212. ~siding champion, Conscience~. To side is to take a side, and hence
to assist: comp. _Cor._ iv. 2. 2: "The nobles who have _sided_ in his
behalf." 'Conscience' (here a trisyllable) is used in its current sense:
in _Son._ xxii. 10 it means consciousness. Comp. _Hen. VIII._ iii. 2.
379: "A peace above all earthly dignities, A still and quiet
Conscience."
213. ~pure-eyed Faith~. Comp. _Lyc._ 81, "those pure eyes And perfect
witness of all-judging Jove"; also the Scriptural words, "God is of
purer eyes than to behold iniquity." The maiden, whose safeguard is her
purity, calls on Faith, Hope, and Chastity, each being characterised by
an epithet denoting purity of thought and act, viz. 'pure-eyed,'
'white-handed,' and 'unblemished.' The placing of Chastity instead of
Charity in the trio is significant: see i. _Cor._ xiii.
214. ~hovering angel~. Hope hovers over the maiden to protect her. The
word 'hover' is found frequently in the sense of 'shelter.' girt,
surrounded. ~golden wings~. In _Il Pens._ 52, Contemplation "soars on
golden wing."
216. ~see ye visibly~, _i.e._ you are not mere shapes, but living
presences. _Ye_: here the object of the verb. "This confusion between
_ye_ and _you_ did not exist in old English; _ye_ was always used as a
nominative, and _you_ as a dative or accusative. In the English Bible
the distinction is very carefully observed, but in the dramatists of the
Elizabethan period there is a very loose use of the two forms" (Morris).
It is so in Milton, who has _ye_ as nominative, accusative, and dative;
comp. lines 513, 967, 1020; also _Arc._ 40, 81, 101. It may be noted
that _ye_ can be pronounced more rapidly than _you_, and is therefore
frequent when an unaccented syllable is required.
217. ~the Supreme Good~. God being the Supreme Good, if evil exists, it
must exist for God's purposes. Evil exists for the sake of 'vengeance'
or punishment.
219. ~glistering guardian~, _i.e._ one clad in the 'pure ambrosial weeds'
of l. 16. _Glister_, _glisten_, _glitter_, and _glint_ are cognate
words.
221. ~Was I deceived~? There is a break in the construction at the end of
line 220. The girl's trust in Heaven is suddenly strengthened by a
glimpse of light in the dark sky. Warton regards the repetition of the
same words in lines 223, 224 as beautifully expressing the confidence of
an unaccusing conscience.