365

Though huge, and in a rock of diamond arm'd,
Vanquish'd Adramelech, and Afmadai,
Two potent thrones, that to be less than Gods
Difdain'd, but meaner thoughts learn'd in their flight,
Mangled with ghaftly wounds through plate and mail.
Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy

The athieft crew, but with redoubled blow
Ariel and Arioch, and the violence

Of Ramiel fcorch'd and blafted overthrew.

I might relate of thousands, and their names
Eternize here on earth, but those elect

370

Angels, contented with their fame in Heaven, 375
Seek not the praise of men, the other fort,
In might though wondrous and in acts of war,
Nor of renown less eager, yet by doom
Cancel'd from Heav'n and facred memory,
Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell.

For ftrength from truth divided and from juft,
Illaudable, nought merits but difpraise

And ignominy, yet to glory' aspires

Vain glorious, and through infamy feeks fame:
Therefore eternal filence be their doom.

380

385 And now their mightiest quell'd, the battel swery'd. With many an inroad gor'd; deformed rout

Swerv'd from the faxon Swerven, to wander out of its place; here by analogy to bend, to ply; for in that cafe an army in battel properly fwerves. Richardfon.

The word is ufed in the fame fenfe by Spenfer, Faery Queen, B. 5. Cant. 10. St. 35.

Who from his faddle fwerved nought aside.

391.what food, recoil'd, &c.} The conftruction has occafion'd

fome difficulty here, but it may be thus explicated. What food is the nominative cafe in the fentence,

and

Enter'd, and foul disorder; all the ground
With shiver'd armour strown, and on a heap
Chariot and charioteer lay overturn'd,

And fiery foaming fteeds; what food, recoil'd
O'er-wearied, through the faint Satanic host
Defenfive fcarce, or with pale fear furpris'd,
Then first with fear furpris'd and sense of pain
Fled ignominous, to fuch evil brought
By fin of difobedience, till that hour
Not liable to fear or flight or pain.
Far otherwise th'inviolable Saints
In cubic phalanx firm advanc'd entire,
Invulnerable, impenetrably arm'd;

and the verbs are recoil'd and fled. It would indeed be a contradiction to fay that what food their ground, fled; but that is not the meaning of it, what food is put in oppofition to what lay overturn'd in the preceding line. Part of the Satanic hoft lay overturn'd; and that part which was not overturn'd, but kept on their feet, and food, either give way and recoil' o'er-weariea, or with pale fear furpris'd fled ignominious.,

396.till that hour &c] It feems a very extraordinary circumftance attending a battel, that not only none of the warriors on either fide were capable of death by wound, but on one fide none were

390

365

400 Such

capable of wound or even of pain. This was a very great advantage on the fide of the good Angels; but we muft fuppofe that the rebel Angels did not know their own weakness till this hour.

399. In cubic phalanx firm] In ftrictness of fpeech, to have been cubic, it must have been as high, as it is broad, as Dr. Bentley juitly obferves. But why muft a poet's mind, fublim'd as Milton's was on this occafion, be expected to attend to every circumitance of an epithet made ufe of? He meant four Square only, having that property of a cube to be equal in length on all fides. And fo he expreffes himfelf in his tract call'd The reafon

Such high advantages their innocence

Gave them above their foes, not to have finn'd
Not to have difobey'd; in fight they stood
Unwearied, unobnoxious to be pain'd

By wound, though from their place by violence

mov'd.

405

Now night her course began, and over Heaven Inducing darkness, grateful truce impos'd,

And filence on the odious din of war:
Under her cloudy covert both retir'd,

Victor and vanquifh'd: on the foughten field
Michaël and his Angels prevalent

of Church Government &c. p. 215. Edit. Toland. As thoje (maller squares in battle unite in one great cube, the main phalanx, an emblem of truth and ftedfaftnefs. To be fure Milton's cubic, tho' not strictly proper, is better than the epithet martial (which the Doctor would give us in the room of it) becaufe a phalanx in battel could not be otherwife than martial; and fo closely united an idea could not have any beauty or force here. Pearce.

495.-though from their place by

violence mov'd.] This circumftance is judiciously added to prepare the reader for what happens in the next fight.

410

Inducing darkness, grateful truce

impos'd,] The fame with Taffo on a like occafion, G. L. Cant. 11. St. 18.

Sin che fe nuova tregua à la fatica
La cheta notte, e del ripofo amica.
Thyer.

407. Inducing darkness,] He feems here to have copied Horace, Sat. I. V. 9.

-Jam nox inducere terris Umbras, et cœlo diffundere figna parabat.

413. Cherubic waving fires:} Their watches were Cherubic wav

Incamping, plac'd in guard their watches round,
Cherubic waving fires: on th'other part
Satan with his rebellious difappear'd,

Far in the dark diflodg'd; and void of rest,

415

His potentates to council call'd by night;
And in the midft thus undifmay'd began.
O now in danger try'd, now known in arms
Not to be overpow'rd, Companions dear,
Found worthy not of liberty alone,

Too mean pretence, but what we more affect,
Honor, dominion, glory, and renown;
Who have sustain'd one day in doubtful fight

420

(And