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This first book proposes, first in brief, the whole fubject, Man's difobedience, and the lofs thereupon of Paradife wherein he was plac'd: Then touches the prime cause of his fall, the Serpent, or rather Satan in the ferpent; who revolting from God, and drawing to his fide many legions of Angels, was by the command of God driven out of Heaven with all his crew into the great deep. Which action pafs'd over, the poem haftes into the midst of things, prefenting Satan with his Angels now fallen into Hell, describ'd here, not in the center (for Heaven and Earth may be fuppos'd as yet not made, certainly not yet accurs'd) but in a place of utter darkness, fitlieft call'd Chaos: Here Satan with his Angels lying on the burning lake, thunder-ftruck and aftonish'd, after a certain fpace recovers, as from confufion, calls up him who next in order and dignity lay by him; they confer of their miferable fall. Satan awakens all his legions, who lay till then in the fame manner confounded; They rife, their numbers, array of battel, their chief leaders nam'd, according to the idols known afterwards in Canaan and the countries adjoining. To these Satan directs his fpeech, comforts them with hope yet of regaining Heaven, but tells them laftly of a new world and new kind of creature to be created, according to an ancient prophecy or report in Heaven; for that Angels were long before this vifible creation, was the opinion of many ancient Fathers. To find out the truth of this prophecy, and what to determin thereon he refers to a full council. What his affociates thence attempt. Pandemonium the palace of Satan rifes, fuddenly built out of the deep: The infernal peers there fit in council.

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FHayman inv: et del:

I. S. Müller ft:

Books.

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1. Of Mans firft difobedience, &c.] Milton has propofed the fubject of his poem in the following verfes. Thefe lines are perhaps as plain, fimple, and unadorned as any of the whole poem, in which particular the author has conformed himself to the example of Homer and the precept of Horace. His invocation to a work, which turns in a great measure upon the creation of the world, is very properly made to the Muse who inspired Mofes in those books from whence our author drew his fubject, and to the Holy Spirit who is therein reprefented as operating after a particular manner in the firft production of nature. This whole exordium rifes very happily into noble language and fentiment, as I think the tranfition to the fable is exquifitely beautiful and natural. Addifon. Befides the plainnefs and fimplicity of these lines, there is a farther beauty in the variety of the numbers, which of themselves charm every reader without any fublimity of thought or pomp of expreffion and this variety of the

Brought

numbers confifts chiefly in the pause being fo artfully varied, that it falls upon a different fyllable in almoft every line, as it may eafily be perceived by diftinguishing the verses thus;

Of Man's first disobedience, and

the fruit

Of that forbidden tree, whofe mortal tafte

Brought death into the world, and all our woe,

With lofs of Eden, I till one greater Man

Reftore us, and regain the blissful feat,

Sing heav'nly Muse, |

Mr. Pope, in a letter to Mr. Walsh containing fome critical obfervations on English verfification, remarks that in any smooth English verfe of ten fyllables, there is naturally a paufe at the fourth, fifth, or fixth fyllable, and upon the judicious change and management of thefe depends the variety of verfification." But Milton varies the paufe according to the fenfe, and varies it through all the ten fyl

lables,

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