Puslapio vaizdai
PDF
„ePub“

From what highth fall'n, fo much the ftronger prov'd
He with his thunder: and till then who knew
The force of thofe dire arms? yet not for those,
Nor what the potent victor in his rage

Can else inflict, do I repent or change,

95

Though chang'd in outward luftre, that fix'd mind, And high difdain from fenfe of injur'd merit,

thefe words for the other; and other inftances perhaps may occur in the courfe of this work. Equal ruin hath join'd now, as equal hope join'd before; fomewhat like that in Ovid's Metamorphofis, I. 351.

O foror, O conjux, O fœmina fola
fuperftes,

Quam commune mihi genus, et pa-
truelis origo,
Deinde torus junxit, nunc ipfa pe-
ricula jungunt.

In equal ruin cannot answer to in the
glorious enterprife, becaufe Milton
places a comma after enterprise, and
in conftruction it follows after ha-
zard, and not after join'd.

93. He with his thunder:] There is an uncommon beauty in this expreffion. Satan difdains to utter the

name of God, tho' he cannot but acknowledge his fuperiority. So again ver. 257.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

That with the Mightieft rais'd me to contend,
And to the fierce contention brought along
Innumerable force of Spirits arm'd,

That durft dislike his reign, and me preferring,
His utmost pow'r with adverse pow'r oppos'd
In dubious battel on the plains of Heaven,

100

And shook his throne. What though the field be loft? All is not loft; th' unconquerable will,

106

And study of revenge, immortal hate,

And courage never to submit or yield,
And what is elfe not to be overcome;
That glory never fhall his wrath or might
Extort from me. To bow and fue for grace
With fuppliant knee, and deify his power,

105. What though the field be

--

loft?

All is not loft; &c.] This paffage is an excellent improvement upon Satan's fpeech to the infernal Spirits in Taffo, Cant. 4. St. 15. but feems to be exprefs'd from Fairfax his tranflation rather than from the original.

We loft the field, yet loft we not

our heart.

109. And what is elfe not to be overcome;] Here fhould be no note of interrogation, but only a femi-colon. The words And what elfe not to be overcome fignify Et fi quid fit aliud quod fuperari nequeat,

110

Who

and if there be any thing elfe (befides the particulars mention'd) which is not to be overcome.

Pearce.

110. That glory &c.] That refers to what went before; his unconquerable will and ftudy of revenge, his immortal bate and courage never to fubmit or yield, and what befides efteems his glory, and that glory. is not to be overcome; thefe Satan he fays God never should extort from him. And then begins a new fentence according to all the best editions, To bow and fue for grace, &c-that were low indeed, &c that ftill referring to what went before; and by obferving this punctuation,

Who from the terror of this arm fo late

Doubted his empire; that were low indeed,

That were an ignominy' and fhame beneath

a

This downfall; fince by fate the ftrength of Gods
And this empyreal substance cannot fail,.
Since through experience of this great event
In arms not worse, in forefight much advanc'd,
with more fuccessful hope refolve

We may
To wage by force or guile eternal war,

Irreconcileable to our grand foe, 199

115

129

A

Who now triumphs, and in th' excefs of joy A

Sole reigning holds the tyranny

of Heaven.

So fpake th' apoftate Angel, though in pain, Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with deep despair

KAT

125

And

prefent triumph of their adverfary in Heaven.

this whole paffage, which has per- fuccefsfully,, notwithstanding the plex'd and confounded fo many readers and writers, is render'd plain and easy to be understood. 116.

-

124. the tyranny of Heaven.] The poet fpeaking in his own perfon at ver. 42. of the fupremacy of the Deity calls it the throne and monarchy of God; but here very art fully alters it to the tyranny of Hea ven. Thyer.

[ocr errors]

fince by fate &c.] For Satan fuppofes the Angels to fubfift by fate and neceffity, and he represents them of an empyreal, that is a fiery fubftance, as the Scripture itself doth; He maketh his Angels fpirits, and his minifters a flame 125. So Spake th' apoftate Angel, of fire. Pfal. CIV. 4. Heb. I. 7. tho' in pain, Satan difdains to fubmit, fince the Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with Angels (as he fays) are neceffarily deep defpair:] The fenfe of immortal and cannot be deftroy'd, the laft verfe rifes finely above that and fince too they are now im- of the former: In the firft verse it proved in experience, and may is only faid, that he spake though in hope to carry on the war more pain: In the laft the poet expreffes

And him thus answer'd foon his bold compeer.
O Prince, O Chief of many throned Powers,
That led th' imbattel'd Seraphim to war
Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds
Fearless, indanger'd Heav'n's perpetual king,
And put to proof his high supremacy,

Whether upheld by strength, or chance, or fate;
Too well I fee and rue the dire event,

[ocr errors]

130

That with fad overthrow and foul defeat

135

Hath loft us Heav'n, and all this mighty host

In horrible deftruction laid thus low,

As far as Gods and heav'nly effences

Can perish: for the mind and spi'rit remains
Invincible, and vigor foon returns,
Though all our glory' extinct, and happy state.

[blocks in formation]

140

Here

[blocks in formation]

Here swallow'd up in endless mifery.

But what if he our conqu'ror (whom I now
Of force believe almighty, fince no lefs

Than such could have o'er-pow'r'd fuch force as ours)
Have left us this our spirit and strength entire 146
Strongly to fuffer and fupport our pains,
That we may fo fuffice his vengeful ire,
Or do him mightier service as his thralls

By right of war, whate'er his business be
Here in the heart of Hell to work in fire,
Or do his errands in the gloomy deep;
What can it then avail, though yet we feel
Strength undiminish'd, or eternal being

To undergo eternal punishment?

150

155

Whereto with speedy words th' Arch-Fiend reply'd.

What Beelzebub means here is exprefs'd more at large afterwards by Satan, ver. 637.

But he who reigns Monarch in Heav'n, till then as one fecure

Fall❜n

His torments are the torments which he hath appointed for us to fuffer. Many inftances of this way of fpeaking may be found in this poem. Pearce.

156. Whereto - To what he

Sat on his throne, upheld by old had faid laft, which had startled

repute, Confent or custom, &c.

150. whate'er bis business be] The bufinefs which God hath appointed for us to do. So in II. 70.

Satan, and to which he thinks it proper to make a speedy reply. Speedy words are better applied here than a legs are always in Homer.

157.- to

« AnkstesnisTęsti »