Of his eternal empire, but the more

To magnify his works, the more we know.
And the great light of day yet wants to run

Much of his race though steep; fufpenfe in Heaven,
Held by thy voice, thy potent voice, he hears, 100
And longer will delay to hear thee tell
His generation, and the rifing birth
Of nature from the unapparent deep:

Or if the star of evening and the moon

Hafte to thy audience, night with her will bring 105

98. And the great light of day yet

wants to run &c.] Our author has improv'd upon Homer, Odyff. XI. 372. where Alcinous by the fame fort of arguments endevors to perfuade Ulyffes to continue his narration; only there it was night, and here the scene is by day.

Nuž ♪'nde para μaxpn, altσ

OаTC xde ww cps
Ευδεν εν μεγαρω· συ δέ μοι
λεγε θεσκελα έργα.
Και κεν ες ηω διαν αναχοιμην

And lo! a length of night behind
remains,

The evening ftars ftill mount th'
ethereal plains.
Thy tale with raptures I could hear

thee tell,

Thy woes on Earth, the wondrous fcenes in Hell,

Silence,

Till in the vault of Heav'n the stars decay,

And the sky reddens with the rifing

day. Broome.

Mr. Thyer is of opinion, that there is not a greater inftance of our author's exquifite skill in the art of poetry, than this and the following lines. There is nothing more, really to be exprefs'd, than Adam's telling Raphael his defire to hear the continuance of his relation, and yet the poet by a series of ftrong and noble figures has work'd it up into half a fcore of as fine lines as any in the whole poem. Lord Shaftsbury has obferved, that Milton's beauties generally depend upon folid thought, ftrong reafoning, noble paffion, and a continued thread of moral doctrin; but in this place he has shown what an exalted fancy and mere force of poetry can do.

99.-fuf

Silence, and fleep lift'ning to thee will watch,
Or we can bid his abfence, till thy fong
End, and difmifs thee ere the morning shine.
Thus Adam his illuftrious gueft befought:
And thus the Godlike Angel anfwer'd mild.
This also thy requeft with caution ask'd
Obtain: though to recount almighty works
What words or tongue of Seraph can suffice,
Or heart of man fuffice to comprehend?

110

Yet what thou canst attain, which beft may ferve 115

for after it is faid he is held fufpenfe in Heaven by thy voice, to lay he bears thy voice is poor and low indeed. He must first hear it before he can be held by it. We have therefore follow'd the punctuation of Dr. Pearce; and the fenfe feems plain,

Το

Et mutata fuos requierunt flumina curfus.

Nay charms and verfes can bring

the moon down from Heaven,

Carmina vel cœlo poffunt deducere
lunam :
ver. 69.

and well therefore may Milton fup-
pofe the fun to delay, fufpended in
Heaven, to hear the Angel tell his
generation, and efpecially fince we
read that the fun did ftand ftill at
the voice of Joshua.

103. unapparent deep:] Where as he has pointed thefe verfes, Held nothing was to be feen according to by thy potent voice, he hears fufpenfe Gen. I. 2. Darkness was upon the in Heaven, that is he ftops and face of the deep. Hume. hearkens, he stays and is attentive. The poets often feign the rivers to flop their courfe, and other inanimate parts of nature to hear the fongs of Orpheus and the like, Virg. Ecl. VIII. 4.

110. And thus the Godlike Angel

anfwer'd mild] The Angel's encouraging our first parents in a modeft purfuit after knowledge, with the causes which he affigns for

the

To glorify the Maker, and infer

Thee also happier, fhall not be withheld
Thy hearing, fuch commiffion from above
I have receiv'd, to answer thy defire
Of knowledge within bounds; beyond abstain
To ask, nor let thine own inventions hope
Things not reveal'd, which th' invisible King,
Only omniscient, hath fupprefs'd in night,
To none communicable in Earth or Heaven:
Enough is left befides to fearch and know.
But knowledge is as food, and needs no less
Her temp'rance over appetite, to know
In measure what the mind may well contain
Oppreffes else with surfeit, and foon turns

;

120

125

Wisdom

the creation of the world, are very ture use of this term, to which, I just and beautiful. Addison.

make no doubt, Milton alluded.
Thus they provoked him to anger with
their own inventions, Pfal. CVI. 29.
And went a whoring with their own
inventions, ver. 38. The two fol-
lowing lines are almost a litteral
tranflation of thefe two in Horace.
Od. III. XXIX. 29.

Prudens futuri temporis exitum
Caliginofa nocte premit Deus.
Thyer.

Wisdom to folly', as nourishment to wind.

130

Know then, that after Lucifer from Heaven

(So call him, brighter once amidst the host
Of Angels, than that ftar the stars among)
Fell with his flaming legions through the deep
Into his place, and the great Son return'd
Victorious with his Saints, th' omnipotent
Eternal Father from his throne beheld

Their multitude, and to his Son thus spake.

135

At least our envious foe hath fail'd, who thought

All like himself rebellious, by whose aid···
This inacceffible high ftrength, the feat

Of deity fupreme, us difpoffefs'd,

He trusted to have feis'd, and into fraud

been employ'd here, when he is fpeaking of things not reveal'd, fupprefs'd in night, to none communicable in Earth or Heaven, neither to Men nor Angels, as it is faid of the day of judgment, Mat. XXIV. 36. Of that day and bour knoweth no Man, no not the Angels of Heaven, but my Father only.

135. Into his place,] As the traitor Judas is faid likewife to go to his own place, Acts I. 25.

139. At leaft] I don't like taking liberties with the original text, or elfe I should choose to read At laft. Thyer.

VOL. II.

140

Drew

143. Drew many,] Fraud in common acceptation means no more than deceit, but often fignifies misfortune. Milton, who fo conftantly makes Latin or Greek of English, does it here, and extends the idea to the mifery, the punishment confequent upon the deceit, as well as the deceit itfelf. So that Satan is faid here, not only to have drawn many into fraud, not only that he

Drew many, whom their place knows here no more;

Yet far the greater part have kept, I see,

145

Their ftation, Heav'n yet populous retains,
Number fufficient to poffefs her realms

Though wide, and this high temple to frequent
With minifteries due and folemn rites:

But left his heart exalt him in the harm
Already done, to have difpeopled. Heaven,
My damage fondly deem'd, I can repair
That detriment, if fuch it be to lofe
Self-loft, and in a moment will create
Another world, out of one man a race
Of men innumerable, there to dwell,
Not here, till by degrees of merit rais'd

150

155

They

tion was inftantaneous, but the ef-
fects of it were made vifible and ap-
pear'd in fix days in condefcenfion
to the capacities of Angels; and is
to the capacities of Men.
fo related by Mofes in condefcenfion

160. And Earth be chang' dto Heav'n

and Heav'n to Earth,] Milton's meaning feems to have been this, That Earth would be fo happy in being inhabited by obedient creatures, that it would be chang'd to i. e. re femble Heaven; and Heaven by receiving those creatures would in this resemble Earth, that it would be stock'd with men for its inhabi tants. Pearce. Or thus in fhort,

the