in its Kind, if not confidered as a Part of fuch a Work. The Truths contain'd in it are fo clear and open, that I fhall not lofe time in explaining them; but fhall only obferve, that a Reader who knows the Strength of the Englife Tongue, will be amazed to think how the Poet could find fuch apt Words and Phrafes to defcribe the Actions of those two imaginary Perfons, and particularly in that Part where Death is exhibited as forming a Bridge over the Chaos; a Work fuitable to the Genius of Milton.

SINCE the Subject I am upon, gives me an Oppor tunity of speaking more at large of fuch Shadowy and Imaginary Perfons as may be introduced into Heroick Poems, I fhall beg leave to explain my self in a Matter which is curious in its Kind, and which none of the Criticks have treated of. It is certain Homer and Virgil are full of imaginary Perfons, who are very beautiful in Poetry when they are juft fhewn, without being engaged in any Series of Action. Homer indeed reprefents Sleep as a Perfon, and afcribes a fhort Part to him in his Iliad, but we muft confider that tho' we now regard fuch a Person as intirely fhadowy and unsubstantial, the Heathens made Statues of him, placed him in their Temples, and looked upon him as a real Deity. When Homer makes ufe of other fuch Allegorical Perfons, it is only in fhort Expreffions, which convey an ordinary Thought to the Mind in the most pleafing manner, and may rather be looked upon as Poetical Phrases, than Allegorical Defcriptions. Inftead of telling us, that Men naturally fly when they are terrified, he introduces the Perfons of Flight and Fear, who, he tells us, are infeparable Companions. Instead of saying that the time was come when Apollo ought to have received his Recompence, he tells us, that the Hours brought him his Reward. Inftead of defcribing the Effects which Minerva's Egis produced in Battle, he tells us, that the Brims of it were encompaffed by Terror, Rout, Difcord, Fury, Purfuit, Massacre, and Death. In the fame Fi gure of fpeaking, he reprefents Victory as following Diomedes; Difcord as the Mother of Funerals and Mourning; Venus as dreffed by the Graces; Bellona as wearing Terror and Confternation like a Garment. I might give several other Inftances out of Homer, as well as a great many out of Virgil. Milton has likewife very often made

ufe

155 ufe of the fame way of Speaking, as where he tells us, that Victory fat on the right Hand of the Meffiah when he marched forth against the Rebel Angels; that at the rifing of the Sun, the Hours unbarr'd the Gates of Light; that Difcord was the Daughter of Sin. Of the fame nature are thofe Expreffions, where defcribing the finging of the Nightingale, he adds, Silence was pleased; and upon the Meffiah's bidding Peace to the Chaos, Confufion heard bis Voice. I might add innumerable Inftances of our Poet's writing in this beautiful Figure. It is plain that these I have mentioned, in which Perfons of an imaginary Nature are introduced, are fuch fhort Allegories as are not defigned to be taken in the literal Senfe, but only to convey particular Circumftances to the Reader, after an unusual and entertaining manner. But when fuch Perfons are introduc'd as principal Actors, and engaged in a Series of Adventures, they take too much upon them, and are by no means proper for an Heroick Poem, which ought to appear credible in its principal Parts. I cannot forbear therefore thinking that Sin and Death are as improper Agents in a Work of this nature, as Strength and Neceffity in one of the Tragedies of Efchylus, who reprefented those two Perfons nailing down Prometheus to a Rock, for which he has been juftly cenfur'd by the greatest Criticks. I do not know any imaginary Perfon made use of in a more fublime manner of thinking than that in one of the Prophets, who defcribing God as defcending from Heaven, and vifiting the Sins of Mankind, adds that dreadful Circumftance, Before him went the Peftilence. It is certain this imaginary Perfon might have been defcrib'd in all her purple Spots. The Fever might have marched before her, Pain might have stood at her right Hand, Phrenzy on her Left, and Death in her Rear. She might have been introduced as gliding down from the Tail of a Comet, or darted upon the Earth in a Flash of Lightning: She might have tainted the Atmofphere with her Breath; the very glaring of her Eyes might have scattered. Infection. But I believe every Reader will think, that in fuch sublimeWritings the mentioning of her as it is done in Scripture, has fomething in it more juft, as well as great, than all that the moft fanciful Poet could have bestowed upon her in the Richness of his Imagination.

L

Monday,

N° 358. Monday, April 21.

C'

Defipere in loco.

Hor.

HARLES Lilly attended me the other Day, and made me a Present of a large Sheet of Paper, on which is delineated a Pavement in Mosaick Work, lately discovered at Stunsfield near Woodstock. A Perfon who has fo much the Gift of Speech as Mr. Lilly, and can carry on a Difcourfe without Reply, had great Opportunity on that Occafion to expatiate upon fo fine a Piece of Antiquity. Among other things, I remember, he gave me his Opinion, which he drew from the Ornaments of the Work, That this was the Floor of a Room dedicated to Mirth and Concord. Viewing this Work, made my Fancy run over the many gay Expreffions I have read in ancient Authors, which contained Invitations to lay afide Care and Anxiety, and give a Loofe to that pleafing Forgetfulnefs wherein Men put off their Characters of Business, and enjoy their very Selves. These Hours were generally paffed in Rooms adorned for that purpofe, and fet out in fuch a manner, as the Objects all around the Company gladdened their Hearts; which, joined to the chearful Looks of well-chofen and agreeable Friends, gave new Vigour to the Airy, produced the latent Fire of the Modeft, and gave Grace to the flow Humour of the Reserved. A judicious Mixture of fuch Company, crowned with Chaplets of Flowers, and the whole Apartment glittering with gay Lights, chear'd with a Profufion of Rofes, artificial Falls of Water, and Intervals of foft Notes to Songs of Love and Wine, fufpended the Cares of human Life, and made a Feftival of mutual Kindness. Such Parties of Pleasure as thefe, and the Reports of the agreeable Paffages in their Jollities, have in all Ages awakened the dull Part of Mankind to pretend to Mirth and Good-Humour, without Capacity for fuch Entertainments; for if I may be allowed to fay fo, there are an hundred Men fit

for

for any Employment, to one who is capable of paffing a Night in the Company of the firft Tafte, without fhocking any Member of the Society, over-rating his own Part of the Converfation, but equally receiving and contributing to the Pleasure of the whole Company. When one confiders fuch Collections of Companions in paft Times, and fuch as one might name in the prefent Age, with how much Spleen muft a Man needs reflect upon the aukward Gaiety of those who affect the Frolick with an ill Grace? I have a Letter from a Correfpondent of mine, who defires me to admonish all loud mifchievous, airy dull Companions, that they are mistaken in what they call a Frolick. Irregularity in it felf is not what creates Pleasure and Mirth; but to fee a Man who knows what Rule and Decency are, defcend from them agreeably in our Company, is what denominates him a pleasant Companion. Instead of that, you find many whofe Mirth confifts only in doing Things which do not become them, with a fecret Confcioufnefs that all the World know they know better: To this is always added fomething mifchievous to themfelves or others. I have heard of fome very merry Fellows among whom the Frolick was started, and paffed by a great Majority, that every Man fhould immediately draw a Tooth; after which they have gone in a Body and fmoked a Cobler. The fame Company, at another Night, has each Man burned his Cravat; and one perhaps, whofe Estate would bear it, has thrown a long Wig and laced Hat into the fame Fire. Thus they have jefted themselves ftark naked, and ran into the Streets, and frighted Women very fuccefsfully. There is no Inhabitant of any standing in Covent-Garden, but can tell you a hundred good Humours, where People have come off with little Bloodfhed, and yet fcowered all the witty Hours of the Night. I know a Gentleman that has feveral Wounds in the Head by Watch-Poles, and has been thrice run through the Body to carry on a good Jeft: He is very old for a Man of fo much Good-Humour; but to this day he is feldom merry, but he has Occafion to be valiant at the fame time. But by the Favour of these Gentlemen, I am humbly of Opinion, that a Man may be a very witty Man, and never offend one Statute of this Kingdom, not excepting even that of Stabbing.

THE

THE Writers of Plays have what they call Unity of Time and Place to give a Juftness to their Reprefentation; and it would not be amifs if all who pretend to be Companions, would confine their Action to the Place of meeting: For a Frolick carried farther may be better performed by other Animals than Men. It is not to rid much Ground, or do much Mischief, that should denominate a pleasant Fellow; but that is truly Frolick which is the Play of the Mind, and confifts of various and unforced Sallies of Imagination. Feftivity of Spirit is a very uncommon Talent, and must proceed from an Affemblage of agreeable Qualities in the fame Perfon: There are fome few whom I think peculiarly happy in it; but it is a Talent one cannot name in a Man, especially when one confiders that it is never very graceful but where it is regarded by him who poffeffes it in the fecond Place. The best Man that I know of for heightening the Revel-Gaiety of a Company, is Eaficourt, whofe Jovial Humour diffufes it felf from the highest Perfon at an Entertainment to the meaneft Waiter. Merry Tales accompanied with apt Gestures and lively Reprefentations of Circumstances and Perfons beguile the graveft Mind into a Confent to be as humorous as himfelf. Add to this, that when a Man is in his good Graces, he has a Mimickry that does not debafe the Perfon he reprefents; but which, taking from the Gravity of the Character, adds to the Agreeableness of it. This pleasant Fellow gives one fome Idea of the ancient Pantomime, who is faid to have given the Audience, in Dumbshow, an exact Idea of any Character or Paffion, or an intelligible Relation of any publick Occurrence,. with no other Expreffion than that of his Looks and Geftures. If all who have been obliged to these Talents. in Eaftcourt, will be at Love for Love to-morrow Night,. they will but pay him what they owe him, at fo easy a. Rate as being prefent at a Play which no body would omit feeing, that had, or had not ever seen it before.