Long in preparing, soon to nothing brought, My brethren, as thou call'st them, those ten tribes, But whence to thee this zeal? where was it then As for those captive tribes, themselves were they • Much instrument of war, Long in preparing. "Totius belli instrumento et apparatu,” Ciceron. Academic. ii. 1.—Dunster. "Prediction else Will unpredict. 390 395 400 405 410 This refers to what the tempter had said before, ver. 354, where he had fallaciously applied the argument, that the requisite reliance on Divine Providence does not by any means countenance a supine negligence, and a dereliction of all personal exertions. Mr. Thyer censures the manner of speaking here, as too light and familiar for the dignity of the speaker; but it strikes me as censurable, not so much for the lightness as for the quaintness of the expression, and somewhat of that jingling play upon words, of which our author was certainly too fond. To "unpredict" is something like to "uncreate." See 'Par. Lost,' b. v. 895, and b. ix. 943.-DUNSTER. Of human weakness rather than of strength. It is a proof of human weakness, as it shows that man is obliged to depend upon something extrinsical to himself, whether he would attack his enemy or defend himself. It alludes to the common observation, that nature has furnished all creatures with weapons of defence, except man. See Anacreon's Ode on this thought.-THYER. When thou stood'st up his tempter, &c. Alluding to 1 Chron xxi. 1:-" And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel." Milton, we see, considers it not as the advice of any evil counsellor, as some understand the word Satan; but as the suggestion of the first author of evil: and he expresses it very properly by "the pride of numbering Israel;" for the best commentators suppose the nature of David's offence to consist in pride and vanity, in making flesh his arm, and confiding in the number of his people.-NEWTON. Who wrought their own captivity, fell off Besides their other worse than heathenish crimes; Humbled themselves, or penitent besought Headlong would follow and to their gods perhaps : Of Bethel and of Dan? No; let them serve As for those captive tribes, &c. 415 420 423 430 The captivity of the ten tribes was a punishment owing to their own idolatry and wickedness. See 2 Kings xvii. and the prophets in several places.-NEWTON. Who, freed, as to their ancient patrimony, Unhumbled, unrepentant, unreform'd, Headlong would follow: and to their gods perhaps There is some difficulty and obscurity in this passage; and several conjectures and emendations have been offered to clear it; but none, I think, entirely to satisfaction. Mr. Sympson would read "Headlong would fall off, and," &c., or "Headlong would fall," &c.; but Mr. Calton seems to come nearer the poet's meaning. Whom or what would they follow? says he. There wants an accusative case; and what must be understood to complete the sense can never be accounted for by an ellipsis, that any rules or use of language will justify. He therefore suspects by some accident a whole line may have been lost; and proposes one, which he says may serve at least for a commentary to explain the sense, if it cannot be allowed for an emendation : Their fathers in their old iniquities : Or is not the construction thus?" Headlong would follow as to their ancient patrimony, and to their gods perhaps," &c.-NEWTON. There is somewhat of obscurity here it must be allowed; but I conceive our author to have many passages that are more implicate. The sense seems to be this: "Who, if they were freed from that captivity, which was inflicted on them as a punishment for their disobedience, idolatry, and other vices, would return to take possession of their country, as something to which they were justly entitled, and of which they had been long unjustly deprived; without showing the least sense either of their former abandoned conduct, or of God's goodness in pardoning and restoring them. This change in their situation would produce none whatever in their conduct; but they would retain the same hardened hearts, and the same wicked dispositions as before, and most probably would betake themselves to their old idolatries and other abominations." The expression "headlong would follow" seems allusive to brute animals hurrying in a gregarious manner to any new and better pasture; and "headlong" might be particularly suggested by Sallust's description of irrational animals, "pecora, quæ natura prona, atque ventri obedientia finxit." If a correction of the text be thought necessary, I should prefer, Who, freed as to their ancient patrimony, Unhumbled, unrepentant, unreform'd, Headlong would fall unto their gods, perhaps Their enemies, who serve idols with God. So spake Israel's true King, and to the fiend 435 440 in recommendation of which it may be observed, that "fall to idols" is Miltonic; as it is said of Solomon, 'Paradise Lost,' b. i. 444, that his heart, Beguiled by fair idolatresses, fell To idols foul.-DUNSTER, Is there not some distant allusion here to the effect of the restoration of Charles II., whom and whose followers their misfortunes had not taught virtue and humility? No; let them serve Their enemies, &c. "Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours," Jer. v. 19.-DUNSTER. 4 And at their passing cleave the Assyrian flood, &c. There are several prophecies of the restoration of Israel; but in saying that the Lord would "cleave the Assyrian flood," that is, the river Euphrates, at their return from Assyria, as he cleft the Red Sea and the river Jordan at their coming from Egypt, the poet seems particularly to allude to Rev. xvi. 12, and to Isa. xi. 15, 16. -NEWTON. And to the fiend Made answer meet, that made void all his wiles. We may compare the passage of Vida, where Satan, in his speech to the devils in Pandemonium, relates how he had been foiled in the temptation of our blessed Lord, "Christiad." i. 198.-DUNSTER. So in G. Fletcher's "Christ's Victory," the sorceress is thus foiled in the temptation of our Lord: But he her charms dispersed into wind, So fares it, when with truth falsehood contends. The same objection still lies against the conclusion of this book, as against that of the preceding one;-by coming immediately after a part so highly finished, as the view of the Parthian power in all the splendour of a military expedition, it has not the effect it would otherwise have. It is, however, a necessary conclusion, and one that materially carries on the business of the poem. An essential test of its merit is, that however we might wish it shortened, it would scarcely have been possible to compress the matter it contains.-DUNSTER. BOOK IV. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. DUNSTER observes, that great poems have generally fallen off, and grown languid, at the close; but that this is not the case with the 'Paradise Regained.' The greater part of this fourth book is still dialogue and argument; first in favour of the military power and splendid trophies of Rome; then of the intellectual eminence and spiritual charms of Athens: but it is accompanied by more of action; as the storm in the wilderness raised by Satan, which is one of the grandest descriptions in all poetry; and the carrying off our Saviour by force to the temple of Jerusalem, and placing him on the top of a pinnacle. This is the last trial, and here Satan gives himself up as completely overcome. The dialogues are always supported with surprising knowledge and power on both sides, though of course with an overcoming superiority on the part of Christ. The reasonings or the pleadings on the part of Satan are often so plausible, that the reader is kept on the anxious stretch how they are to be answered; and feels an electric glow at the unexpected force with which the ready answer is supplied. This never allows these argumentative parts to languish, but keeps the mind in full exercise and constant emotion. It is true, that the learning is so immense, that few can, in the perusal, follow the allusions; but the epithets are so picturesque or striking, that they rouse the mind with a general and strong, though indefinable activity and pleasure: we feel a master-spirit instructing and overawing us, and we believe: we do not take it as the flourish of rhetoric, but acknowledge its sincerity and predominance of thought. A divine intelligence is enlightening us, on the grandeur of creation, on the mysteries of our being, and on the purposes, vanities, and delusions of this terrestrial world. Perhaps it may be urged, that this may be useful doctrine, but not poetry. Poetry must represent truths through the medium of imagination. Are not Rome and Athens so delineated by Milton, that we have both lively imagery and accurate comments? We are taught to view them in their proper and undisguised characters. Speaking of the wise men of Athens, and their different sects, the heathen philosophers, Milton says, Who therefore seeks in these True wisdom, finds her not; or, by delusion, An empty cloud. However, many books, Wise men have said, are wearisome: who reads Incessantly, and to his reading brings not A spirit and judgment equal or superiour (And what he brings what needs he elsewhere seek ?), Uncertain and unsettled still remains, Deep versed in books, and shallow in himself; Crude or intoxicate, collecting toys And trifles for choice matters, worth a sponge; As children gathering pebbles on the shore. The praise of such a passage as this would be like an attempt to gild the sunbeam. When Satan was thus silenced, in his attempt to seduce our Saviour by the splendours of Athenian literature, there follows, at ver. 368, an outburst of tremendous force, beginning, Since neither wealth nor honour, arms nor arts, and continuing for twenty-five lines. EE Satan, in a rage at his defeat, thus resorts to threats: So saying, he took (for still he knew his power Brought back the Son of God, and left him there, Feigning to disappear. Darkness now rose, &c. 66 Then follows the frightful storm, when "either tropic began thunder, and both ends of heaven;" and the "winds rush'd abroad from the four hinges of the world.” This is followed by a bright morning, which, Joseph Warton says, exhibits some of the finest lines which Milton has written in all his poems." Yet perhaps the storm is still finer: the contrast between the two is enchanting and most glorious. This intermixture of the intellectual, the speculative, and the descriptive, makes the perfect charm, that renders poetry divine. : Man is nothing, but as his mind operates upon matter: and matter is nothing, but as it is associated in its effects upon mind. Mere description is but imperfect poetry but the spell is not confined to what is said and thought; much depends upon the character whence it comes. Every word assigned by Milton to Satan belongs to his proper character: thus his outlet of ungovernable anger at being confuted, and his consequent threats and evil prophecies, succeed to his winning and profuse flatteries. The sudden turn is conceived and expressed with that power of imagination and sagacity which fills us with admiration. Satan seems to say in a taunt--"You refuse all my splendid offers; but I dare to hope that you can so little finally resist them, that I will now impose upon you the condition of falling down to worship me, or I will leave you to your fate." Thus the arch-fiend in his passion defeated himself at once: he now has recourse to bodily violence; and there also is finally foiled, and is obliged to leave the field, and give up the attempt, conquered and abased. Thus the poet rises to the last: then break forth the hymns and songs of angels and archangels, to celebrate the victory of our Saviour; and thus the poem concludes. I do not think that it would have been advisable to carry this subject farther: it is a perfect whole in itself. Our Saviour's death and resurrection might have formed the subject of another poem. It always seems to me injudicious to attempt to weigh the comparative excellence of two compositions of a different nature. Certainly, the 'Paradise Regained' does not allow scope for so much inventive imagination as the 'Paradise Lost.' Adam and Eve were human beings, and of them the holiest poet may create a thousand visions; but of Christ his contemplations are more controlled by awe. As one of the most marked qualities of this poem is its extraordinary plainness of style, which many have deemed to be too prosaic; it is the more necessary to set this subject in its true light. This plainness is the result of the loftiness of the theme, and of the thoughts and images of which it consists: these support themselves, and require not to be elevated by language: the simplest words do best, provided they are not vulgar. Perhaps no one else would have undertaken so grand a topic; and if any one had, he would have failed: he would have failed by false effort, and extravagant bigness of phrase. Still it is probable, that one of the causes why this poem has not been as popular as it ought, is this very plainness. The world cannot be brought to think that there is poetry where there is not gaudy language: and I am afraid that almost all secondary poets think the same, and are not misled merely by a desire to conform to the bad models which they observe to be the common taste. Whoever is endowed with a particular power, will follow that power; he will not be restrained by attempting what he cannot do, and neglecting what he can; but this is only true of power which is quite original and decided; it is not true of any faculties which are feeble or imitative: even in the first case, the proposition is not without exceptions; there may be a meek and timid heart, with a great genius. Bad critics, the advocates and defenders of that bad judgment in literature which the multitude are so apt to indulge, do sometimes nip genius in the bud, and warm nauseous and hurtful fruit into birth and maturity: it is of essential service therefore to give to excellence its due praise, and to endeavour to impress the people with those extraordinary merits to which they have been hitherto blind. The mass of mankind cannot easily be brought to believe that one man has been |