Impearls on every leaf and every flower.
Regions they pass'd, the mighty regencies
Of Seraphim and Potentates and Thrones
In their triple degrees; regions to which
All thy dominion, Adam, is no more
Than what this garden is to all the earth,
And all the fea, from one entire globofe
Stretch'd into longitude; which having pafs'd
At length into the limits of the north
They came, and Satan to his royal feat
High on a hill, far blazing, as a mount

750

755

Rais'd on a mount, with pyramids and towers
From diamond quarries hewn, and rocks of gold;
The palace of great Lucifer, (fo call
That ftructure in the dialect of men
Interpreted) which not long after, he

760

Affecting

The fancy was borrowed from the
Schoolmen. Bentley.
Spenfer has again the fame notion,
and uses the fame expreffion in his
Hymn of heavenly love,

There they in their trinal tripli

cities About him wait, and on his will depend.

761. in the dialect of men] The learned reader cannot but be plea ed

Affecting all equality with God,
In imitation of that mount whereon

Meffiah was declar'd in fight of Heaven,
The Mountain of the Congregation call'd;
For thither he affembled all his ain,
Pretending fo commanded to confult
About the great reception of their king
Thither to come, and with calumnious art

765

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,

770

Of counterfeited truth thus held their ears.

pleafed with the poet's imitation of Homer in this line. Homer mentions perfons and things, which he tells us in the language of the Gods are call'd by different names from thofe they go by in the language of men. Milton has imitated him with his ufual judgment in this particular place, wherein he has likewife the authority of Scripture to justify him. Aalifon. The fcholiafts and commentators upon Homer endevor to account for this manner of speaking feveral ways; but the molt probable is, that he attributes thofe names

which are in ufe only among the learned to the Gods, and those which are in vulgar ufe to men. However that be, this manner of fpeaking certainly gives a dignity to the poem, and looks as if the poets had converfed with the Gods themselves.

766. The Mountain of the Congre

gation call'd;] Alluding to what we quoted before from Ifa. XIV. 13. I will exalt my throne above the fars of God; I will fit aljo upon the mount of the congregation, in the fides of the north. 772. Thrones,

Of King anointed, for whom all this hafte

Of midnight march, and hurried meeting here,
This only to confult how we may best

With what may be devis'd of honors new
Receive him coming to receive from us
Knee-tribute yet unpaid, proftration vile,
Too much to one, but double how indur'd
To one and to his image now proclam'd?
But what if better counfels might erect -
Our minds, and teach us to caft off this yoke?
Will ye submit your necks, and choose to bend
The fupple knee? ye will not, if I trust
To know ye right, or if ye know yourselves

Natives and fons of Heav'n

780

785

poffefs'd before

790

By

By none, and if not equal all, yet free,
Equally free; for orders and degrees
Jar not with liberty, but well confift.
Who can in reason then or right assume
Monarchy over fuch as live by right
His equals, if in pow'r and splendor less,
In freedom equal? or can introduce
Law and edict on us, who without law
Err not? much lefs for this to be our Lord,

795

And

And look for adoration to th' abufe

800

Of thofe imperial titles, which affert

Our being ordain'd to govern, not to serve.
Thus far his bold difcourfe without controll
Had audience, when among the Seraphim
Abdiel, than whom none with more zeal ador'd 805
The Deity', and divine commands obey'd,

Stood up, and in a flame of zeal fevere
The current of his fury thus oppos'd.

prefume, or other fuch word. Then
the feries (he fays) will be this,
Who can introduce law and edit on
us? much lefs can he forethink, take
it in his fcheme or view, to become
our Lord and mafter. Dr. Pearce
fays, that the fentence is elliptical,
and may be fupply'd thus, much
lefs can he for this (viz. for our
being lefs in power and fplendor, ver.
796.) in right affume to be our Lord.
Mr. Richardfon understands it to
be spoken blafphemously and with
contempt of the Meffiah. This an-
other, ver. 775. This King anoint-
ed, ver. 777. This, TUTOS, hic:
poffibly (as Dr. Greenwood ima-
gins) in allufion to that paffage,
Lake XIX. 14. Ου θέλομεν τετον
Baσihevoαι & spas, nolumus hunc
regnare fuper nos, We will not have
this (man) to reign over us. And then
the fenfe will run after this manner,
Who can then injuftice affume monarchy
over equals? or can introduce a law
and edit upon us,
who without law
VOL. I.

are infallible? much less can be introduce a law and edict for This (I don't fay what) to be our Lord and receive adoration from us. But then we must write This with a great letter, and we must not continue the note of interrogation at the end of the fpeech. If we fhould, I imagin we should be oblig'd to read much more inftead of much less Mr. Warburton ftill understands it otherwise. Who can in reafon affume monarchy over those who are his equals and introduce law and edict upon them, when they can conduct their actions rightly without law? much lefs for this introduction of law and edit clame the right of dominion. For he thought the giving of civil laws did not introduce dominion. His head was full of the ancient legiflators, who gave laws to equals and ftrangers, and did not pretend to the right of difpenfing them, which is dominion. So he fays before.

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