BOOK VI.] THE EMENDED PUNCTUATION. It met The sword of Satan-with steep force to smite- cxvii 323 "The sword of Satan descending" is how I read it. Compare the following, which is the received treatment: It met The sword of Satan, with steep force to smite All his right side-(then Satan first knew pain, The griding [piercing] sword with discontinuous wound The direct course of the subject is plainly as I have All his right side. Then Satan first knew pain, Passed through him; but the ethereal substance closed, The important part parentheses play when their presence is indispensable, as here, is again made manifest; their omission is correspondingly felt. Keightley closes with a full stop at "through him." For strength from truth divided and from just [justice] 381 And ignominy; Some editions punctuate as in the following: For strength, from truth divided and from just, And ignominy; The descriptive power and vivid colouring displayed by Milton in depicting the overthrow of Satan's host, embraced in lines 386 to 405, are not reflected in the slightest degree in the received punctuation; on the contrary, coldness and insensibility characterize it throughout. Line 399 is mutilated, I conceive, by making it read, “advanced entire "-the right rendering is, "Far otherwise the inviolable Saints advanced-entire, invulnerable," &c. Immediately following are these lines, which I have treated thus: Found worthy not of liberty alone Too mean pretence [claim] !—but, what we more affect, 420 but after the following manner they are presented by every other editor :— Found worthy not of liberty alone, Too mean pretence, but, what we more affect, Some disadvantage we endured, and pain 431 Till now not known, but known as soon contemned. Incapable of mortal injury, Imperishable, and though pierced with wound Soon closing, and by native vigour healed, Of evil then so small, as easy think The remedy-perhaps more valid arms, Here is another of the numerous instances in which a comma has been placed instead of a full stop, and vice versâ, turning the passage topsy-turvy, as at line 436. A fresh sentence commences at line 433-but it is invariably printed as follows, except that the Clarendon has a comma at end of line 432: Some disadvantage we endured, and pain Till now not known, but known as soon contemned; Incapable of mortal injury, Imperishable, and, though pierced with wound, Soon closing, and by native vigour healed. Of evil then so small, as easy think The remedy; perhaps more valid arms, 432 436 BOOK VI.] THE EMENDED PUNCTUATION. cxix I transfer the interrogation stop from "mightiest " (459) to "pain" (457). Whose eye so superficially surveys These things, as not to mind [mark] from whence they grow? Deep under ground materials dark and crude, Of spiritous and fiery spume, till, touched With Heaven's ray and tempered, they shoot forth So beauteous, opening to the ambient light, These, in their dark nativity, 476 The following mistaken treatment of these lines, as I conceive it to be, is that which is received as correctobserve where the question is made to conclude : These things, as not to mind from whence they grow Deep under ground, materials dark and crude, Of spiritous and fiery spume, till touched With Heaven's ray, and tempered, they shoot forth For şin. On war and mutual slaughter bent, Forthwith from council to the work they flew 506 Here I have made a restoration of deep importance. The following shows the ruinous treatment these lines have hitherto received :— For sin, on war and mutual slaughter bent. Arm, warriors, arm for fight! the foe at hand, 537 Compare with this the improper treatment, with its perverted sense, shown as follows (and see line 544):— Arm, warriors, arm for fight! the foe at hand, Whom fled we thought, will save us long pursuit A triple-mounted row of pillars laid On wheels-for like to pillars most they seemed (Or hollowed bodies made of oak or fir, With branches lopt, in wood or mountain felled), 572 [Made of] Brass, iron, stony mould, had not their mouths With hideous orifice gaped on us wide, The following is the Clarendon, Masson's, and Bradshaw's reading; but they have overlooked the direct connection of "most they seemed" with "had not their," a clause which they have separated, with serious damage to the sense; other editions are in like mystification. A triple-mounted row of pillars laid On wheels (for like to pillars most they seemed, So they among themselves in pleasant vein To match (with their inventions they presumed So easy!); and of his thunder made a scorn, 628 This passage furnishes considerable scope for study as to the treatment it demands. I understand it to say, that Satan's host, confidently assured of victory, were proud in having been able to match the Almighty, and this they deemed so easy because of their new inventions. The following is the received reading, which, in my opinion, falls far below the pith and marrow involved in the true reading : So they among themselves in pleasant vein To match with their inventions they presumed The elision of a comma after "advised" in line 674 possesses special interest, which my Note explains. BOOK VI.] THE EMENDED PUNCTUATION. Came shadowing, and oppressed whole legions armed Long struggling underneath ere they could wind cxxi 655 I understand that whole legions were struggling underneath the mountains that were hurled upon them, not underneath their armour, which, it is distinctly stated, only helped their principal harm. The consequence of not observing this is, that in edition the passage is abruptly cut in two by a full stop being placed after "armed," and the remainder treated as a fresh sentence. Three lines absolutely require the introduction of parentheses, as I have placed them. every The introduction of parentheses for the clause in 691, 692, is demanded because of its independent character. They are also indispensable for lines 753-756, which read confusedly without them. He, in celestial panoply all armed Of radiant Urim, work divinely wrought- Ascended. 760 I read this, "He ascended in celestial panoply all armed, of radiant Urim," &c. The received reading is as follows:— He, in celestial panoply all armed Of radiant Urim, work divinely wrought, Illustrious far and wide! But [now] by his own 773 p This is a restoration of no small consequence, as will be seen by the way it is elsewhere presented to us-thus:Illustrious far and wide, but by his own First seen; them unexpected joy surprised, Masson closes with a full stop at "seen," and the Clarendon has a comma. |