The affembling of all the Angels of Heaven to hear the folemn decree paffed upon Man, is represented in very lively ideas. The Almighty is here described as remembering mercy in the midst of judgement, and commanding Michael to deliver his meffage in the mildest terms, left the spirit of Man, which was already broken with the fenfe of his guilt and mifery, should fail before him.

The conference of Adam and Eve is full of moving fentiments. Upon their going abroad after the melancholy night which they had paffed together, they difcover the lion and the eagle purfuing, each of them, their prey towards the eaftern gates of Paradife. There is a double beauty in this incident, not only as it presents great and just omens, which are always agreeable in poetry, but as it expreffes that enmity which was now produced in the animal creation. The poet, to show the like changes in nature, as well as to grace his fable with a noble prodigy, represents the fun in an eclipfe. This particular incident has likewise a fine effect the imagination of the reader, in regard to what follows; for, at the fame time that the fun is under an eclipfe, a bright cloud defcends in the western quarter of the heavens, filled with an host of Angels, and more luminous than the fun itself. The whole theatre of nature is darkened, that

upon

this glorious machine

may appear

and magnificence.

in all its luftre

I need not observe how properly this author, who always fuits his parts to the actors whom he introduces, has employed Michael in the expulfion of our first parents from Paradise. The Archangel on this occafion neither appears in his proper fhape, nor in that familiar manner with which Raphael, the fociable Spirit, entertained the father of mankind before the Fall. His perfon, his port, and behaviour, are fuitable to a Spirit of the highest rank, and are exquifitely defcribed.

Eve's complaint, upon hearing that she was

Eve's complaint, &c.] Mr. Thyer obferves, that, to the remark of Addison upon the beauty and propriety of Eve's complaint, may be added "the fine contraft which there is betwixt that and Adam's forrow, which was filent and thoughtful, as Eve's was loud and hafty; both confiftent with the different characters of the fexes, which Milton has indeed kept up with great exact. nefs through the whole Poem."

But this paffage is also heightened by the poet's rhetorical art; and has been noticed, in this impreffive point of view, by Dr. Beattie: "Pierced to the heart at the thought of leaving the garden of Eden, Eve, in all the violence of ungovernable forrow, breaks forth into a pathethick apoftrophe to Paradise, to the flowers she had reared, and to the nuptial bower she had adorned. Adam makes no addrefs to the walks, the trees, or the flowers of the garden, the lofs whereof did not fo much afflict him; but, in his reply to the Archangel, expreffes, without a figure, his regret for being banished from a place where he had fo often been honoured with a manifeftation of the Divine Prefence. The ufe of the apostrophe in the one cafe, and the omiffion of it in the other, not

to be removed from the garden of Paradife, is wonderfully beautiful: The fentiments are not only proper to the subject, but have something in them particularly foft and womanish.

Adam's speech abounds with thoughts which are equally moving, but of a more masculine and elevated turn. Nothing can be conceived more fublime and poetical than the following paffage

in it:

"This moft afflicts me, that, departing hence,
"As from his face I fhall be hid, depriv'd
"His bleffed countenance: Here I could frequent,
"With worship, place by place where he vouchsaf'd
"Prefence Divine; and to my fons relate,
"On this mount he appear'd; under this tree
"Stood vifible; among these pines his voice
"I heard; here with him at this fountain talk'd:

"So many grateful altars I would rear

"Of graffy turf, and pile up every stone "Of luftre from the brook, in memory

"Or monument to ages; and thereon

"Offer sweet-fmelling gums, and fruits, and flowers:
"In yonder nether world where fhall I seek
"His bright appearances, or footsteps trace?
"For though I fled him angry, yet, recall'd
"To life prolong'd and promis'd race, I now
"Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts
"Of glory; and far off his steps adore.”

only gives a beautiful variety to the ftyle, but also marks the fuperior elevation and compofure of mind, by which the poet had all along diftinguished the character of Adam." E. on Poetry and Muf. fet, iii.

The Angel afterwards leads Adam to the highest mount of Paradise, and lays before him a whole hemisphere, as a proper stage for those vifions which were to be reprefented on it. I have before observed how the plan of Milton's Poem is in many particulars greater than that of the Iliad or Æncid. Virgil's hero, in the last of these poems, is entertained with a fight of all those who are to defcend from him; but, though that episode is juftly admired as one of the noblest defigns in the whole Æneid, every one must allow that this of Milton is of a much higher nature. Adam's vifion is not confined to any particular tribe of mankind, but extends to the whole fpecics.

In this great review which Adam takes of all his fons and daughters, the first objects he is prefented with exhibit to him the story of Cain. and Abel, which is drawn together with much clofenefs and propriety of expreffion. That curiofity and natural horrour, which arife in Adam at the fight of the first dying man, are touched with great beauty:

"But have I now feen Death? Is this the way "I must return to native duft? O fight

"Of terrour, foul and ugly to behold,

"Horrid to think, how horrible to feel!"

The fecond vifion fets before him the image of death in a great variety of appearances.

The Angel, to give him a general idea of those effects which his guilt had brought upon his pofterity, places before him a large hospital or lazar-house, filled with perfons lying under all kinds of mortal difeafes. How finely has the poet told us that the fick perfons languished under lingering and incurable diftempers, by an apt and judicious ufe of fuch imaginary Beings as those I have before mentioned:

"Dire was the toffing, deep the groans; Despair "Tended the fick bufieft from couch to couch; "And over them triumphant Death his dart

66

Shook, but delay'd to ftrike, though oft invok’d "With vows, as their chief good, and final hope.”

The paffion, which likewife rifes in Adam on this occafion, is very natural :

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Sight fo deform what heart of rock could long "Dry-ey'd behold? Adam could not, but wept, "Though not of woman born; compaffion quell'd "His best of man, and gave him up to tears."

The difcourfe between the Angel and Adam, which follows, abounds with noble morals.

As there is nothing more delightful in poetry, than a contraft and oppofition of incidents, the author, after this melancholy profpect of death and fickness, raifes up a fcene of mirth, love, and jollity. The fecret pleasure that steals into Adam's heart, as he is intent upon this vifion, is imagined with great delicacy. I must not