The SPECTATOR. -volet hæc fub luce videri, Fudicis argutum quæ non formidat acumen. { -Some choofe the cleareft Light, Hor. And boldly challenge the moft piercing Eye. Rofcommon.} Nature. Saturday, February 16. 1712. Have feen in the Works of a Modern Philofopher, a Map of the Spots in the Sun. My laft Paper of the Faults and Blemishes in Milton's Paradife Loft, may be confider'd as a Piece of the fame To pursue the Allufion: As it is obferv'd, that among the bright parts of the Luminous Body above-mentioned, there are fome which glow more intensely, and dart a ftronger Light than others; fo, notwithstanding I have already fhewn Milton's Poem to be very beautiful in general, I shall now proceed to take notice of fuch Beauties as appear to me more exquisite than the rest. Milton has proposed the Subject of his Poem in the following Verses. Of Mans firft difobedience, and the fruit Thefe Lines are perhaps as plain, fimple and unadorned as any of the whole Poem, in which particular the Author has conform'd 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 Mufe who inspired Mofes in thofe Books from whence our Author drew his Subject, and to the Holy Spirit who is therein represented as operating after a particular manner in the first Production of Nature. This whole Exordium rifes very happily into noble Language and Sentiment, as I think the Transition to the Fable is exquifitely beautiful and natural. The nine Days Astonishment, in which the Angels lay entranced after their dreadful Overthrow and Fall from Heaven, before they could recover either the use of Thought or Speech, is a noble Circumstance, and very finely imagined. The Division of Hell into Seas of Fire, and into firm Ground impregnated with the fame furious Element, with that particular Circumstance of the exclusion of Hope from those Infernal Regions, are Inftances of the fame great and fruitful Invention. The Thoughts in the firft Speech and Description of Satan, who is one of the principal Actors in this Poem, are wonderfully proper to give us a full Idea of him. His Pride, Envy and Revenge, Obftinacy, Despair and Impenitence, are all of them very artfully interwoven. In fhort, his firft Speech is a Complica tion of all thofe Paffions which difcover themselves separately in several other of his Speeches in the Poem. The whole part of this great Enemy of Mankind is filled with fuch Incidents as are very apt to raise and terrifie the Reader's Imagination. Of this Nature, in the Book now before us, is his being the first that awakens out of the general Trance, with his Posture on the burning Lake, his rifing from it, and the Description of his Shield and Spear. Thus Satan talking to his nearest mate, Lay floating many a rood Forthwith upright he rears from off the poo! That felt unufual weight -His pondrous Shield Ethereal temper, maffie, large and round To which we may add his Call to the fallen Angels that lay plunged and stupified in the Sea of Fire. He call'd fo loud, that all the hollow deep But there is no fingle Paffage in the whole Poem worked up to a greater Sublimity, than that wherein his Person is described in those celebrated Lines: He, above the rest In fhape and gefture proudly eminent His Sentiments are every way answerable to his Character, and are* fuitable to a created Being of the most exalted and most depraved Nature. Such is that in which he takes Poffeffion of his Place of Torments. Hail Horrors, hail Infernal World, and thou profoundest Hell -Here at leaft We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built Amidst those Impieties which this Enraged Spirit utters in other Places of the Poem, the Author has taken care to introduce none that is not big with abfurdity, and incapable of fhocking a Religious Reader; his Words, as the Poet himself describes them, bearing only a femblance of Worth, not Subflance. He is likewife with great Art described as owning his Adverfary to be Almighty. Whatever perverse Interpretation he puts on the Justice, Mercy, and other Attributes of the Supreme Being, he frequently confeffes his Omnipotence, that being the Perfection he was forced to allow him, and the only Confideration which could fupport his Pride under the Shame of his Defeat. Nor must I here omit that beautiful Circumstance of his bursting out in Tears, upon his Survey of those innumerable Spirits whom he had involved in the fame Guilt and Ruin with himself. He now prepared To fpeak; whereat their doubled ranks they bend The Catalogue of Evil Spirits has a great deal [Abundance] of Learning in it, and a very agreeable turn of Poetry, which rises in a great measure from his defcribing the Places where they were worshipped, by those beautiful marks of Rivers fo frequent among the Ancient Poets. The Author had doubtless in this place Homer's Catalogue of Ships, and Virgil's Lift of Warriors in his view. The Characters of Moloch and Belial prepare the Reader's Mind for their refpective Speeches and Behaviour in the second and fixth Book. The Account of Thammuz is finely Romantick, and fuitable to what we read among the Ancients of the Worship which was paid to that Idol. -Thammuz came next behind, His Eye furvey'd the dark Idolatries The Reader will pardon me if I infert as a Note on this beautiful Passage, the Account given us by the late ingenious Mr. Maundrell of this Antient Piece of Worship, and probably the firft Occasion of fuch a Superftition. 'We came to a fair large River . . 'doubtless the Antient River Adonis, fo famous for the 'Idolatrous Rites perform'd here in Lamentation of 'Adonis. We had the Fortune to fee what may be supposed to be the Occasion of that Opinion which 'Lucian relates, concerning this River, viz. That this Stream, at certain Seasons of the Year, especially about This passage was added in the author's life-time, but subsequent to the second edition. The earliest issue with it in that I have seen, is Notes upon the Twelve Books of Paadise Lost.' London 1719. p. 43. |