am credibly informed of, that Paul Lorrain has refolv❜d upon a very fudden Reformation in his tragical Dramas and that at the next monthly Performance, he defigns, instead of a Penitential Pfalm, to dismiss his Audience with an excellent new Ballard of his own compofing. Pray, Sir, do what you can to put a stop to thofe growing Evils, and you will very much oblige Your Humble Servant, Phyfibulus. N° 339. Saturday, March 29. Ut his exordia primis Omnia, & ipfe tener Mundi concreverit orbis. L Virg. ONGINUS has obferved, that there may be Loftinefs in Sentiments, where there is no Paffion, and brings Inftances out of ancient Authors to fupport this his Opinion. The Pathetick, as that great Critick obferves, may animate and inflame the Sublime, but is not effential to it. Accordingly, as he further remarks,' we very often find that those who excel most in stirring up the Paffions, very often want the Talent of writing in the great and fublime manner, and fo on the contrary. Milton has fhewn himself a Master in both thefe ways of Writing. The feventh Book, which we are now entring upon, is an inftance of that Sublime which is not mixed and worked up with Paffion. The Author appears in a kind of compofed and fedate Majefty; and tho' the Sentiments do not give fo great an Emotion as thofe in the former Book, they abound with as magnificent Ideas. The fixth Book, like a troubled Ocean, reprefents Greatnefs in Confufion; the feventh affects the Imagination like the Ocean in a Calm, and fills the Mind of the Reader, without without producing in it any thing like Tumult or Agitation. THE Critick above mentioned, among the Rules which he lays down for fucceeding in the fublime way of writing, propofes to his Reader, that he fhould imitate the most celebrated Authors who have gone before him,' and have been engaged in Works of the fame nature; as in particular, that if he writes on a poetical Subject, he fhould confider how Homer would have spoken on fuch an Occafion. By this means one great Genius often catches the Flame from another, and writes in his Spirit,' without copying fervilely after him. There are a thoufand fhining Paffages in Virgil, which have been lighted up by Homer. MILTON, tho' his own natural Strength of Genius was capable of furnishing out a perfect Work, has doubtlefs very much raifed and ennobled his Conceptions, by fuch an Imitation as that which Longinus has recommended. IN this Book, which gives an Account of the fix Days Works, the Poet received but very few Affistances from Heathen Writers, who were Strangers to the Wonders of Creation. But as there are many glorious ftrokes of Poetry upon this Subject in Holy Writ, the Author has numberlefs Allufions to them through the whole course of this Book. The great Critick I have before mentioned, though an Heathen, has taken notice of the fublime Manner in which the Law-giver of the Jews has defcrib'd the Creation in the firft Chapter of Genefis; and there are many other Paffages in Scripture, which rise up to the fame Majefty, where this Subject is touched upon. Milton has fhewn his Judgment very remarkably, in making ufe of fuch of thefe as were proper for his Poem, and in duly qualifying thofe high Strains of Eastern Poetry, which were fuited to Readers whofe Imaginations were fet to an higher pitch than those of colder Climates. ADAM's Speech to the Angel, wherein he defires an Account of what had paffed within the Regions of Nature before the Creation, is very great and folemn. The following Lines, in which he tells him, that the Day is not too far fpent for him to enter upon fuch a Subject, are exquifite in their kind. And the great Light of Day yet wants to run And longer will delay, to hear thee tell His Generation, &c. THE Angel's encouraging our firft Parents in a modeft purfuit after Knowledge, with the Caufes which he affigns for the Creation of the World, are very juft and beautiful. The Meffiah, by whom, as we are told in Scripture, the Heavens were made, comes forth in the Power of his Father, furrounded with an Hoft of Angels, and clothed with fuch Majefty as becomes his entring upon a Work, which, according to our Conceptions, appears the utmoft Exertion of Omnipotence. What a beautiful Defcription has our Author raised upon that Hint in one of the Prophets! And behold there came four Chariots out from between two Mountains, and the Mountains were Mountains of Brass. About his Chariot numberless were pour'd Cherub and Seraph, Potentates and Thrones, I have before taken notice of thefe Charicts of God, and of these Gates of Heaven; and fhall here only add, that Homer gives us the fame Idea of the latter, as opening of themselves; tho' he afterwards takes off from it, by telling us, that the Hours first of all removed thofe prodi gious Heaps of Clouds which lay as a Barrier before them. I do not know any thing in the whole Poem more fublime than the Defcription which follows, where the Meffiah is reprefented at the head of his Angels, as look ing down into the Chaos, calming its Confufion, riding into the midst of it, and drawing the firft Out-Line of the Creation. On Heavenly Ground they stood, and from the Shore Far into Chaos, and the World unborn; THE Thought of the Golden Compaffes is conceived altogether in Homer's Spirit, and is a very noble Incident in this wonderful Description. Homer, when he fpeaks of the Gods, afcribes to them feveral Arms and Inftruments with the fame greatnefs of Imagination. Let the Reader only perufe the Defcription of Minerva's Egis, or Buckler, in the fifth Book, with her Spear, which would overturn whole Squadrons, and her Helmet, that was fuf E 3 ficient ficient to cover an Army drawn out of an hundred Cities: The Golden Compaffes in the above-mentioned Paffage appear a very natural Inftrument in the Hand of him, whom Plato fomewhere calls the Divine Geometrician. As. Poetry delights in clothing abstracted Ideas in Allegories and fenfible Images, we find a magnificent Description of the Creation form'd after the fame manner in one of the Prophets, wherein he defcribes the Almighty Architect as measuring the Waters in the Hollow of his Hand, meting out the Heavens with his Span, comprehending the Duft of the Earth in a Measure, weighing the Mountains in Scales, and the Hills in a Ballance. Another of them defcribing the Supreme Being in this great Work of Creation, reprefents him as laying the Foundation of the Earth, and ftretching a Line upon it: And in another place as garnishing the Heavens, fretching out the North over the empty Place, and hanging the Earth upon nothing. This laft noble Thought Milton has exprefs'd in the following Verfe : And Earth felf-balland'd or her Center hung. THE Beauties of Defcription in this Book lie fo very thick, that it is impoffible to enumerate them in this Paper. The Poet has employ'd on them the whole Energy of our Tongue. The feveral great Scenes of the Creation rife up to view one after another, in fuch a manner, that the Reader feems present at this wonderful Work, and to affist among the Choirs of Angels, who are the Spectators of ir. How glorious is the Conclusion of the first Day! Thus was the first Day Ev3n and Morn Nor paft uncelebrated, nor unfung By the Celestial Quires, when Orient Light Exhaling firft from Darkness they beheld Birth-day of Heav'n and Earth! with Foy and Shout The hollow univerfal Orb they fill'd. « WE have the fame Elevation of Thought in the third Day, when the Mountains were brought forth, and the Deep was made. Ime |