romance of Uther's son, n British and Armoric knights, no since, baptized or infidel, Aspramont or Montalban, or Morocco or Trebisond, Biserta sent from Afric shore, arlemain with all his peerage fell abbia. Thus far these beyond of mortal prowess, yet observed ad commander: he, above the rest and gesture proudly eminent,

e a tower; his form had not yet lost riginal brightness, nor appeared Archangel ruined and the excess obscured as when the sun new risen rough the horizontal misty air,

his beams; or from behind the moon, clipse, disastrous twilight sheds the nations, and with fear of change es monarchs; darkened so, yet shone hem all the Archangel: but his face ars of thunder had intrenched, and care his faded cheek, but under brows atless courage and considerate pride,

er's son, King Arthur. moric, of Armorica or in the northwest of

infidel, unbelieving, Pagan or Mohammedan. 7. These are names of entioned in very old roSome of them are found poem of "Orlando Furiich describes the adventhe Brave Roland, one of hts of Charlemain, Char.- Biserta was in the Africa. Fontarabia (as ly spelled) is in northern At Roncesvalles, in the stern part, in a celebrate, his peerage fell, but not magne himself.

587-589. These, although in prowess above all comparison with any heroes of mortal birth, yet watched and obeyed their dread commander.

595. horizontal, near the hori

zon.

597. disastrous, announcing disaster. An eclipse has always been supposed by the ignorant and superstitious to threaten some great calamity.

599. darkened so, although so darkened.

601. intrenched, furrowed; cut with deep lines.

603. considerate, deliberating; planning.

Waiting revenge; cruel his eye, but cast
Signs of remorse and passion to behold
The fellows of his crime, the followers rather,
Far other once beheld in bliss, condemned
Forever now to have their lot in pain;
Millions of spirits for his fault amerced
Of Heaven, and from eternal splendors flung
For his revolt, yet faithful how they stood,
Their glory withered: as when heaven's fire
Hath scathed the forest oaks or mountain pines,
With singed top their stately growth though bare
Stands on the blasted heath. He now prepared

To speak; whereat their doubled ranks they bend
From wing to wing, and half enclose him round
With all his peers: attention held them mute.
Thrice he essayed, and thrice, in spite of scorn,
Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth; at last
Words interwove with sighs found out their way.

"O myriads of immortal Spirits, O Powers
Matchless but with the Almighty, and that strife
Was not inglorious, though the event was dire,
As this place testifies, and this dire change
Hateful to utter: but what power of mind,
Foreseeing or presaging, from the depth
Of knowledge past or present, could have feared
How such united force of gods, how such
As stood like these, could ever know repulse?
For who can yet believe, though after loss,
That all these puissant legions, whose exile
Hath emptied Heaven, shall fail to reascend
Self-raised, and repossess their native seat?
For me be witness all the host of Heaven
If counsels different, or danger shunned

605. passion, feeling; compassion.

609. amerced, deprived; punished by loss.

61

62

630

635

611. yet faithful how they stood. This depends on behold in line 605. 636. different, varying.

e lost our hopes: but he who reigns Heaven, till then as one secure throne, upheld by old repute, -custom, and his regal state

t full, but still his strength concealed, pted our attempt, and wrought our fall. à his might we know, and know our own, either to provoke, or dread provoked; our better part remains

n close design, by fraud or guile,

640

645

e effected not; that he no less from us may find, who overcomes

nath overcome but half his foe.

y produce new worlds; whereof so rife

650

nt a fame in Heaven, that he ere long
to create; and therein plant
tion, whom his choice regard
vor equal to the sons of Heaven:
f but to pry, shall be perhaps
eruption, thither or elsewhere;
Infernal pit shall never hold
spirits in bondage, nor the abyss
Her darkness cover. But these thoughts
sel must mature. Peace is despaired,

can think submission ?- War then, war
understood, must be resolved."

ake; and to confirm his words out flew
of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs
ty Cherubim; the sudden blaze

nd lumined Hell: highly they raged,
the Highest, and fierce with grasped arms

655

660

665

voked, being ourselves went so general a fame or ru

rk, work out; effect. o, that he who. hereof so rife there fame, of which there

mor.

655. Thither. See line 650. 659. cover, cover them. 660. despaired, despaired of; hopeless.

Clashed on their sounding shields the din of war, Hurling defiance toward the vault of Heaven.

There stood a hill not far, whose grisly top
Belched fire and rolling smoke; the rest entire
Shone with a glossy scurf; undoubted sign
That in his womb was hid metallic ore,

The work of sulphur. Thither winged with speed
A numerous brigade hastened; as when bands
Of pioneers, with spade and pickaxe armed,
Forerun the royal camp, to trench a field
Or cast a rampart. Mammon led them on,
Mammon, the least erected spirit that fell
From Heaven; for even in Heaven his looks a
thoughts

Were always downward bent, admiring more
The riches of Heaven's pavement, trodden gold,
Than aught divine or holy else enjoyed

In vision beatific: by him first

Men also, and by his suggestion taught,
Ransacked the centre, and with impious hands
Rifled the bowels of their mother Earth
For treasures better hid. Soon had his crew
Opened into the hill a spacious wound,
And digged out ribs of gold. Let none admire
That riches grow in Hell; that soil may best
Deserve the precious bane. And here let those
Who boast in mortal things, and wondering tell
Of Babel and the works of Memphian kings,
Learn how their greatest monuments of fame,

671. the rest entire, all the rest. 673. his, its. See note on line 572.

678. Mammon is a Syriac word meaning Riches, which are here personified, as in Matt. vi. 24. 684. beatific, making blessed; heavenly. See III. 61, 62.

686. impious is probably here

used in its Latin sense of und tiful; unnatural.

6

65

690. admire, wonder; be aston ished.

694. Babel, Babylon, whos walls, as well as the Pyramids o Egypt, the works of Memphia kings (see line 307), were amon the Seven Wonders of the ancien

world.

700

th and art are easily outdone reprobate, and in an hour, a age they, with incessant toil innumerable, scarce perform. e plain in many cells prepared, rneath had veins of liquid fire om the lake, a second multitude Irous art founded the massy ore, cach kind, and scummed the bullion dross: soon had formed within the ground mould; and from the boiling cells

› conveyance filled each hollow nook; organ from one blast of wind

a row of pipes the sound-board breathes.
of the earth a fabric huge

an exhalation, with the sound
symphonies and voices sweet,
a temple, where pilasters round
and Doric pillars overlaid

len architrave; nor did there want

r frieze, with bossy sculptures graven;

was fretted gold. Not Babylon,

- Alcairo such magnificence

in all their glories, to enshrine

Serapis their gods, or seat

gs, when Egypt with Assyria strove

705

710

715

720

part of a building which rests immediately on the columns; it is the lowest part of the entablature, of which the cornice is the upper part, the frieze being between them.-bossy, in relief; standing out.

717. fretted, ornamented; adorned with raised work.

720. Belus, or Bel, a Babylonish idol.-Serapis, an Egyptian deity worshipped at Memphis, near the site of which Cairo, or Alcairo, now stands.