They faw them whelm'd, and all their confidence
Under the weight of mountains buried deep;
Themselves invaded next, and on their heads
Main promontories flung, which in the air
Came fhadowing, and opprefs'd whole legions arm'd;
Their armour help'd their harm, crush'd in and

bruis'd

654

Into their fubftance pent, which wrought them pain Implacable, and many a dolorous groan,

Long ftrugling underneath, ere they could wind

Out

When Ajax ftrives fome rock's

vait weight to throw, The line too labors, and the words move flow.

656. Their armour help'd their

barm] Somewhat like that. in Spenfer, Faery Queen, B. 1. Cant. 11. St. 27.

ricd on by the fire of his Mak. as to forget the main end of all good writing, the recommen dation of virtue and religion.

Thyer.

662. The reft in imitation &c.] The rest of the Satanic hot that were not overwhelmed by the mountains, in imitation of the geod

That erft him goodly arm'd, now Angels, &c.

moft of all him harm'd.

666. That under ground they fought

in difmal fade;] It was a memorable faying of one of the Spartans at Thermopyle, who be ing told that the multitude of Perfian arrows would obfcure the fun, why then fays he we fal fight in the fhade. I fuppofe that Statius alluded to this story in the following bold lines. Thebaid. VIII. 412.

Out of fuch pris'n, though Spi'rits of pureft light, Pureft at first, now grofs by finning grown.

The reft in imitation to like arms

Betook them, and the neighb'ring hills uptore;
So hills amid the air encounter'd hills

Hurl'd to and fro with jaculation dire,

That under ground they fought in dismal shade;
Infernal noife; war fecm'd a civil game

To this

uproar;

horrid confufion heap'd

Upon confufion rofe: and now all Heaven

661

665

Had
gone to wrack, with ruin overspread ;
Had not th' almighty Father, where he fits
Shrin'd in his fanctuary of Heav'n secure,
Confulting on the fum of things, foreseen
This tumult, and permitted all, advis'd:
That his great purpose he might so fulfil,

670

675

To honor his anointed Son aveng'd

Upon his enemies, and to declare

All pow'r on him transferr'd: whence to his Son Th'affeffor of his throne he thus began.

Effulgence of my glory, Son belov'd,

Son in whofe face invifible is beheld
Vifibly, by what deity I am,

680

And

Ενθα κε λιγο την xa aunxara So the Son is called in fome of

Nequicquam Deus abfcidit

Prudens Oceano diffociabili

¡Terras. Richardjon.

the Fathers, wafioz Ote, dei affeffor.

681. Son in whose face invifible

is bebeld

Vifibiy, what by deity I am,] So the first editions have pointed the

fenfe of it is this; Son in wbyt fentence; and the conftruction and Jace what is invifible is bekeld z fly, viz. auhat I am by deity.

Pearce.

Invifible here is a neuter adjective ufed for a fubftantive, and it is in allufion to thefe texts, Rom. I. 20.

679. Th' affeffor of his throne] The invifible things of God are clearly

Jeen,

And in whofe hand what by decree I do,
Second Omnipotence, two days are past,

Two days, as we compute the days of Heaven, 685
Since Michael and his Pow'rs went forth to tame
Thefe difobedient: fore hath been their fight,
As likelieft was, when two fuch foes met arm'd;
For to themfelves I left them, and thou know'ft,
Equal in their creation they were form'd,
Save what fin hath impair'd, which

yet

Infenfibly, for I fufpend their doom;

690

hath wrought

Whence in perpetual fight they needs must last
Endlefs, and no folution will be found:

War wearied hath perform'd what war can do, 695

And

feen, and Col. I. 15. The image of deed within the compafs of this the invifible God.

one book we have all the variety of battels that can well be conceiv'd. We have a fingle combat, and a general engagement. The first day's fight is with darts and fwords, in imitation of the Ancients; the fecond day's fight is with artillery, in imitation of the Moderns; but the images in both are raifid proportionably to the fuperior nature of the beings here defcrib'd. And when the poet has briefly compris'd all that has any foundation in fact and reality, he has recourie to the fictions of the posts in their defcriptions of

t

And to disorder'd rage let loofe the reigns,

700

With mountains as with weapons arm'd, which makes
Wild work in Heav'n, and dangerous to the main.
Two days are therefore paft, the third is thine;
For thee I have ordain'd it, and thus far
Have fuffer'd, that the glory may be thine
Of ending this great war, fince none but Thou
Can end it. Into thee fuch virtue' and grace
Immenfe I have transfus'd, that all may know
In Heav'n and Hell thy pow'r above compare; 705
And this perverfe commotion govern'd thus,

To manifeft thee worthieft to be Heir

Of all things, to be Heir and to be King

By facred unction, thy deferved right.

Go then thou Mightieft in thy Father's might, 710
Afcend my chariot, guide the rapid wheels
That shake Heav'n's bafis, bring forth all my war,

the giants war with the Gods. And when war bath thus perform'd what war can do, he rifes ftill higher, and the Son of God is fent forth in the majefly of the almighty Father agreeably to Scripture; fo much doth the fublimity of holy Writ tranfcend all that is true, and all that is feign'd in defeription.

My

710. Go then thou Mightieft &c.] The following lines in that glorious commiffion, which is given the Meffiah to extirpate the hoft of rebel Angels, are drawn from a fublime paffage in the Pfalms. The reader will eafly difcover many other ftrokes of the fame Additen. The

nature.