The Poetical Works - Forgotten Books

THE POETICA L WORKS

J O H N M I L T O N

MACM ILLAN AND CO .,L IM ITE D

LONDON BOMBA Y CA LCUTTAME LBOURNE

THE MACM ILLAN COMPANY

NE \V YORK BOSTON CH ICAGOA TLA NTA SAN FRA NC ISCO

THE MACM ILLAN CO . OF CANADA ,LTD.

TORONTO

THE PO ET ICAL WO RKS

O H N M I L T O N :

ED I TE D ,

WI TH MEMOIR,IN TROD UCTIONS ,

NOTES , AND

A N E SS A Y ON M IL TON'

S ENGL I SH

AND VERS IF I CA TION ,

DAVID MAS SON ,M.A .

,LL .D.

H ISTOR IOGRA PHER ROYA L FOR SCOTLA N D ,PROFE S SOR O F RHETOR IC A ND E NG L IS H L ITERA TURE IN T H E

UN IVER S ITY O F ED INBURGH .

VOL. Il l .

PARAD ISE REGA INED AND SAMSON AGON ISTES.

2 9 9 9 9

M A CM I L L AN AND CO . ,L IM I T ED

ST. MART IN ’

S STREET,L ONDON

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CONTENTS OF VOLUME I I I .

I NTRODUCTION TO PA RAD I SE REGA INED

TEXT OF THE POEM

Book I .

Book I I .

Book I I I .

Book IV .

I NTRODUCT ION TO SAMSON AGON ISTES

The Autho r’s Preface “ Of tha t so rt Of Drama t ic

Poem ca l led Tragedy

The Argument and the Persons

TEXT OF THE POEM

ESSAY ON MILTON ’

S ENGL ISH AND VERS I F ICAT ION :

I . Mi l ton’

s VocabularyI I . Spel l ing and Pronunc ia t ionI I I . Pecul iar i t ies o f Gramma t ica l Inflection

IV. Syntax and IdiomV. Mi l ton’s Versi fication and h is p l ace in the H is

tory of Engl ish Verse

NOTES To THE POEMS

To THE M INOR EN GLI SH PO EMS

To THE LAT IN POEMS

Supplementary No te to the La t in Poems

fl T E N

NOTES continued PAGE

TO PA RAD ISE LOST

Book 1.

Book I I .

Book I I I .

Book IV.

Book V.

Book V I .

Book V I I .

Book V I I I .

Book IX.

Book X.

Boo k XI .Book X I I .

To PARAD ISE REGA IN ED

To SAMSON AGON ISTES

I NTRODUCT I ON

TO P AR AD I SE R EGA INED.

PARADISE REGA INED seems to have been complete inmanu

scrip t befo re the publ ica t ion of Paradi se Lost. Th is weinfer from an interest ing passage in the Autobiography of

the Quaker Thomas El lwood, in wh ich he gives an accountof the o r igin of Paradise Rega ined, and claims the credi tof havi ng suggested the subject to Mi l ton. We havea l ready seen ( Introduc tion to Paradi se Lost, p . how

young El lwood, visi t ing Mi l ton, in 1665 , atthe co t tage inCha lfont S t. G i les, Buckinghamsh ire, where he was thenresiding to avo id the Grea t P lague in London, had a manu

scri p t given him by the poet, w i th a request to read i t ath is leisure, and return i t wi th h is judgment thereon. On

taking th is manuscr ipt home wi th h im , Ellwood tel ls us, hefound i t to be Pa r adise LoSi . He then proceeds as fo l lows—“ After - I had, wi th the best a t tent ion, read i t th rough ,

I made h im ano ther visi t, and returned h im his book , wi thdue acknowledgment of the favour he had done me in

communica t ing i t to me. He asked how I l iked i t , and

wha t I though t of i t ; wh ich I modestly , but freely , to ldh im and, after some fur ther discourse about i t , I pleasant lysa id to h im ,

‘ Thou h ast sa id much here of Paradise Lost;

butwha t hast thou to say of Paradise Found He made

me no answer,butsa te some t ime in a muse, then brake off

tha t discourse and fel l upon ano ther subject . After theSickness was o ver , and the ci ty wel l cleansed and become

safely habi tab le aga in,he returned th i ther. And

,when,

afterwards, I went to wa i t on h im there (wh ich I seldomfa i led of do ing, whenever my occasions drew me to London) ,he showed me h is second poem, ca l led Pa radi se Rega ined,

and in a pleasant tone sa id to me,‘ Th is is owing to you ;

VOL. I IL R

2 I N TR O D U C T I O N T O

fo r you put i t into my head by the quest ion you putto me

at Cha lfont , wh ich befo re I had not thought The

inference from th is passage may cer ta inly be tha t the poemwas at least begun in the co t tage atCha lfont S t. Gi les (sayin the w inter of 1665 and tha t

,if not finished there, i t

was finished in Mi l ton’

s house in Art i l lery Wa lk, sho r tlya fter h is return to town in 1666 . When Pa radise Lost,

therefo re, was pub l ished in the autumn of 1667 , its sequel ,though kept back , was ready .Acco rding to thi s ca lcula t ion

,the poem rema ined in

manuscrip t for about four years. I t was not publ ished t i l l16 7 1 , when Pa radise Lost had been in c i rcula t ion for fouryears, and when the fi rst edi t ion of tha t poem must havebeen nearly , i f not qui te, exhausted, —for that edi t ion wasrestri c ted to 1500 copies at the utmost , and Mi l ton’sreceip t for the second five pounds, due, by agreement , on

the sale of 1300 of these cop ies, bears date Apri l 2 6 , 1669 .

But,for some reason or o ther

,Simmons , the publi sher of

Pa radise Lost, was delaying a second edi t ion of tha t poem ,

—which did not appear t i l l 1674 I t may haVe beenowing to dissa t isfact ion w i th th is delay on Mil ton’

s parttha t he did not put Pa r adise Rega ined into Simmons

hands, but had i t printed (as appears) on h is own account .C onjom ing w i th i t Samson Agonisz

,whi ch he had a lso had

fo r some t ime by h im , or had just composed, he issued thetwo poems in a sma l l octavo vo lume of 2 2 0 pages

,w i th

th is genera l t i t le - page—“ Pa radise P ega in’

d. A Poem .

[ n I V. Books . To wai f/1 is added Samson A<gonisl es. Tl ze

A ni/zor f o/zn fi l i lton. London, P r in/ed by j . M for f ofinSta r/zey at Me M itr e in F leei streei

,near Temple Ba ;

MDCLXX ] . There is no separa te t i t le- page to Pa radiseRega ined ; wh ich commences on the next leaf after th isgenera l wk , and extends to p . 1 1 2 of the vo lume. Then

there is a separate t i t le - leaf to Samson Agonisz‘es ; whi ch

poem,occupying the rest of the vo lume

,is separa tely pag ed.

On the last leaf of the who le vo lume are two sets of E rrata ,

ent i t led “ Erra ta in the fo rmer Poem ”and Erra ta in the

la tter Poem.

Not Samuel Simmons of the Go lden L ion in Al dersga te

1 The H istory of the Life of Thomas E llwood, second editionpp 2 46 , 2 47 .

PARA D I S E R E GA I N E D . 3

Street , the pub l isher of Paradise Lost, i t wi l l be seen, but

John Starkey, of the Mitre in Fleet Street , was the pub l isherof the new vo lume. He was, however, the publ isher only,or agent for the printer “

J . M.

” Such , at a l l events, isthe inference of so good an author ity in such ma t ters as thel ate Mr? Leigh So theby , who , after quo t ing the t i t le of the

vo lume, as above, adds : “ I t is interest ing here to no t icetha t the ini t ia ls ofMi l ton occur in the imprint as the pr interof the vo lume. Such was frequent ly the case when a workwas printed so lely at the expense of the autho r.” 1 In

connexion wi th wh ich observa t ion we may here note the

entry of the vo lume in the books of the Sta t ioners’ Company ‘

Septemb. 10 , 1670 : Mr . J ohn S tarkey entered for his copie, underthe hands of Mr. Tho . Tomkyns and Mr . Warden Roper, a copie or

Booke Int ituled Paradise rega in’d, A Poem in 4 Bookes . The Author

J ohnM il ton. To wh ich is added Samson Agonistes, a drammadic [si c]Poem, by the same Author.

The vo lume i tself furnishes an addi t iona l i tem of infor

ma t ion. On the page opposi te the genera l t i t le- page atthe

beginning is th is br ief imprint ,“ L icensed, July 2 ,

—from wh ich i t appears tha t the necessary l icence had beenobta ined by Mi l ton from the censo r Tomkyns. Apparent lyTomkyns gave this l icence mo re easi ly than he had giventha t for Paradise Lost.The vo lume conta ining the first edi t ions of Pa radise P e

ga ined and S amson Agonistes is h andsome enough in appearance,—the paper th icker than tha t of the fi rst edi t ion of

Pa radi se Lost, and the type more dist inct and more widelyspaced. But the print ing , especia l ly the po int ing, is not

nearly so accura te. Wi th inthe first fewpages onefinds commas

where there should be ful l stops or co lons, and Dice Dersd,

and becomes aware tha t the person o r persons who assistedMi l ton in seeing the vo lume th rough the press canno t havebeen so careful as those who performed the l ike duty for thefo rmer poem ,

—where,though the po int ing is not our

modern po int ing, i t ra rely confl icts w i th the sense.

Wha tever was the number of copies printed, it sufficedthe demand dur ing the rest o f Mi l ton’

s l ife, and for six

1 Rambl ings in th e Eluc idat ion of the Autograph of M i l ton, 186 1,

years beyond. When he died in 16 74 , there was a second

edi t ion of the Par adise Lost, to be fo l lowed by a th i rd in1678 ; but i t was not t i l l 1680 tha t there was a second

edi t ion o f the Pa r adise Reg ained and Samson. I t wasbrough t out by the same publ isher , Starkey, and is of

inferio r appearance and get ting - up to the fi rst,—the si zes t i l l sma l l octavo , but the type closer, so as to reduce the

number of pages to 132 . The t i tle - pages rema in the same ;

but the two poems are now paged cont inuously , and not

separa tely. There seems to have been no part icular care inrevising for the press, for erro rs no ted in the l ist of erra tain the fo rmer edi t ion rema in unco rrected in the tex t of

th is.

Th i rd edi t ions , bo th of the Pa radise Rega ined and of the

S amson , appeared in fo l io in 1688, so ld, ei ther together or

separa tely, by a new pub l isher ,—Randa l Taylo r ; and theseare commonly found bound up wi th the fourth o r fo l ioedi t ion Of P a r adise Lost, pub l ished by ano th er booksel ler inthe same year. From th is t ime fo rwa rd, in fact , the con

nex ion between Pa r adi se Rega ined and S amson, o rigina l ly

acc identa l , is not kept up , save for mere convenience in

publ ica t ion. The tendency was to edi t ions of a l l Mi l ton’

poet ica l wo rks co l lect ively,—inwh ich edi t ions i t was na tura lto put Pa r adise Lost fi rs t

,then Pa radise Rega ined, then

Samson Agoni stes , and after these the M inor Poems. The

grea ter demand for Pa radise Lost, however , mak ing i t convenient to divide the Poet ica l Wo rks in pub l ica t ion, two

methods of do ing so presented themselves. On the one

hand,there was an Obvious propriety, i f the Poems were

to be div ided at a l l , in detach ing Pa radise Rega ined'

fromSamson and the rest , and a t tach ing i t to Pa radise L ost;

accordingly,there are instances of such conjo int

edi t ions o f P a r adi se L ostand Pa radise Rega ined, apa rt fromthe o ther poems , in 169 2 , 1 775 , and 1776 . But a moreconvenient plan

,mechanical ly , inasmuch as i t divided the

Poems co l lec t ively into two po rt ions of nearly equa l bulk,

was to l et Pa r adise Lost stand by i tsel f in one o r mo revo lumes , and th row Pa radise Rega ined, Samson, and the

[Minor Poems together into a sepa ra te issue in one o r morevo lumes,

—the two sets combinable o r not into a co l lect iveedi t ion. Th is plan, fi rst adopted by Tonson, in 169 5, has

preva i led since.

PARA D I S E R E GA I N E D . 5

There is not the least reason fo r doub ting El lwood’ssta tement as to the way in wh ich the subjec t o f P a r adiseP eoa zned was suggested to Mi l ton. There is no such

evidence as in the case of Pa i adzse Lost of long medi ta t ionof the subject previous to the actua l composi t ion of the

p oem. Among Mi l ton’s jo t t ings, in 1640 1

, of subjects fordramas o r o ther poems (see Introduct ion to Pa radi se Lost

pp . 16 , 18 ) there are indeed severa l from New TestamentH isto ry. There is a somewha t deta i led scheme of a drama .

to be ca l led Baptistes, on the subject o f the dea th of Johnthe Baptist at the hands o f Herod. There are a lso sevenno tes of subj ects from the L ife of Ch r is t ,—the first ent i t ledC/zr i sta s Patiens, accompanied by a few wo rds wh ich Show

tha t , under that t i tle, Mi l ton had an idea of a drama on

the scene of the Agony in the Ga rden the o thers enteredsimply as fo l lows C/zr istBorn ,

Herod [ ll assaer zng or

Racket Weeping (Ma t t . i i . “ C/i r i st Bound,

” “ C/zr ist

Crnozfi ed,” Gar i

si Risen,

”and “ La z arus (John xi .

Butnot one of those eigh t subjects, though t o f in M i l ton’s

ea rly manhood, i t wi l l be seen, co rresponds w i th the prec isesubject of P aradise Reg ained, executed when he was vergingon six ty. The subjec t of tha t poem is expressly and ex

elusively the tempta t ion of Christ by the Devi l in the

Wi lderness, after h is bap tism by John, as rela ted in Ma t t .iv . 1 .

- 1 1,Ma rk i . 1 2 , 13 , and Luke i v . 1 - 13. Com

mentators on the Po em , indeed, have rema rked i t as some.

what strange tha t M i l ton should have given so genera l at i t le as Pa radise Rega ined ”

to a poem represent ing onlyth is par ticular passage of the Gospel H isto ry. For the

subject of the Poem is thus announced in the openingl ines

I,who erewh ile the Happy Garden sung

By one man’s disobedience lost , now s ing

Recovered Pa radise to a l l mank ind,By one man

s fi rm obedience fully triedThrough a l l tempta t ion, and the Tempter fo i ledIn a l l h is w i les

,defea ted and repulsed,

And Eden ra ised in the was te Wi lderness.

On this passage,and on the Poem genera l ly , a commenta tor

(Thyer) , represent ing a genera l feel ing, ma kes th is remark“ I t may seem a l i t t le odd tha t Mi l ton shou ld impute therecovery of Paradise to th is short scene o f our Saviour’s

6 I N TR O D U CT I O N T O

life upon ear th,and not ra ther ex tend i t to h is Agony,

C ruc ifix ion,

etc. But the reason, no doubt , was thatPa radise rega ined by our Sav iour

s resist ing the temp ta t ionso f Satan migh t be a bet ter contrast to Pa radise l ostby our

first parents too easi ly yielding to the same seduc ing Spiri t . ”

Th is remark is perfect ly just ; but i t receives eluc ida t ion and

po int from Ellwood’s story of the way in which the poemcame into existence.

The young Quaker’s observa t ion

,Thou hast sa id much

here of Pa radise Lost; butwha t hast thou to say of Pa radise

Found 2”had sti rred someth ing inMi l ton’

s m ind. He made

no answer,but sa te some t ime in a muse

”and then ta lked

o f someth ing else. But an idea had flashed upon h im,—the

idea Of a sequel to Pa radise L ost, to be ca l led Pa radise

Rega ined. Had he not, in Paradise Lost i tself, assumed

the possib i l ity of such a sequel ? Thus, even in the openingl ines of the poem , defining its scope

Of Man’

s first disobedience , and the frui tOf tha t Forb idden Tree whose morta l tasteBrough t death into the world and a l l our woe,

Wi th loss of Eden,ti ltone g rea ter M an

R estore us a nd rega in the bl i ssf ul sea t,

S ing , Heavenly Muse.

Here he had actua l ly l im i ted befo rehand the ho r i zon of the

poem on wh ich he was engaged. He had l imi ted i t by thepercep t ion of a new event in the distance, retr iev ing the

ca tastrophe he was about to sing. 1 Migh t not tha t newevent a lso be made the theme o f a poem —Th is idea once

in Mi l ton’s m ind

,there is no difficul ty in seeing how the

story o f Par adise Rega ined, as conceived by h im,should

have concentrated i tself in the single passage of the GospelH isto ry known as the Temp ta t ion o f Ch r ist in the Wi lderness

,ra ther than diffused i tself th rough the ent i re range o f

Christ’s m inistry and passion. The second poem mustcorrespond w i th the first, - must presuppose i t, and be

the ar tis tic anti thesis to i t. Now, what had been the

theme o f the fi rs t poem ? The tempta t ion o f the first of

1 Itoccurs to me as not imposs ible tha t M i lton,hav ing fin ished

Pa radise Rega ined in manuscr i pt before P a r a dise L ost was printed,may h ave touched into the text of P a radise L osthere and there such

occultpre -advert isements of its successor as tha t in the opening l ines.

Only by firmly remembering tha t i t was as a sequel toPa radise Lost tha t Pa radise [Bega ined thus grew into shapein Mi l ton’

s mind w i l l the second poem be righ t ly understood. The commenta to rs, indeed, as they have sough tthe “

o rigin of Paradise Los t ,”

or h ints for its o rigin,in

a l l so rts o f prev ious poems,I ta l ian

,La t in, and Dutch , on

the same subject (see Introduct ion to the Po em ) , have,though less labo riously

,searched for prev ious poems from

wh ich Mi l ton may have tak en h ints for his Pa radi se Rega ined.

Todd,in h is prel imina ry Observa t ions ent i tled “ Origin of

Pa radise Rega ined,

” refers to the fo l low ing pieces as possiblyin M i l ton’

s reco l lect ion wh i le he was wri t ing the Poem,

Bale’s Brefe Comedy or E ntertade eoneernynge t/i e Tempta

ey on of our Lorde and S aver f esus C/i r istby S at/i an in tbe

Desart Gi les F letcher ’s C/zr ist’s Victor ieand Tr inmpna poem in four par ts, the second o f wh ich , ent i t led

“ Ch ris t’s Triumph on Ea rth , describes the Tempta t ion ;a lso La Hamanz

ta del F igtioo/o di D io, a poem in ten books ,by Theofi lo Fo lengo o f Mantua La Vita etPassi one

di C/zr isto,a poem by Antonio Co rnoz ano and one

or two o ther I ta l ian poems, ci ted at random for thei r t i tlesand not from knowl edge.

X“The only one o f these referenceswo r th much is tha t to G i les F letcher’s rel igious poem. Gi lesF letcher

,who died 16 2 3 , and h is bro ther Ph ineas Fletcher,

who outl ivedhim mo re than twenty - five years, were among thet ruest poets in the interva l between Spenser and Mi l ton, andthe h ighest in tha t idea l or Spenserian facul ty wh ich Mi l tonadm i red. He mus t have known the wo rks of bo th bro therswel l , and not least the rea l ly fine poem of Gi les F letcherto wh ich Todd refers. But reco l lect ion of i t can havehad no effect on the se/zeme of h is own Pa radi se Rega ined.

Tha t was determ ined simply by the poet’s own medi ta t ions

on those passages of the Evangel ists wh ich narra te the

Temp ta ti on in theWi lderness ,—especia l ly the eleven versesin Ma t t. iv. and the th ir teen in Luke iv.

,—w ith a view

to construct therefrom an imagina t ion of the who le scene,

which ,‘

whi l e i t should be true to the scriptura l tex t , shouldfi t as a sequel to Pa radi se Lost. The resul t was the poemas we now have it,—a poem in wh ich the brief Scriptura lna rra t ive of the Tempta t ion is expanded into four books,and yet the addi tions and fi l l ing

- ih are consistent wi th thetexts which have suggested them.

PARAD I S E RE GA I N E D .

So dist inct ly is P a radi se Rega ined a sequel to Pa radi se

Lost tha t acqua intance w i th Pa r adise L ost is a l l but pre

supposed in the reader ere he begins the shor ter poem.

Such acquaintance, indeed, is not abso lutely necessary ;but i t conduces to a mo re exact understanding o f the

to ta l meaning o f the poem , and of not a few individua lpassages in i t . Indeed, even tha t diagram of Universa lSpace o r Physica l Infinitude wh ich was befo re the poet ’smind, as we have seen

,throughout Pa r adise Lost (see the

Int roduct ion to tha t poem ) , is st i l l present to his m ind,though mo re dimly, in Pa radise Rega ined.

The resul t of Sa tan’

s t riumph in Pa r adi se Lost, i t is tobe remembered, was tha t he and h is crew o f Fa l len Angelshad succeeded in adding the “

o rb icula r Wo rld ”o f Man

i .e. the who le Starry Universe or Cosmos wi th the Ea rthat its cent re

,to tha t inferna l Empire o f Hel l to wh ich they

had been driven down on thei r expuls ion from Heavenor the Empyrean. At the close of the rea l ac t ion of the

grea t epic th is is wha t we find Sa tan and S in congra tula t ingthemse lves upon (Book X . 350

—tha t Man’

s Wo rldhas now been wrested from the Empire of Heaven above

and annexed to tha t of Hel l benea th. An inter - communicat ion has been estab l ished between Hel l and Man

s Wo rld,

and i t is h inted tha t thencefo rwa rd the Fa l len Angels wi l lnot dwel l so much in thei r ma in dark dom inion o f Hel l asin the mo re l igh tsome Wo rld overh ead, to wh ich access is

now easy. Dist ribut ing themselves through th isWo rld, theywi l l rule its spheres and its elements ; butmo re especia l lywi l l they congrega te in the Air round the cent ra l Ear th ,so as to interm ingle w i th human afi

a irs cont inua l l y, and

exerc ise thei r diabo l ic funct ions on the successive generat ions of men. Origina l ly Angels in the Empyrea l Heaven,then doomed spir its in Hel l

,they w i l l now be the Powers

of the Air,

” round about the Ea r th , and the Gods of Man’

Wo rld. So they ant icipa te ; and,over and over aga in

throughout the poem, we are rem inded tha t thei r anticip

t ion has been fulfi l led. Wha t is the theo ry throughoutPa radi se Lost but tha t the gods of a l l the hea then mythologies

, worsh ipped by al l the na t ions, are the Fa l len Angels ,who , in thei r new condi t ion as Demons o f Man

’s Wo rld and

Powers of the A i r, have so bl inded and drugged the percep i

t ions and imagina t ions o f men as to be accepted as divinit ies 7

10 I N TRO D U C T IO N T O

In Pa r as e [ rega ined a l l this is assumed. I t is assumed

tha t for some thousands of years these “ Powers of the

Air, a l ias Devils, a l ia s Gods o f the Po lytheist ic Mytho logies ,have been in possession of Man

’sWo r ld

,distributed through

i t, some here, some there, acco rding to thei r characters andfacul t ies of m isch ief, but occasiona l ly meet ing in counci lsomewhere in the element of Air o r Mist . Sa tan is st i l ltheir ch ief,—the grea test in power and in abi l i ty , the

leader in their counc i ls, thei r governo r, and the directorof their common enterprises. He is no longer the same

sub l ime sp iri t as in the Pa radise Lost, in whom were to

be discerned the majestic l ineaments of the Archangeljust ruined. The thousands of years he has spent sincethen in h is self- selected funct ion as the Devi l of our Ear th

—no longer flying from star to star and th rough the granderregions o f Universa l Space

,but winging abou t constantly

c lose to our Ear th , and meddl ing incessant ly wi th a l l tha tis wo rst in merely terrestria l a ffa irs,~have to ld upon hi sna ture, and even upon h is mien and bearing. He is a

meaner,sh rewder spiri t, bo th mo ra l ly and. phys ica l ly less

impressive. But he has notyet degenera ted into the merescoffing Meph istopheles of Goethe’s grea t poem. He retainssometh ing of his fo rmer magnanim i ty, or atleas t of h is powerof understanding and appea l ing to the hi gher mo t i ves of

though t and act ion. Wha tever of rea l ly grea t invent ion or

w isdom remai ns among the diabo l ic hos t in thei r diffusionth rough Man

s Wo rld and its elements is st i l l ch iefly lodgedin aim. He i t is, acco rdingly, who , in h is vigi lance over .the course of afl

a irs on Earth , is the fi rst to become awareof the advent of one tha t may possibly be tha t prophesied“ grea ter Man

”who is to retrieve the consequences of

Adam’s fa l l , end the diabo l ic influence in Man

’s Wo rld,

and reconnect tha t Wor ld w i th Heaven. He i t is who,as

soon as he has made th is discovery, summons the diabo l iccrew to consul ta t ion and i t is on him a lso tha t the far thert ria l of Ch rist’s virtue is devo lved.

The grea ter port ion of the fi rst book of the Poem is pre

l iminary to the real act ion. I t describes the baptism of

Chris t, when about th i r ty yea rs of age, and as yet obscureand unknown, by John at Bethabara on the Jo rdan

recogni t ion of h im by John, the proclama t ion from Heavenof his Messiahsh ip , the presence of Sa tan among those who

PARA D I S E R E GA I N E D . 1 1

hea r this proclamation,and h is ala rm thereupon. A few

days are then suppo sed to elapse, during wh ich Ch ristrema ins in his l odging in Bethabara , the objec t now Of much

pub l ic regard, and wi th h is fi rst discip les ga thering roundhim after wh ich he is l ed by the Spiri t into theWi lderness,

ethere to revo lve h is past l ife, and medi ta te on the m inistryhe i s about to begin. I t i s after he has been a l ready fo rtydays in the Desert , and has begun to feel hunger, tha t thespecia l act ion of the Poem opens (1. I t extends overthree days. On the fi rst day (the fo r t ieth , i t is to be supposed, of Christ’s stay in the Wi lderness) , we have Sa tan

presenta t ion of h imself to Ch rist in the guise of an o l d

peasant , thei r fi rst discourse,and the commencement o f the

Temptat ion in the manner in wh ich i t is rela ted bo th inMa t thew and in Luke,—to w it, by the suggest ion to Christtha t he should prove h is divini ty by turning the stones a roundh im into bread. Th is par t of the rela t ion occupies the

rema inder of Book I .,wh ich ends with a descript ion of the

com ing on of nigh t in the.

Desert. In Book I I . the relat ionis resumed. Abou t ha lf the Boo k i s occupied wi th an

episodic account of the perplex i ty o f Mary and the disciplesby reason of Chris t ’s mysterious absence, and an account a lsoof a second counci l of the Ev i l Spi ri ts to advise w i th Sa tanon h is farther proceedings ; butthe rema inder of the Bookbrings us back to the Desert

,where Sa tan

,early in the

second day, renews the temp ta t ion. Th is second day’stemptat ion is the most pro t racted and labo rious

,and the

account of i t extends from Book I I . through the who le of

Book I I I . and over two - th i rds of Book IV. I t is here tha tMi lton has a l lowed his imagination the la rgest l iberty inexpanding the br ief hints of the scr ip tura l texts. Bo th inMa tthew and in Luke the acts of the Tempta t ion are repre

sented as three. There is the Tempta t ion of the Bread, o rthe appea l to Ch rist’s hunger, wh ich is put fi rst by bo thEvangel ists ; there is the Temp ta t ion of the Vision of the

Kingdoms of the Ear th from a mounta in- top , or the appea lto Ch ris t ’s amb i t ion

,—wh ich Luke puts second in o rder ,

but Ma tthew last ; and there is the Tempta t ion on the

Pinnacle of the Temple,or , as i t may be ca l led

,the appea l

to vani ty ,—wh ich Mat thew puts second, but Luke last.

Mi l ton, assigning a separa te day to each actof the Tempta

t ion, fo l lows Luke’s order ra ther than Matthew’

s in the last

12 I N TR O D U CT I O N T O

two acts,and devo tes the second day to the appea l to Ch rist’s

ambi t ion. But he adds a variety of c ircumstances. He

begins the day, fo r example, w i th a repeti tion of the hungertempta t ion O f the previous day, and then passes 011 to subt leappea ls to the h igher appet i tes o f wea l th and power

,so as

to prepa re the way fo r the vision of the Kingdoms o f the

Ea rth . Mi l ton’s management o f th is vision (wh ich begins at

l ine 2 5 1 of Boo k I I I . and extends to l ine 39 3 o f Book IV. )ca l ls for our h ighes t admi ra t ion. He contr ives to mak e i tnotonly a splendid, but a lso a most accura te, genera l v iewo f the po l i t ica l condi tion o f the earth atthe t ime referred to ,when the Pa rth ians in the East and the Romans in theWestwere the grea t riva l powers tha t had swamped a l l o thers ;and, by thus suppos ing Satan to have based h is tempta t ionon the actua l sta te Of the wo rld, and a ca lcula t ion o f wha tmigh t be done by the genius of a bo ld adventurer, strikingin, at tha t part icula r juncture, between the Romans and the

Pa rth ians,he impa rts to i t a cha racter o f deep Mach ia vel l ian

ab i l i ty. Butthe Tempta t ion passes into s ti l l a new vein at

the c lose ; where, the di rect appea l to po l i t ica l amb i t ionhaving fa i led

, Sa tan, wi th Athens in V iew ,instead of Rome,

tr ies to wo rk on the passion for purely intel lectua l distinct ion. Th is too fa i l ing , the second day’s tempta t ion i s atanend, and there is the return from the mounta in- top to the

Wi lderness, where Christ is left a lone during a nigh t of sto rmand ghast l iness . There rema ins then only the fina l acto f theTempta t ion

,reserved for the th i rd day,

—the temp ta t ion on

the Pinnacle ‘

o f the Temple. Al though M i l ton has a lso puthis own interpreta t ion on th is po rtion of the Tempta t ion,wo rking up to the actua l t ranspo rta t ion of Christ to the

pinnacle, and the cha l lenge of h is power there, by previousquestionings of Satan whether

,after a l l

,he is the Son of

God” in any very extraordina ry sense, yet a compa ra t ively

brief space suffi ces bo th for the discourse leading up to theincident and for the incident i tself. The th i rd day ’s temptat ion, indeed, encroaching only a l itt le on tha t day, and not

pro t racted over the who le o f i t, occupies only about the last

“L th i rd of Book One sees,atthe close of the poem,

whyMi l ton preferred Luke’s a rrangement of the th ree acts of theTempta t ion to Ma t thew’

s. The reserva t ion of the incidenton the pinnacle Of the Temple to the last enab les the poet toclose wi th tha t fine visual effect of Christ standing a lone on

PARAD I S E R E G A I N E D . 13

the pinnacle, after Sa tan’s inglo rious fa l l , t i l l the fiery globe

of ministering Angels surround h im , and hear h im in sa fetyto earth on thei r wings as on a floa t ing couch .

"Down theyhear him to a flowery va l ley , and to the celest ia l food spreadoutfor h im there he refreshes h imself therewi th , wh i le theAngels a bo ve s ing a hymn of h is v icto ry and its conse

quences ; then,r ising, he finds h is “

way unobserved to his

mo ther’s house.

Speaking of Paradise Rega ined, M i l ton’s nephew,

Ph i l l ips,says (Life

of Mi l ton, 1694 ) I t is genera l ly censured to bemuch inferio r to the o ther (i .e. to Paradi se Lost) , though he(Mi l ton) could nothear wi th pa t ience any such thing whenrelatedto h im .

”Tradi t ion, as usua l

,has exaggera ted th is

statement , unt i l now the current assertion is tha t Mi l tonpreferred Pa radise P ega inea

’to P aradise Lost. We may

safely say tha t he knew bet ter. But,probably

,in tha t

“ genera l censure ”of the infer io r i ty of the sma l ler poem

wh ich had begun,according to Ph i l l ips

,even during the

th ree years tha t were spared Mi l ton to no te its reception,he

discovered cri t ica l m isconcept ions wh ich have t ransm i t tedthemselves to our t ime. Is Pa r adi se Rega ined completeo r not?

”is a quest ion on wh ich a good dea l has been wri t ten

by Peck, Wa rburton,Newton, and o thers. Theso le reason fo r

th inking tha t i t i s incomplete, and tha t possibly the four booksof the Poem as i t now stands were o rigina l ly intended onlyas pa rt of a much la rger poem ,

is founded on the sma l lnesso f tha t po r tion of Ch r ist’s l ife wh ich is embraced in the poem

and on the stopping sho rt o f tha t consumma t ion wh ich wouldhave completed the ant i thesis to Pa radi se Lost,

— i .e. the

expulsion of Sa tan and h is crew out of the human Wo rlda l together back to Hel l . Th is object ion h as a l ready beendiscussed, and found inva l id. By no pro tract ion of the

poem over the rest of Ch rist’s l ife, we may a lso remark,

could Mi l ton have brough t the sto ry to the consumma t ionthough t desi rab le. The v i rtua l del iverance of the Worldfrom the power of Sa tan and h is crew may be represented as

achieved in Ch rist’s l ife on earth , and Mi l ton represents i t asach ieved in Ch ris t’s fi rst encounter w i th Sa tan atthe outsetof h is m inistry ; but the actua l or p/zy siea l expulsion Of the

Evi l Spi ri ts outof thei r usurped wo rld into thei r own netherrea lm was left a ma t ter o f prophecy or prom ise, and wascerta inly notregarded by Mi l ton as having been accompl ished

14 PA R AD I S E R E GA I N E D.

even atthe t ime when he h imsel f l ived and w ro te. Com

pletion of the poem by wo rking i t on to th is actua l andh istori ca l consumma t ion was

,therefo re, simply impossible.

But, in sho rt , by pub l ish ing the poem as i t stands, Mi l toncert ified its completeness acco rding to his own idea of the

theme and its capab i l i t ies.

“ Wel l,then

”some o f the

cri t ics continue, ra ising a second quest ion, “can the poem

properly be ca l led an epic ? ” They have in view the I l iad,the Odyssey , and the I

’Eneid, as the types of epics ; and,a l lowing that Pa r adi se Lostmay rank as a lso an epic, theyth ink Par adise Rega ined too sho rt and too simple fo r such a

name. ButMil ton had ant icipa ted the object ion as early as164 1 , when, in his Reason of C/znre/i - Government

,speaking

o f h is l itera ry schemes, he had distinguished two k inds of

epics, of ei ther of wh ich he m igh t h ave the option if he

should ul t ima tely determine on the epic fo rm of composi t ionas the best for his genius.

“ That epick fo rm,

”he had

sa id, “ whereof the two poems of Homer,and those o ther

two of Vi rgi l and Tasso , are a dzfi'

nse,and the Book Of Job

a br ief; model .” May we not say tha t , as in Pa r adise L ost

he had adopted the larger or more diffuse of the two modelsof epic here described, so in Pa radise Rega ined he had in

view ra ther the sma l ler or briefer model ? This would putthema t ter on its righ t basis. Pa radi seRega ined is a differentpoem from Pa radise Lost,

—not so grea t, because not ad

m i t t ing o f being so grea t ; but i t is as good in its differentk ind,

a rtist ica l ly perfect in its picto r ia l clea rness and coherence, and a l together one of the most edijj/ing andfu l l - bodied

poems in any l i tera ture. The difference of kinds betweenthe two epics is signa l ised in cer ta in differences in the

language and versification. Pa radise Rega ined seems wri ttenmo re rapidly than Paradise Lost, and, though wi th passageso f superla t ive beauty, yet w i th less a vo idance of pla inh isto r ica l phrases, and less study of the effect of susta inedsong.

PA RA D I S E R E GA I N ED.

THE F IRST BOOK .

WHO erewh i le the Happy Ga rden sungBy one man’

s di sobed ience los t,now s ing

Recofiere‘

Paradise to a l l mankind,

B y one man’s firm obedience ful ly t r ied

Through a l l temp ta t ion,and the Temp ter fo i led

In al l h i s w i les , defea ted and repulsed,

And Eden ra i sed in the wa ste Wi lderness.

Thou Sp ir i t,who l ed

’st th i s g lo r ious E rem i te

Into the desert , h is victor ious fieldAga inst the sp i ri tua l foe, and brough t

’sth im thence 10

By _proo f the undoubted Son of God, insp ire,As thOu artwont

,my p romp ted song , el se mute

And bea r th rough h i ghth or dep th of Na ture’s bounds

Wi th p ro sperous w ing ful l summed,to tel l of deeds

Above hero i c, though in secret done,

And unrecorded left t hrough many an age

Wo rthy to have not rema ined so long unsung.

Now had the grea t Procla imer,w i th a vo ice

More awful than the sound of t rumpet,cr ied

Rep entance, and Heaven’s kingdom nigh athand 2 0

To a l l bap t i zed . To h is grea t bap t ism flockedWi th awe the regions round

,and w i th them came

From Na zareth the son of Joseph deemedTo the flood Jordan—f ame as then obscure

Unmarked,unknown. But h im the Bap t i st soon

escr ied,d ivinely wa rned

,and w i tness bore

As to h i s worth ier,and would have res i gned

VOL. I I I .

18 PARAD I S E R E GA I N E D .

To h im h is heavenly o ffice. Nor wa s longHis w i tness unconfirmed : on h im bap t izedHeaven opened

,and in l ikeness of a dove

The Sp i r i t descended,wh i le the Fa ther’s vo i ce

From Heaven p ronounced h im h is‘

beloved Son.

Tha t heard the Adversa ry,who

,rovmg s t i l l

About th e world,at tha t a ssembly famed

Would notbe las t,and

,w i th the vo ice div ine

N igh thunder- s t ruck,the exa l ted man to whom

Such h i gh a ttest wa s given a wh i le surveyedWi th wonder ; then, w i th envy fraught and rage

F l ies to h is p lace,nor rests

,but in m id a ir

To counc i l summons al l h is m i ghty peers,

Wi th in th ick clouds and da rk tenfo ld invo lved,

A gloomy cons isto ry and them am i dst,

Wi th looks agha st and sad,he thus bespake

O anc ient Powers of Ai r and th is w ide World

(For much more w i l l ingly I ment ion Ai r,

Th is our o ld conquest,than remember Hel l

Our ha ted hab i ta t ion) , wel l ye knowHow many ages

,a s the years of men

Th is Universe we have possessed,and ruled

In manner at our wi l l th e affa irs of Earth,

S ince Adam and h is fac i le consort E ve

Los t Pa radise,deceived by me

,though s ince

With dread a ttending when tha t fa ta l woundSha l l be infl icted the seed of Eve

Upon my head . H eavenDelay

,for longes t t ime to H im i s short ;

And now,too soon for us

,the c i rc l ing hours

Th is dreaded t ime have compassed,wherein we

Must b i de the s troke of that long - th rea tened wound

(At lea st , if so we can,and by the head 60

Broken be not intended a l l our powerTo be infringed

,our freedom and our being

In th is fa i r emp ire won o f Ea rth and Ai r)

T H E F I R S T B O OK.

For th is i l l news I bring : The Woman’s Seed ,

Dest ined to th i s,is la te of woman born.

H is b irth to our jus t fear gave no sma l l cause ;

Buth is growth now to youth ’s ful l flower, disp lay ingAl l v i r tue

, grace and w isdom to acme—ave

Th ings h igh est,grea test

,mul t i p l ies my fea r.

B efore b i'

a—‘

grea t Prophet, to p ro cla imH is com ing

,i s sen t harb inger

,who a l l

Invi tes,and in the consecra ted s tream

Pretend s to wa sh off sin,and fi t them so

Purified to recei ve h im pure, or ratherTo do h im honour as thei r K ing. A l l come

And h e h imself among them wa s bap t izedNot thence to be more pure, butto recei veThe test imony of Heaven , tha t who he isThencefo rth the na t ions may not doubt. I sawThe Prophet do h im reverence on h im

,r i s ing

Out of the wa ter,Heaven above th e cloud s

Unfo ld her c rysta l doors thence on h i s headA perfect dove descend (wha te

’er i t meant )

And out of Heaven the sovran vo ice I hea rd,

Th is is my Son beloved ,— in h im am p leased .

His mo ther,then

,is morta l , but h i s S i re

Who ob tains the monarchy of H eaven,

And wha t w i l l He notdo to advance h is SonH is first- bego t we know

,and sore have fel t

When ce thunder drove us to the D eepWho th i s 13 we must learn

,for Man he seems

In al l h i s l ineament s,though

h is faceThe gl imp ses of h is Fa ther’s g lo ry sh ine.

Ye see our danger on the utmos t edgeOf hazard

,wh ich admi ts no long deba te

Butmust w i th someth ing sudden be o pposed

(Notforce, butwel l - couched fraud , wel l - woven sna res) ,Ere in the head of na t ions he appea r

Thei r king,their leader

,and sup reme on Ear th.

2 0 PARAD I S E R E GA I N E D .

I,when no o ther durs t

,so le undertook

The disma l expedi t ion to find out

And ru in Adam,and the exp lo i t perfo rmed

Successful ly : a ca lmer voyage nowWi l l waft me and the way found p rosperous onceInduces bes t to hOpe o f l ike succes s.”

He ended , and h is wo rds imp ress ion leftOf much ama zement to the inferna l crew

Dis tracted and surp rised w i th deep dismayAt these sad t id ings . Butno t ime was thenFor long indulgence to thei r fears or gr iefUnanimous they a l l comm i t the careAnd management of th is ma in enterp r i seTo h im

,thei r grea t D icta tor, whose a t temp t

At fi rs t aga ins t mankind so wel l had thr i vedIn Adam ’

s overthrow,and l ed their march

From Hel l ’s deep - vaul ted den to dwel l in l i ght,

Regents,and po tenta tes

,and kings

, yea gods ,Of many a p lea sant rea lm and p rovince w ide.

SO to the coast o f Jo rdan he di rectsHis ea sy s teps

,girded w i th snaky w i les

Where he m i gh t l ikel ies t find th i s new - declared,

Th i s man of men,a t tes ted Son o f God

Temp ta t ion and a l l gui le on h im to t ry,

So to subvert whom be suspec ted ra isedTo end h is rei gn on Ea rth so long enjoyedBut

,cont rary

,unweet ing he fulfi l led

The purposed counsel, pre

- o rda ined and fixed,

Of the Mos t H i gh,wh o

,in ful l freq uence bri gh t

Of Angels,thus to Gabr iel sm i l ing spake

Gab r iel,th i s day , by p roof, thou sha l t beho ld

Thou and a l l Angels conversant on EarthWi th Man o r men

s a ffa i rs,how I begin

To ver ify tha t so lemn message la te ,On wh ich I sent thee to the Vi rg in pureIn Ga l i lee, tha t she should bea r a son,

T H E F I R S T B O O K. 2 1

Grea t in renown,and ca l led the Son o f God.

Then to ld’sther , doubt ing h ow these th ings could beTo her a vi rg in

,tha t on her should come

The Ho ly Ghos t , and the power of the H ighes tO

ershadow her. Th is Man,born and now upgrown

To show h im wo rth y of h is b irth divineAnd h i gh p redict ion, hencefo rth I exposeTo Sa tan l eth im temp t

,and now a ssa y

H is utmo st subtlety,because he boa sts

And vaunts of h is grea t cunning to the th rongOf h is aposta sy. He m i ght have lea rntLess overweening

,s ince h e fa i led ln Job ,

Whose constant perseverance overcame

Wha te’er h is cruel ma l ice could invent .He now sha l l know I can p roduce a man

Of fema le seed,far abler to res ist

Al l h is so l ic i ta t ions,and at leng th

Al l his vas t force,and dr i ve h im ba ck to Hel l

Winning by conquest wha t the firs t man los tBy fa l lacy surp r ised. But firs t I mean

To exerc ise h im in the Wi ldernessThere he sha l l first lay down the rudiment sOf h is grea t warfa re

,ere I send h im fo rth

To conquer S in and Dea th,the two grand foes .

B y hum i l ia t ion and s trong sufferanceH is weakness sha l l o ’ercome Sa tanic st reng th

And a l l the world,and mass of s inful flesh

Tha t al l the Angel s and etherea l PowersThey now

,and men hereafter—may d iscern

From wha t consumma te virtue I have choseTh is perfect man

,by mer i t ca l led my Son,

To ea rn sa lva t ion for the sons of men.

8 0 spake the E terna l Fa ther, and a l l HeavenAdm ir ing s tood a spa ce ; then into hymnsBurs t fo rth

,and in celest ia l measures moved ,

Circl ing the th rone and s ing ing,wh i le the hand

2 2 PARAD I S E R E GA I N E D .

Sung w i th the vo ice,and th is the a rgument

“ V i cto ry and tr iumph to the Son of God,

Now enter ing h is grea t duel,not of a rms

Butto vanqui sh by w isdom hel l ish w i lesThe Fa ther knows the S on therefore secureVentures h i s fi l ia l virtue

,though untr ied

Aga ins t wha te’er may temp t , wha te’er seduce

Al lure,or terr ify , or underm ine.

Be frustra te,a l l ye stra tagem s of Hel l ,

And,dev i l ish mach ina t ions , come to nought

So they in Heaven thei r odes and vig i ls tuned.Meanwh i le the Son of God, who yet some daysLodged in Bethaba ra

,where John bap t i zed

Musing and much revo lving in h i s brea s tHow bes t the m i ghty work he m igh t beginOf Saviour to mankind

,and wh ich way fi rst

Publ i sh h is godl ike Offi ce now ma ture ,One day fo rth wa lked a lone

,the Sp iri t leading

And his deep though ts,the bet ter to converse

Wi th so l i tude,t i l l

,far from track of men

Though t fo l low ing th ought,and step by step led on

He entered now the bordering Desert w i ld,

And,wi th dark shades and rocks environed round ,

His ho ly medi ta t ions thus pursued0 wha t a mul t i tude of thoughts at once

Awakened in me swarm,wh i le I cons ider

Wha t from w i th in I feel myself, and hearWha t from w i thout comes often to my ears ,Il l sort ing w i th my p resent s ta te comparedWhen I was yet a ch i ld , no ch ildish p layTo me was p leas ing ; a l l my m ind was set

Serious to lea rn and know,and thence to do ,

Wha t m i ght be publ ic good m yself I thoughtBo rn to tha t end

,bo rn to p romo te a l l truth

Al l r i ghteous th ings. Therefo re,above my yea rs,

The Law of God I read,and found i t sweet ;

2 4 PARA D I S E R E G A I N ED.

To shepherds,wa tch ing at thei r fo lds by n igh t

And to ld them the Messiah now was born,Where they m i gh t see h im and to thee they came

D i rected to the manger where thou lay ’s tFor in the inn was left no bet ter room .

A sta r,not seen befo re, in heaven a ppea r ing

Guided the w ise men th i ther from the Ea st,

To honour thee w i th incense,myrrh

,and go ld

B y whose br i gh t course l ed on they found the p lace,Affi rm ing i t th y s ta r

,new- graven in heaven

B y wh ich they knew thee King of I s rael bo rn.

Jus t S imeon and p rophet i c Anna,warned

B y v is ion,found thee in the Temp le, and sp ’

a‘ke

Befo re the a l ta r and the vested p ries t,

L ike th ings of thee to a l l tha t p resent s tood .

Th is having hea rd,s tra igh t I aga in revo lved

The Law and Prophets,search ing wha t wa s wr i t 2 60

Concerning the Messiah,to our s cr ibes

Known pa rtly,and soon found of whom they spake

I am— th is ch iefly,tha t my way must l ie

Through many a ha rd a ssa y,even to the dea th

E re I the p romised kingdom can a t ta in,

O r wo rk re demp t ion for mankind,whose s ins’

Ful l wei gh t mus t be t ransferred upon my head.

Yet,nei ther thus di shea rtened or dismayed

The t ime p refixed I wa i ted ; when beho ldThe B ap t ist (o f whose b i rth I ofthad hea rd ,Not knew by s igh t) now come

,who wa s to come

Befo re Mess iah,and h is way p repare !

1, as a l l o thers

, to h is bap t ism came,

Wh ich I bel ieved was from above ; butheS t ra i gh t knew me

,andw i th loudest vo ice p rocla imed

Me h im (fo r i t was shown h im so from Heaven)Me h im whose ha rb inger he was and firs tRefused on me h i s bap t ism to confer

As much h is g rea ter, and wa s hard ly won.

T H E F I R S T B O O K .

But, as I rose out of the laving stream ,

Heaven opened her e terna l doo rs,from whence

The Sp i ri t descended on me l ike a cloveAnd las t , the sum o f a l l

,my Fa ther’s vo ice,

Audibly heard from Heaven,p ronounced me h is

Me h is beloved Son, in whom a loneHe wa s wel l p leased : by wh ich I knew the t ime

Now ful l,tha t I no more should l ive obscure,

But openly begin, a s bes t becomes

The author i ty wh ich I deri ved from Heaven.

And now by some s trong mo t ion I am l ed

Into this w i lderness to wha t intentI learn notyet. Perhap s I need not know ;For wha t concerns my knowledge God revea ls .

So spake our Mo rning Star , then in h is r ise,And

,looking round , on every s i de beheld

A pa th les s desert , dusk w i th horrid shades .

The way he came,not hav ing ma rked return,

Was diffi cul t,by human s teps untrod ;

And he st i l l on was l ed,butw i th such though ts

Accompanied of th ings past and to comeLodged m h is brea st as wel l m i gh t recommendSuch so l i tude before choicest soc iety.Ful l fo rt y day s he pas sed—whether on h i l l

Somet imes,anon in shady va le

,each n i gh t

Under the covert of some anc ient oakO r cedar to defend h im from the dew

O r harboured in time cave, is not revea ledNor tasted human food

,nor hunger fel t

Ti l l those days ended hungered then at last

Among w i ld beas ts. They ath is s i ght grew m i ld , 3 10Nor s leep ing h im nor waking harmed h is wa lkThe fiery serpent fled and nox ious wo rm ;

The l ion and fierce t iger g lared a loof.Butnow an aged man in rura l weeds ,Fo l low ing

,as seemed

, the ques t of some s tray ewe,

26 PARA D I S E R E GA I N E D .

O r w i thered st icks to ga ther,wh ich m i ght serve

Aga inst a w inter’s day, when w inds blow keen,To wa rm h im wet returned from field at eve

He saw app roach ; who first w i th cur ious eye

Perused h im ,thenw i th words thus ut tered spake 32 0

Si r,wha t i l l chance ha th brought thee to th is p lace

So far from pa th or road of men,who pa ss

In troop or caravan ? for s ing le noneDurs t ever

,who returned

,and drop t not here

H i s ca rcass , p ined w ith hunger and w i th drouth .

I ask the ra ther,and the more admire

For tha t to me thou seem’stthe man whom la te

Our new bap t i z ing Prophet atthe fordOf Jo rdan honoured so

,and ca l led thee Son

O f God. I saw and heard,for we somet imes 330

Who dwel l th i s w i ld,constra ined b y want

,come forth

To town o r v i l lage ni gh (ni ghest i s far) ,Where aught we hea r

,and cur ious are to hea r

Wha t hap pens new ; fame a lso finds us out.”

Towhom the Son of God Who brought meh i therWi l l b r ing me hence ; no o ther guide I seek.

B y m iracle he may,” rep l ied the swa in

Wha t o ther way I see not for we hereLive on tough roo ts and stubs

,to th irs t inured

Mo re than the camel,and to dr ink go far

Men to much misery and hardsh i p bo rn.

But, if thou be the Son of God, commandTha t out of these ha rd stones be made thee breadSo sha l t thou save thyself

,and us rel ieve

Wi th food,whereof we wretched seldom taste.

He ended,and the Son of God rep l ied

Th ink ’st thou such fo rce in bread ? Is i t notwr i t ten

(For I discern thee o ther than thou seem’

st) ,Man l ives not by bread only

,buteach wo rd

Proceeding from the mouth of God, who fed

Our fa thers here w i th manna ? In the Mount

TH E F I R S T B O O K . 2 7

Moses was forty days,nor eatnor drank

And forty days E l iah w i thout foodWandered th is barren wa ste ; the same I now.

Why dos t thou,then

,sugges t to me d istrust

Knowing wh o I am, as I know who Z/zau art?

Whom thus answered the Arch - F iend,now un

disguisedTis true

,I am tha t Sp ir i t unfortuna te

Who,leagued w i th m i l l ions more in rash revo l t

Kep t notmy happy sta t ion, butwas d ri venWi th them from bl iss to the bo t tom less DeepYetto' tha t h ideous p lace not so confinedB y r i gour unconniv ing but tha t oft,Leaving my do lo rous p r ison,

I enjoyLarge l iberty to round th is g lobe of Earth

O r range in the Ai r nor from the Heaven of HeavensHa th he excluded my resort somet imes .I came

,among the Sons of God, when he

Gave up into my hands Uz zean Job ,

To p rove h im ,and i l lus tra te h is h i gh wo rth

And,when to a l l h is Angels he p roposed

To draw the p roud king Ahab into fraud ,Tha t he m i ght fa l l in Ramo th

,they demurr ing

I undertook that o ffice,and the tongues

Of a l l h is fla t tering p rophets g l ibbed w i th l iesTo h is destruct ion

,as I had in cha rge :

Fo r wha t he b ids I do . Though I have los tMuch lustre of my na t ive br i gh tness , los tTo be b eloved of God

,I have not los t

To love, at least contem p late and adm i reWha t I see excel lent in good

,or fa i r

O r v irtuous I should so have lo s t a l l sense.

Wha t can be then less in me than des ireTo see thee and approach thee

,whom I know

Declared the Son of God,to hea r a ttent

Thy w isdom,and behold th y god l ike deeds ?

2 8 PARA D I S E R E G A IN E D.

Men genera l ly th ink me much a foe

To a l l mankind. Why should I they to me

Never did wrong or v io lence. B y themI los t notwha t I los t ra ther by them 390

I ga ined wha t I have ga ined,and w i th them dwel l

Copa rtner in these regions of the Wo rld,

I f notdispo ser— lend them o ftmy a id,

Oftmy advice by p resages and s i gns,

And answers , o ra cles , po rtents , and dreams ,Whereby they may di rect thei r future l ife.

Envy,they say, exc i tes me

,thus to ga in

Companions of my m isery and woe !

At firs t i t may be ; but, long s ince w i th woeNea rer acqua inted

,now I feel by p roof

Tha t fel lowsh i p in pa in div ides not sma rt,

No r l i ghtens aughte ach man’s pecul ia r load

Sma l l conso la t ion,then

,were Man adjo Ined.

Th is wounds me mos t (wha t can i t less ?) tha t Man,

Man fa l len,sha l l be res tored

,I never mo re.

To whom our Saviour stem ly thus rep l iedDeservedly thou gr iev

’st, composed of l ies

From the beginning,and in l ies w i l t end

Who boast’st release from H el l,and leave to come

Into the Heaven of Heavens . Thou com’

st,indeed

, 4 10

A s a poor m iserable cap t i ve th ra l lComes to the p lace where he befo re h ad sat

Among the p r ime in sp lendour, now deposed,

Ejected,emp t ied

,gazed

,unp i t ied

,shunned

A specta cle of ruin,or of sco rn

To a l l the hos t of Heaven. The happy p laceImparts to thee no happ iness

,no joy

Ra ther inflames thy to rment,rep resent ing

Lost bl iss,to thee no mo re communicable ;

So never mo re in H el l than when in Heaven.

But thou art serviceable to Heaven’s King !

Wi l t thou impute to obedience wha t thy fea r

T H E F I R S T B O O K.

Exto rts,or p leasure to do i l l exc i tes ?

Wha t but thy ma l ice moved thee to m isdeemOf r i ghteous Job , then cruel ly to affl ic t h imWi th a l l infl ictions ? but h is pa t ience won.

The o ther serv ice was thy chosen ta sk,To be a l ia r in four hundred mouthsFor ly ing is thy sus tenance, thy food.

Yet thou pretend’stto truth a l l oracles

By thee are gi ven, and wha t confessed mo re t rueAmong the na t ions ? Tha t ha th been th y craft

By m ix ing somewha t t rue to vent more l ies .

ButWh a t have been thy answers ? wha t but dark ,Amb i guous

,and w i th double sense deluding

Wh ich they who asked have seldom unders tood,

And,not wel l understood

,a s good not known

Who ever,by consul t ing at thy shr ine

Returned the w iser,or the mo re ins truct

To fly or fo l low wha t concerned h im mos t,

And run not sooner to h is fa ta l sna re ?For God ha t h just ly g iven the na t ions upTo thy delus ions ; just ly , s ince they fel lI do la trous . But

,when h is purpose is

Among them to declare h is p rovidence,

To thee not known,whence has t thou then thy truth

But from h im,or h i s Angels p res i dent

In every p rovince,wh o

,t hemselves disda ining

To app roach thy temp les,give thee in command

What,to the sma l les t t i t t le

,thou sha l t say

To thy ado rers ? Thou,w i th trembl ing fear

O r l ike a fawning pa ras i te,obey

Then to thyself a scr ib ’

stthe t ruth foreto ld .

But th i s thy g lory sha l l be soon retrenchedNo mo re sha l t thou by o racl ing abuseThe Gent i les hencefo rth o racles are ceased

And thou no mo re wi th pomp and sacr ificeSha l t be inqui red at Delphos or el sewhere

30 PARA D I S E R E G A I N E D.

At leas t in va in, for they sha l l find thee mute.

God ha th now sent h is l i v ing O racleInto the world to teach h i s fina l w i l l ,And sends h i s Sp ir i t of Truth henceforth to dwel lIn p ious hearts, an inwa rd o racleTo a l l truth requ is i te for men to know .

So spake our Saviour ; butthe subtle Fiend ,Though inl y s tung wi th anger and di sda in,Dissembled

,and th is answer smoo th returned

Sha rp ly thou has t ins isted on rebuke,And urged me hard w i th do ings wh i ch not w i l l

Butm isery,ha th wres ted from me. Where

Ea s i ly canst thou find one miserable,

And not enfo rced oft- t imes to part from t ruth,

If i t may s tand h im mo re in s tead to l ie,

Say and unsay,fei gn

,fla t ter, o r abjure ?

But thou art p laced above me thou art Lo rd ;From thee I can, and must

,submiss

,endure

Check o r rep roof,and g lad to scape so qui t.

Hard are th e ways of t ruth , and rough to wa lk,Smoo th on the tongue di scoursed

,p lea s ing to the ea r

And tunable as sy lvan p i pe or song ; 4 80

Wha t wonder, then, if I del i ght to hearHer di cta tes from th y mouth ? most men adm i reV i rtue who fo l low nother lore. Perm i t me

To hea r thee when I come (s ince no man comes) ,And ta lk at least , though I despa i r to a tta in.

Thy Fa ther,who is ho ly

,w ise

,and pure

Suffers the hypocr i te or a theous p ries tTo tread h is sacred courts , and m inisterAbout h is a l ta r

,hand l ing ho ly th ings

Praying or vow ing,and vouchsafedh is vo ice

To Ba laam rep roba te,a p rophet yet

Insp ired disda in not such access to me.

To whom our Saviour,w i th una l tered b l ‘ ow ‘

Thy com ing h i ther,though I know thy scope

PARAD I S E RE GA I N ED.

THE SECOND BOOK.

EANVVH I LE thenew- bap t iz ed,who yetrema ined

I A t Jo rdan w i th the Bap t ist,and had seen

Him whom they heard so la te exp ressly ca l ledJesus Mess iah , Son of God, decla red ,And on tha t h i gh autho r i ty had bel ieved

And w i th h im ta lked,and w i th h im lodged— I mean

Andrew and S imon,famous after known

Wi th o thers, though in Ho ly Wr i t notnamed

Now m i ss ing h im , thei r joy so la tely found,

So la tely found and so abrup tly gone,

Began to doubt , and doubted many days,

And,as the days increased , increased thei r doubt.

Somet imes they thought he m ight be only shown,

And fo r a t ime caugh t up to God, a s onceMo ses wa s in the M ount and m i ss ing long

And the grea t Th isbite, who on fiery wheelsRode up to Heaven, yet once a ga in to come.

Therefore,as those young p rophets then w ith care

Sough t lo st E l iah , so in each p lace theseNigh to Bethaba ra— in Jeri choThe c i ty of pa lms

,fEnon

,and Sa lem o ld

Machaerus , and each town o r c i ty wa l ledOn th is s ide the broad lake Genez aret,O r in Perzea—but returned in va in.

Then on the bank of Jo rdan,by a creek

Where w inds w i th reed s and os iers wh isper ing p lay,

Pla in fishermen (no grea ter men them ca l l ) ,

T H E S E C O N D B O O K. 33

C lose in a co ttage l ow together got,Their unexpected loss and p la ints outbrea thed

“ A las,from wha t h i gh hope to wha t relap se 30

Unlooked for are we fa l len Our eyes beheldMess iah certa inly now come

,so long

Expected of our fa thers we have heardH is words

,h is w i sdom ful l of grace and truth .

Now,now

,for sure

,del i verance is at hand ;

The kingdom sha l l to I srael be resto redThus we rejo iced, but soon our joy is turnedInto perp lex i ty and new ama ze.

For whi ther is he gone ? wha t a cc identHa th rap t h im from us ? w i l l he now ret ireAfter appea rance

,and aga in pro long

Our expecta t ion ? God of I srael ,Send thy Mess iah forth the t ime i s come.

Beho ld the kings of the ea rth,how they Opp ress

Thy Cho sen,to wha t h i ghth thei r power unjust

They have exa l ted,and beh ind them cast

A l l fear of Thee ; a r ise, and v indica teThy glo ry free thy peop le from their yokeBut l et us wa i t thus far He ha th perfo rmedSent h i s Ano inted , and to us revea led h im

By h i s grea t Prophet po inted at and shownIn publ ic , and w i th h im we have conversed .

Letus be g lad of th is,and a l l our fears

Lay on h is p rovidence He w i l l not fa i l,

Nor w i l l w i thdraw h im now,nor w i l l reca l l

M o ck us w it h h is bles t s igh t , then sna tch h im henceSoon we sha l l see our hope

,our joy, return.

Thus they out of thei r p la ints new hope resume

To find whom atthe first t hey found unsough t.Butto h i s mo ther Mary

,when she saw

Others returned from bap t i sm,not her S on,

Nor left at Jo rdan t id ings of h im none,

With in her breast though ca lm,her brea st though pure ,

VOL. I I I . D

34 PARA D I S E RE GA I N E D .

Mo therly ca res and fears got head , and ra isedSome t roubled though ts

,wh i ch she in s i gh s thus clad

Oh,wha t ava i ls me now tha t honour h i gh

To have concei ved of God, o r tha t sa lute,Ha i l

,h i gh ly favoured

,among women bles t

Wh i le I to sorrows am no less advanced,

And fears as em inent above the l otOf o ther women

,by the b irth I bo re

In such a season born,when sca rce a shed

Could be obta ined to shel ter h im or me

From the bleak a ir A stable was our warmth,

A manger h is yet soon enforced to flyThence into Egyp t , t i l l the murderous kingWere dead

,who sought h is l ife

,m iss ing

,fi l led

Wi th infant b lood the s treet s of B eth lehem .

F rom Egyp t home returned , in Na zarethHa th been our dwel l ing many yea rs h is l ifePriva te

,unact i ve

,ca lm

,contemp la t i ve

L i t tle susp ic ious to any king . Butnow,

Ful l grown to man,a cknowledged

,as I hear

By John the Bap t ist , and in publ i c shown,Son owned from Heaven by h is Fa ther’s vo ice

I looked for some grea t change. To honour ? no

But trouble,as o l d S imeon p la in foreto ld,

Tha t to the fa l l and r is ing he should beOfmany in I srael

,and to a s i gn

Spoken aga inst—tha t th rough my very soulA sword sha l l p ierce. Th is i s my favoured l ot,My exa l ta t ion to affl ic t ions h i ghAfli icted I m ay be, i t seems

,and blest !

I w i l l not a rgue tha t , nor w i l l rep ine.

But where delays he now ? Some grea t intentConcea ls h im. When twelve years he scarce had seen

I lo st h im,but so found a s wel l I saw

He could not lose h imself,butwent about

H i s Fa ther’s business . Wha t he meant I mused

TH E S E C O N D B O O K . 3 5

S ince unders tand ; much more h i s absence now 100

Thus long to some grea t purpose he obscures.But I to wa i t w i th pa t ience am inuredMy heart ha th been a s torehouse long of th ingsAnd sayings la i d up , po rtending s trange events.”

Thus Ma ry,ponder ing oft, and oft to mind

Reca l l ing wha t rema rkably had passedS ince firs t her sa lutat ion hea rd

,w i th though ts

Meekly composed awa i ted the fulfi l l ing :The wh i le her Son, trac ing th e desert w i ld ,So le

,butw i th ho l ies t medi ta t ions fed,

Into h imself descended, and at onceA l l h is grea t work to come before h im set

How to begin, how to a ccomp l i sh bestHis end of being on Earth , and m iss ion h i gh .

Fo r Sa tan,w i th s ly p reface to return,

Had left h im vacant , and w i th speed was goneUp to the m iddle region of th ick a ir ,Where a l l h i s Po tenta tes in counc i l sat.There

,w i thout s ign of boast , or s i gn of joy,

So l ic i tous and blank,he thus began 1 2 0

Pr inces, H eaven’s anc ient Sons,E therea lThrones

Demonian Sp ir i ts now,from the element

Ea ch of h i s rei gn a l lo t ted,rightl ier ca l led ,

Powers of Fire,Ai r

,Wa ter

,and Ea rth benea th

(So may we ho ld our p la ce and these m i ld sea tsWi thout new t rouble —such an enemy

Is r isen to invade us,who no less

Threa tens than our expu ls ion down to H el l.I, as I undertook , and w i th the vo teConsent ing in ful l frequence wa s empowered , 130

H ave found h im ,v iewed h im

,tas ted h im ; but find

F ar o ther labour to be undergoneThan when I dea l t w i th Adam

,fi rst of men,

Though Adam by h i s w ife’s a l lurement fel lHowever to th is Man infer ior far

I f he be Man by mo ther’s s ide, at leastWi th more than human gift s from Heaven ado rned ,Perfect ions abso lute

,gra ces d ivine,

And amp l i tude of m ind to gr ea tes t deeds.

Therefo re I am returned , les t confidenceOf my success w i th Eve in Paradi seDecei ve ye to persuas ion over- sureOf l ike succeeding here. I summon a l l

Ra ther to be in readines s w i th handO r counsel to a ss ist

,lest I

,who ers t

Thought none my equa l,now be overma t ched .

So spake the o l d Serpent , doubt ing , and from a l l

Wi th clamour was assured thei r utmos t a idAt h is command ; when from am idst them ro seBel ia l

,the disso l utest Sp i ri t tha t fel l ,

The sensua lest,and

,a fter Asmoda i

The flesh l iest Incubus,and thus advi sed

“ Setwomen in h is eye and in h is wa lk,

Among daugh ters of men the fa ires t found.Many a re in each reg ion pa ss ing fa i rAs the noon sky , mo re l ike to goddessesThan morta l crea tures

,graceful and d iscreet

Expert in amorous arts,enchant ing tongues

Persuas i ve, vi rgin majesty w i th m i ldAnd sweet a l layed

, yet terr ible to a pp roach,

Ski l led to ret i re, and in ret ir ing drawHea rts a fter them tang led in amo rous nets.

Such object ha th the power to soften and tame

Severest temper, smoo th the rugged’st brow

Enerve,and w i th vo lup tuous hope disso lve

D raw out w i th credulous des ire, and leadAt wi l l the manl ies t

,reso lutest b rea s t

A s the magnet ic ha rdest i ron draws .

Women,when no th ing else

,begui led the heart

Of w isest So lomon,and made h im bui ld

And made him how,to the gods o f h is w i ves .

THE S E C O N D B O O K. 37

To whom quick answer Sa tan thus returned :

Bel ia l,in much uneven sca le thou weigh

Al l o thers by thysel f. B ecause of o l d

Thou thyself doat’st on womankind,adm i r ing

Thei r shape,thei r co lour, and a t trac t i ve grace

None are,thou th ink ’st, but taken w i th such toys.

Befo re the F lood,thou

,w i th thy lusty crew,

Fa lse t i tled Sons of God, roam ing the Ea rth ,Ca st wanton eyes on the daughters of men

And coup led w i th them,and bego t a race.

Have we not seen, or by rela t ion heard ,In cou

'rts and rega l chambers how thou lurk ’st,

In wood or grove,by mo ssy founta in- s ide

In va l ley or green meadow, to wa y laySome beauty rare

,Ca l i sto

,C lymene

Daphne, or Semele,Ant iopa

O r Amymone, Syrinx , many mo reToo long—then la y’s t thy sca pes on names adoredApo l lo , Neptune, Jup i ter , or Pan, 190

Sa tyr,or Faun, or S i lvan ? But these haunts

Del igh t not a l l . Among the sons of men

How many have w i th a smi le made sma l l accountOf beauty and her lures

,ea s i ly sco rned

Al l her assaul t s,on wo rth ier th ings intent

Remember tha t Pel lean conquero r,

A youth,how a l l the beaut ies of the Ea st

He s l i ghtly v iewed,and sl i ght ly overpassed

How he surnamed of Afr ica di smissed,

In h is p r ime youth,the fa ir Iber ian ma id . 2 00

For So lomon,he l ived at ease, and, ful l

Of honour, wea l th , h i gh fare, a imed not beyondH igher des i gn than to enjoy his s ta teThence to the ba i t of women l ay exposed .

But he whom we a t temp t i s w iser farThan So lomon

,of more exa l ted m ind

Made and setwho l ly on the accomp l ishment

38 PARAD I S E RE G A I N E D .

O f greates t th ings. Wha t woman w i l l you find ,Though of th i s age the wonder and the fame,On whom h is leisure w i l l vouchsafe an eye

Of fond des ire ? O r should she, confident ,As s i t t ing queen ado red on Beauty ’s throne,Descend w i th a l l her winning charms begirtTo enamour

,as the zone of Venus once

Wrought tha t effect on Jove (so fables tel l) ,How would one look from h is majes t ic brow

Sea ted as on the top of V irtue’

s h i l l,

Discountenance her desp i sed , and putto routAl l her array

,her fema le p r ide deject

O r turn to reverent awe ! Fo r Beauty standsIn the adm ira t ion only of weak m indsLed cap t i ve cease to adm ire

,and a l l her p lumes

Fa l l flat, and shr ink into a t r i v ia l toy ,At every sudden sl i ght ing qui te abashed .

Therefore w i th manl ier objects we mus t t ryH is constancy—w i th such a s have more showOf wo rth , of honour , glo ry ,

and popular p ra ise

(Rocks whereon grea test men have oftest wrecked)O r tha t wh ich only seems to sa t isfyLawful des i res of na ture

,not beyond .

And now I know he hungers,where no food

Is to be found,in the w ide Wi lderness

The res t comm i t to me ; I sha l l l et pa ssNo advantage

,and his s treng th as oft a ssay .

He cea sed,and hea rd thei r grant in loud a ccla im

Then forthw i th to h im takes a chosen bandOf Spir i ts l ikest to h imself in gui le,To be at hand and at h is beck appear,If cause were to unfo ld some ac t i ve sceneOf var ious persons

,each to know h is pa rt

Then to the desert takes w i th these h is fl ight,

Where st i l l , from shade to shade, the Son of God,

After forty days ’ fast ing,h ad rema ined,

40 PARA D I SE R E G A IN ED:

O r a s a gues t w i th Daniel ath is pulse.

Thus wo re outni ght ; and now th e hera ld la rkLeft h is ground - nes t

,h i gh towering to descry 2 80

The Mo rn’s a p p roach

,and greet her wi th h is song .

As l ightly from h is grassy couch up roseOur Saviour

,and found a l l was but a dream

Fa s t ing he went to s leep,and fast ing waked .

Up to a h i l l anon h is steps he rea red,

From who se h i gh top to ken the p rospect roundI f co t tage were in view

,sheep - co te

,o r herd

But co t tage, herd , or sheep - co te,none he saw

Only in a bo ttom saw a p lea sant groveWi th chant of tunefu l b irds resounding loud.

Th i ther he bent h is way, determ ined thereTo res t atnoon

,and entered soon the shade

High - roofed, and wa lks beneath , and a l leys brown ,

Tha t opened in the midst a woody sceneNa ture’s own work i t seemed (Na ture taugh t Art) ,And, to a superst i t ious eye, the hauntO f wood - gods and wood -nymphs . He viewed i t round ;When suddenly a man befo re h im s tood

Not rust ic as before,but seem l ier clad

As one in c i ty or court or pa lace bred ,And w i th fa i r speech these wo rds to him addressed

“ Wi th granted leave officious I return,

Butmuch more wonder tha t the Son of God

In th is w i ld so l i tude so long should b ide,

Of a l l th ings dest i tute, and, wel l I know ,

Notw i thout hunger. O thers o f some no te,

As s tory tel l s , have t rod th is w i ldernessThe fugi t i ve bond- woman

,w i th her son

Outcas t Neba io th, yet found here rel ief

By\ a p rovid ing Angel a l l the raceOf I srael here had fam i shed , had notGod

Ra ined from heaken manna ; and tha t Prophet bo ld,

Na t i ve of Thebez;wander ing here , wa s fed

T H E SE C O N D B O OK. 4 1

Twice by. a vo ice invi t ing him to eat.

O f thee these fo rty days none ha th regard,

Fo rty and more deserted here indeed.

To whom thus Jesus Wha t conclud’stthou hence ?

They a l l had need ; I , a s thou sees t,have none.

How ha st thou hunger then ? ” Sa tan rep l ied.

Tel l me,if food were now before thee set,

Would’s t thou not eat? ” “ Thereafter as I l ikeThe giver

,answered Jesus. “ Wh y should tha t

Cause thy refusa l ? ” sa i d the subtle F iend .

Hast thou not r i gh t to a l l crea ted th ings ?Owe n6t a l l crea tures, by jus t r i gh t , to theeDuty and service, nor to s tay t i l l b id ,But tender a l l their power ? Nor ment ion IMea t s by the l aw unclean

,or offered firs t

To ido l s - those young Daniel could refuse ;Nor p roffered by an enemy—though who 330

Would sc rup le tha t,w i th want opp ressed ? B eho ld

Na ture,a shamed , or , bet ter to express ,

Troubled,tha t thou shouldst hunger

,ha th purveyed

F rom a l l the elements her cho ices t s to reTo t rea t thee as beseem s

,and as her Lo rd

Wi th honour. Only dei gn to sit and eat.”

He spake no dream for,as h i s wo rds had end

Our Sav iour,l ift ing up h is eyes

,beheld

In amp le space under the broades t shade,

A table r ich ly sp read in rega l mode,Wi th d ishes p i led and mea ts o f nobles t sortAnd savour—beasts of chase

,or fowl of game

In pastry bui l t,or from the sp i t

,or bo i led

Grisamber - steamed a l l fi sh,from sea or shore,

F reshet or purl ing brook,of shel l or fin

And exquisitestname,for wh ich was dra ined

Pon tus,and Lucr ine bay , and Afr ic coa s t .

Alas how s imp le,to these ca tes compa red

Was tha t crude app le tha t d iverted Eve

4 2 PARA D I S E R E G A I N E D .

And at a s ta tely s ideboard,by the w ine,

Tha t fragrant smel l diffused,in o rder s tood

Ta l l s tr ip l ing youths r ich - clad,o f fa irer hue

Than Ganymed or Hylas distant mo re,Under the t rees now t ri p ped , now so lemn s tood ,Nymph s o f D iana ’s t ra in, and Na iadesWi th frui t s and flowers from Ama l thea ’s ho rn,And ladies of the H esperi des , tha t seemedFa irer than fei gned of o ld

,or fabled s ince

Of fa ery damsels met in fo res t w ideB y kni ghts of Logres

,or of Lyones ,

Lancelo t , or Pel leas , or Pel lenore.

And a l l the wh i le ha rmonious a irs were hea rdOf ch im ing str ings or charm ing p ipes ; and w indsO f gentles t ga le Arab ian odours fannedFrom thei r soft w ings

,and F lo ra ’

s ea r l ies t smel ls .

Such was the sp lendour ; and the Temp ter nowHi s invi ta t ion earnestly renewedWha t doubts the Son of God to s it and eat?

These are not frui ts forb i dden no interdic tD efends the touch ing of these viands pureThei r tas te no knowledge wo rks , at leas t of evi l ,But l ife p reserves

,dest roys l ife’s enemy

Hunger,w i th sweet resto ra t i ve del i ght .

Al l these are Sp iri ts of a ir,and woods , and sp rings

Thy gent le m inis ters,who come to pay

Thee homage,and acknowledge thee thei r Lo rd.

\Vhatdoubt’st thou

,S on o f God S i t down and eat.

To whom thus Jesus tempera tely rep l iedSa i d’s t thou not tha t to a l l th ings I bad r i ght ?

And who w i thho lds my power tha t r i ght to use 380

Sha l l I recei ve by gift wha t of my own,

When and where l ikes me best,I can command ?

I can atw i l l,doubt not

,a s soon as thou

Command a table in th is w i lderness,

And ca l l swift fl i ghts of Angels m inistrant ,

T H E S E C O N D B O O K.

A rrayed -ln g lory,onmy cup to a t tend

Why shouldst thou,then

,obtrude th is d i l i gence

In va in,where no a ccep tance i t can find

And w i th my hunger wha t has t thou to do ?

Thy pompous del icac ies I contemn,

And count thy spec ious gifts no gifts, but gui les .

To whom thus answered Sa tan,ma l econtent:

Tha t I have a lso power to give thou seestIf of tha t power I br ing thee vo lunta ryWha t I m igh t have bes towed on whom I p leased

And rather opportunely in th is p la ceChose to impa rt to th y appa rent need

Why shouldst thou not a ccep t itP But I seeWha t I can do or ofi‘er is suspec t .Of these th ings o thers quickl y w i l l di spose

Who se pa ins have earned the far- fetspo i l . ” Wi th tha tBo th table and p rov i sion vanished qui te

Wi th sound of ha rp ies’ w ings and ta lons hea rd

Only the impo rtune Temp ter s t i l l rema ined,

And w i th these words h is temp ta t ion pursuedBy hunger

,tha t each o ther crea ture tames

Thou artnotto be ha rmed,therefo re notmoved

Thy temperance,invinc ible bes ides

For no a l lurement yields to appet i te ;And a l l thy hea rt is set on h i gh des i gns

High act ions . But wherew i th to be a ch ievedGrea t a cts requi re grea t means of enterp r iseThou art unknown

,unfr iended

,l ow of b irth

A ca rpenter thy fa ther known,thysel f

B red up in poverty and st ra i ts at home,Los t in a desert here and hunger- b i t .Wh ich way, or from wha t hope, dos t thou a sp ireTo grea tnes s ? whence author i ty deriv ’stWha t fo l lowers

,wha t ret inue cans t thou ga in

O r at thy heels the d iz z y mul t i tude,

Longer than thou canst feed them on thy cost ?

44 PARA D I S E R E G A I N E D .

M oney brings honour , fr iends , conquest , and realms.

Wha t ra ised Ant i pa ter the Edom i te,And h is son Herod p laced on Judah ’s th rone,Ta} th rone, but go ld , tha t got h im puissant fr iendsTherefo re

,if at grea t th ings thou woulds t a rri ve ,

Get r iches first, getwea l th , and treasure heap

Not d iffi cul t,if thou hea rken to me.

Riches a re mine,fortune i s in my hand ;

They whom I favour thr i ve in wea l th ama in,

Wh i le virtue,va lour

,w isdom

,s it in want .”

To whom thus Jesus pa t iently rep l ied“ Yet wea l th w i thout these th ree i s impo tentTo ga in dominion

,or to keep i t ga ined

Wi tness those anc ient empi res of the earth,

In h i ghth of a l l thei r flow ing wea l th di sso lvedButmen endued w i th these have oft a t ta ined

In lowest poverty,to h ighes t deeds

Gideon,and Jephtha , and the shepherd l ad

Whose offsp ring on the throne of Judah sat

So many ages,and sha l l yet rega in

Tha t sea t, and rei gn in I srael w i thout end.

Among the H ea then (for th roughout the wo rldTo me i s not unknown wha t ha th been doneWo rthy of memo r ia l) canst thou not rememberQuint ius , Fabr ic ius, Cur ins , Regulus ?Fo r I es teem those names o f men so poo r

Who could do m i ghty th ings,and could contemn

R iches,though offered from the hand of kings .

And wha t in me seems want ing but tha t IMay a lso in th is poverty as soonAccomp l ish wha t they did

,perhaps and more

Exto l not r iches,then

,the to i l of foo ls

The w ise man’s cumbrance

,if not sna re mo re apt

To slacken virtue and aba te her edgeThan p romp t her to do augh t may mer i t p ra ise.

Wha t if wi th l ike avers ion I reject

T H E S E C O N D B O O K . 4 5

Riches and rea lm s Yetnot for tha t a crown,

Go lden in show,i s but a wrea th of thorns

Br ings dangers, t roubles , ca res , and s leep less ni gh ts , 460To him who wea rs the rega l diadem ,

When on h is shoulders ea ch man’s burden l ies

FOr therein s tand s the offi ce of a king,

H i s honour, virtue, mer i t,and ch ief p ra ise

Tha t for the publ ic a l l th is wei gh t he bea rs .

Yethe who rei gns w i th in h imself,and rules

Pa ss ions , des ires , and fears , i s more a kingWh ich every w ise and v irtuous man a t ta insAnd wh o a t ta ins not i l l a sp i res to ruleCi t ies of men

,or headst rong mul t i tudes

Subject h imself to anarch y w i th in,

O r law less pa ss ions in h im ,wh ich he serves .

Butto gui de na t ions in the way o f t ruthBy saving do ctr ine

,and from erro r lead

To know,and

,know ing , wo rsh i p God a r igh t

Is yetmo re king ly . Th is a t t ra cts the soul,

Governs the inner man, the nobler pa rtTha t o ther o ’

er the body only rei gns,

And oft by force—wh ich to a generous m indSo reigning can be no s incere del i ght.Bes ides

,to gi ve a kingdom ha th been thought

Grea ter and nobler done,and to l ay down

Far mo re magnanimous , than to assume.

R iches are needless,then

,bo th for themselves

And for th y reas on why they Should be soughtTo ga in a scep tre

,oftest bet ter m issed.

THE END OF THE SE COND BOOK

THE TH IRD BOOK .

0 spake the Son of God ; and Sa tan s toodA wh i le as mute

,confounded wha t to say

Wha t to rep ly, confuted and convincedOf h is weak arguing and fa l lac ious dr iftAt length , co l lect ing a l l h i s serpent w i les

With soo th ing words renewed , h im thus a cco st s“ I see thou know’

stwha t i s of use to know,

Wha t best to say canst say , to do canst doThy act ions to thy words a cco rd ; thy wordsTo thy large heart give ut terance due thy heartConta ins of good

,w ise

,the perfect shape.

Should kings and na t ions from thy mouth consul t,

Th y counsel would be as the ora cleUr im and Thumm im , those o raculous gemsOn Aa ron’s brea st

,or tongue of Seers o ld

Infa l l ible or,wert thou sought to deeds

Tha t m i gh t requ ire the array of wa r,thy sk i l l

Of conduct would be such tha t a l l the wo rldCould not susta in thy p rowess, or subs istIn ba t tle

,though aga ins t thy few in a rm s .

These godl ike vi rtues wherefo re dos t thou h i deAffect ing p r i va te l ife, o r more ob scureIn savage w i lderness , wherefore dep r i veAl l Earth h er wonder at thy acts

,thyself

The fame and glo ry— g lo ry,the rewa rd

That so le exc i tes to h igh a t temp ts the flame

O f most erected spir i ts,most tempered pure

48 PA RA D I S E R E GA I N E D .

To a l l h is Angels,who w i th t rue ap p lause

Recount h is p ra i ses . Thus he did to Job ,When

,to extend h is fame th rough Heaven andEa rth ,

As thou to thy rep roach may ’s t wel l rememberHe asked thee, H ast thou seen my servant JobFamous he was in H eaven ; on Earth less known

Where g lory is fa lse g lo ry , a tt r ibutedTo th ings not g lo r ious , men notwo r th y of fame. 70

They err who count i t g lor ious to subdueBy conquest fa r and w ide

,to overrun

La rge count r ies,and in field grea t ba t tles win

Grea t c i t ies by a ssaul t . Wha t do these wo rth iesBut rob and spo i l

,slaughter

,and enslave

Peaceable nat ions, nei ghbour ing or remo te,

Made cap t i ve, yet deserving freedom m o re

Than those thei r conquerors , who leave beh indNo th ing but ruin wheresoe er they rove

And a l l the flour ish ing wo rks of peace dest roy ;Then swel l w i th p r ide

,and mus t be t i t led Gods

Grea t B enefactors of mankind,Del i verers

Wo rsh i ped w i th temp le, p r ies t, and sacri fi ceOne is the son of Jove

,of Ma rs the o ther ;

Ti l l conqueror Dea th discover them scarce men,

Ro l l ing in brut ish vices , and defo rmed,

Vio lent or shameful dea th thei r due reward .

But,if there be in g lory aught of good ,

I t may by means far different be a t ta ined,

Wi thout amb i t ion,war

, or vio lenceBy deeds of peace, by w i sdom em inent ,By pa t ience

,temperance. I ment ion s t i l l

H im whom thy wrongs,w i th sa intly pa t ience borne

Made famous in a land and t imes obscure ;Who names notnow w i th honour pa t ient JobPoo r So cra tes , (who next mo re memo rable ? )B y wha t he taugh t and suffered fo r so do ing

For t ruth ’

s sake suffer ing dea th unjust , l i ves now

THE T H I RD B O O K. 49

Equa l in fame to p roudes t conquero rs .

Yet, if for fame and g lory augh t be done.

Augh t suffered— if young Afr ican for fame

H is wasted country freed from Punic rageThe deed becomes unp ra ised

, the man at least,

And loses,though but verba l , his rewa rd .

Sha l l I seek glory,then

,as va in men seek ,

O ft not deserved ? I seek notmine,butH is

Who sent me,and thereby w i tness whence I am .

To whom the Temp ter, murmuring,thus rep l ied :

Th ink not so s l i gh t of g lo ry , therein leastResem’b l ing thy grea t Fa ther. He seeks g lo ry

And for his g lory al l th ings made,a l l th ings

O rders and governs nor content in Heaven,

B y a l l h is Angel s glor ified , requi resG lo ry from men, from a l l men, good or bad

Wi se or unw ise,no difference

,no exem p t ion.

Above a l l sacr ifice,or ha l lowed g ift

G lory he requi res,and g lory he receives ,

Prom iscuous from a l l na t ions, Jew,

o r Greek,

O r Barbarous , nor excep t ion ha th decla redF rom us

,h i s foes p ronounced

,g lo ry he exact s.

To whom our Saviour fervently rep l ied“ And reason ; s ince h is Wo rd a l l th ings p roduced

Though ch iefly not for g lo ry as p rime end,

Butto show forth h is goodness,and imDart

His good communicable to every soulFreely ; of whom wha t could he less expectThan g lo ry and benedic t ion—tha t is , thanksThe .s l ightest, eas ies t , readies t recompenseF rom them who could return h im no th ing else

And,not returning tha t

,would l ikel ies t render

Contemp t instead,d ishonour , obloquy ?

Ha rd recompense, unsui table returnFor so much good

, so much beneficenceBut why should man seek glo ry , who of h is own

VOL . I I I .

50 PA RA D I S E RE GA I N E D .

Ha th noth ing,and to whom no th ing belongs

But condemna t ion,i gnom iny

,and shame

Who,for so many benefi ts received

Turned recreant to God,ingra te and fa l se

And so of al l t rue good h imself despo i led ;Yet

,sacr i legi ous

,to h imself would take

Tha t wh ich to God a lone of r i ght belongsYet so much bounty is in God, such grace,Tha t wh o advance h is g lo ry

,not thei r own,

Them he h imself to g lory w i l l advance.

S o spake the Son of God ; and here aga inSa tan had notto answer

,but s tood s t ruck

Wi t h gui lt of h is own s in—for he h im self,

Insat iable of g lory,had los t al l ;

Yet of ano ther p lea bethough t h im soon“ Of g lory

,as thou w i l t

”sa id he

“so deem

Worth or not wo rth the seeking,l et i t pass .

Butto a K ingdom thou art born—o rda inedTo s i t upon thy fa ther D avid ’s throne

B y mo ther’s s i de thy fa ther,though thy r ight

Be now in powerful hands , tha t wi l l not partEa s i ly from pos sess ion won w i th a rms.

Judaea now and a l l the Prom ised Land,

Reduced a p rovince under Roman yoke,

Obeys Tiber ius,nor is a lway s ruled

Wi th tempera te swa y : o ft have they vio la tedThe Temp le

,oftthe Law,

w i th foul affronts,

Abom ina t ions ra ther,as did once

Ant io chus. And th ink’st thou to rega in

Thy r i ght in s i t t ing s t i l l,or

‘ thus ret ir ing ?So did notMachabeus . He indeedRet ired unto the Desert

,butw i th arm s ;

And o’er a m i ghty king so o ft p reva i led

Tha t by st rong hand h is fam i ly ob ta ined,

Though p r iests , the crown,and D avid ’s th rone

usurped,

TH E T H I R D B O O K. 5 :

Wi th Modin and her suburb s once content .If kingdom move thee_no_t, l etmove thee z ea lAfi ddfi fyfl efil

nd duty a re not s low,

M ccasion’

s forelock wa tchful wa i tThey themselves ra ther are occa s ion bes tZea l o fthy Fa ther

’s house, duty to free

Thy count ry from her hea then servi tude.

So sha l t thou bes t fulfi l , bes t ver ify,The Prophet s o ld, who sung th y endl ess rei gnThe happ ier rei gn the sooner i t begins . 179Rei gn then wha t cans t thou bet ter do the wh i leTo iivhom our Saviour answer thus returnedA l l th ings are bes t fulfi l led in thei r due t ime ;

And t ime there is for a l l th ings , T ruth ha th sa id .

If of my reign Prophet i c W ri t ha th to ldTha t i t sha l l never end, so , when beginThe Fa ther in h i s purpose ha th decreedHe in whose hand a l l t imes and sea sons ro l l .Wh a t if he hath decreed tha t I sha l l firs tBe tr ied in humble sta te, and th ings adverse

By tribula t ions , injur ies , insul ts ,Contemp t s , and scorns , and snares , and vio lence,Suffer ing , ab sta ining , qu iet ly expect ingWi thout d is trus t or doubt , tha t He may knowWha t I can suffer, how obey Who bestCan suffer bes t can do

,best reign who first

Wel l ha th obeyed—just t r ia l ere I meri tM y exa l ta t ion w i thout change or end.

But wha t concerns i t i /zee when I beginMy everlast ing Kingdom ? Wh y art thouSo l ic i tous ? Wha t moves My inqu is i t ionKh ow’

s t thou not tha t my r is ing is thy fa l l ,And my p romo t ion w i l l be thy des truct ion ? ”

To whom the Temp ter,inly racked

,rep l ied

Let tha t come when it comes . Al l hope is lostOf my recep t ion into grace wha t wo rse ?

Fo r where no hope is left is left no fear .I f there be wo rse

,the expecta t ion mo re

Of worse to rments me than the feel ing can.

I would be atthe wors t wo rs t is my port ,M y ha rbour

,and my ul t ima te repose,

The end I would a t ta in,my fina l good .

M y erro r wa s my erro r,and my cr ime

My cr ime wha tever,for i tself condemned ,

And w i l l a l ike be punished , whether thouRei gn o r rei gn not—though to tha t gent le browWi l l ing ly I could fly , and hope thy rei gn,F rom tha t p la c i d a spect and meek rega rd

Ra ther than aggrava te my evi l sta te,

Would s tand between me and th y Fa ther ’s ire

(Who se ire I dread more than the fi re o f H el l) 2 2 0

A shel ter and a kind of shading coo lInterpo s i t ion

,as a summer’s cloud.

If I,then

,to the wo rst tha t can be haste,

Why move thy feet so slow to wha t is best ?Happ iest

,bo th to thyself and a l l the wo rld ,

Tha t thou,who worth iest art, shouldst be their king '

Perhap s thou l inger’st in deep though ts deta ined

Of the enterp r ise so hazardous and h i gh INo wonder for , though in thee be uni tedWha t of perfect ion can in Man he found

O r human na ture can recei ve,cons ider

Thy l ife ha th yet been p ri va te, most pa rt spentAt home

,sca rce viewed the Ga l i lean towns

And once a yea r Jerusa lem few days ’

Short sojourn and wha t thence couldst thou observe ?The wo rld thou hast not seen

,much less her g lory

Emp i res,and mona rchs

,and thei r rad iant courts

Best schoo l of bes t exper ience, quickest in s i ghtIn a l l th ings tha t to grea tes t ac t ions lead.

The w i sest,unexperienced

,w i l l be ever

Timo rous and l oth,wi th novice modes ty

TH E T H I R D B O O K. 53

(As he who , seeking a sses , found a kingdom)I rreso lute

,unha rdy

,unadventurous .

But I w i l l br ing thee where thou soon sha l t qui tThose rudiment s

,and see before th ine eyes

The mona rch ies o f the Ea rth , t hei r pomp and s ta teSuffic ient introduct ion to info rmThee

,of thyself so apt, in rega l a rts ,

And rega l mysteries tha t thou may ’

s t knowHow bes t thei r oppos i t ion to w i thstand . 2 50

Wi th tha t (such power wa s given h im then) he tookThe Son of God up to a m ounta in h i gh .

I t wa§ a mounta in atwho se verdant feetA spac ious p la in outst ret ched in c i rcui t w ideLay p leasant ; from h is s i de two r i vers flowed

The one w inding,the o ther s t ra i ght

,and left between

Fa i r champa i gn,w i th less r ivers interveined

Then meet ing jo ined thei r tr ibute to the sea .

Fert i le of co rn the g lebe,of o i l

,and w ine ; 2 59

Wi th herds the pasture thronged , w i th flocks the h i l ls ;Huge c i t ies and h i gh - towered

,tha t wel l m i ght seem

The sea ts of migh t iest mona rchs and so la rgeThe p rospec t wa s tha t here and there was roomFor barren desert

,founta inless and dry.

To th i s h i gh mounta in-top the Temp ter broughtOur Saviour , and new t ra in of wo rds beganWel l have we speeded

,and o

er h i l l and da le,Fo rest

,and field

,and flood

,temp les and towers

Cut sho rter many a league. H ere thou beho l d’stAssyr ia

,and her emp i re’s anc ient bounds

Araxes and the Casp ian lake ; thence on

A s far as I ndus ea st,Euphra tes west

And oft beyond ; to south the Pers ian bay,And

,inaccess ible, the Arab ian drouth

Here, Nineveh , of leng th w i th in her wa l lSevera l days ’ journey

,bui l t by Ninus o ld

Of tha t firs t go lden monarchy the sea t ,

And sea t of Sa lmanassar,whose success

I srael in long cap t iv i ty st i l l mournsThere Baby lon

,the wonder of al l tongues ,

A s anc ient, but rebu i l t by h im who tw ice

Judah and a l l th y father David’s houseLed ca p t i ve, and Jerusa lem la id wa ste

Ti l l Cyrus set them free ; Persepo l i s ,H i s C i ty

,there thou sees t

,and B actra there

Ecba tana her s tructure vast there shows,

And Hecatompyl os her hundred ga tesThere Susa by Choaspes , amber st ream ,

The dr ink of none but kings ; o f la ter fame

Bui l t by Emath ian or by Pa rth ian hands,

The grea t Seleuc ia,N is ib is

,and there

Artaxata,Teredon

,C tes i phon

Turning w ith easy eye, thou may’s t beho ld.

A l l these the Pa r th ian (now some ages pastB y grea t A rsaces l ed

,who founded firs t

Tha t emp ire) under h i s dom inion ho lds ,F rom the luxurious kings of Ant ioch won.

And just in t ime thou com ’stto have a view

Of h is grea t power ; for now the Pa rth ian kingIn C tes i phon ha th ga thered a l l h is ho stAga ins t the Scyth ian, whose incurs ions wi ldHave wasted Sogdiana to her a id

He marches now in h as te. See, though from fa r,

His thousands,in wha t ma rt ia l equi page

They issue fo rth,s teel bows and shafts their a rms

Of equa l dread in fl i ght or in pursui tAl l horsemen,

in wh ich fight they mos t excelSee how in wa rl ike muster they appea r

In rhombs,and wedges

,and ha lf-moons

,and w ings .

He looked,and saw wha t numbers numberless 3 10

The c i ty ga tes outpoured,l igh t - a rmed t roo ps

In coa t s o f ma i l and m i l i ta ry p r ide .

In ma i l their ho rses clad, yet fleet and strong ,

56 PA RA D I S E RE GA I N E D .

To wha t end I have brough t thee h i ther,and show 350

A l l th i s fa i r s i gh t . Th y k ingdom,though foretold

B y Prophet o r by Angel,unless thou

Endeavour,as th y fa ther D avid did,

Thou never sha l t obta in p redict ion st i l lIn a l l th ings

,and a l l men

,supposes means

Wi thout means used,wha t i t p redicts revokes .

But say thou wert possessed of David ’s th roneB y free consent of a l l

,none oppos i te

Samar i tan or Jew ; how coulds t thou hopeLong to enjoy i t quiet and secureB etween two such enclos ing enem ies

Roman and Pa rth ian ? Therefo re one of theseThou must make sure thy own the Pa rth ian firs t

B y my advi ce,as nea rer

,and of la te

Found able by inva s ion to annoyThy count ry

,and ca p t i ve lead awa y her kings

Ant i gonus and o ld Hyrcanus , bound ,Maugre the Roman. I t sha l l be my ta skTo render thee the Parth ian at dispose

Choose wh ich thou w i l t,by conques t o r by league. 370

B y h im thou sha lt rega in,wi thout h im not

Tha t wh ich a l one can t ruly reinsta l l theeIn David ’s ro ya l sea t

,h is t rue successo r

Del i verance of thy brethren,those Ten Tr ibes

Who se offsp r ing in h i s terri to ry yet serveIn H abor

,and among the Medes dispersed

Ten sons of Ja cob,two of Jo seph

Thus long from I srael,serving

,a s of o ld

Thei r fa thers in th e land of Egyp t served,

Th is o ffer set s befo re th ee to del i ver.These if from servi tude thou sha l t resto reTo thei r inher i tance

,nor t i l l then

Thou on the th rone o f David in ful l g lory,

F rom Egy p t to Euphra tes and beyond,

Sha l t reign, and Rome or Caesa r notneed fea r.

THE T H I RD B O O K . 57

To whom our Saviour answered thus , unmo vedMuch ostenta t ion va in o f flesh ly arm

And frag i le a rms,much inst rument of war,

Long in p repa ring,soon to no th ing brough t

B efo re m ine eyes thou hast set, and in my ear 390

Vented much po l i cy,and p rojects deep

Of enem ies,o f a ids

,ba t tles

,and leagues ,

Plaus ible to the world , to me wo rth naught.Means I mus t use

,thou say ’s t ; p redict ion else

Wi l l unpredict , and fa i l me of the th roneM y t ime

,I to ld thee (and tha t t ime for thee

Were bet ter farthest off) , i s notyet come.

When tha t comes,th ink not thou to find me s lack

On my part augh t endeavouring , or to needThy po l i t i c max ims

,or tha t cumbersome

Luggage of war there shown met—a rgumentOf human weakness ra ther than of strength .

My breth ren,as thou ca l l

’st them

,those Ten Tr ibes ,

I must del i ver,if I mean to rei gn

David ’s t rue heir,and h is ful l scep tre sway

To just extent over a l l I srael ’s sonsButwhence to t/zee th is z ea l ? Where was i t thenFo r I srael

,or for David

,or h is th rone,

When thou stood’stup h is temp ter to the p r i deOf number ing I srael—wh ich cost the l i vesOf th reesco re and ten thousand I srael i tesBy th ree days ’ pest i lence ? Such was thy zea lTo I srael then

,the same tha t now to me.

As for those cap t ive tr ibes , themselves were theyWho wrough t thei r own cap t i v i ty

,fel l off

From God to wo rsh i p ca lves , the dei t iesOf Egyp t

,Baa l next and Ashta ro th

And a l l the i do la tr ies of hea then round,

Besides thei r o ther worse than hea theni sh cr imes

Nor in the land of thei r cap t i v i tyHumbled them selves , or peni tent besought

The God of their forefa thers,but so died

Impeni tent , and left a race beh indLike to themselves

,dis tinguishable scarce

From Gent i les,but by c ircumc is ion va in

And God w i th ido ls in thei r worsh i p jo ined .

Should I of these'

the l iberty regard ,Who

,freed , as to thei r anc ient pa tr imony ,

Unhumbled,unrepentant

,unreformed ,

Head long would fo l low,and to thei r gods perha ps

Of Bethel and of Dan ? No l et them serveThei r enem ies who serve ido l s w i th God.

YetHe at leng th , t ime to h imself bes t known,Remember ing Abraham,

by some wondrous ca l lMay br ing them back

,repentant and s incere

And at thei r pa ss ing cleave the Assyr ian flood ,Wh i le to their na t ive land w i th joy they ha ste,As the Red Sea and Jo rdan once he cleft

When to the Promised Land their fa thers passed .

To his due t ime and p rovidence I leave them .

So spake I srael ’s true K ing, and to the F iendMade answer meet

,tha t made vo i d a l l h is w i les.

So fares itwhen w i th truth fa l sehood con tends.

TH E END OF TH E TH I RD BOOK .

THE FOURTH B OOK.

ERPLEXED and troub led at h i s had successThe Temp ter stood , nor had wha t to rep ly,

D iscovered In h is fraud, th rown from h is hopeSo oft, and the persuas i ve rheto r icTha t s leeked h i s tongue, and won so much on Eve

S o l i tt le here, nay lo st. ButEve was Eve ;

Th is far h is over-ma tch,who

,self- deceived

And rash , beforehand had no bet ter wei ghedThe s treng th h e was to cope w i th

,or h is own.

But— a s a man who had been ma tch less heldIn cunning

,over- reached where least he thought

To sa lve h is credi t , and for very sp i te,S t i l l w i l l be temp t ing h im who fo i ls him s t i l l

And never cease,though to h is shame the more

O r a s a swa rm of fl ies in v intage- t ime,

About the w ine- p ress where sweet mus t is poured,

B ea t o ff, returns a s oftw i th humming soundO r surging waves aga ins t a so l i d rock

Though a l l to sh i vers da shed,the assaul t renew

(Va in ba t tery and in fro th or bubb les end

So Sa tan, whom repul se upon repul seMet ever, and to shameful s i lence brough t

Yet gives not o ’er

,though despera te of success ,

And h is va in importuni ty pursues.

He brought our Saviour to the western s ideOf tha t h i gh mounta in, whence he m i gh t beho ldAno ther p la in, long , but in bread th not w ide

\Vashed by the southern sea,and on the north

To equa l leng th backed w i th a r idge o f h i l lsTha t screened the frui ts of the ea rth and sea t s of men

From co ld Sep tent r ion blas t s ; thence in the m i ds t 3 1D ivided by a r i ver

,o ff whose banks

On each s i de an imper ia l city'

stood,

Wi th towers and temp les p roudly eleva teOn seven sma l l h i l ls

,w i th pa laces ado rned

Po rches and thea tres,ba ths

,aqueducts

S ta tues and t roph ies,and tr iumpha l arcs

Ga rdens and groves,p resented to h is eyes

Above the h i ghth of mounta ins interposedB y wha t s trange p a ra l lax , or op t ic ski l lO f v is ion

,mul t i p l ied through a ir

,or g lass

O f telescope,were cur ious to inqui re.

And now the Temp ter thus h is s i lence broke“ The c i ty wh ich thou seest no o ther deem

Than grea t and g lor ious Rome, Queen of the Earth

So far renowned,and w i th the spo i ls enr i ched

O f na t ions. There the Cap i to l thou sees t ,Above the rest l ift ing h is sta tely headOn the Ta rpeian rock , her c i tadelIm p regnable ; and there Mount Pa la t ine

The imper ia l pa lace,compass huge

,and h i gh

The s t ructure,ski l l of nobles t a rch i tects

With gi lded ba t tlements,consp icuous far

Turrets,and terraces

,and g l i t ter ing spi res .

Many a fa ir edifice bes ides,mo re l ike

Houses of gods—so wel l I have disposedM y aery m icroscope —thou may ’st beho ld

Out s ide and ins ide bo th,p i l la rs and roofs

Carved wo rk , the hand o f famed artificers

In cedar , marble,i vo ry

,or go ld .

Thence to the ga tes cast round th ine eye, and see

Wha t conflux issuing fo rth,or entering in

Prae to rs , p roconsuls to their p rovinces

TH E F O U RT H B O O K. 6 1

Hast ing,

or on return,in robes o f s ta te

Licto rs and rods , the ens i gns o f t heir power ;Leg ions and cohorts, turm s of ho rse and w ingsO r embass ies from regions far remo te,In var iohs hab i t s , on the App ian road

O r on the [Em i l ian—some from fa rthest south,

Syene,and where the shadow bo th way fa l ls ,

MerOé,N i lo t ic i sle, and, more to wes t ,

The rea lm of Bocchus to the B lackmoo r seaFrom the As ian kings (and Pa rth ian among these) ,F rom India and the Go lden Chersoness,And utmo s t Indian i sle Tap robane,Dusk fa ces w ith wh i te s i lken turbant s wrea thedF rom Ga l l ia

,Gades

,and the B ri t ish west ;

Germans,and Scyth ians , and Sa rma t ians no rt h

Beyond Danubius to the Taur ic poo l .A l l na t ions now to Rome obedience payTo Rome

’s grea t Empero r

,whose w ide doma in

In amp le terr i to ry, wea l th and power ,Civ i l i ty of manners

,a rt s and a rms

And long renown,thou just ly may s t p refer

Befo re the Pa rth ian. These two th rones excep t,

The rest are barbarous,and scarce worth the s i ght

Shared among pet ty k ings too far removedThese having shown thee

,I have shown thee a l l

The kingdoms of the world , and a l l thei r g lo ry .

Th is Emperor ha th no son,and now is o l d

O ld and lasc i v ious,and from Rome ret i red

To Capreae, an i siand sma l l but s trongOn the Campanian sho re, w i th purpose thereHi s ho rr i d lust s in p ri va te to enjoy ;Comm i t t ing to a w icked favour i teAl l publ ic cares

, and yet of him susp ic iousH a ted of a l l

,and ha t ing. With wha t ease

Endued wi th rega l v i rtues a s thou a rt,

Appea ring,and beg inning noble deeds

6 2 PARAD I S E RE GA I N E D .

M igh t ’st thou expel th is monster from h is throne, me

Now made a sty,and

,in h i s p lace a scending,

A victo r- peop le free from servi le yokeAnd w i th my help thou may’st ; to me the powerIs given

,and by tha t r i ght I give i t thee.

A im,therefore

,atno les s than a l l the world

Aim atthe h ighest ; w i thout the h i ghest a t ta ined ,Wi l l be for thee no s i t t ing , o r not long ,On David’s throne, be p rophes ied wha t w i l l .To whom the Son of God, unmoved , rep l iedNor do th th is grandeur and majest i c show

Of luxury , though ca l led magnificence,

Mo re than of a rm s before,a l lure m ine eye,

Much less my m ind though thou should ’s t add to tellThei r sump tuous glut tonies

,and go rgeous feasts

On Ci tron tables or At lant ic stone

(For I have a lso heard,perhap s have read) ,

Their wines of Set ia,Ca les

,and Fa lerne

Ch ios and Crete,and how they quaff in go ld

Crysta l,and myrrh ine cup s

,embossed w i th gems

And s tuds of pearl—to me should ’s t tel l,wh o th irst

And hunger s t i l l . Then embass ies tho u show’st 1 2 1

From na t ions far and ni gh Wha t honour tha t,

But tedious wa ste of t ime,to s i t and hea r

So many ho l low comp l iment s and l ies ,Outlandish flatteries ! Then proceed

’stto ta lk

O f the Empero r , how eas i ly subdued,

How g lor ious ly. I sha l l,thou say ’st

,expel

A brut i sh monster : wha t if I w i tha lExpel a Devi l who firs t made h im such ?Let h is tormentor

,Consc ience

,find h im out

For h im I was not sent, nor yetto freeTha t peop le, v icto r once, now vi le and ba se

Deservedly made vassa l—who,once just

F ruga l,and mi ld

,and tempera te, conquered wel l ,

But govern i l l the na t ions under yoke,

Now bo th abho r,s ince thou ha st da red to ut ter

The abom inab le term s,imp ious condi t ion.

But I endure the t ime,t i l l wh ich exp i red

Thou ha st perm i ss ion on me. I t is wr i t ten,

The firs t of a l l commandments,Thou sha l t worsh i p

The Lord th y God,and onlyH im sha l t serve ’

And da r ’s t thou to the Son of God p ropoundTo wo rsh i p thee

,accursed ? now mo re a ccursed

For th is a t temp t,bo lder than tha t on Eve

And mo re bla sphemous wh i ch expect to rue.

The kingdoms of the wo rld to thee were givenPerm i tted ra ther

,and by thee usurped ;

O ther dona t ion none thou canst p roduce.

If given,by whom but by the King of kings

God over a l l sup reme ? If given to thee,

By thee h ow fa i rly i s the Giver nowRepa i d But gra t i tude in thee is lostLong s ince. Wert thou so vo id of fea r or shame

As o ffer them to me, the Son of God

To me my own,on such abhorred pact

Tha t I fa l l down and worsh i p thee as God ?

Get thee beh ind me ! P la in thou now appea r’st

Tha t Evi l One, Sa tan for ever damned .

To whom the F iend , w i t h fear aba shed, rep l iedBe not so sore o ffended

,Son of God

Though Sons of God bo th Angels are and Men

I f I,to t ry whether in h i gher so rt

Than these thou bear ’st tha t t i t le,have p roposed

\Vhat bo th from Men and Angels I receive,Tetrarch s o f F ire, Air , F lood , and on the Ea r thNa t ions bes i des from a l l the quar tered windsGod o f th is Wo rld invoked

,and Wo rld benea th .

Who then thou art,whose com ing is foreto ld

To me most fa ta l,me i t mo st concerns.

The tr ia l ha th indamaged thee no way,

Ra ther mo re honour left and mo re esteem

TH E F O U RT H B O O K. 65

Me naught advantaged , mi ss ing wha t I a imed .

Therefore l et pass , a s they are t rans i tory ,The kingdoms of th is wo rld ; I sha l l no moreAdvi se thee ga in them as thou canst

And thou thyself seem ’

st o therw ise incl inedThan to a world ly crown, addicted moreTo contemp la t ion and p rofound dispute ;As by tha t ea rly act ion may be judged ,When

,s l i p p ing from thy mo ther’s eye, thou went

Alone into the Temp le, there was t foundAmong the gravest Rabb ies , disputantOn po ints and ques t ions fi t t ing Mo ses’ cha i r,Teach ing

,not taught . The Ch i ldhood shows the

man, 2 2 0

As morning shows the day. Be famous,then,

By w isdom as thy emp ire mus t extend,

So l et extend thy m ind o’

er a l l the worldIn knowledge ; al l th ings in i t comp rehend .

A l l knowledge i s not couched in Moses ’ l aw,

The Penta teuch , or wha t the Prophets wro te ;The Gent i les a lso k now

,and wri te

,and teach

To admi ra t ion,l ed by Na ture’s l i ght

And w i th the Gent i les much thou mus t converseRul ing them by persuas ion

,a s thou mean

’st.

Wi thout thei r lea rning , how w i l t thou wi th them ,

O r they w i th thee,ho ld conversa t ion meet ?

How w i l t thou reason w i th them,how refute

Their ido l isms,t radi t ions , paradoxes ?

E rror by h is own arms is best evinced .

Look once mo re,ere we leave th is specula r moun t

Westward,much nea rer by south - wes t beho ld

Where on the [ Egean shore a c i ty stands,

Bui l t nobly,pure the a ir and l i ght the so i l

Athens,the eye of Greece, mo ther of a rts

And eloquence,nat ive to famous w its

O r hospi table,in her sweet recess

VOL. I I I .

66 PARAD I S E RE GA I N E D .

C i ty or suburban, s tudious wa lks and shades.See there the o l ive- grove of Academe

Pla to ’s ret i rement

,where the At t ic b i rd

Tr i l l s her th ick - wa rbled no tes the summer long ;There

,flowery h i l l

,Hymet tus

,w i th the sound

Of bees’ industr ious murmur, oft inv i tesTo s tudious mus ing there I l issus ro l lsH i s wh isper ing s tream . Wi th in the wa l ls then v iewThe schoo l s o f anc ient sages—h i s who bredGrea t A lexander to subdue the world

Lyceum there and pa inted S toa next .There thou sha l t hear and learn the secret powerO f harmony

,in tones and numbers h i t

By vo ice or hand,and va r ious -measured verse,

[Eo l ian charm s and Do r ian lyr i c odes ,And h i s who gave them brea th

,but h i gher sung

Bl ind Mel esigenes , thence Homer ca l led,

Who se poem Phoebus cha l lenged for h is own.

Thence wha t the lofty grave Tragedians taughtIn chorus or iamb ic

,teachers best

Of mora l prudence, w i th del ight receivedIn br ief sentent ious precep t s , wh i le they trea tO f fa te

,and chance, and change in human l ife

H igh actions and h igh pass ions bes t descr ib ing .

Thence to the famous O ra tors repa ir,Those anc ient whose res ist less eloquenceWielded atw i l l tha t fierce democra ty,Shook the Arsena l

,and fulm ined over Greece

To Macedon and Artaxerxes’ th rone.

To sage Ph i losoph y next lend t h ine ear,

From heaven descended to the l ow- roofed houseO f Socra tes—see there h is tenementWhom

,wel l insp ired

,the o ra cle p ronounced

Wises t of men from whose mouth issued forthMel l ifluous streams

,tha t wa tered a l l the schoo l s

O f Academ ics o ld and new,w i th those

THE F O U RT H B O O K. 67

Surnamed Per i pa tet ics , and the sectEp icurean

,and the S to i c severe.

These here revo lve,or

,a s thou l ikest , at home,

Ti l l t ime ma ture thee to a kingdom ’s weigh tThese rules w i l l render thee a king comp leteWi th in thyself

,much more w i th emp i re jo ined

To whom our Sav iour sagely thus rep l iedTh ink not but tha t I know these th ings or

,th ink

I know them not,not therefore am I sho rt

Of know ing wha t I ought . He wh o recei vesL ight from above

,from the Founta i n of L igh t ,

No othér doctr ine needs,though granted t rue ;

But these are fa lse,or l i t t le else but dreams

Conjectures,fanc ies

,bu i l t on no th ing firm .

The firs t and w isest of them a l l p rofessedTo know th i s only

,th at_he_rrp_th1i rrg knew

The next to fabl ing fel l and smoo th concei ts ;A th ird sort doubted a l l th ings

,though p la in sen se ;

O thers in vi rtue p laced fel ic i ty ,But v irtue jo ined w i th r i ches and long l ifeIn co rpora l p lea sure he

,and careless ease ;

The S to ic las t in ph i losoph i c p r ide,

By h im ca l led vi rtue,and h i s vi rtuous man

Wi se,perfect in h imself, and a l l posses s ing,

Equa l to God,oft shames notto p refer

As fearing God nor man,contemning a l l

Wea l th , p lea sure , pa in or torment,dea th and l ife

Wh ich,when he l ist s

,he leaves

,or boast s he can

For a l l h is tedious ta lk i s but va in boast,

O r sub tle sh ift s convict ion to evade.

Ala s ! wha t can they tea ch,and notm is lead

I gnorant o f themselves, of God much more

And how the Wo rld began,and h ow Man fel l

D egraded by h im sel f,on gra ce depending ?

Much o f the Soul they ta lk , but a l l awry ;And in themselves seek virtue and to themselves

A l l g lo ry arroga te,to God give none ;

Ra ther a ccuse h im under usua l names,

Fo rtune and Fa te,a s one rega rd less qu i te

O f mo rta l th ings . Who,therefo re

,seeks in these

True w isdom finds her not, o r , by delus ionFar worse

,her fa lse resemblance only meet s

An emp ty cloud . H owever,many books

Wise men have sa id,are wear isome who read s

Incessantly , and to h i s reading br ings notA sp i ri t and judgment equa l or superior

(And wha t he br ings wha t needs he elsewhere seek ? )Uncerta in and unset t led st i l l rema ins

Deep - versed in books and sha l low in h imself,

C rude o r intox ica te, co l lect ing toysAnd tr ifles for cho ice ma tters

,wo rth a sponge,

A s ch i ldren ga ther ing pebbles on the shore.

O r,if I would del i ght my p r i va te hours

With mus ic or w i th poem ,where so soon

A s in our na t i ve language can I findTha t so lace ? A l l our Law and S tory strewedWi th hymns , our Psa lms w i th artful terms inscr ibedOur Hebrew songs and ha rps

,in Baby lon

Tha t p leased so wel l our v i cto r’s ear,declare

Tha t ra ther Greece from us these art s der ivedI l l im i ta ted wh i le they loudest s ingThe vices of their dei t ies

,and thei r own

In fable,hymn, or song

,so persona t ing

Their gods r id iculous , and themselves past shame.

Remove thei r swel l ing ep i thet s , th ick - la i dA s va rni sh on a harlo t ’s cheek

,the rest

Th in- sown w i th aught of p rofi t or del i ght,

\Vi l l far be found unwo rth y to compa reWi th S ion’

s songs, to a l l t rue tastes excel l ing

Where God is p ra ised a right and god l ike men,

The H o l iest of Ho l ies and h is Sa ints

(Such are from God insp ired, notsuch from thee) 350

TH E F O U RT H B O O K . 69

Unless Where mora l vi rtue is exp ressedB y l i gh t of Na ture, not in a l l qu i te lost .Thei r O ra to rs thou then exto l l

’st as tho se

The top of eloquence— sta t ist s indeed ,And lovers of their count ry , a s may seem

But herein to our Pro phets far benea th ,As men d iv inely taugh t , and bet ter teach ingThe so l id rules of c i v i l government

I n thei r majes t ic,una ffected sty le,

Than a l l the o ra to ry of Greece and Rome.

In them i s p la ines t taught,and eas ies t lea rn t ,

Wha t makes a na t ion happy,and keep s i t so ,

Wha t ruins kingdoms,and lays c i t ies flat

These only,w i th our Law

,bes t form a king .

So spake the Son o f God ; but Sa tan,now

Qui te at a loss (for a l l h i s da rts were spent) ,Thus to our Sav iour

,w i th s tern brow

,rep l ied

Since nei ther wea l th nor honour,a rms no r a rts ,

Kingdom nor emp ire,p leases thee

,nor augh t

B y me p roposed in l ife contemp la t iveO r a ct ive

,tended on by g lo ry or fame

Wha t dos t thou in t h is wo rld ? The Wi ldernessFo r thee is fi t test p lace : I found thee there,And th i ther w i l l return thee. Yet rememberWha t I fo retel l thee ; soon thou sha l t have causeTo w ish thou never h ads t rejected

N i cely or caut iousl y,my offered a id

Wh i ch would have set thee in sho rt t ime w i th ease

On David’s th rone,or throne of a l l the wo rld

Now at ful l age, fulness of t ime,th y season

When p rophec ies o f thee are bes t fulfi l led .

Now,cont rary—if I read aught in heaven,

O r heaven wr i te augh t of fa te—by wha t the s ta rsVo lum inous

,or sing le characters

In thei r conjunct ion met,give me to spel l ,

So rrows and labours , oppo s i t ion,ha te

At tends thee scorns,rep roaches

,injur ies ,

V io lence and s tr i pes,and

,lastly

,c ruel dea th .

A kingdom they po rtend thee,butwha t kingdom

Rea l or a l lego r ic,I discern not

Nor when eterna l sure—as w i thout end,Vt’ithout beginning ; for no da te p refixedD i rects me in the s tarry rubr ic set.

So say ing , Ire took (for st i l l he knew h is powerNotyet exp ired ) , and to the Wi ldernessBrought ba ck

,the Son o f God, and left h im there

Fei gning to disappear. Darkness now rose,

As dayl i ght sunk , and brough t in lour ing N ight ,Her shadowy offspring,

unsubstantial bo th,

Pri va tion mere of l i ght and absent day.

Our Saviour,meek , and wi th unt roubled mind

After h is aery jaunt,though hurr ied so re

Hungry and co ld,betook h im to h is rest ,

Wherever,under some concourse of shades

Whose branch ing arms th i ck - intertw ined m i ght sh ieldFrom dews and clamp s of ni gh t h is shel tered head ;But, shel tered , s lep t in va in for ath is headThe Temp ter wa tched

,and soon w i th ug ly d reams

D isturbed h i s sleep . And ei ther trop ic nowGan thunder

,and both ends of heaven ; the clouds 4 10

F rom many a horr i d r ift abort i ve pouredFierce ra in w i th l i ghtning m ixed , wa ter w i th fireIn ru in reconc i led ; nor slep t the w indsWi th in thei r s tony caves , but rushed abroadFrom the four h inges of the world , and fel lOn the vexed w i lderness

,whose ta l les t p ines ,

Though roo ted deep as h i gh,and s turdiest oaks

Bowed their st iff necks,loaden w i th sto rmy blasts ,

O r to rn up sheer. I l l wa st thou shrouded then,0 pa t ient Son of God

, yet only stood’st

Unshaken Nor yet s ta id the terror thereInferna l ghost s and hel l ish fur ies round

72 PARAD I SE R E GA I N E D .

Are to th e ma in as incons iderableAnd harmless

,i f notwho lesome

,as a sneeze

To man’s less uni verse

,and soon are gone .

Yet,as being oft t imes nox ious where they l ight 460

On man, beast , p lant , wa steful and turbulent ,

Like turbulenc ies in the a ffa irs o f men,

Over whose heads they roa r,and seem to po int

They oft fo re- s i gnify and th rea ten i l l .Th i s tempest at th is desert most was bentOf men at thee, for only thou here dwel l ’st.Did I not tel l thee, if thou d ids t rejectThe perfect sea son offered w i th my a id

To win th y dest ined sea t,but w i l t pro long

A l l to the push of fa te,pursue thy way

Of ga ining David ’

s th rone no man knows when

(For bo th the when and how is nowhere to ld) ,Thou sha l t be wha t thou a rt o rda ined , no doub tFor Angels have p rocla imed i t

,but concea l ing

The t ime and means ? Ea ch act is rightl iest cloneNotwhen i t mus t

,but when i t may be bes t .

If thou ob serve not th i s,be sure to find

Wha t I fo reto ld thee—many a hard a ssayOf dangers , and advers i t ies

,and pa ins

Ere thou of I srael ’s scep tre get fa s t ho ld 4 80

Whereof th i s om inous ni gh t tha t closed thee roundSo many terro rs

,vo ices

,p rodigies

May wa rn thee, as a sure forego ing s ign.

S o ta lked he , wh i le the Son of God went on,And sta i d not, but in br ief h im answered thus

Me wo rse than wet thou find’

stnot o ther ha rmThose terrors wh i ch thou speak

st of did me none .

I never fea red t hey could , though no isrng loudAnd threa tening ni gh wha t t hey can do as s ignsBetokening or i l l - boding I contemnA s fa lse portents

,not sent from God

,but thee

Who,know ing I sha l l rei gn pa st thy p revent ing ,

TH E F O U RT H B O O K. 73

Obtrud’st t hy o ffered a id

,tha t I , accep t ing ,

At least m i ght seem to ho ld a l l power of thee,Amb i t ious Spir i t and would ’s t be thought my God ;And storm’

st,refused

,th inking to terrify

Me to thy w i l l Des i s t (thou a rt discernedAnd to i l

’st in va in) , nor me in va in mo lest .

To whom the F iend , now swo ln w i th rage,rep l ied :

Then hea r,0 Son of David

,vi rgin- born !

For Son of God to me is yet in doubt .Of the Messiah I have hea rd foreto ldBy a l l the Prophet s of th y b i rth

,at leng th

Annoimced by Gabr iel,w i th the first I knew,

And of the angel ic song in Bethlehem figld,

On thy b irth -ni ght,tha t sung thee Saviour . born .

F rom tha t t ime seldom have I cea sed to eye

Thy infancy,thy ch i ldhood

,and thy youth ,

Thy manhood la st,though yet in p ri va te bred

Ti l l,atthe fo rd of Jordan

,wh i ther a l l

F locked to the Ba p t ist , I among the res t

(Though notto be bap t i zed) by vo i ce from HeavenH ea rd thee p ronounced the Son of God beloved .

Thenceforth I though t thee worth my nea rer viewAnd narrower scrut iny, tha t I m ight lea rnIn wha t degree or meaning thou art ca l ledT/ze S on of God, wh ich bea rs no s ing le sense.

The Son of God I a lso am,or wa s

And,if I was

,I am ; rela t ion stands :

Al l men are Sons of God yet thee I though t 52 0

In some respec t far h i gher so decla red .

Therefo re I wa tched thy foo tsteps from tha t hour,

And fo l lowed thee s t i l l on to th i s waste w i ld,

Where,by a l l best conjectures

,I co l lect

Thou artto be my fa ta l enemy .

Good reason,then

,if I beforehand seek

To unders tand my adversa ry,who

And wha t he i s ; h i s w i sdom ,power , intent ;

74 PA RA D I S E R E GA I N E D .

By parle or compos i t ion,truce or league

To win him,or win from h im wha t I can.

And o ppo rtuni ty I here have hadTo try thee

,s ift thee

,and confess have found thee

Proof aga ins t a l l temp tat ion, a s a rockOf adamant and a s a centre

To the utmos t of mere man both w i se and good ,Notmore for honours

,r iches

,kingdoms

,g lo ry ,

Have been before contemned,and may aga in.

Therefo re, to know wha t more thou art than man

Worth naming Son of God by voice from Heaven,Ano ther method I must now begin .

So say ing , he caught h im up , and, w i thout w ingO f hippogrif, bo re through the a ir subl ime

Over the wi lderness and o’er the p la in

Ti l l undernea th them fa ir Jerusa lem,

The Ho ly Ci ty,l ifted h i gh her towers ,

And h i gher yetthe glor ious Temp le rea redHer p i le

,far off appea ring l ike a mount

Of a laba ster , toptw i th go lden sp iresThere

,on the h i ghest p innacle, he set

The Son of God, and added thus in scorn 550

There stand,if thou w i l t stand to stand upr i gh t

Wi l l ask thee ski l l . I to thy Fa ther ’s houseHave brough t thee, and h i ghest p laced : h i ghes t i s

bestNow show thy p rogeny ; if notto stand

Ca st thyself down. Safely,if Son of God ;

For i t is wr i t ten,He w i l l gi ve command

Concerning thee to h i s Angel s in thei r hand sThey sha l l up l ift thee

,les t atany t ime

Thou chance to dash thy foo t aga inst a s tone.

To whom thus Jesus : “ Al so it i s wr i t ten, 560‘ Temp t notthe Lo rd th y God. He sa id

,and stood ;

But Sa tan, sm i t ten w i th ama zemen t , fel l.As when Earth ’s son

,Antaeus (to compa re

T H E F O U RT H B O O K.

Sma l l th ings wi th grea tes t) , in Irassa s troveWi th Jove’s Alc i des

,and, oft fo i led , s t i l l rose,

Recei v ing from his mo ther Ea rth new s treng th ,F resh from h is fa l l

,and fiercer grapp le jo ined

Throt tled at length in the a ir exp ired and fel l ,So

,after many a fo i l

,the Temp ter p roud

Renewrng fresh assaul ts , am ids t h i s p rideFel l whence h e stood to see h is victor fa l lAnd

,as tha t Theban monster tha t p roposed

Her r i dd le, and h im wh o so lved i t not devoured,

That'once found out and solved , for gr ief and sp i te

Cas t herself head long from the Ismenian steep,

So , strook w i th dread and anguish,fel l the F iend ,

And to h i s crew, tha t sat consul t ing, brough tJoy less tr iumpha l s of h i s hoped succes s ,Ruin

,and despera t ion, and di smay ,

Who durst so p roud ly temp t the Son of God.

So Sa tan fel l and st ra ight a fiery globeO f Angel s on ful l sa i l of wing flew nigh

Who on thei r p lumy vans received H im softF rom h is unea sy sta t ion, and upbore

As on a floa t ing couch,th rough the bl i the a ir

Then,i n a flowery va l ley

,set h im down

On a green bank , and set befo re h im sp readA table of celes tia l food

,d ivine

Ambros ia] frui t s fetched from the Tree of L ife,

And from the Fount of L ife ambros ia l d r ink,

Tha t soon refreshed h im wea r ied, and repa i red

Wha t hunger,i f aught hunger

,had impa ired

O r th i rst and,as he fed

,Angel i c qui res

Sung heavenly anthems of h i s v ictoryOver temp ta t ion and the Temp ter p roud

“ True Image of the Fa ther, whether thronedIn the bosom of b l iss

,and l i ght of l i ght

Concei v ing,or

,remo te from Heaven

,enshr ined

In fleshly tabernacle and human form,

Wander ing the w i lderness—wha tever p la ce,Hab i t

,or s ta te

,or mo t ion

,st i l l exp ress ing

The Son of God, w i th God l ike force enduedAga inst th e a t tem p ter of th y Fa ther ’s th roneAnd th ief of Pa radise

H im long o f o ld

Thou dids t debel,and down from Heaven cast

Wi th a l l h is a rmy now thou ha s t avengedSupp lanted Adam

,by vanquish ing

Tem p ta tion,ha st rega ined lost Pa radi se

And frustra ted the conques t fraudulent .He never more henceforth w i l l dare set foo tIn Pa radi se to temp t his sna res are broke.

Fo r,t hough tha t sea t of ea rthly b l iss he fa i led

A fa i rer Pa radise is founded now

For Adam and h is cho sen sons,whom thou,

A Saviour,art come down to reinsta l l

Where they sha l l dwel l secure, when t ime sha l l be,

Of temp ter and temp ta t ion w i thout fea r.But thou, Inferna l Serpent sha l t not longRule in the Clouds. Like an autumna l star

O r l ightning,thou sha lt fa l l from H eaven

,trod down

Under h is feet . Fo r p roo f, ere th is thou feel ’st 6 2 1

Thy wound (y'

etnot thy las t and dead l iest wound)B y th is repulse received

,and ho ld

st in H el lNo tr iumph ; in a l l her ga tes Abaddon ruesThy bo ld a t tem p t . H ereafter lea rn w i th awe

To d read the Son of God. He, a l l una rmed,

Sha l l chase thee,w i th the terro r of h is vo ice,

F rom thy demonia c ho lds,possession foul

Thee and thy legions yel l ing they sha l l fly,

And beg to h ide them in a herd of sw ine,

Lest he command them down into the D eep,

B ound,and to torment sent before their t ime.

H a i l , S on of the Mos t High,hei r o f bo th Wo rlds

Q uel ler of Sa tan I On thy g lor ious wo rkNow enter

,and beg in to save Mankind .

T H E F OURT H B O O K .

Thus they the Son of God, our Saviour meek,

Sung v i cto r,and

,from heavenly fea st refreshed ,

B rought on h is way w i th joy. He,unobserved

H ome to his mo ther’s house p r iva te returned .

THE 5 ND

INTRODUCT I O N

TO SAMSON AGON I STES.

MILTON is remembered ma inly as an epic poet . But h is

fina l cho ice of the epic fo rm for h is greatest poem and its

companion was the resul t o f del ibera t ion. Apparent ly i twas even a departure from h is o rigina l inc l ina t ion

,when in

h is ea rly manhood he had deba ted wi th h imself in wha t formo f poet ry his genius would have ful les t scope. Two of h is

ea rly Engl ish poems had not onl y been dramat ic, but hadactua l ly been perfo rmed. The A rcades was “ part of an

enterta inment presented to the Countess -Dowager of DerbyatHarefield by some nob le persons of her fam i ly ,

” probablyin the yea r 1633 and Camus , the fines t and most extensiveof a l l Mi l ton’

s m ino r poems, was no th ing else than an

elabo ra te “ masque,” perfo rmed, in the fo l lowing yea r

Ludlow Cast le, in Sh ropsh i re, befo re theEarl of Bridgewa terLo rd President of Wa les, by way of enterta inment to the

gent ry of the neighbourhood. (See Introduct ions to thesePoems. ) Whether M i l ton was present at the perfo rmance

o f ei ther the A r cades o r the Camus is not known ; butthe ta

fac t of h is wri t ing two such drama t ic pieces for actua lperform ance by the members o f a fam i ly wi th wh ich he hadrela t ions of acqua intance shows tha t at that t ime, —i .e. when

he was twenty - s ix years of age,—he had no object ion to th is ,,kind of enterta inment , then so fash ionab le at Court andamong noble fam i l ies of l i tera ry tastes. Tha t he had seenmasques perfo rmed—masques of Ben Jonson, Carew,

Sh i rley - may be taken for granted and we have h is ownassurance tha t , when at Cambridge, he a t tended drama t icrepresenta t ions there, gotup in the co l leges, and tha t , whenin London

, during h is vacat ions from Cambr idge, he used

to go to the thea t res (E/eg. i . 2 9 To the same effectVOL. I I I . G

8 2 I N TRO D U CT I O N T O

we have h is l ines in L ’A l legro, where he includes the thea tre

among the na tura l pleasures o f the m ind in its cheerfulmood,

Then to the well- trod stage anon,

I f J onson'

s learned sock be on,

Or sweetest Shakespea re, Fancy ’s ch ildWarble his na t ive wood- no tes w i ld.

wo rds wh ich , so far as Mi l ton’

s apprecia t ion of Shakespeareis concerned

,would seem poo r , i f we did not reco l lect the

sp lendid l ines wh ich he had previously wr i t ten and

wh ich were prefixed to the second fo l io edi t ion of Shakespea re’s plays in 1632 ,

\Vhatneeds my'

Shakespeare for his honour edbones

The labour of an age in p iled stones,

Or tha t hi s ha llowed rel iques shoul d be h idUnder a star- yp o inting pyram id?Dear Son ofMemory , grea t heir of Fame

\Vhatneed’

st thou such weak w itness, " etc .

Sti l l , the unlawfulness of drama t ic enterta inments had a lwaysbeen a tenet of those stricter Engl ish Puri tans wi th whom

Mi l ton even then fel t a po l i t ica l sympathy ; and Prynne’s

famous ffi str iomasz’ix

,in wh ich Ire denounced stage- plays

and a l l connected w i th them th rough a thousand qua r topages had helped to confi rm Puri tanism in th istenet. A s Prynne

s trea t ise had been outmo re than a yea rbefo re the A rcades and Camus were wri t ten, i t is c lea r tha t Irehad notconverted Mi l ton to his opinion. Wh i le the mo rerigid and less educa ted of the Puri tans undoubtedl y wentw i th Prynne in condemning the stage a l together, Mi l ton,

Ishould say/before the t ime of h is journey to I ta ly (1638was one of those who reta ined a pride in the drama as the

form of l i tera ture in wh ich , for two genera t ions , Engl ishgenius had been most p roduct ive. Larnenting,

w i th o thers,

the corrupt condi t ion into wh ich the na t iona l drama had

fa l len in baser hands, and the immo ra l accompaniments of

the degraded stage,~he had seen no reason to recant hisenthusiast ic t ribute to the memory of Shakespeare, or to beashamed of h is own contr ibut ion to the drama t ic l i tera tureof England in his two model masques .

Gradua l ly, however, w i th Mi l ton’

s grow ing seriousnessamid the events and dut ies tha t awa i ted him after h is return

S AM S O N A G O N I S T E S . 83

from his I ta l ian journey , and especia l ly after the meet ing of

the Long Pa rl iament (Nov . 3 , there came a changein h is no tions of the drama J From th is period there is

evidence that h is sympa thy wi th the Prynne view of th ings,at least as far as regarded the English s tage, was mo reconsiderable than i t had beenfi Wh i le he rega rded a l l

l i tera ture a s recent ly infected w i th baseness and co rrup tion,

and requir ing to be taugh t aga in its t rue rela t ion to the

spiri tua l needs and uses of a grea t na t ion, he fel t an especia ldislike to the popular l i tera tu re of stage- plays

,as then wri t ten

and acted. g From th is per iod, if I m ista ke not, he was

pract ica l ly aga ins t thea t rego ing, as unwo rthy of a seriousman

,cpnsider ing the contrast between wha t was to be seen

w i thin the thea t res and wha t was in course of t ransact ionw i thout them 3\ nor, if h is two masques and his eulogy onShak espea re had rema ined to be wri t ten now, do I th ink hewould have judged i t oppo rtune to write them . Certa inlyIre would not now have w ri t ten the masques for actua lperformance, publ ic or priva te. yet he had not

abandoned h is adm i rat ion of the drama as a fo rm of l i terature. On the cont rary, he was st i l l convinced tha t no fo rnio f l i tera ture is nobler, mo re capable of conveying the h ighestand most sa luta ry concep tions o f the m ind of a greatWhen

,immedia tely after his return from I ta ly, Ire was

prepa ring h imself for tha t grea t Engl ish poem upon wh ichIre proposed to bestow h is ful l st rength , wha t do we find ?We find h im , for a wh i le (Tl i eReason of Cfi a rca Governmenl ,Introd. to Book ba lancing the cla ims of the epic

drama,and the lyric , and concluding tha t in any one o f

these a grea t Christ ian poet m igh t have congenia l scope,

and the benefi t of grand precedents and models. He dis

cusses the cla ims of the epic fi rst , and th inks h igh ly of them ,

butproceeds immediately to inqui re “ whether those dramat icconst i tut ions in wh ich Sophocles and Eur ip ides reign sha l lbe found mo re doctrina l and exempla ry to a na t ion

”adding ,

The Scripture a lso affo rds us a di v ine pastora l drama in

the Song of So lomon, consisting of two persons and a doublecho rus, as Origen r igh t ly judges and the Apoca lypse of St .John is the majest ic image of a h igh and s tately Tragedy ,shutt ing up and intermingl ing her so lemn scenes and actsw i th a sevenfo ld cho rus of ha l lelujahs and harping sym

phonies and th is my opinion the grave autho rity o f Parzeus ,

84 I N TRO D U C T I O N TO

commenting tha t book , is sufficient to confi rm . Here wehave certa inly a proof tha t no amount of sympa thy whichMi l ton may have fel t w i th the Puri tan disl ike of stage- playshad affected his admi ra t ion of the drama t ic form of poesyas pra ct ised by the ancient Greek tragedians and o thers.Indeed, in the same pamph let

,he recognises “ the managing

o f our publ ic spo rts and fest iva l past imes as one o f the

duties of the Government in every wel l - const i tuted common

wea l th , and dist inct ly recommends i t as proper fo r the civi lmagistra te, in the interests of educa t ion and mo ra l i ty

provide eloquent and graceful ” appea ls to the intel lect andimagina t ion o f the people, not only from pulp i ts, but a lsoin the form o f “

set and so lemn parreguries in thea tres.”Acco rdingly , i t was to the drama t ic fo rm , ra ther than to

ei ther the epic o r the lyric , that Mi l ton then incl ined in h ismedi ta t ions o f some grea t English poem to be wri t ten byh imself. As we have a l ready seen (Int roduct ion to Paradi seL ar i , pp . 14 he th rew aside h is fi rst no t ion of an epicon King Arthur

,and began to co l lect possible subjects fo r

dramas from Scr ip tura l H isto ry, and from the early histo ryo f Bri ta in. He co l lected and jotted down the t i t les of nofewer than six ty possible tragedies on subjects from the O l d

and New Testaments,and th i r ty - eigh t possible tragedies on

subjects of Engl ish and Sco t t ish H isto ry, —among wh ichla t ter , curiously enough , was one on the subject of [Pl aced/i .From th is extrao rdinary co l lect ion of possible subjectsPa radi se L ost a l ready stood outas tha t which most fascina tedh im but even tha t subject was to be t rea ted drama tica l ly .Al l th is was befo re the year 164 2 . On the 2 d o f September in tha t year

,—the King having a few days befo re

ra ised h is standa rd atNo tt ingham , and given the signa l forthe C ivi l War ,

—there was passed the famous o rdinance o f

Parl iament suppress ing stage - plays “ wh i le the publ ic troub leslast ,

”and shut t ing up the London thea t res. From tha t da te

onwa rds to the Resto ra t ion, or for nearly eighteen yea rs, theDrama

,in the sense of the A cted Drama

,was in abeyance

in England. Th is fact may have co - opera ted wi th o therreasons in determ ining Mi l ton, when he did at length find

leisure fo r returning to his scheme o f a grea t Engl ish poem ,

to abandon the drama t ic fo rm he had fo rmerly favoured.

True, the mere discont inuance o f stage- plays in Engl and, asan amusenrentinconsistent wi th Pur i tan ideas, and into lerab le

S AM S O N AG O N I S T E S . 8 5

in the sta te of the t imes, canno t , even though Mi l ton approvedOf such discont inuance (as he doub tless did) , have a l tered h isfo rmer conv ict ions in favour of the drama t ic fo rm Of poetry,acco rding to its nob lest ancient models,—especia l ly as hecould ha ve had no though t , when medi ta t ing h is Scrip tura lTragedies, Of adapting them fo r actua l performance. Sucha t ragedy as be had meant to wri te would not have beenthe leas t in confl ict w i th the rea l Opera t ive element in thecontempo rary Pur i tan ant ipathy to the Drama . Sti l l thedrama t ic fo rm i tsel f had fa l len into discredi t and there wereweak er breth ren w i th whom i t would have been useless toreason on the dist inct ion between the wri tten Drama and the

acted Drama , between the noblest t ragedy on the ancientGreek model and the wo rst of those English stage- plays, o fthe reign of Charles, from wh ich the na t ion had been

pel l ed to desist. Mi l ton does notseem to ha ve'been indifferentto this feel ing . The tone of h is reference to Shakespea re inh is E i/conoklastes , publ ished in 164 9 , suggests tha t , ithe hadnotthen rea l ly aba tedhis a l legiance to Shakespeare, he atleastag reed so far w i th the o rdinary Pur i tanism around h im as

notto th ink Shakespeare-worsh i p the pa rticular doctrine thenrequired by the Engl ish m ind.

Fo r some such reason, among o thers , Mi l ton, when hesethimself atlength , in 1658 , to redeem his long - given p ledgeO f a great English poem ,

and chose for h is subject Pa radi seLost

,del ibera tely gave up his fi rst intent ion of t rea t ing tha t

subject in the drama t ic fo rm. When that poem was givento the wo rld, in 1667 , i t was as an epic . Its companion,

Pa r adise Rega ined, publ ished in 167 1 , was a lso an epic .

But, though i t was thus as an epic poet tha t Mi l ton chosema inly and fina l ly to appea r before the world, he was so farfa i thful to h is o l d affect ion for the Drama as to leave to thewo rld one exper iment of his ma ture art in tha t form. Sam

son Agom'

stes was an a t testa t ion tha t the poet who in h is ‘"

earl ier yea rs had wr i t ten the beaut iful pas tora l drama of

Camus had never ceased to l ike tha t form of poesy, but tothe last bel ieved i t sui table, wi th modifica t ions, for h isseverer and s terner purposes. At wha t t ime S amson was

wr i t ten is not defini tely ascer ta ined ; but i t was certa inlyafter the Resto ra tion, and probabl y after 1667 . I t waspubl ished in 16 7 1, in the same vo lume wi th Pa radi seRegard/ed

86 I N TRO D U C T I O N T O

(see title of the vo lume, etc. in Introd. to P aradi se Reg ained,p . For a time the connex ion thus establ ished betweenPa radise Rega ined and Samson Agonis les was kep t up in

subsequent editions butsince 1688 I know of no pub l icat ion of these two poems together by themsel ves . Therehave been one o r two edi t ions of the Samson by i tself ; buti t has genera l ly appeared ei ther in co l lective edi tions o f a l l

the poems, or in edi t ions of the mino r poems apar t fromPa r adise Lost.

How came Mi l ton to select such a subject as tha t of

S amson Agonisi‘es for one o f his la test poems, if notthe very

la testTo th is quest ion i t is par t ly an answer to say tha t the

explo i ts of the Hebrew Samson had long befo re struck himas capable Of trea tment in an English tragedy. Among h isjo ttings

,in 1640 -

4 1 , of subjects for possible Scrip tureTragedies, we find these two , occurr ing as the l gth and 2 0th

in the to ta l l ist S amson Pa rsop/zorns or Hybr i stes, or

S amson Ma rry ing, or P anza/b l oom,” Judges xv. and

Dagona l ia ,” Judges xvi . Tha t is to say, Mi l ton, in 1640

4 1 , though t there m ight be two sacred dramas founded on

the accounts of Samson’

s l ife in the Book Of j udges, —oneon Samson’

s fi rst marriage wi th a Phi l ist ian woman, and hisfeuds wi th the Phi l is tines grow ing outOf tha t inc ident , whenhe was P zzrsop/zorus (i .e. The Firebrand-bringer ) or Hy br istes(i .e. Vio lent ) ; the o ther on the closing scene of his l ife,when he took h is fina l vengeance on the Phi l istines in thei rfeast to Dagon. These subjects, however, do not seem

then to have had such a ttract ions fo r Mi l ton as some of the

o thers in the l ist for they are merely jo tted down as above,whereas to some Of the o thers , such as Abr am

from Morea ,

”and “ Sodom ,

”are appended sketches Of the

plo t , or h ints for the trea tment. Why, then, did Mi l ton,in h is later l ife

,neglect so many o ther subjects of wh ich he

had kept h is early no tes, and cl ing so tenaciously to the

sto ry of Samson ?

The reason is not far to seek nor need we seek i t in thefact that he had seen I ta l ian, Latin, and even English ,poems on the sto ry Of Samson, wh ich may have remindedh im Of the theme. Todd and o ther commenta to rs have dugup the t i t les of some such Ol d poems, wi thout being ab le to

88 I N TR O D UCTI O N TO

and to have a ffected h is though ts of the marriage - inst i tut ioni tself, and of the ways and character of women. In th isrespect a lso he could find co incidences between h is own l ifeand that o f Samson, wh ich recommended the story of Samson wi th far mo re po ignancy to him in h is la ter l ife thanwhen he had first looked at i t in the inexperience of h is

early manhood A In sho r t , there mus t ha ve rushed uponMi l ton

,contempla t ing in h is la ter l ife the story of the bl ind

Samson among the Ph i l ist ines, so many simi lari ties w i th hisown case tha t there is l i t t le wonder tha t he then selectedth is subject for poet ic trea tment . Wh ile wr i t ing SamsonAgonistes (i .e. Samson the Agonist , Ath lete, or Wrest ler ) hemust have been secret ly consc ious throughout tha t he wasrepresent ing much Of h is own feel ings and experience ; and

the reader Of the poem tha t knows anyth ing Of Mi l ton’

s l ifehas th is pressed upon h im at every turn. Probably the bestintroduct ion to the drama would be to read the Bibl ica lh isto ry of Samson (j udges x i i i . - xvi . ) w i th the facts of

Mi l ton'

s l ife in one’

s mi nd.

The poem was putfo r th , however, wi th no intimat ion to

th is effect . Tha t , indeed, m igh t have been an obstacle to

its passing the censo rsh ip . Readers were left to ga ther thefact for themselves, according to the degree of their informat ion, and thei r quickness in interpret ing. QIn the prosepreface wh ich Mi l ton though t fi t to prefix to the poem ,

ent i t led Of i/zat sort of D ramatic Poem w/i iea i s ra i l ed

Tragedy ,

”—he concerns h imself not at a l l wi th the ma t terof the poem , or h is ownmeaning in i t , but only with itsl i terary fo rm. He exp la ins why, towards the grave c lose Of

h is l ife, he has not though t i t inconsistent to wri te wha tmigh t be ca l led a Tragedy, and defines the part icula r kindof Tragedy he has taken care to wri te. The preface ough tto be careful ly read, in connex ion wi th the remarks a lreadymade on Mi l ton’

s early tas te for the drama t ic form Of poesyand the varia t ions to which tha t taste had been subjec tedby ci rcumstances. ‘

f I t wi l l be no ted tha t a large po rt ion Of

the preface is apo loget ic. Although , after the Resto ra t ion,the Drama had revi ved in England, and men were once

mo re fam i l iar w i th stage - plays, Mi l ton evident ly fel t tha tmany of h is countrymen st i l l reta ined their Puri tanic horro rof the Drama , and o f a l l rela ted to i t , and tha t th is horro rm igh t wel l be increased by the spectacle Of the so rt of plays

S AM S O N AG O N I S T E S . 89

supplied to the re- Opened thea tres by Dryden, Ki l l igrew ,

and the o ther ca terers for the amusement o f Charles I I . and

h is Court . An explana t ion migh t be demanded why, when

the Drama was thus becom ing a grea ter abom inat ion thanever, a man l ike Mi l ton should give his countenance in anyway to the drama t ic fo rm of poetry. f A ccordingly, Mi l tondoes expla in, and in such a way as to dist inguish as w idelyas possible between the tragedy he has writ ten and the

stage- dramas then popula r. s Tragedy,as i t was ancient ly

composed,”he says, “ ha th been ever held the gra vest ,

mora lest, and most profi table of a l l o ther poems ”? In o rder

to for t ify th is sta tement , he repeats Aristo t le’s defini t ionof Tragedy , and reminds h is readers that “ ph i losophersand other gravest wri ters frequent ly cite the o l d tragicpoets, —nay, that S t. Paul h imself had quo ted a verse Of

Eurip ides, and that , acco rding to the judgment Of a Pro

testant commenta to r on the Apoca lypse, tha t book m igh t beviewed as a tragedy Of pecul ia r structure, w i th chorusesbetween the acts. Some of the most em inent and act ivemen in h isto ry, he adds, including one of the Fathers o f theChrist ian Church , had wri t ten or a t tempted Tragedies. Allthis, he says, “ is mentioned to vindica te Tragedy from the

sma l l esteem , or ra ther infamy , wh ich in the account of

many i t undergoes at th is day, w i th o ther common interludes ; happening through the poet’s erro r o f interm ixingcom ic stuff w i th tragic sadness and gravity

, or introduc ingtrivia l and vulga r persons wh ich by a l l judicious ha th beencounted absurd, and brough t in wi thout discret ion,

co rrupt lyto gra t ify the people.

” I t is impossible not to see, in the

carefulness of th is apo logy , tha t M i l ton fel t tha t he was

t reading on peri lous ground, and might give offence to the

weaker brethren, by h is use Of the drama t ic fo rm at a l l ,

especial ly fo r a sacred subject. I t is hardly possible, ei ther ,to avo id seeing, in the reference to the “

er ro r of interm ixing com ic stuff wi th tragic sadness and grav i ty , ” an a l lusionto Shakespea re, as wel l as to Dryden and the o ther postRestora t ion drama t ists.S amson Agonisl es, therefore, was Offered to the world as a

tragedy avowedly of a different o rder from tha t wh ich hadbeen estab l ished in England. I t was a t ragedy o f the

severe classic order, acco rding to tha t noble Greek modelwh ich had been kept up by none Of the modern na t ions ,

90 S AM S O N AG O N I S T E S .

unless i t m igh t be the I ta l ians. In reading it, not Shakespeare, nor Ben j onson, nor Massinger , must be though t o f,but z

Eschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. C laim ing th is ingenera l terms, the poet ca l ls espec ia l a t tent ion to his fidel i tyto ancient Greek precedents in two par t iculars , —h is use Of

the cho rus , and his Observa t ion of the rule Of unity in t ime.

The tra gedy, he says,never having been intended for the

stage, butonly to be read, the div ision into acts and scenes

is om i t ted. He does not say, however (and th is is worthno t ing) , tha t , had i t been possible to produce the tragedy onthe stage in a becoming manner , he would have objected tothe exper iment . I t is sa id that Bishop Atterbury , about172 2 , had a scheme fo r br inging Samson Agonistes on the

stage atWestm inster, the division into acts and scenes to

be arranged by Pope. I t was a fi tter compl iment whenHandel , in 174 2 , made Samson the subject of an Ora to r io ,and married h is great music to Mi l ton’

s as grea t words .

OF THAT SORT OF DRAMATIC POEM CALLED

TRAGEDY .

TRAGEDY , as i t was ancient ly composed, ha th been ever heldthe gravest , mora l est, andmost profi table Of a l l o ther poemstherefo re sa id by Aris to t le to be of power , by ra ising pi ty andfea r, or terro r , to purge the m ind Of those and such - l ik e passions

,—tha t is, to temper and reduce them to just measure

wi th a kind o f del igh t , st i r red up by reading or seeing thosepassions wel l im i ta ted. No r

is Na ture want ing in her owneffects to make good h is asser tion fo r so ,

in physic , th ingso f melancho l ic hue and qua l i ty are used aga inst melancho ly

sour aga ins t sour , sa l t to remo ve sa l t humours. Hence

ph i losophers and o ther gravest wr i ters , as C icero , Pluta rch ,and o thers, frequent ly ci te outof tragic poets , bo th to ado rnand i l lust ra te thei r discourse. The Apost le Paul h imselfthough t i t notunworthy to inser t - a verse of Eur ipides into thetext Of Ho ly Scripture

,1 Cor. x v . 33 ; and Paraeus , com

menting on the P er/el ation , divides the who le boo k , as a

t ragedy,into acts, dist inguished each by a Cho rus of heavenly

ha rpings and song between. Heretofore men in h ighest dignity have laboured not a l i t t le to

be though t ab le to composea tragedy. Of tha t honour Dionysius the elder was no lessambi t ious than befo re o f his a t ta ining to the tyranny. Augustus Caesar a lso had begun h is Aj ax , but, unab le to pleaseh is own judg ment wi th wha t he had begun,

left i t unfinished.

Seneca , the ph i losopher , is by some though t the au tho r ofthose tragedies (at leas t the best of them ) tha t go under thatname. Gregory Naz ianz en, a Fa ther of the Church , thoughti t not unbeseem ing the sanct i ty of h is person to wri te a

tragedy , wh ich he ent i t led C/i r i stSnfler ing. Th is is men

tioned to vindica te Tragedy from the sma l l esteem,or ra ther

infamy , wh ich in the account o f many i t undergoes at th isday, wi th o ther common interludes ; happening th rough the

poet’s erro r of interm ix ing com ic stuff wi th t ragic sadness

and gravity , o r introducing trivia l and vulgar persons wh ichby a l l judicious ha th been counted absurd, and brough t inw i thout discret ion, corrup tly to grat ify the people. And,though ancient Tragedy use no Pro logue, yet using some

t imes,in case of self-defence or explana t ion, tha t which Mar

t ial ca l ls an Epist le, in beha lf of th is tragedy, com ing fo rthafter the ancient manner, much different from wha t amongus passes for best , thus much befo rehand may be episz

led,tha t Cho rus is here introduced after the Greek manner , notanc ient only, butmodern

,and st i l l in use among the I ta l ians.

In the model l ing therefo re of this poem, w i th good reason,

the Ancients and I ta l ians are ra ther fo l lowed, as of much

mo re authori ty and fame. The measure of verse used in

the Chorus is of a l l so rts, ca l led by the Greeks monostrop/i i e,or ra ther apo/elymenon,

wi thout regard had to strophe, ant is trophe

,or epode,—wh ich were a kind of stanz as framed

onl y for the music, then used wi th the Chorus that sung ;not essent ia l to the poem , and therefore notma teria l : or ,

being di vi ded into stanz as or pauses,they may be ca l led

a l ld osl rop/i a . Division into act and scene, referring ch ieflyto the stage (to wh ich th is work never was intended) , is hereomi tted.

I t suffices if the who le drama be found notproduced beyond the fifth act. Of the s tyle and uniform i ty, and thatcommonly ca lled the p lo t, whether intri cate or expl ici t ,wh ich is no th ing indeed butsuch economy

,or disposi t ion o f

the fable, as may stand bes t wi th verisim i l itude and deco rum ,

- they only wi l l best judge who are not unacqua inted wi thfEschylus, Sophocles, and Eurip ides, the three tragic poetsunequal led yetby any, and the best rule to a l l who endeavourto wr i te Tragedy. The ci rcumscription of t ime wherein thewho le drama begins and ends is, acco rding to ancient ruleand best example

,wi th in the space of twenty - four hours.

SAMS O N A GO N I S TE S .

S AMS . A l i t t le onward lend thy gui d ing handTo these dark steps

, a l i t tle further onFor yonder bank ha th cho i ce of sun or shade.

There I” am wont to s i t,when any chance

Rel ieves me from my ta sk of servi le to i l ,Da i ly in the common p r ison else enjo ined me

Where I,a p r isoner cha ined

,sca rce freel y d raw

The a ir,imp r isoned a l so

,close and damp ,

Unwho lesome draught . But here I feel amendsThe brea th of heaven fresh b low ing

,pure and sweet

Wi th day - sp r ing born here leave me to resp ire. 1 1

Th is day a so lemn feast the peop le ho ldTo Dagon, thei r sea - i do l

,and fo rb i d

Labo r ious works . Unw i l l ing ly th i s restThei r superst i t ion y ields me ; hence, w i th leaveRet ir ing from the popula r no i se

,I seek

Th is unfrequented p la ce,to find some ea se

Ease to the body some,none to the m ind

From rest less thoughts,tha t

,l ike a dead ly swa rm

O f ho rnets a rmed,no sooner found a lone

But rush upon me th ronging,and p resent

Times past,wha t once I wa s

,and wha t am now .

Oh,wherefo re was my b i rth from Heaven fo reto ld

Tw i ce by an Angel,who at la st

,in s i gh t

Of bo th my pa rents , a l l in flames a scendedFrom o ff th e a l ta r where an offer ing burned,As in a fiery co lumn char io t ingH is god l ike p resence

,and from some grea t act

VOL . I I I .

98 S AM S O N A G O N I S T E S .

O r benefi t revea led to Abraham ’

s ra ceWhy was my breeding o rdered and p rescribedAs of a person separa te to GodD es i gned for grea t exp lo i t s

,if I must die

B etrayed,cap t i ved

,and both my eyes put out,

Made of my enem ies the sco rn and gaze,

To gr ind in bra zen fet ters under taskWi th th i s heaven- gifted streng th ? 0 g lo r ious st rength ,

Putto the labour of a beast,deba sed

Lower than bond - s la ve ! Promise wa s tha t IShould I srael from Ph i l i st ian yoke del iver !Ask for th is grea t del i verer now

,and find h im

Eyeless in Ga za,at the m i l l Wi th sla ves

H imself in bonds under Ph i l i s t ian yoke.

Yet s tay ; l etme not rashly ca l l in doubtD ivine p red ict ion. Wha t if a l l foreto ldHad been fulfi l led but th rough m ine own defaul t ?Whom have I to comp la in o f butmyself

Who th is h i gh gift of s trength comm i t ted to me,

In wha t part lodged,h ow eas i ly bereft me

Under the sea l of S i lence could notkeep,

But weakl y to a woman mus t revea l it,O

’ercome w i th im po rtuni ty and tea rsO impo tence o f m ind in body strongBut wha t is s treng th w i thout a double sha reOf w isdom ? Vast

,unw ieldy

,burdensome

Proud ly secure, yet l iable’

to fa l lB y weakest subtlet ies notmade to ru le

Butto subserve where w isdom bea rs command .

God, when he gave me streng th,to Show w i tha l

How sl ight the gift wa s,hung i t in my ha ir.

But peace I I must not qua rrel w i th the w i l lO f h i ghest dispensa t ion

,wh i ch herein

Hap ly had ends above my rea ch to know.

Suffi ces tha t to me s t reng th is my bane ,And p roves the source Of a l l my m iser ies

Ioo S AM S O N A G O N I S T E S .

And buried but,0 yetmore m iserable

Myself my sepulch re, a moving grave

Bur ied, yetnot exem p t ,

By p r iv i lege Of dea th and bur ia l ,F rom wo rs t Of o ther evi l s

,pa ins

,and wrongs

Butmade hereby obnox ious moreTo a l l the miser ies of l ife

L ife in cap t i v i tyAmong inhuman foes .Butwho are these ? for w i th jo int pace I hearThe t read Of many feet steering th is way ;Perha ps my enem ies

,who come to sta re

At my affl ict ion,and perhap s to insul t

Their da i ly p ract ice to affl ict me more.

Char . Th is,th i s i s he ; softly a wh i le ;

Letus not break in upon h im .

O change beyond repo rt,though t

,or bel ief !

See how he l ies at random,carelessly diffused

Wi th languished head unpropt,As one past hope

,abandoned

And by h imself given over,

In s lavish hab i t,i l l - fitted weeds

O’er - worn and so i led.O r do my eyes m i srep resent ? Can th is be he ,

Tha t hero ic,tha t renowned

I rres is t ible Samson ? whom,una rmed

No streng th of man,or fierces t wi ld beas t

,could

w ith standWho to re the l ion as the l ion tea rs the kid ;Ran on emba t tled a rm ies clad in i ron

And“

,weaponless h imself

Made a rms r id iculous,useless the fo rgery

Of bra zen sh ield and spea r,the hammered cui rass ,

Cha lybean- tempered S teel,and frock of ma i l

Adamantean p roof :But safest he who stood a loof,

When insuppo rtably h is foo t advanced,

In sco rn of thei r proud a rms and warl ike too ls,

Spurned them to dea th by t roops . The bo ld Asca l oniteFled from h is l ion ramp O ld warr io rs turnedThei r p la ted backs under h is heel

O r grovel l ing so i led thei r c res ted helmets in the dust .Then w i th wha t t r iv ia l weapon came to hand

The jaw of a dead a ss,h is swo rd o f bone

A thousand fo reskins fel l , the flower of Pa lest ine,

In Rama th - lech i,famous to th is day

Then byma in force pul led up , and on h is shoulders bore ,The ga tes of Az z a

,pos t and ma ssy bar

U p to the h i l l by Hebron,sea t Of giant s Old

NO journey of a sabba th - day , and loaded so

L ike whom the Gent i les fei gn to bea r up Heaven . 150

Wh ich sha l l I first bewa i lThy bondage or lo s t s i ghtPr i son w i th in p r i sonInsepa rably dark ?Thou art become (0 wo rs t imp ri sonment !)The dungeon of thyself ; th y soul

(Wh ich men enjoy ing s igh t oftw i thout cause comp la in)Imp r isoned now indeed

In rea l darkness of the body dwel l s,

Shut up from outwa rd l igh tTo incorpora te w i th g loomy ni gh t ;For inwa rd l ight

,a las

Put s forth no visua l beam .

O mi rro r of our fick le sta te,

S ince man on ea rth , unpara l leledThe rarer thy examp le stands

By how much from the top of wondrous g lo ry ,S tronges t Of mo rta l men

To lowes t p i tch of abject fo rtune thou a rt fa l len .

For h im I reckon not in h i gh esta teWhom long descent of b irth ,

102 S AMS O N AG O N I S T E S .

O r the sphere of fo rtune,ra ises

But thee,whose s treng th , wh i le v irtue was her ma te

M i ght have subdued the Ea rth ,Uni versa l ly crowned w i th h i ghest p ra ises .S ams . I hea r the sound Of words ; thei r sense the a ir

D i sso lves unjo inted ere i t rea ch my ear .

Cl i or . He speaks letus draw ni gh . Ma t chless inm i ght

The g lo ry la te Of I srael,now the grief

We come,thy fr iends andnei ghbours notunknown, 180

F rom E shtao l and Z o ra ’s frui tful va le,

To vi s i t or bewa i l thee ; or,if bet ter

Counsel or conso la tion we may br ing ,Sa lve to thy sores apt wo rds have power to swageThe tumours of a t roubled mind

And a re as ba lm to festered wounds.

S ams . Your com ing,fr iends

,rev ives me fo r I learn

Now of my own exper i ence,not by ta lk

How counterfei t a co in they are who friends’

Bea r In their superscr i p t ion (of the mostI wou ld be unders tood) . In p rosperous daysThey swa rm

,but in adverse w i thdraw thei r head

Notto be found,though sought . Ye see

,0 fr iends

How many evi ls have enclosed me roundYet tha t wh ich was the worst now least affl icts me

B l indness ; fo r , had I s i ght , confused w i th shame,How could I once look up , or heave the head ,Who

,l ike a foo l ish p i lo t , have shipwracked

My vessel trusted to me from above,Glor iously r i gged

,and for a word

,a tear

F0011 have divulged the secret gift of God'

To a decei tful woman Tel l me,fr iends,

Am I not sung and p roverbed for a foo lIn every street ? Do they not say, How wel lAre come upon h im h is deserts ’ ? Yetwhy ?Immea surab le streng th they m ight beho ld

Who,seeing those grea t a cts wh i ch God had done

S ing ly by me aga ins t thei r conquero rs,

Acknowledged not,o r not at a l l cons i dered ,

Del i verance o ffered. I,on the o ther s i de

U sed no amb i t ion to commend my deeds

The deeds themselves,though mute

,spoke loud the

doer .

But they pers i sted deaf, and would not seemTo count them th ings wo rth no t ice

,ti l l at leng th 2 50

Thei r lo rds , the Ph i l i st ines , w i th ga thered powers ,Entered judea , seeking me

,who t hen

Safe to the rock of E tham was ret i redNot fly ing

,but fo reca s t ing in wha t p la ce

To set upon them,wha t advantaged bes t .

Meanwh i le the men of j udah , to p reventThe ha ra ss o f thei r land

,beset me round

I w i l l ing ly on some condi t ions cameInto thei r hands

,and they a s g lad ly y ield me

To the Unc ircumc ised a welcome p rey, 2 60

B ound w i th two cords . But cords to me were th readsTouched w i th the flame : on thei r who le host I flewUna rmed

,and w i th a t r i v ia l weapon fel led

Their cho ices t youth they only l i ved who fled.

Had Judah tha t day jo ined , or one who le t ribe,

They h ad by th is possessed the towers of Ga th,

And lo rded over them whom now they serve.

Butwha t more oft,in na t ions grown corrup t

And by thei r vices brought to servi tude,

Than to love bondage more than l ibertyBondage w i th ease than s t renuous l ibertyAnd to desp ise , or envy

,or suspect

Whom God bath of h is spec ia l favour ra isedAs their del i verer P

If h e augh t begin,

How frequent to desert h im,and at la st

To heap ingra ti tude on wo r th ies t deedsCl i or . Thy words to my remembrance bring

How Succo th and the fort o f PenuelThei r grea t del iverer contemned ,The ma tch less Gideon, in pursui tOf Madian

,and her vanquished kings

And how ingra teful Ephra imHad dea l t w i th jephtha , who b y a rgument

Notwo rse than by h is sh ield and spear,

Defended I srael from the Ammoni te,

Had nothis p rowess quel led thei r p ri deIn tha t so re ba t tle when so many diedWithout rep r ieve, adjudged to dea thFor want of wel l p ronounc ingS ams . Of such examp les add me to the ro l l.

Me eas i ly indeed m ine may neg lect,

But God ’s p roposed del iverance not so .

Char . just are the ways of God,

And just ifiable to men,

Unless there be who th ink not God at a l l .

If any be, they wa lk ObscureFo r of such doctr ine never wa s there schoo l ,Butthe hea rt of the foo l

And no man therein doc to r but h imself.Yetmore there be who doub t h is ways notjus t ,

As to h is own edicts found cont radict ing °

Then g ive the reins to wander ing though t ,Rega rd less of h i s g lo ry ’s d im inut ion

Ti l l,by their own perp lex i t ies invo lved ,

They ravel mo re,st i l l less reso lved

Butnever find self- sa t isfy ing so lut ion.

A s if they would confine the Interm inable,And tie h im to h is own p rescr i p t

Who made our laws to b ind us,not h imself,

And ha th ful l r i ght to exemp tWhom so i t p leases h im by cho i ceFrom na t iona l obstr ict ion

,w i thout ta int

Of sin,or lega l debt ;

For w i th h is own laws he can bes t dispense.

He would not el se,who never wanted means ,

Nor in respect Of the enemy just cause,

To set h i s peop le free,

Have p romp ted th is hero ic Na zarite,

Aga ins t h i s vow of s tr ictes t pur i ty,

To seek in ma rr iage tha t fa l lac ious br i de,Unclean

,uncha ste.

Down, Reason,then ; atlea st , va in reasonings down ;

Though Reason here averTha t mora l verdi t qui ts her of uncleanUncha ste wa s subsequent her s ta in

,not h is .

But see here comes th y reverend s i re,

Wi th careful s tep,locks wh i te as down

O ld Manoa : adviseFo rthw i th how thou ought

’s t to recei ve h im .

S ams . Ay me ano ther inwa rd gri ef,awaked 330

Wi th ment ion Of tha t name,renews the a ssaul t.

Man. B reth ren andmen of Dan (for such ye seem,

Though in th is uncouth p lace) , if O ld respect ,As I suppose, towards your once g lo r ie

d friend,

My son,now cap t i ve

,h i ther ha th info rmed

Your younger feet , wh i le m ine, cast ba ck w i th age,

Came lagging after,say if he be here.

Chor . A S S i gna l now in l ow dejected s ta teAs ers t in h i ghest

,beho ld h im where he l ies.

Man. O m i serable change 1 I s th is the man, 340Tha t inv inc ible Samson

,far renowned

The dread Of I srael ’s foes,who w i th a s treng th

Equiva lent to Angels ’ wa lked thei r streets,

None Offer ing fight who,s ing le comba tant

Duel led thei r a rm ies ranked in p roud array,

H imself an army— now unequa l ma tchTo save h imself aga inst a cowa rd a rmedAt one spea r’s leng th ? 0 ever- fa i l ing t rustIn mo rta l streng th ! and, oh , wha t not in man

108 S AM SON AG O N I S TE S .

To them who had co rrup ted her,my sp ies

And r iva ls ? In th i s o ther wa s there foundMo re fa i th

,a lso in her p r ime Of love,

Spousa l embraces, v itiated‘

with go ld,

Though offered only,by the scent concei ved

Her spur ious fi rst- bo rn,Treason aga inst me ?

Thr ice she a ssayed,w i th~fla t ter ing p rayers and s i ghs

And amo rous rep roaches , to win from me

My cap i ta l secret,in wha t pa rt my streng th

Lay stored , in wha t pa rt summed,tha t shem igh t know ;

Thr ice I deluded h er,and turned to spo rt

Her impo rtuni ty,each t ime percei v ing

HOW openly and w i th wha t impudenceShe purposed to betray me

,and (wh ich was worse

Than undissembled ha te) w i th wha t contemp tShe sought to make me tra i tor to myself.Yet

,the four th t ime

,mus tering a l l her w i les

Wi th blandished parleys,fem inine assaul ts

Tongue- ba t ter ies,she surceased notday nor ni ght

To s to rm me,over- wa tched and wear ied out

At t imes when men seek mos t repose and rest ,I y ielded

,and unlocked her a l l my hea rt ,

Who w i th a gra in of manhood wel l reso lved,

M i gh t ea s i ly have shook Off a l l her snaresBut foul effem ina cy held me yokedHer bond - s lave. O indigni ty

,O blo t

To honour and rel i g ion servi le mindRewarded wel l w i th servi le punishmentThe ba se degree to wh ich I now am fa l len

These rags,t h is gr inding

,is not yet so base

As was my former servi tude, i gnoble,Unmanly

,i gnom inious

,infamous

True s lavery ; and tha t b l indness worse than th i s,

Tha t saw not how degenera tely I served.

Man. I canno t p ra ise thy ma rr iage- cho ices,son

Ra ther app roved them not butthou dids t p lead 4 2 1

D iv ine impuls ion p romp t ing how thou might ’stF ind some occas ion to infes t our foes .

I sta te not tha t ; th i s I am sure—our foes

Found soon o cca s ion thereby to make theeThei r cap t ive, and their tr iumph thou the soonerTemp ta t ion found’

st, o r over- po tent charms,

To v io la te the sa cred t rust of s i lenceDepos i ted w i th in thee—wh ich to have kep tTac i t was in thy power. True and thou bear ’stEnough

,and mo re

,th e burden of tha t faul t

B i t terly hast thou pa i d,and s t i l l art pay ing

Tha t rigi d sco re. A worse th ing yet rema insTh i s day the Ph i l ist ines a popula r feas tHere celebra te in Ga z a

,and p rocla im

Grea t pomp,and sa cr ifice

,and p ra ises loud

To Dagon,as their god who ha th del i vered

Thee,Samson

,bound and bl ind

,into their hands

Them out of th ine,wh o S lew

’st them many a sla in.

So Dagon sha l l be ma gnified,and God,

B es ides whom is no god, compared’ w i th i do ls

D isglorified, blasphemed,and had in scorn

B y the i do la trous rout am idst thei r w ineWh i ch to have come to pa ss by means of thee

Samson,of a l l thy suffer ings th ink the heavies t ,

Of a l l rep roa ch the most w i th shame tha t everCould have befa l len thee and th y fa ther’s house.

S ams . Fa ther,I do acknowledge and confess

Tha t I th i s honour,I th i s pom p

,have brought

To Dagon,and advanced h is p ra ises h i gh 4 50

Among the Hea then round— to God have brough tD i shonour

,obloquy

,and o ped th e mouths

O f i do l ists and a theists have brough t scanda lTo I srael

,di ffidence of God

,and doubt

In feeble hea rts,p ropense enough befo re

To waver,o r fa l l off and jo in w i th ido l s

Wh ich is my ch ief affl ic t ion, shame and so rrow,

1 10 S AM S O N A G O N I S T E S .

The anguish of my soul,tha t suffers not

M ine eye to ha rbour sleep , o r though ts to rest .Th is only hope rel ieves me

,tha t the strife

Wi th me ha th end. Al l the contes t is now’Tw ixt God and Dagon. Dagon ha th p resumed

Me overthrown, to enter l ists w i th God,H i s dei ty compar ing and p referr ingBefore the God of Abraham . He

,he sure

Wi l l not conni ve,or l inger

,thus p rovoked

Butw i l l ar i se, and h is grea t name a sser t .Dagon mus t s toop

,and sha l l ere long recei ve

Such a discomfit a s sha l l qui te despo i l h imOf a l l these boasted t roph ies won on me

And wi th confus ion b lank h i s worsh i pers.

Al an. Wi th cause th i s hope rel ieves thee ; and

these wo rdsI as a prophecy recei ve ; for God

(Noth ing mo re certa in) w i l l not long deferTo v indica te the glo ry Of h i s name

Aga ins t a l l compet i t ion,nor w i l l long

Endure i t doubtful whether God be Lo rdO r Dagon. But for thee wha t sha l l be doneThou mus t not in the meanwh i le

,here forgo t

L ie in th i s m i serable loa th some p l igh tNeg lected. I a l ready have made wayTo some Ph i l ist ian lo rds

,w i th whom to t rea t

About thy ransom . Wel l they may by th isH ave sa t isfied the ir utmos t o f revenge

B y pa ins and slaveries,wo rse than dea th

,infl icted

On thee,who now no more canst do them ha rm .

S ams . Spa re tha t p roposa l,fa ther ; spa re the

troubleOf tha t so l ic i ta t ion. Letme here

As I deserve, pay on my punishment,

And exp ia te,if poss ible

,my cr ime

Shameful garrul i ty. To have revea led

The sons o f Anak,famous now and bla zed

Fearless of danger,l ike a pet ty god

I wa lked about,adm i red of a l l

,and dreaded

On host i le ground , none daring my affrontThen

,swo l len w i th p r ide

,into the sna re I fel l

O f fa i r fa l lac ious looks,venerea l t ra ins ,

Softened w i th p leasure and vo lup tuous l ife,

At leng th to l ay.my head and ha l lowed pledge

O f a l l my s t reng th in the lasc i v ious lapOf a decei tful concub ine

,who shore me

Like a tame wether,a l l my p rec ious fleece

Then turned me out r id icu lous,despo i led

Shaven,and disarmed among my enem ies .

C/i or . Des ire of w ine and a l l del ic ious d rinksWh ich many a famous wa rr io r overturns

Thou could’s t rep ress nor d id the danc ing ruby

Sparkl ing outpoured,the flavour or the smel l

O r ta ste,tha t cheers the hea rt of gods and men

A l lure thee from the coo l crys ta l l ine s tream .

S ams . Wherever founta in o r fresh current flowedAga inst the eastern ray, t ranslucent , pureWi th touch etherea l of Heaven’

s fiery rod,

I drank,from the clea r m i lky juice a l lay ing

Th i rs t,and refreshed nor envied them the grape

Whose heads tha t turbulent l iquo r fi lls w i th fumes .Gnor . O madness to th ink use of stronges t w ines

And s trongest dr inks our ch ief suppo rt of hea l th,

When God w i th these fo rb idden made cho ice to rea rH is m ighty champ ion

,strong above compa re

Whose d r ink wa s only from the l iqui d brookS ams . But wha t ava i led th is temperance

com p leteAga inst ano ther Object mo re ent ic ing ?Wha t boo ts i t at one ga te to make defence,And at ano ther to let in the foe,

Effemina tely vanqu ished ? by wh ich means,

Now bl ind,di sheartened , shamed

,dishonoured

quel led,

To wha t can I be useful ? wherei n serveMy na t ion

,and the work from Heaven impo sed ?

Butto s i t i dle on the househo ld hea rth ,A burdenous d rone ; to v is i tant s a gaze,O r pi t ied objec t ; these redundant locks ,Robust ious to no purpo se

,clus ter ing down,

Va in monument of st reng th t i l l leng th o f years 570

And sedentary numbness craze my l imbsTo a contemp t ible O ld age obscure.

Here rzfther l etme drudge,and earn my bread ,

Ti l l verm in,or the draff o f servi le food

Consume me,and oft- invoca ted dea th

Hasten the welcome end of a l l my pa ins .Man. Wi l t thou then serve the Ph i l i st ines w i th

tha t giftWh ich was exp ress ly g iven thee to annoy themBet ter athome l ie bed- r i d

,not only id l’e

Inglo rious , unemp loyed , w i th age outwo rn.

ButGod, who caused a founta in at th y p ra yerF rom the dry ground to sp r ing

,thy th irs t to a l lay

After the brunt of ba t tle,ca n as ea sy

Cause l i gh t aga in w i th in thy eyes to sp r ing,

Wherew i th to serve h im better than thou ha st .And I persuade me so . Why el se th i s s treng thM i ra culous yet rema ining in those lo cks ?H is m i ght cont inues in thee not for naugh t

Nor sha l l h i s wondrous gifts be frustra te thus . 589S ams . A l l o therwise to me my though ts po rtend ,

Tha t these da rk orbs no mo re sha l l t rea t w i th l i ght ,Nor the o ther l igh t o f l ife cont inue long

Buty ield to double da rkness ni gh at handSO much I feel my genia l sp i r i t s droop ,My hopes a l l flat Na ture w i th in me seemsIn al l her funct io ns weary o f herself ;

VOL . I I I .

My ra ce o f glory run,and race of shame

And I sha l l shortl y be w i th them tha t rest.Adan. Bel ieve not these suggest ions

,wh ich p roceed

From angui sh Of the mind,and humours black 600

Tha t m ing le w i th thy fancy. I,however,

Mus t not om i t a fa ther’s t imely careTo p rosecute the means o f th y del i veranceBy ransom or how else meanwh i le be ca lm

And hea l ing words from these th y friends adm i t .S ams . Oh

,tha t torment should notbe confined

To the body’s wounds and so res,

Wr i th ma ladies innumerableI n heart

,breast

,and reins

Butmust secret passage findTo the inmo st m ind

There exerc ise a l l h is fierce acc i dents,

And on her purest sp ir i t s p rey,

As on ent ra i l s,jo int s

,and l imbs

Wi th answerable pa ins,butmore intense

Though vo i d of corpora l sense !My gr iefs not only pa in me

A s a l inger ing disea se,

finding no redress,ferment and rage ;

Nor less than wounds i rnmedicabl e

Rankle,and fester

,and gangrene,

To bla ck mortification.

Though ts,my to rmentors

,a rmed w i th dead ly s t ings

Mangle my apprehens i ve tenderes t parts,

Exaspera te,exulcera te

,and ra ise

D ire inflamma t ion,wh ich no coo l ing herb

O r medic ina l l iquor can a ssuage,

Nor brea th of verna l a ir from snowy A lp .

S leep ha th forsook and given me o’er

To dea th ’s benumb ing o pium as my only cure 630

Thence fa int ings,swoonings of despa ir,

And sense of Heaven’s desert ion .

O r m i ght I say contra r iousTemper

’stthy p rov idence th rough h is short course : 670

Not evenly , a s thou rul’st

The angel ic o rders,and infer ior crea tures mute

I rra t iona l and brute ?Nor do I name of men the common rout

Tha t,wander ing loose about

Grow up and per ish as the summer fly,

Heads w i thout name,no more remembered

But such as thou has t so lemnl y elected ,Wi th gifts and graces em inently adorned

To some grea t wo rk , thy glo ry ,And peop le’s safety

,wh i ch in pa rt they effec t .

Yet toward these, thus dignified , thou oft,

Am ids t thei r h igh th of noon,

Changestthy countenance and thy hand , w i th no regardOf h i ghes t favours pas tF rom thee on them

,or them to thee Of

serv ice.

Nor only dost degrade them , or rem i tTo l ife obscured

,wh i ch were a fa i r dism i ss ion

But th row ’st them lower than thou dids t exa l t them

h i ghUnseem ly fa l ls in human eye ,

TOO gr ievous for th e trespa ss or om i ss ionO ft leav

’st them to the hos t i le sword

Of hea then and p rofane,thei r ca rca sses

To dogs and fowls a p rey,or else cap t i ved

O r to the unjus t tr ibuna ls,under change of t imes

And condemna t ion of the ungra teful mul t i tude.

If these they scape,perhaps in poverty

Wi th s ickness and disease thou bow ’st them down

Pa inful diseases and deformed

In crude Old age ;

Though not d isordina te, yet causeless sufferingThe punishment of disso lute days . In fine,

just o r unjust a l ike seem m i serable,

For o ft al ike bo th come to ev i l end.

So dea l notw i th th is once th y g lor ious champ ion,

The image of thy s treng th,and m i ghty m inister.

Wha t do I beg ? how ha s t thou dea l t a l readyB eho ld h im in th is sta te ca l arn itous

,and turn

His labours , for thou canst , to peaceful end.

Butwho is t h i s ? wha t th ing of sea o r land 7 10

Fema le o f sex i t seems

Tha t,so bedecked

, o rna te, and gay ,Comes th is way sa i l ing

L ike a sta tely sh ipOf Ta rs'us

,bound fo r the is les

Of javan o r Gadire,

Wi th a l l her bravery on,and tack le t r im

Sa i ls fi l led,and s treamers waving

Courted by a l l the w inds tha t ho ld them p la y ;An amber scent of odo rous perfume

Her ha rb inger , a damsel tra in beh ind ?Some r ich Ph i l i st ian ma tron she may seem

And now,atnearer v iew,

no o ther certa inThan Da l i la thy w ife.

S ams . My w ife ! my t ra i t ress ! l ether notcome nea rme.

Ckor . Yeton she moves now stands and eyes theefixed

About to have spoke ; butnow,w i th hea d decl ined

Like a fa ir flower surcha rged w i th dew,she weeps

And words addressed seem into tea rs disso lved ,Wet t ing the borders of her s i lken vei l .Butnow aga in she makes address to speak.

Da l . Wi th doubtful feet and waver ing reso lutionI came

,st i l l dread ing thy di sp leasure

,Samson

Wh ich to hav e mer i ted,

” w i thout excuse,

I canno t but a cknowledge. Yet,if tea rs

May exp ia te (though the fa c t more evi l drewIn the perverse event than I fo resaw) ,

1 18 S AM S O N AG O N I S T E S .

My penance ha th not slackened,though my pa rdon

N0 way a ssured . But conjuga l a ffect ion,

Preva i l ing over fea r and tirnorous doubt ,Ha th l ed me on

,des irous to beho ld

Once more t‘h y face,and know of thy es ta te

If augh t in my ab i l i ty may serveTo l i ghten wha t thou suffer

,and a ppease

Thy m ind w i th wha t amends i s in my powerThough la te

, yet in some pa rt to recompenseMy rash butmo re unfo rtuna te m isdeed .

S ams. Out,out

,hyaena ! These are thy wonted a rts ,

And a rts of every woman fa lse l ike theeTo break a l l fa i th

,a l l vows , decei ve, betra y ;

Then,as repentant

,to subm i t

,beseech

And reconc i lement move w i th fei gned remorse,

Confess,and p rom ise wonders in her change

Not t ruly peni tent , but'

ch ief to tryHer husband

,how far urged h i s pa tience bea rs ,

His vi rtue or »weakness wh ich way to a ssa i lThen

,w i th mo re caut ious and inst ructed ski l l ,

Aga in t ransgresses,and aga in subm i t s

Tha t w isest and best men,ful l oft begui led ,

Wi th goodness p r inc i p led notto rejectThe peni tent

,but ever to fo rgi ve,

Are drawn to wear outmiserable days,

Entang led w i th a po i sonous bosom - Snake,If not by qu ick des t ruc t ion soon cut Off,As I by thee

,to ages an examp le.

Da l . Yethea r me,Samson ; not tha t I endeavour

To lessen or extenua te my Offence,

But tha t , on the o ther s ide,if i t be wei ghed

B y i tself,w i th aggrava t ions notsurcha rged ,

O r else w i th just a l lowance counterpo ised ,I may , if poss ible, th y pa rdon findThe eas ier towa rds me

,or thy ha tred less.

First grant ing, as I do , i t was a weakness

12 0 SAMS O N‘

A G O N I STE S .

Fea rless at home o f pa rtners,in my love. 8 10

These reasons in Love’s l aw have passed for good,

Though fond5 and reasonless to some perhapsAnd love ha th oft

,wel l meaning

,wrough t much woe,

Yet a lwa ys p i ty or pa rdon ha th obta ined.Be notunl ike a l l otlrers , not austereAs thou a rt st rong

,inflex ible as steel .

If thou in s trength a l l morta l s do st exceed,In uncompass iona te anger do not so.

S ams . How cunningly the sorceress disp laysHer own t ransgress ions , to upbra i d me m ine 8 2 0

Tha t ma l ice, not repentance, brought thee h i ther ,

By th is appea rs . I gave,thou say ’s t , the examp le

I l ed the way— b i t ter rep roach , but t rueI to myself wa s fa lse ere thou

,to me.

Such pa rdon,ther efore, a s I give in fo l ly

Take to thy w icked deed ; wh ich w en thou seestIm pa rt ia l

,self- severe

,inexo rable

Thou w i l t renounce thy seeking,and much ra ther

Confess i t fei gned . Weakness i s thy excuseAnd I bel ieve itL—weakness to res is tPh i l ist ian go ld . If weaknes s may excuse,Wha t murthererawha t t ra i to r, parr ic i de,Incestuous

,sacr i leg ious

,butmay p lead i t ?

Al l w ickedness i s weakness tha t p lea,therefo re

Wi th God or man w i l l ga in thee no rem iss ion.

But love cons tra ined thee Ca l l i t fur ious rageTo sa t isfy thy lust . Love seeks to have love ;M y love how could ’s t thou hope

,who took

’stthe way

To ra ise in me inexp iable ha te,

Know ing,a s needs I must

,by thee bet rayed ? 840

In va in thou stri v’stto cover shame w i th shame

O r by evas ions th y cr ime uncover’stmo re .

Da l . S ince thou determ in’stweakness for no p lea

In man or woman,though to

thy own condemning,

Hea r wha t assaul ts I had,wh a t sna res bes ides,

S AM S O N AG O N I S T E S. I 2 1

Wha t S ieges g irt me round , ere I consentedWh ich m igh t have awed the bes t - reso lved of men

The constantest,to have y ielded w i thout b lame .

Itwas not go ld , a s to my cha rge thou lay’s t ,

Tha t wrought w i th me. Thou know’st the magi stra tes

And p r inces of my count ry came in person, 8 5 1

So l ic i ted , commanded,th rea tened

,urged

Adjured by a l l the bonds of c i v i l dutyAnd of rel i g ion— p ressed how just i t was ,How honourable , how g lo r ious , to ent ra pA common enemy

,who had dest royed

Such numbers of our na t ion and the p r ies tWa s not beh ind , but ever atmy ear

Preach ing h ow mer i tor ious w i th the godsI t would be to ensna re an i rrel ig iousD ishonourer o f Dagon. Wha t had ITo op pose aga inst such powerful a rgumentsOnl y my love of thee held long deba te,And comba ted in s i lence a l l these reasonsWi t h ha rd contest . A t leng th

,tha t grounded maxim ,

So r ife and celebra ted in the mouths .

Of w isestmen,tha t to the publ ic good

Pr i va te respects must y ield,wi th grave autho r i ty

Took ful l po ssess ion o f me,and p reva i led

V i rtue,as I though t , t ruth , duty , so enjomrng. 8 70

S ams . I thought where a l l thy c ircl ing w i les wouldend

In fei gned rel i g ion,smoo th hypocr isy

But,had

thy love,s t i l l odiously p retended

Been,as i t ough t

,S incere

,i t would have taught thee

Far o ther reasonings,brought forth o ther deeds .

I,befo re a l l the daughters of my tr ibe

And of my na t ion,chose thee from among

M y enem ies,loved thee , as too wel l thou knew

Too wel l unbosomed a l l my secrets to thee ,Not outof levi ty

,but overpowered

12 2 S AM S O N A G O N I S TE S.

By thy reques t,who could deny thee no th ing ;

Yetnow am judged an enemy. Why , t hen,

Didst thou at firs t receive me for thy husbandThen

,as s ince then

,thy count ry ’s foe p rofessed ?

Being once a w ife,for me t hou was t to leave

Parents and country nor was I thei r subject,

Nor under thei r p ro tect ion,butmy own

Thou m ine,not thei rs. If augh t aga inst my l ife

Thy country sough t of thee, i t sought unjus tly,Aga ins t the law of na ture, l aw of na t ionsN0 mo re thy country , but an imp ious crewOf men consp ir ing to upho ld t hei r s ta teBy wo rse than hos t i le deeds , v io la t ing the endsFor wh i ch our count ry i s a name so dearNot therefore to be obeyed. But z ea l moved theeTo p lease thy gods thou dids t i t ! Gods unableTo acqui t themselves and p rosecute thei r foesBut by ungodly deeds

,the cont radict ion

Of their own dei ty,Gods canno t be

Less therefore to be p leased,obeyed , or fea red. 900

These fa lse p retexts and va rni shed co lours fa i l ing,

Ba re in thy gui l t,how foul mus t thou appear !

Da l . In argument w i th men a woman everGees by the wo rse

,wha tever be her cause.

S ams . Forwantofwords,no doubt

,or lack of brea th !

Wi tness when I was worr ied w i th thy pea ls.

Da l . I was a foo l,too rash

,and qui te m istaken

In wha t I thought would have succeeded best.Letme obta in forgiveness Of thee

,Samson

Afford me p la ce to show wha t recompenseTowards thee I intend for wha t I have m isdone,M isguided. Only wha t rema ins pa st cureBear nottoo sens ibly

,nor s t i l l ins i st

To afflict thyself in va in. Though S i ght be lo s t ,Life yet ha th many so la ces

,enjoyed

\Vhere o ther senses want not their del ights

12 4 S AM S O N AG O N I S T E S .

My ‘

sudde‘

n rage to tea r thee jo int by jo int .At d istance I fo rg ive thee go w i th tha t ;Bewa i l th y fa lsehood , and th e p ious wo rksI t ha th brough t fo rth to make thee memorableAmong i l lust r ious women

,fa i thful w i ves ;

Cher i sh thy ha stened w idowhood w i th the go ldOf ma tr imonia l t reason so fa rewel l .Da l . I see thou a rt imp la cable

,mo re deaf

To p rayers than w inds and seas. Yet w inds toAre reconc i led at length

,and sea to sho re ‘

Thy anger,unappeasable, s t i l l rages ,

Eterna l tempes t never to be ca lmed .

Why do I humble thus myself,and

,suing

Fo r pea ce,reap no th ing but repulse and ha te

B i d go w i th evi l omen,and the brand ‘

O f infamy upon my name denounced ?To m ix w i th thy concernment s I des is tH enceforth

,nor too much d isapp rove my own.

Fame,if not doub le- faced

,is doub le-mouthed

And w i th contrary bla s t p ro cla ims most deedsOn bo th h is w ings

,one black

,the o ther wh i te,

Bea rs grea test names in h is w i ld aery fl ight .M y name

,perhap s

,among the Circumc ised

In Dan,in judah , and the bo rdering t r ibes ,

To a l l poster i ty may s tand defamed,

Wi th ma ledict ion ment ioned , and the blo tO f fa lsehood most unconjuga l t raduced.

But in my count ry , where I mos t des ire,In Ecron,

Ga za,A sdod

,and in Ga th ,

I sha l l be named among the famousest

Of women,sung at so lemn fest i va ls

L iv ing and dead reco rded,wh o to save

Her cOuntry from a fierce des troyer choseAbove th e fa i th of wed lock bands my tombWi th odours v i s i ted and annua l flowersNot less renowned than in) Mount Ephra im

S AM S O N A G O N I S T E S. 12 5

jael , who , w i th inhospi table gui le,Smo te Si sera s leep ing

,through the temp les na i led . 9 90

No r sha l l I count i t heinous to enjoyThe publ ic ma rks of honour and rewardConferred upon me for the p ietyWh ich to my count ry I was judged to have shown.

A t th i s whoever envies or rep ines,

I leave h im to h is l ot,and l ike my own.

C/zor . She’s gone —a manifest serpent by her st ingD iscovered in the end

,t i l l now concea led.

S ams. So l ether go . God sent her to debase me

And aggravate my fo l ly , who comm i ttedTo such a v i per h i s mos t sacred trustOf secrecy , my safety

,and my l ife .

Gnor . Yet beauty, though 1nju1 ious , ha th strangepower

After offence return ing , to rega inLove Once possessed , nor can be ea s i lyRepul sed, w i thout much inward pass ion fel t

And secret s t ing of amo rous remo rse.

S ams . Love- quarrels oft in p lea s ing concord end;Not wed lock - t reachery endanger ing l ife.

Cl i or . I t[ i s not virtue, wisdom , va lour, wrt, 10 10

Strength , , comel iness of shape,or amp lest mer i t .

Tha t woman’s love can win

,o r long inher i t

But,wha t I t i s hard is to say,

Ha rder to h i t ,Wh ich way soever men refer it

(Much l ike thy r idd le, Samson) , in one dayO r seven though one should mus ing s it.

I f any o f these,o r a l l

, the Timnian br ideHad not so soon preferredTh y paranymplr, wo rth less to thee compared , 102 0

Successo r in thy bed,

Nor bo th so loosely di sa l l iedThei r nup t ia l s

,nor th i s las t so t reacherously

12 6 S AM S O N.

AG O N I S T E S.

Had shorn the fa ta l ha rvest of thy head.

I s i t for tha t such outward o rnamentWa s lavished on thei r sex , tha t inwa rd giftsWere left for ha ste unfinished

,judgment scant

Capa c i ty not ra ised to ap p rehendO r va lue wha t is bes tIn cho ice, but oftest to affect the wrong ?O r was too much of self- love m ixed ,Of constancy no roo t infixed

Tha t ei ther they love no th ing , or not long ?Wha te’er i t be

,to w ises t men and best

Seem ing at first a l l heavenly under v irgin vei l,

Soft , modes t,meek

,demure,

Once jo ined , the contra ry she p roves—a thornIntest ine

,far w i th in defens i ve a rms

A cleaving m isch ief,in h i s way to vi rtue

Adverse and turbulent or by her charmsD raws h im awry

,ens laved

Wi th do tage,and h i s sense dep raved

To fo l ly and shameful deeds,wh ich ruin ends.

Wha t p i lo t SO expert but need s must wreck,

Emba rked w i th such a steers -ma te atthe helm ?Favoured of Heaven who finds

One virtuous,rarely found

Tha t in domest ic good comb inesHapp y tha t house h is way to peace i s smoo thBut virtue wh ich b reaks through a l l -

Oppos i t ion,

And a l l temp ta t ion can remove,

Most sh ines and mos t i s a ccep table above.

Therefore God’s uni versa l l aw

Gave to the man despo t ic powerOver h is fema le in due awe

Nor from tha t r i ght to pa rt an hour,Sm i le she or lourSO sha l l he least confus ion drawOn h is who le l ife, not swayed

12 8 S AM S O N AG O N I S T E S.

Had brough t me to the field where thou art famedTo have wrough t such wonders w i th an ass

’s jaw

I should have fo rced thee soon w i th o ther arms,

O r left thy carca ss where the ass l ay th rownSO had the g lory of p rowess been recoveredTo Pa les t ine

,won by a Ph i l ist ine 1099

From the unfo reskinned race,of whom thou hear’s t

The h ighest name for va l iant acts . Tha t honour,

Certa in to have won by m o rta l duel from thee,

I lose,p revented by th y eyes put out.

S ams . B oas t notof wha t thou would ’st have done,

Wha t then thou would ’s t thou seest i t in th y hand.

H a r . To comba t w i th a bl ind man I disda in,

And thou hast need much wash ing to be touched .

S ams . Such usage as your honourable lordsAffo rd me, assa ss ina ted and betra yed ;Who durst notw i th thei r who le uni ted powers 1 1 10

In fight w i thstand me s ing le and unarmed,

Nor in the house w i th chamber- ambushesC lose - banded durst a t tack me

,not sleep ing

Ti l l they had h i red a woman w i th thei r go ld,

B reaking her marr iage—fa i th , to c i rcumvent me.

Therefo re,wi thout fei-gnfd S h ifts

,l etbe assigned

Some na rrow p lace enclo sed,where s i ght may give thee,

O r ra ther fl ight,no grea t advantage on me ;

Then put on a l l thy go rgeous a rm s,thy helmet

And br i gandine of brass , thy broad habergeon, n z

Vant - bra ce and greaves and gaunt let add th y spea r,

A weaver’s beam,and seven- t imes- fo lded sh ield

I only w i th an oaken staff wi l l meet thee,

And ra ise such outcr ies on th y cla t tered i ron,

Wh ich long sha l l notw i thho ld me from thy head ,Tha t in a l i t t le t ime

,wh i le brea th rema ins thee

Thou oft sha l t w ish thyself at Gath,to boas t

Aga in in safety wha t thou would ’s t have done

To Samson, but sha l t never see Ga th mo re.

Ha r . Thou durs t not thus disparage g lo r ious arms

Wh ich grea test heroes have in ba t tle worn,Their o rnament and safety

,had not spel ls

And black enchantments,some mag ic ian’

s art,

Armed thee or cha rmed thee strong , wh ich thou fromIl eaven

Feign’

dst at thy b i rth was given thee in thy hai r ,Where streng th can leas t ab ide

,though a l l th y ha i rs

Were br ist les ranged l ike those t ha t r idge the backO f chafed w i ld boars or ruffled porcup ines .S ams .

’ I know no spel ls,use no fo rb idden a rts

My trus t i s in the L i v ing God, who gave me,

At my na t iv i ty, th is streng th , diffusedNo less th rough a l l my s inews

,jo ints

,and bones ,

Than th ine,wh i le I p reserved these locks unsho rn

The p ledge of my unvio la ted vow .

For p roof hereof, if D agon be thy god,G0 to h i s temp le, invocate his a id

Wi th so lemnest devo t ion, sp read befo re h imHow h i ghly i t concerns h i s g lory nowTo frust ra te and disso lve these magic spel ls

Wh ich I to be the power of I srael ’s GodAvow , and cha l lenge D agon to the ' test

O ffer ing to comba t thee,h i s champ ion bo ld

Wi th the utmost of his godhead secondedThen thou sha l t see

,or ra ther to th y sorrow

Soon feel , who se God is strongest , th ine or m ine.

Ha r . Presume not on thy GOd. Wha te’er he be,Thee he regards not, owns not, ha th cut o ff

Qui te from h is peop le,and del ivered up

Into thy enem ies ’ hand perm i t ted themTO putoutbo th th ine eyes, and fet tered send thee 1 160

Into the common p r ison,there to grind

Among the slaves and asses,thy com rades

A s good fo r no th ing else, no bet ter servicevor , 111.

Wi th those thy bo isterous locks no worthy ma tchFor va lour to a ssa i l

,nor by the sword

Of noble wa rrio r,so to sta in h is honour

But by the barber’s razor bes t subdued .

S ams . Al l these indigni t ies,for such they are

From th ine,these evi ls I deserve and mo re

Acknowledge them from God infl icted on me

jus tly, yet despa i r not of h i s fina l pa rdon,

Who se ear is ever open,and his eye

Grac ious to re- adm i t the supp l iantIn confidence whereof I once aga inD efy thee to the t ria l of morta l fight

B y comba t to dec i de whose god is God,Th ine

,or whom I w i th I srael ’s sons ado re.

H a r . Fa ir honour tha t thou dos t thyGod,in t rust ing

He w i l l accep t thee to defend h is cause,

A murtherer,a revo l ter

,and a robber I 180

S ams . Tongue- dough ty giant,how do st thou p rove

me these ?H a r . I s not th y na t ion subject to our lords ?

Thei r magi stra tes confessed it when they took theeAs a league- breaker

,and del i vered bound

Into our hands for hads t thou not comm i t tedNo to r ious murder on those th irty men

A t Asca lon,who never did thee harm

Then,l ike a robber

,str ipp

’dst them of thei r robesThe Ph i l ist ines , when thou hadst b roke the league,Went up w i th a rmed powers thee only seeking

, 1 190

To o thers did no vio lence nor spo i l.S ams. Among the daugh ters of the Ph i l ist ines

I chose a w ife,wh i ch a rgued me no foe,

And in your c i ty held my nup t ia l feastBut your i l l -meaning po l i t ic ian lo rds ,Under p retence of br i da l fr iend s and guests,Appo inted to awa i t me th irty sp ies

Who,th rea tening cruel death , constra ined the bride

S AM S O N A G O N I S T E S .

S ams. No man wrthho lds thee ; no th ing from thy

handFea r I incurable br ing up thy van

M y heels are fet tered , butmy fist i s free.

H a r . Th i s inso lence o ther kind Of answer fits.

S ams. Go,baffled coward

,lest I run upon thee

Though i n these cha ins , bulk w i thout sp i r i t va st ,And w i th one buffet l ay thy s tructure low

O r swing thee in the a ir,then da sh thee down, 1 2 40

To the hazard of thy bra ins and sha t tered s i des .H a r . B y Asta ro th

,ere long thou sha l t lament

These braver ies , in i rons loaden on thee.

Chor . H is giantsh i p is gone somewha t crest - fa l len,S ta lking w i th less unconsc ionable s t r ides

And lower looks, butin a sul t ry chafe.

S ams . I dread h im not, nor a l l h is gian t b rood ,Though fame divulge h im fa ther of five sons,A l l of gigant i c s i ze

,Go l iah ch ief.

C/zor . He w i l l direct ly to the lo rds,I fear

And w i th ma l ic ious counsel s t i r them upSome way or o ther yet further to affl ict thee.

S ams. Hemust a l lege some cause,and o ffered fight

Wi l l not dare ment ion,les t a quest ion r ise

Whether he durst a ccep t the o ffer or notAnd tha t he durst not p la in enough a ppeared.Much mo re affl ict ion than a l ready fel tThey canno t wel l impo se

,nor I susta in,

If they intend advantage of my labours ,The wo rk of many hands

,wh ich earns my keep ing ,

°VVith no sma l l p rofi t da i ly to my owners . 1 2 6 1

But come wha t w i l l my dead l ies t foe w i l l p roveM y speed iest fr iend, by dea th to r i d me henCe

The wo rst tha t he can give to me the best.Yet so i t may fa l l out, because thei r endIs ha te, not help to me, i t may w i th m ineD raw their own ruin wh o a t temp t the deed.

C/zor . 0,how comely i t i s

,and how rev iv ing

To the sp ir i ts of just men long o p p ressed,

When God into the hands of their del ivererPut s inv inc ible m i ght ,To quel l the mighty of the earth'

,the opp res sor ,

The b rute and bo isterous fo rce of v io lent men,

H ardy and industr ious to supportTyrannic power

, but raging to pursueThe r i ghteous

,and a l l such as honour t ruth

He a l l their ammuni t ionAnd fea t s of war defea t s

Wi th p'la in hero i c magni tude of m ind

And celes tia l vigour armedThei r a rmouries and maga z ines contemns ,Renders them useless , wh i leWi th , w inged expedi t ionSw ift aSthe l i ghtning g lance he executesH is errap d on the w icked

,surp rised ,

Lose thei r defence,di st rac ted and ama zed .

But pa t ience is more oftthe exerc i seOf sa int s , the t ria l of thei r fo rt i tude,Making them each h is own del i verer

v icto r over a l lTha t tyranny or fortune can infl ict .E i ther of these i s in th y l ot,Samson

,w i th m i ght endued

Above the sons of men but s ight bereavedMay chance to number thee w i th thoseWhom pa t ience fina l ly mus t crown.

Th is I do l ’s day ha th been to thee no day of rest ,Labour ing th y m indMore than the working day thy hands.

And yet, perhaps , more trouble is beh indFor I descry th is waySome o ther tending ; in h i s handA scep t re or qua in t staff he bears ,

Comes on ama in, speed in h is look.

By h i s hab i t I discern h im now

A publ ic officer,and now at hand.

His message wi l l be sho rt and vo luble.

Ofi Ebrews , the p r isoner Sam son here I seek.

Char . H is manacles remark h im there he s i ts .Samson , to thee our lords thus b id me say

Th is day to Dagon i s a so lemn feast, 13 1 1

Wi th sacr ifices,t r iumph

,and games

Thy st rength they know surpassing human ra te,

And now some publ i c p roof thereof requi reTo honour th is grea t feast , and grea t a ssembly.

Rise,therefore

,w i th al l speed

,and come a long

Where I w i l l see t hee hea rtened and fresh clad,

To ap pea r as fi t s before the i l lustrious lords .S ams . Thou know’

st I am an Ebrew ; therefo retel l them

Our law forb ids at thei r rel igious ri tesMy p resence ; for tha t cause I canno t come.

Of f Th i s answer, be assured, w i l l notconten t them .

S ams . Have they notsword- p layers,and every sort

Of gymni c art is t s, wrest lers , r iders , runners,jugg lers and dancers , ant ics, mummers

,mimics,

But they must p ick me out,wi th Shackles t ired

And over- laboured at their publ ic m i l l,

To make them sport wi th b l ind act ivi ty ?Do they not seek occasion of new qua rrels ,On my refusa l

, to dis tress me more,

O r make a game of my ca lami t iesReturn the way thou cam ’

st I w i l l not come.

Oj i Rega rd thyself ; th i s w i l l offend them h i ghly .

S ams.

'Myself my consc ience, and interna l peaceCan they th ink me so broken, so debasedWi th corpo ra l serv i tude, tha t my mind everWi l l condescend to such absurd commandsAl though thei r drudge, to be their foo l or jes ter,

Butwho cons tra ins me to the temp le of Dagon, 1370

Not dragging ? The Ph i l ist ian lords commandCommands are no cons tra int s . I f I obey them

I do i t freely,ventur ing to disp lease

God for the fea r of man,and man p refer,

SetGod beh ind ; wh ich , in h is jea lousy ,Sha l l never

,unrepented

,find fo rgiveness .

Yet tha t he may dispense w i th me,or thee,

Present in temp les at i do la t rous r i tesFor some important cause

,thou need

’stnot doubt.

Clzor . How thou w i l t here come off surmount s myreach . 138 1

S ams . Be of good courage ; I begin to feelSome rous ing mo t ions in me

,wh i ch dispo se

To someth ing extrao rdina ry my thoughts.I w i th th is messenger w i l l go a longNo th ing to do , be sure

,tha t may dishohour

Our Law, or sta in my vow of Nazar ite.

If there be augh t of p resage in the m ind, ,

Th is day w i l l be remarkable in my l ifeBy some grea t act

,or of my days the last.

Cl i or . In t ime thou ha s t reso lved the man

returns . 1390

Of : Samson,th is second message from our lords

To~thee I am b i d say : Art thou our slave,

Our cap t ive,atthe publ ic m i l l our drudge,

And dar’s t thou,at our sending and c ommand ,

Di spute th y com ing ? Come w i thout delay ;O r we sha l l find such engines to assa i lAnd hamper thee

,as thou sha l t come of fo rce

Though thou wert firml ier fa stened than a ro ck .

S ams. I could be wel l content to t ry thei r art,

Wh ich to no few of them would p rove pernic ious ; 1400Yet

,know ing their advantages too many

Because they sha l l not tra i l me through their,streets

L ike a w i ld beas t,I am content to go .

Ma s ters’ commands come w i th a power res is tlessTo such a s owe them ab so lute subject ionAnd for a l ife who w i l l not change h is purpose

(So mutable are a l l the ways of men

Yet th is be sure, in no th ing to comp lyScanda lous or fo rb i dden in our Law.

Of I p ra ise th y reso lut ion. Doffthese l inks 14 10

By th is comp l iance thou w i l t w in the lo rdsTo favour

,and perhap s to set thee free.

S ams . Brethren,fa rewel l . Your company a long

I w i l l notWi sh , les t i t perhap s offend themTo see fne g irt w i th fr iends ; and h ow the s i gh tOf me, as of a common enemy ,So dreaded once

,may now exaspera te them

I know not. Lords are lo rd l ies t in thei r w ineAnd the wel l - feasted p riest then soonest firedWi th z ea l

,if augh t rel i g ion seem concerned

N0 less the people, on their ho ly - day s ,Impetuous

,inso lent , unquenchab le.

Happen wha t may, of me expect to hearNo th ing dishonourable, impure, unworthyOur God, our Law,

my na t ion,or myself ;

The last of me or no I canno t wa rrant .Gnor . Go

and the Ho ly OneOf I srael be thy guideTo wha t may serve h is g lo ry best , and sp read h is nameGrea t among the H ea then roundSend thee the Angel of thy b irth

,to stand

Fas t by thy s ide,who from thy fa ther ’s field

Rode up in flames after h is message to ldOf thy concep t ion

,and be now a sh ield

Of fire tha t Sp ir i t tha t firs t rushed on theeIn the camp of Dan

Be efficac ious in thee now atneedFor never was from Heaven impartedMea sure of streng th so grea t to morta l seed

As in th y wondrous act ions ha th been seen.

Butwherefo re comes o ld Manoa in such ha steWi th youthful s teps ? Much l ivel ier than erewh i leHe seems : suppos ing here to find h i s son

O r of h im bringing to us some g lad newsMan. Peace w i th you, breth ren ! My inducement

h i therWas notat p resent here to find my son

B y o rder of the lords new parted henceTo come and p lay befo re them at thei r feast.I hea rd a l l as I came ; the c i ty r ings ,And numbers th i ther flock : I had no w i l l

Lest I should see h im fo rced to th ing s unseem ly.But tha t wh ich moved my com ing now wa s ch ieflyTo g ive ye part w i th me wha t ho pe I haveWi th good success to work his l iberty.

Cl zor . Tha t hope would much rejo ice us topartakeWi th thee. Say, reverend s ire ; we th irst to hea r.Man. I have a t temp ted

,one by one

,the lo rds

E i ther at home,or th rough the h i gh street pass ing

Wi th supp l ica t ion p rone and fa ther ’s tears,

To accep t of ransom for my son, thei r p r isoner. 1460

Some much averse I found , and wondrous ha rsh ,Con temp tuous

,p roud

,set on revenge and Sp i te

Tha t partmos t reverenced Dagon and h is pr iestsO thers mo re modera te seem ing , but their a imPr iva te reward

,for wh ich bo th God and S ta te

They eas i ly would setto sa le : a th irdMore generous far and c i v i l

,who confessed

They had enough revenged,having reduced

Thei r foe to m isery benea th thei r fea rsThe rest wa s magnanim i ty to remi t ,If some convenient ransom were p ropo sed .

Wha t no i se or shout was tha t ? I t tore the sky.

Cli or . D oubtless the peop le shout ing to beho ldTheir once grea t dread , cap t i ve and bl ind before them ,

Mercy of Heaven wha t h ideous no ise was tha tH orr ibly loud

,unl ike the former shout .

G/zor . No ise ca l l you i t , or uni versa l grgan,As if the who le inhab i ta t ion per ished ?Blood

,dea th

,and dea thful deeds

,are in tha t no i se

Ruin,destruct ion atthe utmost po int .

Man. Of ruin indeed methough t I heard the no ise.

Oh i t cont inues they have s la in my son.

Ckor . Thy son is ra ther s lay ing them '

: tha t outcryFrom s laughter of one foe could not a scend.

Man. Some disma l acc i dent i t needs mus t be.

Wha t sha l l we do fi s tay here,or run and see ? a 152 0

Cnor . B es t keep together here,lest

,running th i ther

We unawa res run into danger’s mouth .

Th i s evi l on the Ph i l is t ines i s fa l len :

From whom could else a genera l c ry be hea rd ?The sufferers, then, w i l l scarce mo les t us hereFrom o ther hands we need notmuch to fea r.Wha t if

,h is eye

- s i gh t (for to I srael’s God

No th ing i s hard) by m ira cle resto red ,He now be dea l ingdo le among h is foes ,And over heaps of s laughtered wa lk h i s way ?Man. Tha t were a joy p resump tuous to be

thoughtC/zor . YetGod ha th wrough t th ings a s incred ib le

For h is peop le of o ld ; wha t h inders now ?Al an. He can

,I know

,but doubt to th ink he w i l l ;

Yet hope would fa in sub scribe, and temp ts bel ief.A l i t tle s ta y w i l l br ing some not i ce h i ther .Gnor . Of good or bad so grea t

,of bad the sooner ;

For evi l news r ides post,wh i le good news ba i ts .

And to our w ish I see one h i ther SpeedingAn Ebrew,

as I guess,and of our tr ibe. 1540

M essenger . O,wh i ther sha l l I run, or whi ch way fly

The s ight of th is so ho rr id spectacl e,Wh ich ers t my eyes beheld, and yet beho ld

S A M S O N A G O N I S T E S . 14 1

For dire imagina t ion st i l l pursues me.

But p rovidence or inst inct of na ture seems,

O r rea son,though disturbed and sca rce consul ted ,

To have gu ided me a r i gh t,I know nothow

To thee first,reverend Manoa

,and to these

My countrymen,whom here I knew rema in ing

A s at some dis tance from the p lace of ho rro r,

So in the sad event too much concerned .

Man. The a cc ident wa s loud,and here befo re thee

Wi th rueful cry ; yetwha t i t was we hea r not.NO p refa ce needs thou seest we long to know.

Mess . I t would burst forth but I recover brea th,

And sense dist ract,to know wel l wha t I utter .

l ll an. Tel l us the sum the c ircum s tance defer.Mess . Ga za yetstands buta l l her sons a re fa l len

Al l in a moment overwhelmed and fa l len.

Man. Sad ! but thou know’st to I srael i tes '

saddest 1560

The deso la t ion of a host i le c i ty .

Mess. Feedonthatfi rst; theremay in gr ief be surfei t.Man. Rela te by whom .

B y Samson.

Man. Tha t S t i l l lessensThe so rrow

,and converts i t ni gh to joy .

Mess . Ah ! Manoa,I refra in too suddenl y

To utter wha t w i l l come at la s t too soon,

Lest ev i l t id ings,w i th too rude i rrup t ion

H i t t ing thy aged ear,should p ierce too deep .

M an. Suspense in news i s torture speak them out.

Mess . Then take the worst i n br ief : Samson is

dead . 1570

Man. Theworstindeed O,a l l my hope

’s defea tedTo free h im hence ! but Dea th

,who set s a l l free

Ha th pa id h is ransom now and ful l di scha rge.

Wha t w indy joy th i s day had I concei ved ,Hopeful o f h is del ivery

,w h ich now p roves

Abort ive as the first- born bloom o f sp r ingN iptw i th the lagging rear of w inter

’s frost !

Yet. ere I give the reins to g rief, say firstHow d ied he ; dea th to l ife is crown or shame.

Al l by h rm fel l,thou sa y ’s t ; by whom fel l he ?

Wha t g lor ious hand gave Samson h is dea th ’s wound ?Mess . Unwounded of his enem ies h e fel l .Man. Wea ried -w i th s laugh ter

, then, or how? exp lain .

M ess. By h is own hands ..Man. Self- vio lence ! Wha t cause

B rough t h im so soon at variance wi th h imselfAmong h is foes ?Mess . I nevi table cause

At once bo th to dest roy and be destro yed .

The edifice, where a l l were metto see h im,

Upon their heads and on h i s own he pu l led.

Man. O la st ly over- S t rong aga inst thyself ! 1590

A dreadful way thou took’

stto thy revenge.

Mo re than enough we know ; but, wh i le th ings yetAre in confus ion

,give us

,if thou canst

Eye-w i tness of wha t firs t or la st was done,

Relat ionmore pa rt i cula r and di st inct .Mess . O cca s ions drew me early to th i s c i ty ‘

And,as the ga tes I entered w i th sunrise

The morning trumpet s fest i va l p rocla imedThrough each h i gh street . L i t t le I had dispatched

When a l l abroad was rumoured tha t th i s day 1600

Samson should be brought forth, to Show the peop le

Proof of h i s m i ghty S t reng th in fea ts and games .I sorrowed at h i s cap t ive s ta te

,butm inded

Notto be absent at tha t spectacle.

The bui lding was a spa c ious thea tre,Ha lf round on two ma in p i l lars vaul ted h i gh ,Wi th sea ts where a l l the lords

,and each degree

Of sort , m i ght s i t in o rder to beho ld ;The o ther s ide was open

,where the throng,

Th i s uttered , stra ining a l l h is nerves,he bowed ;

As w i th the force of w inds and wa ters pentWhen mounta ins t remble, those two massy p i l larsWi th horr ible convuls ion to and fro

He tugged,he shook

,t i l l down they came

,and drew 1650

The who le roof after them w i th burs t of thunderUpon the heads of a l l wh o sat benea th

Lo rds,ladies

,cap ta ins

,counsel lo rs

,or p r iests ,

Thei r cho ice nob i l i t y and flower,not only

Of th i s , but each Ph i l i st ian ci ty round,

Met from a l l parts to so lemni ze th is feast .Sam son

,w i th these imm ixed

,inevi tably

Pul led down the same destruct ion on h imself ;The vulgar only scaped

,who s tood w i thout .

Cl zor . O dearly bough t revenge, yetg lorious I 1660

L iv ing or dying thou hast fulfi l ledThe wo rk for wh ich thou wa st foreto ldTo I srael , and now l ies t vi cto r iousAmong th y S la in self- ki l ledNot w i ll ing ly

,but tangled in the fo ld

Of d i re Necess i ty,whose l aw in dea th conjo ined

Thee w i th thy s laughtered foes , in number mo reThan a l l thy l ife had s la in before.

S emz'

el i or . Wh i le thei r hearts were jocund and

subl ime,

D runk iv ith ido la t ry,drunk w i th w ine

And fat rego rged Of bul ls and goa ts,

Chaunt ing thei r ido l,and p referr ing

B efo re our l i v ing D read,who dwel l s

In S i lo,h i s br i ght sanctuary

Among them he a sp ir i t of ph renzy sent,

Who hurt thei r m inds ,And urged them on w i th mad des ireTo ca l l in has te for thei r des t ro yer .They,

only set on spo r t and p lay,

Unweet ingly importuned

Thei r own destruct ion to come speedy upon them .

SO fond are morta l men,

Fa l len into wra th divine,

As thei r own ruin on themselves to invi te,Insensa te left , or to sense rep roba te,And w i th bl indness interna l s t ruck .

S em io/i or . Buthe, though bl ind of s i gh t,

Desp ised,and thought ext ingu ished qui te

Wi th inward eyes i l lum ina ted,

H i s fiery v irtue rousedFrom under a shes into sudden flame

And as ) an evening dragon came,

Assa i lant on the perched roo s tsAnd nests in o rder rangedOf tame vi l la t ic fowl

,but as an eag le

H is cloudless thunder bo l ted on their heads.So V i rtue, given for lo s t,Dep ressed and overthrown

,as seemed

Like tha t self- bego tten b ird,

In the Arab ian woods embost ,Tha t no second knows nor th ird

And l ay erewh i le a ho locaust,

From outher ashy womb now teemed,

Revi ves,reflourishes , then vigorous most

When mos t unact ive deemed ;And

,though her body die

,h er fame survives

A secular b i rd,ages of l ives .

M an. Come,come ; no t ime for lamenta t ion now

Nor much more cause. Sam son ha th qu i t h imselfL ike Samson

,and hero icly ha th finished 17 10

A l ife hero ic,on h is enem ies

Full y revenged— ha th left them yea rs Of mourningAnd lamenta t ion to the sons of Caph to rTh rough a l l Ph i l is t ian bounds ; to I sraelHonour ha th left and freedom

,l etbut them

Find courage to l ay ho ld on th i s o ccas ionVOL . I I I .

To h imself and fa ther’s house eterna l fame

And,wh ich i s best and happ iest yet, a l l th is

Wi th God not parted from h im,as was fea red

But favour ing and ass ist ing to the end.

No th ing is here for tears,no th ing to wa i l

O r kno ck the breast no weakness,no contemp t

Disp ra i se,o r blame noth ing butwel l and fa i r

And wha t may quiet us in a dea th so noble.

Let us go find the body where i t l iesSoaked in h is enem ies’ blood

,and from the s tream

With lavers pure,and cleans ing herbs

,wash Off

The clo t ted go re. I,wi th wha t speed the wh i le

(Gaz a is not in p l i ght to say us nay) ,Wi l l send for a l l my kindred , a l l my fr iends ,To fet ch h im hence

,and so lemnly a t tend

Wi th s i lent ob sequy and funera l t ra in,

Home to h is fa ther’s house. There w i l l I bui ld h imA monument

,and p lant i t round wi th shade

Of laurel ever green and branch ing pa lm,

Wi th a ll h i s troph ies hung,and acts enro l led

In co p ious legend,or sweet lyr ic song.

Th i ther sha l l al l the va l iant youth resort,

And from h ismemo ry inflame their breast sTo ma t ch less va lour and adventures h ighThe vi rgins a l so sha l l

,on feastful days

Visit‘

his tomb w i th flowers,only bewa i l ing

H i s l otunfortuna te i n nup t ia l cho ice,

From whence cap t i v i ty and loss of eyes .

Gnor . A l l is best,though we oft doubt

Wha t the unsea rchable di sposeOf H ighest Wisdom br ings about

And ever best found in the clo se.

OftHe seems to h ide his face,

But unexpectedly returns,

And to h is fa i thful champ ion ha th in p laceBore w i tness glo r iously ; whence Ga za mourns ,

E S SAY O N M I L

EN G L A D VE R S I F I CAT IO N .

152 M I LT O N ’S E N G L I S H :

Saxon stock, and wha t o f words derived from the La tin 01

o ther non Saxon sources tha t have contr ibuted to our

ma tured and composi te Engl ish . In the vocabulary of theEngl ish Bible, ” says Mr. Marsh in his Lectures on t/ze

E ngl is/i Language,“six ty per cent are na t ive ; in tha t o f

Shakespeare the propor t ion is very nearly the same wh i leo f the stock of wo rds employed in the poet ica l works o f

Mi l ton less than th i r ty - th ree per cent are Anglo - Saxon.

o ther wo rds,wh i le about two - fi fths of Shakespea re’s vocabu

lary , or about 6000 wo rds outof the to ta l wh ich heuses

,are of non- Saxon der iva t ion, the nom Saxon element in

Mi l ton’s poet ica l vocabulary amounts to abou t two - th irds, orto about 5300 wo rds out of the to ta l 8000 . Mi l ton’sdraugh t upon the La t in and o ther so - ca l led foreign ”

const i tuents o f our speech for the purposes of his poetrywould thus appear to have been rela tively , but not abso

l utel y, larger than Shakespeare’

s. But the propo rt ions of

the Saxon ”and the “

non- Saxon ”elements in a wri ter’s

to ta l vocabula ry by no means indica te the proport ions of thesame elements in h is hab itua l style. The vocabulary givesthe words as lying in the wri ter ’s cab inet for use ; but in

actua l speech or wr i t ing some words are in such constant demand tha t they are cont inua l ly being taken outof the cabinetand putback aga in, wh i le o thers are notca l led outmore thanonce o r twice in a yea r, or in a who le l i terary l ifet ime. In

o rder, therefo re, to ascer ta in the propo r tion of Teutonic and

non-Teutonic in a wr i ter ’s hab i tua l s tyle,a very different

plan must be adopted from tha t o f merely counting the

Teutonic and non-Teutonic wo rds in h is vocabulary. Spec imens of different length mus t be taken from h is text ; and

every wo rd in these Specimens must be counted, not once

only, butevery t ime tha t i t o ccurs. Of var ious cr i t ics whohave applied th is method to the s tyles of the mo re importantEngl ish wr i ters

,no one has taken grea ter pa ins than Mr.

Ma rsh ; and the resul t of his invest iga t ions has been to set

aside some previous concep tions on the subject . He finds,for example, tha t even in the last century ,

when the style of

our wr i ters was h igh ly La tini zed, the propo rtion of Saxon tonon- Saxon wo rds in any extensive and cha racterist ic passagefrom the wri tings of the best authors very rarely fa l ls benea th70 per cent

,—Swift , in one Essay , fa l l ing as l ow as 68 per

cent, but usua l ly ranging higher ; and j ohnson’

s proport ion

H I S V O CA B U LARY. 153

being 72 per cent, Gibbon’

s 70 per cent , and Hume’

per cent. He finds, mo reover , tha t, in spi te of the addi tionsto our Dic t ionary since tha t t ime, ma inly of wo rds fromnon - Teutonic sources, the proport ion of Teutonic in the

style of our bes t -known wri ters o f the present century hasr isen ra ther than fa l len. Macaulay he ra tes at 75 per cent ,and o ther recent prose-wr i ters atabout the same, wh i le fromexaminat ions of long passages in Tennyson, Browning , andLongfel low,

i t actua l ly appears tha t the propor tion of Saxonin our poetry is hardly less at th is day than i t was in the

six teenth and seventeenth centur ies or even earl ier. ThusTennyson’

s Lotus E a iers yields 8 7 per zent of Saxon, andhi s In Memoriam 89 per cent ; Browning

5 figure 15 84 per

cent, and Longfel low’s 8 7 per cent ; wh i le Spenser, from the

exam inat ion of a Canto , i s ra ted at8 6 per cent, Shakespeareat from 8 8 to 9 1 per cent , and even Chaucer only once

reaches 93 per cent , and is usua l ly nea rer 8 9 or 90.

Mi l ton’s place in the l ist is assigned from these computat ions

as fo l lows

L ’A l legr o 90 per cent .

[ l Penseroso . 83 per cent .Pa radi se Lost, Book VI . 80 per cent .

From exam inat ions of var ious passages in P aradi se Lost,I

am incl ined to bel ieve tha t Mr. Marsh ’s est ima te of 80 per

cent of Saxon wo rds wi l l be found about r igh t for the who lepoem

,if, w i th h im, we a lways om i t the proper names in

count ing. In va rious passages of some length, counting the

proper names as wel l, I have found the average to come out

at about 75 per cent. But, just as the percentage of Saxonwo rds in Pa radise Lostis less than in l l Penseroso and much

less than in L ’A l legro, so wi th in Paradise L ost

‘ i tself the ra tevari es acco rding to the poet’s mood and the na ture of h is

ma tter atpa rticular moments. Passages may be h it on, or

may be selected,—and not those only wh ich abound in

proper names,—where the percentage of Saxon fa l ls as lowas 70 or lower . The princ ip le, in sho r t , is tha t i t dependson the l /zonglz i of a wr i ter in any part icular passage, on the

class of fi l ings and notions wi th wh ich he is there concerningh imself, whether the expression Sha l l show mo re or less o f

the Saxon.

There is one way in wh ich a perfect verba l index to a

wr iter m ight be made a most impor tant key to h is mind. It

might be no ted notonly that a wo rd did occur , buta lso frommany times i t occurred ; and from the rela tive degrees of

frequency thus no ted in the occurrence of wo rds instruct iveinferences migh t be drawn. The frequency or infrequencyof a wo rd in any wri ter depends on a composi t ion o f causes.

Some objects and no tions are, in their na ture, so muchnearer or eas ier than o thers to the human apprehens ion ingenera l that the wo rds deno t ing them, or assoc ia ted wi ththem,

may fa irly be expected to occur in any wr i ter w ith thecor responding grea ter degree of frequency . Al l men, for

example, th ink more frequent ly of fi re than of the z odiac.

Aga in, the const i tut iona l bent of an indivi dua l wri ter , thepreva lent direct ion of his thoughts , and the na ture of h is

theme o r purpose at any particular t ime, occasion a morethan average frequency of recourse to certain wo rds and

classes of wo rds. For example, one would expect the wo rds,God, gr andeur , eternity , and the l ike, more frequent ly in themouths and the wri t ings of some men than of o thers, forinherent const i tut iona l reasons ; such words as lesion,

fracture, tissue, gas , pressure, piston,invoice, snares, noun,

dipfitl i ong, mo re frequent ly in the thoughts , and therefore inthe talk, of certa in classes of persons than of o thers , for merereasons of profession or habi tua l occupa t ion ; and, for

reasons wh ich may be as easi ly discerned, the wo rds angel s

and lzea '

z/en oftener in P aradi se Lost than in most o therpoems. In the th ird place, the mere form of a par t icula rwo rk may be such as to preclude

,or at leas t discourage, the

use in i t of words perfect ly wel l -known to the wri ter and

used by h im on o ther occasions. There are words, forexample, wh ich , from their pronuncia t ion or structure, aswel l as from thei r intel lectua l associa t ions, wi l l notso readi lybe brough t into verse as into prose. Last ly, a wo rd wh ichis common now may have been far less common ata fo rmerperiod in the h is to ry of the language, so tha t , though it isoccas iona l l y to be found in a wr i ter of tha t per iod, i t is not

found so Often as we should expect from the na tur e of its

meaning.A tho rough applica t ion of these remarks to the vocabu

l aries of Shakespea re and Mi l ton would yield curious resul ts.

A s respects Mi l ton, an indica t ion or two must here suffice.

—j ust as, from the mere sta tement tha t Mi l ton’s poetica l

Passing from words used onl y once to those used twice,

ibr ice, o r seldom, we might have in th is c lass a lso a l ist ofhundreds. Hence, aga in, we m igh t r ise to the clas s of

occas z'

ona lbz - used wo rds ; hence aga in to wo rds used prettyfrequently ; and hence aga in to those occurr ing very fre

quently . In th is last class I have no ted such words as

these z—Adam , a i r , a l l , a lone, age, angel , a rms, battle, beam,

beast, beauty , better , bi rtb, blacb, bl iss, bold, br igbt, br ing,ca l l

,cause, celestia l

,cbange, cl oud, come, command,

create,da rbness

,day , deatb , deep, delnt

,divine, doubt, dread,

ea rtb , end, enemy ,equa l , eterna l , eye, fa ir , fa itb , fa l l , fa l se,

far , fate, fat/zer , fear ,fi eld,fi erce,fi nd,fi re, fl rm ,fi rst,fl ower ,foe, force, foul , f ree, fru it, fi cl l , ga rden, gentle, give, gl ory ,

glor ious, go, God, gol d, good, gr ace, great, green, grove,

ground, band, bappy , bard, bead, bate, bea rt, [ feaven, Hel l ,

belp, bigl i , b i l l , boly , bonour , bope, bost, bour , buman, i l l ,immorta l , j oy , j ust, [ ( ing, bnow,

bnowl edge, l and, large, l ast,l aw

,lead, l ife, l igbt, long, Lord, l ost, loud, l ove, low,

mabe,man,

migbt, mi ld, mind, moon, morn, morta l , move, mount

and mounta in, name, nature, new, nnt, ol d, pa in, Pa radise,part, past, peace, p lace, power , pra i se, pr ide, pure, race,

reason, reign , rest, rnt, r i se, sacred, sad, Satan, say , sea ,

seat, see, seem, sense, serpent, serve, sbame, side, s in, sing, sit,soft, son, song, sby , sleep, solemn, sorrow, sou l , sound, speab,spi r it, stand, star , state, strengtb, sun, sure, sweet, tbing,tbinb

,tboug/zt, tbrone, time, tree, true, trutb , va in,

v i rtue,voice, wa lb, wa r , water , way , wel l , wide, wi ld, wi l l , wind,wing, w i se, woe, woman ,

wonder , wood, word, worb, wor ld.

Notonly some of the verbs buta lso some of the nouns and

adject ives in th is l ist occur so very often (E a rtb , Heaven,

God, man, bn , free, good, fa i r , gl ory , bappy ,l a rge, l ove,

ba rd, soft, new,

ol d, tbing, eye, and deatb , are examples) that

they may be registered as next in frequency to those merepa rticles and auxi l iaries—and

, tbe,but

,not, to, for , f rom,

we, our , tbei r , tbat, wbicb , cou ld,did, w i l l , i s, a re

tbougb , on, ever , etc. eta—wh ich are sca t tered innumerab lyover the pages of every wri ter .One quest ion mo re respect ing Mi l ton’

s vocabulary in his

poems. Is any propo r t ion of i t obso lete ? On the who le,whether from the judic iousness wi th wh ich Mi l ton chose

wo rds that had a strong fo rce of vi ta l i ty in them , or fromthe power of such a wri ter to confer future popular i ty on the

S P E LL I N G AN D PRO N U N C I AT I O N . 157

wo rds adopted by him ,the number o f wo rds in Mi l ton’

poems tha t are now obso lete, or even a rch a ic, is singular lysma l l . Mr. Marsh’s est ima te on th is subjec t is tha t

,wh i le

about five or six hundred o f Shakespeare’s words ha ve goneoutof currency or changed their meaning, there are notmo rethan a hundred of Mi l ton’s words in his poetry wh ich are

notas fami l iar at th is day as in tha t of the poet h imself.Th is I bel ieve to be a substant ial ly co rrect est ima te ; for,though I have no ted upwards of 1 50 words inMi lton

’s poems

tha t are mo re or less outof common use now, a good manyo f these have been used by recent poets

,and there is no poet

of the present day who would notuse some of the o thers ifthey occur red to h im, or would notfeel himself at l iber ty toinvent sim i larly unusua l wo rds for h imself. The indisputablyobso lete wo rds of the l ist are few and of these some seem

to have been invent ions of M i l ton’s ea r for the moment , not

intended to last .

I I . SPELL ING AND PRONUNC IAT ION.

Mi lton’s spel l ing, whether by his own hand in his manu

scrip ts, or through his printers in the o rigina l edit ions of

his poems, was very much the spel l ing of his day. Acco rdingly, one of its most ma rked character istics was va riabi l i tyor want of unifo rmi ty . There was no no t ion of a uniformi tyof Engl ish spel l ing in those days. Wi th in a certa in range,every author or printer m ight spel l as he l iked,—the cho icebetween a longer and a sho rter form of spel l ing oftendetermined in the case of a printer by the number of typeshe could getin atthe end of a l ine and so autho r differedfrom autho r , printer from printer, autho rs from printers,~—nay ,the same autho r or printer from h imself yesterday or twom inutes ago . Further (and th is is especia l ly impo rtant ) , i tis found, on exam inat ion, that th is var iabi l i ty o r want of

unifo rm ity in the spel l ing of English manuscripts and booksin Mi l ton’

s t ime affects ch iefly and precisely those spel l ingsthat difier from ours, and tha t , in a lmost every sucb case

our presentspel l ing was a ctua l ly used as one of tbe va r iations ,and bad its c/zance in tbc competition. A few examples wi l lmake th is clea rer —( I ) Fa i re, va ine, soone, urne, doe, beepe,tooke, crowne, decpc, ru ine

, for l orne, goddesse, w ith a rmes ,

a i res, dayes, are a group of words i l lustrat ing the frequency ofthe s i lent e fina l in the o rigina l editions ofMi l ton, as in o thero l d Engl ish books, in cases where we have now dropt i t.Wel l , without much search , I find, in the MSS . and printededi tions of Mi l ton, these a l terna t ives,—fa ir , va in, soon, urn,

do,beep, toob, crown, deep, ru in, for l orn , goddess and goddes,

a rms, a irs, days . The wo rd urn occurs butonce inMi l ton’s

poetry (Ly cid. 2 0) and in the edit ion of 164 5 i t is printedurn

, whi le Mi l ton’s MS . gives urne. (2 ) Take nex t a groupof words exempl ifying the omission of the fina l e where weinsert i t , viz —fa l s , vers , el s, l eavs , tast, bast. For thesefo rms I find easi ly our present fa l se, verse, el se, leaves, taste,baste. The wo rd ta stemay be prosecuted more particularly.In the o rigina l edit ion of Pa radise Lost the second l ine of

the poem is dist inct ly p rinted, Of tha t Fo rb idden Tree,whose morta l tas t.” So in Sonnet XX. , as fi rst printed in1673,

“ Of Att ic tast, wi th wine.

”So a lso twice in the

plura l ; Of al l tasts else to pleas e th i r appet i te ” —P. L .

V I I . 49 , and Wi th S ion’s songs, to a l l t rue tasts excell ing.

—P. R , I V . 34 7. Hence some have argued tha t the wordtaste in Mi l ton’

s t ime must have been pronounced tast, l ikelastor past. But that the inference was hasty and i l legitimate would have been seen if the wo rd had been tracedth rough o ther passages. Four t imes, as we have seen, i t istastor tasts buti t occurs sixty -two times in a l l in the poetry,as noun or verb , and in fifty

- eight of these cases with our

o rdina ry spel l ing taste. (3) In wha t may be ca l led the yand ie group there is l ikewise instabi l i ty ; for I find star ryas wel l as sta r r ie, maj esty as wel l as maj estie, and our presentfo rms gu i lty ,

bappy , fly , cry ,descry , as wel l as g ui ltie, bapp ie,

fl ie, er z'

e, descr ie. Thus, I have traced every occurrence of

gu i lty in the poems, wi th th is resul t : in the 1645 edi t ion of

the Mino r Poems i t occurs butonce, and then in our presentform gu i lty ; in Pa radi se L ost i t occurs five t imes, and i s

a lways spelt gui ltie in the fi rst edition ; in the second or

1673 edi t ion o f the Mino r Poems i t occurs twice, and eacht ime wi th a relapse into the fo rm g ui lty . So , on the o therhand

,wh i le we have ay r , voyce, tyme, tyger , lye, poy son, ycie,

andj ubi ly , these wo rds come up also in thei r mo re fam i l iarfo rms as a ir , voice, time, tiger , l ie, poison, i ce, and j ubi lee.The word j ubi l ee occurs th ree t imes, once as j ubi ly (Sol .Mus . once as j ubi lee (P. L ,

111. and once asj ubi l ie

160 M I LT O N ’ S E N G L I S H :

a lways spel t vertue or vertu and vertuous, as was common inMi l ton’

s t ime ; but v irtue does occur (e.g. P. K , I I . 4 3 1 ,and v i rtua l , wh ich occurs but twice, is bo th t imes so .

He has the odd form ar ies at least once for ar ise, though thela tter is normal w ith him . The word r ime, though spel tso in the prose preface to P ar . Lost, is spel t once rbyme in

the poet ry (Lye. 1 and rbime in the only o ther case wherei t occurs there (P . L ,

I . We have die and di’d for

co lour ” and co loured but, to make up , there is a sl iponce or twice into dye and dy

’d for our verb of mo rta l i ty.

P l owman occurs twice, and each t ime in tha t form ; but in

the MS . of the Sonnetto Cromwel l we havep lougb’d. Bougb

and bougbs or bougbes are norma l in the text, butonce at leastthere is bowes. The adject ive fou l , for “

unclean,” wh ich

is a frequent word, occurs in Pa r . Lost first as fowl (I .and the very nex t t ime (I . 135) as fou l . The wo rd fl oweris very unstab le. I find i t, in the singular, in no fewer thansix fo rms,

—fl ower , fl owr ,fl owre,fl our ,fl oure, andfl ouer and

i t is about the same in the plura l. Sim i larly we have tower inth ree forms,—tower , towre, towr (a l l three forms occurringwi th in eigh t l ines of each o ther , P . L . , X I I. 44 and

so w i th sbower , bea r , and o ther sim i la r wo rds. Sei ze he

spel ls four ways , —seiz e, siez e, sease, seise. (7 ) As a pro

miscuous assemblage of examples of occasiona l consonanta lspel l ings different from ours, take war r , dinn, l ipps, morta l l ,celesti a l l

, fa itbful l , musica l l , committ, compel l ,fa rewel , mattin,

sol lcmne, etc. On turning the leaves these are easi ly founda lso as wa r , din, l ips, morta l , celestia l

, fi zitbful , musi ca l ,commit, compel s, farewel l , matin, solemn, etc. So endles,

dar l enes, sweetnes , etc. , are found a lso as endless, da rbness ,

sweetness, etc. (r ipenesse in Sonnet I I I . in Mi l ton’s own MS .

appear ing as r ipenes in the same when printed under h is owneye) music/e, maj estic/é, etc. ,

are found a lso as music,maj estic, etc. l ine/eed is found a lso as l inbed ; sulfi crous assu lpburous. Patr iar/e andpatr ia rcb are found in two con

secutive pages (P . L ,X I I . I 17 - 15 1 ) murtberer is found, but

a lso murder , and murd’rous cbry sta l and cbry sta l l , buta lso

cry sta l ; autor ity , buta lso autbor ity and autbor itie.

Ample proof has now been furnished, not only of the

genera l fact tha t Mi l ton’s spel l ing , l ike the spel l ing of mosto f h is contempo ra ries , was unstable and var iab le, buta lso of

the mo re specia l fact tha t , in the cases where he varied his

S PE LL I N G A N D PR O N U N C I AT I O N . 16 1

spel l ing , i t was mos t frequently a mere acc ident , a mere turno f the wr ist

,whether he should give us a spel l ing tha t we

now th ink odd or the one now adopted and autho rised. In

fact , though we have used the ph rase “ Mi l ton’

s spel l ing ,”

i t is impossible to say wha t Mi l ton’

s spel l ing rea l ly was.There is an extant mass o f his own manuscr ip t, conta iningthe drafts of a por t ion of h is earl ier Engl ish Poems. There,cer ta inly, so far as the mass goes, we bave Mi l ton

’s own

spel l ing. But then the spel l ing there differs in numberlesspar t iculars from the spel l ing o f the same pieces when printedin 164 5. The spel l ing in the vo lume of tha t yea r may be

ca l led Mi l ton’s own too , inasmuch as he had then the use o f

h is eyesight , and i t is to be taken for granted tha t he revisedthe proofs. But wh ich is most Mi l ton’

s spel l ing ,—tha t ofthe MSS . so far as they go , or tha t of the printed vo lume ?

Far ther, for a l l the la ter poetry , including Pa r adi se Lost,Pa radise Rega ined, and Samson Agoni stes , we have nei thera spell ing setup by the printers from M i l ton’s own manu

script , nor a spel l ing passed by Mi l ton’s persona l revision

after the printers, butonly the discordant spel l ings of differentprinters, setup from the disco rdant spel l ings of no one knows

how many different amanuenses to whom a b l ind man had

dicta ted, and revised of course notby the b l ind man h imself,but only by the readers of the printing offices, or by fr iendsreading the proofs a loud for h is benefi t, w i th perhaps a sho tof correct ion now and then from h is own mouth when h is

quick ear detected anyth ing wrong. The spel l ing of the

Fi rst Book of Paradise L ost in the o rigina l edi t ion differsincessant ly from tha t of the same Book in the preservedMS .

copy in the hand of an amanuensis from wh ich the printerssetup the tex t. In the very first page we find bl i ssfi cl seat

in the printed edi t ion subst i tuted for bl issfu l l seate in the

press - copy,morta l for morta l l , l oss for l osse, broob for broobe,

soar for soa re, pursues for persues, cbiefly for cbeifly , da rb

for da rbe, etc.

Suppose that , in th is abso lute impossib i l i ty of gett ing at aspel l ing for the poems th roughout tha t could in any sense

be ca l ledMi l ton’s own spel l ing, there were to be a rough

vo te tha t the spel l ing of the origina l printed edit ions, just asi t is, migh t pass for Mi l ton’s. Wha t , even wi th that v io lentso lut ion of the difficu l ty

,ough t to be the po l icy in a modern

edit ion of the poems ? Apar t from the interest tha t m igh tVO l I l l .

162 M I LT O N ’S E N G L I S H '

a t tach to an exact o rthograph ic reprint of the original edi t ionsrega rded as a b ibl iograph ica l cur iosi ty, the so le purpose i twould serve would be to exh ib i t tha t very phenomenon of

v a r iabi l ity of spel l i ng wh ich we have been i l lustra t ing. But,in view o f a l l else tha t we expect and requi re in a modernedi t ion o f Mi l ton, would i t be wor th wh i le to refabr icate a

co l lective edi t ion of the poems expressly to exh ibi t the

phenomenon of the var iabi l i ty , in Mi l ton’

s case as in o thers,of the seventeenth century spel l ing,—nay, not its var iab i l i tyonly , but its reasonless fiutter ings round and round our

present spel l ing , wi th constant returns to it , and an evidentdisposi t ion to po ise upon i t fina l ly ? Because Mi l ton’

o rigina l edi tions give usfl ower , buta lso five varia t ions fromi t, fl o wr , fl owre

, fl ou r , fl oure, andfl ouer , did he mean to tie

down h is readers in a l l t ime com ing to the sextuple spel l ingra ther than the single ? At the utmost , would he nothaveasked, in the interest ofthe h isto ry ofEnglish o r thography , thatthe fact tha t the sex tuple spel l ingwas a l lowed inhis day shouldbe remembered in a foo tno te or the l ike, begging poster i tyatthe same t ime to fix h im to one o f the spel l ings in the

tex t if they found reason for i t , on the s ingle condi t ion tha tthey should not tamper atany po int w i th sound or meaning,vocable or metre ? In sho rt , does notcommon sense dec idetha t a modern edi t ion of Mi l ton’

s Poems for genera l useough t to consist

,l ike our copies of the autho rised English

Bible, or our standard edi t ions of Bacon and Shakespeare,of the most authent ic tex t from the o r igina l edi t ions spel t inconformi ty wi th our present or thography, excep t in cases

where an a rchaic fo rm ough t to be preserved for some

etymo logica l or phonet ic significance wh ich our presentspel l ing would concea l ?

Are there any pecul iari t ies of Mi lton’s spel l ing wh ich are

rea l ly significant, and ough t therefo re to be ei ther (I ) no ted,

or (2 ) preserved There are, and we proceed to takeaccount of theseMee, bee, sbee, wee, y ee.

—Tha t Mi lton had an intent ion inspel l ing these pronouns somet imes wi th a single e and some

t imes w i th a double may be inferred from the fact tha t , inthe Erra ta prefixed to the fi rst edi t ion of Par . Lost, he

di rects the wo rd we in Book I I . 4 14 to be changed into wee.On turning to the passage

,i t is seen tha t the reason was

that the word we there has to be pronounced empha t ica l ly.

twice wi th the l (Com . 660,and P . L . , I V . and once

w ithout i t (P. P . , I V . A s the proper word is a labaster,

and is as o l d as Chaucer in tha t fo rm, the insertion of the l

was buta tempo rary freak .

Perfet and l mperfet Verdit.—The word perfect occursthi r ty - one t imes in ' the poetry, th ir ty t imes as the adject ive,and only once as the verb (P . L . , X I . In elevenoccurrences of the adject ive the spel l ing is perfect, as now ;

in the rema ining nineteen occurrences of the adjec tive, and

in the single occurrence of the verb , the spel l ing is perfet.The spel l ing perfect predomina tes in the Mino r Poems

o ccurr ing five t imes , wh i le perfet occurs buttw ice (Com. 2 03,Ly e. in the firs t two occurrences of the word in Pa r .

Lost i t is perfect (I . 550 , I I . but unifo rm ly th roughthe rest o f the poem , or si xteen t imes

,i t is pezjet; in Par .

Reg. i t occurs five t imes, w i th a relapse into perfect in thefirst four , buta return to perfetthe las t t ime (I V. 4 68 ) and

in Sams. Ag. i t occurs but once, and then in the formperj fs’t.The nega t ive adject ive occurs four times in a l l

,—three

t imes in Par . Lost, as imperfet (IX. 338 , 34 5, and X I I .and once as imperfect (Vac. E x . There seems

notthe least doub t , therefo re, tha t Mi lton preferred, at leastoccasiona l ly, the French fo rm (p arfa it, impa rfa it) to the

direct La t in (perfectus, imperfi ctus ) . The French fo rmindeed seems to have been the o lder ; for we have parfi t,parfi te, andpa rfi tly in our tex ts of Chaucer. Al l in a l l , as

Mi l ton’s osci l la t ion between the two fo rms is cur ious , bo th

migh t have been kep t in the tex t ; but, i f there is to be

uniform i ty, the predominance ofperf ect in the Mino r Poems,

the set t ing out wi th i t in Pa r . Lost, and the return to i t inPa r . P eg ,

co - opera te in its favour w i th present custom .

There are no such reasons addi t iona l to present custom in

the simi lar case of the French fo rm verdit for verdict.

Mi l ton has the word twice only (S . A . 32 4 , 12 2 8 ) and in

bo th cases the or igina l gives verdit.

Sbow or sbew.—At present ei ther spel l ing of the wo rd is

legi t ima te, though sbow is the more common. There is

l i t t le doubt , however , that sbew is the mo re ancient spel l ing,

tha t the wo rd was pronounced correspondingly (l ike sboe) ,and tha t the Spel l ing sbow came in w i th the fix ing of pro

nunciation to our present pract ice. I t is, acco rdingly, 3

very interest ing wo rd in Mi l ton. I f I am r igh t in my

S PE L L I N G A N D PRO N U N C I AT I O N . 165

count ing , it~occurs seventy - two t imes in a l l in h is poetry,

fourteen t imes as the noun, singula r o r plura l , and fifty- eigh t

t imes as the verb in var ious forms, inc luding the pastpar ticip le. Now , out of these seventy - two t imes, we ha vethe c wspel l ing fifty - eigh t t imes, and the ow spel l ing four teent imes. In each of these cases of the ow spel l ing i t may , of

course, stand ; and, indeed, in Sonnet XX I . 1 2 , A re. 79 ,Ps . CX IV. 5, i t must stand, on account of the rhymes there(sbow—bnow sbow—go and sbown~bnown ) . There i sno doub t , therefo re, tha t the pronuncia t ion sbow was a lreadyfam i l iar . There is room for doubt, however , whether i t wasyetuniversa l . For, outof the fi fty

- eigh t instances of the ew

spel l ing, there are fi ve in wh ich tha t spel l ing m ight seem

essent ia l for the rhyme, vi z . [ l Pens. 17 1 (sbew rhym ingto dew) , Com. 5 1 (sbew rhym ing to true) , Ps . LXXXV. 2 6

(sbew rhym ing to rene w) , P s . LXXXVI . 54 (sbew aga inrhyming to true) , Sonnet I I . 4 (sbew

tb rhym ing to y outb ,

trutb , and indu’tb ) . In these places, at a l l events, the ew

spel l ing ough t to stand.

Tbe word “ Rol l,

”and its sympbonies

—The wo rd rol l

occurs th irty - eigh t t imes in the poetry , our present spel l ingappear ing only once among them,

in the fo rm r ol l’d,whi le

a l l the o ther th i r ty - seven t imes we have rowl , row le, rou l, or

r ou le, wi th rowl’d,roa ld, rowl ing, rou l ing, etc. Now ,

therecan be no doubt tha t Mi l ton knew and used our presentpronuncia tion of the words rol l , rol led. The single occurrenceo f the spel l ing r ol l

’d in the Piedmontese Sonnet would prove

th is, even i f the word did not rhyme there wi th cold, ol d, and

fold, spel t so . Bes ides wh ich , we ha ve the word enrol l fi ve

times in the poetry— twice, i t is t rue, as enrow le and inrou ld

(Ps. LXXXVI I . 2 3, and P . L . ,X I I . but th ree t imes

in the unm istakab le fo rms of enrol l’d (S . A . 653 , 1736 ) and

enr ol’d (S . A . The quest ion is

,however , whether ,

when the word occurs w i th the ow or on spel l ing , i t is a lwayso r ever to be pronounced as tha t spel l ing would now sugges t.In many cases , I can vouch , a reader of the or igina l edi t ions ,com ing on the spel l ings rawle, r aw l

,rou l , ro wl

’d, row/ing,

etc.,is tempted, par tly by the sigh t of such spel l ings, part ly

by a sense of the fi tness o f the sound they sugges t at theplaces where they occur , to w ish the spel l ings kep t, and our

pronuncia t ion adjusted to them e.g.

Reignd where these l - l eavn'

s now rowl . —P . L .,v 578 .

on each hand the flamesDrivn backwa rd slope the ir po int ing spires and row l d

In b illows , leave i ' th ’

m idst a horrid Va le.—P . L . , 1. 2 2 2

- 2 2 4.

Rowl d inward, and a Spac ious Gap disclos'd —P . L ., v 1. 861 .

Lay vanq u isht, row l ing in the fiery Gulfe .—P . L . ,

1. 52 .

And towards the Ga te roul ing her best ia l tra in.—P . L .

,11. 873 .

D id Mi l ton, in a l l these cases, or in any of them , intend thesound wh ich the spel l ing suggests to us ? The fo l lowingmigh t seem to decide the ma t ter

When atthe brook of K ishon old

They were repul stand sla in,AtEndor qu i te cutoff, and rowl

As dung'

upon the plai n.—P s . LXXX I I I . 37 -

Here rowl’d rhymes to old. But take ano ther passage

Letth’

enemy pursue my soulAnd overtake i t , l eth im treadMy l ife down to the ea rth and roulIn the dus t my glory dead,In the dus t and there out spreadLodge i t w ith dishonour foul ."—P s . VI I . 13

- 18 .

Wha t are we to do here Ei ther , keeping our modern pronunciations ofthe three rhyming wo rds, sou l , rol l , andfo ul , wemus t accep t the imperfect rhyme ; or, as there is no doubttha t our pronunc ia t ion of foul was a lso the o ld one, we

must ma k e the o ther two wo rds conform in sound to i t, andso read sowl

,r owl , fou l . I t may seem even comic to th ink

of the second a l terna t ive, and suppose tha t the pronuncia t ionssowl , ou l d, etc. ,

wh ich we hear occasiona l ly from the l ips o f

o l d I rish pensioners and the l ike, were accep ted pronunciations in Mi lton’

s days. But rea l ly the inquiry must taketha t range. I t includes such words as old, bold, col d, fold,tol d, contr ol , scrol l , etc. Ol d is one of Mi l ton’

s mostfrequent wo rds ; and

,though I canno t cer tify tha t I have

exam ined every occurrence of i t , I ha ve exam ined a grea tmany w i thout once finding the spel l ing ou ld. But I havefound boul d once (P . L . ,

X1. 64 2 ) in twenty sevenoccurrences of the wo rd bol d, and toul d once (P . L . ,

2 9 8 ) in nineteen occurrences of told. In twenty occurrencesof the wo rdfol d, as noun o r verb , I have found exact ly oneha lf with our present spel l ing, but the o ther ha lf as fou ld,

our printed pages , a l ready suf fic ient ly t icked wi th apostrophesin possessive cases and elsewhere. The fact is, such fo rms

as lov’

d, steer’d,adorn

’d, were once habitua l in Engl ish prose

a lso and we have feeb ly reta ined in our verse- print ing wha twe have swept out o f our prose - print ing wi thout harm .

Probab ly the o ri gin of the hab i t was tha t in fo rmer t imesthe suffix ed was o ftener sounded in ful l than now , and that ,when the habi t of the contracted pronuncia t ion becamemore common, the apostrophe was a convenient means for

marking i t. The disfigurement of o ld printed pages by th isdevice was the less because the apost rophe was not thenmuch used in possess ive cases and inver ted commas wererare. But tha t Mi l ton and h is contempo rar ies found the

apostrophe troub lesome even in th is case appears from thei roften dropping i t. Mi l ton has row ld as often as rowl

’d ;

and h is pages abound wi th such spel l ings as appeerd, barbd,embattel /d.

The Mi l tonic fo rms vanqu isbt, ma rbi , loobt, mixt,bel cb l , etc. , have been admired by some late wri ters. But

mo re has been made of the t rifle th an i t is wo rth . I t is nota matter of necessi ty in o rder to di rect the pronuncia t ion ;for, l etus wri te v anqu isbed, ma rbed, loo/

ed, mixed, belcbed,as persistent ly as we please, no Engl ish mouth can pro

nounce them o therwise than vangui sbt, loobt, etc. The

so le int rins ic reason to be given, then, for the tspel l ing insuch wo rds is tha t i t is phonet ica l ly truer , and atthe same

time mo re cur t , than the o ther. I f once, however, we ra isethe flag o f phonet ic accuracy in Engl ish spel l ing, there i s a

wo rld mo re for us to do than wr i te loobt and m ix t wh i leour neighbours wr i te loobed and mixed. Sti l l , in reprint ingMi l ton, the plea m igh t ava i l if Ire had h imself been constantto his own supposed habi t . But he was not 50. H is

admi rers in th is m inute ma tter, besides fo rget t ing tha t anycredi t in i t for a grea t par t o f h is l ife belonged to the printers,have notsufficient ly examined the o rigina l tex ts of h is Poems.Not only do we find there many instances o f the awkwa rdsuffix fo rm ’

tinstead of simple t,—e.g. plac’

t, provob

t, escap’t,

dane’

t; we find a lso frequent aberra t ions into the d fo rm of

the suffix where the sound is,and canno t but be, t. I f I

find p l ac’t,I a lso find p l ac

’d ; if I find exprest, I a lso find

express’d ; i f I find wasbt, I a lso find wasb

d ; and so I findpass

’d, passd, ma rcb

’d,l ib

d, plucb’

d, sbr ieb’d, possess

S PE L L I N G A ND PRO NUN C I AT I O N . 169

asb’d, retrencb

’d, etc. A re we to rectify a l l these into the

t fo rm, o r arewe to fo l low s lavish ly the texts in thei r reasonl ess changi ngs from tto

’t, and from bo th to d or

’d,and

back aga in ? Surely the most sensib le plan is to confo rm to

present usage, and print uniformly ed in th is ca tego ry of

praeterites, unless where, as does happen sometimes, the t

form recommends i tself by a subtle twi tch o f fi tness atthemoment : e.g. P . L . , V I . 580 , where the cannon in Heavenare seen, and beh ind each

A Seraph s tood, and in h is hand a Reed

S tood wav ing tiptw i th fire.

f lntb : droutb. bea rtb —The wo rd beigbt, spel t as now,

occurs in Ihe 164 5 edi t ion of the M ino r Poems (A re. 75)but, w i th a s ingle excep tion, in every o ther o f th i rty - fouroccurrences of the wo rd in Mi l ton’

s poetry (twenty - six of

them in Pa r . Lost, four in Pa r . Reg , and th ree in Sams.

Ag. ) i t is spel t bigbtb . The S ingle exception is atP . L . ,

1X. 167 , where the Spel l ing is bn t. There can be no

doubt tha t Mi lton approved o f the spel l ing and pronun

ciation bigbtb , as indicat ing mo re co rrect ly the fo rmationof the word by the addi t ion o f the suffix tb to the adject ivebig/z . He seems mo re dub ious about the der ivat ive verb ,for he has once b igbtb

’nd (P . L . ,

V I . and once

bigbt’nd (P . L . ,

xx . The word drougbt does not

occur in the poetry , but the fo rm droutb four t imes and

drougbtb once (P . R , I . I t is to be inferred tha tMi l ton preferred the tb term ina t ion o f the wo rd, whether i tmeant “ th i rst ” (for wh ich droutb is st i l l a Sco t t ish wo rd)or

“scarci ty of water ” (Com . Twice in the poetry

we have the pecul iar wo rd bea rtb , v iz

Help to disburden Na ture of her Bearth . 1x . 62 4 .

Outof the tender mouths of la test hearth .—P s . V I II . 4 .

In a l l modern edi t ions the wo rd in bo th places is printedbi rtb . Th is seems improper. The wo rd bi rtb , so spel t , isfrequent in the poetry ; but in at least the fi rst of the two

instances of bea rtb the spel l ing seems to imply a pecul iarmeaning. I t there means co l lec t ive produce.

S ovran : bara l d.—Tha t Mi l ton’

s ear preferred the I ta l ianfo rm sovran (sov rano) to the French fo rm sovereign , wh ichwas the commoner in h is t ime, as i t is now, is evident from

170 MI L’

O N ’S EN G L I S H :

the fact tha t h is o rigina l texts give us nineteen t imes sov ran,

th rice sov’

ran, and once soveran (Com. wh i le only oncehave we sov

ra ign (P. Id , 1. So we have sovr antie

once and sov’ranty once. In the Mino r Poems we have

bera l d and bera l dry as now (Lye. 89 , 0d. Ci r c. but,

whenever the word occurs in P ar . Lost, i t is in the fo rmba ra l d

,from the I ta l ian ba ra ldo (1. 752 , 11. 5 18 , X I .

In the single occurrence of the wo rd after P a r . Lost (Par .

P eg , I I . 2 79 ) there is a relapse into ber a ld. Mi l tonprobab ly though t the sound bar a ld mo re hero ic, and therefo re mo re sui table fo r Pa r . Lost.

Stupendious.—Th is wo rd, though a so lecism or vulga rism

now, canno t a lways have been such , for Richardson givesinstances of i t from Howel l , Henry Mo re, and Barrow.

Mi l ton has the wo rd buttwice, and bo th t imes as stupendious(P. L . ,

x . 35 1 , S . A .

Voutsafe.—Th is i s one of the qua intest pecul iari t ies of

Mi lton’s spel l ing. Th ree t imes in the poetry we have our

present spel l ing voucbsafe (P . IR,11. 2 10

,Ps. LXXX. 14

and 30 ) butthe wo rd occurs seventeen t imes besides, and

a lways as v outsafe, voutsaf’st, voutsafes, voutsaf t, voutsaf

or voutsaft. Now,as the word is compounded of voucb

and safe, and as voucbsafi , voucbsave, or the l ike , with thev oucb ful ly preserved

,was the usua l spel l ing of Mi l ton’s

predecesso rs and contempo raries,he must have had a reason

for the el l ip t ica l form voutsafe. I bel ieve i t was his disl rketo the sound cb , or to that sound combined w i th s. Mi ltonevident ly made a study of that qua l i ty of style wh ichBentham ca l led “ pronunc iab i l ity.” H is fine ear taugh thim not only to seek for musica l effects and cadences at

la rge, buta lso to be fast idious as to syl lables, and to avo idharsh or difficul t conjunct ions of consonants, excep t whenthere m ight be a musica l reason for harshness or difficul ty.In the management of the letter s, the frequency of wh ichin Engl ish is one o f the faul ts of the speech, he w i l l befound, I bel ieve, most careful and sk i lful . Mo re rarely , Ith ink

,inM i l ton than in Shakespea re w i l l one word ending

in s be found fo l lowed immedia tely by ano ther wo rd beginning wi th the same letter ; or, i f he does occasiona l ly pensuch a phrase as Moab

s sons,” i t wi l l be difficul t to find

in him,I bel ieve, such a ha rsher example as ea rtb

’s sub

stance, of wh ich many writers would th ink no th ing. The

17 2 M I LT O N ’S E N G L I S H

singula r o f no rms a l ready ending in s. W’

e say the la ss’s

beauty butwe hea r a lso Ma r s’b i l l (as in the Engl ish Bible,

Ac ts xvi i. j ames’

boo/e, and st i l l mo re cer ta inly D i cbens’

worbs , Ly cu rgus’l aws

,Socr ates

’di scipl es, A r i stopbanes

comedies. The bet ter way would be the regula r one, [ li ars’s

bi l l, j ames

’s boob , D ic/eens

s wor les , etc. , though euphony inthe case o f wo rds of mo re than two syl lab les m igh t advi sea vo iding the infl ect ion a l together by saying “

the laws of

Lycurgus,”etc. Mi l ton has asses j aw in our spel l ing,

ass’s j aw ) but h is genera l prac tice in such wo rds is not

to double the s ; thus Nereus wr inbl ed loob, Gl a ucus spel l .The necessi t ies o f metre would na tura l ly constra in to such

ADJ ECTIVE.

In Mi l ton, as in o ther wr i ters of h is t ime, adject ives of

two sv l l abl es and mo re, wh ich we genera l ly compa re now

by the explet ives more and most,received somet imes the

regular inflect ion fo r compa ri son e.g. famousest(S . A .

v i rtuousest (P . L . ,V I I I . exgu isi test (P . P . , 11.

The curious doub le compa risons found in Shak espeare and

o thers (more braver , less bapp ier , most unbindest, etc. ) arestrange to Mi l ton, unless cbiefest is taken into the ca tego ry.

CONJUGAT ION OR IN FLECT ION FOR TENSE.- Seven t imes

in the poetry we have the wo rd wept a s now ; but once,

whether intent iona l ly or not,the fo rm is weept (Ep . Ma reb .

Wincb . The prmterite of the verb eat occurs butfourtimes (L

’A l l . 10 2 ; P . L . , 1x . 78 1 ; P . R ,

1. 352 and 11.

never as ate, but each t ime in the fo rm eat. In the

p astpart icip les o f those pecul ia r verbs wh ich are themselvesder ived from La tin past partic ip les Mi l ton

,l ike Shakespeare

and o thers, somet imes prefers the o rigina l La t in fo rm to the

elonga ted fo rm w i th the ed suffi x e.g.

Who ever by consult ing at thy shriReturn

d the w iser, o r the more instr uct? —P . R . ,I. 439

Wha t I can do o r ofier is suspect.—P . R .

,11. 399 .

Of pleasure si tua te in H i ll and Da le .

—P . L . . v 1. 64 1 .

I N F LE C T I O N S . 173

Butto destruct ion sacred and devote.—P . L . , 111. 2 08 .

Brigh t effluence of brigh t essence increa te. —P . L ., 111. 6.

We a lso find upl ift for up l ifted (P . L . , I . y ield standing probably fo r the past indica t ive y iel ded (S . A . and

(0d. N at. 64 ) the Shakespear ian wb ist for wbisted :

The w indes w i th wonder wbistSmooth ly the wa ters k ist. ”

The fo l lowing are some o ther pecul ia ri t ies in the conjugat ionof strong verbs z—Sung fo r sang ; sprungfor sprang ; sunl '

for sank ; and frore for fr ozen (P . L .,11. sbabed fo r

sba/ee n (0d. P: [ 7s 44 ) sboob for sba/een (P . L . , I V.

stole for stolen (P . L . ,IV . 7 19 ) tool : for taben (Com. 558 )

mi stoo/e for mi sta/een (A re. 4 ) str oob fo r strucb (P . L . , 11,

165, and o ther places ) . The Mi l tonic conjuga t ions of singand str ibe are especia l ly interest ing. See no tes to P . L . ,

111. 383 ; and Oct: N at. 9 5. The o l d par ticipia l prefix 1/

(standing for the German ge) is found only two or th reet imes in Shakespeare, as in y clept, y cl ad, y slabed. In

Spenser, w i th his studied a rcha ism,i t is frequent . Mi l ton

has i t but rarely ,—ycba ined (0d. Nat. y cl ept (L’A l l .

See no tes on these passages : a lso on r usby-fr inged

(Com. and star -

ypointing (On Sbab.

I NFLECTION FOR PERSON AND Moon—Once (P. L . ,

X1. 369 ) we have slepst for s leptst; where, if i t is not am isprint , the t is om i t ted for ease of sound. Mi l ton had

learnt to prefer the s inflection,origina l ly No r thern English ,

to the tb inflection,mo re South -Engl ish , for the th i rd person

S ingular indica t ive. Thus he has loves , ra ther than l ovetbbr ings , for br ingetb sees, for seetb seems

,for seemetb .

Occas iona l ly, however , he has the tb fo rm : e.g. s ingetb

(L’A l l . sa i l /z (Ps. I I . l ietb (Ep . Hobs. I I .

sbew’tb and indu

’tb (Sonnet I I . ) He has guotb twice (Ly e.

107 and Zip . Hobs. I I . Ha lb is incessant wi th him,

and del b is frequent . He uses the verb be indicat ively (e. g.

Com. 12 , Yetsome there

PRONos

L ike Shakespeare and o thers o f our o lder wr iters, Mil tonemploys the nom ina tive plura l fo rm ye occas ional ly fo r the

objective you e. g. Com . 2 16,

“ I see y e visibly,”and 102 0

“ She can teach ye how to cl imb.

” By far the mos t impo r tant inqui ry , however , under the present head, rela tes tnMi l ton’

s use o f the possessive singula r of the th i rd persona lpronoun in its three gender fo rms, b i s, ber , its. The brunto f the inqui ry fa l ls on the fo rm its. Th is word, i t is wel lknown,

is one of the grea test curiosi t ies in the Engl ishlanguage

,notbeing a genuine o l d English wo rd at a l l , but

an upstar t of the la t ter pa rt of Eli zabeth ’

s reign,seldom used

even then,or for a good wh i le afterwards, and not ful ly

adm i t ted t i l l the reign of Charles I I . I t may be wel l hereto give its h istory a l i t t le mo re in deta i l.In the o l d Engl isc, ca l ledAnglo - Saxon, the th i rd persona lpronoun was decl ined thus

P lura l .

Masc. Fem. Neut. All Genders.

Nom . beb b it

Gen. b is b ire bis

Dat. and Abl . b im

The neuter nomina t ive and accusat ive, i t w il l be seen, was

b it,and the neuter possessive, as wel l as the mascul ine

possess ive, was bis . But “neuter ” in Anglo - Saxon did

not mean precisely wha t i t does in modern Engl ish . We

have no proper gramma t ica l recogni t ion o f gender in modernEngl ish nouns, but make a l l names for ma le l iv ing beingsmascul ine, a l l names for fema les feminine

,and al l names for

l ifeless th ings neuter , excep t when we personify them. In

o ld Engl ish o r Anglo - Saxon,however , just as in Greek

and La t in, and modern German,there was a true gramma

t ica l dist inct ion o f gender,and the names of l ifeless th ings

were dis tributed into the th ree genders—mascul ine,fem inine,

and neuter. Thus , ga’

st (breatb or w ina ) is mascul ine inAnglo - Saxon ; and so , in j ohn i i i. 8 , where our presentvers ion has,

“ The w ind b loweth where it l isteth,and thou

hearest the sound tbereof ,”the A .

- S has “ Gast o réthaththar be wi le, and thugehyrstbis stefne.

” Aga in, f udea,the

name of the count ry, is fem inine ; and so , in Luke xxi. 2 1 ,where our version has Then l et them wh ich are in j udeaflee to the mounta ins and l et them wh ich are in the m idstof itdepart out

”the A .

- S . has “ Thonne fleoth on mr'

century ; and Chaucer stood out aga inst it, as far as th e

geni t ive and accusa tive cases were concerned. I I I . Tbc

oper ati on of tbc H - dropping Tendency . Th is tendency,so

natura l to the So uthern English , had plenty of scope in a

pronoun a l l whose par ts o r igina l ly began w i th b . The

stress of the tendency,however , fel l on the neuter singula r

of the pronoun. The o ld A .- S . b itpassed, in books, atfi rst

opt iona l ly,into it, but at last decidedly and conclusively into

it. The dropping of the b in bit is as ea rly as the twelfthcentury ; in the four teenth century it and b it are found

compet ing wi th each o ther, some districts and dia lects preferr ing one, and o thers the o ther ; in Chaucer’s tex t bo thare found, though it predomina tes ; but by the sixteenthcentury bit is obso lete in genera l l i tera ture and itestab l ished.

How about the possessive or genitive fo rms of the pronounbetween the four teenth century and the sixteenth ? So far

there was no difficul ty. f iis , the proper o ld mascul inepossessi ve, went wi th be (nom . ) and bim for ma les ;ber , the proper o l d feminine possessive, went w i th sbe (nom. )and ber (acc. ) fo r fema les ; and the arrangement has heldgood to our day. Where the difficul ty came to be fel t wasin the case o f the much mo re numerous neuter nouns, ornames for a l l inanima te objects. H i s was st i l l , theo ret ica l ly ,as we have marked i t in the last dec lension

,the proper

neuter poss. s ing. as wel l as the proper masc. poss. sing.

but pract ice and theory had begun to confl ict . So longindeed as the b it form of the nom ina t ive or accusa t iveneuter was kep t up genera l ly , or in any distr ic t, the difficul tyhardly appeared. The o l d neuter possessive b is could st i l lv indica te i tself by its obv ious etymo logica l connexion wi thb it. But, when the b was dropped

, and b it became it

genera l ly or loca l ly, there came a flut ter among the gramrnarians. Wha t had bis to do wi th it? Was notb is the

mascul ine possessive, go ing proper ly wi th be and bim ?

Why l et it, which had notan b to show for i tself, c la im the

same fo rm ? In th is emergency we see a struggle of

methods To distr ibute the confusion by obl iging the

feminine fo rm ber to rel ieve the supposed mascul ine formb i s occasiona l ly in the duty of serving as a possessive for it.The la te Mr. Thomas Watts

’s quo ta t ions of Numbers iv. 9

from some of our versions of the Bible in chrono logica lser ies are very pertinent here. In Wycl iffe’s Bible (1389 )

I N F L E CT I O N S . 177

the text runs, “ And thei shulen take the iacyntyn mant i lwi th the whi ch thei shulen cover the candel stik wi th the

lanterns and ber toonges and snyters.”In the contempo ra ry

var iety of Wycl iffe’s ca l led Purvey’s, however , we find

Thei schulen take a lso a ment i l o f iacyntw i th wh ich theischulen h ile the candi l stike w i th b i se lanternes and tongis

and snytel s. In Tynda l e’

s Penta teuch (1530 ) there is a

return to ber in the tex t and its cont inua t ion, thus “ And

they sha l l take a clo th of jacyncte and cover the candel sticke

of l igh t and bi r lampes and bi r snoffers and fyre pannes,and a l l bz

r oyle vessels wh ich they occupye aboute it, andsha l l put upon ber and on a l l bi r instrumentes a covery nge

of taxus skynnes, and put i t upon s taves.

”In Coverda l e

version (1535) bis reappears“ And they sha l tak e a ya l owe

clo the and cover the candi l sticke o f l igh t therwith , and bi slampes

,with , bis sno ffers and outquenchers.

”In Matthews

Bible (1537) we have the fem inine aga in, And they sha l ltake a clo th of iacincte, and cover the candel stycke of l yght

and ber lampes and ber snoffers and fyre pannes.

” F ina l ly ,in our authorised version “ And they sha l l take a

clo th of b lue,and cover the candles t ick of the l ight , and bis

lamps,and bi s tongs, and bis snuffdishes, and a l l the o i l

vessels thereof, wherewi th they m inister unto it.”

Thesevicissitudes of bis and ber in one passage seem clearly toprove tha t between the fourteenth century and the seventeenth ber was a l lowed to compete wi th bis in the office of

possessive for the neu ter it. Here we may detect, if wechoose, a surviva l of the idea of gramma t ical gender

,even in

a case where the reco l lect ion of the Anglo - Saxon gender o f apart icula r noun had perished ; for candel - stcef and candel

sticca , the two wo rds for “candles t ick in A .

- S . , are bo thmascul ine. (2 ) Ano ther plan was to avo id giving ita possessive fo rm ata l l , and resor t to such subst i tutes as of it, tbereof , of tbc same, or the repeti t ion of the possessive of the noun

designated by the pronoun. (3) S ti l l the need of a dist inctpossess ive fo r itwas fel t ; and, at length , a th ird plan was

adopted. The h int for this plan seems to have been furnished by the dia lect of the Wes t Midlands (Lancash i re,etc . ) There, i f not elsewhere in England, the hab i t o f

igno r ing inflect ions in every possible case had been pushedso far as to bring about such ph rases as The K ing wifefor “

the King’s wife,

”and the same habi t had been extended

VOL. I I I . N

to the neuter pronoun bit, so as to make i t indecl inable, orthe same for nomina tive, possessive, and accusa t ive.

“ H it

dedes of dethe duren there yet”

(“ Its deeds of dea th endure

there yet”

) and “ O f bit woe w i l l I wete (“ Of its woe

wi l l I wit are examples quo ted by Dr . Morris from Engl ish poems of tha t dia lec t in the fourteenth century ; and

he repor ts tha t th is possessive use of b it is qui te common in

those poems . Now, by extension, th is possessive use of b it

was easi ly t ransferred, in o ther dia lects, to the itwh ich hadbecome the subst i tute for bit; and thus, in the six teenthcentury , i f not earl ier , the dut ies o f the possess ive case, in

addi t ion to those of the o ther two , were imposed on the

simple it; Mr. Aldis Wr igh t , in h is B ible I/Vord - Boo/e,quo tes instances from Uda l ’s E rasmus and from the

Geneva Bib le (1579 ) e.g.

“ Love and devocion towardes

God a lso ha th it infancie, and i t ha th itcomying forewardein groweth of age

;“ The evangel ica l ] sirnpl icitee ha th a

po l i t ique cast of itowne too ”Th is world ha th itglo r ie.

Such instances from si xteenth century wr i t ings could be

mul tipl ied. (4 ) But a possessi ve in twas an anoma ly and

so there sprang up a four th dev ice. As itwas a stray andseem ingly kinless word. why not subjec t i t to the common

rule, and form a possess ive for i t by the o rdinary plan of clapping ou an s ? As they sa id K

it’s hat,

”or P et

’s bonnet ,

why not say of the hat “ it’

s band or of the bonnet “ it’

r ibbon ” ? Accordingly we find it’s as a possessive creepinginto use la te in the si x teenth century. Where, or by whom ,

i t was firs t used w i l l perhaps never be known. I should not

wonder if the fo rm was o f no r thern o r igin, s being a fa vouri teinflectiona l facto tum in no r thern par ts, and the form ithavingbeen adopted there for book - use, though bitwas vernacular.The o ldest instances o f it’s quo ted by Mr. Aldis Wrigh t arefrom Fl orio

’s Wor l de of Wordes and the same

wr i ter’s Monta igne but, as instances are frequentthere, —“ fo r it’s owne sake,

” “science had it’s of- spring ,

“ doe it’

s bes t, ” “ it’s name, etc. ,

—it seems l ikely tha tF lo rio only confirmed a prev ious custom .

In our autho r iz ed version o f the Bible (16 1 1 ) the wo rd itsdoes not once occur . In one passage in our modern copies,indeed (Lev i t . xxv. we read That wh ich groweth o f its

own acco rd of thy ha rvest thou sha l t not reap ”

; but th is isa printer’s subst i tution,

in or about 1653, fo r the text of the

the drama t ists and o ther popula r wr i ters o f the reigns ot

j ames and Charles I . I ha ve come upon i t easi ly enoughin the prose and verse of Drummond of Hawthorndenbetween 16 16 and 1630, somet imes in cases where a con

temporary southernwr i ter would pretty surely have used bis

I have, on the who le, an impression tha t the no rthernwr iters and speakers of tha t t ime used i t more frequentlythan the southern ; but, as I have found i t in the t i t le of a

London book of 165 1 in so empha t ic a fo rm as th is, England’s Del iverance from the Nor thern Presbyter comparedwi th itt

’s del iverance from the Roman Papacy

”and as I

have a lso found i t qui te athome in o ther wr i tings of tha t date,

I canno t doubt tha t the wo rd was a perfect ly acceptable one

in London in the m iddle of the seventeenth century. In

deed, it is forma l ly recognised in But ler ’s Engl ish Grammarof the year 1633, though But ler h imsel f in tha t very grammar avo ids the use o f i t and prefers the form bis . In the

first sentence of Lawes’

s dedi ca t ion of h is priva te edi t iono f M i l ton’s Camus, in 16 37 , to Lord Brackley we read

“ th ispoem , wh ich received its firs t occasion of b i r th , ” etc.

Wha t of Mi l ton h imself ? By di l igent search one maycome, here and there, on an its in hi s prose-wr it ings ; buttha t even in h is prose he disl iked and avo ided the formseems proved by such passages as the fo l lowing in his

Elementary La t in Grammar ent i t led A ccedence Commenc’t

Grammar (pub l ished in 1669 , though doub t less wr i t ten longbefore) The Superla t ive exceedeth b is Posi t ive in the

h ighest degree, as dur issimus,hardest ; and i t is formed of

the first case of b is Posi t ive tha t ends in is , by putt ingthereto simus

”; There be three Conco rds or Agreements

The first is o f the Adject ive wi th bis Substant i ve ; TheSecond is o f the Verb w i th b is Nomina t ive Case ; The

Thi rd is of the Rela t ive wi th bis Antecedent . ” Letus pass,however , from Mi l ton

’s prose to h is poetry.

In Mi l ton’s poetry , I bel ieve, i t has been definitely ascerta ined, he uses the wo rd its only th ree t imes, v iz . 0d. N at.

106 , Pa r . Lost, 1. 2 54 , and Pa r . Lost, I V. 8 13. Hereare those th ree memo rab le passages

Nature tha t heard such sound

Benea th the hollow roundO f Cy nt/zi a

s sea t. the A iry region thrill ing,

I N F L E C T I O N S. 18 1

Now was almos t wonTo th ink her part was don,And tha t her ra ign had here its la st fulfi ll ing

She knew such harmony a loneCould hold a l l Heav

n a nd Earth in happier union.

0d. Na t. 101 - 108 .

Ha i l horrours. ha i lInferna l worl d, and thou profoundest HellRece ive thy new Possessor One who bringsA m ind notto be cbang

d by P lace or T ime.

The m ind is its own place, and in it selfCan make a Heav

n of Hell , a H ell of Heav'

P a r . L ost, 2 50- 2 5 5 .

Him thus intent [ tburz'

el w i th h is SpearTouch

d l igh tly for no fa l shood can endureTouch of Celest ial temper, butreturnsOf force to i ts own l ikeness : up he s tartsD iscoverd and surpri z

"—P a r . L ost, IV. 8 10 - 8 14 .

Three t imes, therefore, in h is who le l ife did M i l ton use the

wo rd i z‘s in his poetry, - once about Chr istmas -day 16 2 9 ,

when he was one- and- twenty years of age ; and twice between 1658 and 1665, when he was between h is fift iethyear and h is fifty- seventh . If the passages are studied

wi l l be seen tha t the r isk of ambigui ty imposed a cer ta innecessi ty for using its in each case. The only wonder istha t a simi lar stress of meaning and context did not obl igeMi l ton to wr ite or dicta te its much more frequently .

How does he geton w i thout i t ? Marvel lously wel l . In

the first place, the very idea or pecul iar menta l turn or act

invo lved in the wo rd i fs or its equivalents (of i i , tbereoj , etc. )was somehow far rarer in the wri ting of Mi l ton’

s t ime thani t is in wr i t ing now. Mr Cra ik’s rema rk on th is subject isbo th true and acute. The most curious th ing of a l l in the

hi sto ry of the wo rd its, ” he says, “ is the extent to wh ich ,befo re its recogni t ion as a wo rd adm issible in ser ious com

posi t ion, even the occasion for its employment was avo idedor eluded. Th is is very remarkab le in Shakespea re. The

very conception wh ich we express by its probab ly does not

occur once in hi s wo rk s for ten t imes tha t it is to be foundin any modern wr i ter. So tha t we may say the invent ion,

or adopt ion, of th is fo rm has changed not only our Engl ishstyle, but even our manner of thinking .

” Wha t .Mr . Cra ikhere says of Shakespeare is true of Mi l ton. Perhaps i t is

18 2 M I LT O N ’S E N G L I S H :

even truer o fMi l ton. Tha t he was much mo re cha ry o f theuse of the wo rd its than Sha k espea re had been appears fromthe fact tha t

,though Shakespeare had used the word ten

t imes before 16 16 , M i l ton in h is l i terary l ife, s tretch ingfrom 16 2 5 to 1674 , used i t in his poetry but three t imes.

Buteven of the subst i tutes or equiva lents he is charier thanShakespeare. The odd possessive fo rm it, found in Shakespeare fifteen t imes , is not found in Mi l ton’s poetry once.

The word tbemof , i f Todd’

s verba l index is to be trusted,occurs but seven t imes, a l l in Pa radi se L ost

, and never inthe exact sense of its , but only as a transla t ion of of it insuch a text o f Scr ipture as

“ In the day tha t thou ea testtbereof. In shor t , for the expression of our concep tion itsin a single word

,when he did want to express i t, Mi l ton

confined himself, even more strict ly than Shakespeare, to

the a l terna t ive of bis or ber .

On the who le, bar seems to have been Mi l ton’s favour i te.

Here are a few examples

H is form had notyet lostA l l ber Or igina l br igh tness.

”—P . L . ,I . 59 2 .

ascending pi leS tood fixtbar sta tely hi gh th .

—P . L . , 1. 7 2 3.

E therea l mouldl ncapable o f sta in would soon expelH er m isch ief.”—P . L . , 11. 14 1 .

Th is Desar t so i le

Wants notbar h idden lus tre, Gemms and Go ld.

P . L . , 11. 2 7 1.

If I tha t Region lost,A l l usurpa tion thence expel l

d, reduceTo 116 7 origi na l dar kness.

”—P , L . , 11. 9 84 .

But, though Mi l ton uses bar for our its (sometimes w i th an

approach to personifica t ion, but not a lways) in cases whereShakespeare would ha ve used bis, Mr. Cra ik is wrong, Ith ink, in saying tha t his personifications by bis are rare, andst il l more w rong in saying he “

never uses bis in a neutersense.

” Surely, the gramma t ica l terms Super l ative, Adj ective, Verb, and Rel ati ve

, are neuter enough ; and yet to

each of these, as we ha ve seen,Mi l ton fits the word bis.

But take a few examples from hi s poetry

MI LT O N ’S E N G L I S H

Meanwh ile the Muses do deploreThe loss of th is the ir paramour

Wi th whom he sported ere the day

Budded forth its tender ra y .

And now Apollo leaves h is lays ,And puts on cypress for his baysThe sacred s isters tune the ir qu illsOnly to the blubbering ri lls ,And wh ile h is doom they th ink uponMake their own tears the ir Hel icon,Leav ing the two - toptmount divineTo turn votaries to h is shrine.

Th ink not,reader, me less blest,

Sleeping in th is narrow c ist,Than i f my ashes did l ie h id

Under some s ta tely pyram id.

I f a rich tomb makes happy,then

Tha t bee was ha ppier far than men

Who , busy i n the thymy wood,

Was fettered by the golden flood,

Wh ich from the amber-weeping trecD isti l leth down so p lenteously ;For so th is l i ttle wanton el f

Most gloriously enshrined i tselfA tomb whose beau ty m igh t compareWith Cleopatra ’

s sepulchre.

In th is l i ttle bed my dustIncurta ined round I here intrust,Wh i le my more pure and nobler partL ies entombed in every heart .“Then pass on gently, ye that mourn

Touch not th is m ine hollowed urn.

These a shes wh ich do here rema inA v ita l t incture st ill reta inA sem ina l form w ith in the deepsO f th is l i ttle chaos sleepsThe thread o f l ife untw isted isInto its first cons istenc iesInfant na ture cradled hereIn its princ iples a ppearTh is plant thus ca lc ined into dus tIn its ashes rest itmust,Unt i l sweet Psyche shall inspireA softening and prol ific fi re ,And in her fos tering arms enfoldTh is heavy and th is earthy mould.

I N F LE C T I O N S . 185

Then as I am I'

l l be no more ,

Butbloom and blossom [as] b[ef0re ],When th is cold numbness sha l l retrea tBy a more th an chem ic hea t.

Subscribed, immedia tely under the last l ine, are two ini t ia ls,the firs t unfor tunately so blurred by the Museum L ibrarys tamp tha t i t canno t be dist inct ly made out, butthe second

dist inct ly M ”and appended is the da te l ober

i .e. “ DecemberProfesso r Henry Mo r ley

,of Universi ty Co l lege, London,

having been a t tracted by the lines, and imagining the handwr i t ing to be Mi l ton’

s, and the s igna ture to be “

J . M.

concludedrtha t the piece was a h ither to unknown poem by

Mi l ton, wr it ten by h im for preser va t ion, in Dec. 1647 , in

one of his copies of h is vo lume of Mino r Poems printed twoyears befo re. He communica ted i t , therefore, to the Timesnewspaper , where i t was publ ished under the t i t le “ An

unpubl ished Poem by Mi l ton,

”and wi th the signa ture as

J . on the 16th of July, 18 68 . Immedia tely therearose a controversy on the subject , wh ich lasted some weeks.Impo r tant and relevant evidence on the nega t ive side came

outatonce. Mr. Bond andMr . Rye of the Bri t ish Museum,

andMr.W.AldisWrigh t of Cambr idge,wi th o ther autho r i t ies,

atonce declared the handwr i t ing not to be Mi l ton’s,—to be

so different from Mi l ton’

s tha t i t was inconceivab le how anyone acqua inted w i th Mi l ton’

s band could possibly m istakethe one for the o ther . I t was found a lso , on close examinat ion of the dubious ini t ia l of the signa ture, tha t i t was mos tprobably not a

j and Mr . Bond made so sure tha ti t was a P tha t , in sending to the Times (July 30 ) an

exact transcrip t of the o r igina l , let ter for let ter , he gavethe subscript ion as posi t ively P . M . , 1647. These

i tems of evidence at once arrested the tendency to agreewi th Mr. Mo rley in ascr ibing the poem to Mi l ton. Neverthel ess, as people had taken a l ik ing for the qua int l i t t leth ing i tself, argument for the possibi l i ty of its being Mi l ton’

did not who l ly cease ; and I bel ieve there are st i l l some

persons who think tha t , after a l l , i t may be M i l ton’s.

This is notthe place for renewing the contro versy in itswho le ex tent ; and I need onl y repea t my conv ict ion tha tthe sum of the evidence, externa l and interna l , taken in

every possible fo rm o f bo th k inds, is abso lutely conclusive

aga ins t the hypo thesis tha t the poem is Mi l ton’s. One i temof the interna l argument , however , does concern us here.

I t may be ca l led the argument from the its tes t . I proposed this tes t at the t ime, and I st i l l rely upon i t . We

have seen Mi l ton’

s hab i t in respect of the wo rd its. We

have seen how wonderful ly he eludes the very necessi ty forusing such a wo rd, how the word occurs but three t imes in

a l l his poetry, and how in every o ther case, where the

necessi ty for such a wo rd is not eluded, he uses bis or ber

where we should now use i is. How stands the Epitaph inth is respec t ? I t cons ists of butfi fty

- four l ines, and yetthewo rd i l s occurs four t imes in i t

Ere the dayBudded forth its tender ray .

The thr ead of l ife untw isted isInto its firs t cons is tenc ies .

Infant nature cradled hereIn its pr inc iples appear."

Th is plant thus ca lc ined into dustIn its ashes rest itmust,Unt i l swee t Psyche, ” etc.

Can it be supposed tha t a pronomina l fo rm wh ich Mi ltonavo ided so sys tema t ica l ly tha t i t occurs but i bree t imes in

the who le body of h is poet ry, ranging over the ent ire fiftyyears of his l i tera ry l ife from 16 2 4 to 1674 , should haveoccurredfour t imes in a single piece of fifty

- four l ines wr i ttenby h im in some one fel l hour in December 164 7 Mus t notthe Epi taph have been wr i t ten by one of those persons inBri ta in in 164 7 who had adopted the word i fs regularlyinto their vocabulary, and whose th inking had taken on the

pecul iar syntact ica l tr ick wh ich fami l iari ty wi th the wo rdprompts and faci l i ta tes ? Mi l ton, most conspicuously, wasnotone of them.

IV. SYNTAX AND ID IOM.

One of the mos t marked characterist ics of Mi l ton fromfirst to las t was h is adoption and use of a h igh ly discip l inedsyntax . One canno t pass from a reading in Spenser or a

reading in Shakespea re to any of Mi l ton’

s poems wi thouta feel ing of the fact. Accuracy, discip lined accuracy, is

There is va riety,no doubt. There are parts and passages 0 !

r ich , or even sweet and simple beauty, as in the earl ierpoems, and where sti l l the effect of the discipl ined accuracyof idiom is that of consumma te finish . There are o therpar ts and passages, however , where the close syntact ica lregula t ion takes , as befo re, the form of compact musica lweigh t . F ina l ly

,there are passages and par ts wh ich so

pass a l l previous bounds, bo th in length of sentence and

in mul tipl ici ty of ideas to be o rganised into one sentence,

tha t Mi l ton’s syntact ica l art is taxed to its utmost , and even

then,but for the harmoniz ing majesty of the verse, the

resul ting s tructure m igh t be cal led not dense merely, butcontorted or gnar led.

But we may be more precise. Tha t h igh ly -discipl inedsyntax wh ich Mi l ton favoured from the fi rst , and to whichhe tended mo re and more

,was, in fact, the class ical syntax

or, to be more exact , an adap ta t ion of the syntax of the

La t in tongue. I t could hardly fa i l to be so. The veryno t ion of a syntax , or system of concord and governmentamong words

,seems to belong only to an inflected language

for wha t is concord butam icab le co rrespondency of inflect ion,or government but enforced varia t ion of inflect ion ? I t isonly because Engl ish reta ins a few habi ts of inflec t ionst i l l tha t i t can be sa id to have a syntax at a l l in any o thersense than tha t of a usua l way of order ing or arrangingwo rds ; and, even now

,ques t ions in Engl ish syntax are

often set tled best pract ica l ly, if a set t lement is wanted>by e f

ja reference to La t in construct ion. I f I say Admi t t ing thatyou are r igh t , you wi l l be b lamed, or i f I even venture on

so h ideous a var iety of the same fo rm as Proceeding ha lfa m i le a long the pa thway , a magnificent cascade burst intov iew,

”who is to check me

,or who is l ikel y i o check me,

if i t be notone who th inks of conco rd in the La t in part icipleand is shocked acco rdingly ? Hence, in fact , the unrela tedor m isrela ted pa r tic ip le is by far the most common form of

Engl ish sl ip - shod at the present day. In Shakespeare’stime

,or in Mi l ton’

s, any weakness in the nat ive syn

tact ica l inst inct tha t had come down from the t imes of theh igh ly - inflected O l d Engl ish ei ther had to rema in a weakness, an easy to lerance of va riety

,or had to be remedied by

an importa t ion of rule from the La t in. Now, whateverShakespeare did on such occasions (and decided La tinisms

S Y N TAX"

A N D I D I O M . 189

in construct ion are very rare in b im) , Mi l ton did impo r t rulefrom the La t in. Even in his Minor Poems, where the

syntax is most l ike the easy na t ive syntax of Shakespea re and

the Eliz abethans,La t in construct ions and idioms

, and evenpos i t ive flakes o f transla ted Lat in, may be detected. But

the La t inism grew upon him , and its increase seems to havekep t pace w i th tha t very progress of his syntax , fromscho la rly finish to compact musica l densi ty , and so to

occas iona l gnarled comp lexi ty, wh ich we have descr ibed.

In h is m iddle l ife, i t is to be remembered, Mi l ton was a

wri ter of grea t prose - pamph lets of laboured La t in, intendedfor European circula t ion. I t was after th is rebaptism in

La t in tha t he returned to Engl ish in his Pa radise Losi ,

Paradise fl ga ined, and Samson . Need we wonder tha t ,for th is among o ther reasons

,the Lat inism of h is English

style there a tta ined its maximum ? Such,at a l l events, i s

the fact .An example or two w i l l ver ify what has been sa id. Let

the scho larly reader observe m icroscopica l ly the syntax of

the fo l lowing passages from Pa radise Lost

Th is was atfirst resolved,If we were w ise, aga ins t so grea t a foeContending , and so doubtful wha t m igh t fall.I laugh when those who atthe spear a re boldAnd venturous, if tha t fa i l them, shr ink , and fearWha t yet they know mus t fo llow—to endureEx ile, and ignominy , or bonds , or pa in,The sentence of the ir conqueror. Th is is nowOur doom wh ich if we can susta in and bear ,

Our Supreme Foe in t ime may much rem i tH is anger, and perhaps , thus fa r removed,Notm ind us notoffending, sa t isfiedWi th wha t is punished.

”—11. 2 0 1 - 2 13.

He, after Ev e seduced, unm inded slunkInto the wood fas t by , and, changing shapeTo observe the sequel , saw h is gu i leful actBy Eve , though a l l unweet ing , secondedUpon her husband—saw their shame tha t soughtVa in covertures ; but, when he saw descend

The Son of God to judge them, terrifiedHe fled, nothoping to escape, but shunThe present—fearing , gu il ty, wha t h is wra thM igh t suddenly infl ict tha t past , returned

By nigh t , and, l istening where the hapless pa irSat in the ir sad discourse and various pla int,Thence ga thered h is own doom wh ich understoodNot instant, butof future t ime, w i th joyAnd t idings fraugh t, to H ell he now returned,And atthe brink of Chaos, nea r the foo tOf th is new wondrous pontifice , unhopedMetwho to meet h im came, h is offspr ing dear. —x . 333-

Here wha t have we ? A use, i t is true, of cer ta in na t ivemechanisms, so tha t the syntax is pa rt Engl ish ; but thesemechanisms a ided, and a l l but supplanted, by Lat in con

structions. I t is not only tha t La t in phrases and idioms are

translated ; i t is tha t Mi lton bends, arranges, and bui lds uph is own uninflected or scarce- inflected English on the systemof the Lat in syntax . Observe

,genera l ly, the fondness for

those par t icip ia l construct ions by wh ich the Lat ins savedconjunct ions and connect ing par t icles , and gave thei rsyntax its character of brevi ty and strength . Such con

structions abound even in the sho r t pieces quo ted, bo th inthe form of the case rela t ive and in tha t of the case abso lute.

Though the case abso lute had survived in na t ive English ,one can see tha t in such instances as

“iba i past, ” “ wbicb

understood,

” i t was rea l ly the La tin ab la t ive abso lute tha t wasin Mi l ton’

s m ind.

I l lustra t ions o f the La t inism of Mi l ton’s construct ion and

idiom m igh t be endless butthe fo l lowing may here sufficeSPEC IAL LATIN ISMs. After Eve seduced,

” for Afterthe seduction of Eve

” is one instance, al ready quo ted, ofa wel l -known specia l La t inism “ Post ur bem conditam.

Mr. Abbo t t produces butone example of th is fo rma t ion fromSha kespeare, and tha t a doub tfu l one. But i t recurs inMi l ton. Thus A fter the Tuscanmanners transfo rmed

“ Never since crea ted Man”

(P. L .,

“ After summons read”

(P . L . ,1.

“ After Heavenseen

(P. L 111. 552 )“ After h is cha rge received (P . L . ,

V . 2 4 8 ) From his surm ise proved fa lse ”

(P . L . , IX .

“ At tha t tasted fruit (P . L . , X.

“ In

punished Man (P . L . ,X. 803) Repenting h im of Man

depraved ”

(P . L . , X1.“ Since first her sa lutat ion

heard ”P . R , 11. Wi th these, as conta ining sub :

stantial l y the same idiom ,may be asso cia ted such as the

fo l lowing

Greedily she ingo rged w i thout res tra int ,And knew noteat ing dea th .

”—P . L .,1x . 79 1 , 792 .

Sagac ious of h is quarry from afa r. —P . L .,x . 2 8 1.

more wakeful than to drowse.—P . L .

, x 1. 13 1 .

ELL IPSES . The Eliz abethan authors,

says Dr. Abbo ttin h is excel lent Sbabespea r ian Gr amma r

, objec ted to

scarcely any el l ipsis , provided the deficiency could be easi lysuppl ied from the context ” ; and, as respects Shakespea re,he i l lustra tes the remark th rough fifteen pages of examplesand comments. The el l ipses in Mi l ton are perhaps notso

numerous as in Shakespeare ; but they are frequent and

interest ing.

Some may be ca l led el l ipses in ibougbt, inasmuch as wha tis om i tted is some idea or l ink in the meaning wh ich i t istaken for granted the reader wi l l supply for h imself. An

example is Pa r . Losi‘

, I I . 70 -

But perhapsThe way seems di fficult, and steep to sea l

W'ith uprigh t w ing aga ins t a higher foeLetsuch [as a re of th is opinion] beth ink them , etc.

Of wha t are ca l led mere el l ipses of expression, or grammati ca iel l ipses (though , s trict ly considered, these reso lve themselvesinto el l ipses of though t too ) , there is a grea t var iety of kinds,nota few being rea l ly La t inisms.

Om i ssi on of tbe rVominaZi r/e l o a .Verb. -This, wh ich isnotuncommon in Shakespeare and the o ther Eliz abethans,Dr. Abbo tt a t tr ibutes, in ibem

,par tly to a l inger ing sense of

O ldEngl ish verb - inflections, par t ly to the influence of La t in,

partly to the rapidi ty of Eliz abethan pronuncia t ion, wh ichslurred such nomina t ives as Z and be. To whi ch of thesecauses Mi l ton’

s el l ipses of the kind are most genera l ly owingwi l l be bes t judged from a few examples

Or wert thou tha t just Ma id who once beforeForsook the ha ted Earth , 0 tell me sooth ,And camest [thou] aga in to v is i t us once more

D . F . 1. 50 -

H is trus t was w ith the E terna l to be deemedEqual in strength , and ra ther than be less[He ] Cared notto be ata l l .

”—P . L . , 11. 46-

S Y N TAX A N D I D I O M . 193

One A lmigh ty is , from whom

A l l things proceed, and [they] up to h im return.

P . L . , V. 469 , 470 .

Th is is my Son beloved in h im [I] am pleas ed.

P . R . , 1. 85 .

Omission of tbe Verb“ tobe. —Th is, a lso Eliz abethan, is

pretty frequent (sometimes as a La t inism ) in Mi l ton, e.g.

Ha i l, fore ign wonderWhom certa in these rough shades did never breed,Unless [thou art] the goddess tha t, etc .

—Com . 2 65- 2 67 .

though my soul [is] more bentTc}serve therew i th my Maker."—S onnetXIX

The tempter, ere [he was] the accuser , of mank ind.

P . L ., Iv . 10 .

Though I [am] unpi t ied.—P . L .

, W. 375 .

pretending first[ I t to be] Wise to fly pa in.

—P . L . , W. 947 , 9 48 .

and gav’

st them names,

Needless [to be] to thee repea ted.—P . L . ,

v i x. 493 , 49 4.

Death as oftaccused

Of tardy execut ion, s ince [i t had been] denouncedThe day of h is ofl

ence .

"—P . L .,x . 852

- 854.

though my pardon[Be] No way assured. A . 738 , 739 .

Omission of Anfecedent. —Examples of this (genera l lyLa t inisms) are

in bulk as largeAs [those] whom the fables name of monstrous s ize .

P . L ., I . 1 96 , 197 .

To find [one] who m igh t direct his wander ing fl igh t.P . L .

,111. 631 .

and soon foundof whom they spakeI am —P . R . , 1. 2 62 , 2 63.

Pecu l ia r M i ltonic E l l ipsis.—~This, wh ich may a lso be

reso lved into a La t inism , is a pecul iar omission of the word“of

” by wh ich a ph rase compounded of an adject ive and

a substant ive is made to do duty as an adject ive. The

Mi l tonic examples of i t though memorable , are few . I ha veno ted the fo l lowing

VOL. I I I .

194 M I LTO N ’ S E N G L I S H :

He scarce had ceasedwhen the superior FiendWas mov ing toward the shore his ponderous sh ield.

Etherea l temper , massy , large, and round,Behind h im cast.

"—P . L ., 1. 2 83

- 2 86.

fea thered ma il ,Sky -tincturedgra in.

—P . L ., v . 2 84, 2 85.

Brass, iron, stony mou ld.

"—P . L ., v 1. 576.

Up l ed by thee,Into the Heaven of Heavens I have presumed,An ear thly gues t, and drawn empyrea l a ir,Tby tempen

”—P . L .,v r1. 1 2 - 15.

Under his forming hands a crea ture grew,

Man- l ike,butdif ferentsex .

"—P . L . , v 111. 470, 471 .

M i scel l aneous E l l ipses—The var iety of these may be

indicated by the fo l lowing specimens. Some, i t w i l l beseen, are aga in Lat inisms in rea l i ty

Dai ly devours apace, and noth ing sa id.—Ly ci d. 1 2 9 .

a place [of wh ich itwas] foretold [tha t i t] should be .

P . L .,11. 830, 831 .

Man shall not qu ite be lost, butsaved who wi ll. —P . L ., 111. 1 73.

No sooner did thy dear and only SonPerce ive thee purposed notto doom fra i l Man

So strictly , butmuch more to pi ty incl ined,He

o ffered h imself to dieFor Man

s offence.—P . L ., 111. 403

starsNumberless , as thou seest, and how they move.

P . L .,111. 7 18, 7 19

whereof here needs no account,Butrather to tell how,

"eta—P . L . , W. 2 35 , 2 36.

Has t th ou turned the least of theseTo fl ight

—or, if to fall , but tha t they r iseUnvanqu ished.

—P . L ., v 1. 2 84

- 2 86.

grea ter now in thy returnThan from the giant-Angels .

"—P . L .,v11. 604, 605 .

Such pleasure she reserved,Adam relating , she sole audi tress.

” —P . L . , vm . 50 , 51.

change o f construction in the sentence, may be betterobserved

“the stars

Tha t Na ture hung in heaven, and fi lled the ir lampsWi th everlast ing o i l ." Com . 19 7

- 199 .

There does a sable cloudTur nforth her s i lver l ining to the N igh t,And ca sts a gleam over th is tufted grove.

”—Com . 2 2 3- 2 2 5.

Much less can b ird w i th beast or fi sh w ith fowlSo well converse, nor w i th the ox the ape.

P . L .,V I I I .

[0 flowers] wbi cb I bred up w i th tender handFrom the first opening bud, and gave y e names.

P . L . , X I. 2 76 , 2 77 .

Who was tha t just man, wbom had notHeavenRescued, bad in his r ighteousness been lost.”

P . L . , x 1. 68 1 , 682 .

Letno man seekHenceforth to be foreto ld wha t sha ll befa llH im o r his chi ldrenfi ev i l , he may be sure,Wh ich neitber h is foreknow ing can prevent,A nd he the future ev i l shall no lessIn apprehens ion than in substance feelGr ievous to bear —P . L .

, x 1. 7 70-

Gbange of tense is a very na tura l fo rm of th is cur ious kind of

change of construct ion, thus

Itw a s the w inter w ildWh i le the h eaven-born ch i ld

All meanly wrapt in the rude manger l i es .—0d. lVa t. 2 9 -

And the ful l wra th bes ideOf vengeful just ice bor e for our excess,And sea l s obedience fi rst w i th wounding smart.

Upon i be Ci ro 2 3- 2 5 .

I did butprompt th e age to qu i t the ir clogsBy the known rules of anc ient l iberty,When stra igh t a barbarousno ise envi rons me.

onnetXI I.

Took leave, and toward the coas t of Earth benea th ,Down from the ecl ipt ic , sped wi th hoped success,

Tb r ows h is steep fl igh t in many an aery wheel ,Nor sta id t i ll 011 N iphates’ top he l igbts .

P . L . , 111. 739-

S Y N TA X A N D I D I O M . 197

INTERCHANGES O F PA RTS OF SPEECH.—These, so

common among the Eli zabethans, are frequent enough in

Mi l ton. The most frequent by far is the adject ive fo r

adverb e.g.

“ Meanwh i le inhabi t l ax , ye Powers o f Heaven ”

(P . L . ,V I I . repeated th roughout in such ins tances as

obscure for obscurely ,cb i if for cbiefly , sager for more sagely ,

etc. Nex t in frequency is adject ive for substant ive : e.g.

“ those rebel l ious ” (P . L. , I . “ grea t or br igh t infersnot excel lence ”

(P. L . , V I I I . 90 the magnet ic ”

(P. K , I I. Of verb for noun“ w i thout disturb

(P . L . , V I . 549 ) is an example ; and there are o thers.

“ As

they sat recl ine (P . L . ,I V.

“ made so adorn for thydel igh t (P. L . , VI I I . and “

sigh t so deform”

(P. L . ,

XL are not to be m istaken as instances of verb foradjec t ive, the firs t and th i rd being simple appropria t ions of

the La t in adject ives recl inis and dejformis, and the second o f

the I ta l ian adorno.

I RREGULAR ITIES IN CONCORD AND GOVERNMENT.

Although Mi l ton was more strict in h is syntax than the

Eliz abethans genera l ly had been, instances do occur in himof Eliz abethanisms o f th is glar ing kind.

S ingu l a r Verb witb P lura l Nominative.-Th is is frequent

in the th i rd person plura l where, however, i t is notmerelya l icense or irregula r i ty

,but ra ther a rel ic of O l d Engl ish

grammar. Wh i le the o l d Southern dia lect had etb for the

termina t ion of the thi rd person plura l indica t ive present ofverbs (lovetb ) and the o ld Midland had en (loven) , the o l d

Nor thern had s or es (loves ) . Th is last st i l l pers ists invernacular Sco tch : e.g. Sa i lors bas hard l ives.

” Now,

a fter the standard Engl ish had, in the ma in,drop t inflec t ion

in the p lura l of verbs (saying l ove in a l l the three persons) , a

tradi t ion of the no r thern inflect ion in s was kep t up in some

usages o f the th i rd person plura l . Instances in Shakespeareare numerous and Mi l ton gives such as the fo l lowing

H is pra ise and glory was in I srael known.—P s . CX I V. 6.

B i tter constra int and sad occas ion dearCompel s me to disturb your season due.

—Ly cid. 6 , 7 .

Thy worth and sk i ll ex empts thee from the throng .

S onnetX I I I .

h i ll and va lley r ings .—P . L . , 11. 495 .

K ingdom and power and glory apperta ins .- P . L .,

v 1. 8 15 .

Sorrows and labours, opposi tion, ha te,A ttends thee , scorns , reproaches , injuries ,V iolence and stripes, and la stly crue l dea th .

P . R . ,Iv . 386

Here is one str iking example of a simi la r l iber ty of concordin tbefi rstperson,

where the exp lana t ion is not persistenceof archa ic hab i t, butbo ld purpose by the wri ter h imself

Both Dea th and IAm found eterna l."—P . L .

, x. 8 15 , 8 16.

Exp l icab le on the same principle, or on that of change of

construction w i th change of thought,is th is fa l se concord of

per son i n a relative clause

Ha il,foreign wonder

Whom certai n these rough shades did never breed,Unless [thou a rt] the goddess tha t in rura l shrineDwel l

’sthere w ith Pan.

—Com . 2 65 - 2 68.

The fo l lowing is an instance o f wha t we should now ca l l

fa l se concord of case in apposition

who rebelledWith Satan : be who envi es now thy state.

”—P . L . v1. 899 , 900 .

E acb is often used by Shakespeare in a plura l way, as

equiva lent to Botb or A l l : e.g. What each of them by theo ther lose (Cor i ol . i i i.

“ Each in her sleep tbemselves so

beaut ify ” (R. of L. , So Mi l ton

Each in tbei r crystal slu ice.- P . L . v . 133.

Each in tbei r severa l act ive spheres. —P . L . , v . 477 .

Ca ttle and creeping th ings and beasts of the Earth ,Each in i bez

r k ind.

”—P . L ., VI I . 45 2 , 453.

A l l flesh ,Corrupt ing each tbez’r way .

” —P . L ., x 1. 888, 889 .

Occasiona l v iol ations of our present r u les of government

occur among the pronouns. Save He who reigns above(Pa r . Lost, 11. 8 14 ) is a bo ld use of the nomina t ive for the

object ive, after precedents in Shakespeare andthe frequencyof y e for the usua l object ive y ou has been no ted in our

same usage, wh ich is not uncommon in Mi l ton, and wh ich(i f I may judge from the absence of equa l ly strong El iz abethan examples in Dr . Abbo t t ’s Shakespear ian Grammar )was mo re Mi l tonic than Eliz abethan. I t is the actualjunct ion o f the possessives, no less than of the nomina t ivesor the object ives, in agreement wi th adject ives and part iciples

Wonder ing atmy fl igh t and changeTo th is h igh exa ltat ion, suddenlyMy gu ide was gone.

"- P . L . ,

v . 89-

Here i t is not the “ gu ide tha t wonders, but Eve, the

speaker ; or, in o ther words,

“ wonder ing agrees wi thmy ,

” just as i f i t had been of me wonder ing.

”So in the

fo l lowing instances, andmore str ikingly

these t idings from the Earth ,Wh ich y our s incerest car e could notprevent ,For etold so la tely wha t would come to pass."

P . L x . 36 -

Therefore so abject is tlzei r punishment,

D i sy‘z'

gu r ing notGod'

s l ikeness, butthe ir own.

P . L . , X1. 5 2 0 , 5 2 1.

In La t in these would be qui te normal but, if metwi th inan exercise in Engl ish composi t ion in the present day, theywould be set down as examples of sl ip - shod of the “ mis

rela ted part icip le ” variety. By - the - bye, the nearestapproach to an actua l case o f misrela ted or unrelatedpar t icip le tha t I have observed in Mi l ton is the fo l lowing ina speech o f Da l i la

F irst g ra nting , as I do, itwas a weaknessIn me, but inc ident to a l l our sex ,

Curios i ty , inqu is i t ive, importuneOf secrets , then w ith l ike infirm i tyTo publ ish them—both common female faultsWa s itnotweakness also to make knownFor importunity, tha t is for naught,\Vherein cons is ted a l l thy strength and safety

S . A . 7 73-

Granting, however , is one o f a sma l l gr oup of par ticip ialfo rms (seeing, tone/ting, concerning, respecting, j udging, consider ing) to wh ich custom concedes th is s lovenl iness ; and

it says much for Mi l ton’

s care tha t instances l ike the above

S Y N TAX A N D I D I O M . 2 0 1

are ra re. in his verse. I t may be taken as an el l ipt ica l case‘

abso lute.

PREPOS ITIONs.—That mul tip l icity o f meanings for the

common prepos i t ions of , to, etcf, on wh ich Dr. Abbo t t hascommented as one o f the cha racter ist ics of Eliz abethanEngl ish persists in Mi l ton, though not to the same extent ,nor perhaps to an extent beyond the pract ice of poets of our

own t ime. I wi l l note buta few instances. And of purenow purer air meets h is approach ”

(Pa r . Lost, I V. 153,154 ) seems to present of in a sense l ike from ;

“ may ofpurest Spir its be found no ingra teful food ”

(Pa r . Lost, V .

406 , 407) is one of the passages in wh ich of serves for ourpresent by ; and “ G reet her of a lovely son

a rcl z.

Wincl z . 2 3) gives of in the sense of on accountof In “ to

the twelve tha t shone in Aaron’s breastp late ”

(Par . Lost,

I I I . 59 7 , 598 ) to is equiva lent to t/zrong/t a l l tne rest o r

to tne complete number of in So much ha th Hel l debased,and pa in enfeebled me, to wha t I was in Heaven ”

(Pa r .

Lost, IX . 48 7, i t has the sense of in compa r i son wit/z(see a lso S . A . and in “ God wi l l resto re h im eye

sigh t to his strength ”

(S . A . 1503) i t h as the sense of in

addition to.

“ Wh ich , but herself,not a l l the Stygian

powers ” (Pa r . L ost, I I . 8 75) is an example o f [wt used

preposi t ional ly for ex cept. An anoma lous use of tzoz'

applying i t to mo re than two objects,is found in Twixt

upper, nether , and surrounding fi res ” (Pa r . Lost, 1.

ADVERBS AND CONJUNCT IONS .—Tl l e most frequent

difference from our present Engl ish here is the use of the

conjunct ion t/zat for so t/zat. I t was a transm itted El iza~bethanism, wel l conserved by Mi l ton e.g.

And la ck of load made h is l ife burdensome,l a t, even to h is last brea th (there be tha t say't) ,As he were pressed to death , he cried More weight.

H obson, No . 2 .

Untwist ing a l l the cha ins tha t tieThe h idden soul of harmony ,T/za tOrpheus’ self may heave h is head.

—L ’

A l l 1 43- 145.

L ike Ma ia ’

s son he stoodAnd sho ok h is plumes, tha theavenly fragrance fi l ledThe c ircu i t wide.

”—P . L .,v . 2 85

- 2 87.

2 o z M I LT O N ’S E N G L I S H :

There are o ther now unusua l senses of the conjunct ion t/zat:e .g. Pa r . L ost

,I I I . 2 78 , where i t seems to mean inasmuclz

as. In the l ines On S/za/cespeare we have v i rtua l ly w/zi lsttnotfor wni l st; and elsewhere I th ink we have tl zat redundant .As appears in severa l senses notnow common. I t serves

fo r tlzat or as t/zat: e.g. a stripl ing cherub such a s

in h is face youth smi led celestia l ” (Pa r . Lost, I I I . 637 ,638 : compa re Pa r . P eg ,

I I . 9 7 , a lso for as if : e.g.

“ into st range vagaries fel l, as they would dance

(Pa r.Lost, V I . 6 14 , a lso for in proportion as : e.g.

“ Fo r

b l iss, as thou hast pa rt , to me is bl iss ”

(Pa r . Lost,IX .

a lso fo r s nclt as (l l Pens. 163- 165) and such t/zat it

o r so tlzat it (Od. Nat. 96

Of out for t/zan “ No sooner b lown outblasted ”

(D . F.

I . I ) is an ea rly example ; and the idiom recurs (Par . Lost,111. 344 , 347 , x1. 8 2 2 , 8 2 4 , etc. ) In Pa r . Lost, v . 674 ,and perhaps elsewhere

,and has a sense o f if or tnong/z .

Mi l ton uses the wo rd bot/z where the reference is to moreobjec ts than two : e.g.

“ The God tha t made bot/2 sky, air,ear th , and heaven (Pa r . Lost, I V . and he takes thesame l iberty w i th neit/zer : e.g. Of nei ther sea, nor sho re,nor a ir, nor fire (Pa r . Lost, 11. The variety o f

h is uses of or,nor

, neitner , etc . , may be inferred from theseexamples

,in some of wh ich , however, change of construe

t ion by change of though t bea rs a par t

Or [e i ther] envy ,or wha t reserve , forbids to taste ?

P . L . , v . 61.

Much less can b ird w i th beast or fi sh w ith fowlSo well converse, nor w ith the ox the ape.

P . L .,v111. 395, 396.

Or [either] eas t or west."—P . L . , x . 685.

Wh ich neitl zer his foreknow ing can prevent ,And he the future ev i l shall, " etc.—P . L . ,

X1. 773 , 774 .

neitl zer thus hear tened or dismayed.—P . R . , 1. 2 68 .

I h id not, or forb id.—P . R .

, 1. 495.

TRANSPOS IT ION S AND INVERS IONS.—Occasiona l ly some

very st riking inversion o r t ransposi t ion o f the usua l order ofwords in a sentence is metwi th in Mi l ton e.g.

Prose. Here, as in o ther th ings, Wordswo r th held, a

refo rm was needed. I t was necessary to teach people afreshtha t proper verse- syntax is notdistorted prose - syntax , or syntax rel ieved from any o f the condi t ions imposed upon goodprose, butonl y syntax w i th a l l the condi t ions of good prosereta ined and certa in o ther andmo re exquisi te anddifficul t conditions superadded. So farWordswor th and cer ta inly h isprecept and example, in th is respect , were most who lesome.

Some English poets , indeed, coeva ls of Wo rdsworth , and h ispar tners in the genera l crusade aga inst Poet ic Dict ion,

”could

not emancipa te themselves , as he did, from the custom o f a

syntax mechanica l ly inver ted to sui t the mere exigencies of

metre and rhyme. On the who le, however , no th ing has beenmo re remarkab le in the best Engl ish poet ry of the presentcentury than the return to a na tura l syntax , or even to the

o rdinary prose order of the wo rds. Tennyson is here con

spicuous. No wr i ter is mo re essent ia l ly and cont inua l ly thepoet than he ; hardly a l ine of h is but contains tha t verysometh ing tha t distinguishes the poet from the prosa ist and

yet i t is not in the syntax tha t th is dzfi erentia appea rs, and

o ften,for many l ines together, the words fa l l exact ly and

punct i l iously into thei r o rdinary prose places. Not the

less does i t appea r , bo th from a theo ret ica l cons idera t ion o f

the subject, and from a study o f the actua l syntax o f our

t ruest poets, Tennyson and Wo rdswo rth h imself included,tha t the precept , as i t was fi rs t putfo rth by Wordswor th ,was too absolute. Besides those i l legi tima te inversions o f

prose- syntax wh ich a r ise from a lazy or slovenly forcing of

the metre and rhyme, there certa inly are o ther inversionsna tura l to verse as such , and not i l legi t ima te. These seem

to be of two so rts There are inversions na tura l to thepecul iar eleva t ion of mood o r feel ing wh ich prompts to verseand wh ich verse presupposes. After a l l

,syntax has its roo t

in though t , and every sta te of mind has its own syntax .Th is is seen w i th in prose i tself. “ Grea t is Diana of the

Ephesians ”is a different construct ion from “ Diana of the

Ephes ians is gr ea t , simply because the tlzonglzt is not the

same. And so , in prose i tself,there are a l l vari eties of

syntax , from the regularly - repea ted conca tena t ion of subject,copula , and predica te, na tura l to the coo lest statement o ffacts and proposi t ions , on to the i rregular rhythm of com

p lex medi ta t ion and emo t ion, verging on verse, and in fact

SY N TAX A N D I D I O M . 2 05

often passing into verse. Nor , when the express l imi t ispassed, and one leaves prose avowedly for verse, is the

variab i l i ty of the syntax wi th the movement o f the though tor meaning so who l ly concluded a lready tha t there can be

no na tura l var iat ion far ther. Verse is i tself a proclamat ionth a t the mood of the h ighest prose moments is to be prolonged and susta ined ; and the very devices tha t const i tuteversenotonly serve for the pro longat ion o f themood, butocca

s ion perpetual invo lut ions o f i t and inca lculab le excitements.

(2 ) Study of beauty of a l l kinds is na tura l to every ar t ist ;and the poet, when he comes to be an a rt ist in verse

,w i l l

seek beauty in sound. Here, too , though we ca l l i t art,na ture dicta tes. The wr i ter in verse may lawful ly a im at

musica l effects on the ear not cons istent wi th'

prose syntax.In fact

,th is is not a dist inct princip le from the last , but

only a part icular implica t ion of tha t princ ip le, wor thy of

separa te no t ice.

The syntax of Mi lton’s poetry certa inly is affected by the

verse to a larger extent than we might guess from Wo rdswo rth ’s enthusiast ic references to him as the perfect modelfor poets at the very t ime when he was expounding his

Refo rm of Poet ic Dict ion. In no poet do we see the

movement of ideas, and therefo re the order of the words ,swayed more manifest ly by tha t elevation of feel ing, tha tglow of mood, wh ich comes upon the poet when he has

r isen above “the coo l element of prose, ” and is soa ring in

the high region of h is fancies w i th his garland and singingrobes about h im.

” Indeed a l l through his l ife the leadingcharacter ist ic of Mi l ton’

s m ind was tha t i t could not be

prosa ic. He l ived in song ; i t was h is most na tura l mode

o f speech. Even in his prose-wr i t ings, a l l tha t were not

mere hackwork, he every now and then spurns the ground,

grows metr ica l , and begi ns to ascend. And so , when he

actua l ly was in h is proper element of verse,h is though ts

came in an order ruled not only by the logic of custom and

reason, or by that modified by the La t inism o f h is syntax asi t would have to ld in prose, but a lso by the condi t ions of

roused feel ing musica l ly moved. In the fo l lowing passageof Ata Solemn Music is there not an inversion of ordinarysyntax grea ter in amount , and mo re subt le in k ind, thancan be debi ted to La t in habi ts of construct ion o r to anyo ther cause than the verse - exci tement ?

B lest pa ir of S irens,pledges o f Heaven’s joy ,

Sphere-born harmonious s isters , Vo ice and Verse,Wed your div ine sounds, and m ixed power employ ,Dead th ings w i th inbrea thed sense able to pierceAnd to our h igh - ra ised phantasy presentTha t undisturbed song of pure concent

Aye sung before the sapph ire- coloured throneTo him tha t s i ts thereon,With sa intly shout and solemn j ub ileeWhere the brigh t Seraph im in burning rowThe ir loud upl ifted angel - trumpets blow,

And the Cherub ic host in thousand qu iresTouch the ir immorta l harps of golden wi res,Wi th those jus t Spiri ts tha t wear v ictorious palmsHymns devou t and ho ly psalmsS inging everlast ingly .

In th is connexion we may no te the frequency wi th wh ichthe adject ive ol d is putafter its substant ive. The word old

occurs about si xty t imes in the poems ; and nineteen t imesi t occurs in th is manner . “ And last of kings and queensand [zeroes ol d

” is,I th ink

, the fi rst case (Va c. E x . 4 7) in

the same piece we have “ A S iby l old”

after wh ichwe have [Wel ioafus ol d

“ Bel /er a s old”

(Ly e.“ l f

is/zon old”

(Ps . LXXX I I I . “ Saturn old”

(P. L . , I . “ l zeroes old”

aga in (P . L . ,I .

“ wa r r i ors old”

(P. L . ,I . “ Mount Casia s old (P .

L . , I I . “ t/ze Ana rc/z old”

(P. L . , 11. Ti resi as

and P/z ineus, prop/zets ol d”

(P. L. ,111.

“ Dar/mess

ol (P. L . ,I I I . “

faoles ol d (P . L . , X I . “ kings

and l zeroes old”aga in (P . L . , X1.

“ Sa lem ol d (P.

R , 11. seers old (P. R , 111. pr op/zets old”

aga in (P. 13 ,I I I . “ ZVinus ol d

(P. R , I I I .and “

giants ol d”

(S . A .

V. MILTON’S VERS IF ICATION AND H IS PLACEIN THE H ISTORY OF ENGL ISH VERSE.

Although the terms of classica l Prosody—[ amous, Trocnee,Spondee, Dacty l , Anapaest, Tr ibr ac/z , etc .

—may be appl iedto Engl ish verse effect ively enough on the princip le of

taking accented syl lab les for longs and unaccented for sho rts ,there i s a superior convenience in some respects in the mode

2 08 M I LT O N ’ S E N G L I S H :

part icula r. Though a good dea l o f our best -known poetryfrom Chaucer t i l l now is in Iamb ic Octosyllabics or the 4x a formula , much mo re of i t is in Iamb ic Decasyllab ics orthe 5 x a fo rmula . In the fo rm o f our common blank verse,or in the o lder form of hero ic rhyming couplets, we havemade th is 5 x a metre sui t for the narr a tive and didacticpurposes to which the Greeks and La t ins appropria ted the

Dactyl ic Hexameter o r 6 axx ; we have made i t suit a lsofor the purposes o f the Tragic Drama , for which they employed the Iamb ic Tr imeter or 6 x a , and for the purposes ofComedy , for wh ich they used tha t verse mo re laxly and withmany l icences besides wh ich , we use the same 5 x a largelyfor var ious purposes in rhyming stanz as. In wha t hasjust been sa id ano ther fact is invo lved : to wit

,tha t the

Engl ish ear has not h i therto shown i tself capable of susta ining easi ly or cont inuously verse of such length of l ine as the

classic ear favoured. There are specimens in our o lderpoet ry of verse in 6 x a , or even longer measures ; Tennyson ih h is [ Maud has int roduced a rhyming va ria t ion of the

Dactyl ic Hexameter , and elsewhere he has given us poemsin 8 ax and there have been s im i lar exper iments byo ther recent Engl ish poets. Stil l the fact rema ins tha t

wh i le the Greeks and Romans l iked 6 axx o r 6 x a or yet

longer measures, we do notgenera l ly , in continuous poet ry ,go beyond 5 x a . Th is a lso is a fact wo rth no t ing. How

is i t that , wh i le on the Greek stag e the tragic dia logue wasin complete Iamb ic Trimeters, wh ich to our reading are 6

x a , our Engl ish b lank verse, used for the same drama ticpurpose, and for o ther purposes besides, gives five Iamb iw i l l ingly, but sh rinks from a sixth ?How far Mi l ton conformed to the customs of English

Verse which he found estab l ished, and in what respects heinnovated upon these, wi l l appear best after a chrono logica lview of h is Poems in the ma t ter of thei r versification

Ea nu nsr PIECES 162 4.

Pa raph ra se on P sa lm CXI V.—Ordinary rhyming Hero ics ( Iambic

Decasyllab ics) or the 5 x a couplet w ith one couplet 5 x aP a rap/zr ase o n P sa lm CXXXV1. Ordinary rhym ing Iambic Octo

syllab ics , o r the 4 x a couplet ; w ith a genera l Trocha ic or a x effect,

a ris ing from the fact that a good many o f the l ines, including the refra in,omit the init ial unaccented syllable .

THE VE R S E . 2 09

THE CAMBR IDGE Panxon : 1 62 5—1632 .

On the Dea th of a Fa i r Inf a nt 16 2 6.—A seven- line rhym ing stanza ,

the first six l ines 5 x a ,the seventh l ine an A lexandr ine or 6 x a . I t

ers only in th is 6 a n ending from the Rhyme Roya l " of the pro

sodians, used by Chaucer (C l erk

s Ta l e, Troi l us a nd Cr essei de,

by Spenser (R u ines qf Time, Hymn of H ea venly L ove, and byShakespeare (L ucrece) .A ta Vaca ti on Ex erci se : 1 62 8 .

- Ordinary rhyming Hero ics.

On the [Pl ornz'

ng of Ch r ist'

s N a ti v ity—Introduct ion in same stanza

as On the Dea th of a Fa i r I nf ant; but“The Hymri ” in a pecul iar

rhyming e igh t - l ine stanza of comb ined 3 x a , 4 aa , 5 x a , and 6 x a .

The P assi on—Same stanza as On the D ea th of a Fa i r I nf a nt.

S ong on May Morning—Ten l ines of comb ined 5 x a and 4 sea , in

rhyming ébuplets wi th a Trocha ic or a x eff ect in some Of the lines .

On S ha kespea r e 1630 . Ordinary rhym ing Hero ics.

On the Uni versity Ca r r i er : 1630- 1 .—Ordinary rhym ing Hero ics .

A nother on the S ame : 1630- 1 .

- Ordinary rhym ing Hero ics .

Epitaph on the [Pl a n /l ioness of Winchester : 163 1 .—Ordinary Oc to

syllabic I amb ics , or 4 x a couplets , as inPa raph raseof P sa lnz CXXXVI .

with the same frequent Trocha ic or a x efifectfrom the om iss ion Of the

ini t ia l unaccented syllable.

S onnets I . and 11.—Both in 5 x a and after I ta l ian precedents .

THE HORTON PE R IOD 1632—1638.

L’A l l egro and l l Penseroso.

—Both ma inly in ordinary Octo syllab icIamb ics , or 4 x a couplets, w i th the frequent Trocha ic effect of a l ine inwh ich the ini t ia l unaccented syllable is m iss ing but each Poem beginning wi th an introductory lyric of ten lines of comb ined 3 x a (or 3 x aand 5 x a (or 5 x a

A rcades .—Three lyrics or songs, in 4 x a , 3 x a ,

and 2 x a , variouslyrhymed, and w ith a frequent Trocha ic or a x effect ; together with a

Speech in ordinary rhymed Hero ics, or the 5 x a couplet.A t a S ol emn i l l us ic.

- A s ingle burst of twenty - e igh t l ines of com

bined 3 1 a , 4 x a , 5 x a ,and 6 x a

,rhym ing irregularly in pa irs.

On Time.- A s ingle burst of twenty - two l ines o f comb ined 3 x a , 4 x a ,

5 x a , and 6 x a , rhyming irregularly in pa irs .

Upon the Ci r cumci si on—A complex rhym ing stanza of fourteen l inesof comb ined 2 x a , 3 sea , and 5 x a .

Camus : 1 634 .—The dia logue in the ordinary drama t ic blank verse of

5 x a , varied by 5 x a (the firs t t ime of M i lton’s use o f Blank Verse) ;w i th one passage, however (l ines 495 in ordinary rhyming H ero ics.or the 5 x a Couplet. The interspersed lyrica l p ieces of two sorts

,v iz .

cons iderable passages of r ecita tive in ordinary Octosyllabics or the

4 x a couplet, w i th the customary Trocha ic liberty in many l ines , and

occas ionally an elonga t ion into Hero ics or the 5 a n measure. 2 . S ong s

VOL. I I I . P

2 10 M I LTO N ’S E N G L I S H :

proper in combined 2 x a , 3 x a , 4 x a , 5 x a , and 6 x a , var iously rhymed,and often w i th a Trocha ic l iberty in the l ines .

Lycidas : 1637 .—Wi th the except ion of the last e ight l ines, wh ich

form a separa te stanza in the Ottava R ima (5 x a ) of Ar iosto , Tasso, ando ther poets

,th is pastora l is wri tten in a pecul iar style. wh ich may be

ca lled “The free mus ical paragraph .

”The poet, we see, had not te

s tr icted h imself beforehand by any rule, unless i t were tha t the measurewas to be I ambic or x a , and tha t the poem should on the whole be inrhyme. Accordingly the poem is an exqu is i te example o f a k ind of

verse wh ich theorists m igh t perhaps pronounce the most perfect andna tural of any—tha t in wh ich the mechanism is elas t ic, or determinedfrom moment to moment by the swell or shrink ing of the meaning or

feel ing. Mos t of the l ines are in 5 x a , butever and anon th is is shortenedto 3 x a the rhymes a re occas iona lly in couplets , buta re more frequentlyatlonger interva ls, as if running into s tanzas sometimes a rhyme affectsbuttwo l ines, butsomet imes i t is extended through three or four, —onceeven through six in the same paragraph ; wh il e occas iona lly there is al ine notrhyming ata l l , butso cunningly introduced tha t the absence of

the rhyme is notfelt .

MIDDLE L IFE (PER IOD OF Pnosn POLEMICS) : 1640—1660.

S ix teen Engl ish S onnets (Sonnets V I I I . - XX I I I . of the generalseries) : 1642

- 1658 .—These, l ike Sonnets I . and I I ar e a l l after the

I tal ian form of the Sonnet in its authorized varieties(see Introduct ion tothe Sonnets, 11. 2 76

—The piece On the Forcers of Conscience,

belonging to the same series, is a Sonnet w i th a pecul iar prolonga t ion.

The metre in the Sonnets is , of course, a lways 5 x a ; but in the “ ta i lor prolongat ion of the Sonnetin the las t-named piece two of the l inesare in 3 x a .

S craps of Tra ns l a ted Verse in the P rose.Pamph l ets .—These are a l l

in the ordinary B lank Verse of 5 sea .

H orace, Ode I . V. Tra ns l a ted—An unrhymed piece of s ixteen l ines,in a lterna te pa irs of 5 x a (or 5 sea and 3 x a .

P sa lms LXXX -LXXXVI I I . 1648 .—A l l in four - l ine stanzas of

alternate 4 x a and 3 x a , or Iambic “eights and s ixes diflering from

the so - called Serv ice Metre only in the fact tha t the first l ine o f each

stanza generally rhymes w i th the th ird, as well as the secondwi th the

fourth .

P sa lms I .- V111. 1653.

—Experiments in var i ous metres and combinations of rhyme, no two al ike.

—Psalm I . is in ordinary rhymed Hero icsor the 5 x a couplet ; the o thers are in var ious rhymed stanzas, but a l lthe l ines in the x a metre, ranging from 2 x a or 2 x a to 5 x a or 5 x a

LATE R Lure : 1660—1674.

Pa ra di se L ost: 1667 .—Blank Verse of the established5 x a or 5 r d

clusion tha t no cer ta in rules can be la id down in such matters.Themeasure,

’sa idGoethe, flows, as i t were, unconsciously

from the mood of the poet. I f he though t about i t wh i lew ri t ing the poem , he would go mad, and produce no th ingof —Th is anecdo te is a fi t preface to wha t is hereto fo l low. Mil ton, in the act of wri t ing or menta l ly composing h is poetry, did notgenera l ly th ink of the minutiae of

the verse -mechanism ,but obeyed the mood of h is though t

and the inst inct of a musica l ear as perfect and fast idious aswas ever given to man. There is no doubt , however, tha t ,l ike Goethe, he could become the prosodian of his own

verses when he chose, and was very learned and cri t ica l ina l l such ma t ters. He would not have objected, therefore,to the most m icroscopic examinat ion of h is verse in sea rcho f the mechanica l causes or accompaniments of the poet iceffects . Wha t of th is kind can be given here may dividei tself between two heads—I . Mi l ton’

sMetrica l Management ,and I I . Mil ton’

s Rhymes.

THE METR ICAL MANAGEMENT.

I t is by examining Mi l ton’

s Blank Verse that we shal lbest lea rn his met rica l art.The fo rmula o f the norma l l ine o f Blank Verse is 5 x a

wh ich means tha t each no rma l l ine consists o f ten syllables,

a l terna tely weak and strong. Here are examples of suchl ines from Mi l ton’

s poetry

At last a so ft and’

so l emn- breath ing sound.—Comus, 555 .

Awake,ar ise , or be for ever fallen.

—P . L .,1.

O f flutes and soft recorders, such as ra isedTo h igh th o f noblest temper heroes o ld.

”—P . L .,1. 55 1 , 552 .

The b irds the ir notes renew,and bleating herds

A ttest their joy , tha t h i l l and valley r ings.

P L ., 49 4 , 49 5 .

And sw ims, or s inks , or wades , or creeps , or fl ies .

P . L . ,11. 9 50.

And lo ok ing round, on every s ide beheldA path less desert

, dusk w i th horrid shades .

P . R . , 1. 2 9 5, 2 96.

And I shall shortly be w i th them tha t rest.”—S . A . 59 8.

TH E V E R S E . 2 13

Such regular l ines o f five I ambi , however , a re much lessfrequent than migh t be supposed, and very ra rely are two

o r th ree of them found consecut ively. The reason is tha tany cons iderab le ser ies of l ines o f th is uni fo rm constructionwould be unendurable. The ear demands va riety ; and so ,

mutatz'

s matandz'

s , that happens in Engl ish Blank Versewh ich happened in the va rious k inds of classic verse. The

Hero ic verse o f Homer and Vi rgi l is ca l led Dactyl ic Hexameter, the fo rmula o f wh ich , i f we use our symbo ls foraccent as symbo ls for quanti ty, would be 6 (xxx . In fact,however , no l ine of six Dactyls exists. Not only is the lastor s i xth foo t inva riably a Spondee (ao ) but even the fi fth

wh ich g enera l ly mus t be a Dactyl , may now and then be a

Spondee, and any of the preceding four may be ei ther a

Spondee or a Dactyl . Thus we may have l ines occasiona l lyw i th onl y one dactyl ic foo t. The reason for the name of

the verse, therefore, is tha t each l ine has a to ta l effect equ iva lentto tha t o f six Dactyls. So in the kind of verse ca l ledI amb ic Tr imeter or Iambic Senarius, wh ich was the verseo f the Greek tragedians for the dia logue, and of thei r La t info l lowers. The no rm of each l ine was six Iamb i , or, in our

no ta t ion, 6 x a , so tha t the verse may be tak en as our Blanklengthened by a foo t . Regula r l ines of the six Iambi dooccur ; but a succession of such would have been though tmono tonous. In the actua l pract ice of the poets (Greekand Lat in together) the ear therefore dicta ted var iet ies,wh ich the prosodians, com ing after them and wa tch ing wha tthey had done, expressed in these rules—tha t any one o f

the fi rst five feet m igh t be a Tribrach (xx x ) ; tha t any o f

the th ree odd feet (the i st, the 3rd, and the sth ) m igh tperfect ly wel l be a Spondee (aa ) ; and tha t th is Spondeem igh t be reso lved into a Dactyl (dx x ) or an Anapaest (x x a )in any o f the th ree places, though in the th i rd place the

Anapaest , and in the fifth the Dactyl,ough t to be very rare.

The verse was ca l led Iamb ic Senar ius, in sho rt , becauseeach l ine was to consist o f six I amb i , or 'w/zatt/ze cu ltura l

ear wou ld accept as equiva lent. Prec isely so are we to be

understood when we say tha t the fo rmula of Mi l ton’

s BlankVerse, or of Engl ish Blank Verse genera l ly, is 5 am. L inesmay occur , frequent ly enough

,tha t answer exact ly to that

fo rmula ; butthe formula only means that each l ine del i versinto the ear a genera l 5 x a effect , the ways of producing

th is effect being va rious. Wha t the ways are can be ascer~tained only by careful ly reading and scanning a sufficientnumber o f spec imens of approved Blank Verse.

Unfo r tuna tely , the process o f scanning Mi l ton’s B lankVerse, or any o ther English verse, is not so cer tain as tha to f scanning Greek o r La t in verse. All depends on the

reading ; and the reading depends on the taste and hab i tso f the reader . I t would be easy to read Mi l ton’s BlankVerse so tha t a l l the l ines, or most of them , should be re

dacted by fo rce into the no rma l 5 x a . Thus, the fi rst l ineof Pa radise L ostm igh t be read

Gf man’

s l fi rstdis 1obed ié’

nce and thefrui t

or the very abnorma l l ine, P . L . , V I . 866 , m ight be readthus

Bii rnté f l ter them Ito’

thé l bottom 155 5 pit.

This, of course, is too ho rrible and such barba rous readers

a re imaginary. I am not sure, however, but tha t , in the

reading o f Mi l ton or of Shakespeare, even by persons of

educat ion and taste, especial ly i f they are punct i l ious aboutProsody, there is a m ino r fo rm of the same faul t. I t consists in reading so as to regu la r z

ze the met re wherever i t isposs ible to do so ,

—in reading the x a tune into the l inesth rough and th rough , wherever , by a l i tt le persuas ion, theyw i l l yield to i t . Th is is wrong. The proper way is nottoimpose the music upon the l ines, butto l etthe music of eachl ine a r ise outo f i t as i t is read na tura l ly. Only in th is waycan we know wha t metr ical effect Shakespeare or Mi l tonanywhere intended. Perhaps the el ision - marks and o thersuch dev ices in the o ld printed texts, though wel l - intent ioned,hel p to mislead here. Wh en, in the o rigina l edi t ion o f

Pa r adise L ost, I findfl amed spel t fl am’d,or Heaven spel t

Heav‘

i z, or T[zebes spel t T/zeb’s, I ta ke the apostrophe as an

express di rect ion to om i t the e sound and pronounce the

wo rds as monosyl lables but I canno t accep t the apostropheas an el ision-mark of precisely the same significance in the

l ines Above t/z ’ A am’

an Mount , wh i le i t pursues (P . L . ,

I . I 5) and“ Tha t l ed t/z

méattel ld Seraph im to warr ” (P .

L. , I . —for these reasons Because the strictut terances t/o m

an and are com ica l i t ies now,

which I canno t concei ve ever to have been serious ; (2 )

2 16 .M I LT O N ’S E N G L I S H :

abundance of examples of such,page after page, take,

a lmost atrandom, these

Breathe such div ine enchant ing rav ishment.”I .

2 . Drink the clear stream, and noth ing wear butfrieze.

3. Dovel ike sat’stbrooding on the vast Abyss.

4 . N ine times the space tha t measures day and nigh t5 . Oh how unl ike the place from whence they fell.6 . I rreconci leabl e to our grand Foe.

7 . Say , Muse , the ir names then known, who first , who last .8 . Numberless as thou seest , and how they move.

9 . Infini te wra th and infini te despa ir."10. Whose image thou a rt him thou shal t enj oy.1 1 . On a sunbeam, sw ift as a shooting s tar.”1 2 . Squa t l ike a toad, close atthe ear of Eve .

13. N otto know me argues yourselves unknown.

1 4. Gabriel from the front thus called aloud.

1 5 . Thus sa id —Na tive of Heaven,for other place.

16 . In the ir triple degrees regions to wh ich .

1 7. Crea ted thee in the image of God.

1 8 . Burnt a fter them to the bottomless p it.19 . Yetfell remember and fear to transgress .

2 0 . To the garden of bl iss , thy sea t prepared.

2 1 Product ive on herd, plant, and nobler birth .

2 2 . Greedily she ingorged w i thout restra int . ”2 3 . Shal t eatthereof a l l the days of thy l ife .

2 4. In the swea t of thy face sha lt thou eatbread.

2 5 . L ike change on sea and l and, s idera l bla st.”2 6 . Me, me only, j ust object of his ire.

2 7 . Found so unfortuna te ; nevertheless .

2 8 . In the v is ions o f God itwas a h ill.”2 9 . J ust ifica t ion towards God, and peace.

30. To the flood J ordan—came as then obscure.

3 1 . Wi th them from bl iss to the bottomless p it.”32 . Among daugh ters of men the fa irest found.

33. Andmade h im bow to the Gods of his w ives.

34. A fter forty days’ fast ing had rema ined.

35 . And w i th these words his temptat ion pursued.

36. From tha t plac id aspect and meek regard.

37 . The ir enemies,who serve idols w i th God.

38. So fares i t when w i th truth fa lsehood contends .

39 . Surnamed Peripa tet ics , and the sect .”

40 . L ight from above, from the founta in of l igh t.4 1 . Env ironed thee some howled, some yelled, some shr ieked.

4 2 . In the bosom of bliss, and l igh t of l igh t.”

43. Ha il , son of the Most H igh,heir o f both Worlds.

44 . Tha t inv incible Samson, far renowned.

TH E V E RS E . 2 17

4 5 . Scandalous, or forb idden in our Law .

Horribly loud, unl ike the former shor t.4 7 .

F or h is people of o l d wha t h inders now ? "

Al l these lines, i t wi l l be observed, are and so

far they are regular . The1e being only ten syllab les in each,

the fo rced Iambic chant m igh t regul a1 iz e them a l l completely,or convert them a l l into sti ict 5 x a : e.g. I r1econc1le

ablé to our grand Foe ”

; On a sunbeam , sw1ftas a shoo ting star ” “ Greedi she 111g01ged wi thout rest1a int

That invmcibl é Samson, far renowned.

” Even where theI amb ic chant is at its worst , however , i t does not infl ictsuch ho rrors as these, but acknowledges 1eluctantly tha t thel ines are not to be regular iz ed. A study o f the facts putsa l l fo rma l ly r igh t by declar ing tha t English Blank Verseadmi ts a Trochee, a Spondee, or a Pyrrh ic, for the Iambus,in a lmost any place of the l ine.

I t is by no means to be supposed tha t the forego ingexamples represent a l l the possible dissyl lab ic va ria t ions ;but in these examples a lone a considerable number o f in

teresting varia t ions may be observed. Thus the Trochee forthe

,Iambus is very frequent in them I t appears, i f I may

t rust to my own reading, in the first met rica l p lace in Nos.

1, 2 , 3, 6 , 8 , 9 , I 4 , 2 2, 2 9 , 3 1 , 34 , 39 , 40. 4 5, 46 ,

giving in each case the very acceptable effect , so common in

good b lank verse, o f a strong syl lable now and then at the

beginni ng of a l ine. I find i t in the second metrica l placein Nos. 15, 16

,2 0 , 2 4 , 2 6 , 2 8 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 4 2 , 44 , 4 7 ; i t

comes in the th i rd metrica l p lace in Nos. 1 1 , 12,13 , 2 3 ;

and in the fourth in Nos. 16,17, 18 , 19 , 2 3 , 2 4 , 2 5, 2 7 ,

3 1, 33, 35, 37 , 38 , 40 , 43. The Pyrrh ic a lso is not t1u

common. I find i t , or seem to find i t , in the firs t metr ica lp lace in Nos. 1 1 , 16

, 2 0, 2 4 , 2 8 , 30 , 32 , 35, 4 2 , 4 4 , 4 7 ;in the second in Nos. 8 , 10

,14 , 18 , 2 1 , 2 2 , 37 , 38 , 39 ,

43, 4 5 ; in the th i rd in Nos. 3, 6 , 17, 18 , 19 , 3 1 , 33, 35,

40 ; and in the fourth in Nos . 2 6, 34 , 39 , 4 5. One does

not l ike to speak so surely of the Spondee, wh ich is supposedto be ra ther a l ien to English speech ; and the ma tter iscompl ica ted (as indeed i t is in the Pyrrh ic) by the del ica tequest ion of wha t the dist inct ion is between accent and

mere stress, strength , or quant i ty . Can a weak syl lable, onthe one hand, be sa id to be accented, and a syllable req uir

ing st rong or empha t ic enunc ia t ion, on the o ther hand, besa id to be unaccented ? W' i thout discussing such a subt lety ,letme say tha t I perpetual ly find in Mi l ton

s verse a foo t fo rwh ich “

Spondee is the best name, and tha t i t would bedifli cul t to characteriz e many of h is l ines o therwise than byca l l ing them Sponda ic. In the forego ing examples I find

o r seem to find, the Spondee for the Iambus, in the fi rstmetrica l place, in Nos . 4 , 5, 7 , 15, 18 , 19 , 2 5, 2 6 , 2 7, 38 ,

4 3 ; in the second met rica l p lace in Nos. 2, 3, 13 , 30 , 35 ;

in the th i rd met rica l place in Nos. 7 , 10, 2 1, 2 6 , 34 , 4 1 ;in the fourth metr ica l place in Nos, 7 , I 4 , 4 1 ; and (wha tis wo rth observ ing) in the fifth or las t metrica l p lace in No s.

6, 7 , 4 1 , 43, 4 5. More appears from the examples giventhan merely tha t the Iambus may be displaced anywhere inthe l ine by ano ther dissyl labic foo t. I t appears tha t theremay be not only one such displacement , butsevera l such , inany l ine, and indeed tha t one displacement natura l ly bringso thers by way o f co rrect ion or compensa t ion. Thus

,of the

4 7 l ines quo ted, wh i le some exh ibi t but one displacement(e.g. Nos. 1 , 4 , 5, 2 9 , 36 , there are two disp lacementsin many (Nos . 2

,8, 9 , 10

,15, 17 , 2 0, 2 1 , 2 2 , 2 3, 2 5,

2 7, 2 8, 30, 33, 37 , 4 2 , 4 4 , t/zree disp lacements in

th i r teen (Nos. 3 , 6 , 1 1 , 13, 14 ,16

,19 , 2 4 , 31 , 38, 39 , 40 ,

displacements in six (Nos. 7 , 1 8,2 6 , 34 , 35,

and one rema ining line (No . 4 3) w i th actua l ly fi ve displacements, or nota s ingle re gularly placed Iambus in i t . Sub t lelaws , no doubt , regula te the co rrect ion of one displacementby ano ther or o thers butthe inquiry is too m inute here.

One remark bearing on i t may, however, be added. I t istha t the accep tabi l i ty of a l ine to the ear

,the ease w i th

wh ich i t is passed as good or usua l blank verse, is by nomeans in the inverse propor tion of the number of its variat ions from the no rma l and

,v i ce versa

,tha t the strangeness

of a l ine to the ear, the difficul ty of accept ing i t, is by no

means in the di rect propo r t ion of the number of its va ria t ions.

Of the 47 specimen l ines twenty- tame or a lmost exact ly a

ha lf, are l ines wh ich , I th ink , would be accepted atonce, or

wi thout much demur , as in legit ima te Blank Verse t ime—v iz .

NOS ' 3, 4 » 5 7 6 , 7 1 8 1 9 1 12 , I 3, 14 : 15a 2 2 1 2 9 ) 30 , 37 ,

38 , 39 , 4 1, 4 3, 4 5 , and 4 6 . The o ther ha lf, or twenty-four

in a l l—v iz . Nos. 10,1 1

, 18, 19 , 2 0 , 2 1 , 2 3, 2 4 , 2 5,

2 6. 2 7. 2 8. 3 1. 32 . 33. 34. 35. 36. 40. 4 2 . 4 4. 4 7—are

I I . TRI SYLLABIC VARIA ’

IONS .—Less numerous than the

l ines tha t escape from the st ric t 5 x a fo rmula by the sub

stitution o f the Trochee, the Pyrrh ic , o r the Spondee, forthe I ambus, butst i l l very frequent , are the l ines tha t escapefrom the fo rmula by the bo lder subst i tut ion of one o f the

t risyl lab ic feet . Th is occasions even a grea ter i rregula ri tyin appearance ; for, wherever an Anapaest , a Dactyl , a Tri

brach,o r o ther trisyl lab ic foo t , displaces an Iambus, the l ine,

of course, is lengthened to eleven syllables . Neverthelessthe t risyl labic var ia t ion consists w i th the genius o f Engl ishBlank Verse, and impar ts to i t an additiona l power and

freedom . Again a co l lect ion o f examp les, outo f the abundance bedded in Mi l ton’

s text , wi l l best yield conclusions

1 . To quench the drough t of Phoebus, wh ich as they taste.

L ikelies t and nearestto the present aid.

To seek i ’ the valley some coo l friendly Spring.

Fea red her stern frown, and she was queen o’

the woods.

Butfor that damnedmagic ian,leth im be girt.

Crams and blasphemes hi s feeder. Shall I go on ?”

I must not suffer th is yet’tis butthe lees.

Made Goddess of the r iver; s t ill she reta ins.

Crea ted hugest tha t sw im the ocean- stream .

Inexorably, and the torturing hour.”Whom reason ha th equalled, force hath made supreme.

Thr ive under evi l, and work ease outof pa in.

Pass ion and apathy and glory and sham e.

Immeasurably a l l th ings shall be our prey.The intr ica te wards , and every bol t and bar.

O f massy iron or sol id rock wi th ease.

So he, w i th difficulty and labour hard.

Moved on : w ith difficulty and labour he .

I f true , here only , and of del ic ious tas te .

The organs of her fancy, and w i th them forge.

V irtue in her shape how lovely saw and pined.

N o inconvenient diet , nor too l igh t fare.

Each to o ther like, more than on Earth is thoughtPlant of the field, wh ich ere itwas on the Earth .

Of ra inbows and starry eyes . The wa ters thus.

Over fi sh o f the sea and fowl of the a ir .

Carnat ion, purple, a zure, or specked w i th gold.

How dies the Serpent ? H e ha th ‘

ea ten and l ives.

Thorns a lso and th istles it shall bring thee forth .

Tha t , j ea lous of the ir secrets , fiercely opposed.

\Vherefo re didst thou bege t me ? I sough t itnot."

T H E V E R S E . 2 2 1

Thy punishment then j ustly is ath is w ill.T5 a fel l adversa ry , h is ha te and shame.

Not th is rock only : h is omn ipresence fi l lIn piety thus and pure devo t ion pa id.

F led and pursued transverse the resonant fugue.

“R idiculous , and the work Confus ion named.

By day a cloud, by nigh t a pi llar of fire.

The ir c i ty , h is temple, and h is holy a rk .

The throne hereditary , and bound h is re ign.

Needs must the Serpent now h is capita l bruise .

By v is ion found thee in the Temple, and spakeKnow ing who I am, a s I know who thou a rt.

And on tha t h igh author i ty had bel ieved.

Beho l d the Kings of the Ea rth how they oppress .

‘ipLittle suspic ious to any k ing ; butnow .

Powers of F ire, A ir , Wa ter and Earth benea thNO advantage , and h is strength as oftassay .

“ Only in a bottom saw a plea sant grove.

From us , his foes pronounced, glory he exacts.How qu ick they wheeled, and, fly ing , beh ind them sho t .”

Of the ir pursuers , and overcame by fl igh t. ”C i ty or suburban, studious wa lks and shades .

Shook the a rsena l , and fulm ined over Greece.

Epicurean, and the S to ic severe.

Have brought thee and h ighest placed h ighest is best.

“ The mystery of God, given me under pledge.

“ By the ido la trous rout am ids t their w ine.

Wi th you th ful courage andmagnanimous though ts .

Wi lt thou then serve the Ph i l ist ines w i th tha t gi ft ? "M iraculous , yet rema ining in those locks .

Out, out, hyazna These are thy wonted artsShe

s gone, a manifest serpent by her st ing .

The sumptuous Da l ila floa t ing th is wayAfford me, a ssass ina ted and betrayed.

Tongue-dough ty giant , how dos t thou prove me theseTh is insolence o ther k ind of answer fits."

Whether he durst accept the o ffer or not.

To someth ing extraordinary my thoughts.Rela t ion more part icular and dist inct.

All these l ines m igh t be rect ified into Decasyl labics by supposing el isions, s lurs, or contracted ut terances ; and thereare some who seem to favour such a pract ice. Therecould be no more absurd erro r. Wi l l any one venture to

say tha t the word“ Patrons

”in No . 1 is to be pronounced

the wo rd magi ci an”in No . 5 the

2 2 2 M I LT O N ’S E N G L I S H '

wo rds “

feeder and “r iver in Nos. 6 and 8 “

fee and

the wo rds “ t/ze ocean - stream in No . 9“ t/zoeean

stream ,

”the wo rd reason in No . 1 1

“reezn ,

”the wo rd

in NO . 17 the wo rk “ purple ” inNo . 2 7 the word r idicu lous in No . 37Ions

”the word “

eap z'

ta l in No . 4 1“capta l , the words

“ No advantage in No . 4 8 Nadvantage, the wo rdPfi z

l l stz'

nes” in No . 60 the wo rd “

gi ant

in No . 66 “

nt, or the word “ pa rticu l a r ”in No . 70

pa rti/ela r Did Mi l ton requi re these pronuncia t ions in

his verse, or the o ther vio lences and com ica l i t ies tha t wouldbe necessary to reduce the rest o f the l ines to Decasyl labics ?I do notbel ieve he did and

,if Blank Verse requi red such

Blank Versewouldnotbewor th hav ing. Buti t does not. The

l ines above, and any o ther such l ines, rema in perfectly goodBlank Verse even wi th the most leisurely na tura l enunc iat ionof the spare syllab le ; and the pedant ic expression of th is fact isthat English Blank Verse adm i ts a t risyl labic subst i tute for theIambus, and may thus become hendecasyl labic.

Scanning the seventy spec imen l ines,my own car makes

out th is resul t ; wh ich may pass on the who le, though i t isby no means l ikely tha t i t wi l l be accepted in a l l particulars.—In ez

g/zteen the suppos i t ion of an Anapaest (x x a ) mends

the l ine—th ree t imes in the first met rica l p lace (Nos. 2 6 ,

4 3 , 4 8 ) six t imes in the second met r ica l p lace (Nos . 3, 2 1 ,2 9 , 56 , 64 , three t imes in the th ird (Nos. 9 , 12 ,

three t imes in the fourth (Nos. 4 7 , 5 1 , 57) and three t imesin the last (Nos. 5, 10 ,

In s ix l ines the Dactyl (axx )so lves the kno t—four t imes in the firs t place (Nos. 2

, 4 6,

4 9 , once in the second place (No . and once in

the fourth place (No . The Tr ibrach a lso accounts forsix—once in the fi rst place (No . once in the second

(No. 14 ) and four times in the thi rd (Nos. 17 , 18 , 33,Fo r t/zree l ines the Ant ibacch ius (nax ) comes to the rescue,twice in the second place (Nos. 19 and and once in the

th ird (No . and for two l ines the rarer Cret ic (ax a ) isthe so l vent

,once in the first place (No . 2 3) and once in the

fourth (No . Th is leaves th ir ty - five o f the l ines, o r

exact ly one ha lf, unaccounted for ; and in these, strange to

say, the neatest agent is the Amph ibrach (x ax ) . I t fits thefirst p lace eigh t t imes (Nos. 1 1

,15 , 2 5, 35, 37, 39 , 6 1,

the second seven t imes (Nos. 16,2 7 , 52 , 58 , 6 2 , 63 ,

2 2 4 M I LT O N ’S E N G L I S H :

fo re, were exam ined individua l ly , they migh t be distributed,so far as we have yetseen,

into four so r ts —I . The no rma l

5 x a , o r pure Decasyl lab ics of five Iambi . Such l ines dooccur pret ty numerously , and genera l ly , I think , wi th a

ca lm ing, soo th ing , o r pa thet ic effect. I I . The 5 x a , wi thmo re o r less of dissyllabic varia t ion. Th is is by far the

preva i l ing sor t , and is divis ible into sub - variet ies,acco rding

to the amount and method of the dissyl lab ic var ia t ion. I I I .

L ines of the 5 x a fo rmula converted into Hendecasyllab ics bysome single tr isyl lab ic va riat ion. These are numerous. IV.

L ines o f 5 x a widened into Duodecasyl labics by a doubletrisyl labic var ia t ion. These are exceedingly ra re.

Of one fea ture o f Mi l ton’s Blank Verse we have h i therto

taken no account . I t is THE SUPERNUMERA RY F INALSYLLABLE. Th is is a dist inct th ing from the supernumerarysyllable or syllables tha t may arise w i th in any l ine from the

t risyl labic varia t ion. I t is a rel ic of the o l d Engl ish habitof speech wh ich made i t na tura l , as we see in Chaucer , toend verses w i th a weak syl lable after a strong , as the I ta l iansand o ther na t ions do yet. In Shakespea re the ending of a

l ine wi th a supernumerary weak syl lable after the last strongone was perfect ly Optiona l often there are five or six such

l ines consecut ively in a single speech —How far did Mi l tonkeep up the habi t ? Wi th respect to this quest ion, we mus tdist inguish between Mi l ton’

s Drama t ic Blank Verse, in hisComus and Samson Agonistes, and h is Narra t i ve BlankVerse, the adoption of wh ich for h is Pa r adise Lost and

P aradi se Rega ined he cla imed as a lmost an invent ion—Theeigh th l ine of Conzns is one wi th a supemumerary fina l syllable Strive to keep up a fra i l and fever ish being ”

tenth is the same ; and th roughout the Masque such l inesoccur at interva ls to the number of about 70 in a l l , o r about9 per cent of the who le. I t appears , therefo re, tha tMi l ton ava i led h imself of the tradi t iona l l iber ty o f 5 x a

for drama t ic blank verse, though mo re spar ingly than was

usua l wi th the stage - dramat ists. Noteven in his Narrat iveBlank did he qui te reject the convenient l iber ty. In the

first Book of Paradi se Lost, consis t ing o f 79 8 l ines , I countnine l ines wi th a supernumerary fina l syl lable. This is at

the ra te o f about one in every hundred and I rather th inktha t the propo r tion th roughout mos t of the poem is not in

excess o f tha t , though i t var ies in di fferent Books , and in

T H E VER S E . 2 5

Book X . in par t icula r I have no ted at least fi fty- two extrasyl lab led l ines in a to ta l o f 1 104 , or atthe ra te nearly ofone in every twenty. In Pa radise Rega ined, conta ininga l together 2 070 l ines, the number o f extra - syllabled l ines,as rough ly observed, is 70 o r mo re wh ich is atthe ra te of

one in every th i rty. On the who le, therefore, the no t ionthat Mi l ton disapproved of l ines of th is kind in Epic BlankVerse has been exaggera ted. Tha t he did ho ld them lesssui tab le, however , for Epic Blank Verse than fo r Drama t icBlank is suggested notonl y by his very modera te use of themin his epics, but a lso by the fac t tha t such l ines are mostfrequent there in the drama t ic parts o r speeches —The ideais confi rmed when we pass to Samson Agonistes. He ra therrevels ii i the l iberty of ex tra - syl lab led l ines in tha t dramat icpoem. The blank - verse dia logue parts of the drama makeabout 1300 l ines, and I have counted over 2 30 extra - syl

labled lines among them,or more than one in every six.

They somet imes come very th ickly. In one speech of Sam

son’

s there are twel ve in th ir ty - two l ines, and there are in

stances of th ree or four qui te consecut ively.Thi s fac t of the occas iona l Supernumera ry F ina l Syl lab leimpo rts an addi t iona l metr ica l pecul iari ty into Mi l ton’

Blank Verse, inasmuch as i t may occur in any of the foursor ts into wh ich on o ther grounds h is l ines may be distri

buted.

When i t occurs in a l ine of the fi rs t so r t , i .e, composedo therwise o f five pure consecut ive Iambi , i t s imply makestha t l ine 5 xa + , o r hendecasyllab ic e.g.

Wh ile thus I called, and strayed I knew notwh ither.

When i t occurs in a l ine of the second sor t,i .e. wh ich would

otherwise be 5 x a w i th dissyl labic var ia t ion or varia t ionsthe resul t simi larly is 5 x a + of tha t so rt , a lso hendecasyllabic e.g.

Eterna l King thee author of a l l be ing.

But when i t occurs in a l ine of the th i rd so rt or of the

fourth—t.e. in a l ine of the single or the double t risyllabicvaria t ion—mo re happens. Such l ines are st i l l p roperly ofthe 5 x a fo rmula , inasmuch as the trisyllabic feet introducedare butsubst i tutes for sea in the places where they come ; but

they are a l ready hendecasyllab ic or duodecasyl l abic. Now,

VOL . 111. Q

when such a l ine acqui res a supernumera ry final syl lable, orbecomes 5 xa + ,

we have the cur ious phenomenon of a l ineperfect ly w i th in the rule of Blank Verse, perfect ly answering to the 5 x a + formul a , and yetconta ining twelve or eventh i rteen syllables. Here are examples of a length of twelve

syl lables so occasioned in l ines al ready hendecasyl labic bythe act ion of a s ingle interna l t risyllabic var ia t ion

The fellows of h is cr ime,the fo llowers ra ther.

V irtue , as I though t, truth , duty , so enj o ining.Some way or o ther yetfar ther to affl ict thee.

And here is one example of a length of t/zi rteen syl lablesproduced by the supernumera ry fina l syl lab le in l ines a l readyduodecasyl labic in virtue of two interna l t risyl labic va riat ions

By Spiri tual , to themselves appropria ting.

Instances of l ines twelve 01 th irteen syll ables long are amongthe ext reme rari t ies of Mi l ton’

s text but there is yet.

ano ther way in whi ch such a rar i ty may occur. I t is by theacc ident or inadver tence of an A lex andr ine—i .e. of a l inenotata ll of the proper 5 x a o r 5 am rhythm merely w idenedby trisy l lab ic varia t ion and the supernumerary fina l syl lable,butdist inctly of the 6 x a rhythm. A11 o rdinary Al exandrineconsists of twelve syllab les (six pure Iamb i o r an equiva lentof dissy llabic feet ) thus

From outhis secret a ltar touchedw i th ha ll owed fi re.

0d. N at. 2 8.

While birds of calm s itbrooding on the charmedwave.

0d. N a t. 68 .

But then, as an Alexandrine i tself is susceptib le of interna lt risyl lab ic va r ia tion as wel l as dissyl lab ic, and as i t may a lsohave a supernumerary fina l syl lable or be 6 x a + , we mayhave Alexandrines of tni rteen syl lab les (or even perhapsfourteen) : thus

And leave her dolorous mans ions to the peering day .

0d. N a t. x40 .

Brigh t- har nessed Angels s it in order serv iceable.—0d. A’a t. 2 44

So huge the ir numbers , and so numberless the ir na t ion.

Sjfiens. F . Q., IV. x 1!

Whether, after such precedents , we ca l l.the above examplesfrom Mi l ton Alexandrines, o r whether we ca l l them , as i t isperhaps best to do in drama t ic dia logue, only 5 out l ineswi th two supernumerary fina l syllables, in ei ther case we see

in them l ines of twelve or th i r teen syl lab les produced by acause di fferent from those a l ready no ted.

THE CJESURA .—Th is term is used in different senses by

prosodians ; but i t seems best , fo r Engl ish verse, to understand by it the pause a t tending the conclusion of a per iod,or of some logica l sect ion of a per iod, when tha t pauseoccurs anywhere else than atthe end of a l ine. Tha t Mi l tona t tached some impo r tance to the Caesura , in th is sense, as a

facto r in Blank Verse, may be inferred from h is Prefa toryNo te to Paradise Lost, where, defending the a l l - sufficiencyo f Blank Verse for “ true mus ica l del igh t ,

”he says tha t such

true musica l del igh t consists only in apt numbers, fi tquant i ty of syl lables , and tbe sense va r i ously drawn outfromone ver se into anot/zer .

”Now

,in this sense, I th ink I can

repor t wi th some certa inty tha t the most frequent Caesura inMi l ton’

s Blank Verse is at the end of the th i rd foo t (i .e.

genera l ly after the s ix th syl lab le, though it may occasiona l lybe after the seventh , or even after the eighth ) e.g.

And took in stra ins tha t m igh t crea te a soulUnder the ribs of Dea th .

In Va llombrosa , where the Etrur ian shades

H igh overarched embower. ll

Prone on the flood extended long and largeLay floa t ing many a rood.

Dropt from the zeni th , l ike a fall ing star ,On Lemnos, then ean isle. II

Th is, I think , is a lso Shakespeare’s favourite Caesura .

Next in frequency in Mi l ton is the Caesura after the second

foo t (genera l ly the fourth syllable) e.O

A thousand dem igods on golden sea tsFrequent and full.” [I

After these two ,buta long way after them, the most com

mon are the Caesura in the m iddle of the th i rd foo t (general lya fter the fifth syl lable) , and tha t in the middl e of the fourthfoo t (genera l ly after the seventh syl lable) e.g.

THE VE R S E. 2 2 9

shapes and forms ,The heads and leaders th i ther ha ste where stoodTheir grea t Commander.” I]Lay vanqu ished, ro lling in the fiery gulfConfounded, though immorta l .

Considerably less frequent sti l l is the Caesura after the com

pl eted four th foo t (genera l ly the eighth syl lab le) ; and st i l lmore rare, though occas iona l , are the Caesuras atthe middleof the second foo t (genera l ly after the th ird syllable) and

after the firs t comp leted foo t (genera l ly the second syl lab le)Angu ish and doubt and fear and sorrow and pa inFrom morta l or immortal minds . Thus they

for now the though tBoth of los t happ iness and las ting pa inTorments h im ."Round he throws hi s ba leful eyes.

And now his hear tD istends wi th pr ide, and, hardening in h is strength ,

Glories l] for never s ince crea ted Man.

Very rare indeed is the Caesura in the m iddle of the

foo t (i .e. after wha t is genera l ly the ninth syllab le) ;there are instances

Were ita draugh t for j uno when she banquets ,I would nottas te thy treasonous ofl

er. None

But such as a re goodmen can give good th ings.

Hardly to be found at a l l is the Caesura after the firstsyl lable or in the m iddle of the fi rst foo t but th is may passas an instance

The Ionian Gods , of J avan'

s issue heldGods : ll yetconfessed la ter than Heaven and Earth .

M ILTON ’S RHYMES.

RHYMES may ei ther be Perfect o r [ mpery‘ect; and nearly

the who le quest ion as to Mi l ton’s practice in rhyming

connects i tself w i th th is dist inct ion —I . PERFECT RHYMEconsis ts of the sta ted recurrence, at metr ica l interva ls, of

exactly the same voca l endings, whether vowel - sounds simply

(e.g. go u fi lozo , o r vowel - sounds wi th consonanta laddi t ions complet ing the syl lable (e.g.

pauseor vowel - sounds wi th such addi t ions as to make

farther syl lables (e.g.

plunder , mounta ins . . founta ins,Obviously , from this definition, a perfect rhyme may be

s ingle or monosyl lab ic, doub le or dissyl labic, or even trip leor t risyl lab ic : obvi ously a lso

,i t is not identi ty of Spel l ing

that is required, butonly ident i ty of sound in the vowel thatleads the rhyme, and in a l l tha t fo l lows i t, if anyth ing doesfo l low i t , to complete the rhyme. Two so rts of Rhyme,however, that would be “ perfect ” acco rding to th is definit ion, are exc luded, nevertheless, from good Engl ish verse.

One is the identica l r/tyme i .e. a rhyme perfect by the fo rego ing rule, butunfo rtunate in having the same consonanta lsound repea ted before the leading vowel - sound ; e.g. ver se

Though Frenchverse favours such rhymes, and they are found in I ta l ian,they are fo rbidden in modern Engl ish . Equa l ly forb iddenin a l l seri ous poetry is wha t may be ca l led TIze Prov incia l

P/zyme, or tha t in wh ich the rhyme is good only by a pronunciation pecul iar to a loca l i ty or distr ict. Rhymes of th issor t specia l ly worthy of reprobat ion are such CockneyRhymes as

dawning,”

Kea ts was , I th ink , the first c lassic Engl ish poet tha t fel linto such rhymes, but they have become a larmingly frequent of late in South of England verse.

- I I . IMPERFEC ’

RHYMES are those wh ich , though fa l l ing short of the condit ions of Perfect Rhyme

, yet give, whether from custom or

from thei r approxima t ion to Perfect Rhyme, a s im i larp leasure to the ear. They may be variously classifi ed but

perhaps the fo l lowing classifica t ion,suggested in part by

Mr. A. J . Ell is’s co l lect ion of imperfect rhymes from Moo re

and Tennyson (Ea r ly Engl islt P ronunciation, pp. 8 58is pract ica l ly sufficient Weak or unaccented sounds

rhym ing wi th the same, or nearly the same, strong or accentede.g. eternity n f ree, agonies . . f reez e,l ier , etc. Con

sonanta l Rhymes, or vowel - sounds rhym ing wi th differentvowel - sounds because the sequent consonants are the same

e.g. grove,

good, deman d /team, nave. .

2 32 M I LT O N ’ S E N G L I S H .

oearers ; ti e Iza rmony ,

voice. noise.

Wi th a l l possible deduct ion on account of dub ious pronunciations, the proof is posi t i ve in every page tha t Mi l tonmade free and la rge use of imperfect rhymes . From a roughca lcula t ion,

I should say tha t , in the who le of h is rhymedpoetry, extending to about 2 700 l ines, every eighth or tenthrhyme is mo re or less imperfec t. Nor is i t only in h is leas telabo ra te poems and passages tha t such rhymes occur . They

occur in passages the most finished and da inty, the mostlyrica l and musica l . Take for example the Echo Song inComus

, sung by the lost Lady in the woods atnigh t. Tha tsong is avowedly an address to the very Genius o f Soundi t is the song of wh ich the Guardian Spiri t sa id tha t its perfection had enraptured Si lence herself, and m igh t havecrea ted a soul under the ribs of Dea th . Wel l , tha t song iseven conspicuous for its imperfect rhymes

Sweet Ech o , sweetest nymph , tha t l iv'

stunseen

Wi th in thy a iry shellBy Slow Meander’s margent green,

And in the v iolet- embro idered va leWhere the love- lom nigh tingal e

N igh tly to thee her sad song mourneth wellCanst thou not tell me of a gentle pa ir

That l ikest thy Narc issus are ?0 ,if thou have

H id them in some flowery cave ,Tell me butwhere

Sweet Queen of Parley , Daugh ter of the SphereSo may’st thou be transl ated to the Skies ,

And give resounding grace to al l Heaven’

s harmonies l'

NOTES TO THE MINOR POEMS .

2 36 N OTE S TO TH E M I N O R P O E M S.

ON THE DEATH o r A FA I R IN FANT.

1 . 0 fa i restfl ower , etc. Th is opening is distinctlyimi tated from that of a piece in Shakespeare’s PassionateP i lgr im

Sweet rose , fa ir flower, unt imely plucked, soon vaded,P lucked in the bud, and vaded in the springBrigh t orient pear l, alack , too t imely shadedFa ir crea ture , k i lled too soon by dea th

s sharp s t ing.

8—10 . gr im Agni l o, etc. Aqui lo , or Bo reas, the

No rth Wind, dwel t in a cave in Thrace, and carr ied off

O reithyia , the daugh ter o f the Athenian k ing Erechtheus.

8 . c/za r ioteer .

” Spel t c/za r ioter in the o rigina l , and a lsoin the only o ther l ine of Mi l ton’

s poetry in wh ich the wo rdoccurs (Pa r . Lost, V I . All modern edi t ions spel lcfia r i oteer ; but perhaps Mi l ton intended the sound to be

cfiar z’

oter .

“ infa’

mous ol ot. Todd remarks tha t the ph rase,wi th the same pronuncia t ion of infamous

,occurs in Spenser

(E Q. ,I I I . vi . I 3) .

“ icy Warton suggested “ ice-

ypea r lea’, on

the ana logy of y c/za inea'

(Oct. Nat. 155) and sta r -

ypointing

(On Ska/es ) ; but, on the ana logy o f rosy- bosomea’ (Com.

9 86 ) andfi ery -wl zeelea’

(Pens. we may keep icy -pear lea’.

Sylvester ca l ls ha i l ice- pearl .2 3—2 7 .

“ For so Apol l o,

etc . Hyacinthus, son of a

king of Sparta o r Laconia, of wh ich Euro tas is a r iver, wasacc identa l ly ki l led by Apo l lo ; and from his blood Sprangthe flower tha t bears h is name.

“ in wormy War ton c i tes the ph rase fromShakespea re (l l/l ids . M D . ,

i i i . “ Already to thei rwo rmy beds are gone.

“ tfi at nigii fi rst-mov ing spfiere, i .e. the pr imummobi l e or Tenth Sphere o f the o ld system of Astronomy.See Introd. P a r . Lost, pp. 37 - 38 .

4 4 . Of s/zaéea’Olympus. So Shakespeare (Troi l . and

Cress. ,i . O when degree is shaked.

“and t/zon. Ell ipt ica l for wertt/zozc

50 , 5 1.

“ t/zatj nstMa i a’w/zo,

”etc. Astra-

3a or Justice,who dwel t on the Ea rth in the go lden age, but fo rsook itafterwards in disgust , and resumed her place in Heaven.

AT A VA CAT I O N EXE R C I S E . 2 37

53. Or wert t/zon [Mer cy ] , t/zat sweet smi l ing Yont/z 9

The wo rd wi th in brackets is want ing in the o rigina l , so thatthe l ine is metrica l ly defect ive there ; but there can be no

doub t that Mercy was meant .68 .

“ ti l e sl ang/zter ing pesti lence. An a l lusion to the

prevalence of the plague in London and e lsewhere in

England when the poem was wr i t ten. See Introd.

76 , 77.

“ kc w i l l an oj’spr ing give t/zat,

”etc. One can

hardly say tha t th is prophecy was fulfi l led in EdwardPhi l l ips and John Phi l l ips

,Mi l ton’

s nephews , the bro thersof the Fa i r Infant , bo rn after her death (see Memo i r , pp .

l xv. - 1xvi . ) Yet they a re bo th remembered on their uncle’saccount,

AT A VACAT ION EXERC ISE.

To make this piece intel l igible, the Introduct ion to it

ough t to be read fi rs t . I t saves many no tes.

“new -fangled. This is the only occurrence of the

wo rd in Mi l ton’

s poetry but i t is a good o l d English word.

2 0 . our latefantastics,”our recent l i tera ry coxcombs.

33 . Suck w/zere,”i .e. such a subject tha t in i t , ” etc.

33—44 .

“ Suck w/zere t/ze deep transported m ind may

soar ,”

etc. I hardly know a passage in Mi l ton’s ea rl ier

poetry in wh ich the difference between poet ic imagina t ionand o rdinary thinking may be mo re clearly seen than in th is.

Mi lton’

s constant hab i t o f thinking in the terms of the

Pto lema ic Astronomy is a lso to be seen in i t.

“nns/zorn Apol lo

”i .e. the juveni le or beardless

Apo l lo a transla t ion o f the Greek epi thet dKGpUGKOM‘

the Lat in intonsa s, appl ied to th is god.

“ And bi l l s of snow and l ofts of pi led t/znnder .

Dunster quo tes from Sylvester the l ine “ Cel lars of windand shops of sul phury thunder ” and there may be a

reco l lect ion of o thers of Sylvester’s meteoro logi ca l phrasesin the precedi ng l ines.

“ beldam Nature, i .e.

“the o l d lady, Nature. Our

meaning hag is even a wo rse degeneracy from the

o rigina l bel le dame”o r

“ fa ir lady .

4 8—52 .

“ S a c/z as t/ze wi se Demodoczzs , etc . In the

Odyssey ,Book vi i i . , Demodocus , the b l ind bard ofAlcinous ,

Ki ngofthePhaeac ians, is brough t in to sing befo re theunknown

2 38 N O TE S T O T H E M I N OR P O E M S .

Ulysses and the rest of the company. He sang of the

Trojan war ; and the agi ta t ion of Ulysses on hearing h ima t tracted the no t ice of Alcinous.

“to tbe next,

” i .e. the nex t speaker in the Extravaganz a .

74 —88 . S/ta l l subj ectbe to many an A ccident,”etc. A

pro longed pun on the metaphysica l doctrine tha t Substance,

o r Being in i tsel f, underl ies or is subjec t to its Accidents : v iz .

the modifying condi t ions tha t t ransla te i t into phenomena.

ACC IDENT, in fact , is here the conjunct name for a l l the ninepredicaments after SUBSTANCE i tself : v iz . Quant i ty , Qua l i ty,Rela t ion, Where, When, Posture, Hab i t , Act ion, Passion.

These are the b reth ren of SUBSTANCE, and rea l lyinfer io r to him butyet they treat him as they l ike, and tryto ho ld h im in subject ion. See Introd.

90 . Your l ea rned l zands.”

The wo rdy our is empha t ic .

I t is addressed to the academ ic audience present at the

ex travaganz a in Ch rist’s Co l lege. Only they, or such as

they , could interpret the scho last ic r iddle of the immedia telypreceding speech .

9 1—100 .

“ R ivers , a r ise, etc. Th is passage has beenrendered intel l igib le by a nea t l i tt le discovery , made in 1859by the la te Mr. W. G. C lark

,Vice -mas ter o f Tr ini ty Co l lege,

Cambr idge, and one of the edi to rs of the Cambridge Shakespeare. He ascerta ined from the books of Ch r ist ’s Co l legetha t two recent ly adm i t ted freshmen of the co l lege at the

t ime when Mi l ton’s comic discourse was del ivered were

GEORGE and N I Z ELL R IVERS , sons of Si r John R ivers, aKent ish knigh t

,the first in the fifteenth year o f his age, the

second in the four teenth . One of these boys must havestood for the Predicament Rel ation inMi l ton’

s Extravaganza ;and he i t was who was now ca l led by h is name,

”as Mi l ton

has just informed us“ R I VERS , a r i se.

”The rest of the

speech is a cont inued pun on tha t ph rase in the fo rm of a

poetica l enumera t ion o f English r ivers. Mi l ton may havehad in m ind Spenser’s sim i lar poet ica l enumera tions o f r ivers(see especia l ly F . Q ,

I V . xi . 2 0 et and passages inDrayton

s Polyol bion . Of the th ir teen ri vers ment ioned fi vehave epithets a t tached to them tha t may need explana t ion.

The Mol e, in Surrey, disappears , in summer , for a par t of

its course , into a sub terranean channel ; Severn derived itsname from the ma iden Sabr ina , drowned in i t (see Comus,

2 40 N OT E S T O T H E M I N O R P O E M S .

from Shakespea re : vi z . K. j o/m, iv . 3, or ere we meet ,and Tempest, i . 2

I wouldHave sunk the sea w i th in the earth , or ereItshould the good sh i p so have swa llowed.

In these cases, i t may be a rgued, or e’

er would sui t as wel l ,and was probab ly intended for tha t ph rase, same as or ever

o r ere ever , was a lso common : e.g. , as Mr. Wn'

ght no tes ,

Would I hadmetmy dearest foe in heaven,Or ever I had seen tha t day , Hora t io .

In the present passage, however , the fact that i t is a substant ive

“ point of dawn, tha t is qua l ified, and not a verb,

increases the probabi l i ty tha t or ere was intended, and tha tth is was a na tura l ised dupl ica te preposi t ion in Engl ish , as

wel l as an adverb , when Mi l ton wro te.

88 . l ittle t/zougbtt/zey titan.

”The form t/zan for tben,

though induced here by the rhyme, is genuine o ld Engl ish.

8 9 . t/zen itty Pan,

”the God of shepherds.

“ Stroole.”

Th is is perhaps Mi l ton’s favouri te fo rmof the pas t tense and par ticiple o f the verb str i lee. I t recursin Comus , 30 1 , Par . Lost I t. 165, and V I . 863, x . 4 13 , X I .2 64 , and Par . Peg. I V . 576 ; and i t is found in his prosee.g.

“ The br igh t and bl issful Refo rma t ion strook throughthe black and set t led nigh t of Igno rance (Of Ref in

England) . He does use, however , the fo rm struck : see

Pa r . Reg. 111. 14 6 , and Sams. Ag. 1686 . In Par . Lost

IX . 1064 he has the fo rm strucken. On referring to thesepassages , i t wi l l be found tha t musical reasons recommendedthe devia t ion from the fo rm strook

,just as musical reasons

made strook preferab le in o ther cases.I O I— I 04 .

“ N ature, tbat beard, etc. Construe thusNa ture, tha t heard such sound th ri l l ing the a iry region

benea th the ho l low round of Cynth ia’

s sea t (i .e. beneath theconcave sky where the Moon r ides) was now,

”etc.

“ its l astf ulfi l l ing.

”One of the three occurrences

of the wo rd its in Mi l ton’s poetry

,the o ther two being Pa r .

Lost, I . 2 54 , and I V. 8 13. See Essay on Mi l ton’

s Engl ish,

pp . 174 - 186 .

1 16 . unexpressive, i .e. inexpressible. So in Ly cidas

M ORN I N G O F C HR I S T ’S N AT I V I TY . 2 4 1

176 ; and Shakespeare has The fa i r,the chaste, and

unexpressive She (A s You‘

L z’

l ’e It,i i i .

1 17—12 4 .

“ S uc/z music,

etc. J ob xxx v i i i . 4 - 1 1 .

1 2 5— 132 .

“ R ing out, y e cry sta l spberes, etc . An

instance of Mi l ton’

s fondness for the Pythago rean fancy o f

the music of the spheres,i .e. a music produced by the wheel

ings o f the orbs tha t were supposed, in the o ld Astronomy ,to consti tute the Mundane Universe. See Introd. to P . L . ,

pp. 37 -

38 . In the completely developed Pto lema ic systemthere were ten spheres : for the present purpo se Mi l ton is

content wi th nine (l ine132 .

“consort (Lat. consortium , society ) : used as our

143 , 144 . Orbed in a r a inbow and,l ikeglor ies wear ing,

[Mercy wi l l sit betwee n.”

Th is is a change in the second

edi t ion from the tex t of the first , wh ich had s tood thus

enameld Ar ras of the Ra inbow wearing ,And Mercy set between.

“ the Old D r agon. Rev . xx . 2 .

“s winges . Spel t “

swindges in the o rigina ledi t ions. The wo rd occurs nowhere else in Mi l ton’

s poetry.1 73. l e Oracl es a re dumb.

”The idea , from th is

po int to l ine 2 36 , is tha t o f the sudden para lysis of the

gods and enchantments of the Pagan Religions at the bi r thof Christ. Compare P . R , I . 4 55. There had been an

ecclesiast ica l t radi t ion to thi s effect from the t ime of the earlyChrist ians. See De Quincey

’s Essay 7 7mPagan Oracles.

“ Lars,”fam i ly - gods ; “ Lemures

” ghosts or gob l ins.

19 7—2 2 0 .

“ Peor and Ba ci l im,

”etc. Wi th one excep

t ion, a l l the or ienta l gods ment ioned in these th ree stanz asare enumera ted in the l ist of Fa l len Angels in P . L . 1. 39 2

etseq . A nubis,not there ment ioned

,was an Egyptian god,

wo rsh ipped in the shape of a dog. The “ twice-ba t teredgod of Pa lest ine ” is the Ph i l ist ian Dagon. Tbe Lybz

Hammon,

”or Jupi ter Ammon, was represented wi th the

head of a ram. In the myth of Osir is he is put into a chestby conspira to rs, and sent floa ting down the Nile : Mil tonblends him w i th Apis, the bul l -god. T/ze Memplzian

grove,” fields about the Egyptian ci ty o f Memph is. “

slzoweredgrass ,”from the ra ri ty of ra in in Egyp t.

2 2 6 . Typ/zon l zuge.”

Typhon is the Greek name fo r

VOL. I I I . R

2 4 2 N O T E S T O T H E M I N O R P O E M S .

Sut i , one o f the bro thers Of Osi r is , and h is enemy. In

Egypt he was wo rsh ipped in various beast fo rms, sometimesas a crocodi le. The Greek Typhon was a dragon- headedmonster, buried underground fo r opposing Z eus.

2 2 9 . So,w lzen t/ze Sun , etc. Th is popu lar idea o f the

vanish ing o f ghosts at sunrise occurs a lso in Shakespea re(l l/ids. N . D r . i i i .

2 40. voungest-teemed,” latest - bo rn.

THE PASS ION .

“ w intry sol stice when the day is sho rtest. 2 6 .

Cremona’

s tr ump ,

”i .e. the L a t in poem o f Ma rco Gi ro

lamo Vida o f Cremona (1490 ca l led “ The Ch r istiad.

—34 , 35.

“ l e leaves slzou ld a l l be bl aclc,”

a concei t from the o l d books of funerea l poems printed wi thwh i te let ters on a black ground.

—36—39 . See,see t/ze

clea r iot,”etc. The prophet here is Ezek iel (see Ez ek . i . )

“ t/zat sad sepu l cbr a l rock”

the ho ly sepulch re.

56 . Hadgot a race of mou rners ,”etc. The concei t

is from the sto ry of I x ion, who , chea ted by a cloud or phantom , substi tuted for Juno , became the fa ther o f the Centaurs.

—Observe the strange syntax of the prose addit ion to th ispiece. One mus t agree w i th the judgment there expressed.

SONG ON MAY MORN ING .

Wa rton quo tes The dancing day, fo rth coming from the

east ” from Spenser’s A strop lzel ; and, in i l lustra t ion of l ine10 , he quo tes th is from Chaucer ’s a gbtes Ta le

O Maye, wi th a l l thy floures and thy grene,

R igh t welcome be thou ,fa ire freshe Maye.

ON SHAKESPEARE.

4 . W/zat needs my etc . One m igh ta lmost suppose, from the wo rding of these l ines , tha t therewas a proposa l , in or about 1630 , to erect a monument toShakespea re. I f so , i t mus t have been in London, for thefamous monument in the church of Stra tfo rdon-Avon had

been put up at least as early as 16 2 3, or seven years after

2 44 N O T E S T O T H E M I N O R P O E M S .

14 . Dost make us ma rbl e w it/z too muck conceiv ingdos t change us into marb le by the over - effor t of though t

to wh ich thou compel lest uS ,”— a very exact descrip tion o f

Shakespeare’s effec t on h is readers. I have ventured to

emphasise the word us , to bring outthe sense.

ON THE UN IVERS ITY CARR IER .

“ Dodgedwitk ltim betwixtCambr idge a nd THE BULL.

See Introd.—Dodge is an o l d Engl ish wo rd, meaning, ac

co rding to Wedgwood (D ict. of E ng.

“to jog, to

move quick ly to and fro ; hence to fo l low in the track of

anyone, to fo l low his ins and outs, a lso to deceive one bychange ofmotion.

”15.

“ Skowed/z im . i .e. Dea th showedhim ; the nom ina t ive Deat/i in the fi rst Clause of the sen

tence running on after the But”of l ine 1 1.

ANOTHER ON THE SAME.

“ l kl ade of sp/zere-meta l , i .e. of the same perfect and

enduring meta l of wh ich the heavenly spheres are composed.

14 . Too l ong vacati on kastened on itis term.

”Thewho le

piece is a string of puns on Hobson’

s bus iness and the cir

cumstances of h is dea th . The pun here is on the ant i thesisof the Univers i ty L ong Vacation and Term t ime.

—2 9 , 30 .

Obedient to tbe moon, etc . Hobson made four journeys

every month , —a l terna tely from Cambridge to London and

from London to Cambr idge.—32 .

“ k is wa in was bis

increase.”

Pun on the two ident ica l sounds—wane, wast ingor diminut ion, and wa in , waggon.

EP ITAPH ON THE MARCH IONESS OF WINCHESTER.

13, 14 .

“ Natu re and Fate bad bad no str ife, etc.

Na ture and Fa te would then ha ve agreed, whereas now

Na ture quarrels w i th Fa te17. T/ze v i rgi n qu i re,

”i . e. the br ide’s- ma ids.

18 . T/ze god t/i at sits at ma r r iage feast.” Hymen,

bringing h is torch .

“a cypress - bud a bud of the funerea l cypress, in

setted into the marriage - wrea th .

L ’A L L E G R O . 2 45

2 3 , Once l i ad, etc. Th is only son of the youngMar ch ioness was Cha rles Paulet , ca l led Lord St . John Of

Basing t i l l h is fa ther ’s dea th in 1674 , when he succeeded

h im as s i x th Marquis ofWinchester . In 168 9 he was made

Duke o f Bo l ton.

2 6 . Lucina ,”the Roman goddess Of Ch i ldbir th .

2 8 . Atr opos , one of the th ree Fa tes. C lo tho span the

th read of l ife ; Lachesis decided its length ; Atropos (“the

Inevi tab le cut i t atthe fa ted po int .4 7 , 4 8 . Gentle Lady ,

”etc. Wa r ton compares the l ines

in the dea th - song in Cymbel ine (iv. 2 )

Quiet consumma t ion have,And renowned be thy grave.

50. sei z e, in the l ega l sense of put t ing in possession of

a proper ty.

56 . Wecpt.”So in the o rigina l Hel icon ,

”the moun

ta in- trac t in Boeo t ia sacred to the Muses.

58 . lzea rse,” in o l d English a tomb , or framewo rk o ver

a tomb , nota funera l carriage.

6 2—70. T/zatfa ir Sy r i an slzep/zerdess , etc. Rachel ,Jacob’s wife. Gen. xxix . xxx . and xxxv. 16 - 2 0.

L’ALLEGRO.

“ Mel anckoly , of Cer berus and bl ackest M idnzgktborn, etc. In the classic mytho logy i t is Erebos, or Darkness, the son Of Chaos, tha t is the o rigina l husband o f his

sis ter Nyx or Nigh t , thei r offspri ng being [E ther (Sky ) ,and Hemera (Day ) . But, in the same mytho logy, Nigh t ,qui te apar t from Erebo s , is made the mo ther of many o thergruesome o r mys ter ious beings, such as Thana tos (Dea th ) ,Hypnos (Sleep ) , Nemesis

, etc. Poets, acco rdingly, haveadded atwi l l to her progeny by various husbands o r w i thouthusband. Mi l ton chose to wed Cerberus to Nigh t for the

produgtion of Melancho ly . Some commenta tors havethought the

conjunct ion inappropria te ; but was i t not

poetica l enough to th ink of Melancho ly as the ch i ld of

Nigh t and the Hel l -dog ?10. dark Cimmer ian desert. In the Ody ssey the Cim

merians are a people dwel l ing beyond the ocean- stream in a

N O TE S T O T H E M I N O R P O E M S .

landof perpetua l darkness ; afterwards the name was gi vento a people in the region of the Black Sea (whence Cr imea ) .

1 1 , 1 2 . t/tou Goddess fa i r and f ree, in Heaven y cleptE up ltrosyne. War ton and Todd quo te severa l examplesfrom our o ld poets of the conjunct ion of the epithets fai r ”

and “ free as deno t ing grace in women. The wo rd“ yclep t ” (the o ld past par ticiple of the verb clepe, “ to

ca l l ,”from the A .

- S . clepan) o ccurs only in th is passage in a l l

Mi l ton’

s poetry, and is spel t y cleap’

d in the edi t ions of 164 5and 1673. EUPHROSYNE (i .e. Mir th o r Cheerfulness) , inthe c lassic my tho logy , was one o f the three Graces.

14—2 3. I/Vl i om lovely Venus ,

”etc. The two sister

Graces of Euph rosyne were AGLA IA (Brigh tness) , and

THA LIA (Bloom ) , and the parentage of the three is givenva r iously in the o l d mytho logy. Mos t commonly they arerepresented as the daugh ters of Z eus by Hera , o r by one of

severa l o ther goddesses, among whom Venus or Aph rodi teis notment ioned. ButMi l ton is his own mytho logis t here.

He invents an option of two pedigrees for Euph rosyne.

Ei ther she is the daugh ter of Bacchus and Venus,born at

one bi r th wi th the o ther Graces, Agla ia and Tha l ia—i .e.

Cheerfulness may spring fromWine and Love ; or , preferably ,and by an ai rier and purer o rigin, she is the Ch i ld o f Aurora

(the Dawn) , bego t ten in early summer by Z ephyr (the WestWind)—i .e. i t is the early freshness of the summer mo rningtha t best produces Cheerfulness.

“ So bux om,bl itl ze, and debona i r . Al l th ree adjec

tives are found by Todd in the A ri stippus of Thomas

Rando l ph, publ ished in 1635 ,“to make one bl i the,

buxome, and deboneer .

” Buxom means o rigina l ly flexib leor

“easi ly bowed, ” from A .

- S . beogan, to bow ; hence“ l ively ,

“ l i the, and so to

“ handsome,

” though at

present the word, by a fo rgetfulness of its o rigina l meaning, rather impl ies a s tout k ind of handsomeness . Bl it/ze(“ merry ” or an o ld Engl ish , or A.

- S. wo rd, isnow mainly provinc ia l o r Sco t t ish . Debona ir , from the

French (de bon a i r, good- looking ) , is a favour ite wo rd wi th

the o ld Romancers.

2 7 , 2 8 . Qu ips and Cr anks and wanton Wi lesNods and Becks and wreat/zed Smi les.

Qu ip i s a smar t or cut ting saying , and is supposed to be thesame etymo logica l ly as w/z zp. Crank is l i tera l ly a crook or

- 4 8 N O TE S TO TH E M I I\ O R POEM S.

v ine. or eglantine, to those of th e fami ly who are al so ea r ly

53. OT blush i ng, Here the poet pas s on to a

new pleasure, or a p ro longa ti on o f the fo rmer.

awar from h i s co ztage, and out on his morning wa lk.

“ Har pv men lo ve “i messa of their joy‘

is Hurd'

s acc te no: e on th is ex pression.

6 2 . A ir ed from th e A .- S to a rrange,

07 te l ls bis ts . Vi an on on the srg gestion of a friend,proposed to take ri t e here in the sens e whi ch Ithas In Exod.

v . S (“th e tal e o r th e bri cks ”

) and so to unders tand the

faner to be that of the shepherds counting their sheep in the

tha t al l was righ t. The readi ng hasfound favour ; outth e popul a r and mo re poetica l one, wh ichtak es to mean simply “

sto rv mav after al l be

co rrect.60. etc. By th is rapid turn of

“ Ic v r ‘

phrase Mi lton 5. v i ndi cates a new parag raph in his

cri p ti on. H ith erto me h e : been da

‘ighting in the pheno

mena of ear l y morning now hi s ey e catches “newpkasw

es,”

—i .e. he i s sti l l outon his wa lk, but some time has elapsed,and it i s fa rth er on in th e day . Str a igfi t

”means “ in

tantaneo us ly,

”not in th e ac tual success ion of sigh ts in the

wa lk but in th e poem , o r wha t of th e walk he chooses , as

A l l egro , to remembe r or fancy.

73, 74 .

“ J fountai n s,

”etc. This pa:

G e al one woul d

confi rm th e vi ew mat th e scenery o f L’.

—1l.-

eg7~o and [ 1Penn

r oso . th oug h they m y h a ve been wr i tten at Horton, is not

to be rega rded ““ s aL aetnei or lowl , but a mainl y idea l and

eciezti c (see Introd. p . A moun ta in near Hortonner er seen but in dreams, and then itwas a hi l l ock.

of Shakespea re'

s“ Wh en daisi es pied and v io l ets bl ue, in

th e last song in b y } L abour'

s Lost. Pi ed,”a common

wo rd with th e o ld po ets, means variega ted in co lour : thus,

77 Z a er s ana c-az't

'emmts it sees, etc.

indsor

Cas tl e, nea r Horton, may be here mean t. “cy nosure

in Greek li tera l l y the dog'

s tai l , the name for the constel

L’ALL E GRO . 2 49

la t ion of the Lesser Bear , wh ich contains the po le - s tar . The

Phoeni cian sa il o rs, though notthe G reek, directed their eyesto th is constell ation in steering th eir cours e hence, bymetaphor , any object on whi ch many eyes are fas tened is a

79 . l i es, lodges , res ides : not an uncommon o l d

9 1, 9 2 . Sometimes , w i l l; secure

7 7 x upl and fiaml et: wi l l inv ite.So Mi l ton again no tes a paragraph in the poem , changingthe scene. I t is now pas t m id- day, and into the afternoonand we are invi ted to a rus tic ho liday among the “

up landhaml ets

”or li tt le vi l l ages among th e slopes

,away from the

river -meadows and the hay-making.

9 4. rebecks.

”The rebeck was a kind of fiddle

,supposed

to be the same as Chaucer’s new wh ich ag ain is the

Arabic r ebel} , a two - stringed instr ument played wi th a bow.

“7arton no tes that the name of th e fiddl er in Romeo and

j u l iet (IV. 4 ) is Hugh Rebeck.9 8 . On a ram /l ine l zol ia

’ay .

The wo rd sunshine

used adjec tively for “sunshiny. ’ Mi l ton repea ts the exa ct

phrase in Camus , 9 59 .

100 . Tkm,

”i .e. as i t grows dark.

“ Fu ry di d .

”See Shakespeare 5 descrip ti on of

Queen Mab in Romeo and f u l ler, i . 4 . There is a mo reprosai c one in Ben Jonson’

s masque 7h S aty r“

j unéd s ,”cream - cheese or the l ike, wrap t in rushes (I tal ian

giunco, a rush ) .103—1 14.

“ S ize and/ze.

etc. A gir l has been tell ingsome sto ry about QueenMab

,vouching fr om her own er peti

ence tha t wha t is sa id of the nightly pranks of tha t Fairyabout fa rmh ouses is a ll tr ue and now ano ther co ll oquis t, a

man, accredi ts , on lik e authori ty, the s tor ies to ld of two

other beings of the Fairy cl ass . These are Fr i ar Ka rl : and

hi s Lanter n,commonl y eal l edj ar /to

[ ante /2 or Wi l l 0’ tlzeWi s-p , and Robin Gooaffel low, cal led al so Hobgobl in. Mostis said about the second,

“the drudging gobl in ,

”a k ind of

masculine Mab , performing among th e plou g hmen and farm

labourais the sam e offices of mi schi ef and occas ional goodservice tha t Mab di d among the housemai ds anddai rvmaids.

Shakespea re promo ted him into Puck.

r I 7 . Towered ci ties plea se us then.

I t is th e ”ZODJ of

2 50 N OTE S TO TH E M I N OR POE M S .

the youth tha t is transferred to the c ity , not h imse l f personal l y. The word t/zen is impo rtant . I t indicates tha tdarkness is coming on

,and tha t the rus t i cs , with thei r early

habits , are asleep , leav ing the educa ted youth to prolong h iswak ing hours wi th fi t readings and recrea t ions wi th in doors.

13 1. Tbm to Me wel l - trod stage.

”The reading and

rever ie hi therto have been among romances and ta les of

chiva l ry, such as Ma l ory ’s MorteD’A rt/zur ; butnow there

come readings in the drama t ists .I 32 I 34 . [f j om on

’s lea rned sock be on,

Or m eetestShakespea re, Fancy ’s ebz’

l a’

Wa r lzle lez'

s native wood- notes wi ld.

I t is the l igh ter k ind of drama,the drama of the “ sock

(Comedy ,in performing wh ich the acto rs wore low - heeled

shoes) , rather than tha t of the“ busk in ”

(Teagerly , in per

forming wh i ch the actors wore h igh - heeled boots) , tha t sui tsthe mood of L

’Al l egro . Jonson h imsel f has the phrase

when thy socks were on with reference to Shakespear e’scom ic dramas , as di s t inct from h is tragedies, or the

“ t readof his “ busk in, ” - ha rdly knowing wh i ch to pra ise most(Lines to Me Memory of S/zaéespeare) and Mil ton probablyborrowed the ph ras e from Jonson to increase his compl imentto tha t wri ter. As Jonson did not die t i l l 1637 , the com

pl iment was to a l iv ing man. In speak ing of “ Jonson’sl ea rned sock , ” Mil ton kept to the established epi thet aboutJonson, whose “ learning was his ch ief qua l i ty wi th mos tcri t ics . So in the epi thets “ sweetest ” and “ Fancy’sch i ld

”appl ied to the dead Shakespeare, who was sti l l

remembered as the gent le and “the honey - tongued,

”and

whose prodigious na tura l genius cri t ics cont rasted withJonson’

s learning and laboriousness. The two l ines givento Shakespeare in L ’

A l l egro have been though t under themark of the subject ; and the words “ warb l e h is na t ivewood - notes wi ld,

” though perhaps a sui table ment ion of

Shakespeare’s lyr ics , do s tri ke one as not comprehensiveenough for his Comedies. I t i s to be remembered, how

ever, tha t Mil ton i s touching th ings here but l igh t ly and

briefly , and tha t Fancy ” (Phantasy ) had a larger meaningthen than now. Fortuna tely , a l so

,we can go back to

Mil ton’

s l ines On Sfiaéesperzre in 1630 ,and be ful ly sa t isfied.

135, 136.

“ And ever , aga insteating cares,

Lap me in softLydian a i r s.

2 52 N O TE S TO THE M I N O R PO E M S .

“ pensioners ret inue, l i tera l ly pa id dependents.

So Shakespea re,

The cowsl ips ta l l her pens ioners be(J il ids . N igl i t

’s D ream ,

i i . I ) .I 4 . To lzit t/ze sense.

” Mr . Browne ci tes “ A st rangeinv isibl e perfume h i ts the sense

(A nt. and Cl eop . i i .18 . Pr ince JWemnon ’

s s ister . Memnon, in the legendsof the Trojan war , is a prince o f the E th iopians who camet o the aid of Priam ,

and was k i l led by A ch i l les. Though

black or da rk , he was of splendid beauty (Oa’

y ss. X1.

and the same m igh t be presumed of any sis ter o f his. Mil tonwas supposed to have invented the s ister ” for h is purposebut there are actua l s isters in the legends. Tithgngsd hebrother of Pr iam , and E05 or Aurora , were the pa rents ofthese dark heauties.

19—2 1 .

“ t/zat sta r red E tni op queen t/zat strove,” e tc .

Cassiope, wife o f Cepheus , King of the E th iopians,and

mother o f Andromeda,cha l lenged the Nereids for the

super iori ty of beauty . In revenge they got Poseidon t osend a ravaging monster into E th iop ia ; and Andromeda

was about to be sacrificed to this monster, when she was

saved by her lover Perseus . Cassi ope was ra ised to heavenand turned int o the constel la t ion Cassiopeia : hence Mil ton’sepi thet of sta r re Her daugh ter Andromeda had afterwards the same honour.

2 3—30. Tnee br ig/i t- l i a i red Vesta to sol itary

S aturn,

”etc. As Mil ton had invented a genea logy fo r

Mirth (L’A l legr o, 14 so now

,with ev en more subtlety

o f s ignificance, he invents one for Melancholy. She i s thedaugh ter of the sol i tary Sa turn (from whose name and dis

posi t ion our word satu rnine) by his own chi ld Ves ta o r

Hest ia , the goddess o f the domes t ic hear th ; and she was

born in the far primeva l t ime, wh i le Sa turn st i l l reigned as

the supreme God and had not been dispossessed by his sonZeus. Tha t Mil ton here impl ied tha t Melancho ly comesfrom Sol i tude or Ret i rement cannot be doubted the quest ion i s as to the meaning of the o ther form of the parentage.

Is Vesta to be taken simply as the Hearth - a ffect ion or pureDomest i ci ty ? Perhaps so ; and to say tha t Melancholycomes of sol i tary musings at the domesti c fireside wouldbe no bad deriva t ion. But the epithet “ ér ig/zt

- lza i red

appl ied to Ves ta , and the subsequent imagina t ion of hermeet ings with Sa turn in the gl immering glades of Mount

I L PE N S E RO S O . 2 53

Ida , seemto requi re a mo re bold and myst ic v iew o f the

na ture of th is goddess. Wa rton ident ifies her with Genius,and supposes Mil ton to mean therefore tha t Melancholy isthe daugh ter of So l i tude and Genius. One remembers

however , tha t Vesta was the goddess of the sacred eterna lfi re tha t c ould be tended only by vowed v i rgini ty ; and hereone is on the track of a pecul ia rly Mil toni c idea .

“ pensiveM m .

” Does notthe immedia te occurrencein Mil ton’s m ind of this epi thet for Melancho ly give an

addi tiona l l ikel ihood to the suggest ion i n the end of lastnote ?

33. gr a in co l our . See note, Pa r . Lost,v . 2 85.

35 cypress l awn”: b lack l inen crape or gauz e, sa id to

have firs t come from the island of Cyprus, and o ften spel tCyprus in o ld book s . Cyprus black as e

er was crow ”

is one of the wares of the pedlar Autolycus in W'

inter’s Ta le

“ Forgett/zy self to ma rble. An idea repea ted fromthe L ines on Shakespeare .4 3. l/Vit/z a sad

, leaden ,downwa rd east. Leadenr

coloured eye- so ckets betoken melancholy, or excess of

though t fulness ; butsee Ep itapb. Dam . 79 , 80

S atum i grave seepe fui t pasto r ibus astrum,

Intimaq ue ob l iq uo figitpra cordia p lumbo

i .e. the star Sa turn has a l eaden or dispi ri t ing influence onshepherds , or sons of the Muses.

4 6—4 8 .

“ Spa reFast,”etc. A favouriteMil toni c principle

here. See aga in E /eg. Sex ta , 55 - 66 .

5 1—54 . But

,firstand e/ziefest, with t/zee br ing

H im t/zaty on soars on go lden w ing,

Gu iding t/i efi ery -w/zeeled titr one,

Tae C/zer i i b Contemplation.

A dar ing use of the grea t v is ion, in Ez ek iel , chap . x .,of the

sapphire throne, the wheels o f wh ich were four cherubs ,each wheel or cherub ful l o f eyes a l l over , wh i le in the

midst of them ,and undernea th the th rone, was a burning

fi re . Mil ton,whether on any hint from prev ious Bibl i ca l

commenta tors I know not, ventures to name one o f thesecherubs who guide the fiery wheel ings of the v isionaryth rone. He is the Cherub Contempl ation. Itwas by the

serene facul ty named Contempla tion tha t one a t tained the

54 N O TE S TO TH E M I N OR PO E M S .

clearest. not ions of div ine th ings, —mounted, as i t were , intothe very b laz e of the Eterna l .—“

y on (A .- S . geond)

adverbia l ly for “

y onder ,”as i f the poet po inted h is finger

to h eaven when he spoke of Contempla t ion. In nine othercases in wh ich the word occurs in Mil ton’s poetry i t isuniformly an adjective,— “

yon flowing estuary, e tc. The

adverbia l use Ofy on st i l l exists in Scotland.

“ h ist”: impera t ive, as br ing in l ine 5 1 .

59 , 60. Whi le Cynthi a chechs her dragon yo/ee

Gently o’er the a ccustomed oak

“ while the Moon, entranced with the song, i s seen tocheck the pace of her dragon- drawn char io t over a par ticula roak - tree

,tha t she may l is ten the l onger .

”In Mil ton’

s La t inpoem [ n ob. P ra s. E l . (56 - 58 ) there is exact ly the same

image for the Moon in her course. In the ancient mythology ,as Mr. Keigh t ley remarked

,i t is only the chariot of Demeter

or Ceres tha t i s drawn by dragons accustomed oah.

Why the ep i thet accustomed Is i t because Mil tonhere thinks not from the point of v iew of Cynth ia , but fromtha t of an observer of Cynth ia ? Was there a particula r oakover wh ich he h imsel f had Often wa tched the s lowly -mov ingmoon ? A l together i t is a beaut i ful p icture.

6 1—64 . Sweet bi rd,”etc. Mil ton’

s fondness for the

nigh t inga l e appears not only in th is passage, but a l so inSonnet I . , Camus 2 34 and 566 , P . L . ,

I V . 602 and 77 1 ,and V I I . 435 - 6 , and P . R , I V. 2 4 5.

“unseen.

”Instudiedant i thesis to l ine 57 of L

’A /legro.

See note thereon.

73—76 . Oft, on a pl atof r i sing ground,

[ hea r thefa r - of curfew sound,

Over some w ide-watered shore,

Swinging s low with su l len r oar .

Mil ton, or I I Penseroso , who has last moment been wa lk ing,in fancy , on a

“ dry smooth - shaven gr een,” wa tch ing the

moon over an oak - tree,i s now on a h igher bi t of flatground,

the level top of some h i l lock , l istening to the sound of thefar - off curfew bel l , boom ing in the darkness, or ra ther inthe moon - l igh t , o ver m i les o f scenery. But over wha tscenery ? Over some wide- wa tered shore ,

”he says. Ob

serve the word some.

” I t i s a dist inct int ima t ion, i f suchwere at a l l necessa ry , tha t the who le v isua l c ircumstance isidea l

,—tha t the Penseroso of the poem is notactua l ly out

not begin t i l l l ine 1 17 , o r near the end of the poem,here

we are wi th in- doo rs at l ine 7 7 , and th ree- fi fths of the poemare yet to come.

8 3, 84 .

“ Or the bel lman’

s dro wsy cha rm , etc. The houseimagined is, therefore, in some town, where the bel lman or

wa tchman may be heard outs ide, going h is rounds, w i th hisusua l sing- song from ca rmen) or cry. “ Ha lfpas t nine, and a fine cloudy evening,

” may be remembered

yetas a cry Of the wa t chmen in some towns before the timeof gas butthe o lder wa tchmen m ingled pious benedict ionswith thei r meteorologi ca l informa t ion.

85, 86 . Or letmy lamp , atm idnighthour ,Be seen in some h igh l onely tower .

Ev ident ly we a re now back in the country , in the turret o fsome so l i tary mansion, where there are books , and perhaps astronomica l instruments . How fine, however , not to

give us the ins ide v iew of the turret - room first , but toimagine some one far o ff outside observ ing the ray of l igh ts lant ing from its window87 .

“outwatch the Bea r . Mr. Keight ley notes tha t , as

the Bear never sets, th is impl ies si t t ing up t i l l daybreak ,when the stars vani sh .

8 8 . With th r i ce greatHermes i .e. reading the booksof the Egyptian k ing and ph i losopher Thot , ca l led by theGreeks Hermes Tr ismegis tus , or the Th r ice -

grea t Mercury.There were atone t ime many such books of Hermetic lore,bearing the name of th is myth ica l personage, most of themwri t ten by the Neo - Pla tonis ts of A l exandria .

8 8 , 89 . unsphere the spi r itof P lato.

” Here aga in the

li tera l meaning is couched in metaphor. The l i tera l meaningis disentangle the doctrine of Pla to by the profound studyof h is wri tings the metaphor is “ bring back the dis

embodied spiri t of Pla to from those inv isible regions wherei t is now insphered. Compa re Camus, 3 - 6 .

9 3—96 .

“ A nd of those demons ,”

etc. In the syntaxhere we have a curious example

,as Mr. Keigh t ley notes, of

tha t var iety o f el l ipsis wh ich the rhetoricians ca l l Z eugma :thus,

“ to unfi ld what wor lds, etc. , and [tel l] of those

def/i ons,” etc. But, though Pla to does tel l o f demons , the

pecul iar doctrine o f the demons of the four elements (Fire,A ir, Wa ter , and Earth ) h inted at in the passage is ra ther amediaeva l one. consent,

”sympa thet i c connexion.

I L PE N S E RO S O . 2 57

9 7—102

“ Sometime let gorgeous Tr agedy the

bushined stage. H i ther to the occupa t ion in the turretchamber has been in ph i losophy and science

, especia l lymys t ica l science but now the readings may be in the bestt ragic poets. The bes t and mos t so lemn only,—to wi t , theancient fEschylus, Sopho cles, and Eur ipides (the subjectsof some of whose dramas, Thebes

” “ Pel ops’ l ine,

”and

“ the ta le of Troy , are h inted at) , and among modernsperhaps only Shakespeare. One can ha rdly construe l ines10 1 - 2 as applying to any other than Shakespeare . Refer tothe passage in L

’A l l egro (131 - 134 ) to wh ich th is is the

counter - st roke ; and compare a l so E l eg. P r i ma , 37 - 46 , and

Mil ton’s,Preface to h is S amson Agonistes .

“ButO to ra isefll useeus or bid the sou l ofOrpheus i .e. 0 tha t we could recover the sacred hymnso f the primi t ive sem i -myth ica l Musaeus of the Greeks , o r thes imi la r poems of h is contemporary O rpheus.

” Note the

reappearance of O rpheus from L’A l legro (14 5

109— 1 15. Or ca l l up h im that leftha lf-tol d

The story of Cambuscan bol d,”etc.

i .e. Chaucer , whose Sgu ieres Ta le is left unfinished. The

preceding reference to grea t poems tha t had been whol lylost suggests to Mil ton the though t of poems tha t had comedown in a fragmenta ry s ta te , and gives h im the opportuni tyof th is ment ion o f Chaucer.

1 16—1 2 0 .

“ And if aught el se great ba rds forestsand enchantments drear , where more is meant than meets

the ea r .

”An a l lusion cer ta inly to Spenser among others,

A r iosto and Tasso perhaps included.

12 2 .

“civ i l - su ited Morn

”i .e. in pla in ci tiz en garb, as

differing from cour t o r mi l i tary dress.

12 4 .

“ the Attic boy .

”Cepha lus, the lover of Eos or

Morning.

12 8 . h is fi l l .”

A remarkable instance of the use o f h is

for our present its.130 .

“ minute- drops drops fa l l ing at interva ls . SO

minute -

“ Sy l van”: the woodland god Sylvanus.

135. monzmzenta l oah.

” “ Because , says Mr. Keight ley ,“ the monuments in churches were often fo rmed o f carvedoak .

” But surely ra ther “ monumenta l in the sense o f

memoria l ,”

O ld,” “ tel l ing of bygone years .

VOL. I I I .

2 58 N O TE S TO THE M I N O R POEM S .

14 1 .

“ day’

s gar ish ey e gar i sh , staring, from O ld

Engl ish gare, to stare.

“consort

”: perhaps in the sense o f our modern

word concer t,

”as in Ata Solemn Music, 2 7 butperhaps

merely in the sense of “ companionsh ip ,”i .e. “ such other

sounds of na ture as a ccompany these.

14 7—150 . A nd let some str ange my ster ious dream wave

athi s wings in a i ry stream ,

”etc. A di fficul t passage ; but

the meaning seems t o be : “ Let some strange mys teriousdream wave (i .e. mov e to and fro ) ath is (i .e. S leep’s) wings ,in a i ry s t ream

”etc. Wave is a neuter v erb h ere, as in

Pa r . Lost, X I I . 59 3 .

156—166 . To wa lh the studious cloister’s pa le,

And love the h igh embowed roof ,” etc.

Here again the pester ing spiri t of loca l ident ifi ca t ion breaksin to dis turb the ar t ist i c eclect ic ism of the poem . Wha tGothic cloister didMil ton mean ? O ld St. Paul’s in London

or wha t other ? Any o f fi fty others, I should say, i f thequest ion is as to Mil ton’s acq ua intance with the Goth icca thedra l s o r chapels Of h is t ime. But surely by “

studious

cl oi ster ” he meant,for the moment , the cloi ste rs of some

col lege , say at Cambridge. Cloister meant not only a

monastery , o r a church , but a l so any pa r t of such bui lding,or of a col lege, roofed from the ra in, even i f i t had Openor pi l lared sides . A s in l ine 156 Penseroso is

“ walk ing, ”i t must be in the pa le of the cloister in this sense (pa le,inclosure) , and not yet in the chapel . But from the“ cloister ” he does move, in the nex t l ine

,to the chapel ;

and surely i t i s the col lege - chapel , even though in the sub

sequent l ines the v ision is enla rged to tha t of a ful ly - appointedca thedra l . Observe tha t only at th is point of the poem is

Penseroso in contact with h is fel low - crea tures. Throughoutthe res t he is sol i tary.

“ massy-pr oof perhaps proof aga inst the mass

they support . The word is of curious forma t ion. In the

F i rst and Second edi t ions i t i s printed without a hyphen,massy proo Did Mil ton mean massively proof ” ?159 .

“stor ied w indows r ich ly dight

”i .e. windows of

stained glass , with subjects on them from S cri pturehistory.

167—176 .

“ A nd may at l a stmy wea ry age, etc. Re

col lected by Scot t in h is Ma rmion (Int rod. to 2 d Canto) .

260 N O TE S TO THE M I N O R POE M S.

Ptolema i c system of the Cosmos , and shows a lso h is del ightin the Pythagorean sub - not ion ca l led the Music of theSpheres. See Introd. to P . L . pp . 37 - 43 , and0d. N at. 12 5132 , with note there. In the present passage, as in tha t ,he is content wi th nine of the spheres ; but the reason i s

now pla in. I t i s only “ the nine infol ded spheres tha t areconcerned in the production of the mus i c of the universe ,the tenth , outmost , or Primum Mobile, hav ing apparent ly asufficient funct ion in conta ining them a l l and protect ing themfrom Chaos. On each of the inner nine s i ts a Muse orS i ren ; and these nine S i rens are s inging harmoniously onthei r revolv ing spheres a l l the whi le tha t the three Fa tesare turning the spindle of Necessi ty. This very spindle Of

Necessity goes round to the tune of the music tha t lul ls theFa tes as they turn i t . In a l l th is descrip t ion, Mil ton, as

War ton point ed out, had in v iew an extraordinary passagein Pla to’s Republ ic (Book x . ch . In Pla to , o f course,there are only eigh t spheres.

7 2 , 73. wh ich none can hea r of human mou l dwith gr ossunpurg ed ear .

”So in Shakespea re’s wel l - known speech o f

Lorenz o to Jessica on the same “ musi c of the Spheres ”

(M of Ven.,V . I )

But, whi lst th is muddy vesture of decayDo th gross l y c lo se us in, we canno t hear it.

“ height so spel t here in the Firs t and S econdedi t ions, though usua l ly “ highth

”in Mil ton. The “ her

fol lowing probably made the sound of h ighth Object ionable.

gl itter ing state.

”State

” here in i ts o ld sense o f

cha i r of s ta te.

96—109 . Ladon was a river in Arcadia Ly cceus , Cy l lene,

and l l/cena l us, were mounta ins in the same and E rymanthus

was an A rcadian r iver -god. Of Pan and his Sy r inx a l l

have heard.

AT A SOLEMN MUS IC.

“ Sphere- born . In Comus (2 4 1 ) Echo is ca l ledDaughter of the Sphere.

”6 . concent, from the La t in

concentus,“ singing together ,

”o r harmony. 7

— 16 .

“sap

phi re- coloured throne, etc. E z ek . i . 2 6 ; Rev . v . 1 1 and

O N T I M E ,ET C . 2 6 1

v i . 9 .-2 0. nature

’s ch ime. \Yar tou q uo tes the exact

phrase from Ben Jonson. 2 3. pe/j oetdiapa son. D ia

pason (l i tera l ly “ through a l l”

) is , in music , “the octave or

interva l wh ich includes a l l the notes o f the sca le.

”- 2 8 .

“ Consort”: the word is so spel t in both Mil ton’s own

editions , and not “concert

”as in some modern ones . Con

sorti am, in La t in, means “ society.”

ON T IME.

3 . W'

hose speed i s butthe hea vy pl ummet’s pa ce, i .e. the

slow ra te o f descent of the leaden weigh ts in a clock. The

l ines , a; the draft o f them among the Cambridge MSS.

shows,were wri t ten “ to be seton a clock - ca se.

”Compare

Shakespeare’s Sonnet lx xvu . 12 .

“ indiv idua l means

here indiv isible,”never to be separa ted. See Pa r . Lost,

Iv . 4 86 W I . 38 2 , and x i i . 8 5. 18 . happy -mahing

sight” . the pla in Engl ish , says New ton,of Beatific

Vision. 2 1 . Atti redw ith sta rs . E i ther “ clothedwi ths tars,

” or, as Mr. Keigh t ley suggests , crowned with stars.

He produces instances of a t t ire ”meaning head-dress.

UPON THE C I RCUMC IS ION.

1—5 . l’

efl aming Powers , etc. The flaming Powersare the Seraph im (wh ich name in Hebrew impl ies “ burning the “ winged Wa rr iors ” may be the Cherubim.

Gabriel is s tyled the winged wa rr ior”Pa r . Lost, I V . 576

Todd q uotes from Tasso the very ph rase “ winged warrio rs’

gGuer r ier i a l ati —6—9 . if . y ourfiery essence can

di sti l no tea r,burn i n y our s ighs, etc . 2.e. i f i t is impos

sible for your Angel i c const i tut ions , formed as they are o f

fi re , to yield tea rs, yet, by burning as you sigh, you may

borrow the wa ter of our tears, turned into vapour. I o .wh i lere a l i t t le whi le ago . 15, 16 . 0more exceeding

l ove,” e tc . Th is begins the second stanz a o f the piece ;

but the stanzas are notsepara ted in the origina l edi t ions.

COMUS.

9 ,10 . the cro wn that Vi rtue gi ves , after th i s morta l

change.”

See Rev . iv . 4 . The meaning of “ morta l

2 6 2 N OTE S TO THE M I N OR P O E M S .

change is a l i t t le obscure. Hast i ly i t may be read as i f itmeant “ dea th ” ; but ra ther i t seems to mean “ th i s morta ls ta te o f l ife.

1 1 . Amongstthe enth ronedgods spel t enthron’d in theF i rst and Second edi t ions

,and therefore to be pronounced

as a dissyl lable and notenth roned.

“ambrosia l weeds .

”Though , from the specia l use

of ambr os ia as the name for the food of the gods , we are apt

to confine the adject ive ambrosia l to the sense of “ del i cious ,”

i t rea l ly means immor ta l ” whence celes t ial .2 0

, 2 1 . Tooh in , by lot’tw ixthigh and nether j ove,

per ia l r u le, etc . Homer ca l ls Hades o r Pluto Z eus KCtTdX66VLOS

, or “underground Jove

(I l i ad, i x . and Ov idhas the phr ase “ Jupi ter Stygius . The distr ibut ion of ruleamong Jupi ter , Pluto , and Neptune, after Sa turn

’s overth row ,

is described by Neptune h imself in the I l iad (xv . 190 cl

sea ) .2 3. unadorned

”: for o therwise unadorned.

2 7 . thi s I sle. Grea t Bri ta in.

2 9 . He qua rter s to h is bl ue- ha i red deities. Thereseems t o be some emphasis on the ph rase blue- ha i red

deities , as i f these were a specia l sect ion of the tr ibuta ry

gods” of l ine 2 4 . Can there be a reco l lect ion o f blue ” as

the Bri t ish colour , inheri ted from the o l d t imes of the blues ta ined Br i tons who fough t wi th Caesar ?

“ thi s tra ct thatf ronts the fa l l ing sun.

” Wa les or

West Brita in.

3 1—33. A noble Peer , e t c. The Earl of Bridgewa ter .

See Int rod.

33. An ol d a nd haughty nation,

i .e. the Welsh .

Mil ton,l ike Shakespea re, h ad a k indness for th is people.

4 5.“ ha l l or bower

”a freq uent ph rase with Spenser

and the m ins t rel - poets h a l l” being the grea t genera l

room in princely residences , and bower”the pri vate apart

ment .

46—50. Bacchus, etc. The story of the voyage of

Bacchus a long the Tyrrhene shore, and of the seizure of him

by pi rates there, who were t ransformed into dolphins forth is actof impiety, is told in the H omeric hymn to Bacchusand in Ov id'

s Metam. i i i . The bringing of Bacchus, afterth is adventure, to C i rce’s island of IEaea , off the La t iancoast , is Mil ton

s invent ion, with a v i ew to the pa rentage he

2 64 N OTE S TO THE M I N O R PO EMS .

s teeped in sensua l i ty,a s a ccount ing his very v i ciousness a

developed manhood, and the so - ca l led v i rtues but signs o f

rust i ci ty.8 3. I r i s

’woof . Compare P . L . , X1. 2 44 .

84 . a swa in thatto the serv ice of th i s house belongs, etc.A compl iment t o Lawes , put into his own mouth .

9 2 . v iewless i nv isible. A word used by Mil ton in

two other places,—The Passion , 50 , andPa r . Lost

,111. 5 18 .

I t is a pecul iarly Shakespearian word To be impr i sonedin the v iewless winds

(Meas . for M as,111.

9 3. The sta r that bids the shepherd fold”: i .e. the

evening sta r , or the fi rst s tar seen at event ide. Keightley

q uo tes Shakespeare’

s exactly opposi te expression for themorning sta r : Looh

,the unfolding sta r ca l ls up the shep

herd”

(Meas . for Meas . I V.1 13.

“ watchf ul spheres.

” See notes, Pens. 8 8 , 89 , and

A rcad. 63- 73.

1 15. sounds and seas,i .e. st ra i ts and open seas.

1 16 .

“zcraver ing mor r ice

”i .e. in wav ering dance - l ike

undula t ion. l it/or r ice was origina l ly one k ind of dancetha t came from Spa in, and was ca l led the [ Moor i sh dance

mor isco, or mor r i s - dance.—Observe the a l l i tera t ion in the

l ine.

1 18 .

“ thepertfa ir ies and the dapper elves. Per i (a l so

piert and pea rt in O . l ively , nimble, is by some con

nected with the word pretty . D apper , same as Ger . tapfer ,qui ck .

1 2 1 .

“ wa lees A “ wake in o ld England was the

wa tch o r si t t ing- up t i l l la te before one of the Church boi idays hence a merry -mak ing.

1 2 9 . Darh - vei led Cotytto a Tln‘

acian D iv ini ty,whose

fest iva l was celebra ted by o rgies on the hi l ls.

“spets ”

ejects, th rows fo rth . The word, whichstri kes us now as so much mo re energet i c and tasteful thanspi ts ,

”is rea l ly buta form of tha t word. I t was common

among the E l iz abethans .

135. The dark goddess Hecate i s a shadowyand unset t led personage in the ancient mythology , and

var ious origins are assigned to her ; but, on the whole, sheis deriv ed from Thra ce,—wh ich may account fo r Mil ton’sfancy of her and Cotytto riding together through the da rknessin the same ebony cha riot . She was essent ial ly, in la ter

C O M U S . 2 6 5

representat ions at leas t , the goddess o f a l l k inds o f nocturna lghast l iness , such as spectra l sights , the l i owl ings o f dogs ,haunted spots , the graves o f the murdered, witches at theirincanta t ions.

139 . The nice l l/[ orn on the I ndian steep.

” In thisexquisi te

‘ picture nice”means da inty o r fast idious as

to wha t she saw and the word must have come wi th a

touch of sa rcasm from Comus.

“ descry revea l , describe ; a common Spenser iansense of the word.

153, 154 . Thus I hur l,

etc. At this point imaginethe actor who persona ted Comus fl inging from h is hand, ormak ing. a gesture of fl inging, a magica l powder, with the

resul t, by some stage- dev ice , of a flash o f col oured l ight.166—169 . I sha l l appear , etc. I t i s ra ther di fficul t to

decide wha t should be the tex t of this passage . In the

edi t ion of 1645 i t s tood

I sha l l appear som ha rmles V i l lagerWhom thrift keeps up about h is Country gear,Buthere she comes, I fa ir ly step as ideAnd hearken, i f I may , her busines here .

In the Edi t ion o f 1673 the passage stood thus

I sha l l appear some harml es V i l lagerAnd hearken, if I may , her bus ines here .

Buthere she comes,I fa irl y step aside.

But there is a di rect ion among the Erra ta of this edi ti on to

leave out the comma a fter “ may in the second of thesel ines and t o change here

”in the same l ine into hea r .

I ra ther think the reading of the Second edi t ion as amended

was wha t Mi lton fina l ly reso lved on, as i t ends Comus’

speech abruptly wi th a l ine left unrhymed ; but, as the

omission o f a l ine would disturb uniform i ty o f numberingwith a l l ex tant edi t ions, I reta in the reading of the F i rstedi t ion, only giv ing tha t edi t ion the superfluous benefi t ofthe Erra tum in the Second.

granges,”

granaries, fa rm- steads (gr anum, gra in) .188— 190. when thegrey

- hooded E ven,

L ihe a sad vota r i st in pa lmer ’s weed,Rosefr om theh indmostwheels of Phccbus

’rc'a in.

If this fine image i s opt ica l ly rea l iz ed, wha t we see is

2 66 N O TE S TO TH E M I N O R PO E M S .

Evening succeeding Day as the figure of a venerable greyc

ho oded mendicant m ight slowly fo l low the wheels of somer ich man

’s cha riot .

2 05—2 09 .

“ A thousand fantasies begin to throng into

my memory ,of ca l l ing shapes , ” etc. As the Lady here

expressly says tha t she began to th ink of a l l the wei rds tories of superna tura l sigh t s and sounds she had ever reado r hea rd of, so Mil ton t oo may be supposed to draw on his

memory of book s in the descr iption. Mr . Browne’s remarktha t “

the 7 2’mpest may wel l have suggested the wholeimagery is to the point .2 2 5.

“ A nd casts .

” We should now wri te “ And cast.

See Essay on Mil ton’s Engl ish , p . 19 6 .

2 3 1 . thy a i ry shel l, the hol low vau l t o f the a tmosphere.

2 32 . AIeander ’s ma rgentgreen.

” Mr. Keigh t ley suggest stha t Maeander, the river in A sia Mino r so celebra ted for itswindings , may have been here selected as one of Echo ’shaunt s for tha t very reason.

2 37 .

“ thy N a rcissus”: the youth for whose love Echo

p ined away ti l l only her voice was left , and who was a fterwards puni shed for h is insensibi l i ty by being made to fa l l inl ove with h is own image in a founta in, and at length turnedinto the flower tha t bea rs his name.

2 4 1 .

“ Daughter of the Sphere.

”Compare Ata Solemn

rlI usz'

c, i . 2 .

2 44—2 48 . Can any morta l mi xture, etc. In the

performance atLudlow th is , besides its rela t ion to the story ,

would come as a compl iment to the Lady A l ice’s singing.

2 48 .

“ hi s h idden residence.

”One of the mos t strik ing

possible instances of Mi l ton’

s abst inence from the mongrelword its. The antecedent to wh i ch “ h is

” refers is some

th ing holy and we should inev i tably hav e wri tten its.

2 52—2 57 .

“ I have ofthea r e tc . In the Ody ssey theS i rens o r S inging Ma idens who lured ma riners to thei rdes truct ion are not companions of C i rce . But C i rce sanghersel f, and had Na iads, or founta in-nymphs

,among her

handma idens, who helped her to cul l her herbs.

2 57—2 59 .

“ Scy l l a andfel l Chary bdi s,”etc. Homer

places the island of the S i rens to the south - west of I ta ly, notfar from Scyl la and Charybdis.

2 58 . ba rhing waves. A t ransla t ion of Vi rgi l’s latran

tiba s undi s”

(fi n. V I I .

2 68 N OTE S T O THE M I N O R PO EM S .

and by “ the l ow - roasted l a rh Mil ton means simply “ thela rk in her low rest ing - place.

” The very phrase ca l lsa t tent ion to the fact tha t the la rk does not roost on treesl ike other bi rds , brrt has a nest on the ground. As for“ thatched appl ied to th is nest or pa l let

” surely the

tex ture of the nes t i tsel f, or the co rn- sta lks or rushes overi t , migh t be ca l led

“ the tha tch .

”Few birds

,except those

in the “ hen- house, have a tha tch ove r them in any othersense.

32 3—32 7. courtesy ,

wh ich oft is sooner found, etc.

Though the word courtesy i s derived from court, yet, saysthe Lady , the th ing is not a lways so readi ly found now in

courts as in humbler pla ces . Here she difl'

ers from Spenser ,as quo ted by Newton

Of Court itseems men Courtes ie do ca l l ,For tha t it there mos t useth to abound .

P . Q .

,VI . i . 1 .

34 1 , 34 2 .

“our star of A r cady , or 7y r i an Cynosure.

Fo r Cynosure see note, L’

A l leg. 80. I t was the Phoeni cianma r iners tha t s teered by tha t constel la t ion, and hence i t i sca l led Ty r ian. The Greek ma riners s teered by the adj acentconstel la t ion of the Grea ter Bear , and “

sta r of A rcady”

here means any conspicuous s tar in tha t constel la tion. For

i t was the nymph Ca l l ist o , daugh ter of the A r cadi an k ingLycaon,

tha t was turned into the Grea t Bea r, and ca l l edA rctos , wh i le i t was her son A rca s tha t was wh i rled upbeside her as the Lesser Bea r or Tyrian Cynosure.

370. (Not being in danger , as I trust she i s not. ) In

very stri ct syntax notbeing” would cl ing to

“ want as its

substant ive ; but the ph rase passes for the La t in abla t iveabso lute

380 . a l l to - r uj ted. In Mil ton’s own texts this phrase

i s p rinted without any hyphen as th ree dist inct words“a l l to ruj t

”: and

,as tha t does not make sense in our

present print ing, the quest ion has a risen whether the readingshould be a l l too rufl ea

(i .e. a l l too much ruffled,”as in such

ph rases as a l l too sad to tel l o r a l l - to rnfi ed”

(wherea l l -to would be an o l d adverb meaning completely ) , or a l l

to- rufi ed”

(where to - rufited” would be taken as the pa rticiple

o f a verb compounded of the s imple verb and the intensi fying prefix to, and meaning

“ to ruffle grea t ly Something

C O M U S . 2 69

may be sa id for each reading ; but, on the whole, the lastmay be chosen. In the authorised Engl ish Bible of 16 1 1(Judges ix . 53) we read

“ And a certa in woman cast a m i l lstone upon Abimel ech’s head and a l l to - brak e h is skul l(i .e. smashed, broke to pieces) ; and other instances are

found o f verbs with the intensi fying prefix to. See Dr.

A ldis VVright

s Bi bl e Word-Booh, Art.“ Al l - to and

Abbot t’s Shahespea r ian Gramma r, pars. 2 80 , 4 36 .

38 2 . i’the centre,

”i .e. as i f atthe cent re of the Earth ,

which, according to the o ld Pto lema i c as tronomy

,was a lso

the centra l and one s teady point of the whole Universe.

Th e idea came easi ly to Mil ton butcentre in th is sense, o r

in thes ense of the Ear th i tself, was a common one. Thus ,

in Hamlet, 11. 2, Polonius says

I wi l l findWhere truth is h id though itwere h id indeedW ithin the centre .

393—39 5. the fa i r Hesper ian tree

,etc. The golden

apples of Juno were in charge of the nymphs ca l led the

Hesperides, and were wa tched in thei r ga rdens by the sleepless dragon L adon. I t was one of the labours o f H erculesto slay the dragon and obta in the apples .

“unenchanted” in the sense of “ incapable of

being enchanted.

”See not e, L

’A l legro, 40 .

40 1 .

“ Danger wi l l winh on Opportunity . A qua intmetaphor . The image suggested is tha t of a sentry , whohas been setto prevent peop le from going a par t icular road,wink ing t o some friend of h is who breaks the proh ibi t ion,and let t ing him pass as i f he did not see him .

4 2 0 .

’Ti s cha stity , my brother , chastity .

”The passage

wh i ch begins here and ends at l ine 4 75 i s a concentra tedexpressi on of the mora l of the who le Masque, and an ex

pos i t ion a lso of a cardina l idea o f Mil ton’

s ph i losophy .

4 2 1. complete steel . ” The a ccent i s on the first syl lableo f complete, as i t a l so is in the l ine from Ham let

,1. 4 , where

the same phrase occurs .

4 2 6 .

“ bandite or mounta ineer . Ba udite, so spel t inMil ton’

s edi t ions , and probab ly ra ther a new word aboutM il ton’s t ime , is from the I ta l ian bandito, an out law (l i teral ly“ declared under ban Mounta ineer : War ton no tes the

fact tha t this word had a bad sense, l ike bandit. See

2 70 N OTE S TO TH E M I N OR PO E M S .

Cymbel ine, Act I V . so. 2,where i t occurs sev era l t imes as

an epi the t Of opprobrium thus , “ ca l led me tra i tor , mountaineer.

4 32 . Some say no ev i l th ing, etc. Undoub tedly, here,asWar ton remarked, Mil ton had the passage in Haml et, 1. I ,in his mind

Some say tha t, ever ’ga inst tha t season comesWherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated ,The bird of dawning singeth a l l nigh t longAnd then,

they say , no spiri t dares s tir abroad .

434 , 4 35. unla id ghost,

Thatbreahs h is magi c cha ins atcurfew time.

For curfew see note, Pens. 74 . The popula r superst i t ionwas tha t ghosts and other superna tura l beings had l iberty tobegin thei r wander ings at the sound of the evening bel l .Warton quotes, in i l lust ra t ion, Edga r

’s speech inK ing Lea r ,111. 4 :

“ Th is is the foul fiend Fl ippertigibbet; he beginsat curfew ,

and wa lks t i l l the fi rst cock .

438—440. Do y e bel ieve meyet, or sha l l I ca l l

Antigu ity fr om theol d school s of Greece etc.

The Brother has h i therto been quot ing popula r superst i t ionsof the Northern or Goth i c mythology, which was a lso thena t ive Engl ish ; but he is now to ci te the more l ightsome

legends of Greek ant iqui ty in proof of h is doct rine. A o

cordingly, from l ine 44 1 t o l ine 4 52 , we have a subl ima

t ion of the legends of the two v i rgin goddesses D iana and

Minerva.

4 53. So dea r to Heaven is sa intly chastityThat,

”etc.

The language of mythologi ca l a l lusion now ceases,and the

speaker passes, in h is own name, into a stra in o f Platoni cph i losophy t inged with Ch rist iani ty . I t last s to the end of

h is speech , l ine 4 75 .

4 59—463. Ti l l oftconverse, etc . Here we hav e the

germ of the pecul iar physio -metaphysical specula t ion afterwa rds developed more at length in Raphael ’s speech to

Adam in Pa r . L ost, V . 404- 503.

4 67—4 75. The sou l grows cl otted by contagion,

Imbodies, and imbrutes, ti l l ,”etc.

A s, by puri ty and heavenly converse, the body may r ise intoident i ty wi th Spirit , so , by sensual i ty , the soul may s ink into

272 N OTE S TO THE M I N O R PO EM S .

548 . ere a close, i .e. before he had finished h is song.

552 554 . Ti l l an unusua l stop of sudden si l ence

Gave resp ite to the drowsy-fl ighted steeds, etc.

There has been much dispute as to the proper readingof th is passage. Bo th Mil ton’

s printed edi t ions give“ drowsi e fr ighted in two dist inc t words , and so doesLawes

’s edi t ion of 1637 ; but the Cambridge MS . gives

dr owsy fl ighted.

” I f th is last i s hyphened,as was ev i

dently intended, we hav e a very poet ica l epi thet , much inMil ton’

s manner—drowsy -fl ighted, i .e. a lways drowsi lyflying

; and clea rly the choice l ies between th is and the“ dr owsy f r ighted

”unhyphened— i .e. “

the drowsy steedstha t had been frigh tened.

555—562 . At l a sta soft, etc. A renewed comp l iment

(see prev ious note, 2 44—2 4 8 ) to the Echo - song of the Lady ,and in language o f memorable splendour .

586—59 9 .

“ Aga inst the threats,

”etc. A pecul ia rly

Mil toni c passage.

604 . Under '

the sooty fl ag of A cheron i .e. o f Hel l ,where Ache ron was a r iver. Todd quotes from Ph ineasFletcher’s L ocusts ( 16 2 7 ) the l ine

“ Al l hel l run out, and

soo ty flags display .

605. Ha rp ies ,”uncleanbird- shapedcrea tures Hydras ,

wa ter - serpents.6 19—630.

“a certa in shepherd - lad, etc. Probably a

reference to Mil ton’s bosom - friend, the ha l f- I ta l ian D iodati

pract ising as a young physic ian when Comus was writ ten.

Compa re Epitaph . Dam. 150 - 154 .

636 , 637 .

“ than that rldol y, etc. See Introd. p . 4 8 .

The plant Moly given to Ulysses by Hermes , to pro tect h imaga inst the cha rms and drugs o f C i rce (Oa

y ss . is thusdescribed :

“ I t was black at the roo t , and its flower wasm i lk -wh i te ; the gods ca l l i t Moly , but i t i s difficul t formorta l men to dig i t up .

638 . IIe ca l led itHaemony . Mil ton invents this namefor h is imaginary plant . Hcemonia was an O l d name forThessa ly , especia l ly a land of magic wi th the Greeks.

Spenser speak s of “ the grassie barrcks of Hcemony .

64 2 . l ittle rechoning made”

same in Ly cidas , 1 16 .

655. Or,l i he the sons of Vu lcan , vomit smohe.

” The

giant Cacus , the son of Vulcan, does this in the2 5 1 in h is last st ruggle.

C OM U S . 2 73

66 1 , 66 2 .

“as Daphne was , etc . The sto ry o f the

nymph Daphne, turned into a laure l - tree as she was chasedby Apo l lo , is told in Ov id (Met.

672—674 .

“ th is cordia l j u lep here, thatflames in

h i s cry sta l bounds , w ith sy rups mixed.

j ul ep , l i tera l ly“ rose - wa ter ” (from the Pers ian) , had come to mean anybri'gh t medi ca l l iquid sy rup (from an A rabic word meaning“ to drink ”

) meant a suga red l iq uid or essence. Note theform h is appl ied to so inanima te a th ing as a

“ julep .

6 75 , 6 76 .

“ thatNepenthes wh ich ,

”etc . In the Ody ssey

Helen gives to her husband Menelaus, mixed with h is wine,an Opia te wh ich she had

obta ined from Po lydamna , the

Egyptiap, the wife of Thone. I t was cal led nepenthespa in and was of wonderful v i rtue .6 80—689 .

“ wh i ch Nature l ent,”etc. The meaning is,

Na ture lent you th is persona l beauty on cer ta in condi t ions,one o f wh ich—the unexempt one, the most binding one,

from wh i ch no human being can be exemp t—was refreshment afte r fa t igue ; and yet you, l ike an unjust borrower,subvert the agreement , even in the most essent ia l part i cula r ,inasmuch as a l l th is wh i le you have gone wi thout repast orneedful rest . ” Steevens ci ted Shakespeare’s Sonnet IV. fo r

a certa in sim i la ri ty of idea : and the compa r ison is wo rthwh i le. Observe the distance o f “ that

”in l ine 6 88 from

i t s antecedent “

y ou” in l ine 68 2 .

69 5. ough ly-headed. So in Mil ton’s tex t.

702 , 703 . None

Butsuch as a regood men can give good th ings .

Almo st a t ransla t ion, as Newton pointed out, Of l ine 6 18 inthe til edea o f Eurip ides.

70 7 . budge doctors of the Stoic f ur . The word budgei tsel f meant f ur at one t ime ; and a

“ budge—gown ” orfurred gown indica ted a certa in Academ i c grade. The word,however , was used a lso as an adject ive for “

stout ” or“ portly ” ; and the two meanings seem to be combinedhere.

7 2 1 . Shou ld, in a petof temperance, feed on pu lse. The

food of Daniel and the other th ree ch i ldren o f Israel .739—755.

“ Beauty i s Nature’

s coin y ou a re but

y oung yet. The idea tha t runs th rough these seventeenl ines is a favouri te one with the o l d poets ; andWa rtonand Todd ci te para l lel passages from Shakespeare, Spenser ,

VOL. I l l . T

2 74 N OTE S TO THE M I N O R POEM S .

Daniel,F letcher , and Dray ton. Thus , from Shak espeare

(l l/ids . JV. D r . 1. I )

Earth l ier h appy is the rose d istil ledThan tha t which , wi thering on the virgin thorn,Grows, l ives, and d ies, in s ingle b lessedness.

See a l so Shakespea re’s fi rst six Sonnets , which are pervadedby the idea in a l l i t s subtlet ies, and his Venus and Adonis ,l ines 163

—174 , where i t reappears.

750. sorry gra in,

” poor colour. See note P . L . v. 2 8 5.

760. bolther a rguments.

”A metaphor from them i l ler’s

process of bolti ng, o r separa t ing the mea l from the bran.

768—774 . If every j ust man ,

”etc. As a para l le l

passage to thi s s tr ik ing one, Todd quotes Gloucester’s

address to the supposed madman in K Lea r , I V . 1 .

780—79 9 . To h im thatdares

”etc . A recurrence, by

the sister, wi th even more myst i c fervour, to tha t Pla t oni c

and Mil tonic doctrine wh i ch had a l ready been propoundedby the E lder Brother (see l ines 4 2 0—4 75 and note ) .803—806 .

“a s when thewrath ofj ove,

”etc. The reference

i s to the wa rs of Zeus aga inst C ronos (Sa turn) and the Ti tans.

809 , 8 10.

’tis butthe lees

A nd settl ings of a melancholy blood.

A phrase from the o ld phys io logi ca l sys tem of the humours.Todd aptly quotes a passage in i l lust ra t ion from Nash’sTer ror s of the N ight 159 4 ) The grossest par t o f ourblood is the melancholy humour wh i ch

,in the spleen con

gea l ed (whose offi ce i t is to disperse i t ) , wi th his th ick - steamingfenny vapours , casts a m is t over the spiri t I t [melancholy] sinketh down to the bottom l ike the lees o f the wine,corrupte th a l l the blood, and is the cause of lunacy.”

8 2 2 .

“Mel iboeus old.

”Possibly Geoffrey of Monmouth .

8 2 3. soothest,” t ruest . Sa id i ronical ly , i f Geoffrey o f

Monmouth was Mel ibocus.

8 2 6—8 57.

“ Sabr ina i s her name, et c. The legend ofSabrina ,

as told in Geoffrey of Monmouth , repea ted in

Spenser , Draytorr, and o ther poets , and afterwards rela tedin prose by Mi l ton h imsel f in h is H istory of Br ita in, i s asfo l l ows —Brutus the Trojan, the second founder of the

Br i t ish na t ion, left h is dom inions div ided among his threesons. Locrine, the eldest , took the ch ief pa rt (now England) ;Camber took the west (now Wa les) A lbanact took the

2 76 N O TE S TO TH E M I N O R PO EM S .

84 5. urch in bla sts , i .e. ev i l s trokes from the ma l ic ioushedgehog. \Va rton ci ted Ca l iban’

s speech in the Tempest(i i . 2 ) in i l lustra t ion of the o ld dread of the hedgehog.

84 6 .

“ the shrewd meddl ing cl f”

Some cleverer brotherof Robin Goodfel l ow . See L

’A l l eg. 105 , and note.

“as the old swa in sa id,

”i .e. the Mel ibocus of l ine

8 2 2 . Butnei ther Geoffrey of Monmouth nor Spenser hasth is development o f the legend.

8 67—88 9 . L i sten , and appea r to us

,etc . The mytho

l ogica l a l lusions in this di t ty may be thus expla inedOceanus was the most ancient sea -

god, the god of the oceans t ream encircl ing the who le ea rth Neptune, with h is tr ident ,was a la ter being. Tethy s was the wife of O ceanus , and

mo ther of the river -gods .

“ Hoa ry N ereus is the “aged

Nereus”

o f l ine 8 35. The Carpath ian w i z a rd ” i s thesub t le Prote us , ever sh i ft ing his shape he dwel t in a cave inthe island o f Carpathus and he had a hook , ” because hewas the shepherd o f the sea - ca lves. Tr iton

,son of Neptune

and A phrodi te,th ough he had a pa lace in the sea -depths,

genera l ly rode on the waves a top , blowing h is shel l - t rumpethe was “

sca ly ,” because the l ower par t o f him was fish .

Glaucus was a Boeotian fisherman who had been changedinto a mar ine god be haunted coasts of sea - weed

,and was

an oracle for sa i lors and fishermen. L eucothea (“the white

goddess was o rigina l ly Ino , the daugh ter o f Cadmus,

and had received her new name after she had drownedhersel f and been converted into a sea - dei ty . Her son that

ru l es the strands”was Mel icer tes, drowned and deified with

her,and thencefo rward known as Pa l a’mon o r Portumnus ,

the god of bays and harbours. Thetis , one of the daugh tersof Nereus

,and therefore a sea - dei ty by bi rth , ma rried Peleus

and was the mother of A ch i l les : Homer ca l ls her si lverfoo ted.

”O f the S i rens o r singing sea -nymphs (see note

2 52— 2 57 ) Parthenope and E zgea were two . The “

cleartomb o f the fi rst was at Naples (see the th i rd La t in p ieceAd L eonoram Romce canentem) the golden comb of the

second is from stories o f our own merma ids.

“rushy

-fr inged.

”An adject ive formed, as i t were

from a prev ious compound noun,

“rushy

-fr inge unless , bya very forced dev ice, for wh ich there is no authori ty, weshould resol ve the wo rd thus , rush -

yfr inged.

8 93, 89 4 .

“a z u rn tu rhi s.

”Todd derives the form

C O M U S . 2 77

a z urn (az ure) from the I ta l . a z zu r ino,as ceda rn in a

fo l l ow ing l ine (9 90 ) may be from the I ta l . cedr ino (made o f

cedar ) .—Turhis (now tu rquoi se) is the Turk ish - s tone, so

ca l led because, though Persian, i t came by way of Turkey .89 7—8 99 . Thus I setmy pr intless feet

O’er the cowsl ip’

s vel vethead,

Thatbends notas I tread.

The mere phrase print less feet ,”as Wa rton noted, is from

Shakespeare (Tempest, V . I )Ye e lves of h i l ls , brooks,stand ing lakes and groves ,And ye tha t on the sands with print less footDo chase the ebbing N ep tune.

But the'

specia l fancy o f a l igh t tread, as scarcely bendingthe heads o f flowers

,is immemoria l am ong poets.

9 2 1 . Amph itr ite’s bower .

”She was the wife o f Neptune

and Queen of the Sea.

9 2 2 , 9 2 3.

“ daughter of L ocr ine, sprung of ol d A nch ises’

l ine.

”See prev ious note, 8 2 6—8 57 and complete Sabrina’s

genea l ogy by remembering tha t Brutus, her grandfa ther ,was the son o f S i lv ius , the son o f Ascanius , the son o f the

great fEneas, the son of the aged Anch ises.

9 2 4—937 .

“ May thy br immedwaves groves of my r rhand cinnamon. The whole of this poet ic blessing on the

Severn and i ts neighbourhood, involv ing the wish of wha twe should ca l l “

sol id commercia l p rosper i ty,” would go t o

the hea rt o f the assemblage atLudl ow.

9 34—9 37 .

“ May thy lofty head be crowned, etc. _The

syntax of this passage has so puz z led commenta to rs tha tthey have supposed some m isprint in the tex t ; but a l l is

made perfect ly clear , I th ink , by the observa t ion of a cri t i c ,Mr . Ca l ton, q uoted by Todd, tha t M i l ton mus t have had inv iew two Greek verbs, one meaning to puta

crown round,”the o ther (ér to r eqba vbw) “ t o put a crown

”The construction then is “ May thy l ofty head be

crowned round with many a tower and terrace, and thybanks here and there be cr owned upon with groves of myrrhand cinnamon

9 46 , 9 4 7 . A nd notmany f ur longs hence

I s y our fa ther’s residence.

A s the play was going on w ith in tha t residence , the wo rdsmay have had a whims ica l effect . O f course, however ,

2 78 N OTE S TO TH E M I N O R PO E M S .

wha t scenery there was on the stage represented them as

s ti l l in the “

gloomy co ver t , some furlongs from Ludlow .

9 58—9 65.

“ Ba ch,shepherds , ba ch ,

”etc. Unders tand

tha t , in the few m inutes tha t have elapsed since the lastspeech

,the A t tendant Spiri t

,the Lady, and her two

Brothers , are supposed to have wa lked the severa l furlongsintervening between the wood of Comus and Ludlow townand cast le. When they come there (and, to a id the fancytha t they have done so

,the former scene has been removed

from the s tage and a picture o f Ludlow town and castlesubs t i tuted) i t is broad day - l igh t and they find, as th ey hadexpected, the town a l l asti r, wel com ing the Earl , and

count ry lads and lasses before the cast le dancing—i .e. thestage in possession of a number of supernumeraries, dressedas peasants, and engaged in a merry country -dance.

9 66—9 75. N obl eLord and Lady br ight,

”etc. Imagine

the cheering when Lawes , advancing wi th the th ree youngones, addressed th i s speech t o the Ear l and Countess o f

Bridgewa ter , they perhaps ris ing and bowing.

9 76—9 79 . To the ocean,

”etc. These four l ines are in

the very rhythm and rhyme of the first four of A r iel’s songin the Tempest (V. In the a ctua l performance of the

Masque they and the nex t si x teen l ines , instead of cominghere as par t of the Epi logue, were used for Prologue (seeIntrod. pp. 37 and

9 8 2 , 9 8 3. Hesperus,andh is daughters th ree, etc. Hes

perus , brother of A t las, was the fa ther of the Hesperides.See note, 393—39 5.

pu iyted, i . e. fringed, embroidered w i th coloursor go ld (from French pourfi l er ) a ra ther common o l d word.

9 9 7—10 1 1 . (L i st, morta l s

,if y our ears be etc.

By this parenthesis Mil ton begs a t tent ion t o a mystery wh i chhe i s to propound a l legori ca l ly. I t is tha t in those celest ia lregi ons to wh ich the Spi ri t is ascending there is not only a l lphysica l beauty and del igh t , but a lso tha t t rue Love of wh i chComus h ad apprehended only the v i le counterfei t . Yes,

wha tever o f fine and good sign ificance may be discerned insuch an ear th ly myth , say, as tha t of Venus (ident ified herew i th “ the A ssyrian queen

”A starte) gr ieving over her

wounded Adonis (same as Thammuz : see P . L . ,1. 4 4 6

4 67 )—to that Heaven conta ins something to correspond !Much more i s real i z ed there the h igh ly spiri tua l love set

2 80 N O TE S TO TH E M I N OR PO E M S .

1 . Yetonce more,Oye l aurel s , and once more. Three

years had elapsed since Mil ton had wri tten Camus, and in

tha t interva l , so far as we know , he had done noth ing inEngl ish verse—Th is fi rs t l ine of the poem

,i t i s worth

observ ing, stands without any fol lowing rhyme.

5. Shatter y our lea ves before the mel lo wing yea r . The

a l lusion is not here, as has been supposed, “ to the unripeage of his friend,

”but i s persona l to Mil ton h im sel f. The

laurel , the myrtle, and the ivy supply wrea ths for poets ;to pluck thei r berries or thei r leaves is to sol ici t a wrea th ,i .a. to w r i te a poem ; t o do so before the r ipe season is tol etonesel f be induced to wri te a poem ,

perhaps imprudently ,by some sudden occasion.

8 , 9 .

“ Ly cidas is dead y oung Ly cidas. A formof repeti tion notuncommon : thus in the l ines in Spenser’sA str ophel (E legy on S ir Ph i l ip S idney) q uoted by Mr.Browne

Young As trophel , the pride of shepheards pra ise,Young Astrophel , the rustick la sses love.

The name Ly ci das, chosen by Mi l ton for Edward King, i staken, as was customary in such elegies , from the classicpastora ls. I t o ccurs in Theocri tus ; and Vi rgi l has the

name for one of the speakers in h is N inth Eclogue.

10 . Who wou l d not singfor Ly cidas ?”

Th i s is afterVi rgi l in h is Tenth Eclogue : Neget quis carmina Ga l lo ?

10 1 1 .

“ he hnew

[ I imself to sing, and bu i ld the l ofty rhyme.

To “ bu i ld the l ofty rhyme”

(so spel t here, and not r ime)has its origina l , as Newton pointed out, in Horace

“seu

candis amabi le ca rmen”

(Epist. 1. i i i . For the natureand amount of King

’s cla ims t o the poet ica l character ,

see Introd. 11. pp . 50-

13. Unwept, and welter to the pa rch ing wind. The

second non - rhyming l ine in the poem.

14 . melodious tea r .

”In Mil ton’s Epitaph on the

{l l a rch ianess of Winchester (l ine 55) we have “ tears o f

perfec t moan.

”Cur io rrsly enough , Milton

’s col lege - fel lowC leveland, in tha t poem o f h is on King

’s death wh ich was

bound up in the same vo lume with Lyci das (See Introd.

says , “ I l i he not tea rs in tune.

”—Observe tha t inthe opening paragraph of the poem ,

which the word tea r

LY C I DA S . 2 8 1

ends, the sound of tha t word i s the dominant rhyme. It

possesses’

six l ines outo f the fourteen.

15. Begin ,then,

S isters of the sacred wel l . The Muses,daugh ters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, born at the Pierianfounta in under Mount O l ympus . Th is is the third non

rhym ing l ine in the poem.

19—2 2 .

“ So may some gentleMuse

With l ucley words favou r MY destined urn , etc.

I have v entured to i ta l i cise the wo rd my in th is passage, tobring out ful ly the meaning. I t is Letme, with wha teverreluctance, write this memoria l poem now, i f I would hopetha t , when I am dead, some one may wri te with k indlyinteres; of me.

2 2 . A nd bid fa i r pea ce be to my sable shroud The

fourth non- rhym ing l ine in the poem .

2 3—36 .

“ For we were nur sed,”etc . See Introd. p . 50 .

2 6 . Under the opening eyel ids of the Adam .

”This noble

phrase is found in older poets , and has been t raced by Toddt o a ma rgina l var ia t ion o f the transla t ion o f Job i i i . 9 inthe Autho riz ed Version of the Bible. For “ dawning ofthe day the ma rgin reads the eyel ids Of the mo rning.

2 9 . Battening,”i .e. feeding.

34—36.

“ Rough Saty rs and Fauns, m iscel laneousCambridge undergradua tes oldDama’tas ,

” perhaps JosephMeade o r some other wel l - remembered fel low of Christ ’s.

See Memoi r,pp. i ii - iv .

39 . Thee, Shepherd, thee the woods and desert caves.

The fi fth non- rhyming l ine in the poem .

gadding” straggl ing, rest less.

4 5. A s h i l l ing as the can/eer to the rose. War ton and

Todd have noted Shakespeare’

s fondness fo r th is s im i le.

50—55. Where were y e, Nymphs,

”etc. Imi ta ted ex

pressly from Theocri tus (Idy l l i . 66 - 69 ) and Vi rgi l (E el .

x . 9 but wi th a subst i tut i on of VVest-Br i t ish hauntsof the Muses for thei r Greek haunt s named in those classi cpassages. The steep where y our old bards , the famous

Dru ids, l ie may be any of the Welsh mounta ins ; butWa rton suggests especia l ly the sepul ture of the Druids at

Ker ig-

y- Druidion in South Denbighsh i re . The shaggy

top of Mona” i s the high inter ior of Anglesey , the island

retrea t of the D ruids, once th i ck with woods ‘ D eva is

the Dee, the holy Dee,”sacred wi th Druidrc and A rthur

2 83 N OTE S TO TH E M I N O R POE M S .

ian legends. Chester , from wh ich King sa i l ed, is on the

Dee,at some distance from its mouth , and was the chief

por t in tha t par t o f England before the r ise o f L iverpool .5 1. Cl osed o

’er the head of y our loved Ly cida s. The

six th non- rhym ing l ine in the poem.

58—63. t at cou ld the [Muse her self that Orpheusbore

, e tc . The cont inued grief of O rpheus for h is los tEurydice (see note, L

’Atl . 14 5) so enraged the Thracian

women tha t they fel l upon h im in one of thei r orgies and

tore h im to pieces . The fragments o f his body were buri edby the Muses with a l l honour atthe foo t of Mount O lympusbut his head, hav ing been thrown into the Th racian r iverHebrus , was rol led down to the sea , and so car ried to theIsland of Lesbos , where i t was bur ied sepa ra tely . Even

the Muse Ca l l iope, h is mo ther , could not prevent such a

fate.65.

“ the homely , sl ighted, shepherd’s tr ade, i .e. , in the

establ ished metaphor of the pastora l is ts, the pract ice ofpoet ry.68 , 69 .

“ Ama ry l l is Nea’ra . Names o f imaginaryshepherdesses from the Greek and La t in pas tora l s .

7 I . That l ast infirm ity of noble The sent iment of this celebra ted, but genera l l y m isquo ted, l ine isfound, freq uent ly enough , in wri ters before Mil ton ; butperhaps the nearest approach in expression is a sentencewh ich Todd q uotes from M i l ton

’s friend, S ir Henry Wot ton.

“ I wil l not deny his appet i te for gl ory , wh ich generousminds do ever la test part from , S ir Henry had sa id of JamesI . in a Panegy r i eh addressed to Char les .

75. the bl ind Fury w ith the abhor red shea rs. In stri ctMythology the Furies or Erinnyes were distinc t beings fromthe Fa tes, and A tropos was one of the Fa tes. Wh i le hersis ter C lo tho turned the spindle, and her sister Lachesispointed to the horoscope of the person whose l i fe - threadwas being spun; A t ropos stood w i th her shears , ready to cutthe th read at the destined instant. See note Ep. Ma r .

I/Vin. 2 8

77. and touched my trembl ing ea rs . A fine poetica l

appropr ia t ion of the popular superst i t ion tha t the t ingl ing o i

a person’s ears is a sign tha t people are ta lk ing o f h im .

Wha t Mi l ton had been saying about poet ic fame m ight beunderstood, he saw , as applicable to h imsel f.

2 84 N OTE S TO THE M I N OR PO EM S .

his Church (Ma t t . xv i . 17 - 19 ) and whom he had const i tutedso expressly the Shepherd o f h is F lock (John xxi . 1 5

1 13—13 1. Ho wwel l roa ld I have sparedfor thee, young

swa in, etc. These nineteen l ines o f the poem , supposed

to be spoken by St. Peter , a re perhaps the most remarkablepassage in i t. See Introd. p . 56 . Observe the studiedcontempt and sternness of the phraseology , and even the

studied harshness o f the sound thei r bel l ies’sahe shove

away ,

”Bl ind mouths ” (a s ingularly bold figure

on their scr annel pipes of wretched str aw , etc. The “

wol o f l ines 12 8 , 12 9 , adding stea l thy seiz ures o f indiv idua lsheep to the ev i l of the sheep - rot a l ready in the fo ld throughbad tending, is undoubtedly the Church of Rome, the

numerous priva te secessions to wh i ch in England in Laud’s

t ime were a subject of a larm and compla int among the

Pur i tans . Some of the Engl ish bishops , the Roya l ist LordFa lk land was to say wi tti ly and daringly in a speech in theHouse of Commons in 164 1 , were “

so absolutely , di rectly ,and co rdia l ly Papists tha t i t was a l l tha t £ 1500 a year coulddo to keep them from confessing i t . —The last two l ines ofthe passage are the most obscure. There is the powerfulimage of some two - handed engine atthe door o f the corrupted Church , soon to sm i te i t in,

as with the blow of anaxe or a ba t ter ing- ram . But wha t i s the implement. I f theimage is a Bibl i ca l one, we are referred to the fi rst threechapters of the Book o f Revela t ion, where St. John sees theawful v ision of one l ike unto the Son of Man and receivesfrom h im the messages to the Seven Churches of Asia. Par to f the description of the div ine figure is tha t

“ he. had in h is

righ t hand seven sta rs ”and tha t outo f h is mouth went a

sha rp two - edged sword ”(Rev . i . A fterwards (Rev . 11.

12 - 16 ) the a ctua l message to one of the Seven Churches,represented as most corrupt , begins

“ These th ings sa i th hewh ith hath the sha rp sword w ith two edges and, a fterterrib le rebuke o f the corrupters, i t ends Repent ; or elseI wi l l come unto thee qui ck ly

,and wil l figh t aga ins t them

w ith the sword of my mouth . The Apoca lypt ic agency forthe reform of a corrup t Church is cer ta inly, therefore, thetwo - edged sword of St. John’

s v ision, and Mil ton is not

l ikely to have overlooked th is. I t is notunl ike him , how

ever , to have l et the Apoca lyp t ic suggest ion shape i tsel f inhis imagina t ion into the opt ica l form of some a ctua l double

L Y C I D A S . 2 85

handed agency though t of by h imself and in tha t case wehave not far to seek . The agency by wh ich, three o r fouryears a fterwards, the doors of the Church of England weredashed in was an Engl ish Parl iament wi th its two H ousesand at the t ime when Lycidas was writ ten tha t was the

agency secret ly in the m inds and hopes of a l l the Pur i tans.Or , i f th is is too prosa ic as an interpreta t ion o f the prophecybefore the fa ct , yet, as the prophecy fulfi l led i tsel f exact ly50

,m ight notMil ton have known for the firs t t ime afl er the

fact,as often happens to a prophet , the rea l meaning o f

his own symbol P—Mil ton, i t is worth not ing, had been

preceded by Spenser , fifty - th ree years befo re, in th is vehe

ment denuncia t ion of hirel ing shepherds in the Church , andmus t have had Spenser’s verses in h is mind. They occur inthe dia logue between Pa l inode and Piers in the May Ec loguein The Shepheards Ca lender .

132— 134 . Return,

A lpheus, etc. For the secondt ime there has been a burst beyond the l im i ts of the simplePast ora l

,and aga in he returns. Th is t ime i t is not on

Arethusa and Mincius tha t he ca l ls, as after his first return

(8 5, but on A l pheus. O r ra ther i t is on A lpheus andA rethusa together , both of them one now in the founta inA rethuse in the S i ci l ian island of Ortygi a (see note A rc. 30 ,

and therefore j oint ly the S ic i l ian Muse.

138 . the s wa rt sta r S ir ius , the dog- s tar , which

brings hea t and swa r th iness.

14 2—15 1 . Br ing the rathe [ear ly] pr imrose, etc. Th i s

is the most exquisi te flower - and- colour passage in a l l Milton’s

poet ry . H is manuscrip t shows tha t he brough t i t t o perfect ion by addi t ions and a fterthough ts.

“amar anthus.

”The name ama ranthmeans unf ai l ing

(from the Greek dudpaw os) , and is giv en t o a k ind of plantstha t las t long without wi ther ing.

15 1 . laureate hea rse.

” Hea rse not in our modern sense

of the carr iage wh i ch conveys a coffin to the grave, but inthe older sense of tomb , or even the caj in i tsel f (see note toEpitaph on Ma rch ioness of Winchester ,

152—154 . [ for so, to interpose a l ittl e ease,

Letour fr a i l thoughts da/ly w ith fa l sesurmise

Ay me/ wh i lstthee, etc .

Mil ton has been speak ing o f the “ hea r se of Lycidas , and

2 86 N OTE S TO THE M I N O R PO EM S .

the flowers fi t to be st rewn upon i t in mourning, when he

suddenly rem inds himsel f tha t a l l tha t is but a fond fancy,inasmuch as Lycidas had per ished atsea , and his body hadnever been recovered.

156—16 2 . Whether bey ond the stormy Hebr ides, etc.

See Introd. p . 52 .

“sleep

’stby the fi zbl e of Bel lerus old,

i .e. prosa ica l ly , nea r Land’

s End in Cornwa l l. Land’s

End was the Bel l er ium of the Romans and Mil ton himselfseems t o have invented Bel l erus as a namefather for theplace, imagining him perhaps as one o f the o ld CornishBri tons o f the l ineage of Corineus (see note, Camus , 8 2 6

Indeed, as the Cambridge MS . draft of the poemshows, he had firs t wr i t ten “ Cor ineus

,and subst i tuted

Bel lerus for musica l reasons. The great Vi sion of the

gua rded mount.” The “

gua rded mount”is the steep and

rocky St. Michael ’s Mount , opposi te the town of Mara z ion,

near Land’

s End,

and connec ted with the t own at l ow

wa ter . The Mount was famous long befo re Mil ton’

s t imefo r the rema ins on i t o f an o l d Norman stronghold and a

st i l l older monastery , but especia l ly for a sem i - accessiblecraggy sea t , look ing out upon the sea , and ca l led “ St.

Michael ’s Cha ir , because the appar it ion of the A rchangelM ichael had now and then been seen in i t. f i e, therefore ,is the “

great Vi sion” that guards the Mount . Tour is ts go

t o see i t now , both for its o l d celebri ty and on account o fth is ment ion of i t in Mil ton.

“ Loohs to N amancos and

Bayona’

s hold.

”In o l d maps of Spa in N amancos is a town

in the prov ince of Gal l icia , near Cape F inisterre, andBay ona

i s a ci ty on the west coast of the same pro v ince. I t was a

boast o f the Cornish people tha t there was a direct l ine o f

sea - v iew from Land’

s End passing France a l together and

h it t ing no European land t i l l i t reached Spa in. Draytonhad expressed th is in h is Poly ol bion

Then Cornwa l l creepeth out into the western main,As

,lying in her eye , she po inted sti l l atSpa in.

16 1. Where the great Vi s ion of the guarded l l/ount.’

The tenth and las t non- rhyming l ine in the poem .

163 , 164 .

“ Looh homewa rd,Angel , now,

and melt with

A nd, 0 ye dolphins , waftthe hap l ess y outh .

In the fi rst of these l ines (wh ich to me seem the worst in

2 88 N OTE S TO THE M I N OR PO E M S .

tha t he is passing on to o ther occupa t ions. The las t l ineseems to be an improvement upon one in Ph ineas F letcher’sPurp le I s l and

,publ ished in 1633 (V I . 78 )

Home, then, my lambs ; the fa l ling drops eschewTo -morrow sha l l ye feast in pa stures new .

No l ine o f Mil ton’s is more frequent ly quoted ; but i t is

general ly spoi l t in the quota t ion by the substi tut ion of“fields fo r “ woods .

SONN ETS AND KINDRED P IECES.

SONNET I .~—See no te to It Pens. 6 1 - 64 . Wa rblest

(l ine 2 ) is printed“ wa rbl

’st in the F irs t and Second

edi t ions, and is to be pronounced acco rdingly .

SONN ET I I .~—Observe the rhymes “shew

th”and “

th to “

y outh and “ truth, and see Essay on Mil ton’

Engl ish , p . 165.

F IVE ITA LIAN SONN ETS AND CAN Z ON E .—F0r the

subject of these pieces, and the probable da te and circums tances o f thei r composi t ion

,see Introd. to them .

Farther annota t ion of the pieces resolves i tsel f ch iefly into acri t icism of thei r I ta l ian style, and a detect ion of the m inuteerrors or i rregular i ties o f idiom which they may conta in.

The la te S ir Antonio Paniz z i , of the Bri t ish Museum , ex

am ined them with th is v iew in 18 36 (see Gentleman’s Maga

z ine for November of tha t year) ; and the la te G. Rosset t icontr ibuted some observa t ions on them

,much more severe ,

to Mr. Keightl ey’s edi t ion of Mi lton’

s poems i h 18 59 . On

the who le, the conclus ion is tha t , though Mil ton was an

accomplished reader and student o f I ta l ian, he was not so

perfect in the l i terary use of i t but tha t the foreigner mightbe detected in some of his ph rases and construc tions.SONNET VI I I . —(L ine 1 ) Col onel

”has to be pronounced

as a t risyl lable. The o ld Engl ish word was coronel ; wh ich ,saysWedgwood, meant the capta in - coronel

, or ch ief capta in ;(corona ,

a crown) . —For cha rms”

(l ine 5) see note P . I .

I V . 64 2 . ThegreatEmath ian conqueror”is A lexander

the G rea t , so ca l led after Ema th ia , par t of Macedonia who ,when he sacked the Boeo t ian ci ty of Thebes and raz ed i t tothe ground (B.C. o rdered the house of the poet Pindar

S O N N ET S AND K I N D RE D P I E CE S . 2 89

who had died more than a century before, to be ca reful lypreserved.

“ Sad E l ectra’s poet” i s Mil ton’s favour i te

Euripides, one of whose t ragedies i s Electra .

”The s tory

is tha t,when the Spar tan Lysander had taken A thens and

i t was proposed to des troy i t ut terly (B.C. the v i ctorswere turned from thei r purpose by hearing casua l ly repea tedsome verses from Eur ip ides

,then jus t dead.

SONNET IX .—Observe the rhyme of Ruth ,

”the proper

name (l ine with “ruth ,

”the abstract noun, meaning

“ pity ” (l ine Such rhymes of words ident i ca l in soundand spel l ing, though di ffering in meaning, are now accountedi l legi t ima te in Engl ish verse ; but form erly they were al

lowed. Bibl ica l passages in Mil ton’s m ind in the Sonnet

are Ma t t . v i i. 13 ; Luke x . 4 2 ; Ruth i . 14 17 ; Ma t t .xxv . 1 - 13 , and Rom . v. 5.

SONNET X.—“ that old man el oquent

” i s the Athenianora tor and sta tesman I socra tes , who died B.C . 338 , at the

age of nine ty - eigh t years , just a fter the fa ta l ba t t l e of

Chaeroneia , in which Phi l ip of Macedon defea ted the Athemians and thei r Boeot ian a l l i es , and crushed the l ibert ies ofGreece. l ater fl ou r ished. Fl our i shed here mustmean was athis best , for the Ear l did not die t i l l March16 2 8 -

9 , wh en Mil ton was twenty years o l d.

SONNET X I . -“ l lI i le- end Green ”

a loca l i ty in Wh i techapel

,about the distance wh i ch i ts name indicates from

the cent ra l par ts of the C i ty of London, and the commonterminus in Mil ton’s t ime of a s ta id ci t iz en’s wa lk in tha tdirection. Gordon , Colhitto , or Macdonnel

,or Ga lasp .

These names , wh ich Mi l ton pick s outas of no l ess uncouthsound than the t i t l e of his own unfortuna te book , wereS cot tish names recent ly wa fted into England with the newsof tha t extraordinary S cott ish episode of the grea t C iv i l War

wh i ch forms the subject o f S cott’s Legend of Montrose.

For a whole yea r the Marq ui s of Montrose had been dis

playing the King’s s tandard in S cot land wi th a success tha t

seemed marvel lous, and tha t th rea tened at last to be veryt roublesome to the cause of Pa rl iament in England ; and

not t i l l Sept . 1645 had he been suppressed by the ba tt le ofPh i l iphaugh . As there had been much ta lk of h im and h is

doings in England, the names of some of his principa lfol lowers had been in men

’s mouths there as wel l as his

own. Among these fol lowers were the Gordons of theVOL. I I I. U

2 90 N OTE S TO TH E M I N OR POE M S .

North of S co t land, represented ch iefly by two sons of theMarqui s of Hunt ly , one o f whom, Lord Gordon, had beensla in in one of Montrose’s bat t les . Ano ther o f Montrose’sfol lowers

,indeed his L ieutenant -

genera l , was a gi gant icH igh lander from the western Scotti sh I sles , belonging tothe Scoto - I r ish ra ce o f the Macdonnel s

,whose ch ief was the

I rish Earl of Antr im . He rej o iced in a name wh ich,when

given properly and in ful l in Gael ic , was A lasta i r Macdonnel ,[Vac Chol l a Ch iota ch , Mh ic Gh iol lesbu ig, Mh ic A lasta i r ,Mh i c -E oin Chathana ich

,i .e. A lexander Macdonnel

,son of

Co l kittoch , son of G i l lespie,son of A lexander, son of John

Cathanach . In the Low lands, where the tongue could notmanage such a name, he was spoken o f as

“ A lexanderMacdonnel the younger , son of Co l k ittoch , or somet imes

as“ young Co l kittoch ,

” wi th or withou t the addi t ion of“ Mac -Gi l lespie .” The name

“ Co lk ittoch , wh i ch meansl eft - handed,

” denoted a personal pecul iar i ty of the youngwarr ior , inher i ted from his fa ther. Th is s ingl e Cel t , therefore, l egends of whose strength and fighting

- prowess longsurv ived in the H igh lands, was Mil ton

’s Ma cdonnel , Col hitto,

and Ga l asp ,a l l in one. A very di fferent person was George

Gi l l espie, one of the Scot tish D iv ines o f the WestminsterA ssembly ; but h is name must have been very fam i l iar toMi l ton too, and i t i s possible tha t in h is Ga lasp he glancedath im as wel l as ath is wilder namesake. Quinti l ianthe most famous teacher o f Rhetoric among the Romans , inwhose maste r- work on Educa t ion much is sa id about el e

gance in the choice of words. S i r j ohn Cheeh”(15 14

1557) was the fi rst Professor of Greek at Cambridge, fixedthe Engl ish pronuncia t ion of the language, and taught i tpr iva tel y to young King Edwa rd VI .

“ l ihe ours. We

should now wri te unl i he ours.

SONN ET X I I .— “ L atona’

s twin - born progeny Apol loand Diana . When their mother , Leto o r La tona , car ryi ngthem in her arms , and fleeing from the wra th of Juno

stooped in her fa t igue to drink of the wa ter of a sma l l lakein Lycia , the rust i cs ra i led ather and puddled the lake w iththeir hands and feet ; for wh ich , at the prayer of the goddess, they were turned into frogs.ON THE New FORCERS OF CONSC I ENCE. A Classic

I Iiera rchy the Presbyterian system o f Church -

government ,the first step in which is the associat ion of congregat ions into

2 9 2 N OTE S TO TH E M I N O R POEM S .

Cl ip y our phy l acter ies , though bau lh your ears, t.e.

punish you by cl ipping those badges of sanct i ty wh i ch youwea r about your heads, l ike the phylacteries of the Pharisees(Ma t t. xx ii i . though sparing your ears , and so trea t ingyou more merciful ly than you would trea t your so - ca l ledh eret ics i f you had the power .

” New PRESBYTER isbutol d PR IEST wr it l a rg

”Th is aphorism , wh i ch was t o

stand in the Pa rl iamenta ry “cha rge

”or indictment aga inst

the Presbyterians , turns on a play o f words. The wordPr iest” being simply a contract ion of the Greek wordP resbyteros,

” “an E lder ,

” Mil ton’

s insinuat ion i s tha t thechange from Prelacy, or even from Roman Ca thol ic ism, to

the new Presbyterianism dev ised for England, would be but

giv ing up a sl igh ter for a mo re extended form of the same

a r ticle.—Two corrections discernible in theCambridgeMS .

of th is remarkable “ Ta i led Sonnet ” are worth not ing.

Instead of “ Sha l low Edwards,

” wh i ch i s the name bywh ich th i s London fana t i c o f 1646 wi l l be remembered tothe end o f t ime, Mil ton had fi rst wri t ten “ ha i re - bra in

Edwa rds ,” wh ich was probably as true. Aga in, the l ine

Cl ip your phy l a cter ies, though bau lh y our ea rs” had been

origina l ly wri t ten Crop ye a s close as ma rgina l P’s

ea r s,

”the a l lusion being to the celebra tedWi l l iam Prynne,

the L incoln’

s Inn lawyer, who had been twice pi l lor ied and

had h is nose sl i t and h is ears cutoff fo r anti -Prela t i c pam

ph l ets, by sentence of the S tar - Chamber during Land’s

persecut ing rule. S ince h is release from prison, atthe opening o f the Long Pa rl iament in 1640 ,

Prynne had been a

conspicuous Presbyterian, enforcing h is v iews in t ract aftertract of a dry and learned k ind, a lways with references tohis autho ri ties running down the ma rgins of the pages.Prynne

’s want of cars and the margins of h is pamph lets

were subjects of popula r jest ; but Mil ton h ad a specia l

grudge aga inst him on account of a reference to himsel f inone of the ma rgina l

” oddi t ies.SONN ET X I I I . notto scan with M

das’ea rs , commit

ting shortand l ong i .e. not t o m is -ma tch short syl lableswith long syl lables (from the La t in sense of committere insuch a ph rase as comm ittere pugi les, to mat ch gladia tors inthe ci rcus) wh i ch was the k ind of scanning of wh ich Midasmay be supposed to have been gui l ty when he decided infavour o f Pan in the mus ica l contest between tha t god and

S O N N ETS A N D K I N D RE D P I E C E S . 2 9 3

Apol lo , and had h is faul ty ears changed into those o f an ass

in consequence. l endher wing.

”Send inthe edi t ion o f

16 73, but lend in the Cambridge MS . and in most recentedi t ions— “

ar stay . Th i s is expla ined by a margina lnote to the Sonnet as i t was prefixed to Lawes’s Choi cePsa lms

etc. , publ ished by Moseley in 164 8 . The story of A riadnesetby him to musick

”says the note the words of the sa id

s tory being by the poet Car twrigh t . —“ Dante h i s

Casel l a Purgatory .

”The reference is to the passage in

Dante’s Pu rgator io, Cant . I I . , where he represents h imselfas meet ing,

in a crowd of other souls, the musician Casel la ,who had been h is dea r friend in l i fe, and ask ing h im tos ing, even there, if i t were perm issible, one of those lovesongs l

'n which he excel led on earth . Casel la compl ies , and

s ings a song o f Dante’s own. The shades of Purga tory areca l led “ mi lder , in comparison with those o f the Inferno,from which the poet had jus t emerged when he metCasel la .

SONN ET XIV.—S crip ture tex ts in Mil ton’s m ind in the

Sonne t are Rom. v i i . 2 4 ; Rev . x iv . 13 ; A cts x . 4 ; Ps.

xxxv i . 8, 9 .

SONN ET XV. though new rebel l ions r a ise thei r I/ydr a

heads.

”These are the Engl ish Roya l ist r isings for the

Second C iv i l War. a nd the fa lse N orth displ ay s herbrohen league, i .e.

“ though Scot land exhibi ts on her bannertha t Solemn Leag ue and Covenantwhich she says we havebroken, wh i le there may be a quest ion wheth er she has

not broken i t hersel f ” (see Memoir, p . xxx i ) . —“ to impthei r serpentwings ,

” i .e. t o add s trength to the sa id Engl ishRoya l ist risings, as a hawk’s wing may be imped or mended

by the inser tion of new fea thers for spoi led ones .SONN ET XVI .

—“ Da rw en stream ,

” t. e. the Darwen in

Lancash i re , wh i ch fa l ls into the R ibble near Preston, the

scene of Cromwel l ’s grea t th ree days’ ba t t le

,in wh i ch he

routed the invading Sco ts under the Duke of Hami l ton

(Aug. 17- 19 , For “ Dunba r Fiel and “ Worces

ter’

s laureate-wreath (the last ca l led Cromwel l’s crowning

see Memoir , p . xxxv i i . and Introd. to the Sonnet.SONNET XVI I .

—“ when gowns, not arms,repel led, ” i .e.

in tha t period of Roman H i s tory when i t was on s ta tesmen

ra ther than on wa rriors tha t the defence of the Commonwea l th rested.

“ The fierce Epi rot” is Pyrrhus , King of

Epirus, a formidable enemy of the Romans from B.C. 2 80 to

2 94 N O TE S TO THE M I N OR PO E M S .

B.C . 2 72 the Afr i can bold is Hanniba l , thei r enemy fromB.C . 2 2 0 to B.C . 18 2 . The dr iftof hol low States,

”etc.

An a l lusion to the dubious conduct of foreign powers , and

especia l ly the Dutch Republic,towards the Engl ish Com

monwea lth. Vane had much t o do with the management o fthose foreign rela t ionsSONNET XVI I I . The tr iple Ty rant, i .e. the Pope,with his th ree- tiared crown. Compare In Qu intum Nov .

55. the Baby lonian woe. See Rev . xv i i . and xv i i i .The Pur i tans ident ified the Papacy wi th the mystica l Babylon of the Apoca l ypse. See In Qu intum Nov . 156 .

SONNET X IX.— “ E re ha lf my day s.

” For the da te of

Mil ton’s bl indness see Memoir, p. xxxvi i i . and Int rod. to thisSonnet . “ thatone ta lent

” e tc . : Ma t t. xxv . 14-

30 . Mil tonspeaks of h is eyesigh t as the one ta lent ” he had receiv ed.

thousands ,”viz . of Angel i c beings.

SONN ET XX .

“ Faw ni a s”

a poet ica l synonym forZephyr

,the Wes t -wind thatneither sowed nor spun

Ma t t. v i . 2 6 - 2 9 . spa re to interpose them oft”: inter

preted by Mr. Keigh t ley to mean Spare t ime to interposethem oft ” ; but surely ra ther the opposi te—“ refra in frominterposing them oft .

Pa rcei e i n La tin with a verb fol lowinghad th i s sense o f “ refra ining from ,

”and “

spare” in Engl ishwas used 111 the same way.

SONNET XX I LetEucl id rest, a ndA r ch zmedespausei .e l ay aside your mathemat ica l and physica l s tudies (seeIntrod. )SONN ET XX I I . this three y ea rs

’day .

” See Introd. ,

I I . 308 . Th is day th ree years” i s the prosa i c form, and

some have unwarrantably proposed tha t reading here.

“though clea r to outwa rd v iew,

” et c . Mil ton i s equa l lyexpl ici t on th is point in a passage in h is Def. Sec. , wherehe discusses his blindness. Or sun or moon ,

or sta r ,”

etc. Compare Pa r. Lost, 111. 40 et seq . , and Sams. Ag.

80 et seq .

“conscience,

”i .e. “ consciousness. ” to

have lostthem overpl ied in L iberty’s defence,

” i .e. in writinghis grea t pamph le t Defensio p ro Popu lo Angl icano, pub

l ished in 165 1 in reply to Salmasius, whose Defensio Regia

pro Ca role I . had appeared in 164 9 . In tha t pamph leti tsel f Mil ton had sa id tha t , being in i l l - hea l th while he

wrote i t , he had been “ forced to wri te by piecemea l , and

break off a lmost every hour and in i ts sequel, the Defensi o

2 96 N OTE S TO TH E M I N O R PO E M S .

with di v ine. In the edi t ion of 1673 vouchsafe i s so speltin l ines 14 and 30, butvoutsafe in l ine 78 , as genera l ly inPa r . L ost.—In Ps . LXXXVI . , l ines 2 6 - 2 8 , the wordworhs

” rhymes to i tsel f.PSALMS I .—VI I I .—As has been po inted out in the In

troduction, the pecul iar i ty in th is version of the fi rs t E igh tPsa lms is tha t in each psa lm there i s an experiment o f a

specia l metre. Psa lm I . i s in hero ic couplets ; Psa lm I I .in I tal ian tercets, o r rhymes interl inked in threes , as in

Dante’s D iv ina Commedia Psa lm I I I . in a pecul ia r si xl ined stanz a ; Psa lm IV. in a di fferent s ix - l ined stanz a ;Psa lm V. in a pecul ia r four - l ined s tanz a ; Psa lm VI . in

another k ind o f four - l ined s tanz a ; Psa lm VI I . in a s ix

l ined s tanz a di fferent from ei ther of the previ ous six - l inedstanz as ; and Psa lm VI I I . in an eight - l ined stanz a . But in

each met i e there are irregular i t ies and laxi ties. Observethe double rhymes “

nati ons” “

congregations”in Ps. I I .

1 - 3 ; glmy“sto:y ,

’and “ mi l l i ons ” “ pav i l ions in

Ps. I I I . 7, 8 , and 15 18 ; unstable’ “ m isei able

Ps. V. 2 5 - 2 7 ;“reprehend me” “

amend me,”and “ weep

ing” “ heep ing in Ps. VI . 1 -

4 and 17- 2 0 ; under

“wonder,

” “a sunder

” “nation,

” “ habitation,

” “

foundation,

and “ofi ende

“ bended,” “ intended,

” in Ps. VI I . 2 - 5 ,2 5

30 , and 44-

4 7.—Note a lso, as pecul iar v erba l fo rms ,

“susta in

”used substant ively in P5 . I I I. 1 2 ,

“ dey'

ect”used

adject ively Ps. VI . 3 , and “ bearth” for “ bir th ” or pro

duction ”in Ps . VI I . 4 (compare Pa r . Lost, IX. 6 2 4 , and

note there) .ScRAPs FROM THE PROSE WRITINGs.

—See Introd.

N O TES TO TH E L AT I N PO EM S .

DE AUCTORE About the Neapol i tanMANSO , the wri ter Of the fi rs t Of the five test imonies, sufficient informa t ion has been given in the Introduct ion to theLa t in Poem About the Roman SALSILLI , the

writer of the second, there i s s imi lar informa t ion in the

Introduct ion to the La t in Verses addressed t o h im . Of

SELVAGG I , the wri ter of the th i rd, noth ing is known'

,sav e

tha t he was probably a Roman. ANTON IO FRANC IN I andCA RLO DAT I , the wri ters of the fourth and fi fth

Florent ines, and leading spi ri ts in the L i terary A cadem iesof Florence at the t ime o f Mil ton’

s v isi t. There is specia lment ion of both by name in h is Epitaphium Damoni s ,wri t ten immedia tely after h is return to England (l ines 136

and Da t i , who was a very young man when Mil tonfirs t saw h im in F lorence

, was one of his correspondentsafterwards.

EL EG I A RUM L I BER.

ELEG IA PR IMA .

3. occiduci Deva Cestrensi s ab 0rd.

55, and note there.

4 . Vergiv ium sa lum the I rish sea .

1 1 —2 0 .

j am nec a rundiferum ,

” etc . These ten l inesa re supposed t o convey the s tory of Mil ton’

s tempora ryrust i ca t ion from Chris t’s Col lege, Cambridge , in 16 2 6 (seeIntrod) . The phra ses most significant are

“nee dudum

vetiti l a r i ,s dur i m inas Mag/sh i ,

”Ca teta zngenio non

subeunda meo,” “

ex i l ium,

” “prof agi nomen,

”and “

cu l l it

Compa re Ly cida s ,

98 N O TE S TO THE M I N O R PO E M S .

conditione. The fi rs t of these ph rases may be construedin a way di fferent from tha t wh i ch has been usua l wi th thosewho have read i t with the s tory of the rust ica t ion in theirm inds. They have taken “ l a r to mean

“ col lege - chamber,

and so have read the whole l ine thus Nor does any lo veo f [longing for] my la te ly forbidden col lege- room vex me.

Butwhy not take l a r”in its more direct sense o f “ home,

fireside ,”and so read the l ine thus :

“ Nor does longingfor my la tely fo rbidden home in London now vex me

i t used to do atCambridge2 1—2 4 . O utinam vates i l le, etc. Mil ton’sfondness for Ovid finds here exaggera ted expression.

2 9—36 .

“ Seu catus,”

etc. War ton remarks tha t thecomedies hinted at are ra ther the Terent ian than those ofthe contemporary Engl ish stage.

4 1 , 4 2 . Sen puer inj el ix , etc . Shakespea re’s Romeo43, 44 .

“ Sen ferns e tenebr i s , etc. In Shakespeare’sHaml et or h is Richard I I I .

4 5, 46 .

“ Sen mceret Pelopei a , etc. He reverts now toGreek tragedy.4 9 , 50 .

“ Nos quoque l ucus habet,” etc. Some suburban

place of publ ic reso r t , such as Gray’s Inn Garden or one ofthe Pa rks , seems to be intended.

69 , 70 .

“ Nee Pompeianas Ta rpeia i ll usa,

etc. The

Ta rpeia Musa is h ere used for the Roman poets genera l ly ,or more expressl y for Ov id, whose house was near the Tarpeian Ro ck .

73. T uque urbs Da rdani is , L ondinum,etc. London,

in the Bri t ish legends , was founded by the Trojan sett lerswho came in with Bru tus .

77—80.

“ Non tibi tot eccle, etc. An expansion of

Ov id’s, A rtAmat.,1. 59 .

ELEG IA SECUNDA .

5, 6 .

“ pl umis sub qu ibus accipimus del itu isse j ovein.

Warton quotes Ov id’s l ine (Heroides, V I I I . 68 )“ Nee

querar in plum is del ituisse J overn .

9 , 10 .

“ D ignus quem Cor onides .

”IEscul apius,

the god of medicine, son Of A pol lo , but, here, after Ov id,ca l led Coronides because

h is mother was Coronis , restored

300 N OTE S TO THE M I N O R PO E M S .

flaming l Ethon (one of the four heroes o f the Sun, accordingto the enumera t ion in Ovid’s Met. 11. 153, 154 ) seen the

sign of the Ram , and clo thed its woo l ly back with new gold ;and twice had Ch l oris or F l ora overspread the o ld ea rthw i th new herbage ; and twice had Aus ter , the South - wind,removed Flora ’s wea l th nor yet in th is interva l had i t beenpermi t ted h im to see Young

’s face, or h ea r him speak .

L i tera l ly transla ted, th i s means tha t three verna l equinoxes ,o r z l sts of March , two summers, and two fa l l s of the year ,had passed since Mil ton and Young last met.

“eer isonam D iva perosa tubam ”

the goddess E i rene,or Peace.

9 7 100. votes ter ra' Thesbitidis, e tc. , i .e. E l ijahthe Tishbi te. See I Kings x ix.

“ S idoni di ra”

(voc. ) i sJez ebel , daugh ter o f E thbaa l , King of S idon (1 Kings xv i .

10 1 , 102 . Ta l i s et Pau lus,

”etc. Acts xv i. 9 -

103, 104 .

“ Piseosaeque Gergessa ,

”etc. See Ma t t.

v i i i. 2 8 -

1 13, 1 14 .

“ I l le S i ona’

ce, etc. 2 Kings xix. 35, 36.

1 15 132 .

‘ Inquef ugam vertitquos in S ama r iti das oras,etc. A poet i c render ing, in brief, o f 2 Kings v i i. 3 - 10 .

1 2 5, 12 6.

“ Nee dubites,” e tc. The prophecy

' in theseconc luding l ines was very soon fulfi l led. See sketch of

Young’

s subsequent l i fe, Introd.

ELEG IA QU INTA.

“ In se perpetuo Tempa s rev ol ubi le gy ro possiblya recol lect ion o f a l ine in Buchanan’

s“ Ma ice Ca l endce

wh i ch is, in fact , jus t such a poem on the Approach of Springas th is by Mil ton.

6—8.

“ I ngeniumque mih i ma nere ver is adest,” e tc.

Mil ton’s own informa t ion, in his la ter years, to his nephewPhil l ips, was the very reverse of th is. I t was “ tha t hisvein never happi ly flowed but from the autumna l equinox tothe vernal , ” i . e. from Sept. 2 15t to March 2 15t (Phi l l ips

Memoir in I f th is i s true, the approach of Springac tua l ly checked Mil ton’

s ingenium. But tha t refers t oabout 1663, when Mil ton was between fi fty and six ty yearsof age and we are now at 16 2 9 , when he was but twenty.

“ perennis.” SO in the edi t ion o f 16 73. In tha t of

E LE G I A QU I N TA. 30 1

1645 the word was“

quotannis which was a blunder of

quant i ty, the last syl lab le being long. The b lunder had notescaped Sa lmasius ; and i t was pointed outin his posthumousResponsio to Mi l ton, publ ished in 1660.

35.“ Lyeaonius Bootes. Mr. Keigh t ley remarks

Th is is not a proper express ion for Bootes,wh i ch had

noth ing to do wi th Lycaon, whose daugh ter was turned intothe p laustrum ea leste.

” ButMil ton had s tric t mythologica lauthori ty. A l though the nor thern constel la t ion Bootes wasrepresented by some as the stel l ified I carus

,by others he was

represented as the stel l ified A reas, the eponym i c hero of theAr cadians ; and th i s A reas

,in some mytho logies, was tha t

very son of Lycaon whose flesh was served up by his fa therbefo re Tens, and whom the disgusted God restored to l ife

wh i le be destroyed the rest of the house o f Lycaon. In

tha t case, he was a brother of Ca l l isto a l ias Hel ice,daughter

o f Lycaon, who was stel l ified as the Grea ter Bea r,or northern

wa in, o r A rctos. Even i f Areas is not taken as the son OfLycaon, butas the son of Ca l l is to or Hel ice by Zeus (wh ichis one form Of the myth ) , he was s t i l l Ly caonian , as beingthe grandson of Lycaon ; and so anyway Mil ton h i ts righ tin the jumble. Both Bootes (Areas, son o r grandson o f

Lycaon ) and A rctos, the p l austrum ca leste or NorthernWa in (Ca l l isto or Hel ice, daugh ter o f Lycaon and sister ormother o f Areas) , were Lycaonian offshoots up in heaven ;and the only ques t ion, in th is passage, is whether Bootesregarded the “

pl austrum cael este wh ich he was fol lowingas h is s is ter or as h is mother.6 1 62 .

“ E cee coronatu r Ida am pinea tur r i s Opim ,

i .e. the lofty forehead of the Ear th is crowned with wood,

as tha t of Ops, or Cybele, the goddess of fert i l i ty, the grea ta l l - bear ing mother , is crowned with a tower of pines.

“ h ine titulos adj uvat ipsa ta os” because Phoebus

was a lso the God of Medi cine.

1 2 5 .

“ Meena l ius P an.

” Maena lus was a mounta in in

A rcadia , the principa l country o f Pan ; and hence he i sca l led Maena l ius Deus

(O v id, Fast , I V.

12 9“cupit ma le teeta v ider i

”: from Virgil , Eel . I I I .

66 Et fugi t ad sa l ices, et se cupi t ante v ideri .

0 N OTE S TO THE M I N OR POEMS .b.) N

ELEG IA SEXTA .

“ Festaque ccel ij ugam quae eoluere Deum. Mil tonmeans s imply “ these December fest iv i t ies of yours but

he recol lects tha t the Roman Sa turna l ia , or fes tivi t ies inhonour of Sa turn, and of the golden days of pr imi t iveeq ua l i ty when this god resided on earth , were held in the

middle of December.19 , 2 0.

“ Naso Cora l lcei s, etc i .e.

“ The poe t Ov id(P. Ovidius N aso) sent bad verses from the scene of h isbani shment

,the country of the savage Cora l l i ; and the

reason was tha t there was no feas t ing there, and no v inesplanted.

”The poems wri t ten by Ov id during h is exi le at

Tomi on the Euxine sea (A .D . 8 - 18 ) were his Tr istia , h isEp i stolw ex Ponto

,and h is I bis

,besides pa r ts Of h is Fa sti

and these, in the judgment of cri t ics , were not so good, orat least not so graceful , as h is prev ious poems, a l l wri t ten inRome

,or elsewhere in I ta ly

,am id the luxuries of c iv i l iz ed

society.2 1 , 2 2 . Qu id ni si v ina cantav it Teia l lIusa ,

e t c. From Ov id he passes to Anacreon,a nat ive of the

Greek ci ty of Teos or Teios on the l Egean coast of AsiaMinor

,and hence ca l led by Ov id Tei a Musa .

” Bybrev ibus modis the short structur e Of the so - ca l ledAnacreont i cs i s designated.

2 3—2 6. P inda r ieosque infl atnumeros, et c. Te umesius

Euan i s the Boeot ian Bacchus , ca l led Euan,from the cry to

h im by his p riestesses in th eir revels, and Teumesius,from

Teumesus, a mounta in in Boeotia and the connexion Of thepassage is Pindar’s lyri cs a lso , the Theban P indar’s, areinspired by the Bacchus of h is na t ive Boeotia .

2 7 , 2 8 . Quadr imoque madens Ly r icen Romanus,etc.

Nex t in the l ist comes Horace, referred to by h is Odes toGl ycera and Ch loe ( I . 19 and 2 3)

37. Thressa barbitos. Thracian, because Or

pheus was Thracian.

39—4 8 . A uditurque chely s suspensa tapetia ci r cum

etc. In the who le o f th i s passage we have a cha rmingpicture of a room, as i t m igh t be on a winter - evening, insome Engl ish count ry mansion in Mil ton’s time, wel l - l i t ,

304 N O TE S TO THE M I N O R P OEM S .

hinted atby O v id in a l ine the last ha l f of wh ich Mil ton hasadapted (Epist. , ex Pont. 111. i . 5 1, 52 )

Notior est factus Capaneus a fulminis ictuNotus humo mers is Amph iaraus eq uis .

Posr scmpr TO ELEG IA S EPT IMA .—The more the genera l

tenor of the Postscrip t is considered in connexion with the

circumstances of Mil ton’s l i fe, the more i t w i l l appea r tha t

by Academi a in l ine 5 he does not mean the Universi ty ofCambridge, as a l l the commenta tors have supposed, but thePla tonic Ph i lo sophy. S t i l l , i f there is any doubt , Cambridge ough t t o have the benefi t. At a l l events , he hasmade the penul t of Academi a short here, just as he did whenhe used the wo rd indubi tably fo r Cambridge Universi ty (seeE l eg. 11.

IN PRODITIONEM BOMBARDICAM. Qua l iter i l lel iqu it I orda i

i ios agr os.

”The prophet E l ijah , 2 Kings

i i. 1 1.

IN EANDEM. Quaz septemgeminoBel lua monte lates

the Papacy , rest ing on the seven hi l ls Of Rome, and regardedby z ea lous Protestants as the Beast of the Apoca lypse (Rev.

x i i i. ) I l le qu idem s ine te consorti a serus adiv it astra .

King J ames was dead severa l years before this Epigram was

wri t ten. Would Mil ton in la ter manhood have made thesame post-mortem disposi t ion o f th i s k ing ?IN EANDEM . Purgatorem animce der isit I acobus

ignem i .e. King James , as a good Protestant, deridedthe doctr ine of Purga tory . Note the unusua l Ideo'bus ,instead o f [ deb/ins , as in the preceding Epigram .

“ Nee

i nu ltus,”etc. Compare I n Quintum Novembr i s

IN EANDEM.—The j est i s “ How absurd tha t Rome ,

which had excommunica ted James, and doomed him to

S tyx and the wo r ld below , should have changed her mind,and t ried to hoist h im by gunpowder the other way 1

IN INVENTOREM BOM BARD/E. Prome

theus.AD LEONORAM ROMA; CANENTEM. Augelus unicuique

SYLVA RUM L I B ER. 305

suus, e tc. A fancy in wh ich I discern something characteristic of Mil ton. mens tertia ,

”some thi rd m ind, inter

media te between God and Angel .“assueseere.

” Mr .Keight ley notes the faul ty structure of th is l ine, the ccesura

fa l l ing on the fi rst syl lab le of a word.

A D BANDEM . A ltera Leonor a the PrincessLeonora of Este, sis ter o f the Duke of Ferrara , Tasso ’sl ove for whom, da t ing from 1566 , makes so much romancein b iograph ies of the poet.

“ D i rea o Pent/tee. Pentheus ,King of Thebes (hence ca l led

“ D ircaean Pentheus,” because

D i rcewas a lso one o f the celebri t ies of the Boeotian legends) ,was furi ously opposed t o the wo rsh ip of Bacchus in h is

dom inions, t i l l the god, to punish him, insp ired h im with

a desiré to behold the Bacch i c orgies h imsel f,when he

was torn to pieces.AD BANDEM . S i rena el a r a que Pa rthenopes fana

A ehelb'

iados, Cha l cidice . rogo? ” etc. Naples , primi

tivel y cal led Parthenope, and poet ica l ly urbs Pa rthenopeeia ,

der ived tha t dist inct ion from the legend tha t the body of

Parthenope, one o f the S i rens, was found and sacredlyentombed on the sea - shore at tha t point of the I ta l ian coa st .The S i rens were A chel oiads, as being daugh ters of theriver -

god A chel'

Ous. Cha leidieus was another word forNeapol itan

” inasmuch as Naples had been enlarged and

re - edified by a colony from the island of Euboea , the ch ieftown Of wh ich was Cha l cis. —“ I l la qu idem v iv it,

”etc. i .e.

The t rue S iren is Leonora ; for she is Of Neapol i tan birth ,

though now residing in Rome.A POLOGUS DE RU ST I CO ET HERO—See Int roduction.

DE MOR0.—See Introduct ion.

An CHRISTINAM, SUECORUM REG INAM,NOM INE CROM

WELL1.—See Int roduct ion.

SYLVA RUM L I BER.

IN OBITUM PROCANCELLARI I MED IC I.

“ I apeti nepotes Iapetus, son o f Heaven and

Earth , the fa ther of Prometheus, etc. , was regarded by the

Greeks as the genera l ancestor of mank ind.

VOL. I I I.

306 N OTE S TO THE M I N OR PO EM S .

13 , 14 .

f raude turpi Pa l ladi s oeeisum Hec~tora .

’In the I l iad (XX 11. ) the encounter of Hec tor w ith

A ch i l les is brought about by a decep tion of Pa l las.15, 16. Quem l a rva Pel idi s peremit ense Loero, j ove

lacrymante, i .e. Sarpedon, a son o f Jupiter , figh ting on the

Trojan side, and k i l led by Pa troclus, who wore the armourof A ch i l les (I l i ad, Fo r the ense Loero Mr. Keigh t leyaccounts thus Because Menoet ius, the fa ther o f Pa troclus ,was a Locr ian.

— “

f ove l acrymante”is an a l lusion to the

b loody drops wh ich Jupi ter, in the I l i ad, shed on the ear thwhen he consented tha t Sarpedon should die.

“verba Hecate

ia words o f witchcraft,from Hecate.

“ Telegoni pa rens C i rce, mother of Tel egon byUlysses.2 0.

“zEgia l i soror Medea , whose brother was Ah

syrtus, ca l led a lso l Egia l eus.2 I . 1Vumenque tr inum the three Fa tes.2 3, 2 4 .

“ Machaon ,

”etc. Machaon, son o f the god

IEscul apius, was physician o r surgeon- in- ch ief to the Greeksin the Trojan war , and was k i l led by Eurypylus.

2 5, 2 6 . t'

ly reie,” e tc. Chei ron, the wise centaur and

physic ian, son of Sa turn and Phi lyra , and tutor Of A ch i l les ,l Escul ap ius, and so many other heroes. See E leg. IV . 2 3

- 2 8 ,and note there. He died from an accidenta l wound from one

o f the poisoned a rrows of Hercules.

2 8 . Ca sepuer genetr ieis a lvo Ai scul apius , the God of

Medic ine h imsel f, son of Apol lo and Coronis , and broughtinto the world in th is fash ion when h is mother was destroyed.

He was k i l led at last by Jove’s l igh tning, because Plutocompla ined tha t he had saved the l ives of so many.

2 9 . Tuque, O a lumno maj or Apol l ine.” War ton was

sure tha t Apol l ine ’ is a m isprint fo r Apol l ini s but,

hav ing made the change, and so t ransla ted the passageAnd thou, O grea ter than the pupi l o f Apol lo

” he wasuncer ta in who th i s pupi l of Apollo ” m igh t be. But

why not reta in “ Apol l ine and t ransla t e “a lumna, not

“ pupi l ,” but “ tutor ” or “ foster - fa ther ” ? The meaning

would then be “ And thou (Gostlyn) , grea ter in medicinethan thy master Apol lo. ”

308 N O TE S TO TH E M I N O R PO E M S .

Not even wil l Mil ton’s l ove o f mus i c let h im pra ise the

thunders o f singing with wh ich he fancies the vaul ts and

dome o f St. Peter’s resounding on tha t Eve. They werel ike the howling of Bacchus (here ca l led by h is surname o f

Bromius,

“ the Roa r ing”) and o f the crew of Bacchus ,

s inging their orgies on the Echionian mounta in, Aracynthus,wh i le the neighbouring r iver A sopus tremb les at the din,and the fa rther - Off Mount C i thaeron answers with his rockyechoes. E ch ioni an i s properly Theban

”and both Asopus

and C i thaeron were in Boeotia , near Thebes butAracynthus,ca l led a lso Actaeus , was in Acarnania , more than a hundredm i les west from Thebes .

7 1—73.

“ Captam oeu l is Typh lonta ,

”etc. The horses

o f N igh t are fami l ia r crea tures in classic poetry : and

Spenser has them ,E Q , I . v . I t was a dar ing beauty

in Mil ton to be the fi rst (as he is bel ieved to be) who gavethese horses names. Each name is from the Greek , and is

e tymologica l ly s ignificant , as i f he had ca l led the horsesBl inding, Blaeleha i red, S i lence of Hel l , and Shudder ing.

“regum dom itor ”

: the Pope, with the pol i te t i t le of

Ph legetontius ha res”a lso fi t ted to him .

75, 76. Ingreditu r tha lamos (neque enim,

”etc. ) Th is

insinua t ion is convent iona l , as aga ins t Popes in genera l , andis not to be rega rded as di rected aga inst the part i cula r Popewho reigned in June 1605, v iz . Paul V.

80 —85.

“ A ssumptis m ieuerunttempor a eani s,”etc. The

specia l eq ui pment in the ga rb o f a Franciscan fria r is, as\Vart0n pointed out

,from two passages in Buchanan

’s S a t i re

on the Franciscan body.

86— 8 9 . Ta l i s Franeiseus eremo.

” Wa rtonth inks tha t here Mi l ton means St. Francis d’Assisi , the

founder Of the Franciscan order (1 18 2 but has, bym istake, a t tributed to tha t Sa int incidents wh i ch properlybelong t o the l i fe Of St. Francis Xav ier , the Jesui t Missionary( 1506 - 1552 )

102 , 103. di sj eetam cla ssem ,

”etc. The sha t tered

Spanish A rmada Of 1588 .

104 , 105. Sanetorumque eruei totcorpora fi x a probrosa’,Thermodoonte

d nuper r egnante

These a re the Roman Ca thol ics put to dea th in Englandduring the reign o f E l iz abeth , here ca l led Thermodoontea

pa el l a ,”

or“ Amaz onian gir l ,

” from Thermodon,a river

I N QU I N T UM N OVEMBR I S . 309

fa l l ing into the Euxine Sea in the count ry of the legendaryAmaz ons.

12 0 . nitrati pu lver is.

gunpowder was“ pu lv is n itratus o r

“ pu lv is n itrosa1 2 6.

“vel Ga l lus atrox ,

vel seevus I ber a s.

” The FrenchKing in 1605 was Henry IV. , the hero Of Nava rre ; theSpani sh King was Ph i l ip I I I . Mil ton th inks o f the

two peoples and thei r rel igion,and not o f the pa rt icula r

sovereigns.1 2 7.

“ Swen/a [Ma r iana the t imes Of “ the BloodyMary.

139— 154 .

“ E st l ocus ,”etc. Th is Lat in poem, juveni le

produqtion though i t i s , conta ins extremely fine poet ica lpassages ; and the present , describing the Cave of Murderand Treason, is one of them .

pra ruptaque.” So in Second edi tion. In the

F i rs t the word was “semifra ctaque

”; wh i ch gave a fal se

quant i ty, the fi rst syl lable of semi being l ong.

155. pugi les Rome”:

“champions o f Rome

,in the

sense of h i red bravoes or ruffians.

165. pa ruere gemel l i .” The gemel l i are Murder and

Treason. The fi rst syl lable of pa ruere being l ong, Mil ton,as War ton Observed, ei ther commi t ted a fa l se q uant i ty here,or is to be absolved on the ground tha t he meant the u topass as v ,

and th e whole word to be a tr isyl lable.

1 70—19 3.

“ E sse fer untspatium ,

” e tc . In th is imagina t ion of the House or Tower of Fame, the young poet daresto come after Ov id’s simi la r descript ion (Met. X I I . 39 - 63)and Chaucer’s much mo re elabora te one (House of Famebeginning of Book I I I . ) He hel ps himsel f to touches fromboth , and uses a lso Vi rgi l

’s descrip ti on of Fame herself(E n , I V . 173- 188 ) yethe produces an Abode of Rumourqui te h is own, and sui table fo r h is purpose.

17 1. Ma reotidas undas ” di s tinct ly so in both Mil ton’sedi t ions ; but certa inly

, as Mr. Keigh t ley observes, ei ther a

m i s take o r a m isprint for flfreotz'

das . For Mi l ton canno thave meant Lake lVIa reotis, wh i ch i s in Egypt , butthe grea tLake Ma otis , now the sea o f Az o f,

”north of the Bla ck Sea .

I 78- 180 . Qua l iter instrep itant agmina mus

carum ,

”etc. The origina l of th is image, in its exac t fo rm ,

as Wa rton noted, is in the I l iad,11. 4 69 et seq . , and XVI .

64 1 ; but Chaucer has a modifica t ion o f i t in h is fi an ce e]

The accepted La t in ph rase for7)

3 10 N OTE S TO TH E M I N O R P O E M S .

Fame, describ ing the com ing in of the peti t ioners to theGoddess.

18 2— 188 . A ur i bus innumer is cinctum caput nee

tot,A r i stor ide, volveb

as l um ina .

” Aristorides is A rgus,the hundred- eyed gua rdian of the cow Io , or Isis his fa therwas Aristor. Compa re Vi rgi l

’s Fame as above (18 1

and Chaucer in h is House of Fame.

IN OBITUM PR/ESULI S ELIENsrs.

4—6. Quem naper ef udi ,

”etc . A reference to h is

7— 10. Cum centi l ingu is Fani a spa rgit,

”etc. This

is as i f Mil ton had s t i l l in hi s ear l ines 2 1 1 , 2 1 2 of the preceding poem , In Qu int. Nov . Possibly he did not wri tethe present p iece t i l l he had finished tha t , though BishopFel ton had died Oct. 5.

“ Neptuno satos . See I n Qu int. Nov . 2 6,2 7 , and

note there ; a lso Comus, 18 - 2 9 .

13, I 4 . insu ld qua nomen A ngu i l lce tenet,”i .e. the Isle

o f Ely, so ca l led from its abundance of eels (angu i l lae Lat.fo r eel s

18 , 19 . l Vec vota Naso in I bida eoncep it di r iora .

The I bi s o f O v id,one of the poems wh ich he wrote in h is

ex ile, is a fur ious invect ive, in 646 l ines of elegiac v erse,

against an unknown enemy.2 0—2 2 . Gr a iusque v ates, etc. The early Greek poet

A rch i lochus (about B.C. famous for the severi ty of h issat i res, and of whom the story is tha t , when Lycambes, whohad prom ised h im h is daugh ter Neobul e in marr iage, brokeh is word and gave her to another, he took revenge in a

poem of such tremendous scurr i l i ty tha t the whole fam i lyhanged themselves.

2 5, 2 6 .

“ A udi sse ta les v ideor sonos, etc. A s

appears from the seq uel , i t is the vo ice o f the dead Bishoptha t the poet hears .

4 9 , 50. Vates ut ol im senex , etc. ,i .e. E l ijah .

See 2 Kings i i. 1 1 .

5 1—64 . Non me Bootis ,”etc. Mil ton is not singular

in th is somewha t qua int enumera t ion of the constel la t ions

312 N OTE S TO THE M I N OR POEM S .

is s t i l l wheel ing in its vast diurna l revolut ion as soundly asever. And now,

in the present passage, he proceeds to saythat not only is tha t outerm os t shel l st i l l safe, but a lsoeach o f the successive pa rts of its enclosed heavens

,inwards

to the very Earth at the co re o f a l l . He keeps to the

Pto lema i c o r A lphonsine order in his enumera t i on, onlysk ipping a sphere or two for brev i ty . Al l the planetaryspheres hav ing been repo rted on inwards from Sa turn’s t othe Moon’s , one arr ives (5 1) at the aeria l region of theso - ca l led E lements, w i th in the Moon’

s sphere and moreimmedia tel y surrounding the Ea rth . Observe how , even in

the ment ion of the Earth , the fancy st i l l moves centrewards ,or from the surface (6 1— 63) to the interior (63S ince the P to lema i c theory was abandoned, there has beenno such easy or convenient way of tak ing an invento ry of“the sum of things .

65—69 .

“ S ic deu ique in wvum,

etc. While denyingthe doctrine of slow and progress ive decay in Na ture, thedebater accepts the Scrip tura l prophecy of the ul t ima te and

sudden conflagration o f a l l th ings (2 Peter i i i . 7

DE IDEA PLATON ICAQUEMADMODUM A RI STOTELESINTELLEXIT.

7—10 . Qu is i l le,

etc . the Pla toni c Idea o r A rchetype.

See Introduct ion.

“ex empl a r Dei the model from wh ich the Dei ty

worked in the crea t ion of Man.

1 1 , 1 2 .

“ Hand i l le, etc . The meaning i s ThisE terna l Idea or A rchetype is not a mere concept ion of the

D ivine Mind, a k ind of twin wi th Minerva in the bra in o f

Jovef’

13— 15 .

“ Sed, quam l ibet,”etc. i . e. But, though h is

na ture is common in the sense of being distributed amongmany, yethe s tands apar t after the manner of an indiv idua luni t , and, wonderful to tel l , i s bound to a defini te local i ty .

Th is seems to be a render ing, in the language of poet icalburlesque, o f one par t Of A ristot le’s famous cri t i cism of the

Pla toni c doctrine o f Ideas or Unive rsa ls.

16—2 4 .

“ Seu sempiternus,”etc. Here Mil ton, st i l l in

A D PA TREM . 3 13

poet ica l burlesq ue o f A ristotle, inquires wha t is the loca l i tyo f the Archetype, in wha t pa rt of the tota l Mundus he is to

be sough t and in doing so he fa l ls back , as a lways,on the

A l phonsine conception of the Mundus as a th ing of tenspheres (see note to preceding po em , 3 9

2 5—34 .

“ Alon ,cu i prof undum ,

”etc. The burlesque is

s t i l l cont inued only in th is fo rm — No one can tel l wherethe A rchetype is : no one has ever seen h im . Not theD i rcaean augur (Theban prophet ) Ti res ias, who se bl indnessonly enlarged his spiri tua l v ision ; not the God Mercuryh imsel f (here ca l led by h is Ov idian synonym “ P lei ones

nepos ”

) not any o l d A ssyrian priest , learned in the mos tancient lo re of N inos , Bel os , and Osi ris ; not even HermesTrismggistus, though he knew a l l secrets and founded the

Egyptian ph i losophy.

AD PATREM.

I 4 . Cl io the muse of H isto ry,inasmuch as wha t he

is to say about h is Fa ther is s tri c tly t rue.

3 2—34 .

“ I bimus,

etc. Rev. iv . 4 , and v . 8 .

35—40. Spi r itus et r api dos qu i ei r cinatigneus orbes,

q ne quoque.”etc.

The “nune here is empha t ic , meaning Even now ,

whi lewe are in this morta l l ife.

”See Ez ek iel i . 2 0 , and connect

tha t text imagina t ively wi th Mil ton’

s idea of the Heaven orEmpyrean, as expla ined in the Int rod. to P a r . Lost.

56—66 .

“ l Vec tn perge, preeor ,”etc. On these compl i

ments to h is fa ther on his musica l dis tinct ion, see Introd.

“ D iv iduum .

”The La t in adject ive div zduus for

div isible ”or div isible into two ”

had fastened onMil ton,

and he turned i t into Engl ish . See Pa r . Lost,V I I . 38 2 and

8 5 ; a lso On Time, 1 2 .

proeu l urbane strep itu , i .e. at Horton. The

sinis , in the present tense,in l ine 76 , seems t o certi fy

tha t th is poem was wri t ten there.

79 . Cum mih i Romu lea '

patu itfa cundia l ingua’

grandia magni l oqu is el ata vocabu l a Gra i is ,”i .e. atSt. Paul ’s

S chool and the Universi ty .8 2—8 5.

“ Addere suasisti , etc. Mil ton seems to haveadded French , I tal ian, and Hebrew to h is La t in and Greek

314 N O TE S TO TH E M I N O R PO EM S .

wh i le he was at the Universi ty. H is tutor Young had

presented him wi th a H ebrew Bible as early as 16 2 5. I tis interesting to know that i t was by his fa ther’s advice tha the ranged beyond Greek and La t in.

84 . ba rba r i ces tumu ltus , i .e. the Germani cinvasions , which crea ted modern I ta l ian by corrupting theo l d La t in.

8 6—9 2 . Denique quicqu id per te i zbsse l icet, perte

, si nosse l i bebit,” etc . The tenses of the verbs seem to

show tha t Mil ton, when he wrote th is poem to his fa the r atl - Io rton,

was actua l ly engaged in those miscel laneous scient ifics tudies of wh i ch he here speaks .

10 1—104 . E rgo ego v ictr ices hederas inter laurosque

sedebo, etc. Todd quotes Virgi l , E el . V I I I . 1 2

1 15— 12 0 . E tvos, O nostr i

, j uveni l ia ca rmina , lusus,etc. I t does not seem to me improbable tha t these s ix

l ines were added to the poem jus t before its publ ica t ion inthe volume o f 164 5. Anyhow

,i t was a beaut i ful ending,

and prophet i c.

GREEK VERSES.

See Int roductions to these Verses.

AD SALSILLUM, POETAM ROMAN UM , fEGRO’

FANTEM.

SCAZONTES.

1 5. O rlIusa, gressum qun volens trah is cl audum

etc. A humorous description of the k ind of verse in wh i chhe has chosen to address Sa l z i l l i v i z . the

Sca z on, Chol i am

bus, orH ipponaetic Tr imeter (see Int rod. ) In La t in Scaz onsthe s tri c t rule of prosodians is tha t the las t foot should a lwaysbe a Spondee and the penul tima te a lways an Iambus GreekS caz ons a l lowed ei ther an Iambus or a Trochee for the penul t ima te. Mil ton, in the present piece, uses grea t l icense.

7 , 8 . Camcena nostra eu i tantum est cordi , quamque,

etc. The reference is to Sa l z i l l i’s extrav agant Lat in compl iment to Mil ton (printed ante, 1.

2 2 . Tam cu ltus ore Lesbium condis mel os. Th i s l ine isnot a Scaz on : see note, 1 5. The Lesbium mel os is poetryafter the manner o f A lcaeus and Sappho, na t ives ,

of Lesbos.By Romano ore Mil ton probab ly means I ta l ian, not La t in,

3 16 N OTE S TO THE M I N O R PO E M S .

16 . Vidimus a r r identem operoso ex a re poetamMa rini ’s monument atNaples.

2 2,2 3.

“ E mul a s i l l ius qu i , etc. ,i .e. Herodotus,

bo rn at Ha l i carnassus in A sia Minor,not far from Mount

Myca l e, and supposed to be the autho r o f a L if e of Homer

st i l l extant , butnow named Pseudo - Herodotean.

30—33.

“ Nos eti am in nostro modu lantesfl umine cygnos,etc. I bel ieve i t is an o l d tradi t ion,

” says Whar ton,

“ tha t , i f swans sing, i t is in the darkest and coldest nigh tsof winter. ” The Thames has a lways been famous for itsswans ; and Ben Jonson had th is in m ind when he wroteof Shakespeare

Swee t swan o f Avon wha t a sigh t itwereTo see thee in our wa ter yetappear,And make those fligh ts Upon the bank s of ThamesThat so did take E liz a and our J ames

34 . Tity rus. By Tity rus Mil ton is supposed here tomean Chaucer, who had v isi ted I ta l y about 1373 and seenPetrarch (Prologue to the Clerhes Ta le) . In Spenser ’sPastora ls Tity rus is a fancy - name for Chaucer.

38 4 8 . N os etiam eol imus Pheebum, nos munera

Pha bo mi’

si ma s,” etc. There i s a reference here, as

\Varton pointed out, to the bel ief tha t Apol lo was worshippedby the ancient Br i tons. A ssum ing th is bel ief, Mil ton, in thepresent passage, goes far ther , and ventures to cla im as na t iveBr i t ish Druidesses those Hyperborean nymphs who , a ccording to Herodotus , brough t from thei r far country offer ingsto Apol lo and Artem is in De los. Herodo tus gives but twoo f these nymphs, and names them Upis and A rge butMilton, as \Varton noted, takes as h is authori ty Ca l l imachus,.Hymn. Del . 2 9 2

0r7m s 1 6 , A036 Te, Ka i eba r’

Ovy a r e'

pes Bope’

To adapt these th ree nymphs the bet ter to his purpose, hecharacter iz es each of them , mak ing Loxo the daugh ter of thefamous giant - k i l l ing Corineus of Cornwa l l

,the companion

o f Brutus (see note , Lycidas, 156 Upis a famousprophetess , and Hecaerge yel low - ha i red. Moreover, hesupposes a l l the three Br i t ish beaut ies to have been sta ined,

E P I TA PH I U M DAMON I S . 3 17

a fter the fash ion of their country, wi th the Ca ledonian woadand, not bontentwith th is, he feigns tha t the t radi t ion o f

their v i si t had been preserved in Delos, so tha t the Greekgi r ls there st il l h ad songs about Upis, Hecaerge, and Loxo.

A l together, the passage is a piece o f scholarsh ip finely turnedinto poetry .

56—69 .

“ Atnon ca lo f ugi tiva s Apol l o,”etc. In

th is passage Mil ton recol lects the Cho rus in the A lcestis of

Eurip ides, describing A pol lo’

s music wh i l e he kept the herdsof King Adme tus (570 et and severa l o f the ph rasesin the passage are wa i fs from Vi rgi l , Ov id, and Ho race. He

has not, however, studied m inute geograph ica l cons istency.80—84 . S iquanda i

ndigenas revocabo in ca rm ina reges,

A rturu’

mque, etc. On the autobiograph i ca l significanceof th is passage, as the fi rst announcement of Mil ton’

s interr

t ion to wri te a poem on the subjec t of A rthur and the Br i tishLegends, see Introd. t o Pa r . Lost, 11. 16. Compare a lsoEp itaph . Dam. 16 2 - I 7 I .

—Todd q uotes the phrase saez

ceq i i e

adfiedern mensd” from S ta t ius, Theb. V I I I . 2 40 .

8 5—9 3. T andem , ubi ,

” etc . A beaut i ful passage,written perhaps wi th tears.

EP ITAPH I UM DAMON IS.

1 3. II imer ides lVymphee, etc. The I Iimer ides

Nymphte are the nymphs of the S ici l ian r iver H imera,ment ioned more than once by Theocri tus. There were, inrea l i ty, two r ivers of this name in S i ci ly, one flowing to the

south coast , and the o ther to the no rth . The northernH imera , which had the ci ty of H imera at its mouth , issupposed to be the river of Theocri tus. Mi l ton’

s intent ion.however, is simply to invoke the S ici l ian muses genera l ly,the muses o f Pastora l Poetry proper .

4 . Yhy r sis .

” Mil ton, in lament ing D iodati under thename o f Damon, represents h imsel f as Damon’

s survivingfel low - shepherd Thy rsis. The name i s tha t o f the ch iefSpeaker in the fi rs t Idyl l of Theocri tus ; and thence i tdescended as a standing name in subsequent Pastora l poet ry .Virgi l has i t fo r one of the speakers in h is Seventh Ecloguethe Engl ish Pastora l ists had not fo rgotten i t ; and Mil tonhad a l ready used i t in h is Camus as the name Of the Gua rdian

3 18 N OTE S TO THE M I N OR POE M S .

Sp ir i t in his guise of a shepherd. In tha t character i t hadbeen worn by the musi c ian Henry Lawes, the performer inthe par t , who indeed c la imed a k ind of property in i t byconsequence (see Lawes

s Dedi ca t ion of the o riginal edi t ionof Camus, I . 166 ) butMil ton now recla ims i t for h imsel f.

7.“ Damona .

” Vi rgi l has a Damon as one of the

speakers in h is E igh th Ec logue .9—1 1. Etj am bi s

”etc. This passage , though poeti

ca l ly expressed, gives the da te o f Diodati’s dea th veryexact ly . I t was in August 1638 . See Introd.

12 , 13.

“ Na dum aderat Thy rsis ,”etc . , i .e. Diodati

dea th in England had happened wh i le Mil ton was at F lorence , on the first of h is two v is i ts to tha t ci ty .

18 . Ite domum impasti ; domino j am non va cat, agn i .

This l ine is the burden, or re curri ng l ine, of the po em ,

beginning every pa ragraph a fter th is po int, and repea ted in

a l l seventeen t imes. The exqu is i te dev ice of such a burden,or recurr ing l ine, break ing a long pastora l monologue intomus ical pa rts , is found in the Idyl ls of Theocr i tus

,Bion,

and Moschus, and a lso in Vi rgi l’s Eclogues.

“ni si me l upus ante v idebit.

” For th is supers t i t ioncompare Vi rgi l , E el . 1X. 54 .

“ Rates,”the Roman god, or goddess , of sheepfolds

“ Faunus ” (see note,Ad S a l s. the Roman god o f

fields and ca t t le. In thi s whole passage (2 9 -

32 ) there i sa recol lect ion of Vi rgi l , E el . V. 76

- 80 .

“ Mordaces curas.” From Horace. See L’Al legra,

135, and note there.

56 . Cecropiosque sa les refi ret, eu ltosque lepores Ce

cropios (from Cecrops,the myth i ca l founder of the A th enian

state) may be transla ted“ A t t ic .” In “ Cecrop ias sa les ”

there is a recol lection of the phrase Attic sa lt,”as a name

for genuine wit ; and in the whole l ine there i s an a l lusionto Diodati’s spr igh t ly humour .69 , 70. Tity rus A lphesibceus ( Egan

Amyntas.

” These fancy - names are a l l from the cla ss icPastora l . Mil ton may, o r may not, have had real personsin v iew under these designa t ions.

75. Another name from the classi c Pastora l .In Vi rgi l

’s E el . v . l lIopsus i s one o f the speakers.

79 , 80. S atu rni grave sapef uitoastor ibus a strum ,

”etC.

See note , I tPens. 4 3.

32 0 N O TE S TO THE M I N O R P O E M S .

Thusei , or “ Tuscan shepherds,ment ions two of them

Car lo Da t i and Antonio Francini,with par t icular regard,

and expressly by thei r own names, on account of the

encomiums they had bestowed upon him : see 1. 2 52 - 2 55.

They are cal led “ of the blood of the Lydians ,”in a l lusion

to the ancient bel ief tha t the E truscans came from Lydia inAsia Minor.

14 2 .

“cum te cini s ater habebat. From Virgi l , 2 5 72.

IV . 633.

149 . A a t ad aquas Colni , a ut ubi fuger a Ca ssibelauni .The “

a qua Colni”sufficient ly designa te the neighbourhood

o f Hor ton in Bucks , the country - residence of Mil ton’

s fa ther,where Mil ton had ma inl y l ived from 1632 to 1638 . The“

j ugera Ca ssibel auni” were the neighbourhood of St.

A lbans in I Ierts , where the Bri t ish k ing Cassibel aunus , whoopposed Caesar had his headquar ters.

150— 154 . Tu mi hi percu r res medieos , etc. The

reference is to D iodati’

s profess ion of medicine and his

botani ca l knowledge. See Camus , 6 19- 6 2 8 , andnote there.

155—160 .

“ Ipse etiam,

”etc. Observ e the subtle con.

nexion here with wha t has preceded. Mil ton has beenspeak ing of Diodati

’s profession, of h is botanica l pursui ts, of

the topics of conversa t ion these furnished in thei r wa lks , andnow of the close of a l l th i s by dea th . Then he goes on t oremember tha t he h imsel f has a profession, i f i t may be so

ca l led,—tha t o f let ters and poetry ,—and how often and how

na tura l ly , in exchange for D iodati’s medica l cha t , he had

ta lked with h im about his own l i terary doings and p lans.

I f D iodati had been s t i l l a l ive, t o welcome him back t oEngland, wha t would hav e been one of his fi rs t communicat ions to tha t bel oved friend ? Would i t nothave been abouta grea t Engl ish Poem he had been medi ta t ing wh i le in I ta ly ,and of wh ich h is m ind was sti l l so ful l tha t a ctua l ly butafew days ago

—eleven nigh ts and a day, says Mil ton,wi th

his usua l exactness—he had been trying to make a beginning ?Would he have ventured, after a l l , to te l l even D iodati ?

And now ,with no D iodati to hear , sha l l he risk putt ing his

bold intent ion on paper ? Observe the studied breaks in thesyntax , the jerks of short c lauses, with which he conveys hisdoubts whether i t wi l l be prudent to do so , and then the

sudden resolut ion tamen et referam vos cedite, sy lvee.

16 2—168 .

“ Ipse ego D ardanias,” etc. In this famous

E P ITA PH I U M DAMO N I S . 32 1

passage Mil ton divulges in grea ter deta i l tha t scheme of anEpic on the subject of King A rthur and Legendary Bri t ishH istory which he had announced a year before in his poemto Manso (see Mansa s, 80 - 84 , and note there) . A l l the

proper names in the pa ssage are significant. The “ D a r .

dania’ Rutupina per a’

quara puppes are the Trojan sh ipsa long the Kent ish coasts, bringing Brutus and his wander ingTrojan fol lowers to their new home in Bri ta in (Rutup inusbeing from Rutupa or Rutupiae, now Richborough in Kent ).The “ Pandrasidas regnum vetus I nagenice

”is the rea lm

wh ich Brutus established in Bri ta in, ca l led, in poet ica l

ga l lantry, nothis, but tha t of his wife Inogen, or Imogen,

the daugh ter of the Grecian k ing Pandrasus,wi th whom

Brutus' and h is Trojans had fought in the course of theirMedi terranean wander ings. In the l ine “ Brennumque

A rv i ragumque duees, pri scumque Bel'

inum we are led

far ther on in Br i t ish legenda ry h istory, and touch i t at twolong- separa ted points. Brennus and Bel inus are two famousBr i t ish brothers, sons of Dunwa l l o Mo lmutius, the secondfounder o f the Bri t i sh na t ion, more than six hundred yearsafter its first founda t ion by Brutus. For Arv iragus, thoughhe is wedged into the l ine with the two broth ers , and indeedsepara tes them, we must come down to the t ime of the

Roman occupa t ion of Bri ta in for he was one of the sons of

the Bri t ish k ing Cunobel in (Shakespea re’s Cymbel ine) , and

fough t aga ins t the Roman invaders about A . D . 4 5. In the

succeeding l ine“ Et tandem A rmori cas Br itonum sub lege

calonas” we ov erleap severa l centuries more, and arri ve at

the per iod of the supposed coloniz a t ion o f A rmorica in

France by refugee Bri tons escaping from the cruel t ies o f

Hengist , Horsa , and thei r Pagan Saxons. Thus at las t wereach the ma in subject : i .e. the bi r th o f the grea t Ar thur,whose mother was Igra ine, wife of Duke Gorlois of Co rnwal l , but whose fa ther was not this Gorlois, but UtherPendragon, King of a l l Bri ta in, introduced into the lady

cast le, in the l ikeness of her dead husband, by the craft o fthe magi cian Merl in—How Mil ton was t o weld into one

epic a l l th ese masses of legend, straggl ing over some sixteenhundred years of imagined t ime, cannot be known. Wi th ina year after the Epitaph i um Damoni s was wri t ten, the no t ionof an A rthur ian Epic was abandoned and other subjects wereo ccupying h is mind. See Introd. t o Pa r . Lost, pp . 16 19 .

VOL. I I I. Y

168—17 1 . O, mihi tum s i v ita supersit Br ittani

cum str ides.” If Mi l ton had carried outh is grea t A r thuri an

project , then, as he here says, the simpler pastora l pipe whichhe had h i therto used most in his poetry would have beenhung up and forgot ten, and, as he a lso says, the La t in verse,wh i ch he had so much pract ised

,would have been exchanged

for nat ive stra ins and the Brit i sh war - screech .

17 1—178 . Qu id enim omnia nan l i cetuni

”etc. In.

th i s passageMil ton s t i l l pursues the idea of h is great intendedEpic

, and emphasiz es the fac t tha t i t was to be in Engl ish .

In tha t fact there was cer ta inly a drawback , for i t wouldl im i t his const i tuency of readers t o h is own count rymen.

Wha t then ? He would be content wi th tha t const i tuencyYes ! l ethim be unknown a l l th rough the foreign world, ifhe Should be read a long a l l the r ivers and a l l the shoreso f his own na t ive i sland I The enumera t ion of Br it i shrivers and coas ts in the present passage is very poetica l

and may be compared wi th tha t in At a Vacation E xerci se,

9 1 - 100.

18 1— 19 7 . tum qua mih i poeu la Mansus bina

dedit, mi r am a rtis opus ,”

etc. I do not see any otherpossible interpreta t ion of th is passage than that whichaccepts i t as a descrip tion o f an actua l pa i r of cups or goblets,with designs pa inted or engraved on them, wh ich the

Neapol i tan Manso had given to Mil ton as a keepsake, and

wh ich Mil ton had hoped to Show to Diodati.19 8—2 19 . Tu quoque in h is,

”etc. Th is c losing pass

age is ia a s t ra in of noble and surprising phrenz y. Observethe transi t ion from the preceding descript ion of one of thedesigns on the cups,—the H eaven of the gods, and Lovenotabsent even there, but shoot ing his dar ts r igh t up amongthe gods themselves .

“ Thou too artamong them, he ex

cla ims,addressing the dead Damon ; and th en, once on the

track of his favour i te idea o f a myst i c or div ine Lov e ac tiveeven in heavenly hearts among the heavenly h ierarch ies (seenote

,Camus, 9 9 9 , et he rema ins in tha t idea to the

end. Compa re l ines 165- 18 1 o f Ly cidas and note there.

AD JOANNEM ROUS IUM : ODE.

M i lton’s Note an the Verse. The substance is tha t the

Ode i s a met rical whim, outraging a l l the t radi t ions of La t in

32 4 N O TE S TO THE M I N O R P O E M S .

Pegasus, the horse of the Muses , atthe stroke of whose hoofsprang up the sacred H ippo crene.

—Who , in 1646 - 7, werethe harp ies and unclean bi rds of England, in Mil ton

’sestima t ion

,one can easi ly guess (see Sonnets X I . and X I I . ,

and On the New Forcers of Conscience, and Introduct ions andNotes to those pieces ) . Some o f them had fastened especia l lyon Oxford. But Mil ton mus t have had in View a lso theRoya l ists and Prela t is ts.

73—8 7. Vos tandem Roic

o favente.

” War tonand Mr. Keigh t ley th ink tha t th is Epode has in v iewch iefly the future fa te of those o f Mil ton’s prose - wr i t ingstha t had been sent to Rous (see Int rod. ) but, though theseare included, I do not see tha t he dist inguishes betweenthem and the poems he was now replacing in their com

panionsh ip.

IN SALMAS I I HUNDREDAM : IN SALMASIUM.

On these two scraps see Int rod.—Sa lmasius ranked as an

q ces or Knigh t on the cont inent , hav ing, as Todd notes,

been presented with the O rder o f St. Michael by LouisX I I I . of France .—Of M zcngentimn czzhz

to o i rorum

War ton no tes tha t th is was a cant name among the Romans

for fi shmongers.

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE.

Two RECOVERED SCRA PS OF LAT IN VERSE ON

EA RLY R IS ING.

Some years ago , Mr. A l fred J . Horwood, when examin

ing the fam i ly papers Of S ir Freder ick U. Graham, of

Netherby, Cumberland, Bart , for the purposes of the

H is torica l Manuscripts Comm ission, came upon an o l d

La t in Common- Place Book of Mil ton’s, a good dea l of i t in

h is own handwri t ing, containing'

jottings of book s he hadread, and notes and suggest ions from them atvarious t imesof h is l ife. Together w i th th i s Common- Place Book therewas found a single loose lea f of foolscap paper, muchdamaged by damp ,

”on wh ich was a sho r t La tin prose- essay,

S U P P LE M E N TARY N O TE . 32 5

headed ‘

fMAN E C ITUS LECTUM FUGE, ” with some appendedLa tin verses on the same subjec t. A s the leaf bore the name

M i lton st i l l dis t inctly legible on i ts left ma rgin, and as the

handwr i t ing bore in pa rts a strong resemblance t o some of

Mil ton’s,Mr. Horwood concluded tha t the essay was a

juveni le A cademic Prolus ion of M il ton’s on the subject ofEa rly Rising, which he had not though t i t worth wh i le toprint with the col lect ion of his other Pr ol us iones Or ator io:

in 16 74 . A ccordingly, when edi ting the Common - P laceBook for the Camden Society in 18 77, he appended thel i t t le essay and the verses , ent i t l ing the volume

“ A Com

mon - P lace Booh of j ohn M i lton, and a L atin E ssay and

Latin fVer ses presumed to he hy M i lton.

” Wi th the essay,as i t i s in prose, we have nothing to do here butthe verses,i f only on the chance tha t they are an addi t iona l and

accidenta l ly recovered scrap of Mi l ton’s juv eni le metri ca lcomposi t ion in La t in, deserve reproduct ion. There are, in

rea l i ty, two dist inct pieces of verse,in different metres ,

though bo th on the subject of Ea rly Rising, and bothev ident ly intended as poet i ca l appendages to the ProseProlusion wri t ten on the same leaf

CARMINA ELEG IACA .

Surge, age, surge Leves, jam convenit, excute somnos

Lux oritur tepid i fu lcra re l inq ue tori .J am canitexcubitor ga l lus, p rx nuncius al es

So lis , et inv igilans ad sua q uemq ue voca t.F lammiger Eo is Ti ta n caput exeritund is,

Et spargitnitidum l aata per arva jubar.Dau lias argutum modul atur ab i l ice carmen,

Ed it etex cultos mitis a lauda modos .

j am rosa fragrantes sp irat s il vestr is odoresj am redo lent vio la luxur iatq ue seges .

Ecce novo campos Z ephy r itis gramine v escit

Ferti l is , etvitreo rore Inadescithumus.

Segues inv enias mo l l i v ix ta l ia l ecto ,Cum premat imbel l is lumina fessa sopor.

I l l ic languentes abrumpuntsomnia somnos ,Et turbant animum tristia mu lta tuum

I l l ic tabifici generantur semina morbiQui pote torpentem posse va lere virum ?

Surge, age , surge Leves , jam convenit, exente somnos t

Lux ori tur ; tepid i fu lcra re linq ue tori.”

32 6 N O TE S TO TH E M I N O R POE M S.

[ASCLEPIAD IC VERSES.)

Ignavus satrapam dedecet inclytum

Somnus q ui populo multifido p raeest.Dum Dauni veteris fi l ius armigerS tra tus purpureo p buitAudax Eurial us N isus et imp iger

Invasere ca ti nocte sub horri daTorpentes Ruti los castra q ue Vo l scia

Hinc caedes oritur c lamor etabsonus.

The tex t in both pieces is giv en as i t stands in Mr.Ho rwood

s transcr ip t, sav e tha t the punctua tion i s corrected.

There seem t o be errors in some of the l ines of the fi rstpiece. Neglecting these, we may say ( I ) tha t the interna lev idence on the whole confi rms the strong ex terna l evi

dence tha t the pieces are Mil ton’s,and (2 ) tha t the s tyle

proves tha t in tha t case they mus t have been very ea rlycomposi t ions o f his. In a l l probabil i ty, they , and the La t inProlusion to wh ich they were a t tached

,were done as a La t in

theme when he was at St. Paul’s School . I f they weredone la ter, they must have been among his very fi rstexercises in La tin atChrist

s Col lege , Cambridge .

N OTES TO

PR E L IM I N ARY MATTER.

[a COMMENDA’

ORY VERSES PREF IXED To THE

SECOND ED IT ION .

Latin Verses by S .E . , M i l —The author was Dr. SamuelBarrow

,a physician. He was p rincipa l physician to the

a rmy of Genera l Monk in S cot land in December 1659 , whenMonk was negot ia t ing for the Restora t ion ; and he was

a fterwards Advoca te - Genera l and Judge -Mar t ia l under theRestora t ion Government

,and Phys ic ian in O rdinary to

Charles I I . He diedMarch 2 1,168 1 - 8 2 . He has taken

the l iberty, in the t i t le to his verses,and in the fi rs t l ine, o f

mak ing Paradisus feminine, whereas the Greek and La t inwriters make the word mascul ine.E ngl ish Verses by A . M (i . e. Andrew Ma ro el l ) .—Mar

vel l ’s int imacy with Mi l ton had begun in 1652 and he had

been Mil ton’s assis tant or col l eague in the La t in Secreta rysh ip to Cromwell from September 1657 , and had reta inedoffi ce with him

,afte r Cromwel l ’s dea th (Sept . t i l l

the very eve of the Restora t ion. The present verses are butone out of many test imonies of Ma rvel l’s profound and

affect iona te rega rd for h is i l lust rious friend. Wh en theyappeared

,Marvel l was about fi fty- four years of age, had been

M.P. for Hul l in the Restora t ion House of Commons forabout four teen years

,and was a marked publ ic man both for

his pol i t ica l honesty and for his l i terary abi l i ty. The la sthe had recent ly exh ibi ted, with much popular effect , in hiscelebra ted sa t ir ica l invect ive, The Rehea rsa l Transprosed

(1672 directed against Dr . Samuel Parker, who , aftera youth of pecul iarly st ric t Pur i tan professions , had turnedrenegade at the Restora t ion, was receiving ecclesiast ica l pro

330 N OTE S TO PR E L IM I N ARY M ATTE R.

mot ion on h is way to the Bi shopric of Oxford, and had publ ished severa l works of a notoriously t ime- serv ing character.Milton’

s name had been dragged into the cont roversy byParker and h is friends, on the pretex t tha t i t was he tha twas inspiring Ma rvel l ; and this had given occasion to a

passage in the second part o f the Rehearsa l Transprosed, inwh ich Marvel l exp la ined his rea l rela t ions to Mi l ton

protested aga inst the l ibert ies tha t had been taken with thename of such a man. Tha t was about a yea r before theappearance of the present verses, al l tha t needs annota t ionin wh ich is the a t tack on Dryden wh ich they vei l under thecompl iment to Mi lton. Dryden mus t have been persona l ly known to Mil ton and Marvel l s ince 1657 , when he wasan undistinguish ed young man of six - and- twenty , hanging on

about the court of O l iver , and receiv ing occasiona l employment from O l iv er’s Ch ief Secreta ry , Thurl oe. S ince then,accommoda t ing h imself to the Restora t ion, he had sprung intodeserved celebri ty as the very high

estman of the Restora t ionL i tera ture. H is supremacy had been forma l ly recognised byhis appointment in 1670 to the Laurea tesh ip , vacant by thedea th Of Davenant in 1668 . Now , since the beginning of

Dryden’s cel ebr i ty, one of h is Specia l distinctions had been

h is championsh ip of rhyme in poet ry , in opposi t ion t o blankverse. No t only had he assumed, with most o f his contem

po rar ies, tha t rhyme was absolutely essent ia l in a l l seriousnon- dramat i c poetry ; buthe had contended tha t in theDrama

i tsel f, and especia l ly in the Tragic Drama , there ought to bea re turn to rhyme

, the pra ctice of Shakespea re and the otherE l iz abethans to the cont ra ry notwi th standing. He hadma inta ined th is doctrine in prose - essays, and he had tr ied to en

force it by h is own example in his H eroic P lays. The

appea rance, therefore , of Mi lton’s Pa radiseLost in 1667 must

have come uponDryden l ike a blow. An epic in blank versewas a sta rtl ing novel ty

, a lmos t a monstrosi ty . Al l themorecredi table to Dryden’s generosi ty and cri t ica l discernment i sthe fact tha t he had been among the firs t to recognise and

procla im the extraordinary mer i ts of the new poem. He

had even been drawn by i t into persona l intercourse, or rerenewed persona l intercourse, with the bl ind poet , in his

ret i rement in the Bunhi l l suburb. Of one v i si t of the PoetLaurea te to Mil ton in his las t yea rs we have a very parti cularaccount. I t was in the winter of 1673-

4 . Dryden had con

332 N O TE S TO PRE L I M I N ARY MATTER.

I I . AUTHOR’S PREFACE CONCERN ING THE VERSE .

There can be no doub t tha t Mil ton was th inking Of Drydenand h is championship Of Rhyme when he wrote this preface. It i s perhaps the most thorough -

going contradi ct ionof Dryden’s doctrine to be found in the language, though avery s t rong passage to the same genera l effect wi l l be foundin Ascham

Schoolmaster Mil ton, i t may be ob

served, takes no not ice of Surrey’s memorable firs t introduction of blank verse into Engl ish in hi s transla t ion of the

Second and Four th Books of the fEneid, but only glancesat the remarkable phenomenon of the sudden adopt ion of

Blank Verse for Engl ish Tragedy by Sackv i l le, L ordBuckhurst , in 156 1 , and the genera l persis tence in tha tform by a l l the subsequent E l iz abethan drama t ists. But,though ci t ing th is preva lence of Blank Verse in Engl ishDrama t ic Poetry for nearly a century past as a precedent inhis favour , and though doubt less awa re tha t there had beenstray S pecimens Of Engl ish non- drama t ic poetry in blankverse subsequent to Surrey

’s,he closes his Preface, truly

enough , with a cla im for his own Pa radise Lost “ to beesteemed an example set, the firs t in Engl ish , Of ancientl iber ty recovered to heroic poem from the troublesome and

modern bondage of riming.

”In o ther words, Mil ton re

garded himsel f as the fi rs t t o apply Engl ish Blank Verse toa grea t epic subject and to Show how the musi c of BlankVerse m ight be modified for epic purposes. Mil ton’spresent invect ive aga ins t Rhyme is to be received, I imagine, cum gr ano. Though he had used blank verse in h isown earl ier poe try , as in Comus , had not the bulk o f tha tpoetry been in rhyme ? Nay, though he was to persis t inblank verse in the two rema ining poems of his l i fe—ParadiseRega ined and Samson Agoni stes,

—was he not, in the choruses of Samson Agonistes , to rever t occasiona l ly to rhyme ,and to use i t in a most cunningly art ist ic manner ?

NOTE S TO P AR AD I SE LOST.

BO O K I .

1—26 . Of Man’sfi rstdisohedience

Muse,”

etc. I t i s expressly the HEBREW Muse tha tM il ton invokes,—the Muse tha t may be supposed to haveinspired the shepherd Moses, ei ther on M ount Horeb , whenhe was keeping the flocks of h is fa ther - in- l aw - j eth ro , andthe Angel of the Lord appeared to him out of the burningbush (Exod. i i i. I , or at a la ter da te on Mount S ina i ,when he was a l one with the Lord for forty days, receiv ingthe Law (Exod. xxiv . 1 2 On ei ther o f these occasionsMil ton supposes Moses t o have received tha t inspira t ionwh ich enab led him to revea l , in Genesis , how the Heavens

and the Ea r th were made ; and i t was the same HeavenlyMuse, he assumes, tha t a fterwa rds, by S i loa

’s brook or pool,

nea r the temple at j'

erusalem (Isa iah vi i i. 6 , and Nehem.

i i i. inspired a lso Dav id and the Prophets. Th is Muse,and no other, must inspire the present poet. For the

theme tha t he proposes req uires such a id h is song is one

tha t intends to soa r a hoZ/e the Aonian Mount—i .e. above tha tMount Hel i con,

in o l d Aonia or Boeot ia , wh ich , with the

neighbour ing regi on, was the fabled haunt of the GrecianMuses. In the end, h owev er , th is form Of an invoca t ioneven of wha t might be ca l led, by a bold adapta t ion of c lassi cterms

,the true, primeval , or Heavenly Muse (Mil ton a fter

wards, P . L . , V I I . 1, ca l ls her Urania ) , passes into a di rec t

prayer to the D iv ine Spir i t . Mil ton bel ieved h imsel f to be,in some rea l sense, an inspired man.

50 —53. [Vine times the space, ” etc. The nine days in\

th is passage are notthe nine days of the fa l l of the Angels’

outo f Heaven into Hel l (V I . butnine si l l/sequentdays

334 N OTE S TO PARA D I S E LO ST.

dur ing wh ich the Angel s l ay in stupor in Hel l after theirfa l l .6 2

,63. fr om thoseflames no l ight but r ather darhness

v isible,

”etc. I t seems to have been a common idea tha t

the flames of Hel l gave no l igh t.

73 , 74 .

“ A s fa r removed,” e tc. See Introd. p . 34 . The

centre here is the Ear th pole i s the ex treme of the MundaneUniverse.

75. Oh how unl ihe the pl ace from whence they fel l .Not unl ike one o f the ph rases in tha t passage of Caedmon’sAngl o - Saxon Pa raphrase wh i ch some suppose M il ton tohave consul ted in the edi t ion of Caedmon,

with a La tinv ersion by Francis Junius, publ ished atAmsterdam in

(see Introd. p . I80

,8 1 .

“ Long after hnown in Pa lestine, and named

Beel zebub. The word “ Baa l ,” meaning

“ Lord,”was a

genera l name for“

god among the Sem i t i c na t ions ; and

their di fferent Baa ls or gods were des igna ted by names

compounded of th is word and others ei ther indi ca t ing locali t ies or signi fying qua l i t ies. Baa l - zebub, or Beelzebub,means li tera l ly “

the God of F l ies.

”Th is par t i cular dei ty

was worsh ipped at Ekron in Pa lest ine and tha t he was animportant dei ty may be ga thered from h is being referred toa fterwa rds (Ma t thew xii . 2 4 ) as

“ Beelz ebub, the prince of

the dev i ls.8 2 .

“ And thence in Heaven ca l l ed SATAN . Satan, in

Hebrew , means Enemy. ”

“ didst outsh ine. The more usua l construct ionwould be did outsh ine.

“ A nd what is el se not to be overcome ? ” Al l i snot lost , ” Satan here says “ the unconquerable wi l l , e tc.

and courage never to subm i t or yield and whatelse i s

there that is notto be overcome or and what i s there that

else (i .e. w i thout the fore-ment ioned q ua l i ties ) is not to be

overcome or and in whatelsedoes notto be overcome (i . e.inv incibil ity) consist

19 8 . Titanian or E a rth - born. The Ti tans , in the

Greek mythology , were the progeny o f Heaven and Ea r th ,and were dist inct from the G iants, who were representedei ther as sprung from the Earth i tsel f or as sons Of Tartarusand the Ear th .

19 9 , 2 00.

“ Br i a reos or Ephon,

”etc . Briareos, a hun

336 N OTE S TO PARAD I S E LO ST.

bring stormy wea ther at cer ta in seasons. Both Vi rgi l andPetrarch have the exact ph rase.

307.“ Busi r is,

”etc. An Egyptian k ing of th i s name

figures in Greek legends as noted for his host i l i ty to foreigners ; andMil ton fol lows Ra leigh , in h is [ f ist of theWor ld,

in mak ing him the Pharaoh who oppressed the Israel i tes.

from the grea t ci ty Memph is, stands forE0 ptian genera l ly.

“ Amram-

s son,i .e. Moses. See Exod. v i . 16 - 2 0 ;

a lso Exod. x . 12 - 15.

“ Rhene or the D anaw.

” Rhine or the Danube.

364—375.

“ N or had they yet gotthem newnames,

etc. Observe in th is passage Mi l ton’s adopt ion for h is poem

of the mediaeva l bel i ef tha t the Devi ls or Fa l len Angelsbecame the Gods of the various Hea then or Polythei s t icrel igions. De Quincey, in one of h is essays (M i lton , vol . v i .of De Quincey

’s work s) , has ingeniously used the fact as a

sufficient answer to the objection made by some to Mil tonon the ground tha t , in his Pa radi se Lost and other poems,

he has blended the Pagan mythology and i t s names and

forms wi th the Christ ian. Mil ton,De Quincey holds , had

seth imsel f r igh t for ever on that subjec t by his adop t ion o f

the theory tha t the Pagan Dei t ies,as but lapsed Angels , a l l

belonged to the same Bibl i ca l concern.

38 1—505. The ch ief were thpse,

” etc. In this splendidpassage of 1 2 5 l ines Mil ton, according to the idea ment ionedin the preceding note

,enumera tes first the pri ncipa l idols

o f the Sem i t ic na t ions round about the Israel i tes.39 2—405.

“ Fi r st, Moloch , hor r id hing,”etc. For the

S criptura l accounts of Moloch (meaning“ k ing

” inHebrew) ,her e represented as more part icularly the god of the Ammon

i tes,see Levi t . xv i i i . 2 1 1 Kings xi . 7 2 Sam. x i i . 2 6 - 2 9

see a lso Judges x i . 1 2 - 18 . The “opprobr ious h i l l is the

Mount OfO l ives, on wh ich Solomon bui l t a temple to Moloch

(1 Kings xi . 7 , and 2 Kings xxi i i . 13, The “ pleasantva l ley of H innom

(Ghe-H innom see Jerem. VII . 3 1, 32 )was on the eas t side of Jerusa lem here was Tophet, supposedto mean

“ the pla ce of t imbrels.

”The word Gehenna

now “ the type Of Hel l, ” or a synonym for Hel l , is borrowedfrom the name of th is va l ley , wh ich , origina l ly the mo stbeaut iful val ley about j erusa lem ,

was afterwa rds , in conse

q uence o f i t s hav ing been po l luted by the worsh ip o fMolo ch

B O O K I . 37

and other idols,degraded by the pious k ings, and converted

into a receptacle for a l l the fi l th o f the ci ty.

406—4 18 . Next Chemos ,”etc. Fo r references to th is

god Of the Moabi tes and t o the places ment ioned in thepassage, see 1 Kings xi . 7 ; 2 Kings xxi i i . 13 ; Numb . xx i.2 5 - 2 9 , xxv . 1 - 9 ; Deut. xxxi i . 4 9 ; Isa iah xv. 1 , 2 , 4 , 5,and xv i . 2

,8, 9 ; and j erem. x lv i i i . 1 - 4 7. The “ A spha ltic

Pool” is the Dead Sea.

437. l/Vith these came they who,” etc. Here are

suggested, under the genera l names of Baa l im andAshtaroth,

a number of the miscel laneous gods, ma l e and fema l e , o f

various par ts of Syria , from the Euph ra tes to Egypt—Thedi latab

l ity or compressibi l i ty of the Spiri ts atwil l is a pos

tula te for the whole act ion of Pa radise Lost.

437—4 46 . With these, in troop , came A storeth ,

” e tc.Astoreth was more part icula rly the goddess of the Phoenic ians.See J er. v i i . 18 ; 1 Kings x i . 4 , 5 ; and 2 Kings xx i i i. 13.

446—457. Thammuz came next,

”etc. Thammuz , a

Syrian love -

god, origina l ly of the parts about Lebanon.

The l egend was tha t he was k i l l ed by a wild boar inLebanon ; and the phenomenon of the reddening at a par

ticul ar season every yea r of the wa ters of the Adonis, a st ream

wh i ch flows from Lebanon t o the sea nea r Byblos, was

mythologica l ly accounted for by supposing tha t the blood ofThammuz was then flowing afresh . There were annua l festiva l s atByblos in Phoenic ia in honour of Thammuz

ev ery year at the season referred to . Women were the ch iefperformers atthese fest iva l s,—the fi rs t par t Of wh i ch cons is tedin lamentat ions for the dea th of Thammuz , and the res t in re

jo icings ov er his rev iva l. The worship spread over the East ,and even into Greece, where Thammuz became the celebra tedAdonis, the beloved of Venus. See Ez ek. v i i i . 12 - 14 .

457—466.

“ Nextcame onewho mourned in earnest,etc

i . e. Dagon, the god of the Phil ist ines, whose cause for

mourning, as rela ted I Sam . v . 1 -

9 , was more rea l than tha tof Thammuz .

“ A z otus” is the Ashdod of tha t passage.

Gr a nsel ,”i .e. ground- si l l or

“ threshold.

4 67—4 76 .

“ H im fol l owed Rimmon,

”etc. Rimmon,

another Syrian god, worsh ipped atDamascus. The “ leper ”

whom he l ost is Naaman (see 2 Kings for his ga iningof King Ahaz , see 2 Kings xvi . 10 - 2 0.

4 76—4 8 9 . After these appea red a crew

VOL. I I I .

338 N O TE S T O PARA D I S E LO S T.

Orus, and thei r tra in. Here we have the gods of Egypt ,who were represented in a l l manner of grotesque animalforms. Hence the ph rases wander ing gods

”and “ blea t ing

gods.” Bor rowedgold i t was with the gold borrowed

from the Egyptians (Exod. x11. 35) tha t the I srael i tes weresupposed to have made the golden ca l f (Exod. xxx i i . ) The“ rebel k ing

” who doubled tha t sin is Jeroboam ( 1 Kingsx i i. 2 6 See a l so Psa lm cv i . 19 , 2 0.

4 90—505.

“ Bel ia l came last,”

etc. Nex t to the firstplace in such a process ion the last place is , at leas t in poet iccustom, the post of honour : hence Bel ia l , who cl oses the

procession, i s a hardly less impor tant personage than Moloch ,who l ed i t. See Deut . x i i i . 13 ; 1 Sam . i i . 12 .

“flown with insolence,”

etc. , i .e. flowed, flooded,flushed.

503—505. The a l lusions here are to the narra t ives in

Gen. xix . 8 and Judges x ix . 2 2 , 2 8 . In the firs t edi t ion thetex t s tood thus

W i tness the streets of Sodom,and tha t nigh t

In Gibeah , when hospi tab le doorsYielded their ma trons , to prevent worse rape.

These words notbeing in stric t a ccordance with the narra t ivesreferred to , Mil ton, for subsequent edi t ions, a l tered the textto wha t i t now is.

507—52 1. The rest were long to tel l , et c. Having

enumera ted those grea t leading Spiri ts who afterwards became the Ch ief Gods of the Semi ti c or O r ienta l na t ions ,Mil ton does notth ink i t necessa ry to be equa l ly m inute aboutthose others, imagined by him probably as of inferior rank ,who became a fterwa rds the Gods o f wha t we should now ca l lthe various Indo - European Polytheisms . At one o f thesePolytheisms, the Greek o r C lassica l or Medi terranean, hedoes glance, because of i ts renown ; for , in a few l ines , wehave the genea l ogy Of “ the Ionian gods,

”who were wor

sh ipped by the issue o f Javan, the four th son of J apheth, andthe progeni tor more parti cula rly of the Gent i les of the I sles(Gen. x . 2 Th is theogony, however , is rapidly disposedOf. Ti tan i s named as the earl iest supreme god supersededby Sa turn ; who , in his turn, is dethroned by Zeus : the

fina l expansion Of the Greek mythology in i ts ri ches t orJov ian stage being left to the imaginat ion, hel ped by the

632 , 633.

“ whoseex i lehath emptiedHeaven. A rhetorical

exaggera t ion : only a th i rd par t o f the heavenly host had

joined Sa tan (I I . 69 2 , V . 7 10, V I .673 , 674 .

“ meta l l ic ore,the wor/e of su lphur . The

science of the Middl e Ages, inher i ted by Pa ra cel sus , basedi tsel f on a doctrine tha t sulphur and mercury were the twoa l l - pervading subs tances in na ture (unless sa l t was to betaken as a th i rd) , genera t ing a l l th ings between them.

“ Ransacleed the Centre.” Centre here i s the Earthas a whole, not its interior merely. In O ld l i tera ture the

Ea rth , as the supposed centre o f the Universe, was frequent ly ca l led “

the centre ”

pa r ex cel l e nce. Thus Shakespeare (Troi l . and Cres. 1. i i i . )

The heavens themselves, the p lanets and th is centre,Observe degr ee, priority , and p lace.

72 8 .

“cressets

”: Open vessel s , wi th ta rred ropes or the

l ike burning in them.

739 , 740 .

“ in Ausonian l and [i . e. I ta ly] men ca l l h im

hfu l ci ber .

” Observe the ident ifica t ion here of Mammon withVul can, one of whose names was Mul c iber (the So ftener ) .

756 . Pandemonium .

” Some think Mil ton the inventorof the word, formed on the ana logy of Pantheon.

789—79 2 . Thus incorporea l Spi r its to sma l l est shapes ,

etc. See no te 4 19 - 437 . There i s a qua int ingenui ty in thepresent appl ica t ion of Mil ton’

s postula te as to the expansi

bil ity or compressibi l i ty of the fo rms of the Spiri t s.

BO O K I I.

2 . Ormus now Hormuz , an island in the Pers ian Gul f.

“ by success untaught.” The word “

success ” is hereused not for “

good fortune,” but as equiva lent merely to

“event ” or “ issue .

76 , 77 . descentandfa l l to us i s adverse, i .e. inconsistentwith our na ture. I t is a propos i t ion with Mil ton, as to thephysica l na ture of the Angels, tha t they are not, l ike men,

subject to grav i ta t ion. The Rebel Angels had not properly

fa l len though Chaos into Hel l they had been dr iven down

(l ines 7 7 See Introd. p . 2 9 .

100 , 10 1. we a re atworst on th is side noth ing.

” This

B O O K I I . 34 1

is somet imes printed, “ we a re,atwor st, on th is sidenothing

wh i ch spoi ls the meaning. Moloch means “ We are now

a l ready atthe wors t tha t is possibl e on th is side of to ta l annihi l ation.

“strooh.

” See Note to Oa’. Nat. 9 5.

2 78 . the sensibleof pa in,

” i .e. ei ther the sens ible propertyof pa in

,or the sensib i l i ty to pa in.

2 9 9—309 . Wh ich when Beel z ebubperceived, ” e tc. Ob

serve how Mil ton reserves the decisive speech for the grea tangel , Beelz ebub, the ch ief nex t to Sa tan, and a l ready inpriva t e possession of h is p lans. In the preceding SpeechesMil ton intended, doubt less, to represent poet i ca l ly three verycommon types ev en Of human s ta tesmansh ip . Some men,

in emergencies, take the Moloch vi ew of affa irs , wh i ch re

commends bois terous act ion ata l l haz ards others take the

Bel ia l View ,wh i ch recommends slo th ful and epicurean acqui

escence ; and others the Mammon v iew , which bel iev es inthe ma teria l industr ies and the accumula tion of weal th . The

Angels in the Counci l are evident ly incl ining to Bel ia l’

s v iew ,or to tha t as modified by Mammon, wh en a grea ter sta tesman

than any of the th ree str ikes in wi th a specific p lan of action,

not vague and blustering l ike Moloch’s , but subtly adaptedt o the exigencies.

379 , 380.

“fir st dev i sed by Satan ,and in partproposed.

See 1. 650- 656 .

4 10 . The happy I sle. Not “ the earth hanging in

the sea of ai r,

”as Bi shop Newton and the commenta tors

genera l ly have supposed,for the Angel s know noth ing wha t

ev er as yetof the Earth or its envi ronment. They knowonly vaguely o f some k ind of sta rry world abou t to becrea ted, or perhaps crea ted a l ready ; and this world, the

whole Mundane Universe, hung somewhere in Chaos betweenHeaven andH el l , is wha t Beelz ebub imagines as the

happy Isle tha t m igh t be rea ched.

432—44 4 . Long is theway ,

”etc. In these twelve l ines ,

we have , from Satan’s l ips, a fa r ther genera l sketch of theMil toni c z ones or div isions of infini te Space, taken in

ascending series. Fi rst th ere i s Hel l , or the huge convex offi re in wh i ch the speaker and h is hearers are when tha t isburst , and the adamant ine ga tes overhead are pa ssed, Chaosi s reached and somewhere over Chaos is the unknown new

S tarry World.

342 N OTE S T O PARAD I S E L O ST.

5 12 .

“ A gl obe oj jfiery Seraph im. Globe,though genera l ly

interpreted h ere as“a ba t ta l ion in ci rcle

,means rea l ly,

in Milton’s fancy , a sol id globe or sphere ; for the Angels,by their na ture

,may cluster in globes , cubes , or o ther sol id

figures. See Introd. p . 2 9 , and prev ious notes, 1. 789 - 79 2 ,and 11. 76 , 7 7. See a lso Pa r . P eg ,

I V . 58 1 - 2 .

“ br igads” so spel t , and accented on the fi rst

syl lable, as at 1. 675.

54 2—546 .

“ A s whe n A l cides the E uboic sea .

A lc ides i s Hercules ; and the a l lusions are to the legend of

h is dea th,as told by Ovid

,Metam. ix.

577—58 1 .

“ Sty x A cheron Cocytus Phlege

ton. Milton gives the etymologies of these names , wh ichcome from Greek verbs, meaning respect ively.

“ t o ha te,

to gr ieve,” “ to lament

”and “ to burn.

”Lethe,

”the

grea t r iver”

(l ine means obl ivi on.

59 2 , 59 3. that Serbonian bog betw ixt Dami ata and

Mount Cas ius old.

” Damiet ta i s a town in Egypt close tothe easternmost mouth of the N i le ; Mount Casius, now

Cape Kareroon, is on the Egyp tian coast farth er to the eastthe Serbonian bog is Lake Serbonis in tha t v ic ini ty .59 5.

f rore”

an o l d form for f roz e orf rozen German,

638 , 639 . from Benga la , or the i sles of Ternate and

Tidore. Benga la i s Benga l ; Terna te'

and Tidore are twoof the Moluccas.64 1 , 64 2 . Th rough the w ide Eth iopi an , i .e. th rough

the Indian O cean on its A frican side ; “ to the Cape, ” i .e.

to the Cape of Good Hope “

p ly stemming nightly toward

the Pol e,” t.e. towa rd the South Pole, di rected at nigh t by

the Southern C ross.659—66 1 .

“ Fa r l ess abhorred than these'

vexed Scy l l a ,

etc. By C i rce’s bew i tchment , the nymph S cyl la , when she

ba thed, was changed bel ow the wa ist into h ideous bark ingdogs. Hav ing th rown hersel f into the sea between the

Ca labrian coast of I ta ly and S ici ly (ca l l ed Tr inacr ia ) , Shewas changed into the famous rock or whirlpool .662—666 .

“the night

-hag,” e tc. Mil ton here passes to

the Norse or S candinav ian mythology , in which Lapland isa grea t region of wi tchcraft.6 78 . God and h i s Son ex cept, ” etc. A cur ious construct ion

,inasmuch as , taken exactly , i t would include God and

344 N OTE S TO PARA D I S E L O ST.

o rganised, and appended to Heaven,—Sa tan na tura l ly appea lsto the resentment of the Powers of Chaos, and prom ises themtha t , i f they assi s t h im ,

he wil l do his best to re- conquer thel os t terr itory and reduce i t back to Darkness.

100 1—1006.

“ Encroa ched on sti l l firstHel l . no w

l ately Heaven and E a rth ,”etc. This is the fi rs t dist inct int i

ma t ion to Sa tan tha t the new Universe of Man had actua l lybeen crea ted. He had guessed so before leav ing Hel l but

i t was s ti l l only a guess in h is speech to Chaos a few l inesback (9 77 The Anarch

,in his compla int of the

encroachments on his dom inion,makes the fa ct certa in.

F irst , he says, there had been the establishment Of H el l atthe bot tom Of Chaos but since tha t th ere had been an

excava t ion into Chaos atthe top , above the point where heand Sa tan then s tood, to form the Heaven and Ear th of the

HumanWorld. See diagram in Int rod. p. 33.

10 17—102 0.

“than when A rgo

—the sh ip in wh ichJason went to Colch is for the golden fleece, passedthroughBosporus, ” the s tra i ts into the Black Sea , “ betw ixtthej ustl ingrochs,

” i .e. the Symplegades ; or when Uly sses on the l arboa rd

shunned Cha rybdis ,” i .e. kept to the l eft of i t

“and by the

other wh ir lpool steered, ” i .e. by Scyl la .

102 3—10 2 8 .

“ But,he oncepassed S in and Death

paved after h im a broad and beaten way ,

”etc. The

bui lding of th i s bridge between Hel l and the Human Universe i s afterwards described at length (X. 2 35 etseq .

10 2 9 , 1030.

“reach ing theutmostOrbof th i sfra i l Wor ld

i .e. notthe outermos t star or the star nearest Chaos, buttheoutermost boss or circ le of the sta rry sphere as a whole.

1034—104 2 .

“ But no w at l ast the sacred influence ofl ight appea r s,

”etc. Imagine Sa tan now near ing the ex terna l

shel l Of the HumanWorld,somewh ere on i ts upper S ide (see

diagram ,Introd. p. where he could be aware Of the

l igh t from the Empyrean gl immering down into Chaos.1048. undetermined square or round.

” Heaven, or theEmpyrean, being rea l ly unbounded, cannot be sa id to havea figure, though the imagina t ion tends ra ther to the spher ica lin diagram .

105 1— 1053.

“ A nd, fastby ,

” i .e. fas t by the Empyrean,

th is pendent Wor ld,”etc.

,Ou the absurd and disas trous

m istake in the usua l interpreta t ion o f th is passage, see

Introd. p. 35.

B O O K I I I. 34 5

BOOK I I I.

1 55. Observe tha t th is noble passage, besides being a

pa thet ic lyr ic on Mil ton’

s own b l indness, is a lso an apt introduction to the par t of the Epic now reached. H i therto thestory has been down in H el l and Chaos ; butnow i t r isesinto the abodes of L igh t , and the poet , delayed a momentby the novel ty of the blaz e, apostroph i z es the new element .

7 , 8 . Or hear’

st thou r ather pure E therea l stream ,

e tc. : i . e. Or dost thou prefer to be cal l ed the pure E therea ls tream

”etc. , th is use o f hear being a La t inism.

2 5, 2 6 . drop serene or dim szij usion two ph rasesfrom the medi ca l science of Mil ton’

s day. Gutta serena ,

l i teral ly “ drop serene ,”was tha t form of tota l bl indness

wh i ch left the eyes perfect ly clear and wi thout speck orblem i sh . Such was Mil ton’s (see Sonne t

35, 36 . bl ind Thamy r i s and bl indMwonides, and Ti resias and Ph inea s . Thamyris or Thamyras was a myth ica lpoet and music ian of Thra ce

,ment ioned by Homer ; Maeo

nides i s Homer h imsel f, reputed the son of Macon. Ti resias ,the blind prophet of Thebes , i s a grea t cha racter in the

legends and drama s of the Greek s Ph ineus , a bl ind k ing and

prophet , is made by some a Th racian, by others an A rcadian.

38 , 39 .

“ the wahefu l bird [the nigh t inga le] sings da rh

l i ng.

” In Shakespeare (Lea r , 1. iv . ) we hav e—“ SO out

went the candle, and we were left dark l ing.

“ inter rupt” : the pas t par ticip le passive (interruptus) ,th rown ruggedly between.

168—170.

“ 0 S on,

” e tc. A l l the names fo r Ch risthere introduced are, as Bishop Newton points out, S criptura lsee Ma t t i i i. 17 ; John i . 18 ; Rev . x ix. I 3 ; I Cor. i . 2 4 .

2 17. a l l the Heavenly Qui re stood mute.” I t is noted

here, by Bishop Newton, as more than a coincidence,tha t

so the Fa l len Angels had“sat mute ” in Hel l , when the

mission was propo sed wh ich Sa tan a l one undertook (seeBook 11. 4 17 etsea ) .

2 4 7—2 65. Thou wi lt not, etc . Va rious Scriptura l

texts are embodi ed in th is passage,—such as Psa lm xv i . 10 ,

Acts i i. 2 0 , 1 Cor. xv. 55, Psa lm lxv i i i. 18 , Coloss. i i. 15 ,1 Cor. xv . 2 6.

346 N O TE S TO PARAD I S E LO ST.

3 17 34 3.“ A l l power I gi ve thee

, etc. Anothermet rica l co agula t ion o f Scriptura l tex ts. See Ma t t. xxv i ii .18 ; Eph . i . 2 0 ; Phi l. i i. 9 ; 1 Thess . iv . 16 ; Ma t t. xx iv . 30 ,

3 1 ; Rev. xx . 1 1 ; 1 Co r. xv. 5 1 ; 2 Pet. i i i . 12 , 13 ; Rev .

xx i. 1 1 Cor. xv . 2 4- 2 8 ; Psa lm xcvi i . 7 ; John v. 2 3. I t

is wo r thy o f remark tha t Mil ton,in these speech es of the

Fa ther and the Son, should have been thus careful tosuppress his own invent ion absolutely, and to keep close tothe words Of the Bible. Th is speech is t inged with manytexts besides those here ci ted.

“ Immorta l ama rant. Amarant , which in Greekmeans unfading,

”is the name given by Pl iny to a purple

flower , rea l or imagina ry, described as preserv ing i ts bloomlong a fter being plucked.

36 2—364 .

“ Now in loose gar lands smi led. The

construction seems to be, The brigh t pavement tha t shonel ike a sea of jasper ” (i .e. of different colours , with greenpredom inant )

“smi led impurpled wi th celestia l roses (the

red among the forement ioned flowers ) ,“now thrown o ff

th ick in l oose garlands.”

372—4 15. Thee

, Father , etc . These forty - four l inesrepresent the chora l hymn of the Angel s , in honour firs t ofthe Fa ther , and then of the Son. Among the tex t s of

Sc rip ture fused into the language the commenta tors havenoted Isa iah v i . 2 ; Co l . i . 15, 16 ; Rev . i v. 14 ; Heb. i . 3 ;John i . 9 ; Micah v. 15.

383. Thee nextthey sang.

” Here Mil ton uses wha t isnow the ordinary conjuga t ion of the verb—sing, sang, sung.

But, in genera l , he makes sung the preteri te tense, as wel las the past par ti ciple and there i s an instance only elevenl ines back (l ine Thee, Father , fir stthey sung.

4 13—4 15.

“ my song my ha rp,

etc. These ex

pressions sugges t tha t, though the passage wh ich they conelude (l ines 372 -

4 15) may be read as Mil ton’s report of a

chora l hymn of the Angels, Mil ton h imsel f j oins the chorus.

4 18—4 2 2 .

“ Meanwhi le upon thefi rm opacous globe ofth i s round Wor ld S atan a l ighted wa l hs.

”To under

s tand th is passage exact ly,look firs t attheWorld or Cosmos

as figured in the diagram in .Introd. p. 33, and then at the

enlarged representat ion of the same, with its interior fi l led upwith the “ luminous inferior O rbs, ” or Spheres of the pre

Copernican sys tem , at p . 4 1. The “ firs t convex. on

348 N O TE S TO PARA D I S E L O ST.

is hung from the Empyrean Heaven. There an orifice hadbeen purp osely left in i ts bounding shel l. Now

, as the

Ear th i s atthe centre of the Cosmos, wha tever would reachthe Empyrean Heaven from Ear th must ascend s tra igh t toth i s polar orifice, passing through the ten enclosing Spheresin succession,—the seven Planetary Spheres, the Sphere of

the F ixed S ta rs, tha t ninth or Crysta l l ine Sph ere “ whoseba lance weighs the trepida t ion ta lked ”

(i .e. a ccounts forthe precession of the equinoxes and fina l ly the Pr imumMobile, or fi rs t moved” and outmos t Sphere, i tsel f (see thevery exact enumera t ion Of the Sph eres in l ines 4 8 1 -

4 83,and the more deta i led a ccount of the o l d Cosmology in theIntrod. pp. 37 By th is way the Spir i ts o f the Jus tdo ascend to Heaven

’s ga t e and enter the E terna l Mansions.But i t fa res otherwise wi th va in and err ing enthusiasts , puffedup with their own asp ira t ions, and seek ing to get to Heaven

on fa lse pretences. Such were the Giants before the F lood(Gen. v i. 1 such were the bui lders of the Tower of

Babel (Gen. x i. 1 such was Empedocles , the ph i l oSoph er Of S i ci ly, who threw h imse l f into the cra ter of IEtna ,tha t peop le , finding no t ra ce Of his body, m igh t th ink hehad been taken up as a God

,butwhose iron sanda l , flung

up from the cra ter, told the t rue ta le ; such was C l eombrotus,the Ambracian youth who was so rav ished by P la to’s discourse on the immorta l i ty Of the soul tha t he drowned himsel fto rea l ise his dream of E lysium ; such , fina l ly

,were mediaeva l

Herm i ts , Pi lgrims to the Holy Land, and Friars of a l l

orders , Carmel i te, Dom ini can, or Franciscan. A l l suchva in pretenders may reach the orifice in the Primum Mobile,and even th ink they see St. Peter atHeaven’s wicket, readyto admi t them. But10 at th is point they find themselvesseiz ed by cross gus ts of those winds of Chaos which blowround the Cosmos, and are wh i rled, righ t and l eft , th ey anda l l their t rumpery, “ over the backside of theWor ld, ” intothe L imbo prepared for them. There are L imbos in otherpoets butMil ton’s L imbo bea ts them a l l . A grim humour ,or consciousness of the grotesque, runs th rough the conception.

4 9 8—539 . A l l th is ti l l at l a st a gl eam turned

th itherward h is tra vel led steps,

” etc . Here we havefurther circumstant ia ls o f the pola r orifice described in the

preceding note. The gleam of l igh t having a t tracted Sa tanto the orifice, he sees Heaven

’s ga tes , wi th s ta irs up to

B O O K I I I. 349

them l ike those in Jacob’s dream (Gen. xxv i i i . 10 - 19 ) a lso,undernea th these sta irs, the sea Of jasper or pear l (a segmentof the Crys ta l l ine Sphere, as appears from the “ A rgument ”

prefixed to the Book ) ; a l so the passage or shaft from the

orifice, past th is sea , stra igh t down to the Ear th . Thispassage was then wider far than tha t afterwa rds communica t ing between Heaven and S ion’

s specia l ly holy ground, o reven than tha t wh ich once covered the Promi sed Land fromPaneas (Dan) to Beersheba , when the whole of tha t regionreceived Angel i c v isi tants.

555—563. P ound he survey s, etc. Thi s is the Fiend’sfirs t gl impse Of the inte ri or Of the World he has come toruin.

'From H eav en’s sta i r he gaz es down into the blue

Univ erse wi th its rol l ing lum ina ries. He takes two glances ,—One longi tudina l, from the constel la t ion L ibra to the

opposi te point of the Celest ia l Equa tor , where A r ies or theRam seems to be bea r ing the conste l la t ion Andromedawestward ; the other in the di rect ion of la t i tude, or downwards from wh ere he i s standing, righ t th rough t o the otherpole. A lmos t in the actof the second glance he plunges in.

563—565. winds w ith ease through the pure ma rble a i rhis obl ique way amongst innumerable sta rs. Sa tan’s fi rstp lunge was perpendi cular. Th is perpendicular p lunge hascarried him righ t th rough the \Vo rl d

’s fi rs t region,

” i . e. towi th in the N inth or Crysta l l ine sphere ; but now tha t hehas got to the E igh th Sphere, or fi rmamentof the fi xed sta rs

he fl ies obl iq uely—i .e. keeps in the arc of tha t spheredescending through the “ marble ”

air ( i .e. gl is ter ing a i r )t owards the equa tor , butwinding about among the s ta rs, incase one of them should be his object. Though the Ea rthwh ich he seeks is in the centre of the starry sphere, he doesnotyetknow tha t .57 1. above them a l l ,

” i .e. more than any of the rest.”

574—576. butup or down

, by centre or eccentr ic,ha rd

to tel l , or I t would be “up or down

”accord

ing as he had descended past the Sun’s place or was st i l labove i t when he made for i t ; “ by centre ” would be byspira l motion round the centre ; “ by eccentr ic ,

” by spira lmot ion on one side of the cent re ; “ by longi tude,

” bymot ion east o r wes t.

“ to the twelve that shone in Aaron’s breast-plate.”

See Exod. xxv i i i . 17 - 2 0 .

350 N O TE S TO PARAD I S E LO S T .

602 , 605. they bind volati le Hermes, i .e. sol idi fy fluidmercury, “

and ca l l up unbound in va r ious shapes ol d P roteus,

etc. Proteus , in legend the sea -

god whom i t was a l l but

impossible t o fix in h is na t ive or rea l Shape, so many dis

guises could he assume, s tands here for the elementaryma t ter o r prime substance ” sough t by the A l chem ists.607 , 608 . el ix i r pure potabl egold

”: two dreams of

the A l chemists, or ra ther one and the same ; for “ potable

gold” was one imagined form of the el ix ir v ita wh ich would

prolong l i fe.

6 2 3. The same whom j ohn saw.

” Rev . x ix. 17.

6 2 7. fl edge w ith wings ,” i .e. fea thered or plumed with

wings. We now use the fo rm fledged ; but the adject ive

fledge is found in o l d wri ters. Mil ton repea ts the wordPa r . L ost, V11. 4 2 0 and i t occurs in hi s pro se.

648—650. The A rchangel Ur iel , one of the seven,

”etc.

Michael , Gabriel , and'

Raphael are the pre- em inent Arch

angels of the Bibl e or of Hebrew tradi t ion Ur iel God’sL ight

”) is ment i oned as an Ar changel in the 2 d Book of

Esdras ; Abdiel , Ithuriel , Z ophiel , Uz z i el , Zephon, and

other grea t Angel s, are afterwards ment ioned by Mil ton, butwh i ch of them were the other three Ar changels is not

suggested. Sa tan had been one Of the A rchangels, i f notthe supreme Archangel. See Book V. 659 , 6 60.

7 16. th is etherea l qu intessence of Heaven,

” i .e. L ight , afi fth essence, purer than Ear th , Wa ter , A ir, or Fi re.

“ her countenance tr iform,

” i .e. crescent , ful l , and

waning.

733. That spotto whi ch I point i s Pa radise.” Paradiseis t o be conceived as a considerab le tract , v isibl e , whereUr iel was, as a spot on the Ear th ’s rotundi ty.

740. the ecl iptic ” as then understood,the Sun’s orb i t

round the Earth.

74 2 .

“on N iphates

’top he l ights .

” Niphates, now Nim

roud-Tagh , is a lofty mounta in- range in A rmenia , near thetract supposed to have been Pa radise.

BO O K IV.

1—5. Ofor thatwa rning voice, etc. Rev . xi i . 7 - 1 2 .

32—4 1 . 0 thou that,

”etc. See Introd. p . 2 0.

4 2 4 ) but,i f Sa tan had known of i t , then, Hume suggest s ,

he migh t have made Adam and Eve eatof i t a fter they hadea ten of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Ev i l

, and so

doubled h is ma l i ce by mak ing them immorta l in thei r sinand m isery. Th is is supersub t le, but there may be some

thing in i t. Mil ton may have meant tha t Sa tan sat l ike a

cormorant on the Tree of L i fe, using i t for the mean purposeof p rospec t only , and l i t t le awa re of its mys ter ious v i r tue,and of the h igher uses to which i t m ight hav e been turnedeven by h imsel f.

2 10—2 14 . Eden stretched her l ine,”etc. Mil ton here

adop ts the most orthodox hypothesis as to the si te Of Eden,placing i t in Syria and Mesopotam ia . He makes the l im i tsin one di rect ion to be from Auran on the west (Hauran, the

Syr ian dis tric t south of Damascus) to Seleucia on the east ,i .e. to the capi ta l Of the Greek dynas ty of the Seleucidae,bui l t on the T igris about B.C. 300 ,

near wha t is now

Baghdad, in a region once ca l led Telassar (Isa iah xxxv i i .The extent from west to east i s abou t 4 50 m i les the

boundar ies north and south are notgi ven. Paradi se,according

to Gen. i i. 8 , is put in the eas t of Eden,i .e. in that pa r t of

the ancient A ssyria where the Euph ra tes and the Tigrisapproach each other in flowing south .

2 2 3—2 46 .

“ S outhwa rd th rough Eden wenta r iver l a rge,

etc. Much ingenui ty has been spent in trying to identi fy thepresent river - system of the Syri an and Mesopotamian regionwith the Scriptura l account of the r ivers of Eden (Gen. i i .10 but the di fficul ty of doing so has led many commentators to suppose an a l tera t ion Of the ri ver - system by theDeluge. Mil ton adheres t o the Scrip tura l account , wh ichspeaks of one r iver wa ter ing the Garden and then div idingi tsel f into four buthe adapts i t to h is purpose by mak ingthe head- stream pass undernea th the h i l l of Pa radise by a

subterranean channe l before div iding i tself. He absta insfrom giv ing names here ; but, as he afterwards distinctlynames the head- stream the Tigr is (1X. the four div ideds treams must be, as in Scrip ture, the Pison, the G ihon, theH iddekel (or Tigr is cont inued) , and the Euphra tes.

2 68—2 84 . IVotthatfa ir fi el etc. The geograph i ca landmythologica l a l lusions a re somewha t complex. —Enna ,where Proserpine, the daugh ter of Ceres, was carried Off byDis or Pluto , was in the heart o f S ic i ly. —The famous .

B O O K I V. 353

Casta l ian spring o f the Greek s was a st ream of MountPa rnassus butthe one here meant was a spring wh i ch hadborrowed the name

,nea r Apol lo’s sacred grove of Daphne

in Syria , notfar from Ant ioch , where the O rontes flows intothe Medi terranean. The Nysa or Nyseian isle of thepassage i s perhaps an island in the lake Tri tonis

, about them iddle of the northern coast of A fri ca , where the r iverTri ton flows from the lake. Here, a ccording to the accountadopted by Mil ton (though oth er accounts make i t atNysain E th i opia ) , the infant Bacchus was educa ted. Tha t god is

genera l ly made the son of Jupi ter and the nymph Semele ;Mil ton prefers makingh im th e son of the L ibyan Jupiter andthe nymph Ama l thea. In the common legend Bacchus isbrouglft up secretly at Nysa to avo id the wra th of Juno ;here i t i s t o avoid the wra th o f Rhea , Sa turn ’

s wife and

Jupi ter’s stepmother. Ama ra or Amhara i s a t ract ofhigh table - land in the m iddle of Abyssinia , where the BlueN i l e has i t s h ead, and where in the o ld maps the N i l e as a

whole is made to rise. Being about ha l f way between the

Tropic of Cancer and the Equa tor , i t may be sa id t o beunder the E th iop l ine . Here was the deligh tfu l mounta in

Ama ra , a day’s j ourney high ,” wi th its gardens and

palaces, where, according to the tradi t ion h inted at in thepassage (used afterwards by Dr. Johnson in his Rasselas) ,the sons of the Abyssinian emperors were educa ted in s tri ctseclusion. Some thought Amara to have been the origina lPa radise.

3 2 3 , 32 4 .

“ Adam the goodl iest man , e tc. These two

l ines have been pointed outas conta ining a k ind of doub l ebul l in language ,—mak ing Adam the goodl ies t of Adam’

sons , and Eve the fa i res t of Eve’s daugh ters. But in Greekand La t in such a construction was notuncommon.

408—4 10.

“ when Aaam, firstof men turned h im,

et c. The cons truction i s when Adam,thus mov ing speech

to Eve, turned him—i . e. the F iend—al l ear,

”etc.

449 , 4 50. Thatday I oft remember ,” e tc. I t i s surely

impl ied here tha t , in Mil ton’s imagina t ion, Adam and Eve

had a l ready been together in Pa radise for some considerablet ime. Ye t thi s IS in apparent inconsis tency wi th the th readof t ime given in the a ct ion of the poem. The Ea r th , withthe Mundane Universe round i t , had been crea ted in six Ofthose nine days dur ing which the Rebel Angel s had beenVOL. I I I . 2 A

354 N OTE S TO PARAD I S E LO S T.

lying in stupor in Hel l , and Mil ton has a l ready s t ipula ted

(I . 50 53 ) tha t those nine days were l i tera l days, a ccordingto human measure. I t can even be fixed by the sequel (V111.2 2 8 - 2 46 ) tha t i t was on the six th day or Friday of thecrea t iveWeek , the very day on which Man was made, tha tthe Rebel Angels were roused from thei r stupor, and tha t i twas on the foll owing day,—tha t Sabba th (Sa turday ) o f Restafter the C rea t ion which was spent in ha l leluiahs of joyamong the Heavenly host of the fa i thful (V I I . 55 1tha t the Rebel Angels, in h ideously contras ted occupa t ion,held thei r counci l down in Hel l and adopted Sa tan’

s p lanfor the ruin of the newly-made Universe . Now , a l l tha t hadhappened since then in the action of the poem had beenSa tan’

s journey upwards th rough Chaos in q uest Of the

new Universe, his discovery of i t , h is entrance into i t, h is

a rriva l on the Ear th nea r Eden, and his invasion of Pa radise.

Toi lsome as the j ourney was, and with va rious interruptingincidents

,one imagines, as one reads, tha t a day, or atmost

one or two days, sufli ced for i t. I f so , at the da te of the

present Speech of Eve to Adam , to which the F iend i s l i stening, Adam and Eve were buttwo or th ree days O ld. Yetin

the phrase Thatday I oftremember whenf rom sleep I fir stawahed,

”etc. , and a lso in other ph rases and a l lusions in the

poem, the day of the crea t ion OfAdam and Eve seems a l readysome considerable way back in the past . AS Mil ton musthave been perfect ly aware of the apparent inconsis tency, I canonly suppose tha t he adopted imagina t iv ely two measures orra tes of t ime in h is poem—a transcendenta l ra te genera l ly forevents in Heaven

, Chaos , and He l l and a human rate forevents with in the Mundane Universe—some times (as in theaccount of the crea t iveWeek ) harmoniz ing th em , butsome

t imes (as in the account of Sa tan’s upward j ourney through

Chaos ) disconnect ing them.

486. indiv idua l , t.e. not to be div ided, inseparable

(La t in indiv iduus) . Compa re Pa r . Lost,V . 6 10 , and On

Time, 12 ; a lso Pa r . Lost, V I I . 38 2 and x 11. 85 .

4 9 2 .

“unreproved, ” i .e. not to be reproved

,blamel ess.

Used once besides in the same sense (L’A l l .

539 . in utmost l ongitude,” i .e. in the extreme west.

54 2 , 54 3.

“ Aga inst the eastern gate of Pa radise,

”etc.

Mr. Keigh t ley th inks th is a sl ip. The set t ing sun could notleve l h is rays direct aga inst the eastern ga te O f Pa radise ,

356 N O TE S To PARAD I S E LO S T.

the starry heavens is the dia l - pla te and the Ear th’s shadowthe mov ing hour - hand. N igh t rea l ly is the shadow of theEarth shot l ike a cone of gl oom into the par t of space oppos i te to the Sun ; and the shadow moves round the grea tcircle wi th the Sun.

778 - 779 .

“ A ndfrom thei r i vory portthe Cherubim forthissu ing, at the a ccustomed hour ,

”etc. This means tha t ,

at nine o’clock , wi th m i l i tary p recision, those Angel s or

Cherubim who , under the command of Gabriel , were err

t rusted wi th the gua rd of Pa radise (see l ines 550issued not outat the eastern ga te of Pa radise

,so as to be

beyond the wa l ls , but only from one of the inner ports Oftha t gate into a spa ce with in the wa l l s, ready for the dut iesOf the nigh t -wa t ch . They stand at arms, as in a cour tyard,to receiv e Gabriel’s orders.

78 2—785. Uz z iel , ha lf these dr aw mi ,

”etc. H ere aga in,

wi th the due poet i c haz e of expression, we hav e m i l i tary ac

curacy and even m i l i ta ry ph raseo l ogy. Gabriel breaks h iscompany of Angel s int o two divi sions by the order

“ R igh tand left wheel ” (the La t in equiva lent for wh i ch was Wh eelto the spear Wheel to the sh ield, ” the right hand of coursebeing the spear hand, and the left holding the shield) : hetakes command of one of the div isions h imself to march i tround the north side of Paradise ; he gives the o ther incha rge t o his l ieutenant Uz z i el (S trength of God) , to be

ma rched round the south side ; the two divi s ions,hav ing

thus made the ent ire ci rcui t of Paradise between th em, are

to meet at the western end, opposi te to tha t eastern ga tefrom which they now star t and meanwh i le the two scouts ,Ithuriel (Search of God) and Zephon (Sea rcher) , are t o gothrough the Garden, exp lor ing i t .

79 7.“ So say ing, on he l ed h is radiantfiles . Fi l e

march ing is march ing two and two in a long s tring orcolumn.

8 13. Of fb rce to its own l iheness.” One of the onlythree instances of the use of the word its in Mil ton’s poetry.See Essay on Mil ton’s Engl ish, pp . 174 - 186.

84 7—849 .

“saw Vi rtue in her shape, ” etc. Almost a

l i tera l t ransla t ion, as the commenta tor Hume pointed out,

of Persius i i i . 35- 38 .

8 6 1—864 . Now drewthey n igh the western point,

”etc.

Again m i l i tary precision. The two subdiv i sions of Angels

B O O K Iv . 357

have met atthe western end of Paradise as appointed, andthere completed their junct ion into a single company aga inby the act known as

“closing,

” i .e. S ide -mo t ion by quickshort steps , so as to do away wi th the l i t t le gap l eft betweenthe two subdiv isions when ha l ted.

9 72 . P roud l imita ry Cherub.” In La t in mi l ites l imi

tanei are soldiers in ga rr ison on a front ier for the purposeof guarding i t ; and i t i s suggested tha t Mi l ton formed the

word “ l im i tary in th i s sense.

9 80. With ported spea rs .

” Another m i l i ta ry ph rase,knowledge of the exact meaning Of wh ich is absolutelynecessary for an apprecia t ion of the beauty of the whole passage. Ported spears are not, as the commenta tors have supposed, spears th rus t stra igh t out aga inst an enemy. To

port a rms,” whether spears or bayonets, is to hold them

a slant , but ts downward to the r igh t , and points ov er thel eft shoulder ; and th is is the posi t ion prepara to ry to thea t ta ck or charge ,” wh i ch consi s ts in bringing the weaponsmar tly down, with a ha l f- wheel of the body, for fi rm opposi t ion to wha tever i s in front of i t . A body Of men withspears wel l “ ported” wou ld present a resemblance to a fieldof corn- sta lks blown aslant by the wind ; but the image i sut terly absurd on the other fancy tha t the “ ported spears ”

of the Angels were their spea rs th rus t st raight outatSa tan.

9 8 5.

“a la rmed,

” i .e. on h is guard” fear i s not implied.

9 8 7. unremove incapable of being removed. See

note,I V . 4 9 2 .

9 8 8 , 9 8 9 . on h is crest satHorror p lumed. A personification terr ible in i ts very vagueness . The poet , imaginingSa tan, sees as

i t were the plumed crest of his helmet, but

gives only th is v is ionary metaphor of i t .

9 96 , 9 9 7.“ Hung forth in Heaven h is gol den sca les,

” et c.Mil ton, as Hume noted, must here have had in vi ew the

passage in Homer (I l iad, vi i i . 69 ) where Jupi ter weighs theissues Of uncer tain events in go lden sca les, and tha t in Vi rgi l

(E nei’

d,x11. 72 5) where there is a sim i la r image. But

Mil ton makes the ba lance the a ctua l constel la t ion L ibra ,and in o ther respects he makes the image ent i rely his own.

1003. The sequel each of parting and of fight,” i .e. one

weigh t represented the consequence of notfigh t ing, the othero f figh t ing. The ba lance turning decidedly to the former

Sa tan drew th e inference, and acted accordingly ( 10 13

BO OK V.

3 5 his sleep was aery l ight, from pure digestion bred,and temperate vapou rs bland

,wh ich

”etc. Newton and sub

sequent commenta tors make “s leep ”

the antecedent o f“ whi ch

; but i t seems more na tura l , and more consistentwi th the subsequent image, to take “ temper ate vapoursbl and”

as the antecedent .44 . Heaven wahes w ith a l l h is eyes.

” Mil ton genera l lyuses the feminine possessive form her a long wi th Heaven.

In the present instance,however

,there i s a fi tness in the

mascul ine form ,—if i t be the mascul ine by personifica t ion,

and not simply the O l d neuter h is. The eyes of H eavenwake t o beho ld Eve ; to hav e sa id “ her eyes ,

” therefore,would nothave been in keeping.

100—1 13.

“ But hnow that in the sou l a re many lesser

facu lties,”etc . Th is passage i s inte res t ing as a l i t t le sum

mary of Mil ton’s psychology. Fancy ,Phanta sy , and

Imagination were synonymous, or nearly so, in Mil ton’s

166, 167. Fa irest of Sta rs ,”etc.

,i . e. the planet Venus ;

which is some times Phosphorus or the Morning S tar, and

somet imes Hesperus or the Evening S tar.176.

“fixed in thei r orb thatflies,”i .e. in the eigh th of

the P tolema i c orbs or spheres.

fi ve other wander ing Fi res.

” As Venus,the Sun,

and the Moon, have a l ready been invoked, there rema inproperly to be invoked only four of the sev en wanderingF i res or Planets of the Ol d system,

—Mercury , Ma rs, Jupi ter ,and Sa turn. Mil ton hadmade a sl ip , or he means to reintro

duce Venus .1 78 . notwithoutsong

”: the Musi c of the Spheres.

18 1. in quaternion In fourfold combinat ion, as Earth ,Wa ter , A ir, Fire.

2 02—2 04 . Witness if I be s i lent, etc. In the Greekchoruses

,though many are singing, the s ingula r pronoun i s

often used.

2 2 0—2 2 3. Raphael,the sociabl e Spi r it, that deigned to

travel w ith Tobias,”etc. See note , IV. 168 - 17 1. Raphael

in Hebrew means God’s Hea l th

360 N O TE S TO PARAD I S E LO S T.

red colour, was cer tainly a lso used by them somet imes inour present sense of “ tex ture which is na tura l enough ,inasmuch as

granum”had the sense o f “ sma l l round

par ticle prim i t ively and genera l ly.2 85.

“ L iheMa ia’s son he stood

,i .e. l ike the god Mer

cury . Compa re a passage in Haml et, i i i . 4 .

32 1 , 32 2 .

“ Adam,E a rth

’s ha l lowed moul d

, of God in

spi red ” : Gen. i i . 7. The name Adam impl ies der iva t ionfrom the earth

339—34 1 . or middle shore in Pontus or the Punic shore,

or where A lcinous reigned,”i .e. or any of the Mediterra

nean regions , wheth er those ofWestern A sia (represented byPontus in Asia Minor ) , o r those o f No rthern A frica (represented by the Punic or Car thaginian coas t ) , or those of

southern Europe (represented by Phaea cia , a fterwards Corcyraor Corfu, where A lc inous had h is gardens) .

34 1 , 34 2 .

fru it of a l l hinds, in coat r ough , or smooth

r ined, or bea rded hush, or shel l .” The reading in most of

the edi t ions is r ind,”and the construction “ frui t of a l l

kinds, in rough coa t , or smooth rind, or bearded husk , orshe l l.” But in the F i rst , Second, and Third Edi t ions the

l ines s tand thus

fruit of a l l k indes , in coate,

Rough , or smooth rin'd , or bearded husk , or shel l .

From the Spel l ing r in’d” here i t appears tha t Mi l ton

intended the word for an adjective “r ined,

”equiva lent to

“r inded and Mr. Keigh t ley quotes from Spenser the expression “ the grey moss marred h is r ine

,conta ining the

substant ive “ r ine from wh i ch such an adjective migh t beformed. I t is probable tha t Mi l ton meant the cons truct ionto be “ fru i t of a l l k inds,—in coa t , whether rough coa t orcoa t smooth - rined

,or in bea rded husk , ” etc.

“odours from the shrub unfumed

” means ei ther“ odours unfumed (i .e. notyetexha led) from the sh rub,

odours from the unfumed (i .e. unburnt or na tura l ) shrub.”

Mr. Browne notes : “Fire was unknown in Paradise (1x .

at least t i l l after the Fa l l (X.

35 1—353.

“ without more tra in a ccompanied than with

his own completeperfections.

” A cur ious l icense of syntax,

wh ich provoked from Bent ley th is note Without more

than w ith is a solecism. I t shouldbe withoutmore than his,

B O O K V. 36 1

etc. , with being expunged.

” As the verse does not perm i tth is

,Bent ley supposed tha t Mil ton di cta ted w ith no more

tra in thanwith . The l iber ties andflexibi l ities o f seventeenthcentury Engl ish were unknown in Bent ley’s gramma r.

38 2 .

“th ree that in Mount I da

” e tc . Aph rodi te o r

Venus, Here or Juno, and A thene or Minerva, wh en Parishad to decide which was the most beaut iful .

4 1 5—4 2 6 . Of E lements thegrosser feeds thepurer , etc .

In these few l ines there is a ske tch of Mil ton’s Phys ics or

Phys io logy .4 4 7 .

“ the Sons of God. See Genesis v i. 2 .

4 69—4 90. 0 Adam, e tc. Here we have a sketch ,

from tJre A rchangel’

s mouth,o f Mil ton’s Metaphysica l or

ra ther Physi co -Metaphysica l system. Some have found ini t a sort of Ma ter ia l ism

,inasmuch as i t makes body up to

spiri t work,

”or represents the inorgani c as a scending by

grada t ions,“ improved by trac t of t ime

” butby str ic t selfdis cipl ine as wel l

,into the vegetable, the anima l

inte l lectua l or human, and fina l ly the Angel ic. I f th is i s tobe ca l led Ma ter ia l ism

,however

,the ma te ria l is t i c principl e is

confined by Mil ton wi th in the bounds of wha t may be ca l led“ crea t ion, and for th is “ crea t ion ” there is asser ted an

absolute cause and origin in an E terna l sel f- ex ist ing Spiri tor Dei ty. Mil ton’s Ma teria l ism is thus very different fromthe ordinary Ma ter ia l ism , and much more subl ime. In fact

in th is passage he gives a vague hint of tha t Panthei sm,or

PantheisticMater ia l ism,which he has expressed more articu

la tely in his La t in trea t ise Of Chr i stian D octr ine. He therecontends tha t a l l crea t ion, inanima te and anima te

,—brutes

men, and Angel s included,—consists but of diverse formsor degrees of one and the same ori gina l or prime matter

which matter was origina l ly an efli ux or emana t ion outof thevery substance of the One E terna l Spiri t (see Memoir

l xvi i The present passage, wh i l e only h int ing tha tdoctrine , as in the ph rase “

onefirst matter a l l,

” i s moreprecise than the trea t ise, however, in expressing the sub

ordina te doctrine o f an evolution from lower to higher aspossible among the present diverse forma t ions, ino rganic andl iv ing, of the one aborigina l cosmica l mat ter.4 88 .

“ D i scursive or Intu iti ve”

an O ld dist inc tion wi thpsychologists . Discursive Reason, or Understanding, theysay, is that wh ich a rr ives atknowledgegradua l ly by search ing,

N O TE S TO PARA D I S E LO S T.

comparing, dis t inguishing, e tc. ; Intui t ive Reason is immedia te insigh t , or perception of wha t mustbe true necessar i ly.

“the sca l e of Nature set

” etc. : i .e. “ planted tha tladder (sca la , a ladder) , or fixed tha t grada t ion, of Na ture,from its centre to its Ci rcumference, on wh i ch

”etc.

546—548 . than when Cherubic songs,

” e tc. See note,IV. 680 - 688 , wi th references there.

557. Worthy of sa cred si lence to be hea rd. L i tera l ly,as Ri chardson noted, from Horace, 0d. 11. x i i i . 2 9 .

576 . more than on E a rth is thought In these wordsand in the passage in wh ich they appear , what if E a rth

etc. , one ra ther sees Mil ton h imsel f speak ing to his contemporaries than Raphael speak ing at a t ime when there wereonly two human beings on the Ea r th to have Opinions .577 .

“ A s y et this Wor ld was not,”etc. At th is point

we have the true chronologi ca l beginning of the whole poem ;and from th is point to the end of Book V111. is ma inly aretrospect ive history , in col loquy between Raphael and

Adam,of events prior to the act ion of the poem i tsel f as

rela ted h i ther to .

579—583 .

“on a day on such day as Heaven

greaty ea r br ings fort H ere,at the outset , Mil ton

or Raphael ’s,plan of narra t ing the events of the eterna l or

transcendenta l wo r ld so as to make them analogi ca l ly conceivab l e by the human m ind involves h im in a dar ing image,wi th a perplexing theologi ca l consequence. Heav en has its“

grea t yea r,”—perhaps tha t “

grea t year of the Heavens,”

imagined by Pla to , wh ich is measured by one completerevolut ion of a l l the spheres, so tha t a l l are brought back tothe exact condi t ion of mutua l arrangement from which theysetout, and are ready to begin a new repet i t ion of thei r vastcourses. Wel l , on a day such as th i s grea t year brings for th ,—the fi rs t day of one such enorm ous H eavenl y revolut ion,there was an assembl ing of the Heavenly h ierarch ies , bysummons , to hea r a grand new announcement of the wil l ofthe Infini te Fa ther. I t was tha t on tha t day had been begotten the only Son, and tha t he was const i tuted and anointedHead and Lord over a l l th ings. Now , as the Angel i c hostswere assemb l ed to hear th is decree, they had indefini tely

pre- ex isted the day so splendidly marked, and i t cam e as a

k ind of interrupt ion or new epoch in thei r existence. Th isseems far ther h inted in a subsequent speech of Sa tan (l ines

Instead o f these six l ines,which appea r thus in the Second

Edi t ion, the Fi rst Edi t ion has only these three

They eat, they drink , and with refection sweetAre fi l l

d, before th ’

a l l bounteous K ing , who showrd

W i th Copious hand , rejoycing in the ir joy .

658—66 1 .

“ Satan—so ca l l h im now,

”etc. See Book

1. 36 1-

6 7 1 .

“ h is nextsubordinate, i .e. Beelz ebub .

68 9 .

“ the qua rters of theNorth .

”The poet i co - theologica l

tradi t ion tha t the no r th par ts of Heaven were the seat o ftheAngel i c rebel l ion seems to have been founded on Isa iahx iv . 12 , 13.

“ the th i rdpa rtof Heaven’s host. Rev . x11. 3, 4 .

753, 754 .

f rom one enti re globose stretched into longi

tude,” i .e. conce ived as ex tended or rol led out from i t s

gl obose form into a p lane cont inuous in one direct ion, l iketha t of longi tude in the maps .

766 . theMounta in of the Congr egation ca l led. I sa iahxiv . 13.

805. A bdiel . The name means Servant of God.

809 . bl asphemous to be pronounced bl asphémous.

BOO K VI .

“ war in procinct, i .e. in readiness. A Roman

armv , ready for ba t t le, was sa id sta re in procinctu (from

procingere,“ t o gi rd t igh t in the soldiers hav ing

then thei r garments gir t t igh t round them.

2 9—43. Servantof God,

”etc. Th i s is the meaning of

the name Abdiel . In the speech to Abdiel there i s a reco l

l ect ion o f Ma t t. xxv. 2 1, 1 Tim. v i. 1 2 , Ps. lx i i. 7,

2 Tim . i i. I 5 .

4 4 , 4 5. Go,Ildi chael , etc. Rev. x i i. 7 , 8 .

“ E qua l in number ,”etc. As the rebel Angels were

one- th ird Of the Heavenly Host,th is impl ies tha t ha l f of the

rema inder only were detached to mee t them.

“ in mighty quadrate” in cubic mass. See note ,

11. 5 12 .

“a rgument, i .e. carved o r pa inted design in

which sense Mil ton uses the La t in word a rgumentum ” in

his Epitaphium Damonis , 185.

B O O K VI . 365

147 . my Sect In this phrase,and th roughout the

passage, Mil ton has a secondary reference to his own posi t ionin England atthe t ime when the poem was wri t ten.

170. both thei r deeds”: an unusua l cons truct ion, for the

deeds Of bo th of them (t.e. of serv i l i ty or the loya l angels ,and freedom or the rebel Angels).

2 2 2 . These elements,”i .e. the elements of the terres tria l

wor ld am id which Raphael was speak ing to Adam .

2 39 .

“ moment, i .e. impel l ing force, momentum.

332 . nectarous humour ,”i .e. the ichor of the Gods , as

inHomer , I l iad, V. 340 ,wh i ch Mil tonmus t have had inm ind.

365—372 .

“ Adramel ech Splendid King”

) is from2 Kings xv i i . 3 1 .

“ A smada i ” i s the ev i l spiri t Asmodeussee ndte, I V . 168 - 17 1

“ A r iel”

(“ L ion of God ”

) i s suggested by Ez ra VI I I . 16 , and Isa iah xx ix . I A r ioch

L ion- l ike by Dan. i i. 14 , wh ere i t is the name o f a man.

Ramiel does notoccur in S crip ture.

39 9 . in cubic pha l anx ”see above

,l ine 6 2 .

4 4 1 , 44 2 . Or equa l in nature none.”The meaning

is “ Or equa l tha t,wha tever i t was, which made the odds

between us,an odds not ex is t ing so far as our const i tut ion i s

concerned.

4 4 7 . N i sroch (perhaps“ Grea t Eagl e

) i s from 2 Kingsxix . 37.

4 70—49 1 . Not uninvented, etc. In th is passage ,ascribing the invent ion of gunpowder and a rti l lery to Sa tan,Mil ton but fol lows Ariosto ,

Spenser , and preceding poets.4 9 6.

“cheer

”aspect , countenance from o l d Fr. ch iere,

I ta l . cera , face o r countenance.

“ pernicious, ” i .e. destruct ively sensi t ive .532 . In moti on or in ha lt.

” I have notseen i t noti cedtha t in the origina l tex t the word is not ha lt

” but a lt,and tha t th is Spel l ing a lt

” rema ins in the Second and

Third Edi t ions.

“ Z ophiel”(“ Spy of God”

) is perhaps a name o f

Mil ton’s invent ion.

552 . in hol low cube.” See above, l ines 6 2 and 399 .

558—567. Vangua rd,

”etc. Observ e the irony of the

speech and the string of puns in i t .

572—578 . A tr ip le-mounted row,

”etc. I t has been

suggested tha t th is mus t mean tha t there were th ree rows Of

cannon, one beh ind the o ther . Butthe poet seems clearly

to imagine the rows one over another v ert ica l ly , as theym igh t be in a ship’s side, and such an a rrangement of thecannon is cons istent wi th the not ion of the rebel h ost asforming a hol low cube.

578 . Portending hol l ow truce.

” Even Raphael puns .59 5—59 9 . Una rmed

,they might,

”etc. Here we seem

to have an after though t o f Mil ton, correct ing his preva lentnot ion of the di la tabi l i ty or contract ibi l i ty of the spi ri ts at

wil l (see notes , 1. 4 19 and Remembering th i s not ion,and yet reso lved to keep h is representa t ion of the effec t ofthe cannon on the Angel i c hos t , he resorts to the imaginat ion tha t the arms of the Angels, not being of the Angeli csubstance, but of more ordinary ma t ter , hung about themand impeded the exercise of thei r elast i ci ty. Th is is one

the Sh i fts to wh ich Mil ton is driven by the na ture of hissubject

,and i s perhaps hardly consistent wi th other passages

in the poem.

609—6 19 . 0 fr iends,

”etc. I rony and punning con

t inned.

6 2 1—6 2 7 .

“ Leader ,”etc. Bel ia l ’s puns in th i s speech

outdo S a tan’s.

656-66 1. Thei r a rmour helped thei r ha rm

” etc. See

note t o l ines 59 5 59 9 . There is an advance in this passageon the supposi t ion made in the other . In the cas e of the

rebel Angels not only does the armour impede the exerciseof the spiri tua l e lastici ty, but, crushed in upon the bodies ofthe Spi rits

,i t causes pa in. Th i s di fference of the rebel from

the lo ya l Angels is accounted for by the deteriora t ion of the

being o f the former caused by th ei r sin.—Observe the j ingl e

a rmou r and harm .

664—667 .

“So h i l l s infi rna l noise.

” The meaning isH i l ls encountered h i l ls amid the a ir so (to such an extent )tha t the Angels were actua l ly figh t ing underground, in a darkness tha t was disma l and a noise tha t m igh t proper ly be ca l ledinferna l , as being roo fed over by the flying masses of ea rth .

6 73. Consu lting on the sum of th ings.

” See tVatur am

non pati Senium,l ines 33, 34 .

68 1,68 2 . in whoseface inv isi ble is beheld v isibly ,

whatbyDeity I am

,i .e. “ in whose face a thing in i ts own na ture

invisible—to wi t,wha t by my Dei ty I am—is beheld v is ibly.”

68 5. as we compute the day s of Heaven.

” See note , I V.449 ) 4 50 ’

368 N OTE S TO PARA D I S E LO ST.

muse Ca l l iope. O rpheus was torn to pieces by the Bacchana l ians in Rhodope, a mounta in of Thrace, where his songhad charmed the woods and ro cks.

—Mil ton recol lect s herel ines 54 9 , 550 of h is Comus.

“thou a rthea venly ,

she an empty dream. Thouis Urania , Mil ton

’s muse she ” i s Ca l l iope.

104 . unapparentDeep,

”i .e. Chaos, surrounding the

Na tura l Univ erse,butnotv isibl e from i t.

13 1— 135. Lucifer ,

” e tc. Luci fer, meaning L ightbringer (in Greek was the name of the

morning star. The name i s applied to the King o f Babylonin Isa iah xiv. 12 . The appl ica t ion of i t to Sa tan i s sa id toda te from St. Jerome.

168 , 169 . Boundless theDeep nor vacuous The

meaning is, Chaos i s boundless because I am boundl esswho fi l l infinitude ; nor is Chaos empty o f my presence ,though I , in a manner , hold myself reti red from i t and

inhabi t more pecul iar ly Heaven.

19 2 . So sang.

”Observe the poet’s preference , on

musical'

grounds, here for the pre teri te form“sang,

” insteado f “

sung,” wh ich be genera l ly uses, and has used imme

diatel y before, l ine 18 2 .

2 0 1 . between two brazen mounta ins lodged.

” Zech. v i . 1 .

2 2 5—2 3 1 . thegolden compasses, ” e tc. Prov . v i i i. 2 7 .

2 32 . Thus God,”etc. From th is point onwards Mi l ton

keeps Cl osely in v iew the Mosa i c a ccount in Genesis.

2 39—2 4 2 . then founded, then conglobed centre

hung. The space of the new Universe hav ing been clearedof i t s cold and tar tareous dregs, the poet meant to describewha t was done with the rest—i .e. with a l l tha t rema inedwith in the vast Sphere that had been cut out of Chaos and

consecra ted for the new purpose. Suppose, then, the construct ion to be th is Downward purged the black , tartareous,cold

,inferna l dregs , adverse of l ife then disparted the res t,

—l ike th ings hav ing been founded and conglobed to l ike,—to severa l place , ” etc. Compa re with the whole passagethe simi la r descript ion Book 111. 709 - 7 19 .

2 4 2 .

“ E arth , self - ba l anced, on'

her centrehung.

” “ Hungi s here the act ive verb hung Ear th , sel f- ba lanced, on hercentre .”

2 4 3, 2 44 . L ight, etherea l , firstof th ings, etc. See 111.

7 16 , with note ; a l so the firs t l ines o f Book 111. L ight is

B OO K VI I . 369

not so much created in th is passage as invohed int o the

port ion of Chaos wh i ch was to conta in the crea t ion.

2 4 5—2 49 .

“ Sprung from the Deep , etc. One wouldhav e imagined rather thegush ing down of L igh t from Heaven

into the new Universe ; but there are reasons why Miltonra ther makes L igh t come in, as i t were, atone side of the newUniverse, springing from the Deep at tha t side, and s lowlytraversing, l ike a radiant cloud, the space t i l l now in gloom .

2 6 1—2 75.

“ Let there be fi rmament,

”etc. Gen. i . 6 .

The word fi rmament” has been var iously interpreted.

Milton understands by i t the whole expanse of ether or

transparent space between the Ea rth and the Tenth Sphereor Pr imum Mobi le ; and he supposes the crea t ive wo rk Of

the sec‘bnd day to have been the es tabl ishing Of th i s firma

ment so as to separa te the prev iously di ffusedwa ters or wa terypa rt icles of the chao t i c stuff into two aggrega t ions,—thosecl inging to the Earth and flowing round i t , and those re

moved to nea r the circumference of the Universe and formingthere the N inth or C rysta l l ine Sphere.

2 74 . Heaven he named the Fi rmament i .e. the wholeexpanse of space v isible from the Earth was named Heaven,

after tha t greater eterna l or empyrean Heaven wh ich i t wasto typify to Man.

3 1 I , 312 . after her hind, whose seed is in her self . A

di st inc t ins tance of “ her” where we should say its ; and

Mil ton here dev ia te s from the authoriz ed text , which is(Gen. i . 1 1 )

“the frui t - tree yielding frui t after his k ind,

whose seed is in i tsel f.”

32 2 .

“add the humble shrub.

” I restore th is readingfrom the Firs t and Second Edi t ions : the Th i rd has “

the humble shrub,” wh i ch reading has consequent ly s l ipped

into a l l the la te r Copies.32 5.

gemme i .e. “

put forth ,” from the La t in gem

ma re, t o bud or put for th b lossoms.372 , 373.

j ocund to run h i s longi tude,” i .e. pa th from

eas t to west.

374 , 375. the Pl ei ades,

”etc. Job xxxv i i i . “ I .

38 2 .

“ div idua l,i .e. div ided or shared (Lat. div iduus) .

See no te, IV. 4 86 .

38 8 .

“ Repti l e” : here used in the sense of creeping or

mov ing th ings of the wa ters—i .e. fishes of al l k inds. See

Psa lm civ . 2 5

370 N O TE S TO PARA D I S E LO S T.

402 . scu l l s a prov incia l word wi th fishermen forshoa l s which word had been a l ready used in l ine 400 .

4 2 0.

“ca l l ow, i .e. fea therless ; “

fl edge,” fea thered. I t

was an o l d adject ive see i t befo re , 111. 6 2 7.

4 2 1. summed thei r pens completed thei r p lumage.4 2 9 , 430 .

“ w ith mutua l w ing ea sing thei r flight,” i .e.

faci l i ta t ing the fl igh t of the whole body by each in turnbecoming the point Of the wedge.

4 40 . Her state”: perhaps mere ly her sta tely shape, but

perhaps wi th the image of a“ sta te- barge

”and its wh i te

canopy.

4 7 1 .

‘Behemoth hereusedfor Elephant , as Lev ia thanhas just been (4 1 2 ) for the Wha le. In J ob (xl . 15, and

x l i . I ) the names are ra ther for the hippopotamus and the

crocodi le.

4 90 .

“ thefema le bee,”etc. The not ion was common in

Mil ton’

s t ime tha t the work ing bees were fema l es.

5 17, 5 18 .

(for where i s notHe presentt)” Inasmuch

as the acts of crea t ion are being done by the Son with inwha t had h i ther to been pa r t o f the body of Chaos

,and the

Fa ther m igh t be though t of as hav ing rema ined in Heaven,th i s parenthesis, reminding the reader of the Fa ther

’s omnipresence, was notunnecessary .

535—538 . Wherever thus created he br ought thee

into this del i cious gr

ove,th is Ga rden. I t is here impl ied

tha t the crea t ion o fMan did not take place wi th in Paradise,

but somewhere out of i t ; and th is is in accordance withGen. i i . 8 and 15.

565—56 7 . Open

, ye ever l asting gates , etc. Ps. xxiv . 7.

596 , 59 7. organs of sweetstop, wind instruments ; “a l l

sounds onfret,”a l l sounds produced from strings by

“ fret sor divi sions.

6 19 . On the clea r hy a l ine, the gl assy sea .

” The Angelsare supposed to be l ook ing down th rough Heaven

’s opening

and beholding the new Universe as a miniature Heaven

suspended from the ma in one. They see i t founded on the“c lea r hya l ine,

” i .e. on the C rysta l l ine or N inth Sphere,wh ich encloses i t . “ IIy a l ine

”is the Greek word for

glassy or“ crysta l l ine.” and is used in the origina l of

Rev . i v. 6 , where our v ers ion has o f glass.

“ A ught, notsurpassing human measure, say .

” In

the origina l edi t ion Of the poem, in Ten Book s , Book VI I.

372 N O TE S TO PARA D I S E LO ST.

ference of i t s wheel ing sphere, but may move fly- l ike inan Epicycle, i .e. a sma l l subsidiary ci rcle revolv ing round a

point in tha t wheel ing circumference. By a compl icated use

of these two dev ices , in aid of the more simple and ear lydev i ce of merely mul tip lying the mundane orbs, the Pto l ema i c astronomers had contr ived to save appea rances

”but

only by such a diz z y intri cacy of wheels w ith in wheels and

wheels on wheels as Mil ton describes. H is language h i tso ff very exact ly the th ree comb ined dev ices for meet ing thedi fficul t ies (1 ) E ccentr ic as wel l as Centr i c ; (2 ) Epicy cle aswel l as Cy cl e; (3) mul t ipl ica t ion of genera l Orbs.

12 8 .

“ In six thou seest,”i . e. in the Moon, Mercury ,

Venus , Mars , Jupi ter, and Sa turn.

130. th reedifiTerentmotions.

” These are (1 ) the diurna lrota t ion of the Earth on her axis (2 ) her annua l o rbi t roundthe Sun ; (3) the l ibra t ion or osci l la tion of the ax is i tsel f.The th ree are exempl ified in a top spinning. The spinningOf the top is the fi rs t mot ion ; the ci rcle i t describes wh i leSpinning shows the second the var ied ba lancing Of the topa l l the wh i le from a more uprigh t to a more s lant posi t ionrepresents the th ird.

133—136. thatsw iftnocturna l and diuhna l rhomb sup

posed, ” etc. ,i .e. the revolut ion of the Tenth Sph ere or

Pr imum Mobile . Rhombus i s wheel .”

149 . With thei r attendant Moons.

” A reference toGa l i leo’s di scov ery tha t Jupiter and Sa turn hav e sa tel l i tes .

150. ma le andfema le l ight,”i . e. di rect and reflected.

18 3— 19 7. nor w ith perp lex ing thoughts to interrupt

the s weet of l ifie to hnow that wh ich before us l ies in

da i ly l ife is thepr imew isdom,

”etc. To qua l i fy the inrpres

sion made by this passage, see M i l ton’s enthusiasti c outburst

on the pleasures of scient ific research and specula t ion in

the th i rd o f h is P rolusiones Orator ice, and a lso his advocacyof Physica l S cience in his Tracton Educati on.

2 09 . Fond”: in its O ld sense of fool ish .

2 2 9—2 44 .

“ For I that day was absent, etc. An extremel y ingenious idea, permi t t ing the introduct ion o fAdam’

own story o f wha t he recol lects of his crea t ion. Raphaelwould gladly hear i t , he says for he had not been presenton the Earth , o r in the Mundane Universe at a l l , on tha tS ix th day on wh ich Adam had been crea ted. He

,with the

legion under his command, had been despa tched down

B O OK IX. 373

th rough the bel t of Chaos undernea th the Mundane Universe,with an order to guard the ga tes of Hel l , les t any of theRebel Spiri ts should emerge to interrup t the crea t ive work .

The ga tes were fast buthe had heard the no ise of tumul tw i th in

,showing tha t the Fiends had recovered from thei r

s tupor andwere aga in in commotion. See note, I V . 4 49 , 4 50 .

2 46 .

“ E re S abbath evening,”i . e. not the evening of

Sabba th o r Seventh day i tsel f, but the evening of the S i xthday, befo re the Sabba th began.

2 5 1 . who h imself beginning hnew i .e. who everknew h imsel f as beginning or commencing to exist ?

“ purpose ” : discourse (Fr. propos) , as at IV. 337 .

384 ,“sort

”: issue , come to pass , succeed (Fr. sorti r ) .

4 6“ leftside.

”Th i s is an addi t ion of the commenta

tors; S crip ture (Gen. i i . 2 1 ) notment ioning from wh ich sidethe rib was taken.

57 1 573. Oft-times noth ingprofits morethan self -esteem,

etc. A v ery Mil toni c sent iment , exhibi ted and asserted in

Milton’s own l ife.

“adorn

”adorned, from the I ta l ian adorno.

63 1, 632 . the E a rth’s green Cape and verdant I sl es

Hesperean,

”i .e. Cape Verd and the Cape Verd Islands,

west of Afr ica.

“ Adam to h is bower . The conversa t ion of Adamwith Raphae l had taken place in the bower ; butAdam isto be supposed as hav ing, at i t s close, fol l owed Raphael (l ine645) to the entrance of the bower.

BOOK IX .

13—19 . argumentnot l ess but more heroic than,

e tc.Mil ton here cla ims superiori ty for h is theme over the themesof the three grea test Epics of the world t i l l then —the I l iad,whi ch sings Of the “ wra th of A ch i l les , and one of theincidents Of which is the pursui t Of Hector by A ch i l lesround the wa l l s of Troy ; the zEneid, in wh i ch is rela tedthe anger of Turnus on account of the promise of Lav inia toIEneas , and much of the plot of wh i ch turns on the hosti l i tyof Juno to IEneas, as the son of Venus (Cytherea ) ; theOdy ssey , the hero of which , Ulysses, i s persecuted by Neptune.

2 1. my celestia l Patroness,i .e. Urania. See V I I . 1 ,

2, and no te.

2 6 .“ l ong choosing, and beginning l ate.

” The subj ect ofPa radise Lost had fi rst occurred t o him abou t 1640 but

long cho osing”among o ther subjec ts had fol lowed ; and

not t i l l 1658 , when he was fi fty years of age, had he ser iouslybegun. See Memoir , p . xv i . and p . x l iv.

,and Introd. pp .

16 - 2 1 .

2 9 , 30.

“ch ief mastery to dissect fabled hnights.

An a l lusion to the m inute descrip t ions of wounds in Homerand o ther ep ic poets.

“ Impresses ” (I ta l ian impresa ) , dev ices or emblemsused on sh ie lds or otherwise.

36 . Bases,

” k i l t s or lower garments.

“sewers ,

” those who ushered in the mea ls and ar

ranged them ou the table senesha ls,” house- s tewards.

39 . The shi l l of a rtifice (i .e. mere arti z ansh ip ) or ofl icemean, etc. And yet wri ters o f heroic poems of the k inddescr ibed had been Spenser , A r ios to , and the l ike.52 . [Vight

s hemisphere.

”One ha l f of the Earth being

in shadow const i tutes nigh t .60—6 1 .

“ S ince Ur iel ,”etc. Book I V. 555- 575.

64—66 . th r ice the equ inoctia l l ine he ci rcled,

”etc. Of

the seven days during wh ich Sa tan had gone round and

round the Ear th , a lways keeping on i t s dark side, th ree hadbeen spent in mov ing from eas t to wes t a long the equa tor ,and four in mov ing from pole to pole, or from north tosouth and back ; and in thi s secondway he would

“ traverse”

(go a long) the two grea t circles from the poles ca l led specia l lythe col ures ,

”viz . the Equinoctia l colure and the Solst i t ia l

colure.

69—73. There was a pl ace where Tigr is , etc.

See I V. 2 2 3 - 2 46 , and note there.

76—82 .

“ Sea he had searched and land,

” etc. The

Fiend, on leav ing Eden (IV. had gone northwardover the Pontus Euxinus or Black Sea, andthe Pa lus Maeotis

o r Sea of A z of,and st i l l nor thward as far as the S iberian

r iv er Ob,which flows into the Arcti c Sea ; whence, con

t inning round the pol e and descending on the o ther side ofthe globe, he had gone southwards as far as the An tarct icpole. So much for his t ravel s north and south . In “ length ,

i .e. in longi tude , h is j ourneys had extended from the Syrian

Fi rs t among celebra ted serpents Mil ton ment ions t/tose t/za l

l l ly r i a c/i anged,”

(i .e. became the subst i tutes for) Her

mione andr Cadmus the story being tha t Cadmus and his

wife (genera l ly ca l led Ha rmonia ) prayed the gods in theiro l d age to be rel ieved from l ife, and were changed into ser

pents. Nex t is ment ioned the serpent in whose shape the

god [Esculapius went from Epidaurus to Rome, when a

plague was raging in tha t ci ty. The las t ment ioned are

those into wh i ch Jupi ter Ammon and Jupi ter Capito l inuswere respect ively t ransformed, the fi rs t when he v isi tedO lymp ias , the mother of A l exander the Grea t , the secondwhen he v i s i ted the mother of Scip io A fricanus. Jupi terwas the fabled fa ther of both these heroes.4 50. teddedgr ass,

”i .e. cutand spread out to dry.

52 2 . Tnan at Ci rcean ca l l the lzerd disgu ised,” i .e. than

the morta ls t ransfo rmed into beasts by the enchantments ofC irce were at l zer ca l l .6 2 4 . So in Mil ton’s own tex ts , and notbi rt/z .

By the pecul iar form of the word he intens ifies the meaning.

See Essay on Mil ton’s Engl ish , p . 169 .

634—640.

“a wander ing fi re,

” et c. The [gni s Fatuus

or Wi l l of the Wisp in his account of the cause of whichphenomenon Mil ton fol lows the science of his t ime.640. M isl eads tne amazednzg/zt-wanderer from lz is way

a recol lect ion surel y, as Todd observed, of Shakespeare’s l inein M id. N ight’s D ream,

11. i .

Misleads nigh t -wanderers , laugh ing at their harm.

78 1 .

“size eat.

” So in origina l tex t : not ate, which isnow the authoriz ed preter i te.

79 2 .

“ A nd knew not eating dent/z. A Greek idiom,

used a lso in La t in.

“v i rtuous

,precious two posi t iv es used for super

l atives, according to a classica l idiom.

845.“ div ine of somet/zing i l l .

” This pecul ia r use of

div ine” for “ foreboding

”i s, as Newton rema rked, from

the La t in : Hor. , 0d. 111. xxv i i. 10 .

“ t/zefa lter ing measure, i .e. the unequa l bea t ing of

his heart.853—8 55. in ner faee to prompt. The construc

t ion andmeaning have puz z led commenta tors. I unders tandIn her face, so beaut iful i t was, excuse for wha t she had

BO O K X. 377

done came a l ready, as pro logue to the very speech of excuseshe was to make, and to promp t (quicken, hel p on, or prepare for) tha t apology which she now addressed to h im.

10 19 , 102 0.

“ S ince to eat/i meaning savour we apply ,andpa l ate ca l l j udicious,

” i .e. since we are in the habi t o fapplying the term savour in ei ther a physica l or a mo ra lsense, and of annex ing the epi thet j udicious, wh ich refersorigina l ly to the judgment or understanding, to the pa late orsense of taste.

1059—1062 .

“ So rose the Danite strong, etc. See

Judges xi i i. 2 , 2 5, and xvi . Observe the pronuncia t ionDa l i lah . So in S ams. Ag. 2 2 9 , 72 4 , 1072 .

1064 .

“strucken.

”See note, Ode N at. 9 5.

1 10 2—1 1 10.

“ Butsuch as, att/zis day , to I ndians known,

in Ma labar or Decan, e tc. The t ree, according to Mil tonhere, was not the common fig- tree, but the Indian fig

- t ree,so fi rst ca l led by the Portuguese from the resemblance of itsfrui t, though not eatable, to figs. The l eaves of this t ree,however, are not “ broad as Amaz onian targe,

”but actua l ly

sma l l.1 1 15—1 1 18 .

“ Sue/z of late Columbusfoundt/zeAmer i can,e tc. The fi rs t na t ives of Am eri ca encountered by Columbus(149 2 ) were total ly naked ; but he afterwards came upont ribes dr essed with c inctures of fea thers, as in the tex t.

BOOK X.

84 . Conv iction to the Serpent none belongs, i .e. no

proof is requi red aga inst the merebrute serpent , which wasSa tan’s instrument .

9 2—9 5. Now was the Sun

” etc . The authori ty for thet ime here is Gen. i i i. 8 ; and in the sequel of tha t passagethere i s authori ty for wha t fol lows here

, as far as l ine 2 2 2 .

“ A nd dustsna lteat, e tc. In the appa rent ly lamemetre of this verse we have an instance of Mil ton’s carefulness to quote as l i tera l ly as possible the exac t words ofS crip ture. (Gen. i i i . 14 .

184— 19 1 .

“ S aw S atan fa l l l ike l ig/ztning, etc. The

early commenta tor Hume pointed outthe coagula t ion inthispassage o f these texts—Luke x . 18 ; Eph . i i . 2 2 ; C01. i i i.15 ; Ps. lxv i i i . 18 Rom. xv i . 2 0 .

2 17 , 2 18 .

“or sl a in

,as t/ze snake, witlEy out/zf ul coat

repa i d, i .e. “ei ther sla in for the purpose

, or only s t rippedo f their sk ins, and provided with others, as the snakes cas tthei r sk ins.

” Dea th had now been brough t into the world,butthe poet pro fesses ignorance whether beas ts were s la inor notto prov ide the firs t c lo th ing for Adam and Eve.

2 2 9—2 7 1 . [ li eanwni le w it/tin t/ze gates of Hel l sat

S in and Dea l/z ,”etc. The s tory of the poem here rever ts

to S in and Dea th , who had been left inside the ga tes of Hel lwhen Sa tan passed through into Chao s to di scover the New

Wor ld, 11. 8 89 . By some secret physica l sympa thy, Sin,

s i t t ing atthose now open ga tes, had become aware of Sa tan’s

success in h is enterprise far overhead, and of the Fa l l o fMan. She proposes, therefo re, to Dea th to construc t a

causey , bridge, or pa thway, from Hel l -ga tes across Chaos totheNewWor ld, so tha t the communica t ion may henceforth beeas ier

,and the inhabi tants of Hel l may pass atthei r p leasure

between Hel l and the upper Wor ld.

2 60,2 6 1 .

for intercourse or tr ansmigration, etc . , i .e.

whether for going to and fro between Hel l and theWo rldo fMan, or for permanent passage up to theWor ld of Man,

as may be thei r lo t .”

2 79 .

“ t/ze gr im Feature, i .e. figure or form. (I ta l ianfattura Engl ish manufactu re. )

2 8 2—3 1 1. Taen bot/t, from outHel l -

gates,”etc. The

bui lding of the prodigious bridge is here described, wi ththese compa risons —The ga thering out of Chaos of the

sol id or s l imy ma t ter tha t was to fo rm the pier or commencement of the bridge atHel l ’s ga te , and the dr iv ing o r push ingof the same th i ther from opposi te sides by Sin and Dea th ,were as when two winds from Opposi te q ua r ters on the

Croni an Sea (i .e. the A rct ic Sea , from Kronos o r Sa turn)dr ive together icebergs, so as to s top “

t/ze imagined way”

(i . e. the suspected north - eas t passage)“ bey ond Petsora

gul f on the ext reme north - east of the present EuropeanRussia )

“ to tae Cat/za ian coast”

(i .e. to China ) . The

cementing or fixing of the aggrega ted soi l by Dea th ’s macewas l ike the fixing of the floa t ing island o f Del os by Zeus ;and Dea th ’s very look assisted in the work by binding the

mass with Gorgonian r igour (i.e. a s t iffness l ike tha t pro~duced by the look of the Gorgon, wh ich turned people intos tone). The famous bridge of Xerxes over the. Hel lespont

35 1 . stupendious. So in the ori gi na l tex ts. The form,

now a vulgarism, was once good Engl ish .

“ H i s quadrature.” Mil ton has a l ready sa id of the

figure of Heaven,as seen from undernea th

,tha t i t was un

determ ined square or round”

(11. 1048 and note there) ;and, though in the ma in the fancy of spherici ty has served,he here aga in sugges ts the a l terna t ive of the cubi c form. AsHume supposed

,he may have had in m ind Rev. xx i . 16 ,

where the New Jerusa lem is described as“ four - square

and Hume a l so quotes a passage from the ma th ema t i cianGassendi (159 2 - 1655) in wh i ch he speak s of the notion tha tthe Empyrean Heaven i s ex terna l ly of a quadra ted form .

Mil ton may have passingly favoured the fancy to dis t inguishmore strongly for a moment the Empyrean from the

orbicu lar Wor ld ”undernea th i t, i .e. Man

’s Cosmos .

“ planet- strook.

”See note , 0d. Nat. 9 5.

“causey ,

” st i l l a provincia l word for “ causeway ,and rea l ly, as Mr. Keigh t ley has exp la ined, more correct ;the word being from the French c/zaussee, and havingnothing to do origina ll y with the Engl i sh word way.

4 2 5, 4 2 6.

“ Lucifer ,” e tc. See note , V I I . 131

- 135.

4 2 7.

“ tbc Grand,”the grandees or chiefs , as di stinct

from the genera l body.4 31—436.

“ A s w/zen tbc Ta rta r , e tc . Images drawnfrom the recent h istory of the East . “ A stracan i s thecount ry nor th of the Caspian

,over whi ch a Ta rtar host ,

repul sed by the Russians, m igh t re trea t on thei r way backto Asia ; and, aga in, i f the Bactr ia n Sop/i i (i .e. the Shah ofPersia

,of wh ich the ancient Bactria was a part

,and the

rul ing dynasty of wh i ch from 1502 to and beyond Mil ton’st ime was tha t of the Sofi s or Sooffees) were re trea t ing frombefore the crescent standards of the Turks to h is capi ta lTaur is (Tabreez ) or to Casbeen (Kasveen) fa rther inland, hewould l eav e waste the country between h imsel f andtbe rea lm

of A ladu le (i .e. Grea ter A rmenia, the las t king of wh ichbefore its conq uest by the Turks was named Al adul e) .These recol lections of maps by a bl ind man are surpri sing.

460. Tl i rones , Dominations, etc . Mr. Browne notesthe occurrence of th i s l ine three t imes before V. 60 1 , 772 ,840.

“unor igina l , without beginning.

52 4—52 6 . Scorpion, andA sp , etc. Most of the names

BO O K x . 38 1

here for different k inds of serpents occur, Hume pointed out,

in a passage in Lucan (Pba r s. i x . 700 et

52 6—52 8 .

“ tbc soi l bedr opt w ith blood of Gorgon , i .e.

L ibya,when Perseus carr ied the Gorgon Medusa

’s head

through the a ir t o E th iopia , and the bloody drops made the

serpents with wh ich L ibya swarms . Op/z iusa or Colubrasia

(both names meaning Snake Island i s now Formentara ,

south of Iv iza .

52 9 . Dr agon. Rev. x ii . 9 .

“ Huge Pytbon,

” i . e. the Serpent bred out of thesl ime of Deuca l ion

’s F lood, and sla in by Apollo.

“ Mega ra”

one of the Furies , who had serpentsfor ha i r.

56I—570.

“ l ike that w/zi c/t grew,etc. . The story of

the Dead Sea apples,or apples of Sodom , fa i r outs ide, but

ful l of ash es wi th in,had its origin in the fac t tha t there is in

tha t region an apple- l ike frui t which exp lodes on pressure.

572 . Wixom t/zey tr iumpbed once l apsed, i .e. ov erwhose single lapse they tr iumph ed.

580 584 . Andfabl ed bow tbc Serpent, etc. In one o f

the Greek th eogonies Op/zion (wh ich word impl ies Serpent ” )and E ury nome (

“ the wide - rul ing were the primeva l godand goddess , superseded by Kronos and Rhea (ca l led otherwise Saturn and Ops) , who aga in were dispossessedby Jupiter,ca l led D icta an, because he was brough t up on the C retanmounta in D icte. Mil ton t rea ts the myth of Oph ion and

Eurynome as a tradi t ion Of the s tory of the S erpent and Evekep t up among the Hea then by the Dev i ls themselves.

58 1 , 58 2 . wide- e ncroaching. A not iceable word here,inasmuch as i t i s div ided between two l ines . In the

origina l tex t , as in ours, there is a hyphen after w ide.”

“v ast un - l i ide- bound corpse

,i .e. vas t body

bound t igh t ly by i ts sk in, but with i ts sk in hanging looseabout it6 57.

“ to tbe otber fi ve, i .e. to Mercury, Venus , Mars,Jupi ter , and Sa turn.

658 66 1. Tbei r pl anetary motions and aspects, in sex

ti le, etc. The phrases are a l l taken exactly from the O ld

A strology, which recognised five aspects of the p lanets, eachhav ing i t s pecul iar k ind of influence on events

,—conj uncti on

or synod, sexti le, square, tr ine, and opposition.

668—6 78 .

“ S ome say ,

”etc. I t is poet ica l l y assumed

here tha t before the Fa l l the ecl ip ti c or Sun’s pa th was inthe same plane as the Ear th ’

s equa tor, and tha t the presentobl iqui ty of the two planes, or thei r intersect ion at an angleo f was a modifica t ion of the phys i ca l Universe forthe worse, consequent on the Fa l l. There were two waysin wh i ch the a l tera t ion m igh t have been produced ; and

Mil ton s ta tes both . E i ther the ax is of the Ear th m igh t havebeen pushed askance the requi red dis tance or the Sun him

self m igh t have been compel led to dev ia te the requireddi stance l ike distantbreadt/i from his former pa th. To

indi ca te wha t the second would amount to, Mil ton fol lowsthe Sun in the imagined devia t ion. F i rs t he t races him in

his ascent north from the equa toria l road, th rough the

constel la t ions Taurus and Gem ini (in the neck of the formerof wh ich are the Pleiades , ca l led “ tbe Seven Atlantic S isters

as being the daugh ters of A t las, wh i le the Gem ini are“ t/i e Spa rtan twins,

”as represent ing Cas tor and Pol lux ,

the Spa rtan Brothers) , and so up to his extreme northerndi stance from the equator at the Crab in the Tropic of

Cancer ; then he descends with h im aga in, by Leo and

Vi rgo , t i l l he retouches the equa tor at L ibra , or the S ca les,merely sugges ting the equa l vagary southwards beyond the

equa tor as far as the Tropic of Capri corn.

68 5—687 . w/i icii l i adforbid t/ze snow from col d E stati

i .e. would have prevented the snow from com ing so

far from the north pole as to Estot i land (an o l d name for

the pa r t of North Amer ica east of Hudson’s Bay) ;“and

sout/i as fa r beneat/i [ Magel lan i .e. and kept the snowfrom as much of the Ear th towards the south po le.

68 8 . T/zy estean banquet.” A treus , k ing o f A rgos,

served up to his brother Thyes tes at a banquet the flesh of

Thyestes’s own sons ; atwh ich horror the Sun turned out

Of his course.

69 5—706 .

“ N orumbega , in o ld maps , i s the par t ofthe c0ast of the present Uni ted S ta tes nea res t to Canada .

Tbe Samoed s/zore ” i s the S iber ian sho re north - eas t ofRuss ia . From these nor thern regions blow the cold nor thwinds , v iz . Boreas Ca cia s (N .E ) , A rgestes

and T/i rascias The south winds tha t encounterthem are N otus (S . ) and Afer rush ing from S ierraLeone and other pa rts of A frica ; and the hubbub is i hcreased by the crossing of the Levant rising

” or eastern)

8 8 7, 88 8 . Wel l if t/i rown out, etc. A reference to theopinion tha t Adam had been crea ted with a supernumeraryrib on h is left side, outof wh i ch Eve was formed.

8 98—908.

“ For eit/zer l i e never s/za l,

”etc. In not a

few passages where Eve is spoken of i t is possible tosuppose a recol lect ion by Mil ton of the incidents of h is own

married l i fe ; but in few passages is the persona l referenceso dist inct as in th is.

9 89 , 9 90. In the Firs t, Second, and Third Edi t ionsthese two l ines are printed thus

Cl i i l dl ess thou a rt, ch i ldless r enza z'

S o Dea th s/za l l be deceiv’

d l i z'

s gl ut, a nd w ith us two

the first l ine hav ing two syl lables defect ive o f the usua lmeasure, and the second two in excess.

1069 .

“ t/zis diurna l sta r ,”i .e. the Sun. Compa re

Ly cid. 168

1073. attr ite tofi re made into fire by a t tri t ion,—an

a l lusion t o the process of obta ining fire by ru bbing or

str ik ing bodies together.1075.

“ Tine”: t o l ight o r k indle. The word occurs in

Spenser .109 1.

“ Frequenting, i .e. fi l l ing, in the sense of the

Lat infrequenta re e.g. Ita l iam co loni is frequentavit.”

BOO K X I

10—14 .

“ tl i e ancientpa i r , ” etc. In the classi c legendDeuca l ion and Pyrrha , the surv ivors from the primeva lDeluge, consul t the oracle of Themi s as t o the means of

res toring the human race.

I 5. nor mi ssed t/ze way , etc. A reference to 111. 444etseq . ,

where the L imbo of Fools is described. See par

ticular ly l ine 48 7 in tha t passage.

17. D imensionless” wi thout length , breadth , or depth ,

as notbeing ma teria l substances.2 8 .

“nzanur ing.

”See note, I V . 6 2 8 .

“ defended”: forbidden, as in French.

“ Zr/icl i ael , etc. Bishop Newton has pointed out

tha t there is a poet ica l fi tness in the selection o f Michael forth i s errand,—first, because M ichael was the Archangel o f

B O O K x i . 385

Severi ty , who had a l ready been sent to execute simi lar just iceon the Rebel Angels and, secondly, because less has beenheard hi ther to of th is A rchangel , in the ma in sto ry of thepoem,

than of Uriel , Gabriel , and Raphael .12 8 , 12 9 . Four faces each ,

”etc. Ez ek. x . 12 - 14 .

13 1— 133,

“ A rgus,”etc. The “ A rcadian pipe i s the

shepherd’s pipe with wh i ch Hermes or Mercury cha rmed to

s leep the hundred- eyed A rgus, employed by Juno to wa tchIo ; the “

opiate rod” i s the caduceus o r wand of the same

Mercury , wh ich had the power of sending to sleep .

133—135. e tc. Here begins the last day

o f the act ion of the poem.

I 35.“ Leucothea ”

: the “ Brigh t Goddess of the Greeks,ident ified by the Romans wi th thei r Matuta or MorningGoddess.

“ E ve r ightly ca l led, etc. Gen. i i i. 2 0. BishopNewton’s note on the passage i s ,

“ He ca l led her beforeI shah , Woman, because she was taken out o f [ sh , Man

(V I I I . but he now denom ina tes her E ve or Havah ,

from a Hebrew word wh i ch signifies to l ive.” But she

has a l ready been ca l led Eve in the poem by Mil ton himself.

“the bi rd of j ove

”: the eagle.

2 05. yon western cl oud.

” Th is implies tha t Michaelapproached Paradise on i t s western s ide wh i ch is the morefi t , as Mr. Keigh t ley noted, because he was to expel Adamand Eve atthe opposi te s ide.

2 13—2 2 0 .

“ Not that Mahana im Dothan ,

e tc . Gen. xxxh . 1 , 2 and 2 Kings v i . 13- 17 .

2 4 2 , 2 43.

“ l l l el i bcean,

” from Mel iboea in Thessa ly, “or

the gr a in of S a r ra ,”i .e. the purple of Tyre, ca l led S a r after

the name of the shel l - fish tha t yielded i t . See note, v .

2 8 5.

2 64 .

“ Hea rt- strooh. See note, Ode Nat. 9 5.

“native soi l .

”Eve may say so , Hume notes, as

hav ing been crea ted in Paradise ; but Adam was createdoutside o f Pa radise, and brough t into i t.

377. [ n the v i sions af God.

” Ez ek . xl . 2 .

385—4 1 1 .

“ H is ey e might there command,”

etc . In

th is splendid geograph ica l survey there is a certa in orderIn l ines 38 73 9 5 the eye sweeps over A S IA . I t begins withthe region there which was cal l ed Tartary in Mil ton

’s t ime

VOL . 111.

386 N O TE S TO PARA D I S E L O ST.

(now div ided between the Russian and Ch inese empires) ,s ingl ing out the s i te of Gengh is Khan

’s future capita l of

Camba lu in Ca thay, and tha t of Tamerlane’s future camp of

S amarcand north of the Oxus thence i t stretches to China,represented by Paqu in or Pehin thence i t returns by the

Indian south,select ing Agra and Lahore, ce lebra ted ci t ies of

the Mogul monarchs, and glancing atthe Eas t Indies as faras the Golden Chersonese or peninsula of Ma lacca ; and i tconcludes wi th a glance atthe west of the cont inent, notingPers ia with its successive cap ita l s of E cbatana and [ spa/i on,Russia or Muscovia (reputed t o belong to Asia ) with itscapi ta l fi l oscow,

and Turkey wi th i t s capi ta l By z anti um or

C onstant inople. AFR ICA comes next , in l ines 396 - 404 .

Here fi rst we have Abyssinia, the Emperor of which is ca l ledNegus in the na t ive E th iopic , and the north ernmost part

o f which on the Red Sea i s E rcoco (Arkecko ) ; then are seenthe sma l ler mar i t ime k ingdom s of the eas t coa st—Mombaza ,

Qu i loa , Mel inda , and Sofa la then the Cape is rounded, andwe come to Congo and A ngola , k ingdoms on the west coas t ;and thence, by the N iger, we reach MountAtl as, with the

Barba iy S ta tes of Northern Africa, once included in the

dominions of Al -Mansur (the second of the Abbas ide Kha l i fs)—t owns or div i sions o f wh i ch are Fez , Sus, Morocco, A lgiers,and Tremisen. EU ROPE i s dism issed rapidly in l ines 405,406 , with but a look at Rome. L ines 406 - 4 1 1 range toAMER ICA , foreseeing Mex ico (the capita l of Montezuma, whowas conquered by Cortez ) , Cusco in Peru (the las t na t iveruler of wh ich was A taba l ipa, conquered by Piz arro) , andtha t grea t ci ty in Guiana which the Spaniards (ca l l ed“ Geryon

’s sons,

”after Geryon, a l egendary Spanish k ing)

longed to reach and namedE l Dorado.—The whole passage,

besides i l lustra t ing the strength of Mil ton’s geograph ica lmemory, i s another i l lustra t ion a l so of his art in the musicof proper names.

4 14 .

“euphrasy and r ue. Euph rasy , popularly ca l led

“ eye - brigh t,”was supposed to have a specifi c effec t in

clear ing the sigh t ; and among the medic ina l v i r tues attr i

buted to rue—wh ich was ca l led “ herb of grace”

(R icha rdI I I . 4 , and Hamlet, I V . 5)—was a lso tha t of s t rengthen

ing the eyes.

“sord. So spel t in the original ,—sward, or turl.

The spel l ing i s found in other poets.

388 N OTE S TO PARAD I S E L O ST.

stage by h issing,—the l i tera l meaning of the La t in exp lodo,from ex andplaudo.

68 1 , 68 2 . But who,

” etc. The syntax of these twol ines is v ery pecul iar, the word whom hav ing to be resolv ed,not as usua l into and him,

but into who h im tha tjust man who , had notHeaven rescued h im , had been lost.”

68 8 .

“ these Giants.

”Gen. vi . 4 .

700 . the sev enth from thee.

” Jude I 4 .

706 . Rapt, ” etc. The manner o f Enoch ’s t ransla t ionis supposed to be the same as the manner of E l ijah’s.2 Kings i i . 1 1 .

72 9—753.

“ Began to bu i ld a vessel , etc. Gen. vi . and

v i i . butMil ton has inser ted reco l lect ions of descrip tions ofthe Flood in Ov id (Met. i . ) and other poets.

7 73, 7 74 .

“neither and.

”A pecul ia r construct ion,

in wh i ch neither is not fol lowed as usua l by nor .

8 2 9—835. Then sha l l this Mount,

”etc. Adopting the

op inion tha t Paradise was ob l i tera ted by the F l ood, Mil tonhere disposes o f i t very poet i ca l ly. I t was swept down “

gr eat r iver ,”i .e. the Euph ra tes, to the Persian Gul f, where

i t t ook roo t as a m iserable island. See IX . 69 73, and no te,IV . 2 2 3

- 2 46 .

“orcs wha l es, or other huge fishes.

8 36—838 . To teach thee, etc. An undoubted expres

s ion of Mil ton’s ant i - ceremonia l ism in ecclesiast ica l ma t ters.

846. thei r fl ow ing”

a l iber ty o f syntax, since wave

in the preceding l ine i s in the singular.8 66. three l i sted colou rs.

” Listed” is s triped

(A .- S . l ist, a hem or edge : Mid. Lat in and I ta l ian l ista ) .

The th ree colour s meant are perhaps red, yel low, and b lue.

884—90 1. In th is speech of Michael ’s there is a coagula

t ion of such tex ts of Scripture as these : Gen. vi. 6 - 12,v i i i.

2 2 , and i x . 1 1 - 16 ; and 2 Pet. i i i. 1 2 , 13 .

BOOK X I I .

1—5. “ As one who new speech resumes. Thesefive l ines were added in the Second Edi t ion, to make a

proper opening fo r the Twel fth Book. In the F irst Edi t ionthere is no such break in Michael ’s speech , the l ine

Thus thou hast seen one wor ld beg in and end.

B O O K XI I . 389

fo l lowing i mmedia tely after wha t i s now the last l ine of theE leventh Book.

2 4—37 .

“ ti l l one sha l l r ise, etc. , i .e. N imrod. See

Gen. x . 8 - 10.

38—6 2 .

“ He, w ith a crew , etc. Gen. xi . 1 -

9 . Com

mentators find no authori ty in the Bib le for connect ingN imrod wi th the bui lding of the Tower of Babel.4 2 .

“ the mouth of Hel notthe Hel l of the res t o f thepoem, but the Hel l of the ordinary mythology,—Ta rtarusunder the Earth.

8 5. separa te or separable. See notes , IV .

4 86 and V I I. 38 2 .

10 1—104.

“ witness the i r reverent son, etc. Gen. i x.2 2 - 2 5. Michael assumes tha t the story of Ham i s known toAdam ,

though , as Thyer noted, there i s no ment ion of i t ashav ing been as yet told him .

1 15.“ Bred up in idol

- worsh ip. As Abraham’s fa ther

Terah is ment ioned, J osh . xx iv. 2,as hav ing served other

gods ,” i t is assumed tha t Abraham was bred up in a fa lse

rel igion.

1 17—12 0. Whi le yetthepatr ia rch l ived who, etc. In

the Bibl ica l chronology Noah surv ives the flood 350 yea rs,and Terah , Abraham

’s fa ther, was born 2 2 2 yea rs a fter i t.

130—137. Ur of Cha l dcea ,

” etc. Mil ton here t racesAbraham’

s route from h is nat ive Cha ldaea (between the Eu

phrates and the Tigris ) into Pa lestine. First , leav ing Ur(now Orfah , once Edessa ) in Chaldaea , he sees him crossingthe Euph rates ata ford, with a l l h is wea l th and ret inue (hisfa ther Terah among them, as we learn from Gen. x i. 3 1where indeed Terah is represented as heading the expedi t ion) ,and arr iv ing in Haram in Mesopotam ia. Thence, ha rdlya l l ow ing t ime for tha t stay in Ha ram during whi ch Terahdied (Gen. x i . 32 , and Acts vi i. he fol lows Abraham in

the cont inua t ion of his j ourney wes tward,t i l l he reaches

Canaan, and sett les firs t about S ichem in the pla in of Moreh ,near the centre of the land (Gen. xi i . 4

139— 14 6.

“ From Hamath ,”etc. A poet ica l survey of

the ex tent of the Holy Land, according to these textsNumb. xxxiv . 3

- 1 2 , Deut . i i i . 8 , 9 . H amath is a town innorthern Ga l i lee the Desert i s the desert of Z in, borderingPa lest ine on the south Hermon is the range of mounta inso f tha t name to the east of upper Jordan the greatwestern

390 N OTE S TO PA RAD I S E LO ST.

Sea is the Medi terranean fltount Ca rmel is on the Mediter

ranean coas t j ordan is ca l led“the double - founted s tream ”

as being formed by the junct ion o f two st reams in the extreme

north of Pa lestine ; Sen i r is properly another name for MountHermon (Deut . i ii . but seems to be used by Mil ton forsome range , a lso east of J ordan, stretching far ther to thesouth.

fa ithf ul Abraham, etc. Gen. xvu. 5, and Ga l .

in. 9 .

“of cedar . Mr. Keigh t ley notes thi s as an error,

the sanctuary being of sh i t t im -wood or acacia.2 55.

“as in a z odiac

” e tc. Tha t the sev en lamps hadth is as tronom i ca l signifi cance is , as Newton noted

,an idea

o f Josephus.2 83—306 So many l aws a rgue, e tc. Bishop Newton

wri tes thus Compa re the fol lowing texts with the poetGa l . i i i. 19 ; Rom. vi i . 7 , 8 ; Heb. ix . I 3, 14 ; Heb . x.

4 , 5 ; Rom. iv . 2 2 - 2 4 ; Rom. v. 1 Heb . v i i . I 8,19 ; Heb .

x . 1 Gal . i i i . 1 1,I 2

,2 3 Ga l . iv. 7 ; Rom. v i i i . 15.

Mil ton has here, in a few verses,admi rably summed up the

sense and a rgument o f these and more texts of S crip ture.

Mos t of the texts had been traced by the fi rs t commenta tor,

Pa t rick Hume. In a l l par ts of the poem the reference totexts of S crip ture i s frequent ; but in the res t of this las tbook i t is incessant.3 10. Butj oshua , whom the Genti l es j esus ca l l . Jesus

is used as the Greek eq uiva lent to J oshua in the Septuagint,and a l so in A cts v i i . 15 , and Heb. iv . 8 . Joshua , Jeshua ,Jehoshua

,H oshea , Oshea , and Jesus, are, in fact, butva rious

forms of the same word, meaning ei ther“ whose hel p is

J ehovah ”or God the Savi our. ”

32 2—330 .

“a prom ise sha l l receive

,et c. 2 Sam. v11.

16 Psa lm l xxxix . 34 -

36 ; Isa iah xi. 10 ; Luke i . 3 2 , 33.

3 4 8—350.

“ Retur ned f rom Baby l on by leave of hings,etc. B. C. 536 . The k ings meant are Cyrus

,Dar ius, and

A r taxerxes . See Book of Ez ra.

353—358 .

“ Butfi rstamong thepr iests, e tc. The eventsof la ter J ewish hi sto ry so hurr iedly sk immed in thi s passageare as fol lows —In consequence of a s truggle for the h ighpriesthood between two riva ls, Antiochus Epiphanes, k ingof Syr ia, was able to come to Jerusa lem ,

where he plunderedand pol luted the Temple, and put the Maccabees to dea th

39 2 N OTE S TO PARA D I S E L O S T.

58 1—585. only add, etc. 2 Peter i. 5 - 7 I Cor. x ii i.2 and 13.

58 8 , 589 . top of specu l ation both l i tera l ly and meta

pho rica l l y,—l i tera l ly, as they were on a mounta in- top, whencethey could wa tch or look far a round and metaphorica l ly,as they had just a t ta ined the h ighest point of ph i losophy orspecula t ive w isdom.

found her wahed not q ui te cons is tent wi th the

phrase in the A rgument prefixed to the Book ,—“ wahens

“ mar ish the o ld form of “ marsh ,”used down

t o Mil ton’s t ime, and found, as Keigh t ley notes, in the

Engl ish Bible (Ez ek. x lv ii . 1 I ) .635. adust,

” scorched,burnt : from the La t in adusta s,

I ta l . adusto. The word i s not uncommon in o ld Engl ishwriters.

636—639 .

“ whereat in either hand the Angel , et c.Milton recol lected here, as Addi son pointed out, the behav iour of the Angels to Lotand h is fami ly (Gen. x ix.64 8 , 64 9 . Addison thought tha t the poem woul d have

ended bet ter wi thout these two l ines : vi z . wi th the words“and P rov idence thei r gu ide,

” l ine 64 7. Mil ton thoughtotherwise, and has l eft us th is las t sigh t of Adam and Eve

a fter they came down from Pa radise

They,hand in hand , w ith wandering steps and S low,

Through Eden took their so l i ta ry way .

NOTES TO

PA RA D I S E REGA I NED A ND

SA MS ON A GO N I STE S .

396 N OTE S TO PARAD I S E RE GA I N E D .

1 17. y ea gods, i . e. not only possessors and rulers of

regions o f the Ea rth and A i r,but actual ly gods to men, in

consequence of that p rocess by wh i ch the Fa l len Angels hadin course of t ime been transm i tted into the fa lse gods of theva r ious Polytheist i c systems. See Pa r . L ost, 1. 364 et seq . ,

and no te there.

“ But to,”

etc. A l ine very pecul ia r metrica l ly ,unless , with Jortin, we suppose “

vanqu ish”

accented on

the las t syl lable, vanqui sh .

184 . L odged in Bethaba r a , wherej ohn bapti z ed. Thisis from John i . 2 8 These th ings were done in Bethabara ,where John was baptiz ing.

”In tha t passage, h owever, the

best Greek MSS . o f the New Testament read Bethany fo r

Bethaba ra ; wh i ch reading is adopted by the edi to rs of theRev ised New Testament , though they note, Many ancientauthori ties readBethaba r ah , someBethar abah.

” Mr. Jerram ,

who had remarked the var ious reading, says tha t , i f Bethanyi s adop ted, then conj ectures as to the si te of Bethabara are

of course fut i le.

” He adds, however Some take i t tobe the Bethbcir ah ment ioned in Judges v i i. 2 4 , the principa lford of the Jordan ; others Bethnimrah (Jo shua xii i .eas t of the Jordan and nearly opposi te Jericho . L ieut .Conder, of the Pa lestine Exp lo ra t ion, ident ifies Bethaba rawith a ford much farther north , about 2 5 m i l es S E. o f

Cana , now ca l ledMahha’

detAba’

ra . S ince Bethabara means

House of C rossing,’ there may have been many places on

the Jordan bearing tha t name.

19 3. the border ingDesertwi ld. TheDesert orWi lderness which was the scene of the Tempta t ion was

,according

to Ma t thew and Luke, the same as tha t in which John hadbeen preach ing and from wh ich he had gone to Bethabarabaptiz ing. I t was ca l led the Wi lderness of Judea , and ex

tended from the Jordan a l ong the whole western coast of theDead Sea . The m iddle part was ca l led specia l ly theWi ldenness of Ziph , from a mounta in in i t, and the northern part ,due east from Jerusalem,

the Wi lderness of Engedi or Engaddi , from one of the ci t ies of the deser t (Josh . xv.

The “ bordering Deser t wi ld ”of the present passage was

ei ther this Wi lderness o f Engedi , or some deser t par t of theva l ley of Jordan i tsel f h igher up. In the sequel of the poem ,

however, Mil ton supposes tha t Christ, in his forty days o f

wandering, may have pene tra ted farther into the Wi lder

B O O K I . 39 7

ness of Judea and ev en reached the grea t A rabian Deser ti tsel f.2 9 2 , 2 93 .

“ l lea rn notyet, etc. In the spi ri t o f suchtexts as Luke i i . 52 , and Ma rk x i i i . 32 , and in accordancewith the v iew of some theo l ogians, Mil ton makes Ch r ist asMan not omniscient , butacq ui ring knowledge gradua l ly.

2 94 .

“our Morning Sta r .

” Rev . xxi i. 16 .

3 14—32 0 .

“ But now an aged man , etc. Note themanner o f Satan’

s first appearance here, and how stea l thyand mean- l ook ing he is. I t is as i f the grea t Sa tan o f

Pa radise Losthad been sh rink ing since then into the Mephis

tophel es of the modern world. See Int rod. p. 10.

33 334 . what,” for augh t tha t o r

aug i twh i ch an obsolete use now of wha t , except asa vulgarism ,

though e tymologi ca l ly proper.

347—35 1. I s itnotwr itten ?

” e tc. Deut. v i i i. 3.

353, 354 .

“ E l iah ,”

etc. Th i s name occurs four t imesin the poem. Twice i t i s spel t E l iah in the origina l edi t ion

v iz . h ere and at 11. 19 and twice E l ijah—v iz . at 11. 2 68 ,and 11. 2 77 . Wandered this bar ren waste.

”E l ijah’s

wanderings were from Beersheba into the Grea t Deser t asfar as Horeb (1 Kings x ix . 1 and therefo re not st ri ctlyin tha t Deser t o f Judea wh i ch i s usua l ly supposed to havebeen the scene of Ch ris t’s temp ta t ion.

368 , 369 . etc. Job. i. 6.

37 1—376.

“ A nd, when [ (ingAhab, etc. 1 Kingsxxi i. 19 - 2 3.

383, 384 . Whatcan be then less in methan desi re, e tc.The meaning i s The least I can do is to desire and the

wording, i f stri ct ly construed, gives a lmost the opposi t e sense.

A word l ike less , ” as Mr. J erram notes , “ is l iable to causeconfusion when j oined to a word or phrase implying a

nega t ive and he q uotes sentences from Shakespeare whereless s tands instead of more.

4 2 8 .

four hundredmonths. 1 Kings xx i i . 6.

4 35. Ambig uous, and w ith double sense del uding. A

reference to some of the famous ins tances of ambiguousanswers by the Delphic O racl e.4 56 .

“ henceforth Oracles a re ceased. See Od. [Vat 173etseq . and note there.

4 9 8 .

“ H is grey dissimu l ati on. The ph rase is foundin Ford’

s Brohen fl ea rt. Keigh t ley , who noted the fact,

398 N OTE S TO PARA D I S E RE GA I N E D .

though t i t a mere accidenta l coincidence ; but Mr. Jerramobserves that the Bro/zen Heart came out about 162 0, andwas probabl y known t o Mi l ton.

BOOK I I.

“ Andrew and S imon. John i. 40, 4 2 .

“ Moses m issing l ong.

”Exod. xxxrr. 1.

“ thegreat Th isbite.”

E l ijah , the Tishbite ( 1 Kingsxv ii. Mil ton avoids the sh sound when he can.

17.“

yetonce aga in to come.” This was a bel ief of theEarly Church , founded on Malachi iv. 5, and Ma t t. xv i i .I 1.

19—2 4 .

“so in eachplacethesenigh toBethaba ra ,

so the firs t discip les sough t Chris t in a l l places a long the

Jordan from Bethabara . (See note, 1. The places

named are j er icho, wh i ch was ca l led“ the C i ty of Pa lms

(Deut. xx x iv . and wh i ch was to the west o f the Jordan,a l i t t le north of the Dead Sea zE non, a town on the Jordan ,

cons iderably higher up and nea rer the Lake Gennesa reth , and ment ioned in John i i i. 2 3 as one of the placeswhere John bapti z ed Sa lem, ment ioned in the same tex t asnear to [ Enon, andment ioned a lso in 1 Sam. ix. 4 as Sha l im ,

in the country round wh i ch Saul sough t h is fa ther’s asses

and unde r the same name in Gen. xxx ii i. 18 as a dwel l ingplace of Jacob (hence probably ca l led

“ Sa lem O ld” by

Mil ton, and not because , as some suppose,he ident ified i t

w ith the Sa l em of Mel chizedek , Gen. x iv . and fina l lyMachaerus, on the eas t of the northern angle of the DeadSea . But they searched not these places only, but a lsoevery other town or ci ty be tween the Lake Genez aret and

the Dead Sea ,—whether on the wes t of the Jordan, or in thecountry ca l led Peraea on the eastern side of tha t r iver.2 7. P l a infishermen (no gr eater men them ca l l After

Spenser (Shep. Ca l . , i . I ) A shepherd’s boy (no bet ter doh im ca l l) .6 1—6 2 . Mr. J erram notes the rhyme in these two l ines

as an unfortuna te accident in a blank verse poem .

1 19 .

“ without s ign of boast,”

etc. In contrast to h ist riumphant return from temp ting Adam . See Pa r . Lost, x .

460 etseq .

400 N OTE S TO PARAD I S E REGA I N E D .

Engl ish cookery, and especia l ly grisamber or grey amber.Though so ca l led, i t was not any k ind of amber, but a

pecul ia r grey subs tance , of anima l or igin, found floa t ing inthe sea, or thrown on the coasts, in warm cl ima tes. Whenhea ted i t gave o ff a r ich fragrance. I t was very expensive,and was used only on grea t o ccas ions.

34 7. Pontus,the Euxine Lucr ine bay , the Lucrine

lake in I ta ly “ Afr ic coast a l l celebra ted fo r their fish .

353—36 1. Ganymed,

” Jupi ter’s cup - bearer “ Hy las,the a t tendant of Hercules Ama lthea

’s horn,

”the horn of

Jupiter’s Cretan nurse wh ich he invested wi th the power ofpouring out frui ts and flowers ; “ ladies of the Hesper i des ”

(properly “the Hesperides themselves), daugh ters of Hes

perus, the brother of A t las, and keepers of the gardensconta ining the golden frui t.

“ Logres”

or Loegr i a is the

name in o ld Br i t ish legends for wha t is now the ma in par t ofEngland ;

“ Ly ones , a name for Cornwa l l ; “ Lancelot, Pel leas ,and Pel lenore

”are wel l - known knigh ts of A rthur ian romance.

374 , 375. Al l these a re Spi r its of a i r,

etc. There is anecho here of a famous passage in the Tempest, Act. iv . Sc. 1.

40 1.“

fa r -fi t,” i .e.

“ far - fetched. The form “ fet for“ fetched ” occurs in Chaucer, Spenser, Jonson, Beaumontand F letcher, and other poets.

4 2 3, 4 2 4 .

“ A ntipater the Edomite, and his son Herod.

See note, Par . Lost, x 11. 353- 358 .

4 39 . Gideon andf ephtha . Judges vi . 1 1 etseq ., and xi .4 46. Qu intius

”is Quint ius C incinna tus, who returned

t o h is plough from the Roman D ic ta torsh ip ; “ Fabr icius

was a pa t riot i c Roman who resi sted a l l the bribes o f KingPyrrhus

, and died poor Cur ius is the v ic torious Cur insDenta tus, who refused a l l publ ic rewards, and was found bythe Samni te ambassadors roas t ing turnips ;

“ Regu l us is

the celebra ted Roman who dissuaded h is countrymen frompeace with the Ca rthaginians, and then went back to Car thageto suffer the conseq uences.

4 57—486. What if with l i/ce aversi on rej ectr iches and

rea lms, etc. Th is passage, and, indeed, the whole speechof wh ich i t is a pa rt , is very charac terist ic o f Mil ton, and

repea ts a strain of sent iment frequent in his wo rk s.

B O O K I I I. 401

BOOK I I I .

13—15. the oracle Ur im a nd Thum/a im

, etc. The two

gems o r clusters of gems so ca l led (the names are transla tedManifestation and Tr uth ) were worn in the breas t - pla te ofA aron and his successors in the high priesthood, and used,in some unknown way, for the purposes of augury on solemnoccasions. See Exod. xxv i i i . 30 ; Lev i t . v i i i. 8 ; Numb. xxv i i .2 1;Deut. xxxii i. 8 ; 1 Sam. xxv i i i. 6 ; Ez ra 11. 63 ; Neh . VII. 65.

3 1—4 2 . Thy yea r s a re r ipe, etc. At the t ime of the

Tempta t ion, J esus (Luke i i i. 2 3 ) was about th ir ty yea rs ofage. A lexander, the son of Macedonian Ph i l ip, had begunt o reign at the age of twenty , and had over turned the

Persian Empire before he was twenty - five. S cipio had thecommand aga inst the Ca rthaginians in Spain at the age

o f twenty - four,and had earned his name of “ A fricanus by

h is v ic tories in A frica before he was th ir ty - th ree. Pompeyhad certainly earned grea t dist inct ion in his youth ; but i twas not t i l l h is forty - fourth year that h e “ rode in t r iumph ,

a fter h is conquest of“the Pont i c King,

” Mithr ida tes. The“

great j u l ius”was nearly forty years of age before h i s

Oppo rtuni ty came and there i s a s to ry of h is burst ing int otears, ei ther when reading the biography o f A l exander, orwhen l ook ing ata statue of tha t hero, atthe though t tha t somuch of h is l i fe was past and so l it t le had been done in i t .Compare Mi l ton’s Sonne t I I .55.

“ H is l ot who da res be singu l a r ly good. A sent iment and expression pecul iarly Mi l toni c. In the wholepassage (44 - 64 ) I trace a t inge of autob iographic reference.

8 1, 8 2 . andmustbe titled Gods (l ike Ant iochus, Kingo f Syria, ca l led Theas ) ,

greatBenefi zctor s of manhind”

(l ikeAnt iochus of A sia and h is son Demetrius Po l iorcetes, styledE uergeta i ) , Del iverers (i .e. S oteres or Sav iours,

”a t i t le

given to severa l Greek rulers, including the las t -named) .

8 4 . One is the son of j ove,”i .e. A lexander ; “

of [Ma r sthe other , i .e. Romulus.

10 1 .

young Afr ican, i . e. S cipio .146 . stood struch.

”See note, Ode N at. 9 5.

160— 163.

“ofthave they v i olated the Templ e, etc. e.g.

Ant io chus Ep iphanes (2 Maccab. and Pompey,who

penet ra ted to the H o ly of Hol ies.

VO I I I I .

402 N OTE S TO PARAD I S E RE GA I N E D.

165—170.

“ S o did not .Machabeus, etc. The Asmo

h aean fam i ly , so celebra ted in la ter Jewish history,were

descended from Asmonaeus, a L ev i te, and were themselvespr iests, dwel l ing in the distri c t ca l led Modin. When Ant iochus Epiphanes, the Greek k ing of Syria (see last note) , waspersecut ing the Jews for th ei r rel igion, Ma t ta th ias, the heado f th i s fami ly, and his five sons, J ohn, S imon, Judas, E leaz a r,and Jona than, l ed a pa tr iot i c revol t. Judas par ti cularly distinguished h imsel f, and a cquired the name o f h/accaba us, or“ the Hammerer wh i ch name was extended to the wholefami ly. Thei r successes were such as to bring the sovereigntyinto their hands and the dynasty o f the Maccabees, foundedB. C. 1 66 by Judas Maccabaeus, lasted more than a century.Sa tan in the tex t is careful to ca l l i t a “

usurpa t ion of the

th rone of Dav id.

183. A ndtime there i s for a l l things, Truth hath sa id.

Eccles. i i i. 1.

2 34 .

“once a year j erusa lem,

i . e. dur ing Passov er .2 53—2 64 .

“ [ t wa s a mounta in, etc . Tradi t ion has

fi xed on Mount Quarantania , on the righ t bank of the Jordan,as the mounta in of the Tempta t ion but Mil ton clearlyimagines (l ines 2 67 - 2 70) tha t Chr ist and the Tempter havebeen transpor ted by magi ca l power to some mounta in farbeyond the bounds of Pa lest ine. Dunster a rgued for MountN iphates in Armenia

,on the top of wh i ch Sa tan had a l igh ted

on h is own fi rs t v is i t to the Ear th (Par . L ost, I I I . 74 2 , andnote) ;and some mountain in tha t region, whence could be seen the“ two rivers ,

”Euph ra tes and Tigr is, the one winding, the

other s tra ight, wi th the champa ign of Mesopotam iabetween, seems req ui red by the descript ion. But, as appearsp resent ly , the v iew from the mountain is l im i tless.

2 69—2 9 7.

“ Here thou behold’st

”etc. The vi ew from

the mounta in- top in th is passage is of wha t may be ca l led

general ly THE EAST—i .e. o f a l l those countries which,

ancient ly included in the A ssyrian and Babylonian Empires,

were next comprehended in tha t of Persia , and so passedunder Graeco -Macedonian rule, t i l l about B.C. 2 56 , wh en theParth ians (a peop le of the region south - eas t of the Caspian)th rew off the government of the Seleucidae, and were formed

into an independent power by their ch ief, Arsaces. The

Par th ian Empire of the East lasted, under the successors o fArsaces , t i l l A .D. 2 2 6

,defying the at tempts o f the Romans

404 N OTE S TO PARA D I S E RE GA I N E D .

poet ica l descrip tion o f those evolut ions of the Par th iancava l ry

,shooting thei r a rrows in retrea t as wel l as in advance,

which were so terr ible to the Romans. Sogdiana , which theScy thian invaders are supposed to have wasted, was the

ex treme north - east prov ince of the Par th ian Empire, and

beyond the Oxus.

“ In rhombs, andwedges, and ha lf -moons, andw ings.

Al l these, as Dunster expla ined, are ancient m i l i ta ry terms.

The “ rhomb (ponfioa ahs (perms) was an acute - angledpara l lelogram,

with the acute angle in front ; the“ wedge

(é‘

ufiokov, or cuneus) was ha l f of a rhomb, or an a cut e - angledt riangle, with the acute angle in front ; the “ ha l f-moonwas a crescent wi th the conv ex to the enemy the wings

(repar a , o r a l a ) were the extremes o r flanks.3 1 1.

“ the city-

gates,”i .e. the ga tes of C tesiphon, where

the muster takes place.

3 16—32 1.

“ From A rachosia , etc. Anoth er o f Mil ton’s

mos t musica l l ists of proper names. A rachosia is par t of themodern A fghanistan Candaor is Kandahar in tha t countryMa igiana was a prov ince adj oining the invaded Sogdiana ;the Hy r canian cl zfi S

of Caucasus s tand for Hy rcania , anotherprov ince in the north ; the darh Iber i an da les are I ber ia , a

prov ince between the Euxine and the Caspian ; Atropatiawas par t o f Media ; Adiabene part of A ssyria Media and

Sus iana expla in themselves Ba l sa ra’s haven is Bussorah on

the Persian Gul f.

32 9 . indor sed w ith tower s. A fine expression and yet

l i t era l , hav ing towers on thei r backs.

338—343. I/Vhen Agr ican, etc. The romance here

c i ted is Bo iardo ’s

“ Orlando Innamora to , where there is a

s iege of A lbracca , the ci ty of Ga l l aph rone, King o f Ca thay,by Agr ieane, King of Ta rta ry , to win Angel ica , Gal l aphrone

daugh ter famous for her beauty at Cha r l ema in’s court.

34 2 . prowest” : bravest , most va l iant, most approved.

34 3.“ Paynim ,

Pagan. The two words are the same,save tha t Pagan is directly from the La t in (paganus ) , wh i lePaynim is th rough the French (pa ien or payen) .357.

“of Dav id

’s throne, i .e. of a l l those dominions

wh i ch had belonged to Dav id in the pa lmy days of theHebrew monarchy, before its dim inut ion.

‘S ama r itan orf ew Pa les t ine consisted then of threediv isions—Judaea , Samaria

, and Ga l ilee ; but, as Samar ia had

B O O K 111. 405

received many foreign colonis ts since the abduct ion of the

Ten Tribes, the Samar i tans were nota pure Hebrew ra ce.

36 1—385.

“ Between two s uch opposing enemies , Roman

and Pa rthian, etc. Sa tan now more ful ly discloses hispurp ose in hav ing brough t Jesus to the mounta in- top and

enabled him to survey the grea t Pa r th ian or Eas tern Empire.

On the assumption tha t Chris t’s ambit ion is pol it ica l , and

tha t he has begun to medi ta te the means o f resto r ing the

independence of the Jews, and re- establ ish ing tha t Kingdomof Dav id wh ich once extended from Egypt to the Euphra tes ,he has a plan to expla in, as fol lows —There were then onlytwo grea t powers in the world, the Roman and the Pa r thianand only by the hel p or connivance of one of those powers inoppos i t ion to the other could Jesus hope t o succeed in h isenterpr ise. Now, ci rcums tances were such as t o recom

mend, ih the fi rst place at l east , as the Dev i l thought, an

appl ica t ion t o the Par thians. S ince B.C. 65 the whole o f

Syria , with Pa lest ine included in i t, had been pa r t of theRoman Empire ; and, though the Romans had for somet ime perm i t ted the na t ive dynasty of the A smonaeans o r

Maccabees (see note, 165- 170 ) to govern in Pa lest ine under

them, and had then caused tha t dynasty to be supplanted bythe Idumaean dynas ty of Ant ipa ter and his son Herod the

Grea t, they had at length (A.D. 7 ) abolished a l l nomina lsub - sovereignty in Judaea and Samar ia, and converted thosetwo sections of Pa lest ine into

a regular Roman prov ince, t obe governed by

“ procura tors ” under the Prefect of Syria.

Pontius P i la te had jus t been appointed Roman procura tor ofthe province (A .D. wh i le Herod Ant ipas , ca l led “

Tetrarch ,”one of the sons of Herod the Grea t (th i s was the

Herod tha t beheaded John the Bap tist ) , was suffered st i l l torule for the Romans in Ga l i lee. A l l these changes had beeno f grea t interest to the Pa rthians to whose empire Syria ad

jo ined, separa ted from i t only by the Euphra tes, and who hadl ong been t rying to wrest tha t whole region from the Romans,

so as to advance the Par th ian boundary from the Euphra testo the Medi terranean. They had interfered aga in and aga inin Jewish a ffa i rs under the la ter Maccabees, and a l so underthe Idumaean dynasty. Especia l ly they had backed A nti

gonus , one of the Maccabee fam i ly, in his contes t for thethrone aga ins t his uncle Hy rcanus I I . , whom the Romanskep t there. They had actual ly “ carr ied away o ld Hyrcanus

406 N OTE S TO PARAD I S E REGA I N ED .

bound, maugre the Roman (B. C.—notdoing the same

for Ant igonus, as Mil ton’s wo rds seem to imply, but sus

ta ining h im on the throne of Pa lest ine, with Parthian help ,t i l l B. C. 37, when the Romans overpowered him and prrthim

t o dea th , to make way for Herod the Grea t. Rememberingthese fa cts, m igh t notJesus draw the inference ? Syria wass ti l l the deba teable - land between the Romans and the

Par th ians, the Romans sometimes a ttack ing the Pa rthiansthence

,and the Par th ians some times reta l ia t ing by covering

Syr ia with a c loud of thei r horse. “tha t more l ikely, therefore, than tha t , i f the Pa r th ians heard of a na t ive cla imantfor the throne of Dav id, who was no mere Maccabee, butthe l inea l descendant of David, they would find i t theirinteres t to do for h im aga ins t the Romans even more thanthey had done for Ant igonus , the last of the Maccabees ?Jesus, i t i s h inted (l ines 368 need not cul t iva te thePa rth ian a l l iance l onger than he finds i t useful ; nay, ul t ima tel y, a subversion o f the Pa r th ian power i tsel f m igh t bethe true pol icy. For (and here i s another subtle ingenui tysuggested by h is torica l know ledge) was not the very instrumenta l i ty by which the Hebrew mona rchy could most eas ilyandmost nobly be restored lodged in the hear t of the ParthianEmpire ? Was i t not “ in Ha lah and in Habo r by the r iverof Goz an, and in the ci t ies of the Medes (2 Kings xv i i i . 1 1 )tha t Sha lmanez er, the King of A ssyria , had put the Ten

Tr ibes of I srael when he had carr ied them away cap tive ;and would not the l ibera t ion of those l os t Tr ibes in theirPar thian fastnesses be at once a grea t exploi t in i tsel f, andthe a rm ing o f an agency for the res t of the work ?377. Ten sons of j acob, two of j oseph .

”The ten captive

tr ibes o f Israel were those of Reuben, S imeon, Zebulon,I ssacha r, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naph tal i , Eph ra im ,

Manasseh ,—the fi rs t eigh t being Jacob’s sons, and the las t

two Joseph ’

s . I t has been objected tha t the tex t is thereforeincorrect—tha t i t should have been “ E ight sons of j acob,two of j oseph . But i t is correct enough . Joseph , beingrepresented in Ephra im and Manasseh , br ings the numberof Jacob’s sons concerned up to nine and the tenth i s Lev i,many of whose descendants, the Lev i tes , were, of course,ca rried away, m ixed with the o ther t ribes.

“ Fr om Egypt to E uphrates.” Gen. xv. 18 , and

1 Kings iv. 2 1.

408 N OTE S TO PARAD I S E RE GA I N E D.

there would change thei r di rect ion the rea lm of Bacchus,was Gaetul ia in Nor thern A frica , where k ing Bocchus hadbeen the fa ther- in- l aw of Jugur tha , King o f Numidia ; and

this Numidia, with Maur i tania, etc. , const i tuted the restto the Blachmoor sea .

” Asia a l so sends her embassies(observe the dexteri ty of the remark tha t the Parthiansthemselves send ambassadors to Rome), so tha t even the

Gol den Chersoness,”i .e. Ma lacca

,and “ the utmost I ndian

isle, Taprobane,”i .e. Ceylon, are represented. Al l Europe,

of course, is represented,—from the wes t, where the ci ty o fGades or Cadi z stands for Spa in, to the Germani c north ,and the S cyth ian east , as far as

“ the Taur ic pool , ” or seao f Az of.

70. both way . We should now say“ both ways

but, as the word “

fa l l s” fol lows, Mil ton probably des ired

to get rid of the s.

“ turbants. So in the or iginal , and i t i s a frequentform in o l d writers. Mil ton uses i t in his prose. I t is theI ta l ian form,

turbante the form turban is French.

90. Th is Emperor .

”Tiber ius.

9 5. a wichedfavour ite. Sejanus.1 15.

“citron tables or Atlantic stone. C i t ron - wood,

from Mount Atlas , was much priz ed for the beauty of itsveining and polish . Atlant i c stone is probably Numidianmarble.

1 17, 1 18 . Thei r wines, etc. The first three k inds ofwine ment ioned were nat ive I tal ian, grown near Rome ; theo thers were Greek.

1 19 .

“ my r rhine, porcela in.

“ Peel ing,”i .e. st ripping or pi l laging.

14 2 . scene,” thea tre.

175—177.

“ It i s wr itten, etc. Ma t t. iv. 10.

2 0 1.“ Tetrarchs.

”So ca l led as shar ing among them

the four E lements.2 34 .

“ idol i sms,pecul iar opinions or prejudi ces a word

appa rent ly of Mil ton’s own coining.

“ th i s specu l ar mount.”

Compare Paradi se Lost,x 11. 588 , 589 .

“ Athens, the ey e of Greece.” The phrase is attri

buted to Demosthenes.2 4 1, 2 4 2 .

“native or hospitabl e, i .e. e i ther pro

ducing them or giv ing them wel come .

B O O K IV. 409

2 44 .

“ the ol ive-

grove of Academe. Th is famous schoolo f Pla to was a garden, less than a m i le beyond the wa l ls ofA thens , and derived its name from the fac t tha t i t was near

ground consecra ted to the Hero Akadémus.2 45. the Attic bi rd,

”the nigh t inga le.

2 4 7—2 49 .

“.Hymettus, etc. A mounta in near Athens,

famous for its honey.2 49 , 2 50. I l issus rol l s h is wh isper ing stream. The

scene of Pla to’s Phadrus is on the banks Of the I l issus.2 53.

“ Ly ceum,

”the school of A r is totle Stoa , a

port ico in A thens, decora ted wi th pa int ings , which became

the schoo l of Zeno, the founder of the S toics. The Lyceum ,

howeve r, was not “ wi thin the wa l ls.

“ o l ian cha r ms and Dor ian ly r ic odes”: Greek

lyric poe try genera l ly. A l caeus and Sappho used the {Eol iandia lect, Pinda r and o ther lyrists the Do

2 59 .

“ Bl ind Meles igenes, thence Homer ca l l ed. He was

ca l ledMelesigenes on the idea tha t he had been born on the

bank s of the Meles in Ionia the name Homer was supposedto be a contrac tion of th ree Greek words meaning “

bl ind man.

2 60. Whose poem Phoebus,”etc. In a Greek epigram,

quo ted by Bishop Newton, Apollo is made to say,“ ’Twas

I tha t sang Homer butwrote i t down.

2 6 1—2 66.

“ the lofty grave Tr agedi ans, etc. IEschylus,

Sophocles, and Eurip ides, are, of course, a l l in reco l lect ionbut in one of the ph rases Mil ton may have been think ingmost of his favour i te Euripides.2 67—2 7 1. the famous Orators, e tc. Per icles and

Demosthenes are the two most in v iew in the passage.

2 73, 2 74 .

“ the l ow- r oofed house of Socrates.”One of the

jests of A ristophanes at Socra tes was tha t he l ived in “a

l i t t le bi t of a house.

2 75, 2 76. the oracle pronounced wisest of men.

Socrates is h imsel f made, in Pla to’s Apol ogy of Socrates, totel l the s tory of this oracula r response. H is friend and

admirer Chaerephon had gone to the oracl e of Delph i to askthe question whether any one was wiser than Socra tes o f

A thens , and had received the answer tha t none was wiser.2 77—2 80. a l l the school s of A cademics old and new,

vi z . : the origina l Academy of Pla to (died B.C. the

m iddl e Academy of Arcesi las (died B.C. and thc

4 10 N OTE S TO PARAD I S E RE GA I N E D .

la ter Academy o f Carneades (died B . C. I 2 S) . with those

surnamed Per ipatetics , and the sectEpi curean,and the Stoic

severe”: the fol lowers respect ively of A r istot le (died B.C.

Epicurus (died B. C. and Zeno (died B.C .

, 32 0, 32 1. her fa l se resembl ance an empty cloud.

In a l lusion to the s tory of I xion, who, th ink ing to meetJuno , meta cloud subst i tuted for her by Jupiter.

32 2 . I/Vi se men have sa id,”etc. Eccles. xi i. 1 2 .

32 4 .

“ A spi r it and j udgment,”

etc. A remarkablyanoma lous l ine, consist ing of thi rteen syl lables.

3 2 9 .

“ worth a sponge, i .e. deserving to be sponged out

or obl i tera ted.

330 . A s chi ldren gathering pebbles on the shore. A l l

know the story of S ir Isaac Newton’s saying about himselftha t he was but as a ch i ld playing on the sea - shore and

amus ing h imsel f wi th pebble after pebble, and shel l aftershel l , wh i le the grea t ocean of truth stretched unfa thomableaway from him .

33 1—364 .

“ Or , if I wou l d del ight, etc. Notwith

standing the tone of deprecia t ion in the last passage (l ines2 86 there was no grea ter admi rer of the Greekl i tera ture than Milton, and Pla to, though represented th ereas hav ing fa l l en “ to fabl ing and smooth concei ts,

”was a

teacher to whom he owed and acknowledged much . Yet

tha t preference of the l i tera ture of the Hebrews over a l l

the o ther l iteratures o f the world wh i ch he now goes on toavow and justify (for by impl ica t ion the sent iments are

Mil ton’s own) was an undoubted hab i t of Mi lton’

s mindfrom h is early manhood onwa rds. He has expressed the

same in his prose writ ings.336 , 337.

“ in Baby l on, etc. Ps. cxxxv i i .34 6—350 . unworthy to compa re w ith S ion’

s songs, etc.

In Mil ton’

s Rea son of Church Government there is a simi la rpassage.

354 statists”: sta tesmen.

“ the starry r ubr ic.

”A metaphor suggested by the

red- let ter Ca lendar of the Church .4 15.

“ the four h inges of the wor l d.

” The four cardina lpoints : Lat. ca rdo

,a h inge.

4 2 7 . am ice mant le : Lat. am ictus, a garment .4 54 .

“flaws gusts, breaks, sudden blasts : Teutoni cflora . See Pa r . Lost, x . 69 8 .

N OTES TO SA M SO N AGO N I STES.

A UTHOR ’S PREFACE Of that sort of Dramatic Poem ,

etc. The “verse of Euripides ” wh ich St. Paul i s sa id to

have inserted into the tex t of Holy S cripture consists of the

words Ev i l communica t ions corrup t goodmanners ( 1 Cor.xv . The Patzens whose opinion as to the const ruet ion of the Apoca lypse Mil ton ci tes, both here and in h is

Rea son of Chu rch Government, was David Parzeus , a German

theologian and commenta tor of h igh note among the Ca l

v inists (1548 —When Mil ton says “ Though the

Ancient Tragedy use no Prologue ,”he uses “ Prologue in

its modern sense as a k ind of Preface to the Play, de

tached from the P lay i tsel f,and intended to putthe audience

in good humour w i th i t beforehand. Though the ComediansPlautus and Terence had Prologues of th is k ind, the ancientTragedians had none—Ih the phrase “ tha t which Martia lca l l s an Epist l e ” there is an a l lusion to the “ Epistola ad

Lectorem prefixed by Ma rtia l , by way o f apology, to theF i rst Book of his Epigrams. The three terms of GreekProsody introduced by Mil ton in h is Preface, and printed inI ta l i cs, vi z . Monostroph ic, Apolelymenon, and A l la ostroph ic,may in their present connex ion be transla ted S inglestanz aed,

” “ Releas ed from the restra int of any pa r ti cularmeasure, and “ D ivers - stanz aed.

” Mil ton’s purpose is toexpla in to p rosodians the metrica l structure of his ch orusesin Samson. These choruses , he says, may be ca l led .M

stroph ic, inasmuch as they run on wi thout div i sion int o stanz as,

or into the mutua l ly ba lanced parts ca l led strophe, ant istrophe

,and epodos in the regula r musica l chorus the verse

in wh i ch they are writ ten i s Apolelymenon, inasmuch as no

parti cula r measure is adop ted, buteach l ine is of any metretha t the poet l ikes ; or

, i f the choruses do somet imes seem

N OTE S TO S AM S O N AG O N I STE S . 4 13

to div ide themselves into stanz as, then A l l a ostropha wouldbe the name fo r them , inasmuch as the s tanz as are o f

different met rica l pa t terns .

“.Th is day ,

”etc. H ere Samson begins h is sol i loquy,

the person who had guided h im hav ing ret i red.

“ D agon, thei r sea - idol Compare Par . Lost, 1.

66—109 .

“ But, ch ief of a l l , 0 l oss of s ight, ” etc. In

applying th is passage to Mil ton himsel f, compa re S onnetsX IX. XX I I . XX I I I . , and Far . Lost, 111. 1 - 55 and V I I . 1 - 39 .

“ her vacant inter lunar cave,”i .e. her “ between

moons cav e, where she hides between o ld moon and new

133. Cha lybean -tempered,

” i .e. tempered l ike the steelof the Cha lybes, an i ron- work ing nat ion of A sia Mino r.

“ Adamantean proof.” I t is doubtful whether this

means proof aga inst adamantean weapons” or “ proof as

being i tsel f adamantean.

”The second meaning i s the l ike

l ier. Adamant, l i tera l ly unsubduable,”usua l ly meant s teel .

“ A sca l onite.”

1 Sam. vi . 1 7.

“ I n Ramath - lech i”: so ca l led from “ the cast ing

away of the jaw - bone ” there the name implying the ph rase .See Judges xv. 17.

“ A z z a”: same as Gaz a . See Deut. i i. 2 3.

“ Hebron, seat of g iants ol Numb. xii i. 33 and

Jo sh . xv. 13, 14 .

“ L ihe whom the Genti l es, etc. The Ti tans par~

ticularly A t las .18 1 E shtaol and Z ora

’s f ru itf ul va le. Samson’

nat ive distri c t in Dan. See h is l i fe in Judges ; a lso Josh.

xv. 33 and xix . 4 1 .

19 1— 193.

“ In prosperous day s, etc. Perhaps fromMil ton’

s own experience immedia tely after the Restora t ion.

2 09 . drove me tr ansverse, i .e. out of my course, referr ing to the prev ious image of the sh i p .

2 19 . Timna.

”See Judges x iv. 1

,wh ere the word i s

T imna th .

2 19—2 2 6 .

“she pleased me, not my pa rents ,

Judges x iv . 2 -

2 2 9 .

“ Da l i l a . Observe'

the pronuncia t ion Dal i la . See

Par . Lost, IX. 106 1 , and note there.

2 4 1—2 55. Thatfau lt I tahe noton me, etc. w i th an

414 N OTE S TO SAM S O N AG O N I STE S .

occul t reference perhaps to the conduct of those in power inEngland after Cromwel l ’s dea th, when Mil ton s t i l l a rguedaga inst the restora t ion of the King.

2 4 7. Used no amhition “ambi t ion here in its l i tera l

sense of “

going about ” or canvassing.

l2 68—2 76 . Butwhatmore oft,

”etc. A pla in reference

to the s ta te of England, and to Mi l ton’s own posi t ion there ,

after the Restora t ion.

2 78—2 8 1 . How S uccoth , etc. Judges v i i i. 5 etseq .

2 8 2—2 89 . Andhow ingratefu l Eph ra im ,

”etc. Judges

x11. 1 etseq .

2 9 7 , 2 9 8 . for of such doctr ine, e tc. Psa lm x iv. 1.

Observe the pecul iar effect of contemp t given to the passageby the rapid rhythm and the sudden introduct ion of a rhyme.

300—306 . Yetmore there he

”etc. Aga in observe the

effect from the pecul iar versification and the rhymes.

3 18 , 3 19 .

“ this heroi c N aza r ite.

” Numb . v i . 1 - 2 1.

“ idol i sts”: idola ters. See P a r . Regs , I V. 2 34 .

49 6, 49 7. The ma rh of fool seton h is frontButI God

s secrethavenothept,h is holy secret.

So printed in the origina l edi t ion, and a l so in the Second,

only eight syl lables in the fi rs t l ine, while there are th irteenin the second.

4 99—50 1 . a sin thatGenti les in thei r par ables condemn

etc. An a l lusion to such s tories as tha t of Tanta lus.

“ what fi red means who hnows hut,” e tc tha t

offered means which who knows but, ” etc. —a pecul iar Mi ltonic syntax.

53 1.“af ront meet ing face - to - face.

55 1. refreshed, i .e. refreshed myself.

557 . Whose dr inh,” etc . Samson was a Naz ar i te

(Judges x ii i. and therefore under the vow of the Naz ar i tes(Numb. v i.569 .

“ Rohustious”: ful l of force. Shakespeare has the

word,—“a robus t ious periwig- pa ted fel low.

” Ham. I I I . 2 .

58 1—583. caused a founta in to spr ing,

”etc.

Judges xv. 18 , 19 . In our version of th is passage i t is sa idtha t .

“ God clave a hol low space in the jaw- bone wi thwh ich Samson had fough t but Newton points out tha tanother interpreta t ion, wh i ch Mil ton fol lows here, supposedtha t the hol low space was cloven in a piece of ground (orrock ) ca l led Leh i , or “ The J aw.

4 16 N O TE S TO SAM S O N AG O N I STE S .

to perseverance in anger and revenge, and part ly the st rongintercession o f friends on both sides, soon brough t him to anactof obliv ion and fi rm l eague o f peace for the future.” The

wife returned to her husband’s house, and l ived with himabout seven years, bearing him th ree daughters before herdea th in 1652 . Whether the reunion was as i rksome as

tha t descr ibed in the tex t can a lso be inferred too probablyi t was.

778—78 9 . Was itnotweahness a l so, e tc . The st ra inhere much resembles tha t of Eve’s speech to Adam, Par .

Lost,1x . 1 155 et seq .

840. Knowing by thee betr ayed. See same idiom,

Pa r . Lost, i x . 79 2 .

“adder ’s w isdom Ps. lv i i i. 4 , 5.

9 7 1—9 74 .

“ Fame i s double-mouthed.

”In Chaucer’s

House of Fame, and elsewhere, the fick le goddess is repre

sented as hav ing at her command two trumpets, one of goldand one of black brass. A blast from the firs t secures goodrenown for persons or deeds, a blas t from the other ensuresinfamy and no one ever knows on any part icula r occasionwhich wi l l be blown.

9 73, 9 74 . On both h is w ings, etc. The rhyme inthese l ines is probably intent iona l.

9 88—9 90 .

“ in MountEph ra im j ael , etc. Judges iv.

and v .

10 10— 106 1. “ Itis not, etc. Aga in notice, throughoutth is chorus , the art of the versi fication, and the pecul iarintroduct ion of rhymes.

102 0. Thy pa r anymph , i .e. bridesman.

1034—104 5. Whate’er itbe, etc. Compare wi th this

passage, so ful l of reference to Mil ton’

s own experience, thefo l lowing from his fi rs t pamph let on divorce The soberestand best - governed men are leas t pract ised in these affa i rs ;and who knows not tha t the bash ful muteness of a v i rginmay o ft- t imes hide al l the unl ivel iness and na tura l s lothwh ich i s rea l ly unfi t for conversa t ion ? ”

1038 , 1039 .

far with in defensive a rms a cl eav ing mis

ch ief i .e. a m isch ief cleav ing or s t ick ing to one far insidethe armour which m igh t defend one aga inst ordina ry misch iefs. There is an a l lus ion t o the po isoned sh ir t sent toHercules by h is wi fe Dejanira .

104 8 .

“combines agrees wi th him.

N OTE S TO S AM S O N AG O N I STE S . 4 17

i 1053— 1060. Therefore God

’s univer sa l l aw , etc. A

Very decisiv e expression of one of Milton’

s doctrines, ex

pressed severa l t imes elsewhere. Compare P a r . Lost, X . 144

etseq . Once (in his Tetr achordon) he admi ts th i s l im i ta t ionNot but tha t parti cular excep tions may have place, i f she

exceed her husband in prudence and dexter ity, and he

contentedly yield for then a superior and more na tura l l awcomes in, tha t the wiser should govern the less wise whethermale o r fema le.

f raught”: fre igh t , burden.

1079 .

“ Ir/en ca l l me Harapha .

” No such indiv idua lgiant is ment ioned in Scrip ture butsee 2 Sam. xx i . 15 - 2 2 .

The Ph i l ist ine giants ment ioned there are sa id to be sons ofa cer ta in wel l - known giant in Ga th ca l led “

the giant,”and

the Hebrew word for “the giant

” there is r apha or har apha .

Mil ton has appropria ted the name to his fi ct i t ious giant ,whom he makes out in the sequel (12 48 , 12 49 ) to be theactua l fa ther of tha t brood of giants.

1080, 108 1 . 0g A nah the Emims

Kir i atha im. Deut . i i i. 1 1 , i i . 10 , 1 1 Gen. x iv . 5.

1 12 0, 1 12 1.

“ br igandine, ” coa t of ma i l ; “ habergeon,

ma i l for the neck and shoulders “vant—brace, mai l fo r the

arms “

greaves,”l eg

- a rmour gauntlet,”

glov e of mai l.1 12 2 .

“ A weaver’s beam Gol ia th’s weapon, whose

a rmour a lso'

Mil ton had jus t remembered. 1 Sam. xvi i.

1 162 . comr ades, accented on the second syllable.

1 19 5—1 2 00.

y our i l l -meaning pol itician l ords,”

Judges x iv. 10 - 18 . Mil ton fol lows Jewi sh tradi t ion in supposing the th i r ty brida l fr iends there mentioned to have beenspies appointed by the Ph i l is tines.

12 2 0.

“appel l ant” : cha l lenger.

1 2 2 2 . thr i ce”: for the third t ime , as was the cus tom in

cha l lenges.1 2 2 4

— 1 2 2 6 . With thee, etc. C rimina l s and personsof serv i le condi tion were disqual ified for “ the proof of arms, ”or tr ia l by comba t.

12 3 1. 0 Baal - zebub !” Harapha fitly swears by th is

God,“the God of Ekron”

(2 Kings i . and aga in ( 12 4 2 )by the Phoenician goddess As taroth.

1 2 35.

“ My heels are fettered, etc. Throughout thegreater part o f the play Samson i s to be conceived, as th is

VOL. I I I.

4 18 N OTE S TO SAM S O N AGO N I STE S .

l ine info rms us, cha ined or fet tered at the ank les , thoughs t i l l so tha t he coul d wa lk slowly butnothandcuffed.

1 2 38 .

“ bu lh without spi r it v ast, ” i .e. vas t bulk wi thoutspir i t : the fi rst three words a lmost form ing one compoundnoun.

12 48 , 12 49 . See previ ous no te, l ine 1079 , and see aga in2 Sam. xxi . 15- 2 2 , for the fa tes of four of the five gi antswhom Mil ton tak es the l iber ty ofmak ing sons of hi s Harapha.

Thei r brother Gol iath had previously been k i l led by Dav id.

As Samson’s dea th , in the Bib li ca l ch ronology, was eightyyears before David’s accession, Mil ton mus t have takenpoet i c l icence in mak ing the five giants k i l led in Dav id

’st ime hi l l -grown in Sam son

’s .

1308 .

“ E brews.

”So spel t in the origina l edi t ion. The

word occurs three t imes in S ams. Ag. , and each t ime so ; i toccurs but tw i ce bes ides in the poetry (f ar . Reg ,

I V. 336 ,and Ps. cxxxvi . both t imes as an adject ive

,and both

t imes wi th the II .

146 1—14 7 1.

“ Somemuch averse, etc. One may de tecthere a glance atthe di fferent degrees o f vengefulness amongthe Roya l is ts after the Restora tion, and so a pecul iar significance in the h int tha t the most vengeful of a l l were thosethat mos t reverenced Dagon and h is priests.

15 12 .

“ inhabitation communi ty or inhabi tants. So

Shakespeare (Macb. IV . 1 )

Though the yesty wavesConfound and swa l low navi ga tion up .

152 5, 152 6 . The sufi rers, etc. Is the rhyme hereintent iona l P

152 7—1535. What if and tempts bel ief. These

nine l ines are omi t ted in th eir proper place in the origina ledi t ion, butprinted on a page at the end, wi th a direct ionwhere to inser t them .

152 9 . dole.

”The word has two meanings,—a portion

dea l t out (as in“a beggar

’s and sorrow or grief

(Lat. doleo) . The two are combined here.

1537. Of good or bad,”etc. Thi s l ine a lso is not in i ts

proper p lace in the origina l edi t ion, butcomes as an omissi on

atthe end. I t seems to me tha t i t may have been an a fterthought wi th Mil ton to break up wha t was at fi rst a continuous speech of the Chorus, by inserting ten addi t iona l l ines,

42 0 N OTE S TO S AM S O N AG O N I S TE S .

bi l ity when 10 ! thei r des truction comes upon them fromh im ver tica l ly downwards. The very enemy they saw onthe

groundwas, in h is own mind at tha t moment, swooping downupon them resis t lessly from overhead and so he who came

as a ground- dragon ended as an eagle, the bird of J ove,bringing thunderbol ts from a clear sky.

169 5. v i l l atic fowl”: farm -house fowl , from v i l l a , a

count ry house.

169 7— 1707.

“ So Vi rtue, etc. Obse rve the complexi tyof rhymes in th is passage.

1699 .

“ thatself- begotte nbi rd the fabled phoenix . See

Par . Lost, V. 2 72 - 2 74 , and Ep itaph . D am. 18 1 - 189 .

1 700 . embost”: h idden

,o r the same as emb-osked.

1702 .

“ hol ocaust”: a sacrifice burnt ent ire.

“ teemed”: produced, sent for th. See Par . Lost,

V11. 4 54 .

1707.“a secular bird

, i .e. las ting for many scecul a, or

genera t ions.17 13.

“ the sons of Caphtor the Ph i l ist ines, reputedto have come from the Isle of Caph tor or C rete. See Amosix. 7 , and Deut . i i. 2 3.

1755. acqu ist,”

acquisi t ion not unfrequent in o ld

Engl ish wri ters, some t imes as

THE END.

P r inted by R. R . C LA RK,L IM ITE D

,Edinburgh .

UN IVERS ITY O F C A L I FO RN IA AT Lo s ANG ELES

THE UN IVERS ITY L IBRA RY

Th i s book i s DUE on the l astdate stamped bel o

FEB 1 5 1862}

can i C

MIN2 O”56 umI a was

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