(And if one day, why not eternal days?)
What Heaven's Lord had pow'rfullest to send
Against us from about his throne, and judg'd
Sufficient to fubdue us to his will,

But proves not fo: then fallible, it feems,

425

Of future we may deem him, though till now
Omniscient thought. True is, lefs firmly arm'd, 430
Some difadvantage we indur'd and pain,

Till now not known, but known as foon contemn'd;
Since now we find this our empyreal form
Incapable of mortal injury,

Imperishable, and though pierc'd with wound, 435
Soon clofing, and by native vigor heal'd.
Of evil then fo fmall as eafy think
The remedy; perhaps more valid arms,
Weapons more violent, when next we meet,
May ferve to better us, and worse our foes,

440

Or equal what between us made the odds,
In nature none: if other hidden caufe
Left them fuperior, while we can preferve
Unhurt our minds and understanding found,
Due fearch and confultation will difclofe.

He fat; and in th'affembly next upstood
Nifroch, of Principalities the prime;
As one he stood efcap'd from cruel fight,
Sore toil, his riven arms to havoc hewn,
And cloudy in afpéct thus anfw'ring fpake.
Deliverer from new Lords, leader to free
Enjoyment of our right as Gods; yet hard
For Gods, and too unequal work we find,
Against unequal arms to fight in pain,

445

450

Againft unpain'd, impaffive; from which evil 455 Ruin must needs enfue; for what avails

Valor or ftrength, though matchlefs, quell'd with pain

Which

To d' av poloviny, & Davern & prog- The Seventy call him Meferach in

Kings, and Nafarach in Ifaiah; Jofephus calls him Arafes. He must have been a principal idol, being worshipped by fo great a prince, and at the capital city Nineveh; which may juftify Milton in calling him of Principalities the prime. Hh 2 462.85

Which all fubdues, and makes remifs the hands
Of mightieft? Senfe of pleasure we may well
Spare out of life perhaps, and not repine,
But live content, which is the calmeft life:
But pain is perfect mifery, the worst
Of evils, and exceffive, overturns

All patience. He who therefore can invent
With what more forcible we may offend
Our yet unwounded enemies, or arm
Ourfelves with like defenfe, to me deferves
No less than for deliverance what we owe.
Whereto with look compos'd Satan reply'd.
Not uninvented that, which thou aright
Believ'ft fo main to our fuccefs, I bring.

460

465

470

Which

liverer here he ventures to fay that Whoever could invent the new engin of war would be equal to him in his eftimation. Milton has taken care that this deliverer fhould alfo have this merit, and be without a competitor; Satan is both the one and the other as it Richardfox.

follows immediately.

472. Which of us who beholds the bright jurface

Of this ethereaus mold &c.] Dr. Bentley for the fake of a better accent, reads furface bright; but furface is be read with the accent upon the laft fyllable, and

not

Which of us who beholds the bright furfáce
Of this ethereous mold whereon we ftand,
This continent of fpacious Heav'n, adorn'd
With plant, fruit, flow'r ambrofial, gems and gold;
Whofe eye fo fuperficially furveys

476
These things, as not to mind from whence they grow
Deep under ground, materials dark and crude,
Of fpiritous and fiery fpume, till touch'd

With Heaven's ray, and temper'd they shoot forth
So beauteous, opening to the ambient light? 481
These in their dark nativity the deep

Shall yield us pregnant with infernal flame;
Which into hollow engins long and round
Thick-ramm'd, at th' other bore with touch of fire

not as it is commonly pronounc'd, for Milton would hardly ufe a trochaic foot at the end of the verse. Dr. Bentley reads likewife this ethereal mold; and it is true Milton commonly uses the word ethereal, but that is no reason why he may not fay likewife ethereous, which is nearer the Latin ethereus. The conftruction of this fentence is, Which of us who beholds &c. fo fuperficially furveys these things: but as the nominative cafe which of us is mention'd fo many lines before the verb furveys, he throws in another nominative cafe,

Dilated

Whofe eye fo fuperficially furveys &c.

482. -the dep It is commonly used for Hell, but here is and is the fame as deep under ground, only oppos'd to jurface, ver. 472. ver. 478. which may likewife explain the word infernal in the next line. Not but infernal flame may mean flame like that of Hell, Hell before by the Angels, and the idea having been frequently mention'd being very well known.

484. Which into hollow &c.]'bich that is the materials, ver. 478. Hh3

Dilated and infuriate, fhall fend forth

486

From far with thund'ring noise among our foes
Such implements of mifchief, as shall dash
To pieces, and o'erwhelm whatever ftands
Adverfe, that they fhall fear we have difarm'd 490
The Thund'rer of his only dreaded bolt.

Nor long fhall be our labor; yet ere dawn,
Effect shall end our with. Mean while revive;
Abandon fear; to strength and counsel join'd
Think nothing hard, much less to be despair'd. 495
He ended and his words their drooping chear
Inlighten'd, and their languifh'd hope reviv'd.

Thefe ver. 482. the deep fhall
yield, which into hollow engins
r.mm'd, with touch of fire hall
fend forth, Hollow ergins, great
the first invention whereof
guns,
is very properly afcribed to the
author of all evil. And Arioflo
has defcribed them in the fame
manner in his Orlando Furiofo,
Cant. 9. St 28. or 24.
of Har-
rington's tranflation; and attributes
the invention to the Devil.

Un ferro bugio, &c.

A trunk of iron hollow made within,

And there he puts powder and pellet in.

25. All clofed fave a little hole behind,

Th

Whereat no fooner taken is the flame,

The bullet flies with fuch a furious wind,

As tho' from clouds a bolt of thunder came:

And whatfoever in the way it find It burns, it breaks, it tears, and fpoils the fame.

No doubt fome fiend of Hell or devilish wight

Devifed it to do mankind a spite.

And again, St. $1.

O curft devife found out by fome
foul fiend

And fram❜d below by Belzebub in
Hell &c.

And