But he writes with as much freedom as if Latin were hi tongue; and, where he is leas his failure seems to arise from lessness of a native, not from rance of a foreigner. We m to him what Denham with gre says of Cowley. He wears but not the clothes of the anci Throughout the volume are ible the traces of a powerful a pendent mind, emancipated influence of authority, and d the search of truth. Milton to form his system from the Bi and his digest of scriptural te tainly among the best that peared. But he is not always in his inferences as in his cita Some of the heterodox which he avows seemed to cited considerable amazeme cularly his Arianism, and h on the subject of polygamy. can scarcely conceive that a could have read the Paradise out suspecting him of the for do we think that any reader, a with the history of his life, ou much startled at the latter. nions which he has expressed ing the nature of the Deity, th of matter, and the observati Sabbath, might, we think, ha more just surprise. But we will not go into th sion of these points. The b it far more orthodox or far m tical than it is, would not m or corrupt the present generat men of our time are not to verted or perverted by quarto more days, and this essay w the Defensio Populi to the silence of the upper shelf. 1 of its author, and the remar cumstances attending its pu will secure to it a certain attention. For a month or t Occupy a few minutes of cha drawing-room, and a few co every magazine; and it will borrow the elegant languag play-bills, be withdrawn to m for the forthcoming novelties. We wish however to avail It is by his poetry that Milton is best writes with as much ease and of the interest, transient as it may be, as if Latin were his mother which this work has excited. The ; and, where he is least happy, dexterous Capuchins never choose to re seems to arise from the care- preach on the life and miracles of a of a native, not from the igno- saint, until they have awakened the def a foreigner. We may apply votional feelings of their auditors by what Denham with great felicity exhibiting some relic of him, a thread Cowley. He wears the garb, of his garment, a lock of his hair, or a the clothes of the ancients. drop of his blood. On the same prinughout the volume are discern- ciple, we intend to take advantage of traces of a powerful and inde- the late interesting discovery, and, mind, emancipated from the while this memorial of a great and good e of authority, and devoted to man is still in the hands of all, to say rch of truth. Milton professes something of his moral and intellectual his system from the Bible alone; qualities. Nor, we are convinced, will digest of scriptural texts is cer- the severest of our readers blame us among the best that have ap- if, on an occasion like the present, we But he is not always so happy turn for a short time from the topics ferences as in his citations. of the day, to commemorate, in all e of the heterodox doctrines love and reverence, the genius and virhe avows seemed to have ex-tues of John Milton, the poet, the onsiderable amazement, parti- statesman, the philosopher, the glory of his Arianism, and his theory English literature, the champion and subject of polygamy. Yet we the martyr of English liberty. rcely conceive that any person ave read the Paradise Lost with-known; and it is of his poetry that we pecting him of the former; nor wish first to speak. By the general hink that any reader, acquainted suffrage of the civilised world, his place he history of his life, ought to be has been assigned among the greatest startled at the latter. The opi- masters of the art. His detractors, how. which he has expressed respect-ever, though outvoted, have not been nature of the Deity, the eternity silenced. There are many critics, and ter, and the observation of the some of great name, who contrive in h, might, we think, have caused the same breath to extol the poems and ust surprise.. to decry the poet. The works they acwe will not go into the discus-knowledge, considered in themselves, these points. The book, were may be classed among the noblest promore orthodox or far more here- ductions of the human mind. But they han it is, would not much edify will not allow the author to rank with upt the present generation. The those great men who, born in the inf our time are not to be con- fancy of civilisation, supplied, by their or perverted by quartos. A few own powers, the want of instruction, days, and this essay will follow and, though destitute of models themefensio Populi to the dust and selves, bequeathed to posterity models of the upper shelf. The name which defy imitation. Milton, it is said, author, and the remarkable cir- inherited what his predecessors created; inces attending its publication, he lived in an enlightened age; he reecure to it a certain degree of ceived a finished education, and we must on. For a month or two it will therefore, if we would form a just estiy a few minutes of chat in every mate of his powers,make large deductions ng-room, and a few columns in in consideration of these advantages. magazine; and it will then, to the elegant language of the ills, be withdrawn to make room forthcoming novelties. wish however to avail ourselves We venture to say, on the contrary, paradoxical as the remark may appear, that no poet has ever had to struggle with more unfavourable circumstances than Milton. He doubted. as he has the Fable of the Bees. But c deville have created an Iago he knew how to resolve char their elements, would he hav to combine those elements manner as to make up a m living, individual man? Perhaps no person can be can even enjoy poetry, with tain unsoundness of mind, if which gives so much pleasu be called unsoundness. By mean not all writing in vers all good writing in verse. finition excludes many met positions which, on other g serve the highest praise. we mean the art of employin such a manner as to produce on the imagination, the art means of words what the p by means of colours. Thus est of poets has described universally admired for the felicity of their diction, and valuable on account of the which they convey of the a he excelled: "As the imagination bod The forms of things unknown, t Turns them to shapes, and give thing A local habitation and a name." These are the fruits of frenzy" which he ascribes -a fine frenzy doubtless, frenzy. Truth, indeed, is poetry; but it is the truth The reasonings are just; mises are false. After the sitions have been made, ought to be consistent; bu suppositions require a degr lity which almost amounts and temporary derangemen tellect. Hence of all peo are the most imaginative. don themselves without res illusion. Every image whic presented to their mental e on them the effect of reality whatever his sensibility ma affected by Hamlet or Lea girl is affected by the story Riding-hood. She knows filse, that wolves cannot g on the subject as is to be found in able of the Bees. But could Mane have created an Iago? Well as ew how to resolve characters into elements, would he have been able mbine those elements in such a er as to make up a man, a real, , individual man? there are no wolves in England. Yet in spite of her knowledge she believes; she weeps; she trembles; she dares not go into a dark room lest she should feel the teeth of the monster at her throat. Such is the despotism of the imagination over uncultivated minds. In a rude state of society men are children with a greater variety of ideas. rhaps no person can be a poet, or ven enjoy poetry, without a cer-It is therefore in such a state of society insoundness of mind, if any thing that we may expect to find the poetical 1 gives so much pleasure ought to temperament in its highest perfection. lled unsoundness. By poetry we In an enlightened age there will be not all writing in verse, nor even much intelligence, much science, much ood writing in verse. Our de- philosophy, abundance of just classifion excludes many metrical com- cation and subtle analysis, abundance Cons which, on other grounds, de-of wit and eloquence, abundance of the highest praise. By poetry verses, and even of good ones; but can the art of employing words in little poetry. Men will judge and coma manner as to produce an illusion pare; but they will not create. They e imagination, the art of doing by will talk about the old poets, and comis of words what the painter does ment on them, and to a certain degree eans of colours. Thus the great-enjoy them. But they will scarcely be f poets has described it, in lines able to conceive the effect which poetry rsally admired for the vigour and produced on their ruder ancestors, the ty of their diction, and still more agony, the ecstasy, the plenitude of beble on account of the just notion lief. The Greck Rhapsodists, accordh they convey of the art in which ing to Plato, could scarce recite Homer xcelled: without falling into convulsions. The Mohawk hardly feels the scalping knife while he shouts his death-song. The power which the ancient bards of Wales and Germany exercised over their auditors seems to modern readers almost "As the imagination bodies forth orms of things unknown, the poet's pen s them to shapes, and gives to airy nohing al habitation and a name." hese are the fruits of the "fine y" which he ascribes to the poet, miraculous. Such feelings are very fine frenzy doubtless, but still a rare in a civilised community, and most y. Truth, indeed, is essential to rare among those who participate most y; but it is the truth of madness. in its improvements. They linger reasonings are just; but the pre-longest among the peasantry. s are false. After the first suppo- Poetry produces an illusion on the ns have been made, every thing eye of the mind, as a magic lantern t to be consistent; but those first produces an illusion on the eye of the ositions require a degree of credu-body. And, as the magic lantern acts which almost amounts to a partial best in a dark room, poetry effects its temporary derangement of the in-purpose most completely in a dark age. ct. Hence of all people children As the light of knowledge breaks in the most imaginative. They abanthemselves without reserve to every sion. Every image which is strongly ented to their mental eye produces hem the effect of reality. No man, tever his sensibility may be, is ever cted by Hamlet or Lear, as a little is affected by the story of poor Red ing-hood. She knows that it is all , that wolves cannot speak, that upon its exhibitions, as the outlines of certainty become more and more definite and the shades of probability more and more distinct, the hues and lineaments of the phantoms which the poet calls up grow fainter and fainter. We cannot unite the incompatible advantages of reality and deception, the clear discernment of truth and the exquisite enjoyment of fiction. search of a straggling glea The most striking chara We often hear of the ma fluence of poetry. The exp general means nothing: but, the writings of Milton, it is propriate. His poetry acts li cantation. Its merit lies less vious meaning than in its occ There would seem, at first si no more in his words than words. But they are word chantment. No sooner are nounced, than the past is pr the distant near. New forms start at once into existence, a burial-places of the memory their dead. Change the str the sentence; substitute one s for another, and the whole eff stroyed. The spell loses its and he who should then hope jure with it would find himself mistaken as Cassim in the tale, when he stood crying, Wheat," 66 Open Barley," to which obeyed no sound but Sesame." The miserable fa Dryden in his attempt to trans his own diction some parts of |