and reprefented him as alighting upon the Earth, the Poet concludes his Description with a Circumstance, which is altogether new, and imagined with the greateft Strength of Fancy.

-Like Maia's Son he flood,

And hook his plumes, that Heav'nly fragrance fill'd The Circuit wide

Raphael's Reception by the Guardian Angels; his paffing through the Wilderness of Sweets; his distant Appearance to Adam, have all the Graces that Poetry is capable of bestowing. The Author afterwards gives us a particular Description of Eve in her Domestick Employments.

So faying, with difpatchful looks in hafle
She turns, on hofpitable thoughts intent,
What choice to chufe for delicacy beft,
What order, fo contriv'd as not to mix
Taftes, not well joyn'd, inelegant, but bring
Tajle after Tafle, upheld with kindlief change;
Beftirs her then &C.

Though in this, and other Parts of the fame Book, the Subject is only the Housewifry of our First Parent, it is fet off with fo many pleafing Images and ftrong Expreffions, as make it none of the least agreeable Parts in this Divine Work.

The natural Majesty of Adam, and at the fame time his fubmiffive Behaviour to the Superiour Being, who had vouchsafed to be his Gueft; the folemn Hail which the Angel bestows on the Mother of Mankind, with the Figure of Eve miniftring at the Table, are Circumstances which deferve to be admir'd.

Raphael's Behaviour is every way suitable to the dignity of his Nature, and to that Character of a sociable Spirit, with which the Author has fo judiciously introduced him. He had received Instructions to converse with Adam, as one Friend converfes with another, and to warn him of the Enemy, who was contriving his Deftruction: Accordingly he is repre

fented as fitting down at Table with Adam, and eating of the Fruits of Paradife. The Occafion naturally leads him to his Difcourfe on the Food of Angels. After having thus entered into Conversation with Man upon more indifferent Subjects, he warns him of his Obedience, and makes a natural Transition to the History of that fallen Angel, who was employed in the Circumvention of our First Parents.

Had I followed Monfieur Boffu's Method in my First Paper on Milton, I should have dated the Action of Paradife Loft from the Beginning of Raphael's Speech in this Book, as he supposes the Action of the Eneid to begin in the second Book of that Poem. I could alledge many Reasons for my drawing the Action of the Æneid, rather from its immediate Beginning in the first Book, than from its remote Beginning in the Second, and fhew why I have considered the Sacking of Troy as an Epifode, according to the common Acceptation of that Word. But as this would be a dry un-entertaining Piece of Criticism, and perhaps unneceffary to those who have read my First Paper, I fhall not enlarge upon it. Which-ever of the Notions be true, the Unity of Milton's Action is preferved according to either of them; whether we confider the Fall of Man in its immediate Beginning, as proceeding from the Refolutions taken in the Infernal Council, or in its more remote Beginning, as proceeding from the First Revolt of the Angels in Heaven. The Occafion which Milton affigns for this Revolt, as it is founded on Hints in Holy Writ, and on the Opinion of some great Writers, so it was the most proper that the Poet could have made use of.

The Revolt in Heaven is described with great Force of Imagination [Indignation], and a fine Variety of Circumstances. The Learned Reader cannot but be pleased with the Poet's Imitation of Homer in the last of the following Lines.

At length into the limits of the North

They came, and Satan took his Royal Seat

High on a hill, far blazing, as a mount

Rais'd on a Mount, with Pyramids and tow'rs
From Diamond quarries hewn, and rocks of Gold
The palace of great Lucifer (fo call

That ftructure in the Dialect of men
Interpreted)-

Homer mentions Persons and Things, which he tells us in the Language of the Gods are call'd by different Names from those they go by in the Language of Men. Milton has imitated him with his ufual Judgment in this particular place, wherein he has likewise the Authority of Scripture to justify him. The part of Abdiel, who was the only Spirit that in this Infinite Hoft of Angels preserved his Allegiance to his Maker, exhibits to us a noble Moral of religious Singularity. The Zeal of the Seraphim breaks forth in a becoming Warmth of Sentiments and Expreffions, as the Character which is given us of him denotes that generous Scorn and Intrepidity which attends Heroic Virtue. The Author, doubtlefs, defigned it as a Pattern to those who live among Mankind in their present State of Degeneracy and Corruption.

So fpake the Seraph Abdiel faithful found,
Among the faithlefs, faithful only he;
Among innumerable falfe, unmov'd,

Unfhaken, unfeduc'd, unterrify'd;

His Loyalty he kept, his Love, his Zeal:
Nor Number, nor example with him wrought
To fwerve from truth, or change his conftant mind
Though Single. From amidst them forth he pafs'd,
Long way through hoftile Scorn, which he fuftain'd
Superior, nor of violence fear'd ought;

And with retorted Scorn his back he turn'd

On thofe proud Tow'rs to fwift Deftruction doom'd.

The SPECTATOR.

-vocat in Certamina Divos. {He calls embattled Deities to Arms.}

Saturday, March 22, 1712.

Virg.

E are now entering upon the Sixth Book of Paradife Loft, in which the Poet describes the Battel of Angels; having raised his Reader's Expectation, and prepared him for it by feveral Paffages in the preceding Books. I omitted quoting these Paffages in my Obfervations on the former Books, having purposely reserved them for the opening of this, the Subject of which gave occafion to them. The Author's Imagination was fo inflamed with this great Scene of Action, that wher-ever he speaks of it, he rises, if poffible, above himself. Thus where he mentions Satan in the beginning of his Poem.

-Him the Almighty Power

Hurl'd headlong flaming from th' Ethereal Skie,
With hideous ruin and combuftion down

To bottomlefs perdition, there to dwell

In Adamantine Chains and penal fire,

Who durft defie th' Omnipotent to Arms.

We have likewise several noble Hints of it in the Infernal Conference.

O Prince, O Chief of many throned Fowers
That led th' imbattel'd Seraphim to War,
Too well I jee and rue the dire event,
That with fad overthrow and foul defeat
Hath loft us Heav'n, and all this mighty hoft

In horrible deftruction laid thus low.
But fee the angry victor hath recall'd
His Minifters of Vengeance and purfuit

Back to the Gates of Heav'n: The Sulphurous hail,
Shot after us in Storm, o'erblown hath laid
The fiery Surge, that from the precipice

Of Heav'n receiv'd us falling, and the thunder Wing'd with red lightning and impetuous rage, Perhaps hath spent his Shafts, and ceafes now To bellow through the vast and boundlefs deep. There are several other very Sublime Images on the fame Subject in the First Book, as also in the Second. What when we fled amain, purfu'd and firook With Heav'ns afflicting Thunder, and befought The deep to fhelter us; this Hell then feem'd A refuge from thofe wounds

In short, the Poet never mentions any thing of this Battel but in fuch Images of Greatness and Terrour, as are suitable to the Subject. Among feveral others, I cannot forbear quoting that Passage where the Power, who is defcrib'd as prefiding over the Chaos, speaks in the Third Book.

Thus Satan; and him thus the Anarch old
With faultring fpeech and vifage incompos'd,
Anfwer'd, I know thee, stranger, who thou art,
That mighty leading Angel, who of late

Made head against Heav'ns King, though overthrown.
I faw and heard, for fuch a numerous hoft
Fled not in Silence through the frighted deep

With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout,

Confufion worfe confounded; and Heav'ns Gates
Pour'd out by Millions her victorious bands
Purfuing-

It required great Pregnancy of Invention, and Strength of Imagination, to fill this Battel with fuch Circumstances as fhould raise and astonish the Mind of the Reader; and, at the fame time, an exactness