and the Younger finds how fine it is to be a philofopher. Then defcends the Spirit in form of a fhepherd; and the brother, instead of being in hafte to afk his help, praifes his finging, and enquires his bufiness in that place. It is remarkable, that at this interview the brother is taken, with a fhort fit of rhyming. The Spirit relates that the Lady is in the power of Comus; the brother moralifes, again; and the Spirit makes a long narration, of no ufe because it is falfe, and therefore unfuitable to a good Being., In all thefe parts. the language poetical, and the fentiments are generous; but there is fomething wanting to allure attention. m 4 The The difpute between the Lady and Comus is the moft animated and affecting fcene of the drama, and wants nothing but a brifker reciprocation of objections and replies to invite attention, and detain it. The fongs are vigorous, and full of imagery; but they are harth in their diction, and not very mufical in their numbers. Throughout the whole, the figures are too bold, and the language too luxuriant for dialogue. It is a drama in the epic ftile, inelegantly fplendid, and tedioufly inftructive. The Sonnets were written in different parts of Milton's life, upon different oc cafions. They deferve not any particu lar lar criticism; for of the best it can only be faid, that they are not bad; and per haps only the eighth and the twentyfirft are truly entitled to this flender commendation. The fabrick of a fon net, however adapted to the Italian language, has never fucceeded in ours, which, having greater variety of termination, requires the rhymes to be often changed. Thofe little pieces may be difpatched without much anxiety; a greater work calls for greater care. I am now to examine Paradife Loft; a poem, which, confidered with refpect to defign, may claim the first place, and with refpect to performance the fecond among among the productions of the human mind. By the general confent of criticks, the first praise of genius is due to the writer of an epick poem, as it requires an affemblage of all the powers which are fingly fufficient for other compofitions. Poetry is the art of uniting pleafure with truth, by calling imagination to the help of reafon. Epick poetry undertakes to teach the most important truths by the moft pleafing precepts, and therefore relates fome great event in the most affecting manner. History muft fupply the writer with the ru diments of narration, which he must improve and exalt by a nobler art, animate by dramatick energy, and diver fify by retrospection and anticipation; morality muft teach him the exact bounds, and different fhades, of vice and virtue: from policy, and the practice of life, he has to learn the difcriminations of character, and the tendency of the paffions, either fingle or combined; and phyfiology muft fupply him with illuftrations and images. To put thefe materials to poetical ufe, is required an imagination capable of painting nature, and realizing fiction. Nor is he yet a poet till he has attained the whole extenfion of his language, diftinguifhed all the delicacies of phrase, and all the colours of words, and learned to adjust their different founds to all the varieties of metrical modulation. Boffu |