Last came, and last did go, The Pilot of the Galilean lake; Two massy keys he bore of metals twain, (The golden opes, the iron shuts amain).
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The guide of the Galilean lake arrives last, holding two keys that open and close tightly.
- In plain terms
- A guardian arrives with two keys, one gold to open and one iron to shut.
- What can you take from it?
- Authority often holds the power to both admit and exclude.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does it mean to hold both the key to open and shut?
- Who decides who gets entry in your life?
Another view
The meaning depends heavily on knowing the religious figure referenced.
More from John Milton
It was that fatal and perfidious bark, Built in th' eclipse, and rigged with curses dark, That sunk so low that sacred head of thine.
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