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The SPECTATOR.

Nec fatis eft pulchra effe poemata, dulcia funto. Hor.

'Tis not enough a Poem's finely writ; It muft affect and captivate the Soul.}

Saturday, March 8. 1712.

HOSE, who know how many Volumes have
been written on the Poems of Homer and
Virgil, will eafily pardon the Length of my
Difcourfe upon Milton. The Paradife Loft

is look'd upon, by the best Judges, as the greatest Production, or at least the nobleft Work of Genius, in our Language, and therefore deferves to be fet before an English Reader in its full Beauty. For this Reason, tho' I have endeavoured to give a general Idea of its Graces and Imperfections in my Six Firft Papers, I thought my felf obliged to bestow one upon every Book in particular. The Three First Books I have already dispatched, and am now entring upon the Fourth. I need not acquaint my Reader, that there are Multitudes of Beauties in this great Author, especially in the Descriptive Parts of his Poem, which I have not touched upon, it being my Intention to point out those only, which appear to me the most exquisite, or those which are not so obvious to ordinary Readers. Every one that has read the Criticks, who have written upon the Odyffey, the Iliad and the Æneid, knows very well, that though they agree in their Opinions of the great Beauties in those Poems, they have nevertheless each of them discovered several Master-Stroaks, which have escaped the Obfervation of the reft. In the fame manner, I queftion not, but any Writer, who shall treat of this Subject after me, may find several Beauties in Milton,

which I have not taken notice of. I must likewise observe, that as the greatest Masters of Critical Learning differ from one another, as to fome particular Points in an Epic Poem, I have not bound my felf fcrupulously to the Rules, which any one of them has laid down upon that Art, but have taken the Liberty fometimes to join with one, and fometimes with another, and fometimes to differ from all of them, when I have thought that the Reason of the thing was on my side.

We may confider the Beauties of the Fourth Book under three Heads. In the First are thofe Pictures of Still-Life, which we meet with in the Descriptions of Eden, Paradife, Adam's Bower, &c. In the next are the Machines, which comprehend the Speeches and Behaviour of the good and bad Angels. In the last is the Conduct of Adam and Eve, who are the principal Actors in the Poem.

In the Description of Paradife, the Poet has obferved Ariftotle's Rule of lavishing all the Ornaments of Diction on the weak unactive Parts of the Fable, which are not fupported by the Beauty of Sentiments and Characters. Accordingly the Reader may observe, that the Expreffions are more florid and elaborate in these Descriptions, than in most other Parts of the Poem. I must further add, that tho' the Drawings of Gardens, Rivers, Rainbows, and the like dead Pieces of Nature, are justly cenfured in an Heroic Poem, when they run out into an unnecessary length; the Description of Paradife would have been faulty, had not the Poet been very particular in it, not only as it is the Scene of the principal Action, but as it is requifite to give us an Idea of that Happiness from which our first Parents fell. Plan of it is wonderfully beautiful, and formed upon the fhort Sketch which we have of it, in Holy Writ. Milton's Exuberance of Imagination, has pour'd forth such a redundancy of Ornaments on this Seat of Happiness and Innocence, that it would be endless to point out each Particular.

The

I must not quit this Head, without further obferving,

that there is scarce a Speech of Adam or Eve in the whole Poem, wherein the Sentiments and Allufions are not taken from this their delightful Habitation. The Reader, during their whole Course of Action, always finds himself in the Walks of Paradife. In short, as the Criticks have remarked, that in those Poems, wherein Shepherds are Actors, the Thoughts ought always to take a Tincture from the Woods, Fields, and Rivers; so we may observe, that our first Parents feldom lofe Sight of their happy Station in any thing they speak or do; and, if the Reader will give me leave to use the Expreffion, that their Thoughts are always Paradifiacal.

We are in the next place to confider the Machines of the Fourth Book. Satan being now within Profpect of Eden, and looking round upon the Glories of the Creation, is filled with Sentiments different from those which he discovered whilst he was in Hell. The Place inspires him with Thoughts more adapted to it : He reflects upon the happy Condition from whence he fell, and breaks forth into a Speech that is softned with feveral tranfient Touches of Remorfe and Selfaccusation: But at length he confirms himself in Impenitence, and in his defign of drawing Man into his own State of Guilt and Mifery. This Conflict of

Paffions is raised with a great deal of Art, as the open-
ing of his Speech to the Sun is very bold and noble.
O thou that with furpaffing Glory crown'd
Look'ft from thy Sole Dominion like the God
Of this new World, at whofe Sight all the Stars
Hide their diminish'd heads, to thee I call
But with no Friendly Voice, and add thy name,
O Sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams
That bring to my remembrance from what State
I fell, how glorious once above thy Sphere.

This Speech is, I think, the finest that is ascribed to Satan in the whole Poem. The Evil Spirit afterwards proceeds to make his Discoveries concerning

our first Parents, and to learn after what manner they may be best attacked. His bounding over the Walls of Paradife; his fitting in the Shape of a Cormorant upon the Tree of Life, which stood in the Center of it, and over-topp'd all the other Trees of the Garden; his alighting among the Herd of Animals, which are fo beautifully represented as playing about Adam and Eve, together with his transforming himself into different Shapes, in order to hear their Conversation; are Circumstances that give an agreeable Surprize to the Reader, and are devised with great Art, to connect that Series of Adventures in which the Poet has engaged this great Artificer of Fraud.

[The Thought of Satan's Transformation into a Cormorant, and placing himself on the Tree of Life, seems raised upon that Paffage in the Iliad, where two Deities are described, as perching on the Top of an Oak in the Shape of Vulturs.].

His planting himself at the Ear of Eve in the shape [under the Form] of a Toad, in order to produce vain Dreams and Imaginations, is a Circumstance of the fame Nature; as his starting up in his own Form is wonderfully fine, both in the Literal Description, and in the Moral which is concealed under it. His Answer upon his being discovered, and demanded to give an Account of himself, are [is] conformable to the Pride and Intrepidity of his Character.

Know ye not then, faid Satan, fill'd with Scorn, knew me once no mate

Know

ye

not me?

ye

For you, fitting where you durft not foare;

Not to know me argues your-felves unknown,
The lowest of your throng;-

Zephon's Rebuke, with the Influence it had on Satan, is exquifitely Graceful and Moral. Satan is afterwards led away to Gabriel, the chief of the Guardian Angels, who kept watch in Paradife. His disdainful Behaviour on this occafion is fo remarkable a Beauty, that the most ordinary Reader cannot but take notice of it.

Gabriel's discovering his approach at a distance, is drawn with great strength and livelinefs of Imagination.

O Friends, I hear the tread of nimble Feet
Haftening this way, and now by glimps difcern
Ithuriel and Zephon through the fhade;
And with them comes a third of Regal Port,
But faded fplendor wan; who by his gait
And fierce demeanour feems the Prince of Hell,
Not likely to part hence without contest;
Stand firm, for in his look defiance lours.

The Conference between Gabriel and Satan abounds with Sentiments proper for the Occasion, and suitable to the Perfons of the two Speakers. Satan's cloathing himself with Terror when he prepares for the Combat is truly fublime, and at least equal to Homer's Description of Discord celebrated by Longinus, or to that of Fame in Virgil, who are both represented with their Feet standing upon the Earth, and their Heads reaching above the Clouds.

While thus he fpake, th' Angelic Squadron bright
Turn'd fiery red, Sharpning in mooned Horns
Their Phalanx, and began to hem him round
With ported Spears, &c.

-On th' other Side, Satan alarm'd,

Collecting all his might dilated stood

Like Teneriff or Atlas unremov'd.

His Stature reach'd the Sky, and on his Creft
Sat horrour plum'd;-

But

I must here take notice, that Milton is every where full of Hints, and sometimes literal Translations, taken from the greatest of the Greek and Latin Poets. this I fhall [may] reserve for a Difcourfe by it felf, because I would not break the Thread of these Speculations that are designed for English Readers, with such Reflections as would be of no ufe but to the Learned.

I must however observe in this Place, that the breaking off the Combat between Gabriel and Satan, by the

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