[Milton-L] RE: The two-handed engine yet one more once

[Sara van den Berg]

All these suggestions about the bishop's crozier and the shepherd's staff
(rod) are really interesting and novel.  I had always thought the
"two-handed engine"  was a two-handed sword, especially after I saw a room
full of such formidable weapons in an armor museum in Paris.  Wielding one
of them would definitely "smite" someone.  The old critical literature on
this topic includes one essay which cites Theatre for Worldlings, a book
Milton could well have known.  The book includes an image of the word as a
two-edged sword issuing forth from the mouth of God.  Other early
commentators who regard the engine as a sword trace the image to biblical
sources, e.g. Revelations and/or Psalm 149.  Once people agree on the nature
of the object (sword, flail, crozier, staff, rod, winnowing fan, keys,
etc.), then we can focus on what the object represents.

It may be relevant  to consider Milton's other uses of the word "engines":
1.  Such engines of terror God hath given -- Reason of Church Government
I.847.9
2.  To contemne all the divorsive engines in heaven or earth -- Doctrine and
Discipline of Divorce (1644) 2.264.17
3.  Engines, and Darts, to beat them back -- History of Britain 5.45.6
4.  battring of feirce Engines against thir bodies barely expos'd --History
of Britain 5.45.9

#3 and #4 refer to physical weapons.  #1 and #2 refer to divine weapons (in
the case of #2, the texts in the Law of Moses and the NT that Milton read as
authorizing divorce).

Thanks to everyone who is contributing to this discussion.  I hope these
comments don't get in the way.

Sara van den Berg

On Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 7:18 PM, Matthew Stallard <stallard at ohio.edu> wrote:

> Caroline Hunt wrote:
>
>>
>> Not only does one generally not smite anything with a sheep-hook, but
>> even metaphorically it seems wrong (unlike scales, etc.) In fact, the
>> implement is very benevolent in its imagery and uses -- giving direction,
>> lifting a sheep that's in trouble, etc. -- a very different set of
>> connotations from smiting. Further, you don't normally use two hands.
>>
>
> The use of the shepherd's staff in the Old Testament might shed some light
> on this supposition. The Hebrew words she'vet and matteh' are often rendered
> "rod" or "staff" in Renaissance and Modern Bible translations. Maqqel' is
> also rendered as "staff" or occasionally as "stave." Mish'e'neth at times
> occurs as "staff." These are the designations for the instrument of the Old
> Testament shepherds.
>
> These terms are are variously connected with violence and hostility in many
> scriptures (see below)
>
> "And he slewe an Egyptian a man of great stature, and the Egyptian had a
> speare in his hande: but he went downe to him with a staffe, and plucked the
> speare out of the Egyptians hand, and slewe him with his owne speare"
> (2Samuel 23.21, 1560 Geneva).
>
> "And if a man smite his seruant, or his mayd, with a rod, and hee die vnder
> his hand, hee shall bee surely punished" (Exodus 21.20 1611 Authorized
> Version).
>
> "In the lippes of him that hath vnderstanding, a man shall finde wysdome:
> but the rod belongeth to the backe of the foolishe" (Proverbs 10.13 1568
> Bishops Bible).
>
> "Withhold not correction from the childe: if thou smite him with the rodde,
> he shall not die. Thou shalt smite him with the rodde, and shalt deliuer his
> soule from hell" (Proverbs 23.13, 14, 1560 Geneva).
>
> "Now gather thy selfe in troupes, O daughter of troupes: he hath laid siege
> against vs: they shal smite the Iudge of Israel with a rod vpon the cheeke"
> Micah 5.11, 1611 Authorized Version).
>
> "I Am the man that hath seene affliction by the rod of his wrath"
> (Lamentations 3.1, 1611 Authorized Version).
>
> Honestly, there are dozens of more scriptures like the above that
> abundantly illustrate that the shepherds staff could be employed as a
> formidable weapon of violence in either a literal or metaphorical sense.
>
> Matthew
> _________________________________
> Matthew Stallard, Ph.D.
> Ohio University
> Department of English
> 305 Ellis Hall
> Athens,OH 45701
> stallard at ohio.edu
>
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