Divine effulgence, whofe high pow'r so far
Exceeded human, and his wary fpeech
Thus to th' empyreal minifter he fram❜d.
Inhabitant with God, now know I well
Thy favor, in this honor done to Man,
Under whose lowly roof thou haft vouchfaf'd
To enter, and thefe earthly fruits to taste,

Food not of Angels, yet accepted fo,

As that more willingly thou couldst not seem

460

· 465

At Heav'n's high feafts to have fed: yet what compare?
To whom the winged Hierarch reply'd.
O Adam, one Almighty is, from whom

467. •yet what compare?] His fpeech was wary; and he was afraid to ask the Angel directly of the different conditions of Men and Angels; but yet intimates his defire to know by questioning whether there was any comparifon between them.

All

468. To whom the winged Hierarch

reply'd.] Raphael's behaviour is every way suitable to the dignity of his nature, and to that which the author has fo judiciously character of a fociable Spirit, with introduced him. He had received inftructions to converse with Adam, as one friend converfes with another, and to warn him of the enemy who was contriving his deftruction: accordingly he is reprefented as fitting down at table with Adam, and eating of the fruits of Paradife. The occafion naturally leads him to his discourse on the food of Angels. After having thus enter'd into converfation with Man upon more indifferent fubjects, he warns him of his obedience, and

makes

All things proceed, and up to him return,

470

475

If not deprav'd from good, created all
Such to perfection, one first matter all,
Indued with various forms, various degrees
Of fubftance, and in things that live, of life;
But more refin'd, more fpiritous, and pure,
As nearer to him plac'd or nearer tending
Each in their feveral active spheres affign'd,
Till body up to fpirit work, in bounds
Proportion'd to each kind. So from the root
Springs lighter the green ftalk, from thence the leaves
More aery, laft the bright confummate flower 481
Spirits odorous breathes: flow'rs and their fruit,
Man's nourishment, by gradual scale sublim'd,

That fill as every thing doth upward tend,

And farther is from earth, fo ftill more clear

And fair it grows &c. Thyer.

478. Till body up to spirit work, &c.] Our author thould have confidered things better, for by attri

To vital fpirits afpire, to animal,

To intellectual; give both life and sense,
Fancy and understanding; whence the foul
Reason receives, and reason is her being,
Difcurfive, or intuitive; difcourfe

Is ofteft yours, the latter most is ours,

Differing but in degree, of kind the fame.

Wonder not then, what God for you saw good
If I refuse not, but convert, as you,

485

490

To proper
substance: time may come, when Men
With Angels may participate, and find
No inconvenient di'et, nor too light fare;
And from these corporal nutriments perhaps
Your bodies may at last turn all to spirit,

buting his own falfe notions in philofophy to an Arch-Angel he has really leffen'd the character, which he intended to raife. He is as much mistaken here in his metaphyfics, as he was before in his phyfics. This notion of matter refining into fpirit is by no means obferving the bounds proportion'd to each kind. I fuppofe, he meant it as a comment on the doctrin of a natural body changed into a fpiritual body, as in 1 Cor. XV. and perhaps borrow'd it from fome of his fyftems of divinity. For Milton, as he was too much of a materialist in his

495

Improv'd

philofophy, fo was too much of a fyftematist in his divinity.

482. Spirits odorous] We muft take notice in reading this verse, that Spirits is here a word of two fyllables, tho' it is often contracted into one or pronounc'd as two fhort ones, and particularly in the sccond line after this

To vital fpirits afpire 3

and the fecond fyllable in odorous is to be pronounced long, tho' the poet makes it fhort in other places, İV. 166.

Improv'd by tract of time, and wing'd afcend
Ethereal, as we, or may at choice
Here or in heav'nly Paradifes dwell;
If ye be found obedient, and retain
Unalterably firm his love entire,'

Whose progeny you are.

Mean while enjoy

Your fill what happiness this happy state

Can comprehend, incapable of more.

To whom the patriarch of mankind reply'd.

O favorable Spi'rit, propitious gueft,

Well haft thou taught the way that might direct

Our knowledge, and the scale of nature fet
From center to circumference, whereon

So entertain'd thofe odorous sweets

the Fiend:

but these are not the only inftances, where Milton makes ufe of this fame poetical licence.

498. and wing'd afcend Ethereal, as we,] It is the doctrin of the ableft Divines and primitive Fathers of the Catholic Church, that if Adam had not finned, he, would never have died, but would have been tranflated from Earth to Heaven; and this doctrin the reader may fee illuftrated in the learned Bishop Bull's difcourfe of the ftate of man before the fall. Our author no doubt was very well ac

500

505

510

In

quainted with the fenfe of antiquity in this particular; and admitting the notion, what he fays is poetical at leaft, if you will not allow it to be probable and rational.

503. Whofe progeny you are.] From St. Paul Acts XVII. 28. For que are alfo his ofspring; who took it from Aratus, Tov yap nou yo. sauer.

504. Your fill what happiness] Your fill of what happiness, or t your fill what happiness.

509.-and the fcale of nature fet From center to circumference,] The fcale or ladder of nature afcends by fteps from a point, a center, to

the

In contemplation of created things

be found

By steps we may afcend to God. But fay,
What meant that caution join'd, If ye
Obedient? can we want obedience then
To him, or poffibly his love defert,

515

Who form'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here Full to the utmost measure of what bliss

Human defires can feek or apprehend?

520

To whom the Angel. Son of Heav'n and Earth, Attend; That thou art happy, owe to God; That thou continueft fuch, owe to thyself, That is, to thy obedience; therein stand. This was that caution giv'n thee; be advis'd.

the whole circumference of what mankind can fee or comprehend. The metaphor is bold and vaftly expreffive. Matter, one firft matter is this center; nature infinitely diverfify'd is the scale which reaches to the utmost of our conceptions, all round. We are thus led to God; whofe circumference who can tell? Uncircumfcrib'd be fills infinitude, VII. 170. Richardfon.

512. By feps we may afcend to God.] There is a real vifible ladder (befides that vifionary one of Jacob) whose foot, tho' placed on the earth among the lowest of the creation, yet leads us by fteps in contemplation of created things up to God the inVOL. I.