Purposes, but More may Poffefs Such, and at a Much Eafier Price.

Paradife Loft not only Aims at a More Noble and More Extenfive Moral, not only leads the Mind towards it by the Way of Pleafantnefs, All the Flowers in that Way are not only Fragrant, but Wholesom and Balsamick; All is Interesting, All not only Delight the Mind, but Contribute to make it Better,

"What's Hecuba to Him, or He to Hecuba? what does the War of Troy, or the Original of the Roman Name, fay it was That of Britain, Concern You and Me? the Original of Things, the Firft Happy, but Precarious Condition of Mankind, his Deviation from Rectitude, his Loft State, his Restoration to the Favour of God by Repentance, and Imputed Righteoufnefs; and That upon a Foundation which Cannot be Shaken. the Great Doctrines of the Chriftian Religion, Regeneration, Adoption and Glorification, Happiness Here, and For Ever; Thefe Concern Us All Equally, and Equally with our First Parents, whofe Story, and That of the Whole Church of God, this Poem fets before us; that is, Thefe things are of the Utmoft Importance, Such Importance as that what all the World calls Great are Comparatively Trifles, and Known to be So upon the leaft Serious Reflection. Without a Solid Establishment of Mind in Thefe Sublime

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Truths,

Truths, All Comprehended in a Just Idea of God, (So far as we are Enabled to Conceive of Him, and He has Sufficiently Reveal'd Himself to Us for That Purpose, More we Need not) whatever Happiness Any One may Seem to Enjoy, 'tis a Cheat, Precarious, and Will Fail, when the Mind is it Self, when Awaken'd by its Own Vigour, or by Some Adventitious Circumftance: Whereas Whoever Profits, as he May, by This Poem will, as Adam in the Garden, Enjoy the Pleasures of Senfe to the Utmoft, with Temperance, and Purity of Heart, the Trueft and Fulleft Enjoyment of them; and will Moreover perceive his Happiness is Eftablish'd upon a Better Foundation than That of his Own Impeccability, and Thus poffefs a Paradife Within Far more Happy than that of Eden.

O Milton thou haft employ'd all thy Vast Treasure of Wit, Learning and Ability, all the Beauty, Energy, and Propriety of Words Our Language was Capable of, all the Sweetnefs and Harmony of Numbers thy Mufical and Judicious Ear furnifh'd thee with, All the Fire and Beauty and Sublimity of Imagination Peculiar to thy Self, Added to what could be Supply'd by Thofe who have most Excell'd in That Angelical Faculty, in whatever Ages or Languages, All the Firmness,Force and Dignity of Mind thy Vertue and Piety Excited in thee, or Rewarded thee with; and together with. All Thefe a Genius Per

fectly

fectly Poetical, if Ever Any Man's was, and That Regulated by a moft Solid Judgment. All Thefe thou haft Confecrated to Produce a Poem, more Inftrumental than any Other Human Compofition, to Calm and Purify the Mind, and through the Delightful Regions of Poetry, to Exalt and Fix it to the Mysteries, Sublimities and Practice of Religion; to a State of Tranquility and Happiness, the Utmoft Mortality is Capable of,

it will be Expected Somthing should be faid Concerning our NOTES and REMARKS; and indeed 'tis Neceffary for our Own Sakes,, as well as the Reader's.

No Book was ever Written but 'twas Confin'd as its Language Happen'd to be. Homer, for Example, wrote Only to Those who understood Greek; a Tranflation of Him, though by Pope Himself, cannot be but as a Print, or at most a Copy in Colours of Another Sort, after One of the Cartons of Rafaelle; the Thoughts may be seen in a great degree, and perhaps Improvements in Some Instances, but ftill 'tis not the Same Beauty, 'tis not the Same Aires of Heads, Tinct of Colouring, &c.

'till Paradife Loft was written, the Best Poems in the World that We know of were given but to Jews, Greeks, Romans, and Italians; Milton has Prefented Us, He has Honour'd Our Language with One Worthy to be rank'd among them; but He has not However given Paradife Loft to All who understand English Sufficiently for the Common Purposes of Life 'till it be Explain'd and Remark'd upon in the Vulgar Tongue; and Then it may be much better known to an Englishman than a Greek, Latin, or Italian Poem can be by the Beft Tranflation.

though after all, Every Book is Obscure to Him who brings not with Him good Senfe,

Candour,

Candour, Modefty and Application, which are the Same in All Languages; and if a Poem is to be Read They will beft Understand it, whether in the Original, or Tranflated or Explain'd and Remark'd upon, who have Most of the Poetical Genius by which it was Wrote, and which Those may be poffefs'd of who have not, or are not Known to have Attempted to build the Lofty Rhyme.

Learning is Unquestionably Neceffary to a Thorough Understanding of Milton: but is That Sufficient? As Unquestionably No. 'tis Here as in the Cafe of being a Connoiffeur in Painting; Seeing the Fineft Works in Italy, is a Very Proper Qualification, but With That a Man must have Several Others, or he may be Very Ridiculous, Pretending to Underftand a Picture. I will go on to fay, that the Knowledge of Books in a Certain View, or Learning in a Certain Branch of it, though Useful in Some Refpects, may in Others be not only Ufelefs, but a Hindrance, but may lead us Out of the Way; and Particularly as 'tis too Apt to Occafion a Self-Sufficiency and Arrogance upon Account of What is Quite Befide the Purpofe in Hand; and where Another Kind of Reading, or perhaps Only Good Senfe is Requifite; as This Laft is Always without Comparifon Preferable to All the Learning of the World, how Pertinent Soever. in our Judgments of Men, as well as when We Apply to Theirs as Guides, Thefe Obfervations are Evermore to be Carefully

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