Deck Himfelf with the Utmost of Thefe, without the Mufick of Numerous Verfe he would not be a Poet; for tho' Verfe Alone is not Poetry, 'tis, ftrictly speaking, Effential to it.

as We are Most Eafily Led, or Intic'd by Pleafure, Poetry has Proportionable Influence on the Mind, Whether to carry it to Good or Evil; Whether 'tis made Subfervient to One, or the Other, 'tis no Lefs, or More Poetry Still. if you Ask What is the Moft Excellent, the moft Amiable Poetry, the Answer is Eafy; 'tis That Whofe Elevation of Language, Arrangement of Words, its Sentiments and Images are Directed, and made Subfervient to, not Only the Delight, but the Improvement of Mankind. and This after All Terminates in Pleasure, as True Wisdom and Goodness has the Greatest Tendency to our Happiness. in This Ufe of Poetry, and not its Power over Us, confifts its Real, its moft Important Dignity.

Poetry Pleases by a Peculiarity and Majesty of Stile and Language; its Numbers, its Rime (if us'd, and Skilfully) Pleases as Mufick does, and as Painting, the Imagery of things, not only Real, but Fictitious: for Poetry is a Sort of New Creation, not only as it Produces to the Imagination What is Unknown to Nature, Such as Harpyes, Sphynxes, Gorgons, Hydraes, Centaurs, &c. or a Sort of Men as Shakespear's Caliban, or the People of Romances, Men

Better

Better or Worfe than ever were; but as it Raifes and Embellishes (where 'tis poffible) what is Seen in Nature, or Related in History, and by fo doing fhows Things Otherwise than they Really Are, or ever Were; and This not only agreeably Entertains the Mind, 'tis a Sort of New Acquifition; but it Helps Us ofttimes to See Real Beauties, and which would Elfe have pafs'd Unregarded, and perhaps makes us Fancy we See What in Truth we do not,

there is Another Pleasure in Poetry, Oftener Felt perhaps than plac'd to its Account; 'tis This. Much of Art is Effential to This kind of Writing, and to Obferve the Addrefs and Capacity of the Poet is vaftly Pleafing. 'tis So for Example when we meet with a True Poetical Word, Phrafe or Expreffion, an Apt Simile, a Beautiful Allufion, a Noble Sentiment, a Sublime Image, &c.

Befides the Pleasure we have in These Par ticulars, 'tis Some Addition to it when we Reflect, (as Self-Love will teach us) on our Own Ability to Difcover, and lift up our Selves to the Perception of the Brilliant of these Beauties; and Thus, as it were, become Sharers in the Honour of them. There is yet a further Pleasure in Thinking This is the Work of Our Friend, Our Country-Man, at least of One of Our Species. 'tis true This Kind of Pleafure is to be had from Profe, but not the Degree,

A

Thought

Thought is the Life of the Mind, 'tis the Intellectual Being (II. 147.) and has the Universe, and Beyond what is Real, even the Immense Regions of Fancy to range and Wander in, and as it cannot be Limited by Time, it Expatiates Eternity. the Soul's Natural Vigour produces a Conftant Succeffion of Ideas; but These are Improveable by Art, by Frequent Reflection, Obfervation of what is offer'd to our Senfes, or by Converfation; Reading is Converfing only in Somwhat a Different Manner from Difcourfe Viva voce. When we take a Book in hand 'tis to Supply our Selves with Thoughts which we could not Suggest from Within, or did not Expect would Arife Spontaneoufly; We Read for Amusement, Delight, Information, Inftruction, Edification, to Awaken or to put our Paffions into a more Vigorous Motion; in Short, to Rouze up the Intellectual Fire which Then gives Us a Kindly Warmth, a Wholefom Glow, a Lucid and Noble Flame; or it Pollutes the Mind with Black Exhalations, and Scorches, or Torments Us. Always the Mind is Fed, with its Proper Nourishment, Ideas. thus the Scripture, the Beft of Books, is faid to be Profitable for Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, for Inftruction in Righteousness. but None are Deftitute of Some Juice, Somthing to Feed the Mind; though Those where 'tis Richeft and in Greatest Abundance are to be Chofen.

'tis of no Small Confequence towards the Happiness of Life to have a Lively, Inven

tive, a Great and Beautiful Imagination, 'twill Always furnish Us with Delight, Fill up all the Chafms in Time, and Intervals of Business, and Sweeten even Thofe, which Moft People seem to confider but as the Offals, if not the Incumbrance of Life; but the Happiest in This particular may be made Happier by Affiftance from Abroad, by Conversation and Reading.

Paradife Loft is Such a Fountain in This Cafe as the Sun, VII. 364. Whence even These may in their Golden Urns draw Light. Here the Morning Planet may Gild its Horns; Thofe too who are not So Expert at this Poetical Imagery may Richly Augment their Small Peculiar Here. All may Gather Somthing that will Adorn and Delight their Minds.

if Ever any Book was Truly Poetical, if Ever Any Abounded with Poetry, 'tis Paradife Loft. What an Expanfion of Facts from a Small Seed of Hiftory! What Worlds are Inyented, What Embellishments of Nature upon what Our Senfes Present Us with? Divine things are More Nobly, more Divinely Reprefented to the Imagination than by Any Other Poem, a More Beautiful Idea is given of Nature than any Poet has Pretended to; Nature as just come out of the Hand of God, in its Virgin Loveliness, Glory, and Purity; and the Human Race is Shown, not as Homer's, More Gigantick, more Robuft, more Valiant, but without Comparifon more Truly Amiable, k

more

more So than by the Pictures and Statues of the Greatest Mafters. and all Thefe Sublime Ideas are Convey'd to Us in the most Effectual and Engaging Manner. the Mind of the Reader is Tempered, and Prepar'd, by Pleafure, 'tis Drawn, and Allured, 'tis Awaken'd and Invigorated to receive Such Impreffions as the Poet intended to give it: it Opens the Fountains of Knowledge, Piety and Virtue, and pours Along Full Streams of Peace, Comfort and Joy to Such as can Penetrate the true Senfe of the Writer, and Obediently Listen to his Song.

in reading the Iliad or Æneis we Treasure up a Collection of Fine Imaginative Pictures as when we read Paradife Loft; Only that from Thence we have (to fpeak like a Connoiffeur) More Rafaelles, Correggios, Guidos, &c. Milton's Pictures are more Sublimely Great, Divine and Lovely than Homer's, or Virgil's, or thofe of Any Other Poet, or of All the Poets, Ancient, or Modern.

to have the Mind Thus Stor'd, befides the Advantage of it intended by the Poet, is of no Small Importance to Us. the Works of the Best Masters in Painting or Sculpture Deferve the Great Price they bear, upon Account of the Fine Ideas they give us whenever we please to have recourfe to them, or as we happen to Remember them; a Well-Chofen Collection of Poetical Pictures, to Such as know How to Form them, Anfwers Much the Same

Purpófes,