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

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

210

Our purer effence then will overcome

Their noxious vapor, or inur'd not feel,

215

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

In

220. This horror will grow mild, 227. Counfeld ignoble cafe,] Not this darkness light,] 'Tis quite otium cum dignitate as Cicero Speaks, too much as Dr. Bentley fays, that but as Virgil ignobile otium, the darkness should turn into light: diis ignobilis oti. Georg. IV. 764 but light, I conceive, is an adjective here as well as mild; and the meaning is, This darkness will in time become eafy, as this horror will grow mild; or as Mr. Thyer thinks, it is an adjective used in the fame fenfe as when we fay It is a light night. It is not well exprefs'd, and the worfe as it rimes with the following line.

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

demonium,

In temper and in nature, will receive

220

Familiar the fierce heat, and void of pain;
This horror will grow mild, this darkness light,
Besides what hope the never-ending flight mom A
Of future days may bring, what chance, what change
Worth waiting, fince our prefent lot appears
For happy though but ill, for ill not worst,
If we procure not to ourselves more woe.

225

Thus Belial with words cloth'd in reafon's garb
Counsel'd ignoble ease, and peaceful floth,
Not peace: and after him thus Mammon fpake.
Either to difinthrone the king of Heaven
We war, if war be beft, or to regain
Our own right loft: him to unthrone we then
May hope, when everlasting Fate fhall yield
To fickle Chance, and Chaos judge the ftrife:

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

230

The

pavement, than on the beatific vi-
fion! I fhall alfo leave the reader
to judge how agreeable the fol-
lowing fentiments are to the fame
character,

This deep world
Of darkness do we dread? How
oft amidit &c. Addifon.

233-and Chaos judge the ftrife:]
Between the king of Heaven and
us, not between Fate and Chance,
as Dr. Bentley fuppofes. Pearce.
234. The

The former vain to hope argues as vain

The latter for what place can be for us

235

240

Within Heav'n's bound, unless Heav'n's Lord fupreme
We overpow'r? Suppofe he fhould relent,
And publish grace to all, on promise made
Of new fubjection; with what eyes could we
Stand in his presence humble, and receive
Strict laws impos'd, to celebrate his throne
With warbled hymns, and to his Godhead fing
Forc'd Halleluiah's; while he lordly fits
Our envied fovran, and his altar breathes
Ambrofial odors and ambrofial flowers,
Our fervile offerings? This must be our task
In Heav'n, this our delight; how wearifome
Eternity so spent in worship paid
To whom we hate! Let us not then pursue

234. The former vain to bope] That is to unthrone the king of Heaven, argues as vain the latter, that is to regain our own loft right. and his altar breathes Ambrofial odors and ambrofial flowers,] Dr. Bentley would

244.

245

By

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

read from for and,

fhrubs,

By force impoffible, by leave obtain'd

250

Unacceptable, though in Heav'n, our state
Of splendid vaffalage; but rather feek

Our own good from ourselves, and from our own
Live to ourselves, though in this vast recess,

Free, and to none accountable, preferring

Hard liberty before the eafy yoke

Of fervile pomp. Our greatness will

appear

255

Then most confpicuous, when great things of small, Useful of hurtful, profp'rous of adverse

260

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

265 And

How oft amidst

Thick clouds and dark &c.] Imita ted from Pfal. XVIII. 11, 13. He made darkness his fecret place; bis pavilion round about him were dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies

The Lord alfo thundred in the Heavens, and the Highest gave his voice, bailftones and coals of fire. And from Pfal. XCVII. 2. Clouds and darkness are round about him, &c.

Q 2

274. Our

And with the majefty of darkness round

Covers his throne; from whence deep thunders roar Muft'ring their rage, and Heav'n resembles Hell? As he our darkness, cannot we his light

Imitate when we please? This desert foil

Wants not her hidden luftre, gems and gold;
Nor want we skill or art, from whence to raise
Magnificence; and what can Heav'n fhow more?
Our torments alfo may in length of time
Become our elements, thefe piercing fires

270

275

As

For who can think fubmiffion?

War then, War Open or understood must be refolv'd.

Which was approv'd and confirm'd by the whole hoft of Angels. And council he propofes for the subject accordingly at the opening of the of their confideration, which way they would make choice of, II. 41. Whether of open war or covert guile,

We now debate:

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

My fentence is for open war: of wiles, More unexpert, I boast not, &. But Belial argues alike against war open or conceal'd, ver. 187.

War