On either side a formidable shape; to A. Before mine eyes in opposition fits revolt of Satan, that Death apGrim Death my son and foe, who pear'd soon after he was cast into sets them on, Hell, and that the terrors of con, And me his parent would full soon science were conceived at the gate devour of this place of torments. The For want of other prey, but that description of the gates is very poehe knows tical, as the opening of them is full His end with mine involy'd, of Milton's fpirit, Addison. But tho' Mr. Addison censures this I need not mention to the reader famous allegory, as improper for. the beautiful circumstance in the an epic poem; yet Bishop Atter. last part of this quotation. He bury, whose taste in polite litterawill likewise observe how naturally ture was never question'd, seems the three persons concerned in this to be much more affected with this allegory are tempted by one com- than any part of the poem, as I mon nterest to enter into a confe- think we may collect from one of deracy together, and low properly his letters to Mr. Pope. “I reSin is made the portress of Hell, “ turn you your Milton, says He, and the only being that can open " and I protest to you, this the gates to that world of tortures. “ last perufal of him has given The descriptive part of diis alle “me such new degrees, I will gory is likewise very firong, and not say of pleasure, but of ad, full of sublime idea. The ngure“ miration and aftonifhment, that of Death, the regal crown upon " I look upon the sublimity of his head, his menace of Satan, his “ Homer and the majesty of Viradvancing to the combat, the out gil with somewhar less reverence cry at liis birth, are circumstances « than I us’d to do. I challenge too noble to be part over in silence, you, with all your partiality, and extremely suitable to this king to show me in the firit of these of terrors. I need not mention the any thing equal to the allegory jusiness of thought which is ob- “ of Sin and Death, either as to served in the generation of these “ the greatness and justnefs of the several symbolical persons ; that “ invention, or the highth and Sin was produced upon the first “ beauty of the coloring. What I “ looked A cry of Hell hounds never ceasing bark'd Within « looked upon as a rant of Bar Yet did her face, and former « row's, I now begin to think a parts profess " serious truth, and could almost A fair young maidan, full of venture to set my hand to it, comely glee; But all her hinder parts did Hæc quicunque leget, tantum ce plain express ciniffe putabit, A monstrous dragon, full of fearMeonidem ranas, Virgilium cu. ful ugliness. lices. The addition of the Hell hounds 649. On either fide a formidable about her middle is plainly copied from Scylla, as appears from the Noape; ] The figure of Death is pretty well fix'd and agreed upon following fimile. I had almoft by poets and painters: but the de- forgot that Hefiod's Echidna is de scribed half-woman and half-fer. scription of Sin seems to be an improvement upon that thought in pent as well as Spenser's. Theog. Horace, De Art. Poet. 4. 298. Ημισυ μεν νυμφων, ελικοπιδα, Definit in piscem mulier formosa халлаариа, superne. Ημισυ δ' αυτο τελωegν οφιν, δα. And it is not improbable, that the νον το μεγαλε. . author might have in mind too 654. A cry of Hell-hounds never Spenser's description of Error in ceasing bark'd] Dr. Bentley the mix'd shape of a woman and reads A crue of Hill-hounds, &c. a ferpent, Fairy Queen, B. 1. C. 1. of much the fame poetical ftamp as but Milton's cry of Heil-hounds is Virgil's ruunt equites et odora canum Half like a ferpent horribly dif- vis, Æn. IV. 132. where what is play'd, proper to the canes is said of the But th' other half did woman's vis; as here what is proper to the Ihape retain, &c. Hell-hounds is said of the cry. We have the same way of fpeaking in And also the image.of Echidna, VI. 212. VII, 66, and ellewhere. B. 6. Ç. 6. St. 10. Pearce. $ 4 660. Vexd St. 14. Within unseen. Far less abhorrld than these 660. Vex'd Scylla bathing in the Scylla venit, mediaque tenus de fea] For Circe having poi scenderat alvo; fon'd that part of the sea where Cum sua fædari latrantibus in Scylla used to bathe, the next time guina monftris: Scylla bathed, her lower parts Afpicit : ac 'primo non credens were changed into dogs, in the sea corporis illas that parts Calabria, the farthest Effe fui partes, refugitque, abigitpart of Italy towards the Mediter que, timetque rancan, from the boarfe Trinacrian Ora proterva canum; sed quos fu. bore, that is from Sicily, which git, attrahit una. was formerly called Trinacria from Et corpus quærens femorum, cruits three promontories lying in the rumque, pedumque, form of a triangle: and this shore Cerbereos ţiétus pro pastibus in, may well be called hoarse not only venit illis. by reason of a tempestuous fea Statque canum rabies ; fubje&abreaking upon it, but likewise on que terga ferarum account of the noifes occafion'd Inguinibus truncis uteroque et by the eruptions of mount Ætna; ! . ftante cohærent. and the number of r's in this verse The Cerberean mouths in Milton very well express the hoarsness of it. You have the story of Scylla plainly after the Cerbereos ri&tus in in the beginning of the 14th book of Ovid's Metamorphosis, yer. the tab'ring mioon] The Ancients believed the moon greatly affected 665, 59. c Or substance might be call’d that shadow feem'd, i For each seem'd either ; black it stood as Night, 670 Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell, Created 675 affected by magical practices, and 670.-black it ftood as Night, &c.] the Latin poets call the eclipses of Like the ghost described in Homer, the moon labores luna. The three Odysl . XI. 605. foregoing lines, and the former ο δ' ερεμνη νυκλι ερικως, part of this contain a short account Γυμνόν τοξον έχων, και επι νευof what was once believ'd, and in protv oïsov, Milton's time not so ridiculous as Acoy warlauw, de Beer coole DOW. Richardson, EOLXWS 666. The other soape &c.] This Gloomy as night he stands, in act poetical description of Death our to throw author has pretty evidently bora Th' aereal arrow from the twang-* rowed from Spenser. Fairy Queen, Broome. 678. God and his Son except, But after all came Life, and lastly Created thing nought valued he nor Death, Jounn'd] This appears at Death with most grim and grilly first fight to reckon God and his visage seen, Son among created things, but exYet is he nought but parting of cept is used here with the same lithe breath, berty as but ver. 333 and 336, and Ne ought to see, but like a shade Milton has a like passage in his to ween, profe works, p. 277. Edit. Tol. Unbodied, unfoul'd, unheard, un- Ne place in Heaven and Earth, exfeen. Tbyer. Richardson, staen ing bow. cept Hell 683. - mif? Created thing nought valued-he nor shunn'd; 680 To whom the goblin full of wrath reply'd. Art thou that traitor Angel, art thou He, Who first broke peace in Heav'n and faith, till then Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms 691 Drew after him the third of Heav'n's sons Conjúr'd against the Highest, for which both thou And part 683. mifcreated] We have I mean not thee intreat been told that Milton first coin'd To pass; but mauger thee will the word miscreated, but Spenser pass, or die. Fortin. used it before him, as Fairy Queen, B. 1. Cant. 2. St. 3. 692. Drew after bim the third Eftsoons he took that miscreated opinion, as we noted before, groun part of Heav'n's Sons] An fair. ded on Rev. XII. 3, 4. Behold a and B. 2. Cant. 7. St. 42. great red dragon and his tail drew Nor mortal steel empierce his mif- the third part of the fars of Heaven created mold. Bentley. and cof them to the earth. 684. through them I mean to 693. Corjúr'd against the Hig'beft,] pass, &c. ] Spenser, Fairy Banded and leagued together aQueen, B. 3. Cant. 4. St. 15, gainst the most High. Of the Latin con |