BOOK IV THE ARGUMENT. Satan now in prospect of Eden, and nigh the place where he must now attempt the bold enterprise which he undertook alone against God and Man, falls into many doubts with himself, and many passions, fear, envy, and despair; but at length confirms himself in evil, journeys on to l'aradise, whose outward prospect and situation is described, overleaps the bounds, sits in the shape of a cormorant on the Tree of Life, as highest in the garden, to look about him. The garden described: Satan's first sight of Adam and Eve; his wonder at their excellent form and happy state, but with resolution to work their fall; overhears their discourse, thence gathers that the Tree of Knowledge was forbidden them to eat of, under penalty of Death; and thereon intends to found his temptation, by seducing them to transgress; then leaves them a while, to know further of their state by some other means. Meanwhile Uriel, descending on a sun-beam, warns Gabriel, who had in charge the gate of Paradise, that some evil Spirit had escaped the deep, and passed at noon by his sphere in the shape of a good Angel down to Paradise, discovered after by his furious gestures in the Mount. Gabriel promises to find him ere morning. Night coming on, Adam and Eve discourse of going to their rest: their bower described; their evening worship. Gabriel drawing forth his bands of night-watch to walk the round of Paradise, appoints two strong Angels to Adam's bower, lest the evil Spirit should be there doing some harm to Adan, or Eve sleeping; there they find him at the ear of Eve, tempting her in a dream, and bring him, though unwilling, to Gabriel; by whom questioned, he scornfully answers, prepares resistance, but hindered by a sign trom Heaven, flies out of Paradise. O FOR that warning voice, which he who saw 5 10 To wreck on innocent frail man his loss 1. There is great propriety in the opening of the present book. The grand subject of the relation which St. John gave of the Apocalypse or Revelation he received, is the overthrow of Satan, whose first attempts upon Man's purity and happiness form the ground- work of this part of the poem. Far off and fearless, nor with cause to boast, 15 His troubled thoughts, and from the bottom stir 20 Of what he was, what is, and what must be 25 Sometimes tow'rds Heav'n and the full-blazing Sun, 30 35 40 O thou that with surpassing glory crown'd, Look'st from thy sole dominion like the God Of this new world; at whose sight all the stars Hide their diminish'd heads; to thee I call, But with no friendly voice, and add thy name, O Sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams, That bring to my remembrance from what state I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere; Till pride and worse ambition threw me down Warring in Heav'n against Heav'n's matchless King: Ah wherefore! he deserved no such return From me, whom he created what I was In that bright eminence, and with his good Upbraided none; nor was his service hard. What could be less than to afford him praise, The easiest recompense, and pay him thanks, How due! yet all his good proved ill in me, And wrought but malice; lifted up so high, I sdeign'd subjection, and thought one step higher Would set me high'st, and in a moment quit The debt immense of endless gratitude, 45 51 24. Memory is here used in the sense of reflection or conside. ration. 32. Milton first thought of writing a tragedy on the Loss of Paradise, and the first ten lines of this speech formed its opening. 50. Sdeign'd, for disdain'd, from the Italian, sdegnare. So burdensome still paying, still to owe, Then happy; no unbounded hope had raised As great might have aspired, and me, though mean, 65 Be then his love accursed, since love or hate, 70 Nay, cursed be thou; since against his thy will Chose freely what it now so justly rues. Me miserable! which way shall I fly In misery! such joy ambition finds. But say I could repent, and could obtain 55. Understood not, to be connected with the preceding verl 94 By act of grace my former state, how soon 100 Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep: So farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear, 105 110 Thus while he spake, each passion dimm'd his face; Thrice changed with pale, ire, envy, and despair; 115 Which marr'd his borrow'd visage, and betray'd Him counterfeit, if any eye beheld. For heav'nly minds from such distempers foul Each perturbation smooth'd with outward calm, 120 That practised falsehood under saintly show, Yet not enough had practised to deceive Uriel once warn'd; whose eye pursued him down 125 130 135 Access deny'd; and over head up grew, Of stateliest view. Yet higher than their tops 140 145 151 On which the Sun more glad impress'd his beams 155 160 All sadness but despair: now gentle gales, [league That drove him, though enamour'd, from the spouse 151. The description which Milton has given of Paradise is similar to those of Homer, Spenser, and Tasso, in their accounts of the gardens in which the scene of their poems sometimes lies. To these may be added Ariosto's and Marino's, it being generally allowed, that though Milton's is superior to any other, that the Italian come nearest in beauty and perfection. 158. An imitation is here observed of Shakspeare in the Twelfth Night, or of Ariosto, Orlan. Fur. 6. 34. st. 51. 162. Mozambique is an island on the eastern coast of Africa. As the north-east wind blows contrary to those who have doabled the Cape, they are nence obliged to slack their course.-Sabean from Saba, a city and province of Arabia Felix 168. See Tobit viii. |