The Demons and their Names II
Bill Long 8/3/08
A Few Jewels of Milton's Language in I.375-405
Let's turn now to some of Milton's language in these lines. First, in describing the rousing of the demons, he writes (I. 377):
"Rous'd from the slumber on that fiery Couch.."
Ah, yes, the fiery couch, which brings in all kinds of images of rest and discomfort.
Then, when the demons gathered one-by-one around their fearless leader, Satan, Milton says (I.380):
"While the promiscuous crowd stood yet aloof?"
We have debased the word promiscuous in our day by seeing it only as a word with sexual (bad) content. "She is a promiscuous woman," we sometimes say. Promiscuous is derived from the word miscere, which means "to mix." Thus, originally promiscuous meant "done or applied with no regard for method; random, unsystematic." That is how the demons were gathered; they were not sexually interested in each other; they were simply gathered in a random fashion.
Then, the threefold use of durst, the past tense of dare, should be noted, since we don't speak this way anymore (lines 382, 385, 391).
Then, I notice what I would call some theological slips or, at least, theological reinterpretations in Milton. When Solomon built Moloch's temple right next to the temple of Yahweh, the Biblical writers excoriated Solomon. Not so Milton; he blames Moloch for defrauding Solomon (I. 401). A defrauded party isn't responsible for the fraud; indeed, s/he has a cause of action in law against the defrauder. In addition, Milton talks about the building of Moloch's temple next to the temple of God on that "oppobrious hill" (I. 403). What is "opprobrious" about the hill? Indeed, the Biblical writers have the opposite perspective.
"On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God," Ps. 87:1-3.
Though the OED gives several meanings for the word "opprobrious," the basic meaning is "shameful," "infamous," or "reproachful." Though the hill may have become a reproach to the people of Israel after they pursued their "whoring" after other gods, it really wasn't an opprobrious hill.
On the other hand, however, Milton puts together lots of terms for hell at the end of the passage that actually fit together fairly nicely:
"and made his grove
The pleasant Valley of Hinnom, Tophet thence
And black Gehenna call'd, the Type of Hell.
We know that Gehenna really means the "valley of Hinnom," and so these terms are synonymous, though they have reference primarily to a place outside of Jerusalem used as a garbage dump. Its burning fires perhaps were seen as symbolic of the burning entrance to an uncomfortable afterlife. But where did Milton get the notion that this Valley of Hinnom was "pleasant"? Just as the holy mountain of God wasn't "opprobrious," neither was Gehenna/Valley of Hinnom "pleasant.
Tophet isn't frequently mentioned in the Bible (II K. 23:10 and various references in Jer. 19), but it is synonymous with the Valley of Hinnom or part thereof. When Jeremiah attacks the people he talks about the coming days, when
"this place shall no more be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter," (Jer. 19:6).
What happened there? Milton rightly reflects Biblical tradition: it is where "innocent blood" was shed through offerings to other gods.
"and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent..," (Jer. 19:5).
A "Genius" Reference
Genius, to me, is not something that always decks itself out in the latest fashions nor does it always call attention to itself. Sometimes it comes through brief comment in an out-of-the way place. So, I think that Milton has said something that borders on literary genius when describing Moloch, god of the Ammonites (and, of course, a demon in hell). He says that Moloch found his first worship among the Ammonites, in Rabbah or Basan, but then he says:
"Not content with such
Audacious neighborhood, the wisest heart
Of Solomon he led by fraud...," (I.399-401).
His insight is that the gods/demons themselves were imperialistic, that they, too, longed to be present outside of their own borders by taking up residence "right against" the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The gods of the nations are envious; indeed the God of Israel is a jealous God, but he is jealous for the people's sole devotion.
Let's look for a second at the word "audacious" and then refer to another Biblical passage for some support. The word "audacious" means "bold" or "intrepid," but also means "presumptuously wicked; setting at defiance the principles of decorum and modesty," or "shamless, impudent." The OED quotes another passage in Milton for this latter usage: "But we are told, We embrace Paganism and Judaism in the arms of Toleration..A most audacious calamity!" So to what does the word "audacious" point? On the one hand it modifies "neighborhood," and must refer to his work among the Ammonints. The thought would be that even the attempt to subdue the hearts of the Ammonites is an "audacious" or impudent act. But then, Moloch set his sights on something far more ambitious--to go into someone else's neighborhood. That could be a secondary meaning of audacious; that it was pointing to Moloch's ambitious and envious seeking of stature in the kingdom of God.
Such a thought--the envious seeking of a place in the Temple of the true God-- is reflective of the language of the Psalms. In Psalm 68 we have the following description of a nearby mountain, Bashan (the same as the Ammonite Basan?), which the Psalmist gently mocks:
"O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
Why do you look with envy,
O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
where the Lord will reside forever?" (vv. 15-16).
It is as if the Psalmist perceives the longing in a nearby mountain and thus personifies the mountain as something that wants to be where the mount of God is. Some such though it no doubt in Milton's mind as he penned these lines. It wasn't enough for Moloch of the Ammonites to stay safely perched on the far side of the Arnon. He was playing for higher stakes. Just as he, when an angelic presence, had warred against the Most High God and been punished by God and thrown into hell, so he wants to keep trying, this time in a historical context, by urging his temple be built right next to the Temple of God. And, of course, he was able to defraud Solomon so that Solomon went along with his proposal. Personifying mountains and gods and then talking about their audacious attempt to set up a prominent place is really a brilliant way to look at religious life as a competition between gods. The gods of the nations aren't simply lifeless idols; they are living demons, who are full of envy and won't be satisfied until they have taken over the heart of the temple. Like an invasive tree or vine, they just won't stop at anything...
Conclusion
Memorizing a text forces you to go "line by line" through the text. It is the equivalent of bicycling, or even walking, across the country. Flying is like reading Cliff's Notes; driving is like reading the text and possibly even taking a course on it. But once you have taken up cycling, or even walking, you know that even a drive across the country is sort of deceptive. You think you are seeing things but, in fact, you are skipping over far more than you are seeing. The only reason to keep driving, then, is because you simply have to get to a new place. So it is with memorizing Milton. Once you have begun to memorize him, you realize that reading a "summary" or even "reading" his poetry leaves you impoverished. You simply have to go line by line. That is the life for me...
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