Facters either in Virgil or Homer, or indeed in the whole Circle of Nature. MILTON was fo fenfible of this Defect in the Subject of his Poem, and of the few Characters it would afford him, that he has brought into it two Actors of a shadowy and fictitious Nature, in the Perfons of Sin and Death, by which Means he has wrought into the Body of his Fable a very beautiful and well invented Allegory. But notwithstanding the Fineness of this Vid. Spect. Allegory may atone for it in fome Meafure; I cannot think that Persons 279. of fuch a chimerical Exiftence are proper Actors in an Epic Poem; because there is not that Measure of Probability annexed to them, which is requifite in Writings of this Kind, as I fhall fhew more at large hereafter. VIRGIL has, indeed, admitted Fame as an Actrefs in the Eneid, but the Part the acts is very fhort, and none of the most admired Circumstances in that Divine Work. We find in Mock Heroic Poems, particularly in the Difpenfary and the Lutrin, feveral allegorical Perfons of this Nature, which are very beautiful in those Compofitions, and may, perhaps, be ufed as an Argument, that the Authors of them were of Opinion, fuch Characters might have a Place in an Epic Work. For my own Part, I fhould be glad the Reader would think fo, for the fake of the Poem I am now examining, and muft further add, that if fuch empty unfubftantial Beings may be ever made use of on this Occafion, never were any more nicely imagined, and employed in more proper Actions, than those of which I am now fpeaking. ANOTHER principal Actor in this Poem is the great Enemy of Mankind. The Part of Ulyffes in Homer's Odyffey is very much admired by Ariftotle, as perplexing that Fable with very agreeable Plots and Intricacies, not only by the many Adventures in his Voyage, and the Subtilty of his Behaviour, but by B 6 the the various Concealments and Discoveries of his Perfon in feveral Parts of that Poem. But the crafty Being I have now mentioned, makes a much longer Voyage than Ulyffes, puts in Practice many more Wiles and Stratagems, and hides himself under a greater Variety of Shapes and Appearances, all of which are feverally detected, to the great Delight and Surprize of the Reader. WE may likewife obferve with how much Art the Poet has varied feveral Characters of the Perfons that Speak in his infernal Affembly. On the contrary, how has he reprefented the whole Godhead exerting itfelf towards Man in its full Benevolence under the Three-fold Diftinction of a Creator, a Redeemer, and a Comforter! NOR must we omit the Perfon of Raphael, who, amidst his Tenderness and Friendship for Man, fhews fuch a Dignity and Condefcenfion in all his Speech and Behaviour, as are fuitable to a fuperior Nature. The Angels are indeed as much diverfified in Milton, and diftinguished by their proper Parts, as the Gods are in Homer or Virgil. The Reader will find nothing afcribed to Uriel, Gabriel, Michael, or Raphael, which is not in a particular manner fuitable to their respective characters. THERE is another Circumftance in the principal Actors of the Iliad and Eneid, which gives a peculiar Beauty to thofe two Poems, and was therefore contrived with very great Judgment: I mean, the Authors having chofen for their Heroes Perfons who were fo nearly related to the People for whom they wrote. Achilles was a Greek, and Eneas the remote Founder of Rome. By this Means their Countrymen (whom they principally proposed to themselves for their Readers) were particularly attentive to all the Parts of their Story, and fympathized with their Heroes in all their AdvenA Roman could not but rejoice in the Escapes, Succeffes, and Victories of Æneas, and be grieved at any Defeats, Misfortunes, or Difappointments that be tures. fel fel him; as a Greek muft have had the fame Regard for Achilles. And it is plain, that each of those Poems have loft this great Advantage, among thofe Readers to whom their Heroes are as Strangers, or indifferent Perfons. MILTO N's Poem is admirable in this refpect, fince it is impoffible for any of its Readers, whatever Nation, Country, or People he may belong to, not to be related to the Perfons who are the principal Actors in it; but, what is ftill infinitely more to its Advantage, the principal Actors in this Poem are not only our Progenitors, but our Reprefentatives. We have an actual Interest in every Thing they do, and no less than our utmost Happiness is concerned, and lies at Stake in all their Behaviour. I fhall fubjoin as a Corollary to the foregoing Remark, an admirable Obfervation out of Ariftotle, which hath been very much mifreprefented in the Quotations of fome modern Critics. If a Man of perfect and ⚫ confummate Virtue falls into a Misfortune, it raifes our Pity, but not our Terror, because we do not fear that it may be our own Cafe, who do not resemble the fuffering Perfon. But as the great Philofopher adds, If we see a Man of Virtue, mixt with Infirmities, fall into any Misfortune, it does not only raise our Pity but our Terror; because we are afraid that the like Misfortunes may happen to ourselves, ♦ who resemble the Character of the fuffering Perfon.' I fhall only remark in this Place, that the foregoing Obfervation of Ariftotle, though it may be true in other occafions, does not hold in this; because in the prefent Cafe, though the Perfons who fall into any Miffortune are of the most perfect and confummate Virtue, it is not to be confidered as what may poffibly be, but what actually is our own Cafe; fince we are embarked with them on the fame Bottom, and must be Partakers of their Happiness or Mifery. IN this, and fome other very few Inftances, Aritotle's Rules for Epic Poetry (which he had drawn. from from his Reflexions upon Homer) cannot be fuppofed to fquare exactly with the Heroic Poems which have been made fince his Time; fince it is evident to every impartial Judge his Rules would ftill have been more perfect, could he have perused the Æneid which was made fome hundred Years after his Death. IN my next, I fhall go through other Parts of Milton's Poem; and hope that what I fhall there advance, as well as what I have already written, will not only ferve as a Comment upon Milton, but upon Ariftotle. SIGIBIBIGIBIGIBIGYONGJ606 Reddere perfonæ fcit convenientia cuique. Hor. He knows what beft befits each Character. WE E have already taken a general Survey of the Fable and Characters in Milton's Paradife Loft: The Parts which remain to be confidered, according to Ariftotle's Method, are the Sentiments and the Language. Before I enter upon the firft of thefe, I must advertise my Reader, that it is my Defign as foon* as I have finished my general Reflexions on these four feveral Heads, to give particular Inftances out of the Poem now before us of Beauties and Imperfections which may be obferved under each of them, as also or fuch other Particulars as may not properly fall under any of them. This I thought fit to premife, that the Reader may not judge too haftily of this Piece of Criticism, or look upon it as imperfect, before he has feen the whole Extent of it. THE Sentiments in an Epic Poem are the Thoughts and Behaviour which the Author afcribes to the Per fons fons whom he introduces, and are just when they are conformable to the Characters of the fevral Perfons. The Sentiments have likewife a Relation to Things as well as Perfons, and are then perfect when they are fuch as are adapted to the Subject. If in either of thefe Cafes the Poet endeavours to argue or explain, to magnify or diminish, to raise Love or Hatred, Pity or Terror, or any other Paffion, we ought to confider whether the Sentiments he makes use of are proper for those Ends. Homer is cenfured by the Critics for his Defect as to this Particular in feveral Parts of the Iliad and Odyfey, though at the fame time those who have treated this great Poet with Candour have attributed this Defect to the Times in which he lived. It was the Fault of the Age, and not of Homer, if there wants that Delicacy, in fome of his Sentiments, which now appears in the Works of Men of a much inferior Genius. Befides, if there are Blemishes in any particular Thoughts, there is an infinite Beauty in the greatest Part of them. In short, if there are many Poets who would not have fallen into the Meannefs of fome of his Sentiments, there are none who could have rifen up to the Greatness of others. Virgil has excelled all others in the Propriety of his Sentiments. Milton fhines likewife very much in this Particular: Nor muft we mifs one Confideration which adds to his Honour and Reputation. Homer and Virgil introduced Perfons whofe Characters are commonly known among Men, and fuch as are to be met with either in Hiftory, or in ordinary Converfation. Milton's Characters, most of them, lie out of Nature, and were to be formed purely by his own Invention. It fhews a greater Genius in Shakespear to have drawn his Calyban, than his Hotspur or Julius Cafar: The one was to be fupplied out of his own Imagination, whereas the other might have been formed upon Tradition, History and Obfervation. It was much easier therefore for Homer to find proper Sentiments for an Affembly of Grecian Generals, than for Milton to di verfify |