Beatitude past utterance; on his right
The radiant image of his glory fat,
His only Son; on earth he first beheld
Our two first parents, yet the only two

Of mankind, in the happy garden plac'd,
Reaping immortal fruits of joy and love,
Uninterrupted joy, unrival'd love

In blissful folitude; he then furvey'd

Hell and the gulf between, and Satan there

Coasting the wall of Heav'n on this side Night

65

70

In

the happiness of the Saints to or air, but without firmament, withconfift. Thyer.

out any sphere of fixed ftars over it, as over the earth. The fphere of fixed ftars was itself comprehended in it, and made a part of it. 77. Him God beholding from bis profpect high,

Wherein past, prefent, future he beholds,] Boethius, an author not unworthy of our poet's imitation, describing the Deity uses exactly the fame terms. Qui cum ex alta providentiæ fpecula refpicit, quid cuique eveniat. De Conf. Philof. L. 4.

Quæ fint, quæ fuerint, veniant que
Uno mentis cernit in ictu.
Ib. L. 5. Metr. 2. Thyer.
79. Thus to his only Son foreseeing

Spake.] If Milton's majefty forfakes him any where, it is in thofe parts of his poem, where the divine Perfons are introduced as

fpeakers.

In the dun air fublime, and ready now

To stoop with wearied wings and willing feet
On the bare outfide of this world, that feem'd
Firm land imbofom'd, without firmament,
Uncertain which, in ocean or in air.
Him God beholding from his profpect high,
Wherein past, prefent, future he beholds,
Thus to his only Son foreseeing fpake.

Only begotton Son, feest thou what rage
Transports our Adverfary? whom no bounds

75

80

Prefcrib'd,

fpeakers. One may, I think, ob- of Chriftianity, and drawn togeferve that the author preceeds with ther in a regular scheme the whole a kind of fear and trembling, difpenfation of Providence with whilft he describes the fentiments refpect to Man. He has repreof the Almighty. He dares not fented all the abftrufe doctrins of give his imagination its full play, predeftination, free-will and grace, but chooses to confine himself to as alfo the great points of incarnafuch thoughts as are drawn from tion and redemption (which natuthe books of the moft orthodox di- rally grow up in a poem that treats vines, and to fuch expreffions as of the fall of Man) with great may be met with in Scripture. The energy of expreffion, and in a beauties therefore, which we are clearer and ftronger light than I to look for in these speeches, are ever met with in any other writer. not of a poetical nature, nor fo As thefe points are dry in themproper to fill the mind with fen- felves to the generality of readers, timents of grandeur, as with the concife and clear manner, in thoughts of devotion. The paf- which he has treated them, is very fions, which they are defign'd to much to be admired, as is likeraise, are a divine love and reli- wife that particular art which he gious fear. The particular beauty has made ufe of in the interfperfof the fpeeches in the third book ing of all thofe graces of poetry, confifts in that shortnefs and per- which the fubject was capable of fpicuity of ftile, in which the poet receiving. Satan's approach to the has couch'd the greatest mysteries confines of the creation is finely

Prefcrib'd, no bars of Hell, nor all the chains

Heap'd on him there, nor yet the main abyss
Wide interrupt can hold; fo bent he seems
On defperate revenge, that shall redound
Upon his own rebellious head. And now

Through all reftraint broke loose he wings his way
Not far off Heav'n, in the precincts of light,
Directly tow'ards the new created world,
And Man there plac'd, with purpose to affay
If him by force he can deftroy, or worse,
By fome falfe guile pervert; and fhall pervert,
For Man will hearken to his glozing lies,
And easily tranfgrefs the fole command,
Sole pledge of his obedience: So will fall,
He and his faithless progeny: Whose fault?
Whose but his own? Ingrate, he had of me
All he could have; I made him juft and right,
Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.

85

90

95

Such

- both them who stood and them who fell;

Freely they flood who flood, and fell who fell. Bentley.

108. (reafon alfo is choice)] The author had exprefs'd the fame fentiment before in profe. "Many "there be that complain of divine

"Provi

Such I created all th' ethereal Powers

100

And Spirits, both them who stood and them who fail'd;
Freely they stood who ftood, and fell who fell.
Not free, what proof could they have giv❜n fincere
Of true allegiance, conftant faith or love,

Where only what they needs must do appear'd, 105
Not what they would? what praise could they receive?
What pleasure I from fuch obedience paid,

When will and reafon (reafon alfo' is choice)
Useless and vain, of freedom both defpoil'd,
Made paffive both, had ferv'd neceffity,
Not me? They therefore as to right belong'd,
So were created, nor can juftly' accuse
Their maker, or their making, or their fate,

As if predestination over-rul'd

Their will, difpos'd by abfolute decree

115

Or high foreknowledge; they themselves decreed
Their own revolt, not I; if I foreknew,

Fore

117. if I foreknew,] If here does not imply the leaft doubt or uncertainty; but is ufed, as it is fometimes in the beft authors, in the fenfe of Though. Though I foreknew, that foreknowledge had no influence.

121. Or

120

Foreknowledge had no influence on their fault,
Which had no less prov'd certain unforeknown.
So without least impulse or shadow' of fate,
Or ought by me immutably foreseen,
They trefpafs, authors to themselves in all
Both what they judge and what they choose; for so
I form'd them free, and free they must remain,
Till they inthrall themselves; I else must change 125
Their nature, and revoke the high decree
Unchangeable, eternal, which ordain'd

Their freedom, they themselves ordain'd their fall.
The first fort by their own fuggeftion fell,
Self-tempted, self-deprav'd: Man falls, deceiv'd 130
By th' other firft: Man therefore shall find grace,

121. Or ought by me immutably

forefeen,] To forefee immutably (fays Dr. Bentley) are two ideas that cannot unite: he thinks therefore that Milton must have

given it immutably foredoom'd. His objection is right, but his emendation is wrong, I think. Milton feems rather to have dictated,

Or ought by me immutable fore

feen,

where ought immutable may fignify any event that cannot be chang'd or alter'd. Pearce. Ammutably forefeen feems to mean fo

The

foreseen as to be immutable. If Milton had dictated immutable, he would probably have said,

Or ought immutable by me foreseen.

135. Thus while God fpake, &c.] The effects of this fpeech in the bleffed Spirits, and in the divine Person to whom it was address'd, cannot but fill the mind of the reader with a fecret pleasure and complacency. Addifon. Our Milton here fhows, that he was no fervile imitator of the Ancients. It is very well known that