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LOW THOUGHTS ARE TO BE AVOIDED.

29

Epigrammatick Turns of Lucan, none of those fwelling Sentiments which are fo frequent[ly] in Statius and Claudian, none of those mixed Embellishments of Taffo. Everything is just and natural. His Sentiments shew that he had a perfect Insight into Human Nature, and that he knew every thing which was the most proper to affect it. I remember but one Line in hiin which has been objected againft, by the Criticks, as a point of Wit. It is in his ninth Book, where Fung speaking of the Trojans, how they furvived the Ruins of their City, expreffes her self in the following Words;

Num capti potuere capi, num incenfa cremarunt Pergama ?

Were the Trojans taken even after they were Captives, or did Troy burn even when it was in Flames?

Mr. Dryden has in fome Places, which I may hereafter take notice of, mifreprefented Virgil's way of thinking as to this Particular, in the Translation he has given us of the Æneid. I do not remember that Homer any where falls into the Faults above mentioned, which were indeed the falfe Refinements of later Ages. Milton, it must be confeft, has sometimes erred in this Respect, as I fhall fhew more at large in another Paper; tho' confidering how all the Poets of the Age in which he writ, were infected with this wrong way of thinking, he is rather to be admired that he did not give more into it, than that he did sometimes comply with that [the] vicious Tafte which prevails fo much among Modern Writers.

But fince feveral Thoughts may be natural which are low and groveling, an Epic Poet should not only avoid fuch Sentiments as are unnatural or affected, but alfo fuch as are low and vulgar. Homer has opened a great Field of Raillery to Men of more Delicacy than Greatness of Genius, by the Homeliness of fome of his Sentiments. But, as I have before said, these * From 'I remember' to Flames?' omitted in second edition.

30 SENTIMENTS EXCITING LAUGHTER SHOULD BE EXCLUDED. are rather to be imputed to the Simplicity of the Age in which he lived, to which I may alfo add, of that which he defcribed, than to any Imperfection in that Divine Poet. Zoilus, among the Ancients, and Monfieur Perrault, among the Moderns, pufhed their Ridicule very far upon him, on account of fome fuch Sentiments. There is no Blemish to be observed in Virgil under this Head, and but very few in Milton.

I shall give but one Inftance of this Impropriety of Sentiments in Homer, and at the fame time compare it with an Instance of the fame nature, both in Virgil and Milton. Sentiments which raise Laughter, can very seldom be admitted with any decency into an Heroic Poem, whose Business it* is to excite Paffions of a much nobler Nature. Homer, however, in his Characters of Vulcan and Therfites, in his Story of Mars and Venus, in his Behaviour of Irus, and in other Paffages, has been observed to have lapsed into the Burlefque Character, and to have departed from that ferious Air which feems effential to the Magnificence of an Epic Poem. I remember but one Laugh in the whole Eneid, which rifes in the Fifth Book upon Monates, where he is reprefented as thrown overboard, and drying himself upon a Rock. But this Piece of Mirth is fo well timed, that the fevereft Critick can have nothing to say against it, for it is in the Book of Games and Diversions, where the Reader's Mind may be supposed to be fufficiently relaxed for such an Entertainment. The only Piece of Pleasantry in Paradife Loft, is where the Evil Spirits are described as rallying the Angels upon the Success of their new invented Artillery. This Paffage I look upon to be the fillieft [moft exceptionable] in the whole Poem, as being nothing else but a string of Purns, and those too very indifferent ones.

-Satan beheld their Pight,

And to his Mates thus in derifion call'd.

O Friends, why come not on theje Victors proud!

THE ONLY PIECE OF PLEASANTRY IN 'PARADISE LOST.' 31
Eer while they fierce were coming, and when we,
To entertain them fair with open Front,

And Breaft, (what could we more) propounded terms
Of Compofition, ftraight they chang'd their Minds,
Flew off, and into ftrange Vagaries fell,

As they would dance, yet for a Dance they feem'd
Somewhat extravagant, and wild, perhaps
For Joy of offer'd Peace; but I fuppofe
If our Propofals once again were heard,
We should compel them to a quick Result.

To whom thus Belial in like gamefome mood.
Leader, the Terms we fent, were Terms of weight,
Of hard Contents, and full of force urg'd home,
Such as we might perceive amus'd them all,
And ftumbled many; who receives them right,
Had need, from Head to Foot, well understand;
Not understood, this Gift they have befides,
They fhew us when our Foes walk not upright.
Thus they among themfelves in pleafant vein
Stood fcoffing-

[graphic]

The SPECTATOR.

Ne quicunque Deus, quicunque adhibebitur heros,
Regali confpectus in auro nuper & oftro,
Migret in Obfcuras humili fermone tabernas:
Aut dum vitat humum, nubes & inania captet.

Hor.

{But then they did not wrong themfelves fo much, To make a God, a Hero, or a King

(Stript of his golden Crown, and purple Robe)
Defcend to a Mechanick Dialect;

Nor (to avoid fuch Meannefs) foaring high,
With empty Sound, and airy Notions, fly.

Rofcommon.}

Saturday, January 26. 1712.

AVING already treated of the Fable, the Characters, and Sentiments in the Paradife Loft, we are in the last place to confider the Language; and as the learned World is very much divided upon Milton as to this Point, I hope they will excufe me if I appear particular in any of my Opinions, and encline to thofe who judge the most advantagiously of the Author.

It is requifite that the Language of an Heroic Poem should be both Perfpicuous and Sublime. In proportion as either of these two Qualities are wanting, the Language is imperfect. Perfpicuity is the first and most neceffary Qualification; infomuch, that a good-natured Reader fometimes overlooks a little Slip even in the Grammar or Syntax, where it is impoffible for him to mistake the Poet's Senfe. Of this kind is that Paffage in Milton, wherein he speaks of Satan.

THE LANGUAGE SHOULD BE PERSPICUOUS AND SUBLIME. 33

God and his Son except,

Created thing nought valu'd he nor fhunn'd.

And that in which he defcribes Adam and Eve.

Adam the goodliest Man of Men fince born
His Sons, the fairest of her Daughters Eve.

It is plain, that in the former of these Paffages, according to the natural Syntax, the Divine Perfons mentioned in the first Line are represented as created Beings; and that in the other, Adam and Eve are confounded with their Sons and Daughters. Such little Blemishes as these, when the Thought is great and natural, we should, with Horace, impute to a pardonable Inadvertency, or to the Weakness of Human Nature, which cannot attend to each minute Particular, and give the last finishing to every Circumstance in fo long a Work. The Ancient Criticks therefore, who were acted by a Spirit of Candour, rather than that of Cavilling, invented certain figures of Speech, on purpose to palliate little Errors of this nature in the Writings of those Authors, who had so many greater Beauties to atone for them.

If Clearness and Perfpicuity were only to be confulted, the Poet would have nothing else to do but to cloath his Thoughts in the most plain and natural Expreffions. But, fince it often happens, that the most obvious Phrases, and those which are used in ordinary Conversation, become too familiar to the Ear, and O contract a kind of Meannefs by paffing through the Mouths of the Vulgar, a Poet fhould take particular nt care to guard himself against Idiomatick ways of hspeaking Ovid and Lucan have many Poorneffes of Expreffion upon this account, as taking up with the the first Phrases that offered, without putting themselves to the trouble of looking after fuch as would not only ishave been natural, but also elevated and fublime. Milton has but few Failings in this kind, of which,

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