Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

But fondly overcome with Female charm.
Earth trembled from her Entrails, as again
In pangs, and nature gave a fecond groan,
Sky lowred and muttering thunder, fome fad drops
Wept at compleating of the mortal Sin-

As all Nature fuffer'd by the guilt of our first Parents, these Symptoms of Trouble and Confternation are wonderfully imagin'd, not only as Prodigies, but as Marks of her Sympathizing in the Fall of Man.

Adam's Converse with Eve, after having eaten the forbidden Fruit, is an exact Copy of that between Jupiter and Juno, in the Fourteenth Iliad. Juno there approaches Jupiter with the Girdle which he had received from Venus, upon which he tells her, that she appeared more charming and defirable than fhe ever had done before, even when their Loves were at the highest. The Poet afterwards describes them as repofing on a Summet of Mount Ida, which produced under them a Bed of Flowers, the Lotus, the Crocus, and the Hyacinth, and concludes his Defcription with their falling a-sleep.

Let the Reader compare this with the following Paffage in Milton, which begins with Adam's Speech to Eve.

For never did thy Beauty fince the Day
I faw thee firft and wedded thee, adorn'd
With all Perfections fo inflame my Senfe
With ardor to enjoy thee, fairer now
Than ever, bounty of this virtuous Tree.

So faid he, and forbore not glance or toy
Of amorous intent, well understood
Of Eve, whofe Eye darted contagious fire.
Her hand he feifed, and to a fhady bank
Thick over-head with verdant roof embowr'd
He led her nothing loth: Flow'rs were the Couch,
Panfies, and Violets, and Afphodel,

And Hyacinth, Earth's fresheft fofteft lap.
There they their fill of Love, and Loves difport

Took largely, of their mutual guilt the Seal,
The Solace of their Sin, 'till dewy fleep
Opprefs'd them

As no Poet seems ever to have ftudied Homer more, or to have resembled him in the greatness of Genius than Milton, I think I fhou'd have given but a very imperfect Account of his Beauties, if I had not observed the most remarkable Paffages which look like Parallels in these two great Authors. I might, in the Course of these Criticisms, have taken notice of many particular Lines and Expreffions which are tranflated from the Greek Poet, but as I thought this would have appeared too minute and over-curious, I have purpofely omitted them. The greater Incidents, however, are not only fet off by being fhown in the fame Light, with feveral of the fame Nature in Homer, but by that means may be alfo guarded against the Cavils of the Tastelefs or Ignorant.

[graphic]

The SPECTATOR.

+Reddere perfonæ fcit convenientia cuique.
{He knows what beft befits each character.}

[blocks in formation]

{Who can relate fuch Woes without a Tear?} Saturday, April 19. 1712.

Hor.

Virg.]

HE Tenth Book of Paradife Loft has a greater variety of Perfons in it than any other in the whole Poem. The Author upon the winding up of his Action introduces all those who had any Concern in it, and fhews with great Beauty the influence which it had upon each of them. It is like the laft Act of a well written Tragedy, in which all who had a part in it are generally drawn up before the Audience, and reprefented under those Circumstances in which the determination of the Action places them.

I fhall therefore confider this Book under four Heads, in relation to the Celestial, the Infernal, the Human, and the Imaginary Perfons, who have their respective Parts allotted in it.

To begin with the Celestial Perfons: The Guardian Angels of Paradife are described as returning to Heaven upon the Fall of Man, in order to approve their Vigilance; their Arrival, their manner of Reception, with the Sorrow which appeared in themselves, and in thofe Spirits who are faid to Rejoice at the Conversion of a Sinner, are very finely laid together in the following Lines.

Up into Heav'n from Paradife in hafte
Th' angelick guards afcended, mute and fad
For man, for of his flate by this they knew
Much wond'ring how the fubtle Fiend had ftoln

+ This motto was changed in second edition for the one below it.

Entrance unfeen. Soon as th' unwelcome news
From earth arriv'd at Heaven Gate, difpleas'd
All were who heard, dim fadnefs did not fpare
That time Celeflial vifages, yet mixt
With pity, violated not their blifs.

About the new-arriv'd, in multitudes
Th' Ethereal people ran, to hear and know
How all befell: They tow'rds the throne fupreame
Accountable made hafte to make appear
With righteous plea, their utmost vigilance,
And eafily approv'd; when the most High
Eternal father from his fecret cloud,
Amidst in thunder utter'd thus his voice.

The fame Divine Person who in the foregoing parts of this Poem interceded for our firft Parents before their Fall, overthrew the rebel Angels, and created the World, is now represented as defcending to Paradife, and pronouncing Sentence upon the three Offenders. The cool of the Evening, being a Circumstance with which Holy Writ introduces this great Scene, it is Poetically described by our Author, who has also kept religiously to the form of Words, in which the three several Sentences were paffed upon Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. He has rather chofen to neglect the numerousness of his Verse, than to deviate from those Speeches which are recorded on this great occafion. The Guilt and Confufion of our first Parents standing naked before their Judge, is touch'd with great Beauty. Upon the Arrival of Sin and Death into the Works of the Creation, the Almighty is again introduced as speaking to his Angels that furrounded him.

See with what heat thefe Dogs of Hell advance
To wafle and havock yonder world, which I
So fair and good created, &c.

The following Paffage is formed upon that glorious Image in Holy Writ which compares the Voice of an innumerable Hoft of Angels, uttering Hallelujahs, to the Voice of mighty Thunderings, or of many Waters.

He ended, and the Heav'nly Audience loud
Sung Hallelujah, as the found of Seas,
Through multitude that fung: Juft are thy ways,
Righteous are thy Decrees in all thy Works,
Who can extenuate thee-

Though the Author in the whole courfe of his Poem, and particularly in the Book we are now examining, has infinite Allufions to places of Scripture, I have only taken notice in my Remarks of fuch as are of a Poetical Nature, and which are woven with great Beauty into the Body of his [this] Fable. Of this kind is that Paffage in the present Book, where defcribing Sin [and Death] as marching through the Works of Nature, he adds,

-Behind her Death

Clofe following pace for pace, not mounted yet
On his pale horfe :-

Which alludes to that Paffage in Scripture so wonderfully Poetical, and terrifying to the Imagination. And I looked, and behold, a pale Horfe, and his Name that fat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him: and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with fword, and with hunger, and with ficknefs, and with the beafts of the earth. Under this firft head of Celestial Perfons we must likewife take notice of the Command which the Angels received, to produce [the] feveral Changes in Nature, and fully the Beauty of the Creation. Accordingly they are represented as infecting the Stars and Planets with malignant Influences, weakning the Light of the Sun, bringing down the Winter into the milder Regions of Nature, planting Winds and Storms in feveral Quarters of the Sky, ftoring the Clouds with Thunder, and in short, perverting the whole frame of the Universe to the condition of its Criminal inhabitants. As this is a noble Incident in the Poem, the following Lines, in which we see the Angels heaving up the Earth, and

« PoprzedniaDalej »