Immediately the Mountains huge appear
Emergent, and their broad bare Backs up-heave
Into the Clouds, their Tops afcend the Sky:
So high as heav'd the tumid Hills, fo low
Down funk a hollow Bottom, broad and deep,
Capacious Bed of Waters

WE have alfo the rifing of the whole vegetable World defcribed in this Day's Work, which is filled with all the Graces that other Poets have lavished on their Defcription of the Spring, and leads the Reader's Imagination into a Theatre equally furprifing and beautiful.

THE feveral Glories of the Heav'ns make their Ap pearance on the fourth Day.

Firft in his Eaft the glorious Lamp was feen,
Regent of Day; and all th' Horizon round
Invefted with bright Rays, jocund to run
His Longitude through Heav'n's high Road: the gray
Dawn, and the Pleiades before him danced,
Shedding fweet Influence. Lefs bright the Moon,
But oppofite in level'd Weft was fet,

His Mirror, with full face borrowing her Light
From him, for other Light she needed none
In that afpect, and still that distance keeps
Till Night; then in the East her turn fhe fhines,
Revolv'd on Heav'ns great Axle, and her Reign
With thousand leffer Lights dividual holds,
With thousand thousand Stars! that then appear'd
Spangling the Hemisphere

ONE would wonder how the Poet could be fo concifein his Defcription of the fix Days Works, as to comprehend them within the bounds of an Epifode, and at the fame time fo particular, as to give us a lively Idea of them. This is ftill more remarkable in his Account of the fifth and fixth Days, in which he has drawn out to our View the whole Animal Creation, from the Reptil to the Behemoth. As the Lion and the Leviathan are two of the noblest Productions

E4

ductions in the World of living Creatures, the Reader will find a most exquifite Spirit of Poetry in the Account which our Author gives us of them. The fixth Day concludes with the Formation of Man, upon which the Angel takes occafion, as he did after the Battel in Heaven, to remind Adam of his Obedience, which was the principal Design of this his Vifit.

THE Poet afterwards reprefents the Meffiah returning into Heaven, and taking a furvey of his great Work. There is fomething inexpreffibly fublime in this part of the Poem, where the Author defcribes that great Period of Time, flled with fo many glorious Circumstances; when the Fleavens and Earth were finished; when the Meffiah afcended up in triumph thro' the everlasting Gates; when he looked down with pleasure upon his new Creation; when every Part of Nature feem'd to rejoice in its Existence; when the Morning-Stars fang together, and all the Sons of God shouted for joy.

So Ev❜n and Morn accomplish'd the fixth Day:
Yet not 'till the Creator from his Work
Defifting, the unwearied, up return'd,
Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns, his high Abode;
Thence to behold this new created World,
Th' Addition of his Empire, how it fhew'd
In profpect from his Throne, how good, how fair,
Answering his great Idea: Up he rode,
Follow'd with Acclamation, and the Sound
Symphonious of ten thousand Harps, that tuned
Angelick Harmonies; the Earth, the Air
Refounding (thou remember'ft, for thou heard'st)
The Heavens and all the Conftellations rung ;
The Planets in their Station liftning stood,
While the bright Pomp afcended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting Gates, they fung,
Open, ye Heav'ns, your living Doors; let in
The great Creator from his Work return'd
Magnificent, his fix days Work, a World!

I cannot conclude this Book upon the Creation, without mentioning a Poem which has lately appeared under that Title. The Work was undertaken with so good an Intention, and is executed with fo great a Maftery, that it deferves to be looked upon as one of the most useful and noble Productions in our English Verfe. The Reader cannot but be pleased to find the Depths of Philofophy enlivened with all the Charms of Poetry, and to fee fo great a Strength of Reason, amidst so beautiful a Redundancy of the Imagination. The Author has fhewn us that Design in all the Works of Nature, which neceffarily leads us to the Knowledge of its firft Caufe. In fhort, he has illuftrated, by numberlefs and inconteftable Inftances, that Divine Wisdom, which the Son of Sirach has fo nobly ascribed to the Supreme Being in his Formation of the World, when he tells us, that He created her, and saw her, and numbered her, and poured her out upon all his Works.

L

N° 340.

I

Monday, March 31.

Quis novus hic noftris fucceffit fedibus Hofpes?
Quem fefe Ore ferens! quam forti Pectore & Armis !

Virg

TAKE it to be the highest Instance of a noble Mind, to bear great Qualities without difcovering in a Man's Behaviour any Confcioufnefs that he is fuperior to the reft of the World. Or, to fay it otherwife, it is the Duty of a great Perfon fo to demean himself, as that whatever Endowments he may have, he may appear to value himfelf upon no Qualities but fuch as any Man may arrive at : He ought to think no Man valuable but for his publick Spirit, Juftice and Integrity; and all other Endowments to be efteemed only as they contribute to the exerting those Virtues. Such a Man, if he is Wife or Valiant, knows

it is of no Confideration to other Men that he is fo, but as he employs thofe high Talents for their Ufe and Service. He who affects the Applaufes and Addreffes of a Multitude, or affumes to himself a Pre-eminence upon any other Confideration, muft foon turn Admiration into Contempt. It is certain, that there can be no Merit in any Man who is not confcious of it; but the Senfe that it is valuable only according to the Application of it, makes that Superiority amiable, which would otherwise be invidious. In this Light it is confidered as a Thing in which every Man bears a fhare: It annexes the Ideas of Dignity, Power, and Fame, in an agreeable and familiar manner, to him who is Poffeffor of it; and all Men who are Strangers to him are naturally incited to indulge a Curiofity in beholding the Perfon, Behaviour, Feature, and Shape of him, in whofe Character, perhaps, each Man had formed fomething in common with himself. Whether fuch, or any other, are the Caufes, all Men have a yearning Curi ofity to behold a Man of heroick Worth; and I have had many Letters from all Parts of this Kingdom, that requeft I would give them an exact Account of the Stature, the Mein, the Aspect of the Prince who lately vifited England, and has done fuch Wonders for the Liberty of Europe. It would puzzle the moft Curious to form to bimfelf that fort of Man my feveral Correfpondents expect to hear of, by the Action mentioned when they defire a Defcription of him: There is always fomething that concerns themselves, and growing out of their own Circumftances, in all their Enquiries. A Friend of mine in Wales befeeches me to be very exact in my Account of that wonderful Man, who had marched an Army and all its Baggage over the Alps; and, if poffible, to learn whether the Peafant who fhew'd him the Way, and is drawn in the Map, be yet living. A Gentleman from the Univerfity, who is deeply intent on the Study of Humanity, defires me to be as particular, if I had Opportunity, in obferving the whole Interview between his Highness and our late General. Thus do Mens Fancies work according to their feveral Educations and Circumstances;

but

but all pay a Refpect, mixed with Admiration, to this illuftrious Character. I have waited for his Arrival in HolLand, before I would let my Correfpondents know, that I have not been fo uncurious a Spectator, as not to have feen Prince Eugene. It would be very difficult, as I faid just now, to answer every Expectation of those who have writ to me on that Head; nor is it poffible for me to find Words to let one know what an artful Glance there is in his Countenance who furprized Cremona; how daring he appears who forced the Trenches of Turin: But in general I can fay, that he who beholds him, will eafily expect from him any thing that is to be imagined or executed by the Wit or Force of Man. The Prince is of that Stature which makes a Man most easily become all Parts of Exercife, has Height to be graceful on Occa fions of State and Ceremony, and no lefs adapted for Agility and Difpatch: his Afpect is erect and compos'd; his Eye lively and thoughtful, yet rather vigilant than fparkling; his Action and Addrefs the most eafy imaginable, and his Behaviour in an Affembly peculiarly graceful in a certain Art of mixing infenfibly with the rest, and becoming one of the Company, instead of receiving the Courtship of it. The Shape of his Perfon, and Compofure of his Limbs, are remarkably exact and beautiful. There is in his Look fomething fublime, which does not seem to arife from his Quality or Character, but the innate Difpofition of his Mind. It is apparent that he fuffers the Prefence of much Company, inftead of taking delight in it; and he appeared in Publick while with us, rather to return Good-will, or fatisfy Curiofity, than to gratify any Taste he himself had of being popular. As his Thoughts are never tumultuous in Danger, they are as little difcompofed on Occafions of Pomp and Magnificence: A great Soul is affected in either Cafe, no further than in confidering the propereft Methods to extricate it felf from them. If this Heto has the ftrong Incentives to uncommon Enterprizes that were remarkable in Alexander, he profecutes and enjoys the Fame of them with the Juftnefs, Propriety, and good Senfe of Cafar. It is cafy to obferve in him a Mind as capable of being entertained