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God faid, let Newton be, and all was light.
And God faid, let there be light, and there was light.

As there is no bearing the parallel, let us quit it. But, indeed, if Milton's genius could not mafter it, how vain to look for any thing equivalent in Cowley or Pope. It is altogether inimitable, and incomparable, being infinitely fublime and facred in itfelf, and expreffed in words exactly fuitable. The fentence confifts wholly of monofyllables, and those short, smooth, and, as it were, infifting upon a rapid pronunciation. The celerity of the words, affift in, and echo to, the command they convey

Let there be light

Can any thing flow fafter or with more facility from the lip?

And there was light.

If the reader can manage his articulation, the image, the tone, and every thing else will correfpond. Here, again, we have fresh reafon to complain of our great epic

poet,

poet, fince the five lines he hath employed on this fubject contain a great many polyfyllables, each demanding a flow, fluggifh, reluctant delivery-The fublimeft thought may be destroyed by using improper fymbols to exprefs it; fince every word fhould, according to a judicious critic §, refemble the motion it fignifies, a rough fubject should be imitated by harsh founding words; and words of many fyllables, pronounced flow, or fmooth, if grief or melancholy is to be excited.

To return. Indiftinguishable darkness fat brooding upon the face of the deep previous to the command-Let there be light-and there was light: the word was given, and the order obeyed, in the fame inftant. But what were the benevolent confequences of this command? Why, no less than the creation of the world, and all the elegancies and conveniencies belonging to it; the division of seasons, the establishment of the planets, and a general accommodation

B 4

Milton. The author of the Elements of Criticism.

modation for the fervice of the favourite creature! In the remaining verses of this chapter, the economy, wifdom and bounty of Providence stand difplayed and recorded in all the purity and fimplicity of facred literature. Where is the barren fancy that doth not kindle as it goes? Where the heart that feels not the mercies which refulted from the orders of the original parent? The celeftial fpirit no fooner began to move, than all things were made the day for delight, and the night for repofe; the breath of the morning became embalmed, and the evening breezes bore healthful bleffings upon her wings: the waters became obedient to their bounds, and the earth smiled with variegated verdure: animals of various natures, fome adapted to the wood, and fome to the wave; fome exulting in their speed, and others contented with their flownefs; fome trufting to the foot, and others mounting upon the wing fported over creation. Then, nor till then, was man, the erect, the immortal,

created.

3.

created. The world being now fit for the reception of fuch an inhabitant, he was introduced upon the fcence as mafter of the mighty drama. In the fimilitude of his maker, with the face of a cherub, and the form of a god, he was born for dominion. Authority fat on his brow, his eye denoted his power, and the father put into his hand the fceptre of command. The inferior creatures faw, acknowledged and obeyed. Then arofe woman; the companion, the friend, the wife of his greatnefs: fociety was founded upon the endearments of love and innocence, the lambs bleated forth their joy, the birds fung amidst the branches, man triumphed in his honours, and the Deity furveyed his undertaking, and faw that it was good.

How admirably, thefe bleffings are defcribed may be easily feen by every one that reads the whole chapter firft, and then Milton's paraphrafe of it for the fimplicity and unaffected dignity, which charactarifes the one, greatly furpaffes, in general,

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the laborious pomp, and amplified majesty of the other. Let it be, at the fame time, confidered, that we are now comparing our immortal poet with the only book in the world, perhaps, to which it must yield the palm and, to do the author justice, I fhall not pass over thofe happinesses, whether of genius or fkill, which, here and there, feem to improve even upon Mofes : a first inftance occurs immediately.

His brooding wings the Spirit of God outspread,

In another place,

There wanted yet the masterwork, a creature,
Endu'd

With fanctity of reason, who might erect
His ftature, and, upright, with front ferene,
Govern the reft, felf-knowing, and from thence,
Magnanimous to correspond with heaven.

After all, I may, poffibly, be cenfured by fome, for confidering the facred writings, in any degree, as compofitions; fince, it is evident, that the chief end of this venerable volume is, as Mr. Rollin observes,

rather

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