May prove their foe, and with repenting hand
Abolish his own works. This would surpass

370

Faded so soon. Advise if this be worth
Attempting, or to sit in darkness here
Hatching vain empires!" Thus Beelzebub
Pleaded his devilish counsel, first devised
By Satan, and in part proposed; for whence,
But from the author of all ill could spring
So deep a malice, to confound the race
Of mankind in one root, and earth with hell
To mingle and involve; done all to spite
The great Creator? But their spite still serves
His glory to augment. The bold design
Pleased highly those infernal States, and joy
Sparkled in all their eyes. With full assent
They vote whereat his speech he thus renews:

:

"Well have ye judged, well ended long debate, Synod of gods! and, like to what ye are,

Great things resolved; which from the lowest deep

380

385

390

born?-369, 370. "It repented the Lord that he had made man." Gen. vi. 6. -375. Original. Originator, author? or origin? or original state?· 376, 377. Advise (Fr. aviser), consider? or offer counsel ? Or to sit. What word to be supplied after or?-377, 378. Sit... hatching. The critics seem to miss the force of this startling metaphor! Vain (Lat. vanis, void), empty. Incapable of being hatched?-379. First devised. See I. 650-55. As to the intimacy between Satan and Beelzebub, see I. 87, etc; V. 673, etc. 383. Root (like Lat. stirpe, stem, stock, root). 387. States, chiefs. So the phrases, 'estates of the realm,' 'estates of parliament,' 'third estate,' 'states-general,' les états généraux. Joy sparkled, etc. "Disdain and scorn ride sparkling in her eyes." Shakes. 389. "We must suppose here some brief act of voting." Masson. 391. Synod. Like 'conclave' (I. 795); and 'consistory' (Par. Regained, I. 42). Is this ecclesiastical word a little sarcastic here? Gr. σúvodos, synodos, meeting. Like. To

PARADISE LOST.

Will once more lift us up, in spite of fate,

Nearer our ancient seat; perhaps in view

Of those bright confines, whence with neighboring arms
And opportune excursion, we may chance

Re-enter heaven; or else in some mild zone

Dwell, not unvisited of heaven's fair light,

Secure, and at the brightening orient beam
Purge off this gloom: the soft delicious air,
To heal the scar of these corrosive fires,

396

400

=

Shall breathe her balm. But first, whom shall we send
In search of this new world? Whom shall we find
Sufficient? Who shall tempt with wandering feet
The dark unbottomed infinite abyss,

And through the palpable obscure find out
His uncouth way, or spread his aery flight,
Upborne with indefatigable wings

Over the vast abrupt, ere he arrive

The happy isle? What strength, what art, can then
Suffice, or what evasion bear him safe

Through the strict senteries and stations thick

405

410

what does this word belong?-395. Neighboring. To what?-396. Chance = perchance? or chance to?-399. Brightening. Growing bright? or making bright? Orient. Rising? or bright? or eastern? See note on I. 546. -401. Scar. Fr. escarre, or escharre, crust of a burn, dead flesh to be sloughed off; fr. Gr. éσxápa? - 402. Shall. This word was still largely interchangeable with will.—405. Abyss. Of Chaos? or of Lethe? If Chaos, the question is, "Who shall attempt to go on foot through it, or on wings over it?" See 11. 828, 829. - 406. Palpable obscure. The darkness that might be felt, of Exod. x. 21. Obscure' is a noun here, like essential,' 1. 97; 'sensible,' 1. 278; abrupt,' 1. 409.407. Uncouth (A. S. cunnan, to know; cuthe, knew, ge-cuth, known), unknown. -409. Arrive (Lat. ad, to, ripa, river-bank; strictly arrive' means to reach the shore), arrive at. So 'at' is omitted after 'arrive' in Shakes. Jul. Cas. I. II. 110; 3 Hen. VI. V. 3, 8. — 410. Isle. Newton, Keightley, Browne, Ross, Storr, Major, Brydges, and others, make it 'the earth hanging in the sea of air.' But Masson says, "This interpretation must be wrong. The angels know nothing as yet of the earth, or the nature of its environment. . . The Isle' is "this world, which . . . they can fancy as an azure sphere or round, insulated between heaven and Chaos." But the 'flight' was 'aery,' 1. 407, and air seems to be expected as a matter of course, 1. 400.-412. Senteries (Lat. sentire, to perceive; or,

...

Of angels watching round? Here he had need
All circumspection, and we now no less
Choice in our suffrage; for, on whom we send,
The weight of all, and our last hope, relies."
This said, he sat; and expectation held
His look suspense, awaiting who appeared
To second, or oppose, or undertake

415

The perilous attempt: but all sat mute,

420

Pondering the danger with deep thoughts; and each

In other's countenance read his own dismay,

Astonished: none among the choice and prime

Of those heaven-warring champions could be found
So hardy as to proffer or accept,

425

Alone, the dreadful voyage; till at last

Satan, whom now transcendent glory raised

Above his fellows, with monarchal pride

Conscious of highest worth, unmoved thus spake : — "O progeny of heaven! empyreal thrones!

430

With reason hath deep silence and demur

Seized us, though undismayed. Long is the way
And hard, that out of hell leads up to light.

better, fr. Fr. sentier, path, as "the sentinel walks in a little path"), sentinels. Stations, stationed guards.-413. Had need all. Would have need of all? or would have in need all? - 414. We. Marked by Milton to be spelled wee for emphasis by contrast with he. — 416. All. All what? Relies. Subject nominative?-418. Look in suspense. 'His look ranging or suspended over the assembly as if uncertain from what quarter there might be a response.' Masson. Why did not Moloch volunteer? - 420. Mute. As the Senate, after the defeat and death of the Scipios, sat mute before the choice of a commander for the army in Spain, no one daring to accept the position. Liv. XXVI. 18.429. Unmoved. Without rising from his seat? or undisturbed by the danger? or unsolicited, i. e. of his own motion? - 430. Of heaven. All of Satan's speeches to the assembled angels show the art or artifice of an orator, first conciliating his audience. How with Moloch's? Mammon's? Belial's? Beelzebub's? Any reason for the difference? — 431. Demur (Lat. demorāri, to loiter, to retard; Fr. demeurer, to stay; demeurer muet, to be struck dumb), hesitation.-432. Long, etc. So says Dante, "The way is long, and difficult the road." Infer. XXXIV. 95. Similarly the famous lines in Virgil, Æn. VI. 128, 129, "The descent to hell is easy

PARADISE LOST.

Our prison strong, this huge convex of fire,
Outrageous to devour, immures us round
Ninefold; and gates of burning adamant,
Barred over us, prohibit all egress.

These passed, if any pass, the void profound
Of unessential night receives him next,
Wide gaping, and with utter loss of being
Threatens him, plunged in that abortive gulf.
If thence he scape into whatever world

Or unknown region, what remains him less
Than unknown dangers, and as hard escape?
But I should ill become this throne, O peers,

435

440

445

And this imperial sovranty, adorned

With splendor, armed with power, if aught proposed

And judged of public moment, in the shape

Of difficulty or danger, could deter

Me from attempting. Wherefore do I assume

450

These royalties, and not refuse to reign,
Refusing to accept as great a share

Of hazard as of honor, due alike

To him who reigns, and so much to him due

Of hazard more as he above the rest

455

High honored sits? Go, therefore, mighty powers,

but to retrace one's steps, to come up and out to the upper air, this is the task, this the toil.". -434. Convex. Contemplated from the outside? Or was 'convex' used by the old poets for 'concave,' like Lat. convexus? See 1. 635. — 436. Ninefold, etc. How had Satan learned these particulars? Had they consciousness, power of observation, when they entered hell? or is it mere assumption of knowledge on the part of Satan? See 11. 165 to 169; also 11. 645, 646. Adamant. What is it? etymology. - 438. Void profound, Lucretius's inane profundum, Shakespeare's 'empty vast and wandering air,' or 'kingdom of perpetual night,' in Richard III., I. iv. — 439. Unessential, without real substance. A dark infinite vacuum?-441. Abortive. Non-producing? or never bringing to completion? or rendering incomplete, destroying life? Remains, awaits, Lat. manet. — 445-55. This handsome recognition of the obligation imposed by sovereignty is slightly like Prince Sarpedon's, Il. XII. 310, etc. So Par. Reg. II. 463, etc. —452. Refusing = iƒ refusing?— 453. Alike. Hazard and honor alike? or due to

Terror of heaven, though fallen! intend at home,

While here shall be our home, what best may ease
The present misery, and render hell

More tolerable; if there be cure or charm

To respite, or deceive, or slack the pain
Of this ill mansion: intermit no watch
Against a wakeful foe, while I abroad

460

Through all the coasts of dark destruction seek
Deliverance for us all this enterprise

465

None shall partake with me." Thus saying, rose
The monarch, and prevented all reply;
Prudent lest, from his resolution raised,
Others among the chief might offer now,
Certain to be refused, what erst they feared,
And, so refused, might in opinion stand
His rivals, winning cheap the high repute
Which he through hazard huge must earn.
Dreaded not more the adventure than his voice
Forbidding; and at once with him they rose.
Their rising all at once was as the sound

470

But they

475

Of thunder heard remote. Towards him they bend
With awful reverence prone, and as a god

Extol him equal to the Highest in heaven.

Nor failed they to express how much they praised
That for the general safety he despised

His own:

for neither do the spirits damned

480

him and the rest alike?-457. Intend, attend to. So Shakes. Tim. of Ath. II. II.; also Bacon's Henry VII. The king intended his pleasures." Lat. intendere (animum), to stretch (the mind) to. —462. Mansion (Lat. manere, to remain), abiding-place. 464. Coasts, etc., where? - 467. Prevented (pre, before, venīre, to come), forestalled. The peremptoriness of this conclusion is regal? But what has become of their republican equality? — 468. From. By? Raised in courage?-470. What. What? Certain. Difference between this and sure'?-471. Opinion, public opinion, or reputation. So repeatedly in Shakes. (Mer. of Ven. I. I., 'this fool-gudgeon, this opinion?-478. Prone, bowing down. As a god, etc. Slave to the 'last infirmity of noble mind.'-482. Neither. 'Not any more than bad men.' Keightley. Storr cites very appositely, James ii. 19, "The devils also believe