The caufey to Hell gate; on either fide
Difparted Chaos over built exclam'd,
And with rebounding furge the bars affail'd,
That fcorn'd his indignation: through the gate,
Wide open and unguarded, Satan pafs'd,
And all about found defolate; for those
Appointed to fit there, had left their charge,

Flown to the upper world;
Far to th' inland retir'd, about the walls

world; the reft were all

415

420

Of Pandemonium, city and proud feat

Of Lucifer, fo by allufion call'd,

425

Of that bright star to Satan paragon'd.

There kept their watch the legions, while the Grand In council fat, folicitous what chance

Might

plains by Aftracan, a confiderable part of the Czar's dominion, formerly a Tartarian kingdom, with a capital city of the fame name, near the mouth of the river Volga, at its fall into the Cafpian fea; or Bactrian Sophi, or the Perfian Emperor, named Bactrian of Bactria, one of the greateft and richeft provinces of Perfia, lying near the Cafpian Sea, from the horns of Turkifb crefcent, from his Turkish enemies who bear the horned moon, the crefcent in their enfigns, leaves all wafte beyond the realm of Aladule, the greater Armenia, call'd by the Turks (under whom the greatest part of it is)

Aladule,

Might intercept their empe'ror fent; so he
Departing gave command, and they obferv'd.
As when the Tartar from his Ruffian foe
By Aftracan over the fnowy plains
Retires, or Bactrian Sophi from the horns
Of Turkish crefcent, leaves all wafte beyond
The realm of Aladule, in his retreat

430

435

To Tauris or Casbeen: So thefe the late

Heav'n-banish'd hoft, left defert utmost Hell
Many a dark league, reduc'd in careful watch
Round their metropolis, and now expecting

Each hour their great adventurer from the search 440
Of foreign worlds: he through the midst unmark'd,
In show plebeian Angel militant

Aladule, of its laft king Aladules,

Of

Of Turkish crefcent,] Dr. Bentley

or Bactrian Sophi fled from

th' horns &c.

But from is often ufed by Milton without expreffing the participle, which yet is to be fupplied in the Senfe. See II. 542. VIII. 213. and IX. 396. Pearce.

flain by Selymus the firft, in bis re- fays, better thus,
treat to Tauris, a great city in the
kingdom of Perfia, now called Ec-
batana, fometimes in the hands of
the Turks, but in 1603 retaken by
Abas king of Perfia, or Casbeen, one
of the greatest cities of Perfia, in
the province of Ayrach, formerly
Parthia, towards the Cafpian Sea,
where the Perfian monarchs made
their refidence after the lofs of
Tauris, from which it is diftant 65
German miles to the fouth-eaft.

Hume. 433. ―or Barian Sophi from the horns

441.he through the midst un

mark'd, &c.] This account of Satan's paffing unmark'd through the midst of the Angels, and afcending his throne invifible, and feeing there about him himself unfeen, and then burfting forth, as from a cloud,

Of loweft order, pafs'd; and from the door

Of that Plutonian hall, invisible

Afcended his high throne, which under state 445
Of richeft texture fpread, at th' upper end
Was plac'd in regal luftre. Down a while
He fat, and round about him faw unfeen:
At last as from a cloud his fulgent head

And shape ftar-bright appear'd, or brighter, clad 450
With what permiffive glory fince his fall

in glory, feems to be copied from a like adventure of Æneas, Virg. En. I. 439.

Infert fe feptus nebula (mirabile dictu) Per medios, mifcetque viris, neque cernitur ulli. -

Was

Scarce had he fpoken, when the cloud gave way,

The mifts flew upward, and diffolv'd in day:

The Trojan chief appear'd in open fight,

Diffimulant, et nube cava fpecu- Auguft in vifage, and ferenely bright.

lantur amicti

Vix ea fatus erat, cum circumfufa

repente

Scindit fe nubes, et in æthera pur

gat apertum.

Reftitit Æneas, clarâque in luce refulfit,

Os humerofque Deo fimilis.

Then entring at the gate, Conceal'd in clouds, (prodigious to relate)

He mix'd, unmark'd, among the

busy throng,

Borne by the tide, and pafs'd un-
feen along.
But doubtful of the wifh'd event,
he stays,

Dryden.

455. Their mighty chief return'd:] We are in the next place to confider which Milton has given us of them the infernal agents under the view who would fet forth the greatnefs in this book. It is obferved by those of Virgil's plan, that he conducts his reader thro' all the parts of the earth which were discover'd in his time. Afia, Afric, and Europe are the several scenes of his fable. The plan of Milton's poem is of an infinitely greater extent, and fills the mind with many more aftonishing circumflances. Satan, having furrounded the earth feven times, departs at length from Paradise. We

And from the hollow cloud his then fee him fteering his courfe among the conftellations, and after

friends furveys

Was left him, or falfe glitter: All amaz'd

At that fo fudden blaze the Stygian throng
Bent their afpéct, and whom they wish'd beheld,
Their mighty chief return'd: loud was th'acclame :
Forth rush'd in hafte the great confulting peers, 456
Rais'd from their dark Divan, and with like joy
Congratulant approach'd him, who with hand
Silence, and with thefe words attention won.
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,

having traversed the whole creation, pursuing his voyage thro' the Chaos, and entring into his own infernal dominions. His first appearance in the affembly of fall'n Angels, is work'd up with circumftances which give a delightful furprise to the reader; but there is no incident in the whole poem which does this more than the transformation of the whole audience, that follows the account their leader gives them of his expedition. The gradual change of Satan himself is defcrib'd after Ovid's manner, and may vie with any of thofe celebrated transformations which are look'd upon as the most beautiful parts in that poet's works. Milton never fails of improving his own hints, and bestowing the laft finishing touches to every incident which is admitted into his poem. The unexpected hifs which rifes in this epifode, the dimensions and bulk of Satan fo much fuperior to thofe of the infernal Spirits who lay under the fame transformation, with the VOL. II.

For

annual change which they are fuppofed to fuffer, are inftances of this kind. The beauty of the diction is very remarkable in this whole epifode, as I have obferved before the great judgment with which it was contriv'd. Addison.

457.Rais'dfromtheir dark Divan,] The Devils are frequently defcribed by metaphors taken from the Turks. Satan is called the Sultan, I. 348. as here the council is ftiled the Divan. The faid council is faid to fit in fecret conclave, I. 795. the Devil, the Turk and the Pope being commonly thought to be nearly related, and often join'd together.

460. Thrones, Dominations, Prince

doms, Virtues, Powers,] It is common with Homer to make use of the fame verfe feveral times, and efpecially at the beginning of his fpeeches; but I know not whether there is not more of fimplicity in the practice than beauty. Our author however hath done the fame with this line; but it is curious to obferve R

how

For in poffeffion fuch, not only' of right,
I call ye and declare ye now, return'd
Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth
Triumphant out of this infernal pit
Abominable, accurs'd, the house of woe,

461

465

And dungeon of our tyrant: now poffefs,

As Lords, a fpacious world, to' our native Heaven

Little inferior, by my adventure hard

With peril great achiev'd. Long were to tell

What I have done, what fuffer'd, with what pain 470 Voyag'd th' unreal, vaft, unbounded deep

Of horrible confufion, over which

how artfully he has manag'd it, and by repeating it every time gives new beauty to it. It is first made ufe of by God the Father, when he declares his Son the Meffiah, and appoints him Head of the Angels. Book V. 600.

By

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms,

Virtues, Powers,

If thefe magnific titles yet remain
Not merely titular &c.
The Seraph Abdiel on the other fide
repeats it likewife after God the
Father, and extols his goodness in

Hear all ye Angels, progeny of having fo named the Angels, ver. 839.

light,

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms,

Virtues, Powers, &c.

Satan, after he had revolted and drawn his legions after him into the limits of the north, makes use of it again in allufion to the foregoing fpeech of God the Father, and queftions whether thefe magnific titles were not now become merely titular, ver. 772.

Crown'd them with glory', and to
their glory nam'd

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms,
Virtues, Powers.

And now Satan addresses his Angels
with it again; for now, fays he, I
may declare ye fuch not only of
right, but in poffeffion. So that the
repetition of this line depends all
along upon the first use of it, and
gives a force and beauty to it, which