The SPECTATOR.

Di, quibus imperium eft animarum, umbræque filentes,
Et Chaos, & Phlegethon, loca nocte filentia late;
Sit mihi fas audita loqui: fit numine veftro
Pandere res alta terra & caligine merfas.

Ye Realms, yet unreveal'd to human Sight,
Ye Gods who rule the Regions of the Night,
Ye gliding Ghoftis, permit me to relate
The myftic Wonders of your filent State.

Saturday, February 23. 1712.

Virg.

Dryden.}

Have before observed in general, that the Perfons whom Milton introduces into his Poem always discover such Sentiments and Behaviour, as are in a peculiar manner conformable to their respective Characters. Every Circumstance in their Speeches and Actions, is with great juftnefs and delicacy adapted to the Persons who speak and act. As the Poet very much excels in this Confiftency of his Characters, I fhall beg leave to consider several Paffages of the Second Book in this Light. That fuperior Greatness and Mock-Majefty, which is afcribed to the Prince of the fallen Angels, is admirably preserved in the beginning of this Book. His opening and closing the Debate; his taking on himself that great Enterprize at the Thought of which the whole Infernal Assembly trembled; his encountring the hideous Phantom who guarded the Gates of Hell, and appeared to him in all his Terrors, are Inftances of that proud and daring Mind which 'could not brook Submiffion even to Omnipotence.

Satan was now at hand, and from his Seat
The Monfler moving onward came as faft

With horrid frides, Hell trembled as he firode,
Th' undaunted Fiend what this might be admir'd,
Admir'd, not fear'd-

The fame Boldness and Intrepidity of Behaviour dif covers it felf in the feveral Adventures which he meets with during his Paffage through the Regions of unform'd Matter, and particularly in his Address to those tremendous Powers who are described as prefiding over it.

The Part of Moloch is likewife in all its Circumstances full of that Fire and Fury, which distinguish this Spirit from the rest of the fallen Angels. He

is described in the firft Book as befmear'd with the Blood of Human Sacrifices, and delighted with the Tears of Parents, and the Cries of Children. In the second Book he is marked out as the fierceft Spirit that fought in Heaven; and if we consider the Figure which he makes in the Sixth Book, where the Battel of the Angels is described, we find it every way answerable to the fame furious enraged Character.

Where the might of Gabriel fought,

And with fierce Enfigns pierc'd the deep array
Of Moloc, furious King, who him defy'd,
And at his chariot wheels to drag him bound
Threaten'd, nor from the Holy one of Heav'n
Refrain'd his tongue blafphemous; but anon
Down cloven to the wafte, with shatter'd arms
And uncouth pain fled bellowing:

It may be worth while to obferve, that Milton has represented this violent impetuous Spirit, who is hurried on by fuch precipitate Paffions, as the first that rifes in the Affembly, to give his Opinion upon their prefent Pofture of Affairs. Accordingly he declares himself abruptly for War, and appears incenfed at his Companions, for losing so much time as even to deliberate upon it. All his Sentiments are Rash, Audacious and Defperate. Such is that of arming themselves with their Tortures, and turning their Punishments upon him who inflicted them.

-No, let us rather chufe,

Arm'd with Hell flames and fury, all at once
O'er Heavens high tow'rs to force refifllefs way,
Turning our tortures into horrid arms
Again the Torturer; when to meet the Noife
Of his almighty Engine he fhall hear
Infernal Thunder, and for Lightning fee
Black fire and horror fhot with equal rage
Among his Angels; and his throne it felf
Mixt with Tartarean Sulphur, and ftrange fire,
His own invented Torments-

His preferring Annihilation to Shame or Mifery, is also highly suitable to his Character, as the Comfort he draws from their disturbing the Peace of Heaven, namely, that if it be not Victory it is Revenge, is a Sentiment truly Diabolical, and becoming the Bitterness of this implacable Spirit.

Belial is described, in the First Book, as the Idol of the Lewd and Luxurious. He is in the Second Book, pursuant to that Description, characterized as timorous and flothful; and if we look into the Sixth Book, we find him celebrated in the Battel of Angels for nothing but that Scoffing Speech which he makes to Satan, on their fuppofed Advantage over the Enemy. As his Appearance is uniform, and of a Piece, in these three feveral Views, we find his Sentiments in the Infernal Affembly every way conformable to his Character. Such are his Apprehenfions of a second Battel, his Horrors of Annihilation, his preferring to be miferable rather than not to be. I need not observe, that the Contrast of Thought in this Speech, and that which precedes it, gives an agreeable Variety to the Debate.

Mammon's Character is so fully drawn in the First Book, that the Poet adds nothing to it in the Second. We were before told, that he was the first who taught Mankind to ranfack the Earth for Gold and Silver, and that he was the Architect of Pandemonium, or the Infernal Palace, where the Evil Spirits were to

meet in Council. His Speech in this Book is every way [where] fuitable to fo depraved a Character. How proper is that Reflection, of their being unable to taste the Happiness of Heaven were they actually there, in the Mouth of one, who while he was in Heaven, is faid to have had his Mind dazled with the outward Pomps and Glories of the Place, and to have been more intent on the Riches of the Pavement, than on the Beatifick Vision. I fhall also leave the Reader to judge how agreeable the following Sentiments are to the fame Character.

-This deep world

Of Darknefs do we dread? How oft amidst
Thick cloud and dark doth Heav'ns all-ruling Sire
Chufe to refide, his Glory unobfcured,

And with the Majesty of darkness round

Covers his Throne; from whence deep thunders roar
Muflring their rage, and Heav'n refembles Hell?
As he our darkness, cannot we his light
Imitate when we pleafe? This defart Soil
Wants not her hidden luftre, Gems and Gold;
Nor want we Skill or Art, from whence to raise
Magnificence; and what can Heav'n fhew more?

Beelzebub, who is reckon'd the fecond in Dignity that fell, and is in the First Book, the second that awakens out of the Trance, and confers with Satan upon the situation of their Affairs, maintains his Rank in the Book now before us. There is a wonderful Majesty described in his rifing up to speak. He acts as a kind of Moderator between the two opposite Parties, and proposes a third Undertaking, which the whole Affembly gives into. The Motion he makes of detaching one of their Body in search of a new World is grounded upon a Project devised by Satan, and curforily proposed by him in the following Lines of the first Book.

Space may produce new Worlds, whereof fo rife
There went a fame in Heav'n, that he e'er long

Intended to create, and therein plant
A generation, whom his choice regard
Should favour equal to the Sons of Heaven:
Thither, if but to pry, fhall be perhaps
Our firft eruption, thither or elsewhere:
For this infernal Pit fhall never hold
Celestial Spirits in bondage, nor th' Abyfs
Long under Darkness cover. But thefe thoughts
Full Counfel must mature :-

It is on this Project that Beëlzebub grounds his Pro

pofal.

What if we find

Some eafier enterprize? There is a place
(If ancient and prophetic fame in Heav'n
Err not) another World, the happy Seat
Of fome new Race call'd MAN, about this time
To be created like to us, though lefs

In power and excellence, but favoured more
Of him who rules above; fo was his Will
Pronounc'd among the Gods, and by an oath,
That hook Heav'ns whole circumference, confirm'd.

The Reader may observe how juft it was, not to omit in the First Book the Project upon which the whole Poem turns: As also that the Prince of the fall'n Angels was the only proper Perfon to give it Birth, and that the next to him in Dignity was the fitteft to fecond and support it.

There is befides, I think, fomething wonderfully beautiful, and very apt to affect the Reader's Imagination, in this ancient Prophecy or Report in Heaven, concerning the Creation of Man. Nothing could shew more the Dignity of the Species, than this Tradition which ran of them before their Existence. They are represented to have been the Talk of Heaven, before they were created. Virgil, in compliment to the Roman Common-Wealth, makes the Heroes of it appear in their State of Pre-existence; But Milton does a far greater Honour to Mankind in general, as he gives us a Glimpse of them even before they are in Being.