O impotence of mind, in body strong! But what is strength without a double share Of wisdom, vast, unwieldy, burdensome, Proudly secure, yet liable to fall By weakest subtleties, not made to rule, But to subserve where wisdom bears command. John Milton More Quotes by John Milton More Quotes From John Milton Laws can discover sin, but not remove it John Milton removesinlaw How charming is divine philosophy! Not harsh and crabbed, as dull fools suppose, But musical as is Apollo's lute, And a perpetual feast of nectar'd sweets Where no crude surfeit reigns John Milton musicsweetphilosophy A thousand fantasies Begin to throng into my memory, Of calling shapes, and beckoning shadows dire, And airy tongues that syllable men's names On sands and shores and desert wildernesses John Milton namesmenmemories Midnight shout and revelry, Tipsy dance and jollity. John Milton revelrymidnightdancing Spirits when they please Can either sex assume, or both. John Milton enmityspiritsex Men of most renowned virtue have sometimes by transgressing most truly kept the law. John Milton lawsometimesmen From Man or Angel the great Architect Did wisely to conceal, and not divulge, His secrets, to be scanned by them who ought Rather admire. Or, if they list to try Conjecture, he his fabric of the Heavens Hath left to their disputes - perhaps to move His laughter at their quaint opinions wide Hereafter, when they come to model Heaven And calculate the stars: how they will wield The mighty frame: how build, unbuild, contrive To save appearances; how gird the Sphere With Centric and Eccentric scribbled o'er, Cycle and Epicycle, Orb in Orb. John Milton laughterstarsmoving Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat, Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe That all was lost. John Milton woelosingearth His form had yet not lost All her original brightness, nor appear'd Less than archangel ruin'd, and th' excess Of glory obscur'd. John Milton brightnessruinsexcess In discourse more sweet; For eloquence the soul, song charms the sense. Others apart sat on a hill retir'd, In thoughts more elevate, and reason'd high Of providence, foreknowledge, will, and fate, Fix'd fate, free-will, foreknowledge absolute; And found no end, in wand'ring mazes lost. John Milton fatesongsweet Or bid the soul of Orpheus sing Such notes as, warbled to the string, Drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek. John Milton irontearssoul Such as the meeting soul may pierce, In notes with many a winding bout Of linked sweetness long drawn out. John Milton pageantrysoullong Untwisting all the chains that tie The hidden soul of harmony. John Milton harmonytiessoul Some say no evil thing that walks by night, In fog or fire, by lake or moorish fen, Blue meagre hag, or stubborn unlaid ghost That breaks his magic chains at curfew time, No goblin, or swart fairy of the mine, Hath hurtful power o'er true virginity. John Milton powertimenight That power Which erring men call Chance. John Milton erringchancemen Chaos umpire sits And by decision more embroils the fray by which he reigns: next him high arbiter Chance governs all. John Milton umpiresdecisionmath Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of old, When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones. John Milton truthstonesfather Ornate rhetorick taught out of the rule of Plato.... To which poetry would be made subsequent, or indeed rather precedent, as being less suttle and fine, but more simple, sensuous, and passionate. John Milton poetryplatosimple His sleep Was aery light, from pure digestion bred. John Milton digestionlightsleep Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation rousing herself like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invincible locks; methinks I see her as an eagle mewing her mighty youth, and kindling her undazzled eyes at the full midday beam. John Milton eyestrongsleep
