Illumin, what is low raise and support; That to the height of this great argument And juftify the ways of God to Men. 25 Say first, for Heav'n hides nothing from thy view, Nor the deep tract of Hell, say first what cause informed by thofe, who had opportunities of converfing with his widow, that she was wont to fay that he did really look upon himself as infpir'd, and I think his works are not without a spirit of enthufiafm. In the beginning of his 2d book of The Reafon of Church government, fpeaking of his defign of writing a poem in the English language, he fays, "It was not to be obtained by the invocation of Dame Me"mory and her Siren daughters, "but by devout prayer to that "eternal Spirit who can enrich "with all utterance and knowledge, and fends out his Seraphim, with the hallow'd fire of "his altar, to touch and purify the lips of whom he pleafes, p. 61. Edit. 1738. 19 Infruct me, for Thou know'ft;] Theocrit. Idyl. XXII. 116. Ειπε θεα, συ γαρ οισθα. 21. Dove-like fatft brooding] Alluding to Gen. I. 2. the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters; for the word that we tranflate moved fignifies properly brooded, as a bird doth upon her eggs; and he fays like a dove rather than any other Mov'd bird, because the defcent of the Holy Ghoft is compared to a dove in Scripture, Luke III. 22. As Milton ftudied the Scriptures in the original languages, his images and expreffions are oftener copied from them, than from our translation. 26. And justify the ways of God to Men.] A verie, which Mr. Pope has thought fit to borrow with fome little variation, in the beginning of his Effay on Man, But vindicate the ways of God to Man. It is not eafy to conceive any good reafon for Mr Pope's preferring the word vindicate, but Milton makes ufe of the word juftify, as it is the Scripture word, That thou mightest be juftified in thy fayings, Rom. III. 4. And the ways of God to Men are juftified in the many argumentative discourses throughout conferences between God the Fathe poem, and particularly in the ther and the Son. 27. Say firft, for Heav'n bides nothing from thy view, Nor the deep tract of Hell,-] The poets attribute a kind of omni science Mov'd our grand parents, in that happy state, From their Creator, and tranfgrefs his will and envy revenge, deceiv'd Stirr'd up 30 35 Had Th' infernal Serpent ;] An imitation of Homer, Iliad. I. 8. where the question is afk'd, and the anfwer return'd much in the fame manner. Τις τ' ας σφωε θεων εξιδι ξυνέηκε μαχεσθαι ; Λητος καὶ Δια επα 38. by whofe aid afpiring peers,] Here Dr. Bentley objects, that Satan's crime was not, his aiming above his peers: he was in place high above them before, as the Doctor proves from V. 812. But tho' this be true, yet Milton may be right here; for the force of the words feems, not that Satan afpir'd to fet bimfelf above bis peers, but that he afpir'd to fet himself in glory, &c. that is in divine glory, in fuch glory as God and his Son were fet in. Here was his crime: and this is what God charges him with in V. 725. who Had caft him out from Heav'n, with all his hoft 40 Hurl'd who intends to' erect his imitation of the Greeks and Latins throne Equal to ours, often cuts off the vowel at the end of a word, when the next word begins with a vowel; though he And in VI. 88. Milton fays that does not like the Greeks wholly the rebel Angels hop'd afpiring drop the vowel, but ftill retains it in writing like the Latins. Another liberty, that he takes likewise for the greater improvement and variety of his verfification, is pronouncing the fame word fometimes as two fyllables, and fometimes as only one fyllable or two fhort ones. We have frequent inftances in fpirit, ruin, riot, reafon, higheft, and feveral other words. But then these excellencies in Milton's verse are attended with this inconvenience, that his numbers feem embarass'd to fuch readers, as know not, or know not readily, where fuch eli To place and glory above the Son fion or abbreviation of vowels is of God. Pearce. Befides the other methods which Milton has employ'd to diverfify and improve his numbers, he takes the fame liberties as Shakespear and others of our old poets, and in to take place; and therefore for their fakes we fhall take care throughout this addition to mark and fuch as are to be contracted and fuch vowels as are to be cut off, abbreviated thus'. 45. Hurl'd Hurl'd headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky, 45 Nine times the space that measures day and night 50 63. darkness vifible] Milton feems to have used these words to fignify gloom.: Abfolute darkness Both of loft happiness and lasting pain Torments him; round he throws his baleful eyes, A dungeon horrible on all fides round 55 ба As one great furnace flam'd, yet from thofe flames No light, but rather darkness visible Serv'd only to discover fights of woe, |