T But I fhall have occafion to take notice of this Subject hereafter. IV. The fourth thing to be enquir'd into is, The mixing of fingular and plural Numbers, in which Milton excels. Flowers were the Couch "Panfies, and Violets, and Afphodel, Again, -Through many a dark and dreary Vale "They pafs'd, and many a Region dolorous, "O'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp, "Rocks, Caves, Lakes, Fens, Bogs, Dens, and "Shades of Death. Again, "Sporting the Lion ramp'd, and in his Paw "Dandled the Kid; Bears, Tigers, Ounces, Pards, "Gambol'd before them.. "Of Hill and Valley, Rivers, Woods and Plains, "Now Land, now Sea, and Shores with Foreft crown'd "Rocks, Dens and Caves. Again, "The glittering Guard he pafs'd, and now is come "Into the blissful Field, thro' Groves of Myrrh, "And flow'ry Odours, Caffia, Nard, and Balm. V. As to the fifth Remark upon Virgil, which relates to his using the Particles Que and Et in his Verfe, there can be nothing of that nature in Milton. So that I proceed to VI. The fixth thing to be obferved, which is, The Collocatio Verborum. Milton often places the Adjective after the Subftantive, which very much raises the Stile. "Strait he commands that at the warlike Sound "Of Trumpets loud, and Clarions, be uprear'd "His mighty Standard. That proud Honour claim'd "Azazel, as his Right; a Cherub tall. Again, "Thy Goodness beyond Thought and Pow'r Divine. And again, "Then from the Mountain hewing Timber tall. But the utmost of his Art in this respect confifts in his removing the Adjective, the Substantive, and even the Verb, from the Line or Verfe in which the Sense is previously contained, and the grammatical Conftruction Conftruction inverted, to the Beginning of the next Line. This has a wonderful Effect; efpecially when the Word is a Monofyllable. "Here finifh'd he, and all that he had made "View'd-and behold all was entirely good. Again, "Over their Heads triumphant Death his Dart "Shook-But refus'd to ftrike. This artful Collocation commands the Attention, and makes the Reader feel and fee what is offer'd to him. That this Effect is owing to the Collocation will appear by confidering any one of the Inftances now produc'd. For Example: "Over their Heads triumphant Death his Dart "Shook. This Paffage makes the Reader fee Death with his Dart in his Hand, fhaking it over the Heads of the unhappy Creatures describ'd in the Lazar-boufe, as plainly as if the whole was painted upon Canvas. But let this Line be alter'd thus: "Over their Heads Death fhook his dreadful Dart. How much of the Fire and Spirit of this Paffage is loft, will be easily perceiv'd. I was long of Opinion that Milton had invented this Art himself, for I knew he had it not from Virgil: The Latin Language is hardly capable of it. But by Accident I found Milton learn'd it from Homer, though it is plain what is Art in the former was 3 Chance Chance in the latter; which cannot be difputed when it is confidered that in fo many thousand Lines that we have of Homer's, there is I believe but one fingle Inftance of this Monofyllable Collocation; but in Milton there are many, both Substantives, AdjeЄtives and Verbs. The fingle Inftance in Homer is in Odyffe 9. in the Story of Polyphemus. σε Συν ἢ δύο μάρψας, ὥς τε σκύλακας ποτὶ γαίη "" Kon?'. Hom. Odyff. &c. "Two of my hapless Friends with all his Pow'r, "Like Dogs, the Monster on the rocky Floor "DASH'D. Can any body be infenfible of the Power of this Word, Daf'd, as it is here plac'd. I remember an Inftance of this Monofyllable Collocation at the Beginning of a Line in rhym'd Verfe, which is very well worth inferting here. It is at the Conclufion of Mr. Pit's 4th Æneid, when Juno fends Iris from Heaven in hafte to relieve Dido from the Agonies of Death. "Tum Juno Omnipotens, longum miferata dolorem, "Difficilefque obitus, Irim Demifit Olympo 66 Que luctantem animam, nexofque refolveret artus. "Then mighty Juno with a melting Eye, Fly, and enlarge her agonizing Soul. How is the Verse animated by the placing that Monofyllable, Fly, at the Beginning of the laft Line. The Reader fees all the Concern of Juno, and all the Hurry fhe is in to get the unhappy Queen released from the Pangs of Death. Milton Milton likewise uses his Monofyllables very artfully in placing them at the Conclufion of a Line, fo as to divide the last Foot of the Verfe, which has a very extraordinary Effect. "Silence, ye troubled Waves, and thou, Deep, Peace. Again he divides the laft Foot by making a Monofyllable the Beginning of a new Sentence, which is very pleasing. Up ftood the Corny Reed "Imbattled in his Plain, the humble Furz "And Bush with frifled Hair implicit. Laft "Rofe as in Dance the ftately Trees. Milton alfo fometimes places two Monofyllables at the End of the Line, ftopping at the 4th Foot, to adapt the Measure of the Verfe to the Sense; and then begins the next Line in the fame manner, which has a wonderful Effect. "Now at their fhady Lodge arriv'd, both stopt, This artful Manner of writing makes the Reader fee them Stop and Turn to worship God before they went into their Bower. If this Manner was alter'd, much of the Effect of the Painting would be loft. "And now arriving at their fhady Lodge This falls very fhort of the Original. So in Latin. Famq; |