THE SPECTATOR.

Segniùs irritant animos demiffa per aures
Quam quæ funt oculis fubjecta fidelibus-

Hor.

{What we hear moves less than what we fee.

Rofcommon.}

Saturday, May, 3. 1712.

M

ILTON, after having represented in Vision the History of Mankind to the First great Period of Nature, dispatches the remaining Part of it in Narration. He has devised a very handfome Reason for the Angel's proceeding with Adam after this manner; tho' doubtless, the true Reason was the difficulty which the Poet would have found to have shadowed out fo mixt and complicated a Story in visible Objects. I could wish, however, that the Author had done it, whatever Pains it might have cost him. To give my Opinion freely, I think that the exhibiting Part of the Hiftory of Mankind in Vision, and part in Narrative, is as if an History Painter fhould put in Colours one half of his Subject, and write down the remaining part of it. If Milton's Poem flags any where, it is in this Narration, where in fome places the Author has been so attentive to his Divinity, that he has neglected his Poetry. The Narration, however, rifes very happily on feveral Occafions, where the Subject is capable of Poetical Ornaments, as particularly in the Confufion which he describes among the Builders of Babel, and in his fhort Sketch of the Plagues of Egypt. The Storm of Hail and Fire, with the Darkness that overspread the Land for three Days, are described with great Strength. The beautiful Paffage, which follows, is raised upon noble Hints in Scripture.

K

Thus with ten wounds

The River-Dragon tam'd at length fubmits
To let his Sojourners depart, and oft
Humbles his flubborn heart, but fill as Ice
More harden'd after thaw, till in his rage
Purfuing whom he late difmifs'd, the Sea
Swallows him with his hoft, but them lets pafs
As on dry land between two Chryftal walls,
Aw'd by the rod of Mofes fo to stand

Divided

The River-Dragon is an Allufion to the Crocodile, which inhabits the Nile, from whence Egypt derives her Plenty. This Allusion is taken from that Sublime Paffage in Ezekiel. Thus faith the Lord God, behold, I am against thee Pharaoh King of Egypt, the great Dragon that lieth in the midst of his Rivers, which hath faid, My River is mine own, and I have made it for my felf. Milton has given us another very noble and Poetical Image in the fame Description, which is copied almoft Word for Word out of the Hiftory of Mofes. All night he will purfue, but his approach Darknefs defends between till morning watch; Then through the fiery pillar and the cloud God looking forth, will trouble all his hoast, And craze their Chariot Wheels: when by command Mofes once more his potent Rod extends Over the Sea; the Sea his Rod obeys;

On their Embatelled ranks the waves return
And overwhelm their War :-

As the Principal Design of this Epifode was to give Adam an Idea of the Holy Perfon, who was to reinstate Human Nature in that Happiness and Perfection from which it had fallen, the Poet confines himself to the Line of Abraham, from whence the Meffiah was to Defcend. The Angel is described as feeing the Patriarch actually travelling towards the Land of Promife, which gives a particular Liveliness to this part of the Narration. I fee him, but thou canst not, with what faith

He leaves his Gods, his Friends, and [his] native Soil Ur of Chaldæa, paffing now the Ford

To Haran, after him a cumbrous train

Of Herds and flocks, and numerous fervitude;
Not wand'ring poor, but trusting all his wealth
With God, who call'd him, in a Land unknown.
Canaan he now attains; I fee his tents
Pitch't about Sechem, and the neighbouring plain
Of Moreh, there by promife he receives
Gift to his Progeny of all that Land;

From Hamath Northward to the Defart South;
(Things by their names I call, though yet unnam'd.)

As Virgil's Vifion in the Sixth Æneid probably gave Milton the Hint of this whole Episode, the last Line is a Tranflation of that Verse, where Anchifes mentions the Names of Places, which they were to bear hereafter.

Hæc tum nomina erunt, nunc funt fine nomine terræ.

The Poethas very finely reprefented the Joy and Gladness of Heart, which rifes in Adam upon his Discovery of the Meffiah. As he fees his Day at a distance through Types and Shadows, he rejoices in it; but when he finds the Redemption of Man compleated, and Paradife again renewed, he breaks forth in Rapture and Transport,

O goodness infinite, goodnefs immenfe!
That all this good of evil fhall produce. &c.

I have hinted, in my Sixth Paper on Milton, that an Heroic Poem, according to the Opinion of the best Criticks, ought to end happily, and leave the Mind of the Reader, after having conducted it through many Doubts and Fears, Sorrows and Difquietudes, in a ftate of Tranquillity and Satisfaction. Milton's Fable, which had fo many other Qualifications to recommend it, was deficient in this Particular. It is here therefore, that the Poet has fhewn a moft exquifite Judgment, as well as the finest Invention, by finding out a Method to fupply this Natural Defect in his Subject. Accordingly he leaves the Adverfary of Mankind, in

the last View which he gives us of him, under the lowest State of Mortification and Disappointment. We see him chewing Ashes, grovelling in the Duft, and loaden with Supernumerary Pains and Torments. On the contrary, our two firft Parents are comforted by Dreams and Visions, cheared with Promises of Salvation, and, in a manner, raised to a greater Happiness than that which they had forfeited: In fhort, Satan is represented miferable in the height of his Triumphs, and Adam triumphant in the height of Mifery.

Milton's Poem ends very nobly. The laft Speeches of Adam and the Arch-angel are full of Moral and Inftructive Sentiments. The Sleep that fell upon Eve, and the effects it had in quieting the Disorders of her Mind, produces the fame kind of Confolation in the Reader, who cannot peruse the last beautiful Speech which is afcrib'd to the Mother of Mankind, without a fecret Pleasure and Satisfaction.

Whence thou return'ft, and whither went ft, I know;
For God is alfo in Sleep, and dreams advife,
Which he hath fent propitious, fome great good
Prefaging, fince with Sorrow and Hearts diftrefs
Wearied I fell asleep: but now lead on;
In me is no delay: with thee to go
Is to flay here; without thee here to flay
Is to go hence unwilling; thou to me
Art all things under Heav'n, all places thou
Who for my wilful crime art banish'd hence.
This further Confolation yet fecure
I carry hence; though all by me is loft
Such favour, I unworthy, am vouchfaf'd,
By me the promif'd Seed fhall all reflore.

The following Lines which conclude the Poem rife in a moft glorious blaze of Poetical Images and Expreffions. Heliodorus in his Ethiopicks acquaints us that the Motion of the Gods differs from that of Mortals, as the former do not stir their Feet, nor proceed Step by Step, but flide o'er the Surface of the Earth by an

uniform Swimming of the whole Body. The Reader may observe with how Poetical a Description Milton has attributed the fame kind of Motion to the Angels who were to take Poffeffion of Paradije.

So fpake our Mother Eve, and Adam heard
Well pleas'd, but anfwer'd not; for now too nigh
Th' Arch-angel flood, and from the other hill
To their fix'd ftation, all in bright array
The Cherubim defcended; on the ground
Gliding meteorous, as ev'ning mist

Ris'n from a River, o'er the marish glides,
And gathers ground fast at the lab'rers heel
Homeward returning. High in Front advanc'd,
The brandish'd Sword of God before them blaz'd
Fierce as a Comet-

The Author helped his Invention in the following Paffage, by reflecting on the Behaviour of the Angel, who, in Holy Writ, has the Conduct of Lot and his Family. The Circumstances drawn from that Relation are very gracefully made ufe of on this Occafion.

In either hand the haftning Angel caught
Our ling'ring Parents, and to the Eastern gate
Led them direct; and down the Cliff as faft
To the fubjected plain; then disappear'd.
They looking back &c.

The Prospect [Scene] which our first Parents are furprised with upon their looking back on Paradife, wonderfully ftrikes the Reader's Imagination, as nothing can be more natural than the Tears they shed on that Occasion. They looking back, all th' Eastern fide beheld Of Paradife, fo late their happy Seat, Wav'd over by that flaming brand, the gate With dreadful faces throng'd and fiery Arms: Some natural tears they dropp'd, but wiped them foon; The world was all before them, where to chufe Their place of reft, and providence their Guide:

If I might prefume to offer at the smallest Alteration