Obfequious; Heav'n his wonted face renew'd,
And with fresh flow'rets hill and valley fmil'd.
This faw his hapless foes but food obdur'd,
And to rebellious fight rallied their Powers
Infenfate, hope conceiving from despair.

785

In heav'nly Spirits could fuch perverseness dwell?
But to convince the proud what figns avail,

Or wonders move th' obdurate to relent?

790

They harden'd more by what might moft reclame, Grieving to fee his glory, at the fight

Took envy; and afpiring to his highth,

Stood reimbattel'd fierce, by force or fraud
Weening to profper, and at length prevail
Against God and Meffiah, or to fall
In univerfal ruin laft; and now
To final battel drew, difdaining flight,

795

Or faint retreat; when the great Son of God
To all his hoft on either hand thus fpake.

Stand fill in bright array, ye Saints, here stand Ye Angels arm'd, this day from battel rest; Faithful hath been your warfare, and of God Accepted, fearless in his righteous cause,

have receiv'd, fo have

ус done

And as ye
Invincibly; but of this curfed crew

The punishment to other hand belongs;
Vengeance is his, or whofe he fole appoints:
Number to this day's work is not ordain'd
Nor multitude; ftand only and behold
God's indignation on these Godlefs pour'd
By me; not you but me they have defpis'd,
Yet envied; against me is all their rage,

would not be better to read In univerfal ruin loft, when I found it fo in Dr. Bentley's edition, but without any note upon it, or any thing to diftinguish the alteration, as if it had been fo printed in all the former editions.

808. Vengeance is his, or whofe

be fole appoints:] To me belongeth vengeance and recompenfe. Deut. XXXII. 35. Vengeance is mine, I will repay it, faith the Lord. Rom. XII. 19.

800

805

810

Be

826. And full of wrath bent on

bis enemies.] Dr. Bentley is for rejecting this verfe as mean and fuperfluous. I fuppofe he understood it thus, And full of wrath bent his courfe, went on his enemies ; this is faid afterwards, ver. 831. He on his impious foes right onward drove, &c. But it may be underftood thus, He chang'd his countenance into terror, and bent it fo chang'd and full of wrath upon kis enemies; and I cannot fee how this

Because the Father, t' whom in Heav'n fupreme
Kingdom and pow'r and glory appertains,
Hath honor'd me according to his will.
Therefore to me their doom he hath affign'd;
That they may have their wish, to try with me
In battel which the stronger proves, they all,
Or I alone against them, fince by strength
They measure all, of other excellence
Not emulous, nor care who them excels;
Nor other ftrife with them do I vouchfafe.

So fpake the Son, and into terror chang'd
His count'nance too fevere to be beheld,
And full of wrath bent on his enemies.

At once the Four spread out their starry wings
With dreadful shade contiguous, and the orbs

is either mean or fuperfluous. Or rather bent may be a participle in this conftruction-his countenance too fevere to be beheld, and bent full of

wrath on his enemies.

827. At once the Four &c.] Whenever he mentions the four Cherubim and the Meffiah's chariot, he ftill copies from Ezekiel's vifion.

At once the Four spread out their ftarry wings

815

820

825

Of

With dreadful shade contiguous,

Their wings join'd together made a dreadful fhade; and Ezekiel fays, Their wings were joined one to another. I. 9.

and the orbs Of his fierce chariot roll'd, as with the found

Of

Of his fierce chariot roll'd, as with the found

Of torrent floods, or of a numerous hoft.

830

He on his impious foes right onward drove,
Gloomy as night; under his burning wheels
The ftedfast empyréan fhook throughout,
All but the throne itself of God. Full foon
Among them he arriv'd, in his right hand
Grafping ten thousand thunders, which he fent
Before him, fuch as in their fouls infix'd
Plagues; they aftonish'd all refiftance loft,
All courage; down their idle weapons dropt;

Of torrent floods, or of a nume- And again, Odyff. XI. 605. rous hoft.

Εδ' ερεμνη

835

νυκτί τοίχως,

O'er

Gloomy as night he flands. Broome.

883. The fedfaft empyrean frock

throughout,] The pillars of Heaven tremble, and are aftonifi d at his reproof. Job XXVI. 11.

fo

Hume.

838, Plagues ;] The pause refting upon the first fyllable of the verse makes this word very emphatical. The reader may fee beauties of the fame kind in IV. 350. and the note there.

O'er shields and helms and helmed heads he rode 840
Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim proftráte,

That wifh'd the mountains now might be again
Thrown on them as a fhelter from his ire.
Nor less on either fide tempeftuous fell
His arrows, from the fourfold-vifag'd Four
Distinct with eyes, and from the living wheels
Diftinct alike with multitude of eyes;

One Spirit in them rul'd, and every eye

845

Glar'd lightning, and fhot forth pernicious fire Among th' accurs'd, that wither'd all their strength,