101 



As iiiay compare wth Heaven ; and to taste 



Think not, I shall be nice. So down they sat 



And to their viands fell, nor seemingly 



The Angel, nor in mist, the common gloss 



Of Theologians, but with keen despatch 



Of real hunger and concoctive heat 



To transubstantiate : what redounds, transpires 



Through Spirits with ease ; nor wonder, if by fire 



Of sooty coal the emi)iric alchemist 



Can turn, or holds it possible to turn 



Metals of drossiest ore to perfect gold." 

 The subject of "Paradise Lost" has been found to contain elements, 

 that make it in some degree intractable material for an epic poem. Let 

 us now examine, if this defect is perhaps compensated by an abundance of 

 other qualities, which may deserve the high praise bestowed upon it by 

 Mr. Hallam and other critics. This leads us to inquire, what are the 

 quahties of a subject matter, or to use a technical term, a, fable, which 

 are the most favourable for the successful exercise of the epic poet's 

 genius. The answer seems to be simple. The fable must abound in 

 opportunities for exhibiting the moral, intellectual and physical qualities 

 of men in their contact with one another, with nature and God in as 

 great a variety as possible, and in such situations, as will create the sym- 

 pathy of joy or sorrow in the reader's heart, and will tend to raise and 

 ennoble his sentiments. The persons introduced by the epic poet must 

 be varied to avoid monotony and dullness, they must be such, that we 

 can put ourselves in their places ; their actions, their trials, misfor- 

 tunes, or joys, must be akin to those which agitate our own hearts. 



How are these postulates complied with by the fable of " Paradise 

 Lost?" In the first place the agents are few in number, and this 

 necessarily sets a limit to great variety. The Deity is not prominent, 

 and perhaps too prominent, as it is. Then there are the angels, the 

 fallen spirits, Adam and Eve ; five characters to fill up a poem of such 

 length.-!' 



I anticipate and I shall answer the objection, that there are 

 many angels, acting different parts, and demons likewise. This is true 

 arithmetically, but not poetically. If we count up the seraphs and the 

 \arious spirits of hell, who are mentioned by name,t or take a part in 



* If wa reckon Sin, Daath, Chaos, anJ Night, we obtain a few mora actors ; but tliev are 

 extraneous to the progress of the action ; they are not dramalis persoiuv-, but symbolicid 

 decorations of the scenes. They will be spoken of below. 



+ The cataloguo of the second boolt has this defect, that it contains many names which arc 

 not furdier referred to in the story. Homer's catalogue (Iliad, II. Book,) enumerates the heroes 

 who really take a part in the war. But Milton's Satanic host only passes review in tlie 

 second book. Few of thom are even mentioned in the sixth; for the rest of the poem 

 they du not exist. Hallam's Lit. of ICiirope, IV. 5, 33. 



