"For, while I fit with thee, I feem in Heaven; "Of sweet repaft; they fatiate, and foon fill, 66 Though pleafant; but thy words, with grace divine The other I fhall mention, is that in which the Angel gives a reason why he should be glad to hear the story Adam was about to relate : "For I that day was abfent, as befel, 66 Squar'd in full legion (such command we had) "To fee that none thence issued forth a spy, "Or enemy, while God was in his work; "Left he, incens'd at fuch eruption bold, "Destruction with Creation might have mix'd." There is no queftion but our poet drew the image in what follows from that in Virgil's fixth book, where Æneas and the Sybil stand before the adamantine gates, which are there described as fhut upon the place of torments; and liften to the groans, the clank of chains, and the noise of iron whips, that were heard in those regions of pain and forrow : "Faft we found, faft fhut, "The difmal gates, and barricado'd strong; Adam then proceeds to give an account of his condition and fentiments immediately after his creation. How agreeably does he reprefent the posture in which he found himself, the delightful landskip that furrounded him, and the gladnefs of heart which grew up in him on that occafion! He is afterwards defcribed as furprifed at his own existence, and taking a furvey of himself, and of all the works of nature. He likewife is reprefented as difcovering, by the light of reason, that he, and every thing about him, must have been the effect of some Being infinitely good and powerful; and that this Being had a right to his worship and adoration. His firft addrefs to the fun, and to those parts of the creation which made the most diftinguished figure, is very natural and amufing to the imagination. His next fentiment, when upon his first going to fleep he fancies himself losing his existence, and falling away into nothing, can never be fufficiently admired. His dream, in which he still preferves the confcioufnefs of his existence, and his removal into the garden which was prepared for his reception, are alfo circum-' ftances finely imagined, and grounded upon what is delivered in facred ftory. These, and the like wonderful, incidents in this part of the work, have in them all the beauties of novelty; at the fame time that they have all the graces of nature. They are fuch as none but a great genius could have thought of; though, upon the perufal of them, they feem to rife of themselves from the fubject of which he treats. In a word, though they are natural, they are not obvious; which is the true character of all fine writing. The impreffion, which the interdiction of the tree of life left in the mind of our first parent, is defcribed with great ftrength and judgement; as the image of the feveral beafts and birds paffing in review before him is very beautiful and lively. Adam, in the next place, defcribes a conference which he held with his Maker upon the fubject of folitude. The poet here represents the Supreme Being, as making an effay of his own work, and putting to the trial that reasoning faculty with which he had endued his creature. Adam urges, in this divine colloquy, the impoffibility of his being happy, though he was the inhabitant of Paradife, and Lord of the whole creation, without the converfation and fociety of fome rational creature, who should partake those bleffings with him. This dialogue, which is fupported chiefly by the beauty of the thoughts, without other poetical orna ments, is as fine a part as any in the whole Poem: The more the reader examines the justness and delicacy of its fentiments, the more he will find himself pleased with it. The poet has wonderfully preferved the character of majesty and condefcenfion in the Creator, and at the fame time that of humility and adoration in the creature, as particularly in the following lines : "Thus I prefumptuous; and the Vision bright, "And humble deprecation, thus replied. "Let not my words offend thee, heavenly Power, My Maker, be propitious while I speak, &c." Adam then proceeds to give an account of his fecond fleep, and of the dream in which he be held the formation of Eve. The new paffion that was awakened in him at the sight of her, is touched very finely: "Under his forming hands a creature grew, "That what feem'd fair in all the world, feem'd now "Mean, or in her fumm'd up, in her contain'd, "And in her looks; which from that time infus'd "And into all things from her air infpir'd Adam's distress upon lofing fight of this beautiful phantom, with his exclamations of joy and gratitude at the difcovery of a real creature who resembled the apparition which had been prefented to him in his dream; the approaches he makes to her; and his manner of courtship; are all laid together in a most exquifite propriety of fentiments. Though this part of the Poem is worked up with great warmth and fpirit, the love which is described in it is every way suitable to a state of innocence. If the reader compares the defcription which Adam here gives of his leading Eve to the nuptial bower, with that which Mr. Dryden has made on the fame occasion in a scene of his Fall of Man, he will be fenfible of the great care which Milton took to avoid all thoughts on fo delicate a fubject that might be offenfive to religion or good-manners. The fentiments are chafte, but not cold; and convey to the mind ideas of the most tranfporting paffion, and of the greatest purity. What a noble mixture of rapture and innocence has the author joined together, in the reflection which Adam makes on the pleafures of love, compared to those of fenfe! Thefe fentiments of love in our first parent, give the Angel fuch an infight into human nature, that he fecms apprehenfive of the evils which might befal the fpecies in general, as well as Adam in particular, from the excess of this paffion. He therefore fortifies him against |