Miftruftful, grounds his courage on despair And utter diffolution, as the scope Of all his aim, after fome dire revenge. 130 First, what revenge? the tow'rs of Heav'n are fill'd With armed watch, that render all access Impregnable; oft on the bord'ring deep Incamp their legions, or with óbfcure wing Scout far and wide into the realm of night, Scorning surprise. Or could we break our way By force, and at our heels all Hell fhould rife With blackest infurrection, to confound Heav'n's pureft light, yet our great enemy All incorruptible would on his throne Sit unpolluted, and th' ethereal mold Incapable of ftain would foon expel Her mischief, and purge off the bafer fire from the known profeffion of the ancient Sophifts, Tor λoyou rov τίω κρετίω ποιείν, Bentley. 124.-in fact of arms,] Dr. Heylin fays it is from the Italian Fatto arme a battel; or else we fhould read here feats of arms, as in ver. 537 with feats of arms 135 140 From either end of Heav'n the and ftrange fire. welkin burns. 151. Devoid Victorious. Thus repuls'd, our final hope 145 To be no more; fad cure; for who would lofe, Though full of pain, this intellectual being, Can give it, or will ever? how he can Is doubtful, that he never will is fure. 151. Devoid of fenfe and motion?] Dr. Bentley reads Devoid of fenfe and action: but motion includes action. Mr. Warburton is of opinion, and fo likewife is the learned Mr. Upton in his Critical Obfervations upon Shakespear, that it fhould be read Devoid of fenfe and motion: but the common reading feems better, as it is ftronger and expreffes more; they fhould be deprív'd not only of all fenfe but of Them in his anger, whom his anger faves 160 What when we fled amain, purfued and ftruck 165 His red right hand to plague us? what if all Of Hell should spout her cataracts of fire, Each on his rock transfix'd, the fport and prey Unrefpited, unpitied, unrepriev'd, Ages of hopeless end? this would be worse. War therefore, open or conceal'd, alike 174. His red right hand] So Horace fays of Jupiter rubente dextera. But being spoken of Vengeance, it must be her right hand, as in the next line her flores. Bentley, There is fomething plaufible and ingenious in this obfervation: but by his feems to have been meant God's, who is mention'd fo often in the courfe of the debate, that he might very well be understood without being nam'd; and by her ftores in the next line, I fuppofe, are meant Hell's, as mention is made afterwards of her cataracts of fire. 175 180 185 My 180. Caught in a fiery tempeft fball be burl'd Each on his rock transfix'd,] Borrow'd of Virgil in his defcription of the fate of Ajax Oileus, n. 1. 44, 45. Illum expirantem transfixo pectore 181. the sport and prey Of wracking whilwinds,] Virg. Æn. VI. 75. rapidis ludibria ventis. 185. Un My voice diffuades; for what can force or guile 191 Than wife to fruftrate all our plots and wiles. Subdues us, and omnipotent decree, 185, Unrefpited, unpitied, unre priev'd] This way of introducing feveral adjectives beginning with the fame letter without any conjunction is very frequent with the Greek tragedians, whom our author I fancy imitated. What ftrength and beauty it adds needs not be mention'd. Thyer. 190.-be from Heav'n's highth All these our motions vain fees and derides;] Alluding to Pfal. II. 4. He that fitteth in the Heavens ball laugh, the Lord fhall have them in derifion. Nor let it pass unob 200 If ferved that this is conftantly Milton's way, and the true way of fpelling highth, and not as commonly height, where what the e has to do or how it comes in it is not eafy to apprehend. 199. To fuffer, as to do,] Et facere, et pati. So Scævola boasted. that he was a Roman, and knew as well how to fuffer as to act. Er facere et pati fortia Romanum eft. Liv. II. 12. So in Horace, Od. III. XXIV. 43. Quidvis et facere et pati. 220. This |