1

which Lead to the Great Catastrophe, and
the Completion of it. This Noble Fabrick
Tottering, and Falling into Ruin and Defola-
tion; That Ruin and Defolation is Painted
Inimitably; where is Seen the Happyness of
Innocence and Piety Contrafted with the Mi-
fery of Tranfgreffion, Guilt and Alienation
from the Supream Good, together with Inor-
dinate Love, Anger, Grief, Shame, Fear; and
All the Train of Natural Evils, Touch'd with
a Masterly Hand; At the End of the Tenth
Book Appears behind These Dark Mountains
the Dawn of a More Glorious Day than
That of Paradife. the Quickening of the
New Birth, the New Man which after God
is Created in Righteousness, and true Holy-
nefs. Ephef. iv. 24. and the Ranfomed of the
Lord fhall return and come to Zion with Songs,
and Everlasting Joy upon their Heads: They
Shall obtain Foy and Gladness, and Sorrow and
Sighing fall Flee away. Ifa. xxxv. 10.

Thus the Poem Rifes as it goes On, and
Ends with the Meridian Brightness of the
New Creation; New Heavens and a New
Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness. 2 Pet.

iii. 13.

Hitherto the Imagination has been Greatly Entertain'd, Now the Heart is call'd upon, Every Line is Important to Us, and cries Aloud Thou art the Man. So that what Milton fays at the Beginning of his Seventh Book, Half yet remains Unfung, is Applicable Here,

and

i

and 'tis the Better, the Nobler Half. What we have Yet Seen is but a Kind of Shadow, Typical, Prophetical of what Remains: The Rebellion of the Angels and the World's Creation is, as it were, Verify'd in the Fall of Man, and his Regeneration and Adoption. The Eternal God is thy Refuge, and Underneath are the Everlasting Arms, Deut. xxxiii. 27. Thus the remaining Books with respect to Those we have read are something as the Odysses of Homer Compar'd with the Iliad; but the New Teftament to the Old fhows a more Exact Refemblance. By the Deeds of the Law there Shall no Flesh be Juftified in his Sight; but there is -no Condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit: For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Chrift Jefus hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death. Rom. iii 20.

viii. I, 2.

Сс

Book

1 No more of Talk where

I muft no more Sing of Difcourfe where, &c. that This is the Sence appears from what follows (v. 5.) I Now muft change Thofe Notes to Tragic; to say they Sing is the Poets Stile; Sing Heav'nly Mufe I. 6. Half yet remains Unjung, VII. 21. the Ancients us'd to Sing their Verfe; and Generally to Mufick; and That not only their Lyric Poems, but all Others.

Ibid.

God or Angel Gueft

not Gueft, Sometimes God, Sometimes Angel; for, befides that there is no Comma after God, what immediately follows agrees not with That Conftruction.

Milton who Knew and Study'd the Scripture Thoroughly; and continually Profits Himfelf of its Vaft Sublimity, as well as the More Noble Treafures it contains, and to Which his Poem Owes its Greatest Luftre, has done it Here very Remarkably. the Epifode which has employ'd almost a Third Part of the Work, and is a Difcourfe betwixt the Angel Raphael and Adam, is Plainly Copy'd from the xviii Chap. of Gen. and which (by the way) has a Sublimity and Air of Anti

quity to which Homer Himfelf is Flat and Modern; Here God or Angel Gueft holds Difcourse with Abraham as Friend with Friend, Sits Indulgent, partakes Rural Repaft, permitting Him the While Difcourfe in His Turn. No more muft Now be Sung of Such a Heavenly Conversation. God himself indeed is not properly a Speaker in it, though Adam in His part of it Relates his having been Honour'd with the Divine Prefence, and a Celeftial Colloquy, VIII. 455. as Several Others, XI. 318, &c. All hitherto is evident beyond Contradiction. but why God or Angel Gueft? Read that Chapter and 'twill be seen that This Remarkable Expreffion is taken from the Ambiguity There. the Lord and the Young Men (always Understood to be Angels) are used as Words of the fame Signification, Denoting that the Divine Prefence was fo Effectually with his Meffengers, that Himself was alfo There; Such Privilege hath Omniprefence; He Went, yet Staid, as VII. 589, 588. The Same Milton Intimates in the Paffage before Us; and 'tis a Mafter-Stroke of Sublimity;

5 Venial Difcourfe

Difcourfe Afk'd Leave for, as VIII. 202, 2043 &c. 'tis permitted, VIII. 228, 247, &c.

6 Foul Diftrust

as v. 746, 805, 928.

Cc 2

11 that

II that brought into this World a World of Woe,

the Greatest Writers have given into This Sort of Paronomafia, Repeating a Word, the Sound therefore the fame, but with a Different Sence. Donatus, in his Note on That of Terence, Andr. I. 4. 13.

Inceptio eft Amentium haud Amantium fays, that the Ancients Lov'd This fort of Jingle, and gives Inftances of it; to which might be Added feveral more out of Homer, Theocrit. Virg. Cic. Hor. &c. it has oftentimes Good Effects, it Awakens the Attention, and gives a Like Pleasure to the Ear as Rhyme.

12 Sinne and her Shadow Death, and Miferie Death's Harbinger:

Sinne, and her Shadow. X. 249. Milton allo Explains what he Means when he says Misery is the Harbinger of Death, XI. 476. he calls those Diseases which lead to Death, Mifery.

13

Sad Tafk, yet Argument not Lefs but More Heroick then the Wrauth of Stern Achilles, &c.

Though Several Other Particulars are Specify'd as Parts of his prefent Subject, v. 6. &c. That of the Anger of God (v. 10.) was the Confequence of Thofe, and is his Only Subject. This Anger he fays is a more Fit Sub

ject