106 A CRITIQUE ON PARADISE LOST. 



Besides depriving himself of the greatest mean of 

 poetry "Association" it is said that Milton cut himself 

 off from another .great mean " Intensification," as be 

 could not give an intensity to that which is naturally 

 too intense for our comprehension. 



In referring to " Paradise Lost " for proof of his 

 assertions, Mr. Barnes quotes numerous passages to 

 show that Milton degraded our ideas of the eternity 

 and omnipresence of the Deity by limiting Him to 

 time and place and that the very idea of causing 

 the Divinity to reason and to justify His actions is 

 inconsistent with the nature of Him who is absolute 

 reason and justice Himself. It is further argued that 

 Milton's description of scenes in Heaven and Hell 

 would, by the change of a few words, answer for deli- 

 neations of earthly scenes and that they are, per conse- 

 quence, failures ; such for instance arc the amusement? 

 of the angels, the assembling of the empyreal host, &c. 

 Mr. Barnes approaches closely to the remarks of 

 Dr. Johnson, in asserting (and quoting passages as 

 proofs) that many of Milton's descriptions would be 

 sublimely poetical if they were applied to material in- 

 stead of immaterial objects, such as Satan's voyage 

 through space, the description of Satan, commencing 

 " His form had not yet lost." &c. &c. 



Having gone thus far in pointing out the failures of 

 Milton, he says something on the other side of the 

 question and also states the reasons that led him to 

 adopt the course he determined on, which \\illbe found 

 in the following and concluding paragraphs of his cri- 

 tique. 



" Let not the lecturer then be misunderstood : he has venti 

 to state that Milton has failed in his attempt to treat of God and 

 Satan, Heaven and Hell poetically, but he at the same time 

 reverences the poetic power frequently displayed in this very fail- 

 ure. He believes Milton's mighty genius to have done what twin 

 could do but to have attempted more, and failed. Gladly 

 would he now revel in the contemplation of the magnificent de- 

 scription of man in innocence of all those parts that were within 

 the compass of the poet, and indeed of poetry, for with its limits 

 only did the range of Milton terminate." 



" I have been led to adopt the course I have, from what I be- 



