Nor great Alcairo such magnificence Equalled in all their glories, to enshrine Belus or Serapis, their gods, or seat 720 Their kings, when Egypt with Assyria strove Stood fixed her stately highth; and straight the doors, Opening their brazen folds, discover wide Within her ample spaces, o'er the smooth 725 And level pavement: from the arched roof, : A summer's day; and with the setting sun 730 735 740 718. Alcairo, now called Cairo. Al is merely an article as in Alkoran; in some words it has retained its place, as in algebra, alkali, alchemy. 720. Belus or Bel, the latter the Aramaic form for Baäl. Serapis, the Egyptian god of the world of the dead. 722. Pile, a poetic expression for any great structure. 732. His hand, etc. This one of the fallen angels became in aftertime the Greek deity Hephaistos, identified by the Romans with their own Vulcan or Mulciber, the Forger. His fall from heaven (Iliad i. 591), as a result of which he was always lame, is a part of Greek mythology. Dropt from the zenith like a falling star, On Lemnos, the Egean isle. Thus they relate, 745 Fell long before; nor aught availed him now To have built in Heaven high towers; nor did he 'scape By all his engines, but was headlong sent 750 With his industrious crew to build in Hell. Meanwhile the wingèd heralds, by command Of sovran power, with awful ceremony And trumpet's sound, throughout the host proclaim 755 At Pandemonium, the high capital Of Satan and his peers. Their summons called By place or choice the worthiest; they anon With hundreds and with thousands trooping came To mortal combat, or career with lance), Thick swarmed, both on the ground and in the air, 748. Nor aught availed him now. 760 765 Nor was it now of any advantage to him to have built the towers of Heaven. 753. Awful, the word as commonly used to-day is almost meaningless Milton meant full of awe. 756. Pandemonium. The place of all the devils. The name is coined by Milton from nav, all, and dazuovior, a place of devils, from δαίμων. 757. Peers; properly the word means equals, as in 39: here rather nobility, as in modern English. 760. I. e., not only the chiefs but their followers. 764. Wont ride, were wont to ride; the construction is now peculiar, but not infrequent in older English, being quite regular. 764. Soldan, the word is a doublet of Sultan. 765. Panim, pagan; more commonly used with the meaning Mahometan. Brushed with the hiss of rustling wings. As bees, 770 775 Swarmed, and were straitened; till, the signal given, Behold a wonder! They but now who seemed Now less than smallest dwarfs in narrow room 780 Or dreams he sees, while over head the moon Sits arbitress, and nearer to the earth 785 Wheels her pale course; they, on their mirth and dance Intent, with jocund music charm his ear; At once with joy and fear his heart rebounds. Reduced their shapes immense, and were at large, 790 Of that infernal court. But far within, And in their own dimensions like themselves, The great Seraphic lords, and Cherubim, 769. Taurus, the Bull among the signs of the Zodiac. The sun comes into Taurus about the middle of April. 774. Expatiate, spread out. 780. Pygmean race. Ancient fables placed the Pygmies in Asia, but modern exploration finds them in Africa. 793. Like themselves. Spirits had the power of changing their appearance (see i. 428) but yet they had, each his own particular form. The point has more than a curious interest. (See Introd., p. xxix.) 794. In this line Seraph and Cherub may perhaps mean the chief of the angelic hierarchy. 795 In close recess and secret conclave sat, 797. Frequent agrees with conclave; the meaning is Latin, i. e., crowded. PARADISE LOST BOOK II. THE ARGUMENT. The consultation begun, Satan debates whether another battle be to be hazarded for the recovery of Heaven. Some advise it, others dissuade; a third proposal is preferred, mentioned before by Satan, to search the truth of that prophecy or tradition in Heaven concerning another world, and another kind of creature equal or not much inferior to themselves, about this time to be created. Their doubt who shall be sent on this difficult search; Satan their chief undertakes alone the voyage, is honoured and applauded. The council thus ended, the rest betake themselves several ways and to several employments, as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time till Satan return. He passes on his journey to Hell gates, finds them shut, and who sat there to guard them, by whom at length they are opened and discover to him the great gulf between Hell and Heaven. With what difficulty he passes through, directed by Chaos, the Power of that place, to the sight of this new World which he sought. HIGH on a throne of royal state, which far Or where the gorgeous East, with richest hand, 2. Ormus. An island in the Persian gulf, a famous diamond mart. India was just coming into notice from the trading and settlements of the East India Company. 4. This line may be taken quite literally. The books of travel of Milton's day have descriptions of this accompaniment of eastern coronations. |