IN defcribing the Sea-Fight of Actium, VIRGIL uses a very bold Metaphor, to express the great Bulk of the Ships.

Credas innare revulfas

Cycladas, aut montes concurrere montibus altos.

FROM this MILTON took the following Comparison, to represent the Combat of Michael and Satan.

-Such as (ta fet forth

Great Things by small) if NATURE's CONCORD broke,
Two Planets rushing from Aspect malign

of fierceft Oppofition in mid sky

Should COMBAT, and their jarring Spheres confound.

VIRGIL'S Comparison is vastly above his Subject, and MILTON'S Simile is infinitely beyond VIRGIL's; yet he fuggefts how much inferior it was to his Subject, and incapable to convey any fufficient Idea of it. So far does the Subject of Paradife Loft exceed that of the Eneid.

IF VIRGIL had been defcribing the Battle of Actium itself, this Metaphor, tho' bold, would have been not only allowable, but beautiful; but, as he was only describing the Representation of that Fight, as it was engraven on a Shield, the Metaphor appears highly improper and abfurd: For how

could

could we ever imagine the Figure of one of the Ships, perhaps not three Inches long, to be as large as a high Mountain, or one of the Cyclades Islands.

HESIOD, in his Theogony, describes Jupiter scattering his Lightning, and Briarius, &c. at the fame Time throwing Rocks and Mountains amongst the Titans; but with what greater Majefty does the MESSIAH appear in the Paradife Loft, ordering the faithful Angels to defift, commanding the up-rooted Hills to their Places, and folely destroying the rebellious Spirits, In his Right-Hand

Grafping ten Thousand Thunders, which he fent
Before him, fuch as in their Souls infixt

Plagues; they aftonish'd all Refiftance loft,

All Courage

In this pompous Defcription, I fuppose he had his Eye on the following Paffage of HOMER.

'ΑυτΘ δ' ἐξ ἴδής μεγάλ ̓ ἔκτυπε, δαίομενον δὲ
Ηκε σέλας μετὰ λαὸν ἀχαιῶν δι δὲ ἰδίντες
Θάμβησαν, καὶ πάντας ὑπὸ χλωρόν δέ ειλεν.
WHAT comes after,

Yet half his Strength he put not forth, but checkt
His Thunder in mid-volley, for he meant

Not to destroy, but root them out of Heaven?

seems to be an Imitation of OVID, where,

after

after a pompous Description of Jupiter in his Thunders defcending upon Semele, he adds,

Qua tamen ufque poteft, vires fibi demere tentat.
Nec quo Centimanum dejecerat igne Typhoea,
Nunc armatur eo:

THE Thought here, in both these Authors, is much the fame; but if we confider the Occafion, MILTON'S is, by far, the fublimeft. OVID, in all Probability, would have been uncapable of it, had he had the Battle of the Angels, or the Rebellion of the Giants for his Subject.

RAPHAEL diffwades Adam from vain Enquiries into the Motions of the heavenly Bodies, in the same Manner as HORACE does Mecanas, from ufelefs Fears about future Events, both which render us ridicu lous in the Sight of the Deity,

-The reft

From Mar or Angel, the great Architect
DID WISELY to conceal; or if they lift to try
Conjecture, he his Fabrick of the Heavens

Hath left to their Disputes, perhaps to move
HIS LAUGHTER at their quaint Opinions wide.

Prudens futuri temporis exitum

Calliginofa notte premit Deus;

Ridetque, fi mortalis ultra fas
Trepidat.

Ode 29. Lib 3.

Tala

Tale tuum carmen nobis, divine poeta,
Quale fopor feffis in gramine, quale per aftum
Dulcis aqua faliente fitim reftinguere rivo.
MILTON imitates this in the following,
And fweeter thy Difcourfe is to my Ear,
Than Fruits of Palm-tree (pleasanteft to Thirst
And Hunger both, from Labour) at the Hour
of fweet Repaft; they fatiate, and foon fill,
Tho' pleafant: But thy Words with Grace divine
Imbu'd, bring to their Sweetness no Satiety.·

THE fine Turn in the three laft Lines is entirely his own, and gives an exquifite Beauty to this Paffage above VIRGIL'S.

In the Beginning of the 9th Book, where he recounts thofe Subjects, which had been deem'd the only heroick, and as fuch, handled by those before him. He resembles VIRGIL, in his Introduction to the 3d Georgic, who gives a Kind of Lift of the Themes of his Cotemporaries. See also the Beginning of JUVENAL's first Satire.

THERE is a very remarkable Passage in the third Iliad, upon which Madam DACIER gives the following Note, according to the Translation of Mr. Pope.

Τοῖο ἄρα Τρώων ἡγήτορες ἦντ ̓ ἐπί πύργω.
Οἱ δ ̓ ὡς οὖν εἶδον Ελένην ἐπὶ πύργον ἰοῦσαν,
και προς αλλήλους ἔπεα πτερόεντ' αγόρευον

Οι νέμεσις, Τρώας καὶ ευκνήμιδας Αχαιούς

To

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Τοιῆ δ ̓ ἀμφὶ γυναικὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἀλγεα πάσχειν
Αἰνῶς ἀθανάτησε θεῖς εἰς ὦπα ἔοικεν.

̓Αλλὰ καὶ ὡς, τοίη περ ἐοῦσ ̓, εν νηυσὶ νεέσθω,
Μηδ' ἡμῖν τεκέεσσί τ ̓ ὀπίσσω πῆμα λίποιτο,

"THERE was never a greater Panegy"rick upon Beauty, than what HOMER has found the Art to give it in this Place. An Affembly of Venerable old Counsellors, "who had fuffered all the Calamities of a "tedious War, and were confulting upon

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the Methods to put a Conclufion to it, "feeing the only Cause of it approaching "towards them, are ftruck with her Charms,

and cry out, du véμeois, &c. Neverthe

lefs they afterward recollect themselves, "and conclude to part with her for the ἐς publick Safety. If HOMER had carried "these old Mens Admiration any further,

he had been guilty of outraging Nature, "and offending against Probability. The "Old are capable of being touch'd with

Beauty by the Eye; but Age fecures them "from the Tyranny of Paffion, and the "Effect is but tranfitory; for Prudence "foon regains its Dominion over them. "HOMER always goes as far as he fhould, but constantly stops juft where " he ought." DACIER.

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BUT