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"Was never; arms on armour clashing bray'd
"Horrible discord, and the madding wheels
"Of brazen chariots rag'd; dire was the noise
"Of conflict; over head the dismal hiss
"Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew,

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And, flying, vaulted either host with fire: "
"So under fiery cope together rush'd

"Both battles main, with ruinous assault
"And inextinguishable rage. All heaven

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Resounded; and had earth been then, all earth
"Had to her centre shook. What wonder? when
"Millions of fierce encount'ring angels fought
"On either side, the least of whom could wield
"These elements, and arm him with the force
"Of all their regions: how much more of power
Army against army numberless to raise
"Dreadful combustion warring, and disturb,
"Though not destroy, their happy native seat;
"Had not the Eternal King Omnipotent,
"From his strong hold of heaven, high overrul'd 3
"And limited their might; though number'd such
"As each divided legion might have seem'd

"A numerous host; in strength each armed hand

1 What daring figures are here! Every thing is animated. The very chariot-wheels are mad and raging; and how admirably do these rough verses bray the horrible discord they would describe! "Bray" was applied to any loud harsh noise. Fairy Queen, I. viii. 11:

"He loudly bray'd with beastly yelling sound."

Shakspeare, Hamlet, act i. :—

"The kettle drum and trumpet thus oray out

The triumph ol his pledge."—(N., Johns.)

> Benlley thinks that Milton was hurried away by poetic fury in this sublime passage to be regardless of propriety and syntax, as it is incorrect to say, "the hiss flew and vaulted," and proposes to read "with dismal hiss the fiery darts," etc. But Pearce observes, that there is a peculiar force sometimes in ascribing, as here, that to a circumstance of a thing, which more properly belongs to Ihe thing itself; that to the "hiss,' which belongs to the "darts." "Hiss of darts" is a poetic way of speaking for hissing darts. So ii. 654: "A cry of hell hounds never ceasing barked," is the same as crying hell hounds never ceasing barked. So vii. 66: "As one whose drought still eyes the stream," for "one who droughty eyes." So Virgil, Mn. iv. 132:—

—"ruunt equites et odora canum vis,"

where what is proper to the dogs is said of their scent. Upton, in his Critical Observations on Shakspeare, says, the substantive is sometimes to be classically construed as an adjective, when governing a genitive case; as Aristophanes, in Plut. 258: Sexpuccy αγγείλας επων, "O thou who lellest me a gold of words," for golden words. So Sydney's Arcadia, p. 2, "opening the cherry of her lips," for her cherry lips. See T.

s The syntax of this obscure sentence, which the commentators have not noticed, I take to be, "Of how much greater power (than an individual angel, however mighty) to raise, etc. was army against army numberless (of such angels) warring: and they would have destroyed it, bad not, etc."; such an ellipsis is necessary to explain "bad not the eternal King overruled;" and is warranted by 570, 671. Milton, in imitation of the ancient classics, occasionally uses such an ellipsis.

254

"A legion; led in fight, yet leader seemed
"Each warrior,1 single, as in chief, expert
"When to advance, or stand, or turn the sway
"Of battle, open when, and when to close

2

"The ridges of grim war: no thought or flight—
"None of retreat—no unbecoming deed

"That argued fear; each on himself relied,
"As only in his arm the moment 3 lay
"Of victory. Deeds of eternal fame

Were done, but infinite; for wide was spread
"That war, and various, sometimes, on firm ground
"A standing fight; then, soaring on main wing,
"Tormented all the air; all air seem'd then
"Conflicting fire. Long time in even scale"
"The battle hung; till Satan, who that day
"Prodigious power had shown, and met in arms
"No equal, ranging through the dire attack
"Of fighting Seraphim confus'd, at length

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6

8

"Saw where the sword of Michael smote, and fcll'd
Squadrons at once; with huge two-handed sway
"Brandish'd aloft, the horrid edge came down,

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Wide-wasting! Such destruction to withstand "He hasted, and oppos'd the rocky orb

i Each single warrior, though led in fight, was as expert as a commander-in-chief. So the angels are celebrated, first for their numbers, then for their strength, and lastly for their eipertness in war.—(N.) But what strikes me as the main difficulty, the appli cation of "though" before, I do not find noticed. Does it mean that God limited their might, though so numerous, and individually powerfully and experienced; or that, though so numerous, yet each individual was as powerful as a whole legion, and appeared as experienced as a leader?

» A metaphor taken from a ploughed field; the rows of men answer to the "ridges," which here means the ranks and the files; the ranks are the rows from flank to flank, or from left to right; the files are from front to rear.—(R.) Homer often uses the words modeμoio yepupus, the bridges of the war or battle, which are applied to the intervals between the lines.—"No thought of flight." So 11. xxiv. 216 :

- ούτε φοβου μεμνημένον ουτ' αλεωσης.

9 In the Latin sense of momentum, that which gives a preponderance to one scale. So x. 45. The thought, which is afterwards more fully developed in the words," in even scale the battle bung," is exemplified by a parallel passage in Homer, II. xii. 433 :—

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Ως μεν των επι ισα μαχη τετατο πτολεμος τε. (Ν.)

In order to comprehend the full force of the word "tormented" here, we must, I think, look to the root of the word, which is lormenlum, an engine used in ancient warfare for the projection of destructive missiles.

Hy you (opporos. Eurip. Supplic. 706.—(7\)

s Though Abdiel foiled him before (ISO), yet Milton seems to think that Satan would have eventually proved an overmatch for him, had not the combat been broken off by the general engagement.—(N.)

1 See Samson Agon. 138.—(T.)

In allusion to the two-handed sword used in the Gothic limes.-(N.)

291

"Of tenfold adamant,1 his ample shield,—
"A vast circumference. At his approach,
"The great archangel from his warlike toil
"Surceas'd; and, glad, as hoping here to end
"Intestine war in heaven, the arch-foe subdued,
"Or captive dragg'd in chains, with hostile frown
"And visage all inflam'd first thus began:

"Author of evil; unknown till thy revolt,
"Unnam'd in heaven—now plenteous, as thou seest,
"These acts of hateful strife, hateful to all,

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Though heaviest, by just measure, on thyself
"And thy adherents, how hast thou disturb'd
"Heaven's blessed peace, and into nature brought
Misery, uncreated till the crime

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"Of thy rebellion! how hast thou inslill'd
"Thy malice into thousands, once upright
"And faithful—now prov'd false!

But think not here

"To trouble holy rest: heaven casts thee out
"From all her confines; heaven, the seat of bliss,
"Brooks not the works of violence and war.
"Hence, then! 2 and evil go with thee along—
"Thy offspring, to the place of evil—hell;
"Thou and thy wicked crew! there mingle broils,
"Ere this avenging sword begin thy doom;
"Or some more sudden vengeance, wing'd from God,
"Precipitate thee with augmented pain.'

"So spake the prince of angels; to whom thus
"The adversary: Nor think thou with wind

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“‘Of aery threats to awe, whom yet with deeds
"Thou canst not. Hast thou turn'd the least of these
"To flight; or if to fall, but that they rise

4

"Unvanquish'd, easier to transact with me

"That thou shouldst hope, imperious, and with threats, "To chase me hence? Err not, that so shall end

"The strife which thou call'st evil, but we style

"The strife of glory; which we mean to win,

"Or turn this heaven itself into the hell

i Tasso (vii. 82) mentions an adamantine shield; but Milton says, " Unfold adamant."

-(N.)

3 So in Tasso, ii. 61, Michael rebukes the infernal spirits who fought against the Chrislians.—(N.)

» "Satan" properly means adversary. II. xx. 200:

Πηλείδη μη δη μ' επέεσσι γε, νηπυτίον ως,

Ελπες δειδίξεσθαι — (Ν.)

Observe the peculiarity of construction here: the tubstanlive "flight" is connected by the ron/unction "or" with the infinitive fall," Loth depending on "turned." There are similar instances in Milton, in imitation of the classics.

319

"Thou fablest; here, however, to dwell free,
"If not to reign: meanwhile thy utmost force,
"(And join him nam'd Almighty to thy aid,)
"I fly not; but have sought thee far and nigh.'
"They ended parle, and both address'd for fight
"Unspeakable; for who, though with the tongue
"Of angels, can relate, or to what things
"Liken on earth conspicuous,1 that may lift
"Human imagination to such height

"Of godlike power? for likest gods they seem'd,
"Stood they, or mov'd; in stature, motion, arms,
"Fit to decide the empire of great heaven.
"Now wav'd their fiery swords, and in the air
"Made horrid circles; two broad suns their shields
"Blaz'd opposite, while Expectation 2 stood
"In horror: from each hand with speed retir'd,
"Where erst was thickest fight, the angelic throng,
"And left large field, unsafe within the wind
"Of such commotion: such as (to set forth
"Great things by small) if, nature's concord broke,
"Among the constellations war were sprung,
"Two planets,8 rushing from aspect malign
"Of fiercest opposition, in mid sky

"Should combat, and their jarring spheres confound.
"Together both, with next to almighty arm

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Uplifted imminent, one stroke they aim'd

"That might determine, and not need repeat,
"As not of power at once:* nor odds appear'd

i /. e. Can relate that fight, or to what conspicuous things on earth which may lift, etc. can liken it.—(N.)

So Shakspeare, Hen. V.:—

"For now sits Expectation in the air."—(T.)

» The conjunction copulative is here omitted before "two planets," as is not unusua in rapid and impassioned descriptions. Some commentators think that the grandeur of this simile is tarnished by the introduction or the notion of the malignancy of the planets in a particular aspect. But I rather think that it is appropriately introduced to express the determined rancour of the combatants' hostility. The notion was an ancient one, and made use of in poetry. Todd quotes Beaumont and Fletcher, Span. Curate, act i.

sc. 1:—

"Now they begin to burn like opposed meteors."

The meaning and prosaic construction of this difficult passage, which the commentators have overlooked, is, 1 think, this:—"They both together, each with an arm next in power to the Almighty one, lifted up and imminent, (like the Latin imminent, hanging overhead ready to fall) aimed one stroke which might determine (i. e. bring the matter to a terminus or end) and need not repeat (i. «. renew or try it again) as not of power at once (i. e. as if there was not sufficient power in it at once to decide the combat)." If the stroke had not sufficient power at once, they should repeat it. But they intended such a blow as had this power to end the matter at once, at the lirst touch, and required no repetition. Latinisms run through the whole sentence; "determine" and "repeal" are to be taken here as neuter verbs; repetere in Suetonius is applied to the repetition

"In might or swift prevention: but the sword
"Of Michael from the armoury of God

"Was given him temper'd so, that neither keen,
"Nor solid, might resist that edge: it met
"The sword of Satan, with steep force to smite
66 Descending, and in half cut sheer; nor staid,
"But, with swift wheel reverse, deep entering shar'd
"All his right side: then Satan first knew pain,
"And writh'd him to and fro cohvolv'd; so sore
"The griding sword with discontinuous wound
"Pass'd through him; but the ethereal substance clos'd,
"Not long divisible; and from the gash

2

1

"A stream of nectarous humour issuing flow'd

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333 Sanguine, such as celestial spirits may bleed,

of a blow. Suet, in Caligul. c. 58: "Cæteri vulnerihus triginla confecerunt (soil- Caligulam), nam signum erat omnium, Repele." In Celsus it is the same as redire, b. iv. c. 14: "Cum morbi repelunl."

t Milton, notwithstanding the vaslness of his genius, has drawn to his aid all the helps he could find in the most approved authors. Homer and Virgil give their heroes swords of divine temper; and in 2 Maccabees xv. the Jewish hero receives a sword from Jeremiah the prophet, as the gift of God. Jeremiah also mentions the armoury of God, i. 25. But this sword of Michael seems to be copied from Artbegal's in Spenser's Fairy Queen, T. i. to. There is a beautiful passage in the Iliad, iii. 363, where the sword of Menelaus in his combat with Paris breaks in pieces; and the line is so contrived that, as Eustathius observes, we not only see the action as it were, but fancy we hear the sound of the breaking:

Τριχθα τε και τετραχθα διατρυφεν εκπεσε χειρος.

As Virgil in his account of the combat between Eneas and Turnus could not equal this kind of beauty, he has, with great judgment, substituted another, by artfully making, breaks in the beginning of the verse, to express the breaking short of the sword of Turnus, when it struck against armour tempered by a god:

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Satan's sword is not broken in fragments like those of Menelaus and Paris, but quite and clean in two; and the dividing of the sword in two is very well expressed by half a verse. Milton carries on beauties of the same kind to the description of the wound, and the verses seem almost painful in describing Satan's pain. "Shared," divided: "griding," cutting; both used by Spenser in this sense. "Discontinuous," separating the continuity of parts.—{Ad., N-, T.)

> Bentley objects to "nectarous," because nectar was the drink of the gods; and proposes ichorous. Pearce replies, Hint this stream was not of nectarous humour only, but of nectarous humour sanguine, i. e. ichor; besides, ichorous would be a wrong substitute; for, from its derivation, yii, the middle syllabic of it should be long. Homer, ». 839, where Diomede wounds Venus, represents a pure thin kind of liquid, not blood, called ichor, which was not produced from earthly food, issuing from the wound. And though the pain was great, the wound soon closed. II. v. 339:

- Ρεε δ' αμβροτον αιμα θεοίο,

Ιχωρ, οιος περ τε ρέει μακαρετσι θεοίσιν·
Ου γαρ σιτον εδουσ', ου πίνουσ' αίθοπα οίνον,
Τούνεκ' αναιμονες εισι, και αθανατοι καλεονται.

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