Of cold Olympus ruled the middle air, Their highest Heaven; or on the Delphian cliff, All these and more came flocking; but with looks Who forthwith from the glittering staff unfurled 522-526. All these and more, &c.] Compare FAIRFAX's Tasso, book xi. stanza lxxvii.: "Their sovereign's voice his hardy people knew, And his loud cries that cheered each fearful heart; Whereat new strength they took, and courage new, And to the fierce assault again they start." 527. But he, his wonted pride, fc.] Recollecting is here used in the literal sense of "gathering together," not in the sense of remembering. "The description of Azazel's stature, and the infernal standard which he unfurls, as also of that ghastly light by which the fiends appear to one another in their place of torments, are wonderfully poetical. Such are the shout of the whole host of fallen angels, when drawn up in battle array; the review which the leader makes of the infernal army; the flash of light which 520 525 530 535 540 appeared upon the drawing of their swords; the sudden production of Pandæmonium, and the artificial illumination made in it."-ADDISON. The 531. Then straight commands, fc.] "The of the fallen array angels in hell, the unfurling of the standard of Satan, and the march of his troops; all this human pomp and circumstance of war-all this is overwhelming magic and illusion. imagination is taken by surprise." CAMPBELL'S Essay on English Poetry. 540. Sonorous metal blowing martial sounds.] Metal is in the nominative absolute. Strength is the muscle of verse, and shows itself in the number and force of the marked syllables: "Sondrous mètal blowing màrtial sounds." And again: "Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheaved His vastness." At which the universal host up sent Of flutes and soft recorders; such as raised 548. Serried shields in thick array.] The shields of the Roman soldiers were so made that they locked into each other (sero-serĕre, Latin, to connect, or join). When so locked, or "serried," men could walk upon them, and even horses and chariots be driven over them.-See SMITH'S Dict. of Antiq., art. "Testudo." 550. Recorder was the name given to a sort of flageolet or wind instrument. Bacon says:-" "The figure of recorders and flutes and pipes are [?] straight; but the recorder hath a less bore and a 545 550 555 560 565 570 greater, above and below." The etymology of the term is involved in great obscurity. 559. Thus they, breathing united By mutual aid to fix a doubtful field, 563. A horrid front of dreadful length.] Campbell had this line no doubt in his memory when he wrote"Firm-paced and slow a horrid front they form, Still as the breeze, but dreadful as the storm." Glories for never, since created man, 573. For never, since created man.] A Latinism, meaning "never since the creation of man." Since is here a 'preposition," not an "adverb.” 575. Could merit more than that small infantry.] i. e. could merit more than to be likened to, or called after that, &c. For an account of the Pigmies, consult note on line 780. of this Book. 577. The giant brood of Phlegra.] Phlegra was a place in Macedonia, where the giants attacked the Gods, and were defeated by Hercules. The combat was afterwards renewed in Italy, in a place of the same name near Cumæ. 578. Thebes and Ilium.] No city is more celebrated in the mythical ages of Greece than Thebes. It was the reputed birth-place of Bacchus and Hercules. It was also the native city of the renowned seer Tiresias, as well as of the great musician Amphion. It was the scene of the tragic fate of Edipus, and of one of the most celebrated wars in the mythical annals of Greece. Polynices, who had been expelled from Thebes by his brother Eteocles, induced other heroes to es. pouse his cause, and marched against the city; but they were all defeated and slain by the Thebans, with the exception of Adrastus. Polynices and Eteocles fell by each other's hands. Ilium is another name of Troy, and it is well known that in the Trojan war Gods took part with the heroes. 578- -579. Mixed with auxiliar 1ods.] "In the war between the sons 575 580 of Edipus at Thebes, and between the Greeks and Trojans at Ilium, the heroes were assisted by the gods, who are therefore called auxiliar gods." NEWTON. 579-581. And what resounds, &c.] The Armoric language now spoken in Brittany is a dialect of the Welsh, and so strong a resemblance still subsists between the two languages, that in our late conquest of Belleisle (1756), such of our soldiers as were natives of Wales were understood by the peasantry. Milton, whose imagination was much struck with the old British story, more than once alludes to the Welsh colony planted in Armorica by Maximus, and the prince of Meiriadoc. And in the Paradise Lost he mentions indiscriminately the knights of Wales and Armorica as the customary retinue of King Arthur. 66 What resounds In fable or romance of Uther's son, From various passages of his works, it is clear that Milton once thought of writing an epic poem on the halffabulous adventures of Arthur; and throughout all his writings are scattered allusions exhibiting profound acquaintance with the romantic literature of the middle ages. 583-587. Jousted in Aspramont, &c.] These places are famous in roinance for joustings, or single combats, between Saracens and Christians. Aspramont or Asprament is a town in Damasco, or Marocco, or Trebisond; the Netherlands south of Liege; Mon- 585. Or whom Biserta sent, &c.] i. e. the Saracens who passed from Biserta (formerly Utica) in Africa, to Spain. 586. When Charlemain, &c.] Milton here follows Mariana and the Spanish authorities, but, as Richardson 585 590 to speak for me. It is only poets that Godlike shapes, and forms He, above the rest, says, In shape and gesture proudly eminent, 589-615. He above the rest, &c.] "Here concur a variety of sources of the sublime, the principal object eminently great; a high superior nature, fallen indeed, but erecting itself against distress; the grandeur of the principal object heightened by associating it with so noble an idea as that of the sun suffering an eclipse; this picture shaded with all those images of change and trouble, of darkness and terror, which coincide so finely with the sublime emotion; and the whole expressed in a style and versification, easy, natural, and simple, but magnificent." BLAIR. On the structure of the verse, particularly from 1. 589. to 1. 594., I shall allow James Montgomery All her original brightness, nor appeared Less than archangel ruined, and the excess Of glory obscured.' Paradise Lost, Book I. In this brief clause there are no less than four supernumerary syllables in so many successive lines, if verse is to be computed by the fingers, and not by melodious pulsations of sound, true to time, and touching the ear within a given space. This fine image would, indeed, resemble its prototype, as described in the sequel, and be 'shorn of its beams,' if, instead of stood like a tow-er,' we were to read, 'stood like a tow'r;' for all its original brightness,' all its original brightness;' but especially if we were to curtail the article, and for ' glory,' substitute light;' saying for the excess of glory' obscured,'' the excess of light obscured;' which would be according to mere numerical metre." All her original brightness, nor appeared 592. All her original brightness.] See note on line 176., as to the use of the feminine pronoun, &c. 605. Remorse and passion.] The word passion is to be understood in its Latin sense of "suffering," equivalent to the Greek agony. The sort of suffering will be understood by considering attentively Butler's account of remorse. "Vice, as such, is naturally attended with some sort of uneasiness, and, not uncommonly, with great disturbance and apprehension. That inward feeling, which, respecting lesser matters, and in familiar speech, we call being vexed with one-self [one's self?], and in matters of importance, and in more serious language, remorse; is an uneasiness naturally arising from an action of a man's own, reflected upon by himself as wrong, unreasonable, faulty, i.e. vicious in greater or less degrees: and this, manifestly, is a different feeling from that uneasiness which arises from a mere sense of loss or harm." Analogy, part i. chap. iii. For a further account of this feeling, consult, also, 595 600 605 610 that most fascinating work, ADAM SMITH's Theory of Moral Sentiments. 606. The fellows of his crime, the followers rather.] Leigh Hunt has ventured to say of Milton's wit, that it is "dreary," and certainly there is nothing very striking in the play on the words " fellows" and "followers." He means to insinuate that they are not so much fellows, as being equals in his crime, as being miserable followers - dupes to his superior sagacity. But if alliteration of this sort is to be objected to, there are few of our poets who would not be found amenable to the objection. 609. For his fault amerced of Heaven.] By the ancient law, punishments affecting life or limb were remitted upon payment of a fine (merci) to the king or other lord of his court. To be amerced, then, is to be fined, or subjected to a fine. The angels might have been annihilated, as they stood entirely at the mercy of God; but he substituted banishment in the place of annihilation. |