Mind fuitable to one who had forfeited both his Innocence and his Happiness; he is filled with Horror, Remorfe, Defpair: In the Anguish of his Heart he expoftulates with his Creator, for having given him an unafked Existence.

Did 1 request thee, Maker, from my Clay
To mould me Man? Did I folicit thee
From Darkness to promote me? or here place
In this delicious Garden? As my Will
Concurr'd not to my Being, 'twere but right
And equal to reduce me to my Duft,
Defirous to refign and render back

All I receiv'd

HE immediately after recovers from his Prefumption, owns his Doom to be juft, and begs that the Death which is threatned him may be inflicted on him.

-Why delays

His Hand to execute what his Decree

Fix'd on this Day? Why do I overlive?

Why am I mock'd with Death, and lengthen'd out
To deathless Pain? How gladly would I meet
Mortality my Sentence, and be Earth
Infenfible! How glad would lay me down
As in my Mother's Lap? there should I reft,
And fleep fecure; his dreadful Voice no more
Would thunder in my Ears; no Fear of worfe
To me and to my Offspring, would torment me
With cruel Expectation.

THIS whole Speech is full of the like Emotion, and varied with all thofe Sentiments which we may fuppofe natural to a Mind fo broken and disturbed. I must not omit that generous Concern which our firft Father fhews in it for his Pofterity, and which is so proper to affect the Reader.

Hide me from the Face

Of God, whom to behold was then my Height
Of Happiness! Yet well, if here would end
The Mifery, I deferv'd it, and would bear
My own Defervings; but this will not ferve;
All that I eat or drink, or fhall beget,
Is propagated Curfe. O Voice once heard
Delightfully, Increase and Multiply;
Now Death to hear!.

In me all

Pofterity ftands curft! Fair Patrimony,
That I must leave you, Sons! O were I able
To wafte it all myself, and leave you none !
So difinherited, how would you blefs

Me now your Curfe! Ah, why should all Mankind
For one Man's Fault thus guiltless be condemn'd,
If guiltless? But from me what can proceed
But all corrupt-

WHO can afterwards behold the Father of Mankind extended upon the Earth, uttering his midnight Complaints, bewailing his Existence, and wishing for Death, without fympathizing with him in his Diftrefs?

Thus Adam to himself lamented loud

Thro' the fill Night; not now (as ere Man fell)
Wholfome, and cool, and mild, but with black Air
Accompanied, with Damps and dreadful Gloom;
Which to his evil Confcience reprefented

All things with double Terror. On the Ground
Outftretch'd he lay; on the cold Ground! and oft
Curs'd his Creation; Death as oft accus'd
Of tardy Execution

THE

THE Part of Eve in this Book is no lefs paffionate, and apt to fway the Reader in her Favour. She is reprefented with great Tendernèfs as approaching Adam, but is fpurned from him with a Spirit of Upbraiding and Indignation, conformable to the Nature of Man, whofe Paffions had now gained the Dominion over him. The following Paffage, wherein fhe is described as renewing her Addreffes to him, with the whole Speech that follows it, have fomething in them exquifitely moving and pathetic.

He added not, and from her turn'd: But Eve
Not fo repuls'd, with Tears that ceas'd not flowing,
And Treffes all disorder'd, at his Feet
Fell humble; and embracing them, befought
His Peace, and thus proceeded in her Plaint:
Forfake me not thus, Adam! Witness Heav'n
What Love fincere and Rev'rence in my Heart
I bear thee, and unweeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd! Thy Suppliant
I beg, and clafp thy Knees; bereave me not
(Whereon I live!) thy gentle Looks, thy Aid,
Thy Counsel in this uttermoft Diftrefs,

My only Strength and Stay!

Whither fhall I betake me,

Forlorn of thee,

where fubfift?

While yet we live (fcarce one fhort Hour perhaps)
Between us two let there be Peace, &c.

AD A M's Reconcilement to her is worked up in the fame Spirit of Tenderness. Eve afterwards proposes to her Husband, in the Blindness of her Defpair, that to prevent their Guilt from defcending upon Pofterity, they Thould refolve to live childlefs; or, if that could not be done, they fhould feek their own Deaths by violent Methods. As thofe Sentiments naturally engage the Reader to regard the Mother of Mankind with more than ordinary Commiferation, they likewife contain a very fine

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Moral.

Moral.

The Refolution of dying to end our Miseries, does not fhew fuch a Degree of Magnanimity, as a Refolution to bear them, and submit to the Difpenfations of Providence. Our Author has therefore, with great Delicacy, reprefented Eve as entertaining this Thought, and Adam as difapproving it.

WE are, in the laft Place, to confider the imaginary Perfons, or Death and Sin, who act a large Part in this Book. Such beautiful extended Allegories are certainly fome of the finest Compofitions of Genius; but, as I have before obferved, are not agreeable to the Nature of an Heroic Poem. This of Sin and Death is very exquifite in its Kind, if not confidered as a Part of fuch a Work. The Truths contained in it are fo clear and open, that I fhall not lofe Time in explaining them; but shall only obferve, that a Reader who knows the Strength of the English Tongue, will be amazed to think how the Poet could find fuch apt Words and Phrases to defcribe the Actions of thofe two imaginary Persons, and particularly in that Part where Death is exhibited as forming a Bridge over the Chaos; a Work fuitable to the Genius of Milton.

SINCE the Subject I am upon gives me an Opportunity of speaking more at large of fuch Shadowy and Imaginary Perfons as may be introduced into Heroic Poems, I fhall beg leave to explain myself in a Matter which is curious in its Kind, and which none of the Criticks have treated of. It is certain Homer and Virgil are full of imaginary Perfons, who are very beautiful in Poetry when they are juft fhewn without being engaged in any Series of Action. Homer indeed reprefents Sleep as a Perfon, and afcribes a fhort Part to him in his Iliad; but we must confider, that tho' we now regard fuch a Person as intirely fhadowy and unsubstantial, the Heathens made Statues of him, placed him in their Temples, and looked upon him as a real Deity. When Homer makes ufe of other fuch Allegorical Perfons, it is only in fhort Expreffions, which convey an ordinary Thought to the Mind in the most pleafing Manner, and

may

may rather be looked upon as Poetical Phrases, than Allegorical Descriptions. Inftead of telling us that Men naturally fly when they are terrified, he introduces the Perfons of Flight and Fear, who, he tells us, are infeparable Companions. Inflead of faying that the Time was come when Apollo ought to have received his Recompence, he tells us that the Hours brought him his Reward. Instead of defcribing the Effects which Minerva's Egis produced in Battle, he tells us that the Brims of it were encompaffed by Terror, Rout, Difcord, Fury, Purfuit, Maffacre, and Death. In the fame Figure of fpeaking, he represents Victory as following Diomedes; Difcord as the Mother of Funerals and Mourning; Venus as dreffed by the Graces; Bellona as wearing Terror and Confternation like a Garment. I might give several other Inftances out of Homer, as well as a great many out of Virgil. Milton has likewife very he tells us, that Victory fat on the Right Hand of the Meffiah when he marched forth against the Rebel Angels; that at the rifing of the Sun the Hours unbarr'd the Gates of Light; that Difcord was the Daughter of Sin. Of the fame Nature are thofe Expreffions, where defcribing the Singing of the Nightingale, he adds, Silence was pleafed; and upon the Mefiah's bidding Peace to the Chaos, Confufion heard his Voice. I might add innumerable Inftances of our Poet's writing in this beautiful Figure. It is plain, that these I have mentioned, in which Persons of an imaginary Nature are introduced, are fuch fhort Allegories as are not defigned to be taken in the literal Senfe, but only to convey particular Circumftances to the Reader after an unusual and enter. taining Manner. But when fuch Perfons are introduced as principal Actors, and engaged in a Series of Adventures, they take too much upon them, and are by no means proper for an Heroic Poem, which ought to appear credible in its principal Parts. I cannot forbear therefore thinking, that Sin and Death are as improper Agents in a Work of this Nature, as Strength and

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Neceffity