The homage paid to his poetical genius is so univer sal, that we shall not distend our article with a critical dissertation on them. Addison made his own genera tion sensibly alive to the beauties of Paradise Lost, though there is reason to believe, that, even before the time of Addison, the great Epic was not so much ne glected as has been often alleged. Since the middle of the last century, the public attention has been more and more drawn to his minor poems, till it may be said to be row rivetted on them with almost unqualified extacy. Of Paradise Lost it has been justly remarked, that, in forming our estimate of the powers of mind possessed by different races of men, it raises our opinion of the strength and magnificence of the English imagination. It is a sublime work, that adorns our country more than " cloud-capt towers or gorgeous palaces." Even its imperfections seem to be unavoidable, and to have arisen out of its theological subject in a way., in which, with few exceptions, it is difficult to conceive how the author could have well avoided them. But taking the subject all in all, (we quote Mr. Campbell's Essay on English Poetry.) his powers could no where else have enjoyed the same scope. It was only from the height of this great argument that he could look back upon eter nity past, and forward upon eternity to come, that he could survey the abyss of infernal darkness, open visions of Paradise, ascend to heaven, " and breathe empyreal air." On the style of Milton, and on the most sublime
trait of excellency in his poem, namely, his delineation of the celestial and infernal angels, we beg to conclude with a quotation from the critical work already mention ed. " If we call diction the garb of thought, Milton in his style may be said to wear the costume of sovereign ty. The idioms of other languages contributed to adorn He was the most learned of poets, yet his learning interferes not with his substantial English purity. In delineating the blessed spirits, he has exhausted all the conceivable variety that could be given to pictures of unshaded canctity ; so that his excellence above every thing, ancient or modern, is conspicuous. Tasso had indeed pourtrayed an infernal council, and had given the hint to our poet of ascribing the origin of Pagan wor ship to those reprobate spirits. But how poor and squalid in comparison of the Miltooic pandemonium are the Soy ll. s, the Cyclopses, and the chimeras of the in fernal council of the Jerusalem. Tasso's conclave of fiends is a den of ugly incongruous monsters: " 0 come wane o come orribile forme," Esc. Esc.