THE VERSE. HE measure is English heroic verfe with TH out rime, as that of Homer in Greek, and Virgil in Latin; rime being no neceffary adjunct or true ornament of poem or good verse, in longer works especially, but the invention of a barbarous age, to set off wretched matter and lame meeter; grac't indeed fince by the use of some famous modern poets, carried away by custom, but much to their own vexation, hindrance,and constraint to exprefs many things otherwise, and for the most part worse than else they would have exprest them. Not without cause therefore fome both Italian and Spanish poets of prime note have rejected rime both in longer and fhorter works, as have alfo long fince our best English tragedies, as a thing of itself, to all judicious ears, trivial and of no true musical delight; which consists only in apt numbers, fit quantity of fyllables, and the sense variously drawn out from one verse into another, not in the jingling found of like endings, a fault avoided by the learn'd ancients both in poetry and all good oratory. This neglect then of rime so little is to be taken for a defect, though it may seem so perhaps to vulgar readers, that it rather is to be esteem'd an example fet, the first in English, of ancient liberty, recover'd to heroic poem from the troublesome and modern bondage of riming. THE ARGUMENTS. TE THE ARGUMENT OF THE FIRST BOOK. HE first book proposes first in brief the whole fubject, man's disobedience, and the lofs thereupon of Paradife wherein he was plac't: then touches the prime cause of his fall, the serpent, or rather satan in the serpent; who revolting from God, and drawing to his fide many legions of angels, was by the command of God driv'n out of heaven with all his crew into the great deep. which action past over, the poem hasts into the midst of things, presenting satan with his angels now fallen into hell, described here, not in the center (for heav'n and earth may be fuppos'd as yet not made, certainly not yet accurft) but in a place of utter darkness, fitliest call'd chaos: here satan with his angels lying on the burning lake, thunderstruck and astonisht, after a certain space recovers, as from confusion, calls up him who next in order and dignity lay by him ; they confer of their miserable fall. satan awakens all his legions, who lay till then in the fame manner confounded; they rife, their numbers, array of battel, their chief leaders nam'd, according to the idols known afterwards in canaan and the countries adjoining, to thefe satan directs his fpeech, comforts them with hopes yet of regaining heav'n, but tells them lastly of a new world, and new kind of creature to be created, according to an ancient prophefie, or report in heaven; for that angels were long before this visible creation, was the opinion of many ancient fathers. to find out the truth of this prophesie, and what to determine thereon he refers to a full council. what his affociates thence attempt. Pandaemonium the pal. lace of satan rises, suddenly built out of the deep: the infernal peers there fit in council. THE ARGUMENT OF THE SECOND BOOK. ΤΗ HE confultation begun, satan debates whether another battle be to be hazarded for the recovery of heaven: fome advise it, others diffuade: a third propofal is prefer'd, mention'd before by satan, to fearch the truth of that prophesie or tradition in heav'n concerning another world, and another kind of creature equal or not much inferiour to themselves, about this time to be created: their doubt who shall be fent on this difficult fearch: satan their chief undertakes alone the voyage, is honoured and applauded. The council thus ended, the reft betake them feveral ways and to several employments, as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time till satan return. He paffes on his journey to hell gates, finds them fhut,and who fat there to guard them,by whom at length they are opened, and difcover to him the great gulph between hell and heav'n; with what difficulty he passes through,directed by chaos,the power of that place, to the fight of this new world which he fought. THE ARGUMENT OF THE THIRD BOOK. OD fitting on his throne fees satan flying to GOD wards this world, then newly created; fhews him to the fon who sat at his right hand; foretells the fuccefs of satan in perverting mankind; clears |