And hourly born, with forrow infinite

gnaw

To me; for when they lift, into the womb
That bred them they return, and howl and
My bowels, their repaft; then bursting forth
Afresh with confcious terrors vex me round,
That reft or intermiffion none I find.

Before mine eyes in oppofition fits

Grim Death my fon and foe, who fets them on,
And me his parent would full foon devour
For want of other prey, but that he knows
His end with mine involv'd; and knows that I
Should prove a bitter morfel, and his bane,
Whenever that fhall be; fo fate pronounc'd.
But thou, O Father, I forewarn thee, fhun
His deadly arrow; neither vainly hope
To be invulnerable in those bright arms,
Though temper'd heav'nly, for that mortal dint,
Save he who reigns above, none can resist.
She finish'd, and the fubtle Fiend his lore

800

805

810

815

Soon learn'd, now milder, and thus answer'd smooth.

809.fo fate pronounc'd] The Heathen poets make Jupiter fuperior to fate the will of Jupiter was perform'd, fays Homer, Iliad.

Dear

I. 5. Ai d'ETEλHETO BUλn. Sic fata Deûm rex fortitur, volvitque vices, fays Virgil, Æn. III. 375. Et fic fata Jovis pofcunt, En. IV.

Dear Daughter, fince thou clam'ft me for thy fire,

And my fair fon here fhow'ft me, the dear pledge Of dalliance had with thee in Heav'n, and joys

Then sweet, now fad to mention, through dire change Befall'n us unforeseen, unthought of; know

I come no enemy, but to fet free

821

825

From out this dark and dismal houfe of pain
Both him and thee, and all the heav'nly host
Of Spirits, that in our juft pretences arm'd
Fell with us from on high: from them I go
This uncouth errand fole, and one for all
Myfelf expofe, with lonely fteps to tread
Th' unfounded deep, and through the void immenfe
To fearch with wand'ring queft a place foretold 830
Should be, and, by concurring figns, ere now
Created vaft and round, a place of bliss

In the pourlieus of Heav'n, and therein plac'd
A race of upstart creatures, to fupply

Perhaps our vacant room, though more remov'd, 835
Left Heav'n furcharg'd with potent multitude

Might

614. But Milton with great propriety makes the fall'n Angels and Sin here attribute events to fate, without any mention of the Supreme Being.

3

817. Dear Daughter,] Satan had now learned his lore or lesson, and the reader will observe how artfully he changes his language; he

had

Might hap to move new broils: Be this or ought
Than this more fecret now defign'd, I hafte
To know, and this once known, fhall foon return,
And bring ye to the place where Thou and Death
Shall dwell at eafe, and up and down unfeen
Wing filently the buxom air, imbalm'd
With odors; there ye fhall be fed and fill'd
Immeasurably, all things fhall be your prey.

841

He ceas'd, for both feem'd highly pleas'd, and Death Grinn'd horrible a ghaftly finile, to hear

846

His famin fhould be fill'd, and bleft his maw
Deftin'd to that good hour: no less rejoic'd. -
His mother bad, and thus befpake her fire.
The key of this infernal pit by due,

850 And

And by command of Heav'n's all-pow'rful king
I keep, by him forbidden to unlock

These adamantin gates; against all force
Death ready stands to interpofe his dart,
Fearless to be o'ermatch'd by living might.

But what owe I to his commands above
Who hates me, and hath hither thrust me down
Into this gloom of Tartarus profound,

To fit in hateful office here confin'd,

Inhabitant of Heav'n, and heav'nly-born,
Here in perpetual agony and pain,

With terrors and with clamors compafs'd round
Of mine own brood, that on my bowels feed?
Thou art my father, thou my author, thou

And Statius of Tydeus, Thebaid.
VIII. 582.

formidabile ridens.

And Cowley of Goliah, Davideis,
B. III.

855

860

My

855. Fearless to be o'ermatch'd by

living might.] In fome editions it is living wight, that is creature, and we have living wight before ver. 613 and this is likewife Dr. Bentley's reading, for living might, fays he, would not except. even God himfelf, the ever-living

Th' uncircumcis'd fmil'd grimly and the almighty. But God him

with difdain.

And as Mr. Thyer obferves, Arioto and Taffo exprefs it very prettily thus, Afpramente ferrife and Sorrife amaramente. But I believe it will be readily allowed, that Milton has greatly exceeded them all.

felf muft neceffarily be excepted here; for it was by his command that Sin and Death fat to guard the gates, and therefore living might cannot poffibly be understood of God, but of any one ele who fhould endeavor to force a paffage.

865

870

My being gav'ft me; whom should I obey
But thee, whom follow? thou wilt bring me foon
To that new world of light and bliss, among
The Gods who live at ease, where I shall reign
At thy right hand voluptuous, as beseems
Thy daughter and thy darling, without end.
Thus faying, from her fide the fatal key,
Sad inftrument of all our woe, she took;
And tow'ards the gate rolling her beftial train,
Forthwith the huge portcullis high up drew,
Which but herself, not all the Stygian Powers 875
Could once have mov'd; then in the key-hole turns
Th' intricate wards, and every bolt and bar

868. The Gods who live at cafe,] Word for word from Homer, O ρεια ζωοίτες.

Bentley. Tis Sin who fpeaks here, and she speaks as an Epicurean.

Richardfon.

871. Thus faying, from her fide &c.] It is one great part of a poet's art to know when to defcribe things in general, and when to be very circumitantial and particular. Milton has in thefe lines fhow'd his judgment in this refpect. The first opening of the gates of Hell by Sin is an incident of that impor tance, that, if I can guess by my own, every reader's attention mult be greatly excited, and confequent

Of

ly as highly gratified by the minute detail of particulars our author has given us. It may with justice be farther obferved, that in no part of the poem, the verfification is better accommodated to the fenfe. The drawing up of the portcullis, the turning of the key, the fudden fhooting of the bolts, and the flying open of the doors are in fome fort defcribed by the very break and found of the verses. Thyer.

873. And towards the gate rolling riming poet would perhaps have her beftial train,] A modern faid,

And rolling tow'rds the gate her beftial train,