THE most taking Tragedies among the Antients were built on this laft Sort of Implex Fable, particularly the Tragedy of OEdipus, which proceeds upon a Story, if we may believe Aristotle, the most proper for Tragedy that could be invented by the Wit of Man. I have taken fome Pains in a former Paper to fhew, that this Kind of Implex Fable, wherein the Event is unhappy, is more apt to affect an Audience than that of the first Kind; notwithstanding many excellent Pieces among the Antients, as well as moft of those which have been written of late Years in our own Country, are raised upon contrary Plans. I must however own, that I think this Kind of Fable, which is the most perfect in Tragedy, is not fo proper for an Heroic Poem. MILTON feems to have been fenfible of this Imperfection in his Fable, and has therefore endeavoured to cure it by feveral Expedients; particularly by the Mortification which the great Adverfary of Mankind meets with upon his Return to the Affembly of Infernal Spirits, as it is defcribed in a beautiful Paffage of the tenth Book; and likewife by the Vifion wherein Adam at the Clofe of the Poem fees his Offspring triumphing over his great Enemy, and himfelf restored to a happier Paradife than that from which he fell. THERE is another Objection against Milton's Fable, which is indeed almoft the fame with the former, though placed in a different Light, namely, That the Hero in the Paradife Loft is unfuccefsful, and by no Means a Match for his Enemies. This gave Occafion to Mr. Dryden's Reflexion, that the Devil was in reality Milton's Hero. I think I have obviated this Objection in my first Paper. The Paradife Loft is an Epic or a Narrative Poem, and he that looks for an Hero in it, fearches for that which Milton never intended; but if he will needs fix the Name of an Hero upon any Perfon in it, 'tis certainly the Meffiah who is the Hero, both in the Principal Action, C 4 and and in the chief Epifodes. Paganifm could not furnish out a real Action for a Fable greater than that of the Iliad or Æneid, and therefore an Heathen could not form a higher Notion of a Poem than one of that Kind which they call an Heroic. Whether Milton's is not of a fublimer Nature I will not prefume to determine: It is fufficient, that I fhew there is in the Paradife Loft all the Greatness of Plan, Regularity of Defign, and mafterly Beauties which we discover in Homer and Virgil. I must in the next Place observe, that Milton has interwoven in the Texture of his Fable fome Particulars which do not feem to have Probability enough for an Epic Poem, particularly in the Actions which he afcribes to Sin and Death, and the Picture which he draws of the Limbo of Vanity, with other Paffages in the fecond Book. Such Allegories rather favour of the Spirit of Stenfer and Ariefto, than of Homer and Virgil. IN the Structure of his Poem he has likewife admitted too many Digreffions. It is finely obferved by Ariftotle, that the Author of an Heroic Poem fhould feldom speak himself, but throw as much of his Work as he can into the Mouths of those who are his principal Actors. Ariftotle has given no Reason for this Precept; but I prefume it is because the Mind of the Reader is more awed and elevated when he hears Eneas or Achilles fpeak, than when Virgil or Homer talk in their own Persons. Befides that affuming the Character of an eminent Man is apt to fire the Imagination," and raise the Ideas of the Author. Tully tells us, mentioning his Dialogue of Old-age, in which Cato is the chief Speaker, that upon a Review of it he was agreeably impofed upon, and fancied that it was Cato, and not he himself, who uttered his Thoughts on that Subject. IF the Reader would be at the Pains to fee how the Story of the Iliad and Eneid is delivered by thofe Perfons who act in it, he will be furprised to find how little in either of these Poems proceeds from the the Authors. Milton has, in the general Difpofition of his Fable, very finely obferved this great Rule; infomuch that there is fcarce a third Part of it which comes from the Poet; the reft is spoken either by Adam and Eve, or by fome Good or Evil Spirit who is engaged either in their Deftruction or Defence. FROM what has been here obferved, it appears, that Digreffions are by no means to be allowed of in an Epic Poem. If the Poet, even in the ordinary Courie of his Narration, should speak as little as poffible, he fhould certainly never let his Narration fleep for the fake of any Reflexions of his own. I have often obferved, with a fecret Admiration, that the longest Reflexion in the Eneid is in that Paffage of the Tenth Book, where Turnus is represented as dreffing himself in the Spoils of Pallas, whom he had flain. Virgil here lets his Fable ftand ftill for the fake of the following Remark. How is the Mind of Man ignorant of Futurity, and unable to bear profperous Fortune with Moderation? The Time will come when Turnus ball wifh that he had left the Body of Pallas untouched, and curfe the Day on which he deffed himself in thefe Spoils. As the great Event of the Eneid, and the Death of Turnus, whom Æneas flew, because he faw him adorned with the Spoils of Pallas, turns upon this Incident, Virgil went out of his Way to make this Reflexion upon it, without which fo fmall a Circumftance might poffibly have flipped out of his Reader's Memory. Lucan, who was an Injudicious Poet, lets drop his Story very frequently for the fake of his unneceffary Digreffions, or his Diverticula, as Scaliger calls them. If he gives us an Account of the Prodigies which preceded the Civil War, he declaims upon the Occafion, and fhews how much happier it would be for Man, if he did not feel his evil Fortune before it comes to pafs, and fuffer not only by its real Weight, but by the Apprehenfion of it. Milton's Complaint for his Blindness, his Panegyric on Marriage, his Reflexions on Adam and Eve's going naked, of the Angels eat ing, and feveral other Paffages in his Poem, are liable to the fame Exception, though I must confefs there is fo great a Beauty in these very Digreffions that I would not wish them out of his Poem. I have, in a former Paper, spoken of the Characters of Milton's Paradife Loft, and declared my Opinion, as to the Allegorical Perfons who are introduced in it. If we look unto the Sentiments, I think they are fometimes defective under the following Heads; First, as there are feveral of them too much pointed, and fome that degenerate even into Puns. Of this last Kind, I am afraid, is that in the First Book, where, fpeaking of the Pigmies, he calls them Warr'd on by Cranes -The fmall Infantry ANOTHER Blemish that appears in fome of his Thoughts, is his frequent Allufion to Heathen Fa. bles, which are not certainly of a Piece with the Divine Subject, of which he treats. I do not find fault with thefe Allufions, where the Poet himself represents them as fabulous, as he does in fome Places, but where he mentions them as Truths and Matters of Fact. The Limits of my Paper will not give me leave to be particular in Inftances of this Kind: The Reader will eafily remark them in his Perufal of the Poem. A Third Fault in his Sentiments, is an unnecessary Oftentation of Learning, which likewife occurs very frequently. It is certain, that both Homer and Virgil were Maiters of all the Learning in their Times, but it fhews itself in their Works after an indirect and concealed Manner. Milton feems ambitious of letting us know, by his Excurfions on Free-will and Predeftination, and his many Glances upon Hiftory, Astronomy, Geography and the like, as well as by the Terms and Phrafes he fometimes makes use of, that he he was acquainted with the whole Circle of Arts and Science IF, in the last Place, we confider the Language of this great Poet, we muft allow what I have hinted in a former Paper, that it is often too much laboured, and fometimes obfcured by old Words, Tranfpofitions, and Foreign Idioms. Sene a's Objection to the Stile of a great Author, Riget ejus oratio, nihil in ea placidum, nihil lene, is what many Critics make to Milton: As I cannot wholly refute it, fo I have already apologized for it in another Paper; to which I may further add, that Milton's Sentiments and Ideas were fo wonderfully fublime, that it would have been impoffible for him to have represented them in their full Strength and Beauty, without having Recourfe to thefe Foreign Affiftances. Our Language funk under him, and was unequal to that Greatnefs of Soul, which furnished him with fuch glorious Conceptions. A fecond Fault in his Language is, that he often affects a kind of Jingle in his Words, as in the following Paffages, and many others. And brought into the World a World of Woe. Befeeching or befieging This tempted our Attempt At one flight Bound high overleapt all Bound. I know there are Figures of this Kind of Speech, that fome of the greatest Ancients have been guilty of it, and that Ariftotle himself has given it a Place in his Rhetoric among the Beauties of that Art. But as it is in itfelf poor and trifling, it is, I think, at prefent univerfally exploded by all the Mafters of polite Writing. THE laft Fault which I fhall take notice of in Milton's Stile, is the frequent Ufe of what the Learned call Technical Words, or Terms of Art. It is one of the greatest Beauties of Poetry, to make hard Things in C 6 telligible, |