Allegro, v. 6. Perhaps he remembered this perfonification in Heliod. However, fee Mr. Warton's note, L'Alleg. v. 49. TODD.

Ver. 713. and order from diforder Sprung:] So Plato in Timmo, Εἰς τάξιν αὐτο ἤγαγεν ἐκ τῆς ἀταξίας, which Tully renders in Latin thus, “Id ex inordinato in ordinem adduxit.” Cic. de Univ. So alfo Philo the Jew after his mafter Plato: Επειδη γὰρ τὴν εσίαν ἄτακτον καὶ συγκεχυμένην ἔσαν ἐξ αὐτῆς, εἰς τάξιν ἐξ ἀταξίας, καὶ ἐκ συγχύσεως εἰς διάκρισιν ἄγων ὁ κοσμοπλάτης, μορφέ ptare. It would be no finall pleasure to the curious reader to compare Uriel's account of the creation, with that in Plato's Timæus. This inftance plainly fhews that Milton had that in his eye. THYER.

Ver. 715. The cumbrous elements,] Even earth and fire are fo, in comparison of the ethereal quinteffence, celestial fire, or pure fpirit. RICHARDSON.

Ver. 716. And this ethereal quintessence of Heaven] The four elements hafted to their quarters, but this fifth effence flew upward. It should be this, as it is in Milton's own editions: and not the ethereal quinteffence, as it is in Bentley's, Fenton's, and fome other editions. For the Angel who fpeaks is in the fun, and therefore fays this, as the fun was a part of this ethereal quinteffence. And this notion our author borrowed from Aristotle

Flew upward, fpirited with various forms,
That roll'd orbicular, and turn'd to stars
Numberless, as thou feeft, and how they move;
Each had his place appointed, each his course;
The reft in circuit walls this universe.
Look downward on that globe, whose hitherfide
With light from hence, though but reflected,
fhines;

721

That place is Earth, the feat of Man; that light His day, which else, as the other hemisphere, 725 Night would invade; but there the neighbouring

moon

(So call that opposite fair star) her aid

Timely interposes, and her monthly round Still ending, still renewing, through mid Heaven, With borrow'd light her countenance triform 730

and others of the ancient philofophers, who fuppofed that, befides the four elements, there was likewise an ethereal quinteffence or fifth effence, out of which the stars and Heavens were formed, and its motion was orbicular: es de wapà và ríoσapa σοιχεία, καὶ ἄλλο πέμπτον, ἐξ ὅ τα αιθέρια συνεςάναι· ἀλλοίαν δ' αυτῆ τὴν κίνησιν είναι, κυκλοφορικήν γάρ: which are the very words of Diogenes Laertius in his life of Ariftotle. NEWTON.

Ver. 719. Numberless,] Thefe ftars are numberless as thou feeft (fays the Angel) and feest how they move; and the rest of this fifth effence, that is not formed into stars, furrounds and like a wall enclofes the univerfe. Lucret. v. 470.

"Et latè diffufus in omnes undique partes

"Omnia fic avido complexu cætera fepfit." NEWTON. walls this univerfe.] Compare Lu

Ver. 721.

cretius, lib. v. 455.

Ver. 730.

-" et magni moenia mundi." CALLANDER.

her countenance triform] Encreafing

Hence fills and empties to enlighten the Earth, And in her pale dominion checks the night.. That spot, to which I point, is Paradise, Adam's abode; thofe lofty fhades, his bower. 734 Thy way thou canst not mifs, me mine requires. Thus faid, he turn'd; and Satan, bowing low, As to fuperiour Spirits is wont in Heaven, Where honour due and reverence none neglects, Took leave, and toward the coaft of earth beneath, Down from the ecliptick, fped with hop'd fuccefs, Throws his steep flight in many anaery wheel; 741

with horns towards the eaft, decreafing with horns towards the weft, and at the full. NEWTON.

"Diva triformis," Hor. Od. iii. 22. 4. STILLING FLEET, Ver. 741. in many an aery wheel;] This sportive motion is attributed to Satan for joy that he was now fo near his journey's end and it is very properly taken notice of here, as it is faid to have been obferved by the Angel Uriel, afterwards, B. iv. 567,

:

"I defcrib'd his way

"Bent on all speed, and mark'd his aery gait."

NEWTON,

I do not think, that Milton intended to describe any sportive motion of Satan's, but only the fpeedinefs of his flight. It is a manner of expreffion familiar to the Italians, and, no doubt, he borrowed it from them. To give one inftance out of many: Ariofto, defcribing the magician Atlante upon his hippogrif defcending in great hafte to feize Bradamante, who was fallen on the ground, ufes thefe terms, Orl. Fur. C. iv. ft. 24,

"Accelerando il volator le penne

"Con larghe ruote in terra a por fi venne." THYER.

I agree with Mr. Thyer, that Satan's motion in many an aery wheel is intended to denote the agility of his flight, rather than the effect of his joy. So Mercury defcends, in the Comedy of Lingua, 1607. A. i. S. ult.