he fhould have thanked his he would not serve God; Lord for the bounty which in that brightness he shared; when he was permitted fo long to govern. But he departed from it to a worfe thing. He began to upheave ftrife from whom it could not be hid, that his angel began to be over proud. He raifed himself againft his Mafter; he fought inflaming speeches; he began vainglorious words; he faid he was his equal in light and fhining; as white and as bright in hue. Nor could he find it in his mind to render obedience to his God, to his King. He thought in himself Spake many words this angel of pride. He thought through his own craft that he could make a more ftronglike feat, higher in the heavens. "Satan is reprefented as uttering this foliloquy, which begins with doubting about his enterprise, but ends in a determination to pursue it: govern in this kingdom. So I think it not right, nor need I flatter any one, "After narrating the as if to any gods a god inferior. remain his fubject." confequent anger of the Deity, and the defeat and expulfion of Satan, the poet thus defcribes his regions: abode in the infernal "The fiend, with all his fol- Always fire or arrows, fell then out of heaven; during the space of three nights and days; the angels from heaven into hell; and them all the Lord turned into devils : because that they his deed and word would not reverence. For this, into a worfe light under the earth beneath the Almighty God placed them, defeated; in the black hell. There have they for ever, for an immeafurable length, each of the fiends, fire always renewed. There comes at last the eastern wind, the cold froft mingling with the fires. fome hard tortures, they must have: it was made for their punish ment. Their world was turned round. Hell was filled with execrations. They fuffer the punishment of their battle against their Ruler; the fierce torrents of fire thro' their folly and pride. a great journey of fire.— "Another of Satan's fpeeches may be cited: "Then fpake the overproud that was before king, of angels the most fhining; si. e. his younger. the whiteft in heaven; by his Mafter beloved, to his Lord endeared; till he turned to evilSatan faid, with forrowing fpeech Is this the narrow place, unlike, indeed, to the others which we before knew, high in heaven's kingdom, that my Mafter puts me in? But thofe we must not have, by the Omnipotent deprived of our kingdom. He hath not done us right, that he hath filled us with fire to the bottom of this hot hell, I am kingdomlefs! hell's fetters hold me fo hard, fo faft encompass me! a more hateful landscape. My army is taken from me, my feet are bound, my hands imprisoned! Thus hath God confined me. Hence I perceive and taken away heaven's king- that he knows my mind. This is to me the greatest for- about heaven's kingdom, knots of chains prefs me down! work fome revenge. Mr. Bowle, in his catalogue of poets who have treated Milton's fubject before him, mentions Alcimus Avitus, archbishop of Vienna, who wrote a poem, in Latin hexameters, De Initio Mundi, et primorum Parentum Creatione; but offers little elfe refpecting it. Poffibly fome of the fentiments and expreffions, in this poem, might arreft the notice of Milton. In the notes on Paradife Loft, an example or two, in fupport of this fuppofition, will be found. The reader may not here be difpleafed with the extenfive defcription which this author has given of Satan's reflection on the hap piness he had loft, his envy on beholding our first parents, and his determination of drawing them into his own miferable state. Lib. ii. Lib. ii. cap. iii. "Plus doluit periiffe fibi, quod poffidet alter. "Tunc mixtus cum felle pudor fic pectore queftus Explicat, et tali fufpiria voce relaxat. 66 "Proh dolor! hoc nobis fubitum confurgere plafma, "Invifúmque genus noftra creviffe ruina ? "Me celfum virtus habuit; nunc ecce neglectus "Hæc mihi dejecto tantùm folatia restant: "His quoque claudentur : levius cecidiffe putandum eft "Si nova perdatur fimili substantia casu. "Sit comes excidii, fubeat confortia pœnæ ; "Et quos prævideo nobifcum dividat ignes! "Sed ne difficilis fallendi caufa putetur "Hæc monftranda via eft, dudum quam fæpe cucurri "In pronum lapfus: quæ me jactantia cælo Expulit, hæc hominem paradifi è limine pellat!" Then follows his affuming the form of the ferpent, and his temptation of Eve preceded by a moft flat |