Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

Concerning This Kind of Licentiouinefs, our Divine Author Speaks like Himself in his Areopag. I fhall with Pleasure Transcribe two or three Paffages. -as good almoft kill a Man as kill a good Book: who kills a Man kills a reafonable Creature, God's Image; but he who Deftroys a Good Book, kills Reafon it Self, Kills the Image of God, as it were in ibe Eye. Many a Man lives a Burthen to the Earth, but a Good Book is the Pretious Life-blood of a Mafter-Spirit, Imbalm'd, and Treafur'd up on Purpose to a Life beyond Life-Revolutions of Ages do not oft Recover the Loss of a Rejected Truth, for the Want of Which whole Nations fare the Worfe. -Which Courfe Leo the 10th, and bis Succeffors follow'd, until the Council of Trent, and the Spanish Inquifition Engendring together, brought forth, or perfected thofe Catalogues, and Expurging Indexes that rake through the Entrals of Many an Old Good Author with a Violation Wors than Any could be offer'd to his Tomb.Yet if Thefe Things be not Refented Seriously and Timely by Them who have the Remedy in thir Power, but that fuch Iron-Moulds as Thefe fhall have Authority to knaw out the Choiceft Periods of Exquifite Books, and to commit Such a Treacherous Fraud against the Orphan remainders af Worthieft Men after Death, the more Sorrow will belong to that Haples Race of Men, whose Misfortune it is to have Understanding. Hence, forth let no Man care to learn, or care to be

mare

more then Worldly Wife; for Certainly in Higher Matters to be Ignorant and Slothful, to be a Common Stedfaft Dunce, will be the Only Pleafant Life, and only in request.

Every Author has a Right to fay What a Lady faid to a Painter (not to Me upon my Word) when She Obferv'd him, under Pretence of Complimenting her, making a Face for her which She had not been Acquainted with. Sir, (fays She) Ifee what you are about, You don't like my Face, and are for giving me a Better in the Stead of it. Td have you to know My Face is as Good as Any You will make, let me have That if you Can, but I will have no Other, nor Other do my Friends Defire. If any Author could put his Head out of his Grave, and fay Thus to an Editor, Milton might, and he may fay it as juftly as the most Beautiful Woman Alive, were She Sitting for her Picture to the Best Painter in the World. But when Conceited Daubers, though they have seen All that Italy is Adorn'd with, when Such as have neither Pittorefque Eyes, nor Hands, Pretending to Excel Beauty, how us a Monster instead of an Angel, who can have Patience? if a Like Attempt is made upon an Admir'd Poetical Work, Who can forfear faying, Pray you Sir, no more of your Patches in a Poem quite Elevated above Your Reach and Imitation? Such Kind of People as These were in Ancient times as Now, and are well Defcrib'd by

Him who fays, As a Madman who cafteth Firebrands, Arrows, and Death, So is the Man that Deceiveth his Neighbour, and faith, Am I not in Sport?

in a word, as Milton's Care in This Matter is not to be doubted, nor his Ability and Opportunity to Prevent the Corruption Pretended, or to Detect any Such, had it been Attempted (for Fact, as well as Probability is on Our Side) Whatsoever Suggestion or Affertion, in Jeft or in Earneft, concerning Some Unknown, Pragmatical, or Rafcally Editor has been flung out, 'tis fpilt on the Ground, and Stinks in the Noftrils of all who have a right Senfe of the Veneration Due to the Ashes of an Excellent Writer and a Good Man, and to Good Nature, Good Manners, Truth and Juftice. but they fhall not hurt the Book, That, and its Author are fafe. So

Go thy Ways, the Flour and Quinteffence of all Editors. the Edition of 1674 is the Finish'd, the Genuine, the Uncorrupted Work of John

Milton.

the Subfequent Editions are not very Faulty, Some of them Efpecially, but This ought to be the Model of Some Future Edition, and follow'd Letter for Letter and Point for Point, with very few Exceptions, and Thofe fhould Methinks be taken no Notice of in the Text but the Margin, or by way of Errata. I mention a Future Edition, and hope to See Such

a One as I have mention'd, That of 74 being Exceeding Rare.

I proceed to Other Particularities of Paradife Loft. There is Mufick in all Language; the Meaneft Peafant Varies the Sound as he Speaks, though in That he is Eafily known from a Gentleman. Sound is abundantly more Expreffive of the Senfe than is Commonly Imagin'd; Animals who have not the Ufe of Words, that We understand at least, Exprefs their Minds by Sounds as well as by Geftures, Looks and Actions; and we know Their Meaning as we know That of a Man whofe Language we are Abfolute Strangers to. Verse and Profe have Each their Peculiar Mufick, and whether One, or the Other 'tis Different according to the Subject. All kinds of Verse have Sounds of their Own; Blank Verse comes nearest to Profe, and as the Profe of Some Writers Approaches Verfe, Milton's Blank Verfe, That of Paradife Loft, has the Beauty of Both; it has the Sweetness of Meafure, without Stopping the Voice at the end of the Line, or Any where else but as the Senfe requires; One Verfe runs into Another, and the Period concludes in any part of a Line Indifferently, and as if 'twas his Choice 'tis very often Not at the End of One or of a Couplet, as is too Frequent with Those who write in Rime. He has frequently Eleven Syllables in a Verfe, but 'tis rarely So unless

Thofe

Those are no more in Quantity than the Ten of Another.

Fall'n Cherube, to be Weak is Miferable
Doing or Suffering: but of This be Sure,

the e in the Middle of the Word Suff'ring must be Melted in the Pronunciation, as if written Without it as here; and the two Syllables made by that Vowel, and the a that follows in Miferable are fo Short as to be Equal to but One in any other part of the Line.

So

Affur'd me and fill Affure. though what thou

tell'ft

here Me and and are both fo Short as to be no more in Quantity than if they were but One Syllable. to read right requires Some Judgment, and fome Experience in Milton's Manner who Abounds More with These Inftances than most English Poets; but, well Read, the Mufick of His Verfe is Exceeding Delicate and Noble, though Somwhat Peculiar to Himself; for He, (as in his Language) has Profited Himself of the Greeks and Latins; His Ictus, or Cadence, or Mufick bears towards Them, as he has form'd himself Upon Their Examples into Somthing of his Own, by his Own Ear, and which was a very Mufical, Experienc'd and Judicious One. See further concerning his Verfification in his Short Difcourfe before the Poem.

It will feem Strange to Thofe who do Me the Honour to Entertain themselves with what I Offer them, when they find Me remarking

on

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »