chew duft and bitter ashes. The proceedings of Sin and Death; God foretels the final Victory of his Son over them, and the renewing of all things; but for the prefent commands his Angels to make feveral alterations in the Heavens and Elements. Adam more and more perceiv ing his fall'n condition heavily bewailes, rejects the condolement of Eve; fhe perfifts and at length appeafes him: Then to evade the Curfe likely to fall on thir OfSpring, propofes to Adam violent wayes which he approves not, but conceiving better hope, puts her in mind of the late Promife made them, that her Seed fhould be reveng'd on the Serpent, and exhorts her with him to feek Peace of the offended Deity, by repentance and Supplication. TH Of the TENTH BOOK He Son of God presents to his Father the Prayers of our firft Parents now repenting, and intercedes for them: God accepts them, but declares that they muft no longer abide in Paradife; fends Michael with a band of Cherubim to difpoffefs them; but first to reveal to Adam future things: Michaels coming down. Adam fhews to Eve certain ominous figns; he difcerns Michaels approach, goes out to meet him: The Angel denounces thir departure. Eve's Lamentation. Adam pleads, but fubmits: The Angel leads him up to a high Hill, fets before him in vifion what shall happ'n till the Flood; thence from the Flood relates, and ; and by degrees explains, who that Seed of the Woman fhall be; his Incarnation, Death, Refurrection, and Afcention; the ftate of the Church till his fecond Coming. Adam greatly fatisfied and recomforted by thefe Relations and Promifes defcends the Hill with Michael wakens Eve, who all this while had slept, but with gentle dreams compos'd to quietness of mind and submiffion. Michael in either hand leads them out of Paradife, the fiery Sword waving behind them, and the Cherubim taking thir Stations to guard the Place. The THE VERSE. He Measure is English Heroic Verse without Rime, as that of Homer in Greek, and of Virgil in Latin; Rime being no neceffary Adjunct or true Ornament of Poem or good Verfe, in longer Works efpecially, but the Invention of a barbarous Age, to set off wretched matter and lame Meeter; grac't indeed fince by the use of fome famous modern Poets, carried away by Custom, but much to thir own vexation, hindrance, and constraint to express many things otherwise, and for the most part worse then elfe they would have exprest them. Not without cause therefore some both Italian and Spanish Poets of prime note have rejected Rime both in longer and shorter Works, as have also long fince our best English Tragedies, as a thing of it felf, to all judicious eares, triveal and of no true musical delight; which confifts only in apt Numbers,fitquantityofSyllables,and the fenfe varioufly drawn out from one Verfeinto another, not in the jingling found of like endings, a fault avoyded by the learned Ancients both in Poetry and all good Oratory. This neglect then of Rime fo little is to be taken for a defect, though it may feem fo perhaps to vulgar Readers, that it rather is to be esteem'd an example fet, the firft in English, of ancient liberty recover'd to Heroic Poem from the troublesomand modern bondage of Rimeing. ERRA EEEEEEEEET PEEEEEEE ERRAT A. LLib. Y. V. 459. for Heronaim, r. Horonaim. Ib. 1. Verf. 25. for th' Eternal, Read Eternal. Lib. 1. V. 758. for and Band r. Band and. Lib. 2. V. 881. for great r. grate. Lib. 3. V. 760. for with r. in. Lib. 5. Lib. 5. V. ས. 193. for breath r. breathe. 598. for whofeop r. whose top. Lib. 5. V. 656. for more Heaven r. more in Heaven. Lib. 6. V. 184. for blessed r. bleft. Lib. 6. V. 215. for founder r. fo under. Lib. 10. V. 575. for loft r. last. Other literal faults the Reader of himself may Correct. |