“Altar, sword, and pen,/fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,/have forfeited their ancient English dower.”
-- The Speaker

Importance: These lines are important because they highlight the breadth and depth of the moral decline the speaker identifies. The altar, sword, pen, and fireside all represents various aspects of English society that have forsaken their moral virtues, while the hall and the bower represent both courtly society and peasant life respectively. Thus, through these lines, we understand the speaker is referencing England as a whole, and not just one specific aspect of the country.

Oh! raise us up, return to us again.”
-- The Speaker

Importance: This line is significant because it contributes to the overall reverence and deification of Milton. The petitioning of the late poet to return to England again is reminiscent of Christ and the second coming, thus portraying Milton as some sort of savior figure. The exclamation at the beginning of the...