Which would but lead me to a worse relapfe,
And heavier fall: fo fhould I purchase dear]
Short intermiffion bought with double fmart.
This knows my punisher: therefore as far
From granting "he, as I from begging peace:
All hope excluded thus, behold inftead
Of us outcaft, exil'd, his new delight,
Mankind created, and for him this world.
So farewel hope, and with hope farewel fear,!
Farewel remorfe all good to me is loft:/
Evil be thou my good: by thee at leaft
Divided empire with Heav'n's King I ́hold,—
By thee, and more than half perhaps will reign;
As man ere long, and this new world, fhall know!

"

As we have now given a fufficient number of examples to the scholar of that grandeur and fublimity of expreffion which in the reading requires a fuitable grandeur of utterance, we fhall lay before him fuch parts of Milton as captivate us by their eafe and affecting fimplicity of diction, and which demand a mode of delivery eafy and unaffected, but still will occafionally admit the introduction of that dignity, fo obviously the characteristic of Epic poetry, and peculiarly fo in that of the Poet of whom we are speaking.-The bewitching tenderness which breathes through the following, ought to be read with a glow and foftness of delivery, to do it justice.

His wonder was to find unwaken'd Eve

With treffes difcompos'd, and glowing cheek,

As

As through unquiet reft: he on his fide
Leaning half-rais'd, with looks of cordial love-
Hung over her enamour'd, and beheld
Beauty, which, whether waking or asleep,
Shot forth peculiar graces: then with voice

Paufe after "then," in the laft line; pronounce the word particularly foft.

Mild, as when Zephyrus on Flora breathes,

Her hand foft touching, whisper'd thus: "Awake,

Raife your voice from the word "awake," during the whole of what Adam fays. Let there be a kind of heartfelt tenderness in your utterance.

"My faireft, my efpous'd, my lateft found,
"Heav'n's last best gift, my ever new delight,
"Awake; the morning fhines, and the fresh field
"Calls us; we lose the prime, to mark how fpring
"Our tender plants, how blows the citron grove,
"What drops the myrtle, and what the balmy reed,
"How Nature paints her colours, how the bee
"Sits on the bloom, extracting liquid fweet.".

Now in a lower tone. What little is here given of Eve's fpeech must be read in a manner expreffive of fear and uneafiness.

Such whifp'ring wak'd her, but with startled eye
On Adam, whom embracing, thus fhe spake:
"O fole, in whom my thoughts find all repofe,

"My

"My glory, my perfection, glad I fee
"Thy face, and morn return'd—

The following speech of Eve to Adam requires the fame glow and tenderness of expression.

"With thee converfing, I forget all time;

"All seasons and their change, all please alike:
"Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing sweet
"With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the fun
"When first on this delightful land he spreads
"His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r,
"Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth
"After foft fhow'rs; and fweet the coming on
"Of grateful evening mild: then filent night
"With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
"And these the gems of heaven, her starry train:
"But neither breath of morn, when the afcends
"With charm of earliest birds; nor rifing fun
"On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flow'r,
"Glist'ring with dew; nor fragrance after show'rs;
"Nor grateful evening mild; nor filent night
"With this her folemn bird; nor walk by moon,
"Or glittering star light, without thee is sweet."

Adam's account of the manner he found himself upon his creation is fimply beautiful. Let your mode of reading it be entirely unreftrained.

"As new wak'd from foundest sleep,
"Soft on the flow'ry herb I found me laid

"In balmy fweat, which his beams the fun
"Soon dried, and on the reaking moisture fed.
"Strait towards heav'n my wond'ring eyes I

"turn'd,

"And gaz'd awhile the ample sky, till rais'd
"By quick inftinctive motion, up I fprung,
"As thitherward endeavouring, and upright
"Stood on my feet: about me round I saw

"Hill, dale, and fhady woods, and funny plains,
"And liquid lapfe of murmuring ftreams; by these
"Creatures that liv'd, and mov'd, and walk'd, or

❝ flew,

"Birds on the branches warbling; all things fmil'd: "With fragrance and with joy my heart o'erflow'd. "Thou Sun," faid I, "fair light,

"And thou enlighten'd earth, so fresh and gay, "Ye hills and dales, ye rivers, woods, and plains, "And ye that live and move, fair creatures, tell, "Tell, if ye faw, how came I thus, how here?"

Eve's address to Adam, on his turning from her, after upbraiding her for being the cause of all their misfortunes, is a most affecting appeal to the heart, and muft be read in an exquifitely pathetic manner.

He added not, and from her turn'd; but Eve
Not fo repuls'd, with tears that ceas'd not flowing,
And treffes all diforder'd, at his feet

Fell humble, and embracing them, befought
His peace, and thus proceeded in her plaint:

Here comes the pathetic part.

"Forfake me not thus, Adam! Witnefs, Heav'n,
"What love fincere and reverence in my
heart
"I bear thee, and unweeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd! Thy fuppliant

66

"I beg, and clafp thy knees; bereave me not
" (Whereon I live!) thy gentle looks, thy aid,
"Thy counfel in this uttermoft diftrefs,

"My only ftrength and ftay!

Forlorn of thee, "Whither fhall I betake me, where fubfift?

"While yet we live (scarce one short hour perhaps) "Between us two let there be peace.

The lamentation of Eve, on finding they were both to be turned out of Paradife, ought to be read with an almost equal affecting tone of voice as the former. →

"Muft I thus leave thee, Paradife; thus leave
"Thee, native foil, thefe happy walks and fhades,
"Fit haunt of Gods? where I had hope to spend
Quiet, tho' fad, the refpite of that day
"That must be mortal to us both. O flow'rs,
"That never will in other climate
grow,

"My early vifitation, and my laft
"Atev'n, which I bred up with tender hand
"From the first opening bud, and gave ye names
"Who now fhall rear ye to the fun, or rank.
"Your tribes, and water from th' ambrofial fount?
"Thee, laftly, nuptial bow'r, by me adorn'd
"With what to fight or finell was fweet; from thee

"How