doubtedly gave Milton the first thought
of Satan's rebellion, and war.

Can the matchlefs excellence of the
facred defcriptions be better illuftrated,
than by the fublimeft defcription of a
God, in the fublimest of all the pro-
phane writers of antiquity, with a
fimilar one from the Bible? That from
Homer, tranflated as well as I was able,
and, to give it the better appearance,
purposely cleared of feveral puerilities,
runs thus---"§ Neptune emerged from
the fea, and moved with indignation
against fove, fate and pitied the Gre-
cian hoft yielding to the force of the
Trojan, Suddenly, with fwift fteps he
rufhed down the broken precipice;
the woods and mountains trembled be-
neath his immortal feet. Three times
he ftepped, the fourth, he reached the
Æga. There stands his glorious, in-
corruptible palace of fhining gold----
There

See Paradife loft, B. 5.-

At length into the limits of the north
They came, and Satan took his royal feat
High on a hill, far blazing, &c.

§ Ilias B. 13

There he joined his nimble fteeds, with brazen hoofs and golden manes, cloathed himself in gold, afcended his chariot, and fkimmed the furface of waves. On all fides, the Whales exulted around their king; the Sea with joy parted before him; the steeds flew fwiftly over it, nor moiftened the bra

zen axle.

.

The other from Habbakkuk is thus tranflated.---" Gon came from Teman, and the HOLY ONE from mount Paran; his Glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of his Praife. His brightnefs was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand, and there was the hiding of his power. Before him went the Peftilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. He ftood, and measured the heavens; he beheld, and drove afunder the nations; the everlafting mountains were fcattered, the perpetual hills did bow; his ways are everlasting. I faw the tents of Cufhan in affliction, the curtains of the land of Midian, did tremble. Thou didft cleave the

earth

earth with thy rivers. The Mountains faw thee and trembled, the over flowing of the waters paffed by, the deep uttered his voice, and lift up his hands on high. The Sun and the Moon ftood fill in their habitation : at the light of thine arrows they went at the fhining of thy glittering fpear."-

Of thefe two paffages it need only be obferved, that where the circumstances are fimilar, the Prophet is far more lively and fublime than the Poet, and infinitely furpaffes him in thofe which are different.

To mention a number of Defcriptions in the Infpired writings, would be injuftice to the reft; but how can I país by * Ezekiel's, of the Cherubims, Daniel's, of the Ancient of days, or +St. John's, of the Saviour amid the feven golden candlesticks?

Nothing gives greater weight and dignity to Poetry, than Prophecy. Senfible of this truth Virgil has, with great beauty, inferted fomething of O 2

this

* Ezek. 1.

Dan. c. 7. v. 9. + Revel. 1.

neis.

this kind in the fourth, which is the
fineft of his Paftorals, and in the fixth,
which is the nobleft book of his
But excellent as he is, the Prophets,
particularly Ifaiah and John, in the
beauties of this part of writing, fhine
without a competitor.

Inftead of wild conjectures, instead of paft events, inftead of Generals and Heroes, instead of Marcellus, inftead of the Roman City and Empire; The Prophecies are always certain, the events referred to future; Their Hero is the Meffiah, the wonderful Counsellor, the mighty GoD, the everlafting Father, the Prince of Peace. ---The Empire, that of the universe, its extenfion immenfity, its duration eternity.The City, the new Jerufalem, the Heaven of Heavens, the feat of light and bleffednefs; its walls, of gold and precious ftones, its fplendor that of Almighty God. And this advantage attends all their writings, that every poflible Reader, every one of us, is infinitely more interested in the fubject, than the Romans were in that of Virgil;

7

Virgil; as we are candidates for an immortal exiftence in that region of felicity, where the Sun doth not give light by day, nor the Moon by night, but the LORD himself is an everlasting Light, and the GoD of Zion her Glory.

FINI S.