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If we were wife, against fo great a foe
Contending, and fo doubtful what might fall,
I laugh, when those who at the spear are bold
And ventrous, if that fail them, shrink and fear 205
What yet they know muft follow, to indure
Exile, or ignominy', or bonds, or pain,
The fentence of their conqu'ror: this is now
Our doom; which if we can fuftain and bear,
Our fupreme foe in time may much remit
His anger, and perhaps thus far remov'd
Not mind us not offending, fatisfy'd

210

With what is punish'd; whence these raging fires Will flacken, if his breath stir not their flames.

Our

purer

effence then will overcome

Their noxious vapor, or inur'd not feel,

Or chang'd at length, and to the place conform'd

220. This horror will

grow mild, this darkness light,]"Tis quite too much as Dr. Bentley fays, that the darkness fhould turn into light: but light, I conceive, is an adjective here as well as mild; and the meaning is, This darknefs will in time become eafy, as this horror will grow mild; or as Mr. Thyer thinks, it is an adjective ufed in the fame fenfe as when we fay, It is a light night. It is not well exprefs'd, and the worfe as it rimes with the following line.

215

In

227. Counsel'd ignoble cafe,] Not otium cum dignitate as Cicero fpeaks, but as Virgil ignobile otium. Studiis ignobilis oti. Georg. IV. 764.

228. Mammon Spake.] Mammon's character is fo fully drawn in the firft book, that the poet adds nothing to it in the fecond. We were before told, that he was the firft who taught mankind to ranfack the earth for gold and filver, and that he was the architect of

Pan

In temper and in nature, will receive

Familiar the fierce heat, and void of pain;

This horror will grow mild, this darkness light, 220
Besides what hope the never-ending flight

Of future days may bring, what chance, what change
Worth waiting, fince our prefent lot appears
For happy though but ill, for ill not worst,
If we procure not to ourselves more woe.

225

Thus Belial with words cloth'd in reafon's garb,
Counsel'd ignoble ease, and peaceful floth,
Not peace and after him thus Mammon spake.
Either to difinthrone the king of Heaven

We war, if war be beft, or to regain
230
Our own right loft: him to unthrone we then
May hope, when everlasting Fate shall yield
To fickle Chance, and Chaos judge the ftrife:

Pandemonium, or the infernal palace, where the evil Spirits were to meet in council. His fpeech in this book is every way fuitable to fo depraved a character. How proper is, that reflection, of their being unable to tafte the happiness of Heaven were they actually there, in the mouth of one, who while he was in Heaven, is faid to have had his mind dazled with the outward pomps and glories of the place, and to have been more in

The

tent on the riches of the pavement, than on the beatific vifion! I fhall, alfo leave the reader to judge how agreeable the following fentiments are to the fame character.

This deep world Of darkness do we dread? How oft amidst &c. Addifon. 233-and Chaos judge the ftrife:] Between the king of Heaven and us, not between Fate and Chance, as Dr. Bentley supposes.

Pearce. 234. The

The former vain to hope argues as vain

The latter for what place can be for us

235

Within Heav'n's bound, unless Heav'n's Lord fupreme
We overpow'r? Suppofe he should relent,
And publish grace to all, on promise made
Of new fubjection; with what eyes
could we

Stand in his presence humble, and receive
Strict laws impos'd, to celebrate his throne
With warbled hymns, and to his Godhead fing
Forc'd Halleluiah's; while he lordly fits

240

Our envied fovran, and his altar breathes.
Ambrofial odors and ambrofial flowers,

245

Qur fervile offerings? This must be our task
In Heav'n, this our delight; how wearisome
Eternity so spent in worship paid
To whom we hate! Let us not then pursue

234. The former vain to hope] That is to unthrone the king of Heaven, argues as vain the latter, that is to regain our own loft right.

By

flowers, especially when flowers are, as here, diftinguifh'd from odors? But when the altar is faid to breathe, the meaning is that it Smells of, it throws out the smell of, or (as Milton expreffes it IV. 265.) it breathes out the smell of &c. In this fenfe of the word breathe, an altar may be faid to breathe flowers, and odors too as a distinct thing; for by odors here Milton means the and asks how an altar can breathe fmells of gums and sweet spicy

244.- and his altar breathes Ambrofial odors and ambrofial flowers,] Dr. Bentley would read from for and, Ambrofial odors from flowers,

ambrofial

fhrubs,

By force impoffible, by leave obtain'd
Unacceptable, though in Heav'n, our state
Of fplendid vaffalage; but rather feek

250

Our own good from ourfelves, and from our own
Live to ourselves, though in this vaft recefs,
Free, and to none accountable, preferring
Hard liberty before the eafy yoke

255

Of fervile pomp, Our greatnefs will appear Then most confpicuous, when great things of small, Useful of hurtful, profp'rous of adverse

We can create, and in what place so e'er

260

Thrive under ev'il, and work eafe out of pain
Through labor and indurance. This deep world
Of darkness do we dread? How oft amidst
Thick clouds and dark doth Heav'n's all-ruling Sire
Choose to refide, his glory unobscur'd,

hrubs, fee VIII. 517. Not unlike
is what we read in Fairfax's Taffo,
Cant. 18. 517.

Flowers and odors fweetly fmell'd.
Pearce.

263.

265

And

How oft amidst

Thick clouds and dark &c.] Imitated from Pfal. XVIII. 11, 13. He made darkness his fecret place; bis pavilion round about him were dark waters, and thick clouds of the 254. Live to ourselves,] Hor. fkies- The Lord alfo thundred in Epift. I. XVIII. 107.

Ut mihi vivam

Quod fupereft ævi. and Perfeus, Sat. IV. 52. Tecum habita.

the Heavens, and the Highest gave his voice, bailftones and coals of fire. And from Pf. XCVII. 2. Clouds and darkness are round about him, &c.

274. Our

And with the majesty of darkness round

270

Covers his throne; from whence deep thunders roar
Muft'ring their rage, and Heav'n refembles Hell?
As he our darkness, cannot we his light
Imitate when we please? This desert soil
Wants not her hidden luftre, gems and gold;
Nor want we fkill or art, from whence to raise
Magnificence; and what can Heav'n fhow more?
Our torments alfo may in length of time
Become our elements, thefe piercing fires

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275

As

For who can think fubmission?
War then, War
Open or understood must be re-
folv'd.

Which was approv'd and confirm'd
by the whole host of Angels. And
accordingly at the opening of the
council he proposes for the subject
of their confideration, which way
they would make choice of, II. 41.

Whether of open war or covert guile,

We now debate:

Moloch fpeaks to the purpose, and declares for open war, ver. 51.

My fentence is for open war: of wiles,

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More unexpert, I boast not, &c.

But Belial argues alike against war open or conceal'd, ver. 187.

War

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