A lucid mirror, in which Nature sees The powers of sculpture, but the style as much; With nice incision of her guided steel She ploughs a brazen field, and clothes a soil 725 Not more the glory of the earth,] than she 702. All her reflected features-" All her features reflected" would be a more accurate expression, but a worse rhythm. 706. Sculpture is here employed in a sense embracing what is properly called sculpture, and also the art of engraving, in which a style or graver (the guided steel) is employed. 707. May be taken as Nom. absol., the Participle being understood. 710. With whatever charms she will [clothe it]. 715. Where does [philosophy find] her implements. 716. Calculates, computes-see line 684, note. 726. That so much beauty would do well to purge. Beauty itself is to purge her spots; not a happy personification. purge, Obj. to do. Το 727. And show this queen of cilies, that so fair may yet be foul, so witty, yet not wise. Show, Imp. Mood; fair, foul, witty, wise, Adjectives used Substantively. May yet be foul, so witty, yet not wise. | That thieves at home must hang, but he,) that puts And customs of her own,) till Sabbath rites And knees and hassocks are well nigh divorced.] God made the country, and man made the town :| But that of idleness, and taste no scenes 731. Gr. 71, Rem. 3. 733. Indulges life to peculators is a Latin construction. Hoc tibi indulgeo. 736. No doubt an allusion to Warren Hastings, whose trial created a great in terest at the time. See Winter Evening, Is India free, or do we grind her still? 745. Modes-This word is now quite superseded by fashion. 760 Our groves were planted to console at noon 770 It plagues your country. Folly such) as yours] 763. They wish.-Who? the groves? the shades? the leaves? or the wanderer ? The sense rejects the three first words, and grammar the last, although the poet evidently so intended it. 771. Graced with a sword-Alluding to the fashion of the young gallants of those days, of wearing swords. See Timepiece, 318. 774. Soon to fall.-Gloomy predictions of this sort, which frequently occur in Cowper, show the desponding state of his mind. They are the dark shadows thrown over a fine intellect by those ever-rising mists and clouds of mental disease, with which he had to struggle almost throughout life, and which finally closed upon him for ever. SECTION IV. MILTON'S PARADISE LOST. THE Paradise Lost is generally allowed to be the masterpiece of Milton, and to entitle its author to a place next to Shakspere among the poets of England. The conception of the poem is so grand and bold, that only a mind of the first order could approach it without utter failure. It deals with the great mysteries of the creation, the origin of evil, the divine decrees; and ventures so far as "To assert Eternal Providence, And justify the ways of God to man." Its plan, as viewed apart from its conception, is moulded in imitation of the Greek Epos of Homer and Virgil's Æneid. In so far it lacks originality. The poetic imagery, which forms the detailed ornamentation, is likewise borrowed from the classical writers of antiquity, the whole of whose store of mythological fables is laid under contribution, and blended with the Hebrew and Christian traditions which form the groundwork of the plan. It is true that the great learning and ingenuity of the poet appear more prominent in this adaptation than his inventive faculty, his knowledge of books greater than his study of nature; but his vigorous intellect has grasped the secondhand materials, and has handled them so powerfully that the effect is nowhere weak. His language though also strongly impregnated with classical elements is always noble, commanding, and majestic. What entitles it especially to the careful attention of the student of the English language, is its consummate grammatical correctness, which is strictly maintained even in the most complicated and involved syntactical structures. The versification of the Paradise Lost is exceedingly simple. The blank verse, which Milton was the first to adopt for epic poetry, is the nearest approach to prose which still can claim the name of verse. It is a great praise that in Milton's hand it does not become trivial and weak; but this is due more to the matter it conveys than to its intrinsic rhythmical beauty. Milton does not limit himself in it to pure Iambic (~) and Spondaic feet (- -), which alone, strictly speaking, answer the character of the verse, but he frequently introduces the Trochaic (-) rhythm, which is quite antagonistic to the Iambus. This has been pronounced a beauty; but it is very doubtful whether it deserves that name any more than a cast in the eye of a beautiful face, which is pronounced still beautiful in spite of the defect. The poem begins (in obedience to the classical models) in the middle of the events narrated (Book I.) Satan and his host of rebel angels have been hurled from heaven, and are rolling stupified on the fiery gulf of hell (Book II.) They hold a council, and determine to oppose the Almighty in his new creation. Satan traverses the awful gulf which separates hell from the upper world. God (Book III.), foreseeing the fall of man, in converse with the Son, develops the scheme of redemption. Satan (Book IV.) arrives in the newly created world, in spite of the angels who guard the approach to Paradise, and watches his opportunity to tempt man to sin. Raphael is sent (Book V.) to warn Adam and Eve of the approaching danger. He relates the revolt in heaven, the terrible battle (Book VI.), and final overthrow of Satan, the creation (Book VII.) of another world, the abode of man, whereupon in further conversation Adam (Book VIII.) communicates to Raphael his own feelings, his loneliness, and the creation of Eve. The angel, after due admonition, departs. Satan returns to Paradise (Book IX.) His guile prevails; man falls and his doom is pronounced (Book X.) The passage from hell to earth is now bridged over by sin and death. Satan returns to his companions to exult in his triumph. Then follows man's despair and final submission to his fate. Michael is sent (Book XI.) to expel Adam and Eve from Paradise. He reveals to Adam the future fate of his race; and our first parents fallen yet not crushed, cursed and yet blessed, wander forth into the lonely world under the guidance of Providence. |