The caufey to Hell gate; on either fide
Difparted Chaos over built exclam❜d,
And with rebounding furge the bars affail'd,
That scorn'd' his indignation: through the gate,
Wide open and unguarded, Satan pass'd,
And all about found defolate, for those
Appointed to fit there, had left their charge,
Flown to the upper world; the reft were all
Far to th' inland retir'd, about the walls

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, neat the mouth of the river Volga, at its fall into the Cafpian fea; or Badrien Sophi, or the Perfian Emperor, named Bactrian of Bactria, one of the greatest and richest provinces of Per fia, lying near the Cafpian Sea, from the horns of Turkish 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 Arme nia, call'd by the Turks (under whom the greatest part of it is)

Aladule,

Might intercept their empe'ror fent; fo he
Departing gave command, and they observ'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 waste beyond
The realm of Aladule, in his retreat

430

435

To Tauris or Casbeen: So these the late
Heav'n-banifh'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
Of foreign worlds: he through the midst unmark'd,
In fhow plebeian Angel militant

440

Of

Of Turkish crefcent,] Dr. Bentley fays, better thus,

--or Bactrian Sophi fled from th' horns &c.

Aladale, of its laft king Aladules, lain by Selymus the firft, in his rereat to Tauris, a great city in the Kingdom of Perfia, now called EcDatana, fometimes in the hands of he Turks, but in 1603 retaken by. But from is often ufed by Milton Abas king of Perfia, or Casbeen, one without expreffing the participle, of the greateft cities of Perfia, in which yet is to be fupplied in the he province of Ayrach, formerly Sense. See II. 542. VIII, 2,13. and Parthia, towards the Cafpian Sea, IX. 396. where the Perfian monarchs made. 441.he through the midft untheir refidence after the lofs of mark'd, &c.] This account Tauris, from which it is diftant 65 of Satan's paffing unmark'd through German miles to the fouth-east, the midst of the Angels, and afcending his throne invifible, and feeing there about him himself unfeen, and then bursting forth, as from a cloud,

Hume 433. — or Bactrian Sophi from the borns

Pearce.

Of lowest order, pais'd; and from the door

Of that Flatonian hall, inviiible

Altended his High throne, which under ftate 445
Of richest texture ipread, at th' upper end
Was plac'd in regal luftre. Down a while
He fit, and round about him faw unfeen:
At laft as from a cloud his fulgent head
And shape star-bright appear'd, or brighter, clad
With what permitive glory fince his fall

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

Infert se septus nebula mirabile dictu) Per medios, mifcetque viris, neque cernitur uli.

Diffimulant, et nube cava fpeca

lantur amicti—

Vix ea fatas erat, cum circumfufa

repente

Scindit se nubes, et in æthera pur

gat apertum.

Reftitit Eneas, clarâque in luce

refulfit,

450

we are in the next place to confider 455. Their mighty chief return'd which Milton has given us of the the infernal agents under the view in this book. It is obferved by the who would fet forth the greatne of Virgil's plan, that he conda his reader thro' all the parts of the earth which were difcover'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 circumstances. Satan, having fur rounded the earth feven times, de parts at length from Paradise. We then fee him fleering his courie among the constellations, and after

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 rufh'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 these words attention won.
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,

having traverfed 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 reade r; 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 dimenfions 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. Addifon.

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 verse several times, and especially 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

461

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,

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 firft 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, Princedom,

Virtues, Powers,

If these 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 ufe of it again in allusion 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 Angch with it again; for now, lays 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