notice in my Remarks of fuch as are of a Poetical Nature and which are woven with great Beauty into the Body of this Fable. Of this kind is that Paffage in the prefent Book, where defcribing Sin and Death as marching thro' the Works of Nature, he adds,

Behind her Death

Clofe following pace for pace, not mounted yet
On his pale Horse

Which alludes to that Paffage in Scripture fo wonderfully Poetical, and terrifying to the Imagination. And I look'd and behold a pale Horfe, and his Name that fat on him, was Death, and Hell followed with him: and Power was given unto them over the fourth Part of the Earth, to kill with Sword, and with Hunger, and with Sickness, and with the Beafts of the Earth. Under this firft Head of Celestial Perfons we must likewife take notice of the Command which the Angels receiv'd, to produce the feveral Changes in Nature, and fully the Beauty of the Creation. Accordingly they are represented as infecting the Stars and Planets with malignant Influences, weakning the Light of the Sun, bringing down the Winter into the milder Regions of Nature, planting Winds and Storms in feveral Quarters of the Sky, ftoring the Clouds with Thunder, and in fhort, perverting the whole Frame of the Universe to the Condition of its criminal Inhabitants. As this is a noble Incident in the Poem, the following Lines, in which we see the Angels heaving up the Earth,and placing it in a different Posture to the Sun from what it had before the Fall of Man, is conceived with that fublime Imaginątion which was fo peculiar to this great Author.

Some fay he bid his Angels turn afcanfe
The Poles of Earth twice ten Degrees and more
From the Sun's Axle; they with Labour pufh'd
Oblique the Centrick Globe

WE are in the fecond place to confider the Infernal Agents under the view which Milton has given us of them in this Book. It is obferved by those who would fet forth the Greatnefs of Virgil's Plan, that he conducts his Reader thro' all the Parts of the Earth which were disco ver'd in his time. Afia, Afric, and Europe are the feveral

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Scenes

Scenes of his Fable. The Plan of Milton's Poem is of an infinitely greater Extent, and fills the Mind with many more aftonishing Circumftances. Satan, having furrounded the Earth seven times, departs at length from Paradife. We then fee him fteering his Course among the Conftellations, and after having traversed the whole Creation, pursuing his Voyage thro' the Chaos, and entring into his own infernal Dominions.

HIS firft Appearance in the Affembly of fallen Angels, is work'd up with Circumftances which give a delightful Surprise to the Reader; but there is no Incident in the whole Poem which does this more than the Transformation of the whole Audience, that follows the Account their Leader gives them of his Expedition. The gradual Change of Satan himself is defcrib'd after Ovid's manner, and may vie with any of those celebrated Transformations which are look'd upon as the most beautiful Parts in that Poet's Works. Milton never fails of improving his own Hints, and beftowing the laft finishing Touches to every Incident which is admitted into his Poem. The unexpected Hifs which rifes in this Episode, the Dimenfions and Bulk of Satan fo much fuperior to those of the Infernal Spirits who lay under the fame Transformation, with the annual Change which they are fuppofed to fuffer, are Instances of this kind. The Beauty of the Diction is very remarkable in this whole Episode, as I have observed in the fixth Paper of these Remarks the great Judgment with which it was contrived.

THE Parts of Adam and Eve, or the human Perfons, come next under our Confideration. Milton's Art is no where more fhewn than in his conducting the Parts of thefe our firft Parents. The Representation he gives of them, without falfifying the Story, is wonderfully contriv'd to influence the Reader with Pity and Compaffion towards them. Tho' Adam involves the whole Species in Mifery, his Crime proceeds from a Weakness which every Man is inclin'd to pardon and commiferate, as it feems rather the Frailty of human Nature, than of the Person who offended. Every one is apt to excufe a Fault which he himfelf might have fallen into. It was the Excefs of Love for Eve, that ruin'd Adam, and his Pofterity. I need not add, that the Author is juftified in this Particular by many

of

of the Fathers, and the most orthodox Writers. Milton has by this means fill'd a great Part of his Poem with that kind of Writing which the French Criticks call the Tender, and which is in a particular manner engaging to all forts of Readers.

ADAM and Eve, in the Book we are now confidering, are likewise drawn with fuch Sentiments as do not only intereft the Reader in their Afflictions, but raise in him the moft melting Paffions of Humanity and Commiseration. When Adam fees the feveral Changes in Nature produced about him, he appears in a Disorder of Mind fuitable to one who had forfeited both his Innocence and his Happiness; he is filled with Horrour, Remorfe, Defpair; in the Anguifh of his Heart he expoftulates with his Creator for having given him an unasked Existence. Did I requeft thee, Maker, from my Clay To mould me Man? did I folicite thee From Darkness to promote me? or here place In this delicious Garden? As my Will Concurr'd not to my Being, 'twere but right And equal to reduce me to my Duft, Defirous to refign, and render back

All I receiv'd

HE immediately after recovers from his Prefumption, owns his Doom to be juft, and begs that the Death which is threatned him may be inflicted on him.

Why delays

His Hand to execute, what his Decree

Fix'd on this day? Why do I overlive?

Why am I mock'd with Death, and lengthen'd out
To deathlefs Pain? how gladly would I meet
Mortality my Sentence, and be Earth
Infenfible! how glad would lay me down,
As in my Mother's Lap? there fhou'd I reft
And fleep fecure; his dreadful Voice no more
Would thunder in my Ears: no fear of worse
To me and to my Offspring, would torment me

With cruel Expectation

THIS whole Speech is full of the like Emotion, and varied with all thofe Sentiments which we may suppose na

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tural

tural to a Mind fo broken and disturb'd. I must not omit that generous Concern which our firft Father fhews in it for his Pofterity, and which is fo proper to affect the Reader. Hide me from the Face

Of God, whom to behold was then my height
Of Happiness! yet well, if here would end
The Mifery, I deferv'd it, and would bear
My own Defervings; but this will not ferue ;.
All that I eat, or drink, or shall beget
Is propagated Curfe. O Voice once beard
Delightfully, Increase and Multiply;
Now Death to hear!

In me all

Pofterity ftands curft! Fair Patrimony,
That I must leave ye, Sons ! O were I able
To wafte it all my felf, and leave you none !
So difinherited, how would you bless

Me now your Curfe! Ab, why should all Mankind.
For one Man's Fault, thus guiltless be condemn'd,
If guiltless? But from me what can proceed
But all corrupt

WHO can afterwards behold the Father of Mankind extended upon the Earth, uttering his midnight Complaints, bewailing his Existence, and wifhing for Death, without fympathizing with him in his Diftrels ?

Thus Adam to himfelf lamented loud,

Thro' the fill Night; not now, (as ere Man fell)
Wholfom, and cool, and mild, but with black Air
Accompanied, with Damps and dreadful Gloom;
Which to his evil Confcience reprefented

All things with double Terror. On the Ground
Outfretch'd be lay; on the cold Ground! and oft
Curs'd his Creation; Death as oft accus'd
Of tardy Execution

THE Part of Eve in this Book is no lefs paffionate, and apt to fway the Reader in her Favour. She is reprefented with great Tenderness as approaching Adam, but is fpurn'd from him with a Spirit of Upbraiding and Indignation, conformable to the Nature of Man, whofe Paffions had now gained the Dominion over him. The following Paf

fage,

fage, wherein fhe is defcribed as renewing her Addreffes to him, with the whole Speech that follows it, have fomething in them exquifitely moving and pathetick.

He added not, and from her turn'd: But Eve
Not fo repulft, with Tears that ceas'd not flowing,
And Treffes all diforder'd, at his feet

Fell bumble; and embracing them, befought
His Peace, and thus proceeded in her Plaint.
Forfake me not thus, Adam! Witness Heav'n
What Love fincere, and Rev'rence in my Heart
I bear thee, and unweeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd! Thy Suppliant

I beg, and clafp thy Knees; bereave me not
(Whereon I live!) thy gentle Looks, thy Aid,
Thy Counsel in this uttermoft Diftrefs,

My only Strength, and Stay! Forlorn of thee,
Whither fhall I betake me, where fubfift?
While yet we live, (fcarce one fport Hour perhaps)
Between us two let there be peace, &c.

ADAM's Reconcilement to her is work'd up in the fame Spirit of Tendernefs. Eve afterwards propofes to her Husband, in the Blindness of her Defpair, that to prevent their Guilt from defcending upon Pofterity they fhould refolve to live Childless; or, if that could not be done, they should feek their own Deaths by violent Methods. As thofe Sentiments naturally engage the Reader to regard the Mother of Mankind with more than ordinary Commiferation, they likewise contain a very fine Moral. The Refolution of dying to end our Miferies, does not fhew such a degree of Magnanimity as a Refolution to bear them, and fubmit to the Difpenfations of Providence. Our Author has therefore, with great Delicacy, reprefented Eve as entertaining this Thought, and Adam as difapproving it,

WE are, in the laft place, to confider the imaginary Perfons, or Death and Sin, who act a large Part in this Book. Such beautiful extended Allegories are certainly fome of the fineft Compofitions of Genius; but, as I have before obferved, are not agreeable to the Nature of an Heroick Poem. This of Sin and Death is very exquifite