them. Tho' Adam involves the whole Species in Mifery, his Crime proceeds from a Weakness which every Man is inclined to pardon and commiferate, as it feems rather the Frailty of human Nature, than of the Perfon who offended. Every one is apt to excufe a Fault which he himfelf might have fallen into. It was the Excefs of Love for Eve, that ruin'd Adam, and his Pofterity. I need not add, that the Author is justify'd in this Particular by many of the Fathers, and the moft orthodox Writers. Milton has by this means filled a great part of his Poem with that kind of Writing which the French Criticks call the Tonder, and which is in a particular manner engaging to all forts of Readers.

ADAM and Eve, in the Book we are now considering, are likewife drawn with fuch Sentiments as do not only intereft the Reader in their Afflictions, but raise in him the most melting Paffions of Humanity and Commiferation. When Adam fees the feveral Changes in Nature produced about him, he appears in a Disorder of Mind fuitable to one who had forfeited both his Innocence and his Happinefs; he is filled with Horrour, Remorfe, Defpair; in the Anguish of his Heart he expoftulates with his Creator for having given him an unasked Existence.

Did I request thee, Maker, from my Clay
To mould, me Man? did I follicite thee
From Darkness to promote me? or here place
In this delicious Garden? As my Will
Concurr'd not to my Being, 'twere but right
And equal to reduce me to my Duft,
Defirous to refign, and render back
All I receiv'd

HE immediately after recovers from his Prefumption, owns his Doom to be juft, and begs that the Death which is threatned him may be inflicted on him.

Why delays

His Hand to execute, what his Decree
Fix'd on this day? Why do I overlive ?

Why

Why am I mock'd with Death, and lengthen'd out
To deathlefs Pain? how gladly would I meet
Mortality my Sentence, and be Earth
Infenfible! hom glad would lay me down,
As in my Mother's Lap? there fhou'd I reft
And fleep fecure; bis dreadful Voice no more
Would thunder in my Ears: no fear of worse
To me and to my Offspring, would torment me
With cruel Expectation

THIS whole Speech is full of the like Emotion, and varied with all those Sentiments which we may suppose natural to a Mind fo broken and difturb'd. I muft not omit that generous Concern which our firft Father fhews in it for his Pofterity, and which is fo proper to affect the Reader,

Hide me from the Face
Of God, whom to behold was then
my beighth
Of Happiness! yet well, if here would end
The Mifery, I deferv'd it, and would bear
My own Defervings; but this will not ferve;
All that I eat, or drink, or shall beget
Is propagated Curfe. Voice once heard
Delightfully, Increase and Multiply;
Now Death to hear!

In me all

Pofterity ftands curft! Fair Patrimony,
That I must leave ye, Sons! O were I able
To waste it all my felf, and leave you none !

So difinherited, how would you bless

Me, now your Curfe! Ab, why should all Mankind,
For one Man's Fault, thus guiltless be condemn'd,

If guiltless? But from me what can proceed

But all corrupt

WHO can afterwards behold the Father of Mankind extended upon the Earth, uttering his midnight Complaints, bewailing his Exiftence, and wifhing for Death, without fympathizing with him in his Diftrefs?

Thes

Thus Adam to himself lamented loud,

Thro' the ftill Night; not now, (as ere Man fell)
Wholesome, and cool, Air and mild but with black;
Accompanied, with Damps and dreadful Gloom;
Which to his evil Confcience reprefented

All things with double Terror. On the Ground
Outftretch'd be lay; on the cold Ground! and oft
Curs'd his Creation; Death as oft accus'd
Of tardy Execution

THE Part of Eve in this Book is no less paffionate, and apt to fway the Reader in her favour. She is reprefented with great Tenderness as approaching Adam, but is fpurn'd from him with a Spirit of Upbraiding and Indignation, conformable to the Nature of Man, whofe Paffions had now gained the dominion over him. The following Paffage, wherein the is defcribed as renewing her Addresses to him, which the whole Speech that follows it, have fomething in them exquifitely moving and pathetick.

He added not, and from her turn'd: But Eve
Not fo repulft, with Tears that ceas'd not flowing,
And Treffes all diforder'd, at his feet

Fell bumble; and embracing them, befought
His Peace, and thus proceeded in her Plaint.

For fake me not thus, Adam! Witness Heav'n
What Love fincere, and Reverence in my Heart
I bear thee, and unweeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd! Thy Suppliant

I beg, and clafp thy Knees; bereave me not
(Whereon I live!) thy gentle Looks, thy Aid,
Thy Counfel, in this uttermoft Distress,
My only Strength, and Stay! Forlorn of thee,
Whither shall I betake me, where fubfift?
While yet we live, (fcarce one Short Hour perhaps)
Between us two let there be peace, &c.

ADAM's Reconcilement to her is work'd up in the fame Spirit of Tenderness. Eve aftewards propofes to

her

157 her Husband, in the Blindness of her Defpair, that to prevent their Guilt from defcending upon Pofterity they should refolve to live Childlefs; or, if that could not be done, they should seek their own Deaths by violent Methods. As thofe Sentiments naturally engage the Reader to regard the Mother of Mankind with more than ordinary Commiferation, they likewise contain a very fine Moral. The Refolution of dying to end our Miseries, does not shew fuch a degree of Magnanimity as a Refolution to bear them, and fubmit to the Difpenfations of Providence. Our Author has therefore, with great Delicacy, reprefented Eve as entertaining this Thought, and Adam as difapproving it.

WE are, in the laft place, to confider the Imaginary Perfons, or Death and Sin, who act a large Part in this Book. Such beautiful extended Allegories are certainly fome of the finest Compofitions of Genius: but, as I have before obferved, are not agreeable to the Nature of an Heroick Poem. This of Sin and Death is very exquifite in its Kind, if not confidered as a Part of fuch a Work. The Truths contained in it are fo clear and open, that I fhall not lofe time in explaining them; but fhall only obferve, that a Reader who knows the ftrength of the English Tongue, will be amazed to think how the Poet could find fuch apt Words and Phrafes to defcribe the Actions of thole two imaginary Perfons, and particularly in that Part where Death is exhibited as forming a Bridge over the Chaos; a Work fuitable to the Genius of Milton.

SINCE the Subject I am upon, gives me an Opportunity of speaking more at large of fuch Shadowy and Imaginary Perfons as may be introduced into Heroick Poems, I fhall beg leave to explain my felf in a Matter which is curious in its Kind, and which none of the Criticks have treated of. It is certain Homer and Virgil are full of imaginary Perfons, who are very beautiful in Poetry when they are just fhewn, without being engaged in Series of Action. Homer indeed reprefents Sleep as a Perfon, and afcribes a fhort Part to him in his Iliad, but we must confider that tho' we now regard fuch a Person as entirely fhadowy and unfubftantial, the Heathens made

any

Statues

Statues of him, placed him in their Temples, and looked upon him as a real Deity. When Homer makes use of other fuch Allegorical Perfons, it is only in fhort Expreffions, which convey an ordinary Thought to the Mind in the most pleasing manner, and may rather be looked upon as Poetical Phrafes than Allegorical Defcriptions. Inftead of telling us, that Men naturally fly when they are terrified, he introduces the Perfons of Flight and Fear, who, be tells us, are infeparable Companions. Instead of faying that the time was come when Apollo ought to have received his Recompence, he tells us, that the Hours brought him his Reward. Inftead of defcribing the Effects which Minerva's Egis produced in Battel, he tells us, that the Brims of it were encompaffed by Terror, Rout, Difcord, Fury, Purfuit, Maffacre, and Death. In the fame Figure of fpeaking, he reprefents Victory as following Dio medes; Difcord as the Mother of Funerals and Mourning; Venus as dreffed by the Graces; Bellona as wearing Ter ror and Confternation like a Garment. I might give feveral other Inftances out of Homer, as well as a great many out of Virgil. Milton has likewife very often made ufe of the fame way of Speaking, as where he tells us, that Victory fat on the right Hand of the Meffiah when he marched forth against the Rebel Angels; that at the rising of the Sun the Hours unbarr'd the Gates of Light; that Difcord was the Daughter of Sin. Of the fame nature are thofe Expreffions, where defcribing the finging of the Nightingale, he adds, Silence was pleased; and upon the Meffiah's bidding Peace to the Chaos. Confufion heard his Voice. I might add innumerable Inftances of our Poet's writing in this beautiful Figure. It is plain that thefe I have mentioned, in which Perfons of an imaginary Na> ture are introduced, are fuch fhort Allegories as are not defigned to be taken in the litteral Senfe, but only to convey particular Circumstances to the Reader after an unufual and entertaining manner. But when fuch Perfons are introduced as principal Actors, and engaged in a Series of Adventures, they take too much upon them, and are by no means proper for an Heroick Poem, which ought to appear credible in its principal Parts. I cannot forbear

there