But Satan fmitten with amazement fell.
As when earth's fon Antæus (to compare
Small things with greateft) in Iraffa ftrove
With Jove's Alcides, and oft foil'd still rose,
Receiving from his mother earth new strength,
Fresh from his fall, and fiercer grapple join'd,
Throttled at length in th' air, expir'd and fell;
So after many a foil the Tempter proud,
Renewing fresh affaults, amidst his pride
Fell whence he ftood to fee his victor fall.
And as that Theban monfter that propos'd

565

570

Her

Ad quem locum fic fcribit Scho-
liaftes: Iegard works MiGuns, v
ᾤκησεν ΑναιΘ, εχ ̓ ὁ παλαίσας
Ἡρακλες, εκείνα γαρ διαλλάσει
τοις χρόνοις, ὃν και ανείλεν Ηρα
κλης. Pindarus
nomen urbis
genere

fœm. protulit, quod Schol. alio lo-
co numero multitudinis & genere
ο απο Ηράκλεις καταγωνισθείς
neut. effert : Ένιοι γαρ φασιν, ότι
Arai, Tegard's lov, año 'Ipao-
σων των εν τη Τειτωνίδι λιμνη, ὡς
φησι Φερεκύδης. From whence we
and Stephanus, Irafa is the name
may observe, that in Herodotus
of a place, in Pindar and his Scho-
liaft, the name of a town: that the
name is Irafa in Herodotus, Hirafa
in Stephanus, (tho' perhaps it
fhould be Irafa, "Iegda, there)
Iraffa in Pindar and his Scholiaft:

that

Her riddle', and him, who folv'd it not, devour'd,

1

That once found out and folv'd, for grief and fpite
Cast herself headlong from th' Ifmenian steep;
So ftruck with dread and anguish fell the Fiend,
And to his crew, that fat confulting, brought
Joyless triumphals of his hop'd fuccess,
Ruin, and desperation, and dismay,

Who durft so proudly tempt the Son of God.
So Satan fell; and strait a fiery globe
Of Angels on full fail of wing flew nigh,
Who on their plumy vans receiv'd him foft

that the Scholiaft fays, Antaeus dwelt at Iraffa, not he who wrestled with Hercules, but one later than him; which, if true, makes against Milton that he afterwards adds, that according to the opinion of fome, the Antaus whom Hercules overcame was Ιραπός, από Ιράσσων, which Berkelius takes to be the genitive of a legoa, though it may be of οι Ιρασσαι. Jortin. Anteus dwelt at the city Iraffa, according to Pindar. But it was not there that he wrestled with Hercules, but at Lixos, according to Pliny. Lixos vel fabulofiffime antiquis narrata. Ibi regia Antæi, certamenque cum Hercule. Nat. Hift. Lib. 5. cap. 1. Meadowcourt. 572. And as that Theban monster &c] The Sphinx, whofe riddle be

575

580

From his uneafy ftation, and upbore

As on a floting couch through the blithe air,
Then in a flow'ry valley fet him down.
On a green bank, and set before him spread
A table of celeftial food, divine,
Ambrofial fruits, fetch'd from the tree of life,
And from the fount of life ambrofial drink,
That foon refresh'd him wearied, and repair'd
What hunger, if ought hunger had impair'd,
Or thirst; and as he fed, angelic quires
Sung heav'nly anthems of his victory
Over temptation, and the Tempter proud.

the rock by zephyrs, and laid lightly on a green and flowry bank, and there entertain'd with invifible mufic. See Apuleius. Lib. IV.

Richardfon. 585. As on a floring couch through the blithe air,] Which way foever I turn this term blithe, it conveys no idea to me fuitable to the place it occupies: nor do my dictionaries aid me in the leaft. The place is certainly corrupted, and ought to run so,

through the lithe air.

Our author uses the word in his Paradife Loft in the fenfe requir'd here,

and wreath'd His lithe probofcis. IV. 347.

585

590

595 True

True Image of the Father, whether thron'd
In the bofom of blifs, and light of light
Conceiving, or remote from Heav'n, infhrin'd
In fleshly tabernacle, and human form,
Wand'ring the wilderness, whatever place,
Habit, or state, or motion, ftill expreffing
The Son of God, with God-like force indued
Against th' attempter of thy Father's throne,
And thief of Paradife; him long of old

600

Thou didst debel, and down from Heaven caft 605 With all his army, now thou haft aveng'd Supplanted Adam, and by vanquishing

All the poems that ever were written, muft yield, even Paradife Loft muft yield to Regain'd in the grandeur of its close. Chrift ftands triumphant on the pointed eminence. The Demon falls with amazement and terror, on this full

Temptation,

of God, whofe thunder forced him
out of Heaven. The bleffed An-
gels receive new knowledge. They
behold a fublime truth establish'd,
which was a fecret to them at the
beginning of the temptation; and
the great discovery gives a proper
opening to their hymn on the vic-
tory of Chrift, and the defeat of
Calton.
the Tempter.

600.

whatever place, Habit, or ftate, or motion,] Probably not without allufion to Horace Ep. I. XVII. 23.

Omnis Ariftippum decuit color, et ftatus et res.

605. Thou didst debel] Debellare

proof of his being that very Son fuperbos. Virg. Æn. VI. 853.

0 4

619.-like

1

And fruftrated the conqueft fraudulent:

He never more henceforth will dare fet foot.
In Paradise to tempt, his fnares are broke:
For though that feat of earthly blifs be fail'd,
A fairer Paradife is founded now

For Adam and his chofen fons, whom thou
A Saviour art come down to re-install

610

615

Where they shall dwell fecure, when time fhall be,

619. like an autumnal far Or lightning] The poet does here, as in other places, imitate profane authors and Scripture both together. Like an autumnal ftar, Asee' ofwely evafor. Iliad. V. 5. Or like lightning fall from Heaven, Luke X. 18. I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven.

624. Abaddon] The name of the Angel of the bottomlefs pit, Rev. IX. 11. Here applied to the bottomless pit itself. In this concluding hymn of the Angels, the poet has taken fome pains, to fhow the fitnefs and propriety of giving the name of Paradife Regain'd to fo confin'd a fubject, as our Saviour's temptation. Confin'd as the fubject was, I make no queftion that he thought the Paradise Regain'd an epic poem as well as the Paradife Loft. For in his invocation he undertakes

to tell of deeds Above heroic;