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 doubtlefs 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 suitable 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 Paffage, the Account given us by the late ingenious Mr. Maundrell of this Antient Piece of Worship, and probably the firft Occafion 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 see what may be 'fuppofed to be the Occafion 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 Becond edition. The earliest issue with it in that I have seen, is Notes upon the Twelve Books of 'Pa adise Lost.' London 1719. p. 43. 'the Feast of Adonis, is of a bloody Colour; which the 'Heathens looked upon as proceeding from a kind of 'Sympathy in the River for the Death of Adonis, who 'was killed by a wild Boar in the Mountains, out of 'which this Stream rifes. Something like this we saw ' actually come to pass; for the Water was ftain'd to a surprising redness; and, as we observed in Travelling, 'had discolour'd the Sea a great way into a reddish 'Hue, occasion'd doubtless by a fort of Minium, or ‘red Earth, washed into the River by the violence of 'the Rain, and not by any stain from Adonis's Blood.'} The Passage in the Catalogue, explaining the manner how Spirits transform themselves by Contraction, or Enlargement of their Dimensions, is introduced with great Judgement, to make way for feveral furprizing Accidents in the Sequel of the Poem. There follows one, at the very End of the First Book, which is what the French Critics call Marvellous, but at the same time probable by reason of the Paffage last mentioned. As foon as the Infernal Palace is finished, we are told the Multitude and Rabble of Spirits immediately shrunk themselves into a small Compass, that there might be Room for such a numberless Assembly in this capacious Hall. But it is the Poet's Refinement upon this Thought, which I moft admire, and which is indeed very noble in its felf. For he tells us, that notwithstanding the vulgar, among the fallen Spirits, contracted their Forms, those of the first Rank and Dignity still preserved their natural Dimensions. Thus incorporeal Spirits to fmallefl Forms The Character of Mammon, and the Defcription of the Pandemonium, are full of Beauties. There are several other Strokes in the First Book wonderfully poetical, and Instances of that Sublime Genius fo peculiar to the Author. Such is the Description of Azazel's Stature, and of the Infernal Standard, which he unfurls; and [as also] of that ghaftly Light, by which the Fiends appear to one another in their Place of Torments. The Seat of Defolation, void of Light, Save what the glimmering of thofe livid Flames The Shout of the whole Hoft of fallen Angels when drawn up in Battle Array : -The Univerfal Hoft up fent A Shout that tore Hells Concave, and beyond The Review, which the Leader makes of his Infernal Army: -He tiro' the armed files Darts his experienc'd eye, and foon traverfe Their number laft he fums. And now his Heart The Flash of Light, which appeared upon the draw. ing of their Swords; He fpake; and to confirm his words outflew Millions of flaming Swords, drawn from the Thighs The fudden Production of the Pandamonium ; From the arched Roof Pendent by fubtle Magick, many a Row There are also several noble Similes and Allufions in the first Book of Paradife Loft. And here I must observe, that when Milton alludes either to Things or Persons, he never quits his Simile till it rises to some very great Idea, which is often foreign to the Occasion which [that] gave Birth to it. The Resemblance does not, perhaps, last above a Line or two, but the Poet runs on with the Hint, till he has raised out of it fome glorious Image or Sentiment, proper to inflame the Mind of the Reader, and to give it that fublime kind of Entertainment, which is fuitable to the Nature of an Heroic Poem. Those, who are acquainted with Homer's and Virgil's way of Writing, cannot but be pleased with this kind of Structure in Milton's Similitudes. I am the more particular on this Head, because ignorant Readers, who have formed their Tafte upon the quaint Similes, and little Turns of Wit, which are fo much in Vogue among Modern Poets, cannot relish these Beauties which are of a much higher nature, and are therefore apt to cenfure Milton's Comparisons, in which they do not see any surprizing Points of Likeness. Monfieur Perrault was a Man of this viciated Relish, and for that very Reason has endeavoured to turn into Ridicule several of Homer's Similitudes, which he calls Comparaifons à longue queue, Long-tail'd Comparifons. I fhall conclude this Paper on the First Book of Milton with the Answer which Monfieur Boileau makes to Perrault on this Occafion; 'Comparisons, says he, in Odes and Epic Poems are not 'introduced only to illustrate and embellish the Dil'course, but to amuse and relax the Mind of the Reader, by frequently difengaging him from too 'painful an Attention to the Principal Subject, and 'by leading him into other agreeable Images. Homer, fays he, excelled in this Particular, whofe Com'parisons abound with fuch Images of Nature as are proper to relieve and diverfifie his Subjects. He continually inftructs the Reader, and makes him 'take notice, even in Objects which are every Day 'before our Eyes, of fuch Circumftances as we should 'not otherwise have obferved. To this he adds, as a 'Maxim univerfally acknowledged, that it is not necef'fary in Poetry for the Points of the Comparison to 'correfpond with one another exactly, but that a 'general Resemblance is fufficient, and that too much 'nicety in this Particular favours of the Rhetorician and Epigrammatist.' In fhort, if we look into the Conduct of Homer, Virgil and Milton, as the great Fable is the Soul of each Poem, fo to give their Works an agreeable Variety, their Episodes are fo many fhort Fables, and their Similes fo many fhort Episodes; to which you may add, if you please, that their Metaphors are fo many fhort Similes. If the Reader confiders the Comparisons in the Firft Book of Milton, of the Sun in an Eclipfe, of the Sleeping Leviathan, of the Bees fwarming about their Hive, of the Fairy Dance, in the view wherein I have here placed them, he will easily discover the great Beauties that are in each of those Paffages. |