is the Hero, both in the Principal Action, and in the [chief] Episode[s]. Paganifm could not furnish out a real Action for a Fable greater than that of the Iliad or Æneid, and therefore an Heathen could not form a higher Notion of a Poem than one of that kind, which they call an Heroic. Whether Milton's is not of a greater [fublimer] Nature I will not prefume to determine, it is fufficient that I fhew there is in the Paradife Loft all the Greatness of Plan, Regularity of Design, and masterly Beauties which we discover in Homer and Virgil.

I muft in the next Place observe, that Milton has interwoven in the Texture of his Fable fome Particulars which do not feem to have Probability enough for an Epic Poem, particularly in the Actions which he afcribes to Sin and Death, and the Picture which he draws of the Lymbo of Vanity, with other Paffages in the second Book. Such Allegories rather favour of the Spirit of Spencer and Arioflo, than of Homer and Virgil.

In the Structure of his Poem he has likewise admitted of too many Digreffions. It is finely observed by Ariftotle, that the Author of an Heroic Poem should seldom speak himself, but throw as much of his Work as he can into the Mouths of those who are his Principal Actors. Ariftotle has given no Reason for this Precept; but I prefume it is because the Mind of the Reader is more awed and elevated when he hears Æneas or Achilles speak, than when Virgil or Homer talk in their own Perfons. Besides that affuming the Character of an eminent Man is apt to fire the Imagination, and raise the Ideas of the Author. Tully tells us, mentioning his Dialogue of Old Age, in which Cato is the chief Speaker, that upon a Review of it he was agreeably impofed upon, and fancied that it was Cato, and not he himself, who utter'd his Thoughts on that Subject.

If the Reader would be at the pains to fee how the Story of the Iliad and the Æneid is delivered by those

46 DEFECTS. THE SENTIMENTS: PUNS, TOO FREQUENT ALPerfons who act in it, he will be furprized to find how little in either of these Poems proceeds from the Authors. Milton has, in the general disposition of his Fable, very finely observed this great Rule; insomuch, that there is scarce a third part of it which comes from the Poet; the reft is fpoken either by Adam and Eve, or by fome Good or Evil Spirit who is engaged either in their Destruction or Defence.

From what has been here observed it appears, that Digreffions are by no means to be allowed of in an Epic Poem. If the Poet, even in the ordinary course of his Narration, should speak as little as poffible, he should certainly never let his Narration fleep for the fake of any Reflections of his own. I have often observed, with a secret Admiration, that the longest Reflection in the Æneid is in that Paffage of the Tenth Book, where Turnus is reprefent[ed] as dreffing himself in the Spoils of Pallas, whom he had flain. Virgil here lets his Fable ftand still for the fake of the following Remark. How is the Mind of Man ignorant of Futurity, and unable to bear profperous Fortune with Moderation? The time will come when Turnus shall wish that he had left the Body of Pallas untouched, and curfe the Day on which he dreffed himself in thefe Spoils. As the great Event of the Æneid, and the Death of Turnus, whom Æneas flew because he saw him adorned with the Spoils of Pallas, turns upon this Incident, Virgil went out of his way to make this Reflection upon it, without which so small a Circumftance might poffibly have flipped out of his Reader's Memory. Lucan, who was an Injudicious Poet, lets drop his Story very frequently for the fake of [his] unneceffary Digreffions or his Diverticula, as Scaliger calls them. If he gives us an Account of the Prodigies which preceded the Civil War, he declaims upon the Occafion, and fhews how much happier it woul be for Man, if he did not feel his Evil Fortune before it comes to pass, and suffer not only by its real Weight, but by the Apprehenfion of it. Milton's Complaint

LUSION TO HEATHEN FABLES, OSTENTATION OF LEARNING. 47 of his Blindness, his Panegyrick on Marriage, his Reflections on Adam and Eve's going naked, of the Angels eating, and several other Paffages in his Poem, are liable to the fame Exception, tho' I must confefs there is fo great a Beauty in these very Digreffions, that I would not wish thern out of his Poem.

I have, in a former Paper, spoken of the Characters of Milton's Paradife Loft, and declared my Opinion, as to the Allegorical Perfons who are introduced in it.

If we look into the Sentiments, I think they are sometimes defective under the following Heads; First, as there are fome [feveral] of them too much pointed, and fome that degenerate even into Punns. Of this last kind I am afraid is that in the First Book, where, speaking of the Pigmies, he calls them.

Warr'd on by Cranes

The fmall Infantry

Another Blemish that appears in fome of his Thoughts, is his frequent Allufion to Heathen Fables, which are not certainly of a Piece with the Divine Subject, of which he treats. I do not find fault with thefe Allufions, where the Poet himself represents them as fabulous, as he does in fome Places, but where he mentions them as Truths and Matters of Fact. The Limits of my Paper will not give me leave to be particular in Inftances of this kind: The Reader will easily remark them in his Perufal of the Poem.

A Third Fault in his Sentiments, is an unneceffary Oftentation of Learning, which likewife occurs very frequently. It is certain that both Homer and Virgil were Masters of all the Learning of their Times, but it fhews it felf in their Works after an indirect and concealed manner. Milton feems ambitious of letting us know, by his Excurfions on Free-will and Predeftination, and his many Glances upon Hiftory, Aftronomy, Geography and the like, as well as by the Terms and Phrafes he fometimes makes ufe of, that he was acquainted with the whole Circle of Arts and Sciences.

If, in the last place, we confider the Language of this great Poet, we must allow what I have hinted in a former Paper, that it is [often] too much laboured, and fometimes obfcured by old Words, Tranfpofitions, and Foreign Idioms. Seneca's Objection to the Stile of a great Author, Riget ejus oratio, nihil in eâ placidum, nihil lene, is what many Criticks make to Milton: as I cannot wholly refute it, so I have already apologized for it in another Paper; to which I may further add, that Milton's Sentiments and Ideas were so wonderfully Sublime, that it would have been impoffible for him to have represented them in their full Strength and Beauty, without having recourse to these Foreign Affiftances. Our Language funk under him, and was unequal to that greatnefs of Soul, which furnished him. with fuch glorious Conceptions.

A fecond Fault in his Language is, that he often affects a kind of Jingle in his Words, as in the following Paffages, and many others:

And brought into the World a World of woe.
Begirt th Almighty Throne

Befeeching or besieging

This tempted our attempt

At one Slight bound high overleapt all bound.

I know there are Figures of this kind of Speech, that some of the greatest Ancients have been guilty of it, and that Aristotle himself has given it a place in his Rhetorick among the Beauties of that Art. But as it is in itsfelf poor and trifling, it is I think at prefent univerfally exploded by all the Masters of polite Writing.

The laft Fault which I fhall take notice of in Milton's Stile, is the frequent use of what the Learned call Technical Words, or Terms of Art. It is one of the great Beauties of Poetry, to make hard things intelligible, and to deliver what is abftruse of it self in fuch eafy Language as may be understood by ordinary Readers: Befides that the Knowledge of a Poet fhould rather feem born with him, or infpired, than

drawn from Books and Syftems. I have often wondered how Mr. Dryden could tranflate a Paffage of Virgil after the following manner.

Tack to the Larboard, and fland off to Sea,

Veer Star-board Sea and Land

Milton makes ufe of Larboard in the fame manner. When he is upon Building he mentions Doric Pillars, Pilaflers, Cornice, Freeze, Architrave. When he talks of Heavenly Bodies, you meet with Eccliptick, and Eccentric, the trepidation, Stars dropping from the Zenith, Rays culminating from the Equator. To which might be added many Inftances of the like kind in feveral other Arts and Sciences.

I fhall in my next Saturday's Paper [Papers] give an Account of the many particular Beauties in Milton, which would have been too long to infert under those general Heads I have already treated of, and with which I intend to conclude this Piece of Criticism.