Almoft

and every other Poet, far behind him. the whole of the Firft and Second Books of Paradife Loft are continued inftances of the fublime. The profpect of Hell and of the fallen Hoft, the appearance and behaviour of Satan, the confultation of the infernal chiefs, and Satan's flight through Chaos to the borders of this world, difcover the most lofty ideas that ever entered into the conception of any Poet. In the Sixth Book alfo, there is much grandeur, particularly in the appearance of the Meffiah; though fome parts of that book are cenfurable; and the witticians of the Devils upon the effect of their artillery, form an intolerable blemish. Milton's fublimity is of a different kind from that of Homer. Homer's is generally accompanied with fire and impetuo fity; Milton's poffeffes more of a calm and amazing grandeur. Homer warms and hurries us along; Milton fixes us in a flate of aftonifhment and elevation. Homer's fublimity appears mot in the defcription of actions; Milton's, in that of wonderful and ftupendous objects.

But though Milton is moft diftinguifhed for his fublimity, yet there is alfo much of the beautiful, the tender, and the pleafing, in many parts of his work. When the fcene is laid in Paradife, the imagery is always of the moft gay and finiling kind. His defcriptions fhew an uncommonly fertile

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fertile imagination; and in his fimilies, he is, for the most part, remarkably happy. They are feldom improperly introduced; feldom either low, or trite. They generally prefent to us images taken from the fublime or the beautiful clafs of objects; if they have any faults, it is their alluding too frequently to matters of learning, and to fables of antiquity. In the latter part of Paradife Loft, there must be confeffed to be a falling off. With the fall of our firft parents, Milton's genius feems to decline. Beauties, however, there are, in the concluding Books, of the tragic kind. The remorfe and contrition of the guilty pair, and their lamentations over Paradise, when they are obliged to leave it, are very moving. The lait Epifode of the Angel's fhewing Adam the fate of his pofterity, is happily imagined; but, in many places, the execution is languid.

Milton's language and verfification have high merit. His Style is full of majesty, and wonderfully adapted to his fubject. His blank verfe is harmonious and diverfified, and affords the moft complete example of the, elevation, which our language is capable of attaining by the force of numbers. It does not flow like the French verse, in tame, regular, uniform melody, which foon tires the ear; but is fometimes fmooth and

flowing,

flowing, fometimes rough; varied in its cadence, and interinixed with difcords, fo as to fuit the ftrength and freedom of Epic Compofition. Neglected and profaic lines, indeed, we fome times meet with; but, in a work fo long, and in the main fo harmonious, thefe may be forgiven.

On the whole, Paradife Loft is a Poem that abounds with beauties of every kind, and that justly entitles its Author to a degree of fame not inferior to any Poet; though it must be also admitted to have many inequalities. It is the lot of almost every high and daring genius, not to be uniform and correct. Milton is too frequently theological and metaphyfical; fometimes harfh in his language; often too technical in his words, and affectedly oftentatious of his learning. Many of his faults must be attributed to the pedantry of the age in which he lived. He difcovers a vigour, a grasp of genius equal to every thing that is great; if at fome times he falls much below himfelf, at other times he rifes above every Poet, of the antient or modern world.

TRAC

ON TRAGEDY.

RAGEDY, confidered as an exhibition of the characters and behaviour of men, in fome of the moft trying and critical fituations of life, is a noble idea of Poetry. It is a direct imitation of human manners and actions. For it does not, like the Epic Poem, exhibit characters by the narration and description of the Poet; but the Poet disappears; and the perfonages themfelves are fet before us, acting and fpeaking what is fuitable to their characters. Hence, no kind of writing is fo great a trial of the Author's profound knowledge of the human heart. No kind of writing has fo much power, when happily executed, to raise the strongest emotions. It is, or ought to be, a mirror in which we behold ourfelves, and the evils to which we are expofed; a faithful copy of the human paffions, with all their direful effects, when they are fuffered to become extravagant.

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As Tragedy is a high and distinguished species of Compofition, fo alfo, in its general strain and fpirit, it is favourable to virtue. Such power hath virtue happily over the human mind, by the wife and gracious conftitution of our nature, that as admiration cannot be raised in Epic Poetry,

te

fo neither in Tragic Poetry can our paffions be ftrongly moved, unless virtuous emotions be awakened within us. Every Poet finds, that it is impoffible to intereft us in any character, without representing that character as worthy and honourable, though it may not be perfect; and that the great fecret for raising indignation, is to paint the person who is to be the object of it in the colours of vice and depravity. He may, indeed, nay, he muft, reprefent the virtuous as fometimes unfortunate, because this is often the cafe in real life; but he will always ftudy to engage our hearts in their behalf; and though they may be described as unprofperous, yet there is no inftance of a Tragic Poet representing vice as fully triumphant, and happy, in the catastrophe of the piece. Even when bad men fucceed in their defigns, punishment is made always to attend them; and mifery of one kind or other is fhewn to be unavoidably connected with guilt. Love and admiration of virtuous characters, compaffion for the injured and the diftreffed, and indignation against the authors of their fufferings, are the fentiments most generally excited by Tragedy. And, therefore, though Dramatic Writers may fometimes, like other Writers, be guilty of improprieties, though they may fail of placing virtue precisely in the due point of light, yet no reasonable perfon can deny Tragedy to be a moral fpecies of Compofition. THE