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the Hand of the Prophet Jeremiah. The following Paffage, wherein Satan is defcribed as wounded by the Sword of Michael, is in Imitation of Homer.

The girding Sword with difcontinuous Wound
Pafs'd thro' him; but th' Ethereal Subftance clos'd
Not long divifible; and from the Gafb

A Stream of Nectarous Humour issuing flow'd
Sanguine, (fuch as celeftial Spirits may bleed)
And all his Armour ftain'd

upon Dio

HOMER tells us in the fame manner, that medes wounding the Gods, there flow'd from the Wound an Ichor, or pure kind of blood, which was not bred from mortal Viands; and that tho' the Pain was exquifitely great, the Wound foon clofed up and healed in those Beings who are vefted with Immortality.

I question not but Milton in his Defcription of his furious Moloch flying from the Battle, and bellowing with the Wound he had received, had his Eye on Mars in the Iliad; who, upon his being wounded, is reprefented as retiring out of the Fight, and making an Outcry louder than that of a whole Army when it begins the Charge. Homer adds, that the Greeks and Trojans who were engaged in a general Battle, were terrify'd on each fide with the bellowing of this wounded Deity. The Reader will eafily obferve how Milton has kept all the Horrour of this Image, without running into the Ridicule of it.

Where the Might of Gabriel fought,

And with fierce Enfigns pierc'd the deep Array
Of Moloch, furious King! who bim defy'd,
And at his Chariot-wheels to drag him bound
Threaten'd, nor from the Holy One of Heav'n
Refrain'd his Tongue blafphemous: but anon
Down cloven to the Wafte, with batter'd Arms
And uncouth Pain fled bellowing

MILTON has likewife raised his Defcription in this Book with many Images taken out of the poetical Parts of Scripture. The Meffiah's Chariot, as I have before taken notice, is formed upon a Vifion of Ezekiel, who, as Grotius obferves, has very much in him of Homer's Spirit in the Poetical Parts of his Prophefy.

THE

THE following Lines in that glorious Commiffion which is given the Meffiah to extirpate the Hoft of Rebel Angels, is drawn from a fublime Paffage in the Pfalms.

Go then, thou Mightieft, in thy Father's Might!
Afcend my Chariot, guide the rapid Wheels
That Shake Heav'n's Bafis; bring forth all my War,
My Bow, my Thunder, my almighty Arms,
Gird on thy Sword on thy puiffant Thigh.

THE Reader will eafily discover many other Strokes of the fame nature.

THERE is no Queftion but Milton had heated his Imagination with the Fight of the Gods in Homer, before he enter'd upon this Engagement of the Angels. Homer there gives us a Scene of Men, Heroes, and Gods, mix'd together in Battle. Mars animates the contending Armies, and lifts up his Voice in fuch a manner, that it is heard distinctly amidst all the Shouts and Confufion of the Fight. Jupiter at the fame time thunders over their Heads; while Neptune raifes fuch a Tempeft, that the whole Field of Battle and all the Tops of the Mountains fhake about them. The Poet tells us, that Pluto himself, whofe Habitation was in the very Centre of the Earth, was fo affrighted at the Shock, that he leapt from his Throne. Homer afterwards defcribes Vulcan as pouring down a Storm of Fire upon the River Xanthus, and Minerva as throwing a Rock at Mars; who, he tells us, cover'd feven Acres in his Fall.

AS Homer has introduced into his Battle of the Gods every thing that is great and terrible in Nature, Milton has filled his Fight of good and bad Angels with all the like Circumstances of Horrour. The Shout of Armies, the Rattling of Brafen Chariots, the Hurling of Rocks and Mountains, the Earthquake, the Fire, the Thunder, are all of them employed to lift up the Reader's Imagination, and give him a fuitable Idea of fo great an Action. With what Art has the Poet represented the whole Body of the Earth trembling, even before it was created.

All Heaven refounded, and had Earth been then,
All Earth had to its Centre book

IN how fublime and just a manner does he afterwards describe the whole Heaven shaking under the Wheels of

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the

the Meffiah's Chariot, with that Exception to the Throne

of God?

-Under his burning Wheels

The fedfaft Empyrean hook throughout,
All but the Throne it felf of God

NOTWITHSTANDING the Meffiah appears clothed with fo much Terrour and Majesty, the Poet has ftill found means to make his Readers conceive an Idea of him, beyond what he himself is able to defcribe.

Yet half his Strength he put not forth, but checkt
His Thunder in mid Volley; for he meant
Not to deftroy, but root them out of Heaven.

IN a word, Milton's Genius, which was fo great in it felf, and fo ftrengthned by all the helps of Learning, appears in his Book every way equal to his Subject, which was the most fublime that could enter into the Thoughts of a Poet. As he knew all the Arts of affecting the Mind, he knew it was neceffary to give it certain Refting-places, and Opportunities of recovering it felf from time to time: he has therefore with great Address interfperfed feveral Speeches, Reflexions, Similitudes, and the like Reliefs to diverfify his Narration, and ease the Attention of the Reader, that he might come fresh to his great Action, and by fuch a Contraft of Ideas, have a more lively taste of the nobler Parts of his Defcription.

L

Monday,

N° 334. Monday, March 24.

Voluifti, in fuo Genere, unumquemque noftrum quafi quendam effe Rofcium, dixiflique non tam ea qua recta effent probari, quàm quæ prava funt faftidiis adhærefcere. Cicero de Geftu.

T is very natural to take for our whole Lives a light Im

I of a thing at first into

us for want of Confideration. The real Ufe of a certain Qualification (which the wifer Part of Mankind look upon as at beft an indifferent thing, and generally a frivolous Circumftance) fhews the ill Confequence of fuch Prepoffeffions. What I mean, is the Art, Skill, Accomplishment, or whatever you will call it, of Dancing. I knew a Gentleman of great Abilities, who bewail'd the Want of this Part of his Education to the end of a very honourable Life. He obsery'd that there was not occafion for the common ufe of great Talents; that they are but feldom in demand; and that these very great Talents were often render'd useless to a Man for want of fmall Attainments. A good Mien (a becoming Motion, Gefture and Afpect) is natural to fome Men; but even these would be highly more graceful in their Carriage, if what they do from the Force of Nature were confirm'd and heightned from the Force of Reason. To one who has not at all confidered it, to mention the Force of Reafon on fuch a Subject, will appear fantastical; but when you have a little attended to it, an Affembly of Men will have quite another View: and they will tell you, it is evident from plain and infallible Rules, why this Man with those beautiful Features, and well fafhion'd Perfon, is not fo agreeable as he who fits by him. without any of thofe Advantages. When we read, we do it without any exerted A&t of Memory that prefents the Shape of the Letters; but Habit makes us do it mechanically, without ftaying, like Children, to recollect and join thofe Letters. A Man who has not had the Regard of his

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Gefture in any part of his Education, will find himself unable to act with Freedom before new Company, as a Child that is but now learning would be to read without Hefitation. It is for the Advancement of the Pleasure we receive in being agreeable to each other in ordinary Life, that one would wish Dancing were generally understood as conducive as it really is to a proper Deportment in Matters that appear the most remote from it. A Man of Learning and Sense is diftinguished from others as he is fuch, tho' he never runs upon Points too difficult for the reft of the World; in like manner the reaching out of the Arm, and the most ordinary Motion, discovers whether a Man ever learnt to know what is the true Harmony and Composure of his Limbs and Countenance. Whoever has feen Booth in the Character of Pyrrhus, march to his Throne to receive Oreftes, is convinced that majettick and great Conceptions are expreffed in the very Step; but perhaps, tho' no other Man.could perform that Incident as well as he does, he himself would do it with a yet greater Elevation, were he a Dancer. This is fo dangerous a Subject to treat with Gravity, that I fhall not at prefent enter into it any further; but the Author of the following Letter has treated it in the Effay he speaks of in such a manner, that I am beholden to him for a Refolution, that I will never hereafter think meanly of any thing, till I have heard what they who have another Opinion of it have to fay in its defence.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

INCE there are scarce any of the Arts or Sciences

the Pens of fome of the Profeffors, Mafters, or Lovers of them, whereby the Usefulness, Excellence, and Benefit arifing from them, both as to the fpeculative and practical Part, have been made publick, to the great ⚫ Advantage and Improvement of fuch Arts and Sciences; why fhould Dancing, an Art celebrated by the Ancients in fo extraordinary a manner, be totally neglected by the Moderns, and left deftitute of any Pen to recommend its various Excellencies and fubftantial Merit to Mankind?

THE

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