All her original brightness, nor appear'd m As when the sun new-risen. 595 600 605 610 Few poetical images can be finer than this, or more beautifully expressed. The precision with which the image is delineated is incomparable. n Millions of spirits for his fault amerced. I must not here omit that beautiful circumstance of Satan's bursting into tears upon his survey of those innumerable spirits whom he had involved in the same guilt and ruin with himself. There is no single passage in the whole poem worked up to a greater sublimity than that wherein his person is described, ver. 589, &c. His sentiments are every way answerable to his character, and suitable to a created being of the most exalted and most depraved nature. Such is that in which he takes possession of the place of torments, ver. 250, &c., and afterwards, ver. 258, &c. The catalogue of evil spirits has abundance of learning in it, and a very agreeable turn of poetry; which rises in a great measure from its describing the places where they were worshipped, by those beautiful marks of rivers so frequent among the ancient poets. The author had doubtless in this place Homer's catalogue of ships, and Virgil's list of warriors, in his view. The characters of Moloch and Belial prepare the reader's mind for their respective speeches and behaviour in the second and sixth books. The account of Thammuz is finely romantic, and suitable to what we read among the ancients of the worship which was paid to that idol. The description of Azazel's stature, and the infernal standard which he unfurls, as also of that ghastly light by which the fiends appear to one another in their places of torments, are wonderfully poetical. Such are the shout of the whole host of fallen angels when drawn up in battle array; the review which the leader makes of his infernal army; the flash of light which appeared upon the drawing of their swords; the sudden production of the Pandemonium; the artificial illumination made in it.— ADDISON. • As when heaven's fire Hath scathed. This is a very beautiful and close simile: it represents the majestic stature and withered glory of the angels; and the last with great propriety, since their lustre was impaired by thunder, as well as that of the trees in the simile and besides, the blasted heath gives us some idea of that singed, burning soil on which the angels were With singed top their stately growth, though bare, O myriads of immortal spirits! O powers Put forth at full; but still his strength conceal'd, New war, provoked: our better part remains 615 620 623 630 635 640 645 standing. Homer and Virgil frequently use comparisons from trees, to express the stature or falling of a hero; but none of them are applied with such variety and propriety of circumstances as this of Milton. See "An Essay upon Milton's Imitation of the Ancients," p. 24.-NEWTON. P Thrice he assay'd, and thrice, in spite of scorn, He had Ovid in his thought, Met. xi. 419 :— Ter conata loqui, ter fletibus ora rigavit. BENTLEY. The turn of the words bears a near resemblance to Spenser, Faer. Qu. 1. xi. 41 :— Thrice he assaid it from his foote to draw, As also to Sackville, "Induction, Mirror for Magistrates," st. last :— Thryse he began to tell his doleful tale, And thryse the sighs did swallow up his voyce. a Hath emptied heaven. BOWLE. It is conceived that a third part of the angels fell with Satan, according to Rev. xii. 4. -NEWTON. At length from us may find, Who overcomes He spake; and, to confirm his words, outflew There stood a hill not far, whose grisly top 650 655 660 665 670 Belch'd fire and rolling smoke; the rest entire The work of sulphur. Thither, wing'd with speed, A numerous brigad hasten'd; as when bands 675 Of pioneers, with spade and pickaxe arm'd, Forerun the royal camp, to trench a field, Or cast a rampart. Mammon led them ont; From heaven; for ev'n in heaven his looks and thoughts There went a fame in heaven. 680 There is something wonderfully beautiful, and very apt to affect the reader's imagination, in this ancient prophecy or report in heaven concerning the creation of man. Nothing could show more the dignity of the species than this tradition, which ran of them before their existence: they are represented to have been the talk of heaven before they were created. Virgil, in compliment to the Roman commonwealth, makes the heroes of it appear in their state of pre-existence; but Milton does a far greater honour to mankind in general, as he gives us a glimpse of them even before they are in being.-ADDISON. s The sudden blaze Far round illumined hell. Another true Miltonic picture. • Mammon led them on. This name is Syriac, and signifies riches. "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon," Matth. vi. 24. Mammon is by some supposed to be the God of riches, and is accordingly personified by Milton, and had been before by Spenser; whose description of Mammon and his cave, Milton seems to have had his eye upon in several places.--NEWTON. Than aught divine or holy else enjoy'd In vision beatific: by him first Men also, and by his suggestion taught, For treasures better hid. Soon had his crew Severing each kind, and scumm'd the bullion dross : A various mould, and from the boiling cells By strange conveyance fill'd each hollow nook: To many a row of pipes the sound-board breathes. With golden architrave: nor did there want Their kings, when Egypt with Assyria strove " And hands innumerable scarce perform. 635 690 695 700 705 710 715 720 There were 360,000 men employed for near twenty years upon one of the Pyramids, according to Diodorus Siculus, lib. i., and Pliny, lib. xxxvi. 12.-NEWTON. As in an organ. This simile is as exact as it is new and we may observe, that Milton frequently fetches his images from music, more than any other English poet; as he was very fond of it, and was himself a performer upon the organ and other instruments.-NEWTON. Rose, like an exhalation. W Peck supposes that this hint is taken from some of the moving scenes and machines invented by Inigo Jones, for Charles the First's masques. : Stood fix'd her stately highth and straight the doors, Men called him Mulciber; and how he fell From heaven they fabled, thrown by angry Jove 725 730 735 740 745 To have built in heaven high towers; nor did he 'scape By all his engines; but was headlong sent 750 With his industrious crew to build in hell. Meanwhile the winged heralds, by command A solemn council forthwith to be held Of sovran power, with awful ceremony And trumpet's sound, throughout the host proclaim At Pandæmonium, the high capital Of Satan and his peers: their summons call'd From every band and squared regiment By place or choice the worthiest ; they anon With hundreds and with thousands trooping came :: And porches wide, but chief the spacious hall, 755 760 765 Alluding to Homer, Il. i. 590, &c. It is worth observing how Milton lengthens out the time of Vulcan's fall. He not only says with Homer, that it was all day long; but we are led through the parts of the day, from morn to noon, from noon to evening, and this a summer's day. See also Odyss. vii. 288.-NEWTON. |