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Wherein all things created first he weigh'd, The pendulous round earth with balanc'd air In counterpoife, now ponders all events,

1000

Battels

is one of the twelve figns of the zodiac, as Aftrea (or Virgo the Virgin) and Scorpio alfo are. This does as it were realize the fiction, and gives confequently a greater force to it. Richardfon.

This allufion to the fign Libra in the Heavens is a beauty that is not in Homer or Virgil, and gives this paffage a manifeft advantage over both their defcriptions.

999. Wherein all things created first he weigh'd, &c.] This of weighing the creation at first and of all events fince gives us a fublime idea of providence, and is conformable to the file of Scripture, Job XXVIII. 25. To make the weight for the winds, and he aveigh eth the waters by measure. Chap. XXXVII. 16. Doft thou know the balancing of the clouds? Ifaiah XL. 12. Who weighed the 'mountains in fcales, and the bills in a balance? And then for weighing particular events fince fee 1 Sam. II. 3. By him allions are weigh'd. Prov. XVI. 2. The Lord weigbeth the Spirits. I do not recollect an inflance of sveighing battels particularly, but there is foundation enough for that in Hom.r and Virgil as we have feen; and then for weighing king dems werfre an inftance in Belfhazzar, and it is faid exprefsly, Dan. V. 26, 27. God hath number'd thy

kingdom, and finish'd it, thou art weighed in the balances. So inely hath Milton improv'd upon the fictions of the poets by the eternal truths of holy Scripture.

1003. The fequel each of parting and of fight;] Dr. Bentley reads The fignal each &c. To understand which of thefe two readings fuits the place beft, let us confider the poet's thought, which was this: God put in the golden fcales two weights: in the one scale, he put the weight, which was the fiquel (that is reprefented the confequence) of Satan's parting from them; in the other fcale he put the weight, which was the fequel of Satan's fighting neither of the fcales had any thing in it immediately relating to Gabriel: and therefore Dr. Bentley miftakes (I think) when he fays, that the afcending weight, Satan's, was the fignal to him of defeat; the defcending, Gabriel's, the fignal to him of victory: they were both fignals (if fignals) to Satan only, for he only was weigh'd, ver. 1012; or rather they fhow'd him what would be the confequence both of his fighting and of his retreating. The fcale, in which lay the weight, that was the Jequel of his fighting, by afcending how'd him that he was light in arms, and could not

Battels and realms: in thefe he put two weights
The fequel each of parting and of fight;
The latter quick up flew, and kick'd the beam;

Which

obtain victory; whereas the other fcale, in which was the fequel of his parting or retreating, having defcended it was a fign that his going off quietly would be his wifeft and weightielt attempt. The reader will excufe my having been fo long in this note, when he confiders that Dr. Bentley and probably many other's have misunderstood Milton's thought about the fcales, judging of it by what they read of Jupiter's fcales in Homer and Virgil;, the account of which is very different from this of Milton; for in them the fates of the two combatants are weigh'd one against the other, and the defcent of one of the fcales forefhow'd the death of him whofe fate lay in that fcale, quo vergat pondere lethum: whereas in Milton nothing is weigh'd but what relates to Satan only, and in the two scales are weigh'd the two different events of his retreating and his fighting. From what has been faid it may appear pretty plainly, that Milton by Jeque', meant the confequence or

event,

as it is exprefs'd in ver, 1001. and then there will be no occafion for Dr. Bentley's fignal: both because it is a very improper word in this place, and because a fignal of parting and of fight, can be nothing elfe than a fignal when to part and when to fight; which he will not pretend to be the poet's meaning. Pearce.

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Which Gabriel spying, thus bespake the Fiend. 1005

Satan, I know thy strength, and thou know'ft mine, Neither our own but giv'n; what folly then

To boast what arms can do? fince thine no more Than Heav'n permits, nor mine, though doubled now To trample thee as mire: for proof look up, 1010

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And

paffages with our author, muft fee plainly that tho' there is fome refemblance, yet there is also great difference. There are golden jcales in Homer as well as in Milton; but Milton in fome measure authorizes the fiction by making his fcales the balance in the Heavens. In Homer and Virgil the combatants are weigh'd one against another; but here only Satan is weigh'd, in one fcale the confequence of his retreating, and of his fighting in the other. And there is this farther improvement, that in Homer and Virgil the fates are weigh'd to fatisfy Jupiter himself, but here it is done only to fatisfy the contending parties, for Satan to read his own destiny. So that when Milton imitates a fine paffage, he does not imitate it fervilely, but makes it as I may fay an original of his own by his manner of varying and improving it.

1008. - fince thine no more

Than Heav'n permits, nor mine,] Thine and mine refer to ftrength, ver. 1006. not to arms the fubftantive preceding. Dr. Bentley reads Arength initead of arms.

1012. Where

And read thy lot in

yon

celestial sign,

Where thou art weigh'd, and shown how light, how

weak,

If thou refift. The Fiend look'd up, and knew His mounted fcale aloft: nor more; but fled Murm'ring, andwith him fled the fhades of night. 1015

1012. Where thou art weigh'd, and Shown how light, how weak,] He does not make the afcending fcale the fign of victory as in Homer and Virgil, but of lightnefs and weakness according to that of

Belshazzar, Dan. V. 27. Thou art weigh'd in the balances, and art found wanting. So true it is, that Milton oftner imitates Scripture than Homer and Virgil, even where he is thought to imitate them moft.

The END of the Fourth Book.

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