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The most taking Tragedies among the Ancients were built on this last fort of Implex Fable, particularly the Tragedy of OEdipus, which proceeds upon a Story, if we may believe Ariftotle, the most proper for Tragedy that could be invented by the Wit of Man. I have taken fome pains in a former Paper to fhew, that this kind of Implex Fable, wherein the Event is unhappy, is more apt to affect an Audience than that of the first kind; notwithstanding many excellent Pieces among the Ancients, as well as most of those which have been written of late Years in our own Country, are raised upon contrary Plans. I must however own, that I think this kind of Fable, which is the most perfect in Tragedy, is not fo proper for an Heroic Poem.

"Milton feems to have been fenfible of this Imperfection in his Fable, and has therefore endeavoured to cure it by several Expedients; particularly by the Mortification which the great Adversary of Mankind meets with upon his return to the Affembly of Infernal Spirits, as it is described in that [a] beautiful Paffage of the tenth Book; and likewise by the Vision, wherein Adam at the clofe of the Poem fees his Off-spring triumphing over his great Enemy, and himself restored to a happier Paradife than that from which he fell.†

There is another Objection against Milton's Fable, which is indeed almost the fame with the former, tho' placed in a different Light, namely, That the Hero in the Paradife Loft is unfuccefsful, and by no means a Match for his Enemies. This gave occafion to Mr. Dryden's Reflection, that the Devil was in reality Milton's Hero. I think I have obviated this Objection in my firft Paper. The Paradife Loft is an Epic, [or a] Narrative Poem, he that looks for an Hero in it, searches for that which Milton never intended; but if he will needs fix the Name of an Hero upon any Person in it, 'tis certainly the Meffiah who

+ See p. 147.

SUCCESSFUL, AND IT HAS TOO MANY DIGRESSIONS.

45

is the Hero, both in the Principal Action, and in the [chief] Epifode[s]. Paganifm could not furnish out a real Action for a Fable greater than that of the Iliad or Æneid, and therefore an Heathen could not form a higher Notion of a Poem than one of that kind, which they call an Heroic. Whether Milton's is not of a greater [fublimer] Nature I will not presume to determine, it is fufficient that I fhew there is in the Paradife Loft all the Greatnefs of Plan, Regularity of Design, and masterly Beauties which we discover in Homer and Virgil.

I must in the next Place obferve, that Milton has interwoven in the Texture of his Fable fome Particulars which do not seem to have Probability enough for an Epic Poem, particularly in the Actions which he afcribes to Sin and Death, and the Picture which he draws of the Lymbo of Vanity, with other Paffages in the second Book. Such Allegories rather favour of the Spirit of Spencer and Ariofto, than of Homer and Virgil.

3.

In the Structure of his Poem he has likewife ad- 4. mitted of too many Digreffions. It is finely observed by Ariftotle, that the Author of an Heroic Poem fhould feldom speak himself, but throw as much of his Work as he can into the Mouths of those who are his Principal Actors. Ariftotle has given no Reason for this Precept; but I prefume it is because the Mind of the Reader is more awed and elevated when he hears Æneas or Achilles speak, than when Virgil or Homer talk in their own Perfons. Besides that affuming the Character of an eminent Man is apt to fire the Imagination, and raise the Ideas of the Author. Tully tells us, mentioning his Dialogue of Old Age, in which Cato is the chief Speaker, that upon a Review of it he was agreeably imposed upon, and fancied that it was Cato, and not he himself, who utter'd his Thoughts on that Subject.

If the Reader would be at the pains to see how the Story of the Iliad and the Æneid is delivered by those

46 DEFECTS. THE SENTIMENTS: PUNS, TOO FREQUENT ALPersons who act in it, he will be surprized to find how little in either of these Poems proceeds from the Authors. Milton has, in the general difpofition of his Fable, very finely observed this great Rule; infomuch, that there is scarce a third part of it which comes from the Poet; the rest is spoken either by Adam and Eve, or by fome Good or Evil Spirit who is engaged either in their Destruction or Defence.

From what has been here observed it appears, that Digreffions are by no means to be allowed of in an Epic Poem. If the Poet, even in the ordinary course of his Narration, should speak as little as poffible, he should certainly never let his Narration fleep for the fake of any Reflections of his own. I have often observed, with a fecret Admiration, that the longest Reflection in the Æneid is in that Paffage of the Tenth Book, where Turnus is represent[ed] as dreffing himself in the Spoils of Pallas, whom he had flain. Virgil here lets his Fable ftand ftill for the fake of the following Remark. How is the Mind of Man ignorant of Futurity, and unable to bear profperous Fortune with Moderation? The time will come when Turnus hall wish that he had left the Body of Pallas untouched, and curfe the Day on which he dreffed himfelf in thefe Spoils. As the great Event of the Eneid, and the Death of Turnus, whom Æneas flew because he saw him adorned with the Spoils of Pallas, turns upon this Incident, Virgil went out of his way to make this Reflection upon it, without which fo fmall a Circumstance might poffibly have flipped out of his Reader's Memory. Lucan, who was an Injudicious Poet, lets drop his Story very frequently for the fake of [his] unneceffary Digreffions or his Diverticula, as Scaliger calls them. If he gives us an Account of the Prodigies which preceded the Civil War, he declaims upon the Occafion, and fhews how much happier it would be for Man, if he did not feel his Evil Fortune before it comes to pass, and suffer not only by its real Weight, but by the Apprehension of it. Milton's Complaint

LUSION TO HEATHEN FABLES, OSTENTATION OF LEARNING. 47 of his Blindness, his Panegyrick on Marriage, his Reflections on Adam and Eve's going naked, of the Angels eating, and feveral other Paffages in his Poem, are liable to the fame Exception, tho' I must confefs there is fo great a Beauty in these very Digreffions, that I would not wish thern out of his Poem.

I have, in a former Paper, spoken of the Characters of Milton's Paradife Loft, and declared my Opinion, as to the Allegorical Persons who are introduced in it.

If we look into the Sentiments, I think they are fometimes defective under the following Heads; First, as there are some [several] of them too much pointed, and fome that degenerate even into Punns. Of this last kind I am afraid is that in the First Book, where, speaking of the Pigmies, he calls them.

Warr'd on by Cranes

-The fmall Infantry

Another Blemish that appears in fome of his Thoughts, is his frequent Allufion to Heathen Fables, which are not certainly of a Piece with the Divine Subject, of which he treats. I do not find fault with these Allusions, where the Poet himself represents them as fabulous, as he does in fome Places, but where he mentions them as Truths and Matters of Fact. The Limits of my Paper will not give me leave to be particular in Inftances of this kind: The Reader will easily remark them in his Perufal of the Poem.

A Third Fault in his Sentiments, is an unnecessary Oftentation of Learning, which likewise occurs very frequently. It is certain that both Homer and Virgil were Masters of all the Learning of their Times, but it shews it self in their Works after an indirect and concealed manner. Milton feems ambitious of letting us know, by his Excurfions on Free-will and Predeftination, and his many Glances upon History, Astronomy, Geography and the like, as well as by the Terms and Phrafes he fometimes makes use of, that he was acquainted with the whole Circle of Arts and Sciences.

If, in the last place, we confider the Language of this great Poet, we must allow what I have hinted in a former Paper, that it is [often] too much laboured, and fometimes obfcured by old Words, Tranfpofitions, and Foreign Idioms. Seneca's Objection to the Stile of a great Author, Riget ejus oratio, nihil in eâ placidum, nihil lene, is what many Criticks make to Milton : as I cannot wholly refute it, fo I have already apologized for it in another Paper; to which I may further add, that Milton's Sentiments and Ideas were so wonderfully Sublime, that it would have been impoffible for him to have represented them in their full Strength and Beauty, without having recourse to these Foreign Affiftances. Our Language funk under him, and was unequal to that greatnefs of Soul, which furnished him with fuch glorious Conceptions.

A fecond Fault in his Language is, that he often affects a kind of Jingle in his Words, as in the following Paffages, and many others:

And brought into the World a World of woe.
Begirt th' Almighty Throne

Befeeching or befieging

This tempted our attempt

At one Slight bound high overleapt all bound.

I know there are Figures of this kind of Speech, that fome of the greatest Ancients have been guilty of it, and that Aristotle himself has given it a place in his Rhetorick among the Beauties of that Art. But as it is in itsfelf poor and trifling, it is I think at prefent univerfally exploded by all the Mafters of polite Writing.

The laft Fault which I fhall take notice of in Milton's Stile, is the frequent use of what the Learned call Technical Words, or Terms of Art. It is one of the great Beauties of Poetry, to make hard things intelligible, and to deliver what is abftruse of it self in fuch eafy Language as may be understood by ordinary Readers: Befides that the Knowledge of a Poet should rather seem born with him, or inspired, than

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