Of the Episodes
Of the Action, the Moral, and the artful and interefting manner in which it is deliver'd
Of his celestial Machinery
Of the Characters, which are justly conceived and well sustained
Of the Hero, Turnus, Dido, Latinus, and Amatæ The Character of Lavinia, her Blush beautifully drawn 279 Of Evander----His noble Simplicity of Manners, his Piety, Generofity, and Friendship, contrafted with the impious, abandon'd, and cruel Difpofition of Mezentius ibid. The Characters of Anchifes, Sinon, Drances, Camilla, Nifus and Euryalus
ibid.
Painting
Comparison between Homer and Virgil
Virgil's Defcription of Alecto, fublime and spirited Defcription of the Storm raised by Æolus The form appeafed by Neptune The deftruction of Troy compar'd to the fall of a Mountain Afh 285
Eneas in his rattling Armour preffing forward to engage Turnus, compared to Mount Appenine fhaking the frozen Foreft on its Sides
ibid.
286
Their combat compared to the battle of two Bulls The Indignant Speech of Numanus, who is flain by young Afcanius
ibid.
Virgil appears to most advantage in his Scenes of Distress, many of which are amazingly pathetic
289
His account of the burning of Troy, and of the
warning ibid.
Eneas received from Hector's Ghoit
The Paffion and Diftrefs of Dido on this Occafion, most pathetically represented ibid. The manner in which She procured her own funeral Pile to be erected 304
A beautiful Defcription of the Stilnefs of the Night con- trafted with the agonizing Pains of the unhappy Dido 305 The Propriety of Virgil's Defcriptions, which are not thrown in to fhew his Power in Painting; but which tend to heighten some Paffion, and forward the Business of the Poem ibid.
The affecting Soliloquy of Dido at Midnight
305
The extreme Agonies, Despair and Madness of Dido on feeing from Watch-tower at break of Day the Trojan Fleet under fail
307
310
The advantage which Poetry has over History The diftrefs'd Situation of Dido's Sifter pathetically ex-
31X
prefs'd
Pains taken to defend Virgil, where he needs no defence314 Of Nifus and Euryalus, Reflections on their Behaviour 316 Of Milton's Paradife Loft
318
Plan or Fable of the Poem
319
ac-
326
The Defcription of Hell Gates, and the preparation for the Combat between Satan and Death
ibid.
The most magnificent Ideas raised by Milton, are panied with Terror
Sin unlocking the Gates of Hell Defcription of the Lazar Houfe
In fome Places we have the Sublime without Terror Description of the Angel Raphael
Defcriptions of the Morning and Night Of the Excellency of this Poem
Of the Objections made to the Fable of this Poem Of the Digreffions in Paradife Loft
The Clofe of this Poem more perfect than either the Iliad or Eneid
Of the Characters
Of his Defcription of the Almighty and of the Angels ibid. Defcription of the Prowess and Perfon of Satan His Situation after he was expelled Heaven Defcription of his Stature, his Shield and Spear
Of his Voice
337
Defcription of his Standard
ibid.
ibid.
Of the rifing of the Affembly of Infernal Spirits The Behaviour of the Spirits after Satan had roused and harangued them
338
ibid.
The fudden rife of the Pandemonium Of the Shapes Satan affumes to deceive Adam and Eve ibid. Defcription of the Serpent The Disposition and Remorse of Satan
ibid.
Sheds Tears at the fight of thofe he had involved inMifery ib. His Reflections on the fight of Adam and Eve ibid. His addrefs to the Sun, feafon'd with Remorfe and Self- Accufation 340 The Character of the Meffiah, his Power and Justice, tem- pered with Love and Mercy Terrible to his Enemies only Defcription of his Works of Creation
342
His Afcent into Heaven after the World was created 343 The Allegory of Sin and Death extremely poetical, but not much to the advantage of his work ibid.
The Sentiments admirably adapted to the Characters 344 Sublimity of Sentiments, Milton's chief Excellence ibid. The Paffion of Love in a ftate of Purity, beautifully re- prefented in the Characters of Adam and Eve.--See their Sentiments under the Chapters of the Beauty of Thought and Style of Poetry Some Defects pointed out The Language raised and fupported with wonderful Art ibid. The Difficulties he had to encounter with respect to the ibid.
ibid.
345
Diction
The Method he took to enrich his Style and render his Numbers various and harmonious
346 347
Some Defects in his Diction pointed out Of the Spirits contracting their Stature, so as to find room in the Pandemonium
ibid:
348
349
ibid.
The Difpute on that Subject stated
Of the Difficulty of writing a modern Epic Poem Of Taffo's Jerufalem delivered
The Portion of History on which this Poem is founded ib. Of the Author and his Poem
The amorous Song fung by Armida's Parrot Of FENELON's Adventures of Telemachus
Of the Characters
Of the Sentiments
Inftance of a crude Conception
ibid.
The Images he gives us of Armida, and her Behaviour while Rinaldo hews down the Myrtle, is great Of the Language Some Abfurdities in the Characters and Conduct of the
354
Poem
ibid.
This Work poetical, tho' written in Profe That Profe ought to be confider'd in opposition to Verfe, and not in oppofition to Poetry ibid.
That Poetry does not wholly confift in the Number and Cadence of Syllables, but in a fpirited Fiction, bold and noble Figures, and a Variety of beautiful and just Images ibid. In the English Language the Harmony and Beauty of Verse
- D...f
and
nocul
If there is no Poetry without Verfe, there can be none in the English Version of the Pfalms of David, the Book of Job, the Song of Solomon, or in any part of the Old Teftament ibid. The beautiful Simplicity of Fenelon's Style has, perhaps, degraded him in the eyes of the injudicious, tho' he is admir'd for it by the best Judges ibid.
Some Defects and Beauties pointed out
359
The Scheme of Minerva's affuming the form of Mentor, taken from the History of Tobias
ibid.
Of Voltaire's Henriade
ibid.
The Portion of History on which this Poem is founded ibid. The Characters agreeably diverfified and well fupported 363 The Thoughts, Style and Numbers elegant and graceful, and often noble and fublime
Some Defects in the Fable
The Machinery extravagant
The Hero's changing his Religion, absurd His other Works admirable
Of Mr. Glover's Leonidas
365
The Portion of History on which this Poem is founded ib. The Poem excellently calculated to infpire the Reader with
the Love of Liberty, public Virtue, and Patriotiẩm 369 Tho' theFable is taken from an ancient GrecianStory which would have admitted of coeleftial Machinery, the Author has prudently avoided that kind of Ornament ibid. The Heroes of Homer and Virgil leffen'd by their Ma- chinery ibid. No judging which was the greateft Hero, Hector or Achilles, without eftimating the Aid each received from the Deities
ibid.
The Abfurdity not removed, by giving thofe Paffages an al- legorical turn, for many of them will not admit of either moral or phyfical Explication
370
The Beauty and Propriety of his Fictions, Incidents, and Epifodes
ibid.
Of the Fable
371
The clofe of this Poem, as well as that of the Iliad and Eneid, feemingly deficient ibid.
The Characters well fustained, and fome of them finely contrafted
ibid.
Of the Character of Leonidas
372
His Addrefs to the Spartans, on receiving the Anfwer from the Oracle
ibid.
373
His Reply to the Perfian Ambassador The affecting manner in which he takes Leave of his Wife and Children
ibid.
Of the Character of Xerxes
375
The Poet has more exalted his Heroes the Greeks, by aking fame of the PorGan I enders valiant and amiable
Of the Character of Teribazus
Leffen'd by the manner of his Death 'The Adventure of Ariane to the Grecian Camp Her Conference with Leonidas
378
Lamentation over the Body of Teribazus, and her Death 380 The Sentiments of the Poem are confiftent with the Charac- ters, always proper, and often noble and fublime 381 The Language is for the most part elegant, expreffive, and agreeably elevated The Numbers are in fome Places diffonant, and inharmo- nious
ibid.
Reflections on Shakespeare
His Volumes a Repofitory of true Wit, and of the fublimest Beauties in Compofition ibid. His Numbers as harmonious as thofe of any modern Poet ibid. His Diction fo elegant and expreffive, that he seems to have been confidered as a Standard, and to have fixed the volatile Fluctuations of a living Language, to which the frequent Representation of his Plays has not a little con- tributed ibid.
The Power he has over the Mind is not wholly owing to the Force of his Wit and Fancy; but to his having in greater Proportion than other Men that Power of Feeling or Sen- fibility refulting from Nature and accurate Obfervation, which we call good Taste ibid. As he confulted Nature more than Books, his Thoughts are, for the most part, new and noble, whereas other Drama- tic Poets of his Time, by having ancient Authors too much in View, loft the Spirit of Originality
ibid.
382 An Apology for the Defects in Shakespeare The Character of a Book not to be estimated by the num- ber of its Defects, but of its Beauties ibid. Reading compared to Converfation----He who frequents Company to obferve only abfurd and vicious Characters will obtain little Benefit; but he who obferves and imi- tates the Polite, may become a Fine Gentleman ibid.
ERRATA TO VOL. I.
1. 12.
for
Page 41, Line 7. dele We come now to. P. 49, that read which. P. 53, 1. 39. for Poctry r. Poetry. P. 84, in the Note, for Tibia r. Tibi. P. 85, l. 15. for where r. were, P. 168, l. 10. dele in. P. 174, 1. 12. for affimulated read affembled. P. 175, l. 13. for ever r. over. Ibid. Line 37, for white Afb, read wild Ash. P. 189, 1. 36. for Hair read Hare. P. 205, 1. 10. for Paise read Praise. P. 214, 1. 19. dele vinner. P. 216, 1. 21. for male read meal. P. 250, line the laft, for barborous read barbarous.
ERRATA TO OL. II.
Page 19, Line 2. for lays read lies. P. 96, 1. 2, of the Note, for Operation read Oppreffion. P. 204, 1. 16. for Wreck read
teak. P. 341, l. 14. for Obhorance read Abhorrence.
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