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Or in Valdarno, to defcry new Lands,
Rivers, or Mountains, on her spotted Globe.
His Spear (to equal which the tallest pine
Hewn on Norwegian Hills to be the Maft
Of fome great Ammiral, were but a wand)
He walk'd with, to fupport uneafy Steps
Over the burning Marl

TO which we may add his Call to the fallen Angels that lay plunged and stupified in the Sea of Fire.

He call'd fo loud, that all the hollow deep.
Of Hell refounded.

BUT there is no fingle Paffage in the whole Poem worked up to a greater Sublimity, than that wherein his Perfon is defcribed in those celebrated Lines :

He, above the reft

In fhape and gefture proudly eminent
Stood like a Tower, &c.

HIS Sentiments are every way answerable to his Character, and fuitable to a created Being of the moft exalted and most depraved Nature. Such is that in which he takes Poffeffion of his Place of Torments.

Hail Horrors! hail

Infernal World! and thou profoundeft Hell
Receive thy new Poffeffor, one who brings
A mind not to be changed by place or time.
And afterwards,

Here at leaft

We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign fecure; and in my Choice
To reign is worth Ambition, tho' in Hell :
Better to reign in Hell, than ferve in Heav'n.

AMIDST thofe Impieties which this Enraged Spirit utters in other places of the Poem, the Author has taken care to introduce none that is not big with abfurdity, and incapable of fhocking a Religious Reader; his Words, as the Poet himself defcribes them, bearing only a Semblance

of

of Worth, not Substance. He is likewife with great Art defcribed as owning his Adverfary to be Almighty. Whatever perverfe Interpretation he puts on the Juftice, Mercy, and other Attributes of the Supreme Being, he frequently confeffes his Omnipotence, that being the Perfection he was forced to allow him, and the only Confideration which could fupport his Pride under the Shame of his Defeat.

NOR must I here omit that beautiful Circumstance of his bursting out in Tears, upon his Survey of those innumerable Spirits whom he had involved in the fame Guilt and Ruin with himself.

He now prepared

to fpeak; whereat their doubled ranks they bend
From wing to wing, and half enclose him round
With all his Peers: Attention held them mute.
Thrice he affay'd, and thrice in spite of Scorn
Tears fuch as Angels weep, burft forth

THE Catalogue of Evil Spirits has abundance of Learning in it, and a very agreeable turn of Poetry, which rises in a great measure from its defcribing the Places where they were worshiped, by thofe beautiful Marks of Rivers fo frequent among the Ancient Poets. The Author had doubtless in this place Homer's Catalogue of Ships, and Virgil's Lift of Warriors, in his View. The Characters of Moloch and Belial prepare the Reader's Mind for their refpective Speeches and Behaviour in the fecond and fixth Book. The Account of Thammuz is finely Romantick, and suitable to what we read among the Ancients of the Worship which was paid to that Idol.

Thammuz came next behind,
Whofe annual Wound in Lebanon allur'd
The Syrian Damfels to lament his fate,
In am'rous Ditties all a Summer's day,
While Smooth Adonis from his native rock
Ran purple to the Sea, fuppos'd with Blood
Of Thammuz yearly wounded: the Love tale
Infected Sion's Daughters with like Heat,
Whofe wanton Paffions in the facred Porch
Ezekiel faw, when by the Vifion led

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His Eye furvey'd the dark Idolatries
Of alienated Judah

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THE Reader will Pardon me if I infert as a Note on this beautiful Paffage, the Account given us by the late ingenious Mr. Maundrell of this Ancient Piece of Worfhip, and probably the firft Occafion of fuch a Superstition. We came to a fair large River doubtless the Ancient River Adonis, fo famous for the Idolatrous • Rites performed here in Lamentation of Adonis. We had the Fortune to fee what may be fupposed to be the • Occafion of that Opinion which Lucian relates concerning this River, viz. That this Stream, at certain Seafons of the Year, efpecially about the Feaft of Adonis, is of a bloody Colour; which the Heathens looked upon as proceeding from a kind of Sympathy in the River for the Death of Adonis, who was kili'd by a wild Boar in the Mountains, out of which this Stream rifes. Something like this we faw actually come to pafs; for the Water was ftain'd to a furprifing Rednefs; and, as we obferv'd in Travelling, had difcolour'd the Sea a great way into a reddish Hue, occafion'd doubtlefs by a fort of Minium, or red Earth, washed into the River by the Violence of the Rain, and not by any Stain from • Adonis's Blood.

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THE Paffage in the Catalogue, explaining the manner how Spirits transform themfelves by Contraction or Enlargement of their Dimenfions, is introduced with great Judgment, to make way for feveral furprizing Accidents in the Sequel of the Poem. There follows one, at the very End of the firft Book, which is what the French Criticks call Marvellous, but at the fame time probable by reafon of the Paffage laft mentioned. As foon as the Infernal Palace is finished, we are told the Multitude and Rabble of Spirits immediately fhrunk themselves into a fmall Compafs, that there might be Room for fuch a numberless Affembly in this capacious Hall. But it is the Poet's Refinement upon this Thought which I moft admire, and which is indeed very noble in it felf. For he tells us, that notwithstanding the vulgar, among the fallen Spirits, contracted their Forms, thofe of the firit Rank and Dignity ftill preferved their natural Dimensions.

Thus

Thus incorporeal Spirits to fmalleft Forms
Reduced their Shapes immenfe, and were at large,
Though without Number, ftill amidst the Hall
Of that Infernal Court. But far within,
And in their own Dimenfions like themselves,
The great Seraphick Lords and Cherubim,
In clofe recefs and fecret conclave fate,
A thoufand Demy-Gods on Golden Seats,
Frequent and full

THE Character of Mammon, and the Defcription of the Pandemonium, are full of Beauties.

THERE are feveral other Strokes in the first Book wonderfully poetical, and Inftances of that Sublime Genius fo peculiar to the Author. Such is the Defcription: of Azazel's Stature, and of the Infernal Standard, which he unfurls; as alfo of that ghaftly Light, by which the Feinds appear to one another in their Place of Torments. The Seat of Defolation, void of Light,

Save what the glimm'ring of thofe livid Flames
Cafs pale and dreadful

THE Shout of the whole Hoft of fallen Angels when drawn up in Battle Array :

The univerfal Hoft up fent

A Shout that tore Hell's Concave, and beyond
Frighted the reign of Chaos and old Night.

THE Review, which the Leader makes of his Infernal Army.

He thro' the armed files

Darts his experienc'd eye, and foon traverse
The whole Battalion views, their Order due,
Their Vifages and Stature as of Gods,

Their Number laft he fums; and now his Heart
Diflends with Pride, and hard ning in his ftrength-
Glories

THE Flash of Light which appear'd upon the drawing of their Swords> ;

He fpake; and to confirm his words outflew
Millions of flaming Swords: drawn from the thighs
Of mighty Cherubim, the fudden Blaze
Ear round illumin'd Hell

The

The sudden Production of the Pandemonium ;
Anon out of the Earth a Fabrick huge
Rofe like an Exhalation, with the Sound
Of dulcet Symphonies aud Voices sweet.
The Artificial Illuminations made in it.
From the arched Roof

Pendent by fubtle Magick, many a Row
Of Starry Lamps and blazing Crefcets, fed
With Naphtha and Asphaltus, yielded Light.
As from a Sky

THERE are alfo feveral noble Similes and Allufions in the first Book of Paradife Loft. And here I muft_observe, that when Milton alludes either to Things or Perfons, he never quits his Simile till it rifes to fome very great Idea, which is often foreign to the Occafion that gave. Birth to it. The Refemblance does not, perhaps, Ïast above a Line or two, but the Poet runs on with the Hint till he has raifed out of it fome glorious Image or Sentiment, proper to inflame the Mind of the Reader, and to give it that fublime kind of Entertainment, which is fuitable to the Nature of an Heroick Poem. Those, who are acquainted with Homer's and Virgil's way of Writing, cannot but be pleased with this kind of Structure in Milton's Similitudes. I am the more particular on this Head, because ignorant Readers, who have formed their Tafte upon the quaint Similes, and little Turns of Wit, which are fo much in Vogue among Modern Poets, cannot relish these Beauties which are of a much higher Nature, and are therefore apt to cenfure Milton's Comparisons in which they do not fee any furprizing Points of Likeness. Monfieur Perrault was a Man of this vitiated Relifh, and for that very Reafon has endeavoured to turn into Ridicule feveral of Homer's Similitudes, which he calls Comparaisons à longue queue, Long-tail'd Comparisons. I fhall conclude this Paper on the First Book of Milton with the Anfwer which Monfieur Boileau makes to Perrault on this Occafion, Comparisons, fays he, in Odes and Epic Poems, are not introduced only to illu• ftrate and embellish the Discourse, but to amufe and relax the Mind of the Reader, by frequently difengaging

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