enemy, with our simplest memory of the story in Genesis? It is the gradual degrading transformation of the 'sublime Satan' into the 'infernal Serpent' which constitutes the absorbing theme of Milton's narrative. 39. his peers; the other archangels. 40. trusted to have equalled; long a common construction, even with the most careful writers, but now condemned by grammarians. Does it not give a full flavor to Satan's confidence which would be lacking in the commoner construction? 6 45. ethereal sky; the Empyrean, filled with that mysterious substance æther,' imagined by the Greek philosophers to be an element more closely allied with fire than with the air of our nearer heavens. Macmillan notes that ""empyreal substance" (I. 117) is exactly equivalent to "ethereal mould" (II. 139).' 57. witnessed; 'bore witness to,' or 'beheld'? 63. darkness visible. For a similar paradox, see Il Penseroso, 79, 80. 68. urges; urgere, 'press hard upon.' 72. utter; probably 'outer,' with reference to its distance from the throne of God. 74. See Introduction, pp. 21, 22. 79. Matt. xii. 24. 83. thence called Satan. Satan in Hebrew means 'the adversary.' It should be noted, however, that the Hebrew conception of Satan (as in the story of Job) was not of an adversary of God, but of one of his servants to whom is allotted the duty of testing and disciplining mankind. In Milton's conception, however, Satan is a name of reproach, given to the great rebel after his expulsion from Heaven, when his former glorious name was 'rased from the Books of Life.' 107. study; studium, 'longing.' 114. empire; imperium, 'power.' 129. Seraphim. Milton uses the titles Seraph, Cherub, Prince, Power, etc., somewhat loosely, preferring, as Macaulay notes in his Essay on Milton, not to hedge in the imagination by a strictly specific use of details. 152. Deep; Chaos. Gen. i. 2. Milton always calls the place by this name. 'Chaos' is the personal ruler of the Deep. See II. 960, 961. later 156. Arch-Fiend. We have given the word 'fiend' a much less dignified meaning than it originally had. 167. if I fail not; ni fallor, 'if I mistake not.' 186. afflicted; afflictus, 'overthrown.' 187. offend; offendere, 'do violence to.' 193-196. Is it an accident that there is a suggestion of the serpent in this first description of Satan? 198. Earth-born; the Giants. The relative clause which follows applies only to them. 202. Created hugest, etc. Notice how plainly the unwieldy bulk of the monster is suggested by the lumbering movement of the verse. 208. Invests; 'clothes,' or 'beleaguers'? 215. Heap on himself damnation. 'We miss one of the most important things about Paradise Lost, if we do not see that it has for a subject not only the Fall of Man, but the Fall of Satan, and not merely his first fall from Heaven, but his constant degradation lower and lower, until the absolute wreck of his physical beauty was a true index to the utter evil of his character' (Hale). 228-238. All this is too far detailed,' says Ruskin, and deals too much with externals; we feel rather the form of the firewaves than their fury, we walk upon them too securely, and the fuel, the sublimation, smoke, and singeing, seem to me images only of partial combustion; they vary and extend the conception, but they lower the thermometer. Look back if you will, and add to the description the glimmering of the livid flames; the sulphurous hail and red lightning; yet all together, however they overwhelm us with horror, fail of making us thoroughly unendurably hot.' The critic goes on to quote that passage from Dante (Purgatorio, xxvi. 4–8) in which the poet, standing between the western sun and the purgatorial fires, 'made, with his shadow, the flames look more white-hot.' That is a slight touch: he has not gone to Etna nor Pelorus for fuel; but we shall not soon recover from it. He has taken our breath away, and leaves us gasping. No smoke or cinders there. Pure, white, hurtling, formless flame; very fire crystal; we cannot make spires nor waves of it, nor divide it, nor walk on it: there is no question about singeing soles of feet. It is "lambent annihilation (Modern Painters, Part III.). Consider in connection with this criticism Macaulay's com parison: The images which Dante employs speak for themselves; they stand simply for what they are. Those of Milton have a signification which is often discernible only to the initiated. Their value depends less on what they distinctly represent than on what they remotely suggest' (Essay on Milton). 254. its. Milton uses this word only three times, Shakespeare not more than twice as many. Look up its history. Would it not be preferable to 'his' in 572 below? 266. astonished; attonitus, 'thunderstruck.' 281. amazed; 'bewildered,' 'like one in a maze.' 282. pernicious; perniciosus, 'swiftly destructive.' 288. Optic glass was a not uncommon name for the telescope in its early days. In the course of his Italian journey Milton had himself seen the Tuscan artist, Galileo. 290. Valdarno; the valley of the Arno, within which lies Florence, the home of Galileo. 294. ammiral. Milton is fond of using the Italian forms of certain words: e.g. 'ammiral' (ammiraglio, a flag-ship); ‘sovran' (sovrano); 'scape' (scappare). 303. It is probable that the poet's description of Vallombrosa, a beautiful 'shady vale' not far from Florence, is from memory. 307. What is the meaning of chivalry in this passage? 307-311. Exod. xiv. 312. abject; abjectus, 'hurled down.' 315-330. Satan cleverly bestows upon his followers the lofty titles they have forfeited, hoping that the stirring sound may restore to them something of their former confidence; by the light irony of his opening questions he shows that he himself is unabashed; and by a prompt appeal to their soldierly instinct of obedience fairly lifts them out of themselves, or rather back to themselves. The mechanical process of formation in military order is a great help to them in the recovery of their self-possession. 335. nor did they not; neque non. 339-343. Exod. x. 341. warping. Does this word suggest the rate of speed, or the method of formation? Is it possible to exhaust the suggestiveness of such a vivid touch by appeal to synonyms or definitions? 348. Sultan; like 'Emperor' in 378 below, is used by Milton in a large rather that a specific sense. 351-355. What historic invasions are alluded to in this simile? The Rhine and the Danube, you must remember, formed the northern boundary of the Roman Empire. Milton has to draw his illustrations from subsequent human events, in order to make his far-off subject significant to human ears. 364-375. Milton here merely appropriates to his use the common belief of the Christian Fathers that the pagan deities were devils in disguise. 372. religions; religiones, 'rites.' 384. Their altars by his altar. 2 Chron. xxxiii. 4–7. 388. Within his sanctuary. 2 Kings xxi. 4, 5. 392-396. For scriptural mention of sacrifices by the Israelites to Moloch, see Jer. vii. 31; Psalms, cvi. 36-38. 396-399. 'The Ammonites were a people kindred to the Moabites, both tribes being children of Lot. They dwelt to the east of the land of Gilead: Rabba was in the southern part of their territory; Argob, mentioned in 1 Kings iv. 13 as a part of Bashan, was farther north; the Arnon rises in the mountains of Gilead, and flows into the Dead Sea. "Utmost" seems to mean near its source' (Hale). 402. against the temple of God. 1 Kings xi. 4–7. 403-405. The southern part of the Mount of Olives is blasted with infamy, and called the "hill of scandal" (1. 416), the "offensive mountain” (1. 443), and in the Bible the "mount of corruption" (2 Kings xxiii. 13), because it was disgraced by the shrines of false gods. For the same reason the beautiful valley of Hinnom, after it had been converted into a sacred grove for Moloch, became hateful to the Jews, who made it a receptacle for all the filth of the city. It then came to be known as Tophet (from Hebrew toph, a drum), because drums were used at the sacrifice to Moloch to drown the children's cries (1. 394), or Gehenna. The word Gehenna is really derived from Hinnom, but obtained a bad meaning, when the valley was defiled, and became a type of hell' (Macmillan). 406. Chemos (or Chemos) was the national god of the Moabites, whose worship, like that of Moloch, was introduced among the Hebrews by Solomon. 411. the Asphaltic pool; the Dead Sea, so called from the asphaltic or bituminous deposits which are found upon its shores. 418. good Josiah. 2 Kings xxiii. 13, 14. 446. Thammuz, the Greek Adonis, according to the fable, was 452-457. Ezek. viii. 14. 458-461. when the captive ark, etc. 1 Sam. v. 4. In the 471. A leper once he lost. 2 Kings ix. 17. 472. Ahaz, etc. 2 Kings xvi. 10, 11. 484. The calf in Oreb. Exod. xxxii. the rebel king, Jero- 490. Belial. The English translation of the Bible treats this 495. Eli's sons. 1 Sam. ii. 12, 22. 498-502. In Milton's day and later there were in London certain 504. In Gibeah. Judges xix. 22–25. 508. Javan's issue. 'Javan, son of Japhet' (Gen. x. 2) stands The names which follow are to be looked up in the classical 543. reign; regnum, 'realm.' 550. the Dorian mood; grave, martial music, as distinguished 557. solemn touches. Compare Shakespeare's 'the touches of 563. horrid; horridus, bristling.' 573. since created man; 'post hominem creatum.' |