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Spenfer, Drayton, Shakespeare, Jonfon, Donne, Beaumont and Fletcher, Sandys, Cowley, and Clieveland, with fome others then living and haps in fashion, but now forgotten. But there is not a fyllable of the writer of L'ALLEGRO, IL PENSEROSO, and COMUS. Nor is there the quantity of an hemiftich quoted from any of these poems, in the Collections of those who have digested the Beauties or Phrafes of the English Poets from 1655 to 1738, inclufively. The first of these, is the English Treafury of Wit and Language, by John Cotgrave, 1655. The fecond, the English Parnaffus, or an Help to English Poefy, by Joshua Poole of Clare-Hall, 1657. And not to omit the intermediate labours of Bysshe and Gildon, the latter of whom promises "to give the reader the

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great images that are to be found in our poets "who are truly great, as well as their topics and "moral reflections," the last, and by far the most copious and judicious compilation of the kind extant, is the BRITISH MUSE in three volumes, by Thomas Hayward, with a good Preface by Oldys, published in 1738. Yet this author profeffes chiefly to confider, "neglected and expiring merit, and to "revive and preferve the excellencies which time "and oblivion were upon the point of cancelling, " rather than to repeat what others had extracted "before"."

a Lond. 12mo. See Signat. B. 4. b Reprinted, 1677. 8vo. PREF. p. xx. We are furprised to find Dennis, in his LETTERS, published 1721, quoting a few verfes from Milton's Latin Poems, relating to his Travels. See p. 78, 79. But Dennis had them from Toland's Life of Milton.

Patrick

Patrick Hume, a Scotchman, in 1695, published a large and very learned commentary on the PARADISE LOST, to which fome of his fucceffors in the fame province, apprehending no danger of detection from a work rarely inspected, and too pedantic and cumbersome to attract many readers, have been often amply indebted, without even the most distant hint of acknowledgment. But Hume, in comparing Milton with himself, perhaps confcious of his importance as a commentator on the fublimities of the epic muse, not once condefcends to draw a fingle illustration from this volume of his author. In 1732, Bentley, mistaking his object, and to the disgrace of his critical abilities, gave a new and fplendid edition of the PARADISE LOST. The principal design of the Notes is to prove, that the poet's native text was vitiated by an infinite variety of licentious interpolations and factitious readings, which, as he pretends, proceeded from the artifice, the ignorance, or the misapprehenfion, of an amanuenfis, to whom Milton, being blind, had been compelled to dictate his verses. To afcertain his criticisms in detecting or reforming these imaginary forgeries, he often appeals to words and phrases in the fame. poem. But he never attempts to confirm his conjectures from the smaller poems, written before the poet was blind: and from which, in the profecution of the fame arbitrary mode of emendation, his analogies in many instances might have confequently derived a much stronger degree of authority

authority and credibility. The truth is, Bentley was here a stranger. I must however except, that he once quotes a line from the beginning of COMUS.

The first printed encomium which this volume of Milton feems to have received, was from the pen of Addison. In a SPECTATOR, written 1711, he mentions Milton's Laughter in the opening of L'ALLEGRO as a very poetical figure and adds, citing the lines at large, that Euphrofyne's groupe. of Mirth is finely described. But this fpecimen and recommendation, although from fo favourite a writer, and fo elegant a critic, was probably premature, and I fufpect contributed but little to make the poem much better known. In the mean time I will venture to pronounce, that although the citation immediately refulted from the subject of Addison's paper, he thought it the finest groupe or description either in this piece or its companion the PENSEROso. Had Addifon ever entered into the true spirit and genius of both poems, he certainly did not want opportunities of bringing them forward, by exhibiting paffages of a more poetical character. But fuch paffages would not have coincided with Addifon's fubordinate ideas of poetry.

My brother remembers to have heard my father fay, that when he once, at Magdalene college Oxford, mentioned this volume to Mr. Digby, the intimate friend of Pope, Mr. Digby expreffed

2 PARAD, L. B. i, 16.

b NUM. 249.

much

much surprise that he had never heard Pope speak of them, went home and immediately gave them an attentive reading, and afked Pope if he knew any thing of this hidden treasure. Pope availed himself of the question: and accordingly, we find him foon afterwards fprinkling his ELOISA TOX ABELARD with epithets and phrafes of a new form and found, pilfered from COMUS and the PENSEROSO. It is a phenomenon in the hiftory of English poetry, that Pope, a poet not of Milton's pedigree, fhould be their first copier. He was however conscious, that he might borrow from a book then fcarcely remembered, without the hazard of a discovery, or the imputation of plagiarism. Yet the theft was fo flight, as hardly to deferve the name and it must be allowed, that the experiment was happily and judiciously applied, in delineating the fombrous scenes of the pensive Eloifa's convent, the folitary Paraclete.

At length, we perceive these poems emerging in the criticifm of the times. In 1733, doctor Pearce published his Review of the Text of PARADISE LOST, where they frequently furnish collateral evidences in favour of the established state of that text, and in refutation of Bently's chimerical corrections. In the following year, the joint labour of the two Richardfons produced Explanatory Notes on the PARADISE LOST, where they repeatedly lend their assistance, and are treated in such a style of criticism, as fhews that their beauties were

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truly felt. Soon afterwards, fuch refpectable names as Jortin, Warburton, and Hurd, confpired in examining their excellencies, in adjusting their claims to praise, and extending their reputation. They were yet further recommended to the public regard. In 1738, COMUS was presented on the stage at Drury-Lane, with mufical accompaniments, and the application of additional fongs, felected and adapted from L'ALLEGRO, and other pieces of this volume: and although not calculated to fhine in theatric exhibition for those very reafons which conftitute its effential and fpecific merit, from this introduction to notice it grew popular as a poem. L'ALLEGRO and IL PENSEROSO were fet to music by Handel; and his expreffive harmonies here received the honour which they have fo feldom found, but which they fo justly deserve, of being married to immortal verfe. Not long afterwards, LYCIDAS was imitated by Mr. Mafon. In the mean time, the PARADISE LOST was acquiring more numerous readers: the manly melodies of blank-verse, which after its revival by Philips had been long neglected, caught the public ear and the whole of Milton's poetical works, affociating their respective powers as in one common intereft, jointly and reciprocally cooperated in diffusing and forming just ideas of a more perfect fpecies of poetry. A visible revolution fucceeded in the general caft and character of the national compofition. Our verfification contracted a new colouring, a new ftructure and phraseology;

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