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So under fiery cope together rush'd

Both battles main, with ruinous assault
And inextinguishable rage; all heaven

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Resounded, and had earth been then, all earth
Had to her centre shook. What wonder? when
Millions of fierce encount'ring angels fought
On either side, the least of whom could wield
These elements, and arm him with the force
Of all their regions: how much more of power
Army' against army numberless to raise
Dreadful combustion warring, and disturb,
Though not destroy, their happy native seat;
Had not th' eternal King omnipotent

From his strong hold of heav'n high over-rul'd
And limited their might; though number'd such
As each divided legion might have seem'd
A numerous host, in strength each armed hand
A legion, led in fight yet leader seem'd
Each warrior single as in chief, expert
When to advance, or stand, or turn the sway
Of battle, open when, and when to close
The ridges of grim war: no thought of flight,

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None of retreat, no unbecoming deed

That argued fear; each on himself relied,
As only in his arm the moment lay

Of victory deeds of eternal fame

Were done, but infinite; for wide was spread
That war and various, sometimes on firm ground

the files are implied. The ranks are the rows of soldiers from flank to flank, from side to side, from the left to the right; the files are from front to rear. Richardson.

236. -no thought of flight,] So Homer, Iliad. xi. 71.

Ουδ' έτεροι μνωοντ' ολοοιο φοβοιο.
None stoop'd a thought to base in-
glorious flight.
Pope.

And Iliad. xxiv. 216.

ουτε φοβου μεμνημένον, ουτ' αλε
wens.

239. As only in his arm the mo-
ment lay
Of viclory:]
As if upon his single arm had
depended the whole weight of
the victory. The moment, the
weight that turns the balance,
as the word signifies in Latin,
Ter. Andr. i. v. 31. Dum in
dubio est animus, paulo momento
huc vel illuc impellitur: and as
he has employed here the me-
taphor of the weight, so of the
scale a little afterwards-long
time in even scale the battle hung
--using as a metaphor what
Homer makes a simile of, Iliad.
xii. 433.

Αλλ' εχον, ώστε ταλαντα γυνη

Ως μεν των επι ισα μαχη τετατο πτο λεμος τε.

As when two scales are charg'd with doubtful loads

So stood the war,
less might

240

till Hector's match

With fates prevailing turn'd the scale of fight. Pope. And in several particulars he has had his eye upon Homer, and commonly exceeds his master. Homer says that the Greeks and Trojans fought like burning fire:

Ως οἱ μὲν μαρναντο, δέμας πυρος αιθο-
Iliad. xiii. 673.

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It would be entering into too minute a detail of criticism to mention every little circumstance that is copied from Homer; and where he does not directly copy from Homer, his style and colouring is still very much in Homer's manner; and one may see plainly that he has read him, even where he does not imitate

him. Wonderful as his genius was, he could hardly have drawn the battles of the angels so well without first reading those in the Iliad; and Homer taught him to excel Homer.

242. That war and various, sometimes on firm ground

A standing fight, then soaring &c.]

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A standing fight, then soaring on main wing
Tormented all the air; all air seem'd then
Conflicting fire: long time in even scale
The battle hung; till Satan, who that day
Prodigious pow'r had shown, and met in arms
No equal, ranging through the dire attack

Of fighting seraphim confus'd, at length

245

Saw where the sword of Michael smote, and fell'd 250
Squadrons at once; with huge two-handed sway
Brandish'd aloft the horrid edge came down
Wide wasting; such destruction to withstand
He hasted, and oppos'd the rocky orb
Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield,

The syntax and sense is; The war was sometimes a standing fight on the ground, and sometimes the war soaring on main wing tormented all the air.

Pearce.

244. Tormented all the air;] Here Milton takes the same liberty of applying the word torment, which the Latin poets did before him in using the term vexare. So Marino describing Neptune raising a storm, Adon.

cant. i. st. 123.

-e d'Aquiloni Col fulmine dentato (emulo a Gioue) Tormentando la terra, il mar com

moue.

Thyer.

So Spenser in the Morning Muse
of Thestylis, speaking of Eolus,
Who letting loose the winds
Tost and tormented th' air.

247. and met in arms
No equal,]

The poet seems almost to have forgotten how Satan was foiled

255

by Abdiel in the beginning of the action: but I suppose the poet did not consider Abdiel as equal to Satan, though he gained that accidental advantage over him. Satan no doubt would have proved an overmatch for Abdiel, only for the general engagement which ensued, and broke off the combat between them.

251. with huge two-handed sway &c.] It shows how entirely the ideas of chivalry and romance had possessed him, to make Michael fight with a two-handed sword. The same idea occasioned his expressing himself very obscurely in the following lives of his Lycidas, v. 130.

But that two-handed engine at the door

Stands ready to smite once, and smite no more.

Warburton.

255. Of tenfold adamant,] In other poets the angels are armed

A vast circumference: At his approach
The great archangel from his warlike toil
Surceas'd, and glad as hoping here to end
Intestine war in heav'n, th' arch-foe subdued
Or captive dragg'd in chains, with hostile frown
And visage all inflam'd first thus began.

Author of ev'il, unknown till thy revolt,
Unnam'd in heav'n, now plenteous, as thou seest
These acts of hateful strife, hateful to all,
Though heaviest by just measure on thyself
And thy adherents: how hast thou disturb'd
Heav'n's blessed peace, and into nature brought
Misery, uncreated till the crime

Of thy rebellion? how hast thou instill'd

Thy malice into thousands, once upright

And faithful, now prov'd false? But think not here
To trouble holy rest; heav'n casts thee out
From all her confines. Heav'n the seat of bliss
Brooks not the works of violence and war.
Hence then, and evil go with thee along,

in adamant, and in Tasso there is particular mention of an adamantine shield, cant. vii. st. 82. Scudo di lucidissimo diamante.

262. Author of evil, &c.] These speeches give breath as it were to the reader after the hurry of the general battle; and prepare his mind, and raise his expectation the more for the ensuing combat between Michael and Satan. It is the practice likewise of Homer and Virgil, to make their heroes discourse before they fight; it renders the action more solemn,

260

265

270

275

and more engages the reader's
attention.

275. Hence then, and evil go
with thee along,
Thy offspring, to the place of
evil, hell,

Thou and thy wicked crew ;

there mingle broils,] Imitated from Tasso, where Michael in like manner rebukes the infernal spirits who fought against the Christians, cant. ix. st. 64.

Itene maledetti al vostro regno,

Regno di pene, e di perpetua morte:
E siano in quegli a voi douuti chiostri

Thy offspring, to the place of evil, hell,

Thou and thy wicked crew; there mingle broils,
Ere this avenging sword begin thy doom,

Or some more sudden vengeance wing'd from God
Precipitate thee with augmented pain.

280

So spake the prince of angels; to whom thus The Adversary. Nor think thou with wind Of aery threats to awe whom yet with deeds Thou canst not. Hast thou turn'd the least of these To flight, or if to fall, but that they rise Unvanquish'd, easier to transact with me

285

290

That thou should'st hope, imperious, and with threats
To chase me hence? err not that so shall end
The strife which thou call'st evil, but we style
The strife of glory; which we mean to win,
Or turn this heav'n itself into the hell
Thou fablest, here however to dwell free,
If not to reign: mean while thy utmost force,
And join him nam'd Almighty to thy aid,

I fly not, but have sought thee far and nigh.
They ended parle, and both address'd for fight

Le vostre guerre, et i trionsi vostri. Go hence you curst to your appointed lands,

The realms of death, of torments, and of woes,

And in the deeps of that infernal

lake

Your battles fight, and there your

triumphs make. Fairfax. 282. The Adversary.] Not as any enemy in fight may be called, but in a sense peculiar to him, Satan being his name, and Satan in Hebrew signifying the adversary.

VOL. I.

295

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