106 



an imitation. It stands in this respect on a level with Virgil's "Aeneid." 

 In both, we miss the vigour of originality, which imparts peculiar charms 

 to Dante and to the Niebelungen. 



The poet begins iu the middle of his story, and brings up the begin- 

 ning in the form of a narrative by one of the acting persons. The 

 prophetic revelations of the fate of the human race, made by Michael to 

 Adam, are framed after the visions which Odysseus and Aeneas are 

 represented to have seen in the nether world. The prominence given 

 to material battles is quite in the spirit and after the model of the an- 

 tique, especially the "Iliad." There is little variety in respect of design. 

 Once adopting the Greek style of Architecture, we have little choice 

 and freedom. All the outlines and proportions of our structure are 

 given with the fixedness almost of a natural law ; we have only to 

 accommodate it to our site, and we may indulge in a few slight modifi- 

 cations of detail. The general plan will not admit of much iimovation. 

 No modern architect has ever shown originality in the Greek style of 

 ecclesiastical architecture, except where he has been led astray to the 

 barbarous hybridism of a style half gothic, half Greek, vainly attempt- 

 ing to be original by combining incongruous elements. I have 

 therefore, very little to say on this subject. It is true, the design of 

 "Paradise Lost" is not original, but it is a successful reproduction of 

 the chaste style of the unrivalled Ionic model. 



Intimately connected with the enquiry into the design, is that into 

 the management of detail and embellishments. This is for the parts, 

 what the design is for the whole. And as in architecture the decorations 

 and the arrangement of parts grow out of and are intimately connected 

 with the general plan : so the plan of an epic poem is intimately con- 

 nected with and essentially qualified by the tone and spirit with which 

 persons and circumstances, events and actions, sentiments and natural 

 agents are described. The imagery, allusions, illustrations, the whole 

 poetical apparatus are of such importance, that their selection very 

 much qualifies the judgment which is to be passed on the design, and 

 on the whole poem. It seems sometimes part of the design, and 

 inseparable from it, or hardly distinguishable, and thei-efore our inquiiy 

 into this part of " Paradise Lost" may be looked upon by those who Mke, 

 as affecting the design. 



It is a natural rule of Architecture, that the detail and the decoration 

 of a building, should be in the character of the style. We have com- 

 pared the design of the " Paradise Lost" to that of a Greek temple. 

 But it is not sacred to a Greek deity ; it is like a christian church con- 

 ceived in, and devoted to the spirit of our sacred books. Then what 



