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There are others of the moderns who rival him in every other part of poetry; but, in the greatness of his fentiments, he triumphs over all the poets both modern and ancient, Homer only excepted. It is impoffible for the imagination of man to diftend itself with greater ideas, than those which he has laid together in his firft, fecond, and fixth books. The feventh, which defcribes the creation of the world, is likewife wonderfully fublime, though not fo apt to ftir up emotion in the mind of the reader, nor confequently fo perfect in the epick way of writing, because it is filled with lefs action. Let the judicious reader compare what Longinus has observed on feveral paffages in Homer, and he will find parallels for moft of them in the Paradife Loft.

From what has been faid we may infer, that as there are two kinds of fentiments, the natural and the fublime, which are always to be purfued in an heroick poem, there are alfo two kinds of thoughts which are carefully to be avoided. The first are fuch as are affected and unnatural; the second, fuch as are mean and vulgar. As for the first kind of thoughts, we meet with little or nothing that is like them in Virgil. He has none of thofe trifling points and puerilities that are so often to be met with in Ovid; none of the epigrammatick turns of Lucan; none of those fwelling fentiments, which are fo frequent in Statius and Claudian; none of those mixed embellishments of Taffo. Every thing is just and natural. His fentiments show that he had a perfect infight into human nature, and that he knew every thing which was the most proper to affect it.

Mr. Dryden has in fome places, which I may hereafter take notice of, mifreprefented Virgil's way of thinking as to this particular, in the tranflation he has given us of the Æneid. I do not remember that Homer any where falls into the faults abovementioned, which were indeed the falfe refinements of later ages. Milton, it must be confeffed, has fometimes erred in this refpect, as I shall show more at large hereafter; though, confidering how all the poets of the age in which he wrote were infected with this wrong way of thinking, he is rather to be admired that he did not give more into it, than that he did fometimes comply with the vicious taste which still prevails fo much among modern writers.

But, fince feveral thoughts may be natural which are low and groveling, an epick poet fhould not only avoid fuch fentiments as are unnatural or affected, but alfo fuch as are mean and vulgar. Homer has opened a great field of raillery, to men of more delicacy than greatnefs of genius, by the homeliness of fome of his fentiments. But, as I have before said, thefe are rather to be imputed to the fimplicity of the age in which he lived; to which I may alfo add, of that which he defcribed; than to any imperfection in that divine poet. Zoilus, among the ancients, and Monfiur Perrault, among the moderns, pushed their ridicule very far upon him, on account of fome fuch fentiments. There is no blemish to be obferved in Virgil under this head, and but very few in Milton.

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I fhall give but one inftance of this impropriety of thought in Homer, and at the fame time compare

it with an inftance of the fame nature, both in Virgil and Milton. Sentiments, which raife laughter, can very seldom be admitted with any decency into an heroick poem, whofe bufinefs is to excite paffions of a much nobler nature. Homer, however, in his characters of Vulcan and Therfites, in his ftory of Mars and Venus, in his behaviour of Irus, and in other paffages, has been obferved to have lapfed into the burlesque character, and to have departed from that ferious air which feems effential to the magnificence of an epick poem. I remember but one laugh in the whole Eneid, which rifes in the fifth book, upon Monotes, where he is reprefented as thrown overboard, and drying himself upon a rock. But this piece of mirth is fo well timed, that the fevereft critick can have nothing to fay against it; for it is in the book of games and diverfions, where the reader's mind may be fuppofed to be fufficiently relaxed for fuch an entertainment. The only piece of pleasantry in Paradife Loft, is where the evil Spirits are defcribed as rallying the Angels upon the fuccefs of their new invented artillery. This paffage I look upon to be the most exceptionable in the whole Poem, as being nothing elfe but a string of puns, and thofe too very indifferent ones.

"Satan beheld their plight,

"And to his mates thus in derifion call'd.

"O friends, why come not on these victors proud? "Ere while they fierce were coming; and when we,

"To entertain them fair with open front

"And breast, (what could we more?) propounded terms "Of compofition, straight they chang'd their minds, "Flew off, and into strange vagaries fell,

"As they would dance; yet for a dance they seem'd
"Somewhat extravagant and wild; perhaps
"For joy of offer'd peace: but I suppose
"If our propofals once again were heard,
"We should compel them to a quick refult.

"To whom thus Belial, in like gamefome mood.
"Leader, the terms we sent, were terms of weight,
"Of hard contents, and full of force urg'd home;
"Such as we might perceive amus'd them all,
"And fumbled many: Who receives them right,
"Had need from head to foot well understand;
"Not underflood, this gift they have besides,
"They show us when our foes walk not upright.

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"So they among themselves in pleasant vein "Stood fcoffing." B. vi. 607, &c.

Having already treated of the FABLE, the CHARACTERS, and SENTIMENTS, in the Paradife Loft, we are in the laft place to confider the LANGUAGE; and, as the learned world is very much divided upon Milton as to this point, I hope they will excufe me if I appear particular in any of my opinions, and incline to thofe who judge the most advantageously of the author.

It is requifite that the language of an heroick poem fhould be both perfpicuous and fublime. In proportion as either of these two qualities are wanting, the language is imperfect. Perfpicuity is the first and most neceffary qualification; infomuch that a good-natured reader fometimes overlooks a little flip even in the grammar or fyntax, where it is impoffible for him to mistake the poet's fenfe. Of this kind is that paffage in Milton, wherein he fpeaks of Satan:

d Of this kind &c.] See however both paffages defended, in the Notes on B. ii. 678, B. iv. 323. TODD.

"God and his Son except,

"Created thing nought valu'd he nor fhunn'd."

And that in which he defcribes Adam and Eve:

"Adam the goodliest man of men fince born "His fons, the fairest of her daughters Eve."

It is plain, that, in the former of thefe paffages, according to the natural fyntax, the Divine Perfons mentioned in the first line are reprefented as created Beings; and that, in the other, Adam and Eve are confounded with their fons and daughters. Such little blemishes as thefe, when the thought is great and natural, we fhould, with Horace, impute to a pardonable inadvertency, or to the weaknefs of human nature, which cannot attend to each minute particular, and give the last finishing to every circumftance in fo long a work. The ancient criticks therefore, who were acted by a fpirit of candour, rather than that of cavilling, invented certain figures of speech, on purpose to palliate little errours of this nature in the writings of thofe authors who had fo may greater beauties to atone for them.

If clearness and perfpicuity were only to be confulted, the poet would have nothing else to do but to clothe his thoughts in the moft plain and natural expreffions. But fince it often happens that the moft obvious phrafes, and those which are used in ordinary converfation, become too familiar to the ear, and contract a kind of meannefs by paffing through the mouths of the vulgar; a poet fhould take particular care to guard himself against idiomatick ways of speaking. Ovid and Lucan have many poorneffes of expreffion upon this account,

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