By faving doctrin, and from error lead

480

To know, and knowing worship God aright, 475
Is yet more kingly; this attracts the foul,
Governs the inner man, the nobler part;
That other o'er the body only reigns,
And oft by force, which to a generous mind
So reigning can be no fincere delight.
Besides to give a kingdom hath been thought
Greater and nobler done, and to lay down
Far more magnanimous, than to affume.
Riches are needlefs then, both for themfelves,
And for thy reafon why they should be fought, 485
To gain a scepter, oftest better mifs'd.

1

THE

THIRD BOOK

O F

PARADISE REGAIN'D.

H 2

101

PARADISE REGAIN'D.

BOO

O K

III.

So fpake the Son of God, and Satan food

A while as mute confounded what to say, What to reply, confuted and convinc’d Of his weak arguing, and fallacious drift; At length collecting all his ferpent wiles, With foothing words renew'd, him thus accosts.

I fee thou know'ft what is of use to know," What best to say canft fay, to do canft do; Thy actions to thy words accord, thy words

5

To thy large heart give utterance due, thy heart 10

10.

thy heart

Contains of good, wife, juft, the perfect shape.] Milton, no doubt, by the word shape intended to exprefs the meaning of the Greek term idea, but in my opinion it does not at all come up to it, and seems rather harsh and inelegant. There are words in all languages, which cannot well be tranflated without lofing much of their beauty, and even fome of their meaning; of this fort I take the word idea to be. Tully renders it by the

Contains

word fpecies with as little fuccefs in my opinion as Milton has done here by his English shape. Thyer. Of good, wife, juft, the perfect shape. I fhould rather think it expreis'd from the perfecta forma honeftatis, and the forma ipfa honefti of Cicero. De Fin. II. 15. Habes undique expletam et perfectam, Torquate, formam honeftatis, &c. De Off. I. 5. Formam quidem ipfam, Marce fili, et tanquam faciem honefti vides; quæ, fi oculis cerneretur &c. And the more, because