MILTON, notwithstanding the fublime Genius he was Master of, has in this Book drawn to his Affiftance all the Helps he could meet with among the ancient Poets. The Sword of Michael, which makes fo great a havock among the bad Angels, was given him, we are told, out of the Armory of God. -But the Sword of Michael from the Armory of God THIS Paffage is a Copy of that in Virgil, wherein the Poet tells us, that the Sword of Æneas, which was given him by a Deity, broke into pieces the Sword of Turnus, which came from a mortal Forge. As the Moral in this Place is divine, fo by the way we may obferve, that the bestowing on a Man who is favour'd by Heaven fuch an allegorical Weapon, is very conformable to the old Eaftern way of thinking. Not only Homer has made use of it, but we find the Jewish Hero in the Book of Maccabees, who. had fought the Battels of the chofen People with fo much Glory and Succefs, receiving in his Dream a Sword from the Hand of the Prophet Jeremiah. The following Paffage, wherein Satan is defcribed as wounded by the Sword of Michael, is in imitation of Homer. The griding Sword with difcontinuous Wound A Stream of Nectarous Humour issuing flow'd HOMER tells us in the fame manner, that upon Diomedes wounding the Gods, there flow'd from the Wound an Ichor, or pure kind of Blood, which was not bred from mortal Viands; and that tho' the Pain was exquifitely great, D 2 the the Wound foon clofed up and healed in thofe Beings who are vested with Immortality. I queftion not but Milton in his Defcription of his furious Moloch flying from the Battel, and bellowing with the Wound he had received, had his Eye on Mars in the Iliad; who, upon his being wounded, is reprefented as retiring out of the Fight, and making an outcry louder than that of a whole Army when it begins the Charge. Homer adds, that the Greeks and Trojans, who were engaged in a general Battel, were terrify'd on each fide with the bellowing of this wounded Deity. The Reader will easily obferve how Milton has kept all the Horrour of this Image, without running into the Ridicule of it. Where the Might of Gabriel fought, MILTON has likewife raised his Description in this Book with many Images taken out of the poetical Parts of Scripture. The Meffiah's Chariot, as I have before taken notice, is formed upon a Vifion of Ezekiel, who, as Grotius obferves, has very much in him of Homer's Spirit in the Poetical Parts of his Prophecy. THE following Lines in that glorious Commiffion which is given the Meffiah to extirpate the Hoft of Rebel Angels, is drawn from a fublime Paffage in the Pfalms. Go then thon Mightieft in thy Father's Might! THE Reader will easily discover many other Strokes of the fame nature. THERE THERE is no question but Milton had heated his Imagination with the Fight of the Gods in Homer, before he enter'd upon this Engagement of the Angels. Homer there gives us a Scene of Men, Heroes, and Gods, mix'd together in Battel. Mars animates the contending Armies, and lifts up his Voice in fuch a manner, that it is heard diftinctly amidst all the Shouts and Confufion of the Fight. Jupiter at the fame time thunders over their Heads; while Neptune raifes fuch a Tempeft, that the whole Field of Battel and all the Tops of the Mountains shake about them. The Poet tells us, that Plute himself, whofe Habitation was in the very Center of the Earth, was fo affrighted at the Shock, that he leapt from his Throne. Homer afterwards defcribes Vulcan as pouring down a Storm of Fire upon the River Xanthus, and Minerva as throwing a Rock at Mars; who, he tells us, cover'd feven Acres in his Fall. AS Homer has introduc'd into his Battel of the Gods every thing that is great and terrible in Nature, Milton has filled his Fight of good and bad Angels with all the like Circumstances of Horrour. The Shouts of Armies, the Rattling of Brazen Chariots, the Hurling of Rocks and Mountains, the Earthquake, the Fire, the Thunder, are all of them employ'd to lift up the Reader's Imagination, and give him a fuitable Idea of fo great an Action. With what Art has the Poet reprefented the whole Body of the Earth trembling, even before it was created. All Heaven refounded, and had Earth been then, IN how fublime and just a manner does he afterwards describe the whole Heaven fhaking under the Wheels of the Meffiah's Chariot, with that Exception to the Throne of God? Under his burning Wheels The ftedfaft Empyrean shook throughout, NOTWITHSTANDING the Meffiah appears clothed with fo much Terrour and Majefty, the Poet has D 3 Atil Aill found means to make his Readers conceive an Idea of him, beyond what he himself was able to describe. Yet half his Strength he put not forth, but checkt Not to destroy, but root them out of Heaven. IN a word, Milton's Genius, which was fo great in it felf, and fo ftrengthned by all the Helps of Learning, appears in this Book every way equal to his Subject, which was the most fublime that could enter into the Thoughts of a Poet. As he knew all the Arts of affecting the Mind, he knew it was neceffary to give it certain Refting-places, and Opportunities of recovering it felf from time to time: he has therefore with great Addrefs interfperfed feveral Speeches, Reflections, Similitudes, and the like Reliefs to diverfify his Narration, and ease the Attention of the Reader, that he might come fresh to his great Action, and by fuch a Contraft of Ideas, have a more lively tale of the nobler Parts of his Defcription. L N 324. Monday, March 24. Voluifti, in fuo Genere, unumquemque noftrum quafi quendam effe Rofcium, dixiftique non tam ea que recta effent probari, quam que prava funt faftidiis adbarefcere. Cicero de Geftu. T is very natural to take for our whole Lives a light Impreffion of a thing which at firft fell into Contempt with us for want of Confideration. The real Ufe of a certain Qualification (which the wifer Part of Mankind look upon as at beft an indifferent thing, and generally a frivolous Circumftance) fhews the ill Confequence of fuch Prepoffeffions. What I mean, is the Art, Skill, Accomplishment, or or whatever you will call it, of Dancing. I knew a Gentleman of great Abilities, who bewail'd the Want of this Part of his Education to the end of a very honourable Life. He obferv'd that there was not occafion for the common ufe of great Talents; that they are but feldom in demand; and that thefe very great Talents were often render'd ufelefs to a Man for want of fmall Attainments. A good Mein (a becoming Motion, Gefture and Afpect) is natural to fome Men; but even these would be highly more graceful in their Carriage, if what they do from the Force of Nature were confirm'd and heightned from the Force of Reason. To one who has not at all confidered it, to mention the Force of Reafon on fucha Subject, will appear fantaftical; but when you have a little attended to it, an Affembly of Men will have quite another view: and they will tell you, it is evident from plain and infallible Rules, why this Man with those beautiful Features, and well fafhion'd Perfon, is not fo agreeable as he who fits by him without any of thofe Advantages. When we read, we do it without any exerted A&t of Memory that prefents the Shape of the Letters; but Habit makes us do it mechanically, without ftaying, like Children, to recollect and join thofe Letters. A Man who has not had the Regard of his Gesture in any part of his Education, will find himself unable to act with Freedom before new Company, as a Child that is but now learning would be to read without hefitation. It is for the Advancement of the Pleasure we receive in being agreeable to each other in ordinary Life, that one would with Dancing were generally understood as conducive as it really is to a proper Deportment in Matters that appear the most remote from it. A Man of Learning and Senfe is diftinguished from others as he is fuch, tho' he never runs upon Points too difficult for the rest of the World; in like manner the reaching out of the Arm, and the most ordinary Motion, discovers whether a Man ever learnt to know what is the true Harmony and Compofure of his Limbs and Countenance. Whoever has feen Booth in the Character of Pyrrhus march to his Throne to receive Oreftes, is convinced that majestick and great Conceptions are expreffed in the very Step; but perhaps, tho' no other D 4 Man |