Of that wild rout that tore the Thracian bard fered him to live and die unmo lested. didit aures Carmine T. Warton. 40.—what ensued when Raphaël, &c.] Longinus has observed, that there may be a loftiness in sentiments, where there is no passion, and brings instances out of ancient authors to support this his opinion. The pathetic, as that great critic observes, may animate and inflame the sublime, but is not essential to it. Accordingly as he further remarks, we very often find that those who excel most in stirring up the passions, very often want the talent of writing in the great and sublime manner, and so on the contrary. Milton has shewn himself a master in both these ways of writing. The seventh book, which we are now entering upon, is an instance of that sublime, which is not mixed and worked up with passion. The author appears in a kind of composed and sedate majesty; and though the sentiments do not give so great an emotion, as 35 40 those in the former book, they abound with as magnificent ideas. The sixth book, like a troubled ocean, represents greatness in confusion; the seventh affects the imagination like the ocean in a calm, and fills the mind of the reader, without producing in it any thing like tumult or agitation. The critic above mentioned, among the rules which he lays down for succeeding in the sublime way of writing, proposes to his reader, that he should imitate the most celebrated authors who have gone before him, and been engaged in works of the same nature; as in particular, that if he writes on a poetical subject, he should consider how Homer would have spoken on such an occasion. By this means one great genius often catches the flame from another, and writes in his spirit, without copying servilely after him. There are a thousand shining passages in Virgil, which have been lighted up by Homer. Milton, though his own natural strength of genius was capable of furnishing out a perfect work, has doubtless very much raised and ennobled his conceptions, by such an imitation as that which Longius has recommended. In this The affable Arch-Angel, had forewarn'd To those apostates, lest the like befal Charg'd not to touch the interdicted tree, If they transgress, and slight that sole command, Of all tastes else to please their appetite, Though wand'ring. He with his consorted Eve 4.5 50 Of things so high and strange, things to their thought And war so near the peace of God in bliss book, which gives us an account of the six days' works, the poet received very few assistances from heathen writers, who were strangers to the wonders of creation. But as there are many glorious strokes of poetry upon this subject in holy writ, the author has numberless allusions to them through the whole course of this book. The great critic I have before mentioned, though an heathen, has taken notice of the sublime manner in which the lawgiver of the Jews has described the creation in the first chapter of Genesis; and there are many other passages in Scripture which rise up to the same majesty, where this 55 subject is touched upon. Milton has shewn his judgment very remarkably, in making use of such of these as were proper for his poem, and in duly qualifying those high strains of eastern poetry, which were suited to readers, whose imaginations were set to a higher pitch than those of colder climates. Addison. 47. If they transgress, &c.] We should observe the connexion; Lest the like befal to Adam or his race, if they transgress, &c. 50. He with his consorted Eve] Consorted from consort, Cum consorte tori, as Ovid says, Met. i. 319. From whom it sprung, impossible to mix With blessedness. Whence Adam soon repeal'd What nearer might concern him, how this world Great things, and full of wonder in our ears, Down from the empyréan to forewarn 59.-Whence Adam soon repeal'd The doubts that in his heart arose:] Dr. Bentley would read dispell'd; but if an alteration were necessary, I should rather read repell'd, as in ver. 610. we have -their counsels vain Thou hast repell' d. But in the same sense as a law is said to be repealed, when an end is put to all the force and effect of it; so, when doubts are at an end, they may be said to be repealed. Pearce. 61. yet sinless,] Desiring knowledge indeed, (led on with desire to know, &c.) but not the forbidden knowledge of good and evil. E. 69. Proceeded thus &c.] The 60 65 70 Us timely' of what might else have been our loss, Of what we are. But since thou hast vouchsaf'd Things above earthly thought, which yet concern'd 80 85 90 earth, but flowing into and spun out between all bodies; and is a fuller and finer notation of its liquid and spiritual texture, leaving no vacuum in nature, than that of Ovid, Nec circumfuso pendebat in aëre tellus. Met. i. 12. Hume. 92. -so late to build] It is a question that has been often asked, Why God did not create the world sooner? but the same question might be asked, if the world had been created at any time, for still there were infinite In Chaos, and the work begun, how soon To magnify his works, the more we know. And the great light of day yet wants to run It ages before that time. And that can never be a just exception against this time, which holds equally against all time. must be resolved into the good will and pleasure of Almighty God; but there is a farther reason according to Milton's hypothesis, which is that God, after the expelling of Satan and his angels out of heaven, declared his pleasure to supply their place by creating another world, and other creatures to dwell therein. 94. Absolv'd,] Finished, completed, perfected, from Absolutus, (Latin.) Richardson. 98. And the great light of day yet wants to run &c.] Our author has improved upon Homer, Odyss. xi. 372. where Alcinous by the same sort of arguments endeavours to persuade Ulysses to continue his narration; only there it was night, and here the scene is by day. Νυξ δ' ήδε μαλα μακρη, αθέσφατος· εδε πω ώρη Εύδειν εν μεγαρων συ δε μοι λεγε θέση κελα έργα. Και κεν ες τω διαν ανασχοιμήν And lo! a length of night behind remains, The evening stars still mount th' 95 Mr. Thyer is of opinion, that there is not a greater instance of our author's exquisite skill in the art of poetry, than this and the following lines. There is nothing more, really to be expressed, than Adam's telling Raphael his desire to hear the continuance of his relation, and yet the poet by a series of strong and noble figures has worked it up into half a score of as fine lines as any in the whole poem. Lord Shaftesbury has observed, that Milton's beauties generally depend upon solid thought, strong reasoning, noble passion, and a continued thread of moral doctrine; but in this place he has shewn what an exalted fancy and mere force of poetry can do. |