Outrageous as a Sea, dark, wafteful, wild;
Up from the bottom turn'd by furious Winds
And furging Waves, as Mountains to affault
Heav'n's height, and with the Centre mix the Pole.
Silence, ye troubled Waves and thou Deep, Peace!
Said then th' Omnific Word, your Difcord end:
Nor faid; but on the Wings of Cherubim
Up-lifted, in Paternal Glory rode

Far into Chaos, and the World unborn ;

For Chaos heard his Voice.

Him all his Train

Follow'd in bright Proceffion, to behold
Creation, and the Wonders of his Might.
Then flaid the fervid Wheels, and in his Hand
He took the Golden Compaffes, prepar'd
In God's eternal Store to circumfcribe
This Univerfe, and all created Things:
One Foot he center'd, and the other turn'd
Round, through the vaft Profundity obfcure;
And faid, Thus far extend, thus far thy bounds,
This be thy juft Circumference, O World!

THE Thought of the Golden Compaffes is conceived altogether in Homer's Spirit, and is a very noble Incident in this wonderful Defcription. Homer, when he speaks of the Gods, afcribes to them feveral Arms and Inftruments with the fame Greatness of Imagination. Let the Reader only perufe the Description of Minerva's Egis, or Buckler, in the fifth Book with her Spear, which would overturn whole Squadrons, and her Helmet, that was fufficient to cover an Army drawn out of an hundred Cities : The Golden Compaffes in the above-mentioned Paffage appear a very natural Inftrument in the Hand of him, whom Plato fomewhere calls the Divine Geometrician. As Poetry delights in clothing abstracted Ideas in Allegories and fenfible Images, we find a magnificent Description of the Creation form'd after the fame manner in one of the Prophets, wherein he describes the Almighty Architect as measuring the Waters in the Hollow of his Hand, meting out the Heavens with his Span, comprehending the Dust of the Earth in a Meafure, weighing the Mountains in Scales, and the Hills in a Balance. Another of them defcribing the fupreme Being in this greatWork of Creation, represents

D 4

him

him as laying the Foundations of the Earth, and stretching a Line upon it. And in another place as garnishing the Heavens, ftretching out the North over the empty Place, and hanging the Earth upon nothing. This last noble Thought Milton has exprefs'd in the following Verfe:

And Earth felf-balanc'd on her Centre bung.

THE Beauties of Defcription in this Book lie fo very thick, that it is impoffible to enumerate them in this Paper. The Poet has employ'd on them the whole Energy of our Tongue. The feveral great Scenes of the Creation rife up to view one after another, in fuch a manner, that the Reader feems prefent at this wonderful Work, and to assist among the Choirs of Angels, who are the Spectators of How glorious is the Conclufion of the first Day!

it.

Thus was the firft Day Ev'n and Morn :

Nor paft uncelebrated nor unfung

By the Celestial Quires, when Orient Light
Exhaling firft from Darkness they beheld;

Birth-day of Heav'n and Earth! with Foy and Shout
The bollow univerfal Orb they fill'd.

WE have the fame Elevation of Thought in the third Day, when the Mountains were brought forth, and the Deep was made.

Immediately the Mountains huge appear

Emergent, and their broad bare Backs up-heave
Into the Clouds, their Tops afcend the Sky:
So high as heav'd the tumid Hills, fo low
Down funk a hollow Bottom broad and deep,
Capacious Bed of Waters

WE have alfo the rifing of the whole vegetable World defcribed in this Day's Work which is filled with all the Graces that other Poets have lavifhed on their Defcription of the Spring, and leads the Reader's Imagination into a Theatre equally furprifing and beautiful.

THE feveral Glories of the Heavens make their Appearance on the fourth Day.

Firft in his Eaft the glorious Lamp was seen,
Regent of Day; and all th' Horizon round
Invefted with bright Rays, jocund to run

His Longitude through Heav'n's high Road: the gray
Dawn, and the Pleiades before him danced,
Shedding fweet Influence: Lefs bright the Moon,
But oppofite in levelled Weft was fet,

His Mirror, with full Face borrowing her Light,
From him, for other Lights fhe needed none
In that afpect, and fill that Distance keeps
Till Night; then in the East her turn the shines,
Revolv'd on Heav'n's great Axle, and ber Reign
With thousand leffer Lights dividual holds,
With thousand thoufand Stars! that then appear'd
Spangling the Hemisphere

ONE would wonder how the Poet could be fo concife in his Defcription of the fix Days Works, as to com. prehend them within the Bounds of an Epifode, and at the fame time fo particular, as to give us a lively Idea of them. This is ftill more remarkable in his Account of the fifth and fixth Days, in which he has drawn out to our View the whole Animal Creation, from the Reptile to the Behemoth. As the Lion and the Leviathan are two of the nobleft Productions in the World of living Creatures, the Reader will find a moft exquifite Spirit of Poetry in the Account which our Author gives us of them. The fixth Day concludes with the Formation of Man, upon which the Angel takes occafion, as he did after the Battle in Heaven, to remind Adam of his Obedience, which was the principal Defign of this his Vifit.

THE Poet afterwards reprefents the Meffiah returning into Heaven, and taking a Survey of his great Work.. There is fomething inexpreffibly fublime in this Part of the Poem, where the Author defcribes that great Period of Time, filled with fo many glorious Circumftances; when the Heavens and Earth were finished; when the Meffiah afcended up in triumph thro' the everlasting Gates; when he looked down with Pleasure upon his new Creation `;, when every Part of Nature feemed to rejoice in its Exiftence; when the Morning-Stars fang together, and all the Sons of God fhouted for Joy.

So Ev'n and Morn accomplish'd the fixth Day:
Yet not till the Creator from his Work
Defifting, tho' unwearied, up return'd,

Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns, his high Abode;
Thence to behold this new-created World,
Th' Addition of his Empire, how it fhew'd
In profpect from his Throne, how good, how fair,
Anfwering his great Idea: Up he rode,
Follow'd with Acclamation, and the Sound
Symphonious of ten thousand Harps, that tuned
Angelick Harmonies; the Earth, the Air
Refounding (thou remember'ft, for thou heard)
The Heavens and all the Conftellations rung,
The Planets in their Station liftning flood,
While the bright Pomp afcended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting Gates, they fung,
Open, ye Heav'ns, your living Doors; let in
The great Creator from his Work return'd
Magnificent, his fix Days Work, a World!

I cannot conclude this Book upon the Creation, without mentioning a Poem which has lately appeared under that Title. The Work was undertaken with fo good an Intention, and is executed with fo great a Mastery, that it deferves to be looked upon as one of the moft useful and noble Productions in our English Verfe. The Reader cannot but be pleafed to find the Depths of Philosophy. enlivened with all the Charms of Poetry, and to fee fo great a Strength of Reason, amidst fo beautiful a Redundancy of the Imagination. The Author has fhewn us that Defign in all the Works of Nature, which neceffarily leads us to the Knowledge of its first Caufe. In fhort, he has illuftrated, by numberlefs and incontetable Inftances, that Divine Wisdom, which the Son of Sirach has fo nobly afcribed to the Supreme Being in his Formation of the World, when he tells us, that He created her, and faw her, and numbered her, and poured her out upon all his Works.

T

Monday,

N° 340. Monday, March 31.

Quis novus hic noftris fucceffit fedibus Hofpes?
Quem fefe Ore ferens! quàm forti Pettore & Armis!
Virg.

TAKE it to be the higheft Inftance of a noble Mind, to bear great Qualities without discovering in a Man's Behaviour any Confcioufnefs that he is fuperior to the rest of the World. Or, to fay it otherwise, it is the Duty of a great Perfon fo to demean himself, as that whatever Endowments he may have, he may appear to value himself upon no Qualities but fuch as any Man may arrive at: He ought to think no Man valuable but for his publick Spirit, Juftice, and Integrity; and all other Endowments to be efteemed only as they contribute to the exerting those Virtues. Such a Man, if he is Wife or Valiant, knows it is of no Confideration to other Men that he is fo, but as he employs thofe high Talents for their Ufe and Service. He who affects the Applaufes and Addreffes of a Multitude, or affumes to himself a Pre-eminence upon any other Confideration, muft foon turn Admiration into Contempt. It is certain, that there can be no Merit in any Man who is not confcious of it; but the Senfe that it is valuable only according to the Application of it, makes that Superiority amiable, which would otherwife be invidious. In this Light it is confidered as a Thing in which every Man bears a Share It annexes the Ideas of Dignity, Power, and Fame, in an agreeable and familiar manner, to him who is Poffeffor of it; and all Men who are Strangers to him are naturally incited to indulge a Curiofity in beholding the Perfon, Behaviour, Feature, and Shape of him, in whofe Character, perhaps, each Man had formed fomething in common with himself, whether fuch, or any other, are the Causes, all Men have a yearning Curiofity to behold a Man of heroick Worth; and I have had many Letters from all Parts of this Kingdom, that re

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