the expreffion, the poetical parent of Milton. The quality I mean is, enthusiasm in the higheft degree, not only poetical but religious. Even the preface that Andreini prefixed to his Adamo may be thought fufficient to have acted like lightning on the inflammable ideas of the English poet, and to have kindled in his mind the blaze of celeftial imagination. I am aware, that in researches like the prefent, every conjecture may abound in illufion; the petty circumstances, by which great minds are led to the firft conception of great defigns are fo various and volatile, that nothing can be more difficult to difcover: fancy in particular is of a nature fo airy, that the traces of her step are hardly to be discerned; ideas are so fugitive, that if poets, in their life-time, were queftioned concerning the manner in which the feeds of confiderable productions firft arose in their mind, they might not always be able to answer the inquiry; can it then be poffible to fucceed in fuch an inquiry concerning a mighty genius, who has been configned more than a century to the tomb, especially when, in the records of his life, we can find no pofitive evidence on the point in queftion? However trifling the chances it may afford of fuccefs, the investigation is affuredly worthy our purfuit; for, as an accomplished critic has faid, in speaking of another poet, with his usual felicity of difcernment and expreffion "the inquiry cannot be void of entertainment "whilft Milton is our conftant theme: what26 ever may be the fortune of the chase, we are "fure it will lead us through pleasant prospects "and a fine country. It has been frequently remarked, that accident and genius generally conspire in the origin of great performances; and the accidents that give an impulse to fancy are often such as are hardly within the reach of conjecture. Had Ellwood himself not recorded the occurrence, who would have fuppofed that a few words, which fell from a fimple youth in conversation, were the real source of Paradise Regained? Yet the offsprings of imagination, in this point of view, have a ftriking analogy to the productions of nature. The noble poem just mentioned resembles a rare and valuable tree, not planted with care and forecast, but. arifing vigorously from a kernel dropt by a rambling bird on a spot of peculiar fertility. We are perfectly affured that Milton owed one of his great poems to the ingenuous question of a young quaker; and Voltaire, as we have seen, has afferted, that he was indebted for the other to the fantastic drama of an Italian ftroller. It does not appear that Voltaire had any higher authority for his affertion than his own conjecture from a flight inspection of the drama, which he haftily describes; yet, it is mere justice to this rapid entertaining writer to declare, that in his conjecture there is great probability, which the Englifh reader, I believe, will be inclined to admit in proportion as he becomes acquainted with Andreini and his Adamo; but before we examine their merit, and the degree of influence that we may suppose them to have had on the fancy of Milton, let us contemplate, in one view, all the fcattered hints which the great poet has given us concerning the grand project of his life, his defign of writing an epic poem. His first mention of this defign occurs in the following verses of his poetical compliment to Manfo : O mihi fi mea fors talem concedat amicum, O might fo true a friend to me belong, COWPER 1. Mr. Warton fays, in his comment on this paffage, it is poffible that the advice of Manfo, the friend of Taffo, might determine our poet to a defign of this kind." The conjecture of this refpectable critic may appear confirmed by the following circumftance: In the dif courfes on Epic Poetry, which are included in the profe works of Taffo, Arthur is repeatedly recommended as a proper hero for a poem. Thus we find that Italy most probably suggested to Milton his first epic idea, which he relinquifhed; nor is it lefs probable that his fecond and more arduous enterprise, which he accomplished, was fuggefted to him by his perufal of Italian authors. If he faw the Adamo of Andreini reprefented at Milan, we have reason to believe that performance did not immediately infpire him with the project of writing an epic poem on our First Parents; because we find that Arthur kept poffeffion of his fancy after his return to England. In the following verfes of his Epitaphium Damonis, composed at that period, he ftill fhows himself attached to romantic heroes, and to British ftory: Dicam, & Pandrafidos regnum vetus Inogeniæ, Of Brutus, Dardan chief, my fong fhall be, COWPER, In one of his controverfial works, published in 1641, Milton informs us what poetical ideas were then fluctuating in his mind; particularly "what king or knight before the Conqueft might "be chofen, in whom to lay the pattern of a "christian hero." This project of delineating in a hero a model of chriftian perfection, was fuggefted to the English poet, not only by the example, but by the precepts, of Taffo, as they are delivered in his critical difcourfes. The epic designs of Milton were fufpended, we know, for many years, by very different purfuits; and when he escaped from "the troubled fea of noise "and hoarfe difpute to the quiet and ftill air of "delighful ftudies," Arthur had fo far ceased to be his favorite, that he probably exclaimed, in the words of Taffo: |