His Eye furvey'd the dark Idolatries

Of alienated Judah.

THE Reader will pardon me if I insert 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 firftOccafion of fuch a Superftition. 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 supposed to be the Occafion of that Opinion which Lucian relates, concerning this River, viz. That this Stream, at certain Seasons of the Year, especially about the Feast 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 killed 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 furprising Rednefs; and, as we obferv'd in Travelling, had difcelour'd the Sea a great way into a reddith Hue, occafion'd doubtless by a Sort 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 Contractions or Enlargement of their Dimenfions, is introduced with great Judgment, to make way for feveral furprifing Accidents in the Sequel of the Poem. There follows one, at the very End of the first Book, which is what the French Criticks call Marvellous, but at the fame Time probable by Reason of the Paffage last 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 most admire, and which is indeed very noble in itself. For he tells us, that notwithstanding the Vulgar, among the fallen Spirits, contracted their Forms, those of the first Rank and Dignity ftill preferved their natural Dimensi

ons,

Thus

Thus incorporeal Spirits to fmalleft Forms
Reduc'd their Shapes immenfe, and were at large
Though without Number fill 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 several other Strokes in the firft Book wonderfully Poetical, and Inftances of that Sublime Genius fo peculiar to the Author. Such is the Description of Azazel's Stature, and of the infernal Standard, which he unfurls; as also of that ghaftly Light, by which the Fiends appear to one another in their Place of Torments. The Seat of Defolation, void of Light,

Save what the Glimm'ring of those livid Flames
Cafts 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
Diftends with Pride, and hard'ning in his Strength
Glories

The Flash of Light which appeared upon the drawing of their Swords;

He fpake and to confirm his Words out flew

Millions of flaming Swords, drawn from the Thighs
Of mighty Cherubim ; the Sudden Blaze

Far round illumin'd Hell

The

The fudden Production of the Pandemonium;

Anon out of the Earth a Fabrick huge
Rofe like an Exhalation,

with the Sound Of dulcet Symphonies and Voices feet. The artificial Illuminations made in it.

From the arched Roof

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

1

THERE are alfo feveral noble Similes and Allufions in the first Book of Paradife Loft. And here I must ob-' ferve, 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, last above a Line or two, but the Poet runs on with the Hint, till he has raised 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 Heroic 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 surprising Points of Likeness. Monfieur Perrault was a Man of this vitiated Relish, and for that very Reafon has endeavoured to turn into Ridicule feveral of Homer's Similitudes, which he calls Comparaifons a longue queue, Long-tail'd Comparifons. 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 illuftrate and embelish the Discourse, but to amuse and re• lax the Mind of the Reader, by frequently difengaging

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him from too painful an Attention to the principal Subject, and by leading him into other agreeable I. mages. Homer, fays he, excelled in this Particular, whose Comparisons abound with fuch Images of Nature as are proper to relieve and diverfify his Subjects. He continually inftructs the Reader, and makes him take Notice, even in Objects which are every Day before our Eyes, of fuch Circumftances as we should not otherwife have obferved. To this he adds, as a Maxim univerfally acknowledged, That it is not neceffary inPoetry for the Points of the Comparifon to correfpond with one another exactly, but that a general • Refemblance is fufficient, and that too much Nicety. in this particular. favours of the Rhetorician and Epi-⚫ grammatist.

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IN fhort, if we look into the Conduct of Homer, Virgil, and Milton, as the great Fable is the Soul of each Poem, fo to give their Works an agreeable Variety, their Episodes are fo many fhort Fables, and their Similes fo many fhort Episodes; to which you may add, if you. pleafe, that their Metaphors are fo many fhort Similes... If the Reader confiders the Comparisons in the first Book of Milton of the Sun in an Eclipfe, of the Sleeping Leviathan, of the Bees fwarming about their Hive, of the Fairy Dance, in the View wherein I have here placed them, he will eafily difcover the great. Beauties that are in each of those Paffages. L

T

Virg

HE Circumftances of my Correfpondent, whofe Letter I now infert, are fo frequent, that I cannot want Compaffion fo much as to forbear laying it. before the Town. There is fomething fo mean and inhuman in a direct Smithfield Bargain for Children, that if this Lover carries his Point, and obferves the Rules he pretends to follow, I do not only with him Succefs,

but

but also that it may animate others to follow his Example. I know not one Motive relating to this Life which would produce fo many honourable and worthy Actions, as the Hopes of obtaining a Woman of Merit: There would ten thousand Ways of Industry and honeft Ambition be purfued by young Men, who believed that the Perfons admired had Value enough for their Paffion to attend the Event of their good Fortune in all their Applications, in order to make their Circumftances fall in with the Duties they owe to themselves, their Families, and their Country; All these Relations a Man fhould think of who intends to go into the State of Marriage, and expects to make it a State of Pleasure and Satisfaction.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I Have for fome Years indulged a Paffion for a young Lady of Age and Quality fuitable to my own, but · very much fuperior in Fortune. It is the Fashion with Parents (how juftly I leave you to judge) to make all Regards give Way to the Article of Wealth. From this one Confideration it is that I have concealed the ⚫ ardent Love I have for her; but I am beholden to the Force of my Love for many Advantages which I reap⚫ed from it towards the better Conduct of my Life. A certain Complacency to all the World, a ftrong Defire to oblige where-ever it lay in my Power, and a circumfpect Behaviour in all my Words and Actions, have rendered me more particularly acceptable to all my Friends and Acquaintance. Love has had the fame good Effect upon my Fortune; and I have encreased in Riches in proportion to my Advancement in those Arts which make a Man agreeable and amiable. There is a certain Sympathy which will tell my Mistress from these Circumftances, that it is I who write this for her Reading, if you will please to infert it. There ⚫ is not a downright Enmity, but a great Coldness between our Parents; so that if either of us declared any kind Sentiments for each other, her Friends would be ⚫ very backward to lay an Obligation upon our Family, and mine to receive it from hers. Under these delicate Circumftances it is no eafy Matter to act with Safety. I have no Reafon to fancy my Mistress has any Regard