all ear, 350 All heart they live, all head, all eye, Mean while in other parts like deeds deserv'd 350. All heart they live, all head, all eye, all ear, All intellect, all sense ;] This is expressed very much Jike Pliny's account of God. Nat. Hist. I. i. c. 7. Quisquis est Deus, si modo est alius, et quacunque in parte, totus est sensus, totus visus, totus auditus, totus animæ, totus animi, totus sui. 355. the might of Gabriel] A manner of expression like the Πριαμοιο βιην and 'Εκτορος μενος of Homer, as quoted before in a note of Mr. Hume's upon v. 371. We have the like again in ver. 371. the violence of Ramiel. 362. And uncouth pain fled bellowing.] I question not but Milton in his description of his furious Moloch flying from the battle, and bellowing with the wound he had received, had his eye on Mars in the Iliad; who upon his being wounded is re 355 360 presented as retiring out of the fight, and making an outcry louder than that of a whole army when it begins the charge. Homer adds, that the Greeks and Trojans, who were engaged in a general battle, were terrified on each side with the bellowing of this wounded deity. The reader will easily observe, how Milton has kept all the horror of this image, without running into the ridicule of it. Addison. With uncouth pain fled bellowing. Uncouth is a word very common with Spenser; but Milton, no doubt, in this particular application of it, had in view the following lines, Faery Queen, b. i. cant. xi. st. 20. The piercing steel there wrought a wound full wide, That with the uncouth pain the monster loudly cried. Thyer. Uriel and Raphaël his vaunting foe, Though huge, and in a rock of diamond arm'd, 365 Two potent thrones, that to be less than gods The atheist crew, but with redoubled blow Of Ramiel scorch'd and blasted overthrew. 363. Uriel and Raphaël] The speaker here is Raphael; and it had been improper to mention himself as a third person, and tell his own exploits; but that Adam knew not his name. Had he known it, he must have said Uriel and I; which he cared not to do. Bentley. 863. Uriel and Raphaël his vaunting foe,] Dr. Bentley and Mr. Thyer are of opinion, that a word is left out in this line, and that the sense and the measure would be improved by reading it thus, 370 brew word signifying to destroy. Hume. 368. —plate and mail.] Plate is the broad solid armour. Mail is that composed of small pieces like shells, or scales of fish laid one over the other; or something resembling the feathers as they lie on the bodies of fowl, v. 284. Richardson. 371. Ariel and Arioch,] Two fierce spirits, as their names denote. Ariel Hebrew, the lion of God, or a strong lion. Arioch of the like signification, a fierce and terrible lion. Ramiel Hebrew, one that exalts himself against Uriel and Raphael, each his vaunting God. Hume. foe. 365. Adramelech,] Hebrew, Mighty magnificent king, one of the idols of Sepharvaim, worshipped by them in Samaria, when transplanted thither by Shalmaneser. And the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adramelech, 2 Kings xvii. 31. Asmadai, the lustful and destroying angel Asmodeus, mentioned Tobit iii. 8. of a He 373. I might relate of thousands, &c.] The poet here puts into the mouth of the angel an excellent reason for not relating more particulars of this first battle. It would have been improper on all accounts to have enlarged much more upon it, but it was proper that the angel should appear to know more than he chose to relate, or than the poet was able to make him relate. Eternize here on earth; but those elect Angels, contented with their fame in heaven, Vain-glorious, and through infamy seeks fame: 375 380 385 And now their mightiest quell'd, the battle swerv'd, With many an inroad gor'd; deformed rout Enter'd, and foul disorder; all the ground With shiver'd armour strown, and on a heap Chariot and charioteer lay overturn'd, And fiery foaming steeds; what stood, recoil'd 382. Illaudable,] Is used here much in the same manner as illaudatus in Virgil, -Quis aut Eurysthea durum, 383. to glory aspires famy seeks fame :] Possibly this passage stood well in Milton's opinion. It is an instance of that play upon words, in which, as Dr. Johnson justly observes, he "delighted too often." He seems to have fancied that in 390 some places it had a particularly good effect. Dunster. 386. the battle swerv'd,] Is not this the same with Hesiod's εκλίνθη δε μάχη. Theog. v. 711? Thyer. Swerv'd from the Saxon swerven, to wander out of its place; here by analogy to bend, to ply; for in that case an army in battle properly swerves. Richardson. The word is used in the same sense by Spenser, Faery Queen, b. v. cant. x. st. 35. Who from his saddle swerved nought aside. 391. what stood, recoil'd, &c.] The construction has oc O'er-wearied, through the faint Satanic host Gave them above their foes; not to have sinn'd, casioned some difficulty here, but it may be thus explicated. What stood is the nominative case in the sentence, and the verbs are recoiled and fled. It would indeed be a contradiction to say that what stood their ground, fled; but that is not the meaning of it, whai stood is put in opposition to what lay overturned in the preceding line. Part of the Satanic host lay overturned; and that part which was not overturned, but kept on their feet, and stood, either gave way and recoiled o'er-wearied, or with pale fear surprised fled ignominious. 396. till that hour &c.] It seems a very extraordinary circumstance attending a battle, that not only none of the warriors on either side were capable of death by wound, but on one side none were capable of wound or even of pain. This was a very great advantage on the side of the good angels; but we must suppose that the rebel angels did not know their own weakness till this hour. 395 400 399. In cubic phalanx firm] In strictness of speech, to have been cubic, it must have been as high, as it is broad, as Dr. Bentley justly observes. But why must a poet's mind, sublimed as Milton's was on this occasion, be expected to attend to every circumstance of an epithet made use of? He meant four square only, having that property of a cube to be equal in length on all sides. And so he expresses himself in his tract called The reason of Church Government &c. p. 215. Edit. Toland. As those smaller squares in battle unite in one great cube, the main phalanx, an emblem of truth and stedfastness. To be sure Milton's cubic, though not strictly proper, is better than the epithet martial, (which the Doctor would give us in the room of it,) because a phalanx in battle could not be otherwise than martial; and so closely united an idea could not have any beauty or force here. Pearce. Not to have disobey'd; in fight they stood 406 By wound, though from their place by violence mov'd. Victor and vanquish'd: on the foughten field Incamping, plac'd in guard their watches round, Far in the dark dislodg'd: and void of rest, 405. -though from their place by violence mov'd.] This circumstance is judiciously added to prepare the reader for what happens in the next fight. 406. Now night her course be gan, and over heaven Inducing darkness, grateful truce impos'd,] Sin che fe nuova tregua à la fatica Thyer. 407. Inducing darkness,] Horace, sat. i. v. 9. -Jam nor inducere terris Umbras, et cœlo diffundere signa parabat. 413. Cherubic waving fires:] Their watches were cherubic waving fires, that is, cherubim ! 410 415 like fires waving; the cherubim being described by our author, agreeably to Scripture, as of a fiery substance and nature. 418. O now in danger tried, &c.] This speech of Satan is very artful. He flatters their pride and vanity, and avails himself of the only comfort that could be drawn from this day's engagement, (though it was a false comfort,) that God was neither so powerful nor wise as he was taken to be. He was forced to acknowledge that they had suffered some loss and pain, but endeavours to lessen it as much as he can, and attributes it not to the true cause, but to their want of better arms and armour, which he therefore proposes that they should provide themselves withal, to defend |