Imatges de pàgina
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335. overpowered me, had I not refolved to fortify myfelf for the seasonable performances of thofe duties which I owed to my friend. As we were going I could not but reflect the character of that excellent woman, and upon the greatness of his grief for the lofs of one who has ever been the fupport to him under all other afflictions. How, thought I, will he be able to bear the hour of her death, that could not, when I was lately with him, fpeak of a fickness, which was then paft, without forrow. We were now got pretty far into Westminster, and arrived at my friend's houfe. At the door of it I met Favonius, not without a fecret fatisfaction to find he had been there. I had formerly conversed with him at his house; and as he abounds with that fort of virtue and knowledge which makes religion beautiful, and never leads the converfation into the violence and rage of party-difputes, I listened to him with great pleasure. Our difcourfe chanced to be upon the fubject of death, which he treated with fuch a ftrength of reafon, and greatnefs of Soul, that inftead of being terrible, it appeared to a mind rightly cultivated, altogether to be contemned, or rather to be defired. As I met him at the door, I faw in his face a certain glowing of grief and humanity, heightened with an air of fortitude and refolution, which, as I afterwards found, had fuch an irrefiftible force, as to fufpend the pains of the dying, and the lamentation of the nearest friends who attended her. I went up directly to the room where the lay, and was met at the entrance by my friend, who, not withstanding his thoughts had been compofed a little before, at the fight of me turned away his face and wept. The little family of children renewed the expreffions of their forrow according to their feveral ages and degrees of understanding. The eldeft Daughter was in tears, bufied in attendance upon her mother; others were kneeling about the bedfide: And what troubled me most was, to fee a little Roy, who was too young to know the reafon, weeping only becaufe his fifters did. The only one in the room who feemed refigned and comforted, was the dying perfon. At my approach to the bedfide, fhe told me, with a low broken

voice,

voice, this is kindly done-Take care of your friend do not go from him. She had before taken leave of her husband and children, in a manner proper for fo folemn a parting, and with a gracefulness peculiar to a woman of her character. My heart was torn in pieces to fee the Hufband, on one fide fuppreffing and keeping down the fwellings of his grief, for fear of dif turbing her in her laft moments; and the Wife even at that time concealing the pains the endured, for fear of increafing his affliction. She kept her eyes upon him for fome moments after he grew fpeechlefs, and foon after clofed them for ever. In the moment of her departure, my friend, who had thus far commanded himfelf, gave a deep groan, and fell into a fwoon by her bedfide. The diftraction of the children, who thought they faw both their parents expiring together, and now lying dead before them, would have melted the hardest heart; but they foon perceived their father recover, whom I helped to remove into another room, with a refolution to accompany him until the firft pangs of his affliction were abated. I knew confolation would now be impertinent; and therefore contented myself to fit by him, and condole with him in filence. For I fhall here ufe the method of an ancient Author, who in one of his Epiftles relating the virtues and death of Macrinus's wife, expreffes himself thus: " I fhall fufpend my ad"vice to this best of friends, until he is made capable "of receiving it by thofe three great remedies (Neceffitas ipfa, dies longa, & fatietas doloris) The neceffity "of fubmiffion, length of time, and fatiety of grief."

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In the mean time, I cannot but confider with much commiferation, the melancholy ftate of one who has had fuch a part of himself torn from him, and which he miffes in every circumftance of life. His condition is like that of one who has lately,loft his right arm, and is every moment offering to help himself with it. He does not appear to himself the fame perfon in his houfe, at his table, in company, or in retirement; and lofes the relish of all the pleafures and diverfions that were before entertaining to him by her, participation of them. The most agreeable objects recall the forrow for her

with whom he used to enjoy them. This additional fatisfaction, from the tafte of pleafures in the fociety of one we love, is admirably defcribed in Milton, who reprefents Eve, though in Paradise itself, no farther pleased with the beautiful objects around her, than as the fees them in company with Adam, in that paffage fo inexpreffibly charming.

With thee converfing, I forget all time,

All feafons, and their change; all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing sweet
With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the fun,
When firft on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit and flower,
Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth.
After foft fhow'rs, and fweet the coming on
Of grateful ev'ning mild; the filent night,
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heaven, her starry train.
But neither breath of morn when the afcends
With charm of earliest birds, nor rising fun
In this delightful land, nor herb, fruit, flower,
Glift'ring with dew, nor fragrant after fhowers,
Nor grateful ev'ning mild, nor filent night,
With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon,
Of glittring ftar-light, without thee is fweet.

The variety of images in this paffage is infinitely pleafing, and the recapitulation of each particular image, with a little varying of the expreffion, makes one of the fineft turns of words that I have ever feen: Which I rather mention, becaufe Mr. Dryden has faid in his preface to Juvenal, that he could meet with no turn of words in Milton.

It may be further obferved, that though the fweetnefs of these verfes has fomething in it of a paftoral, yet it excels, the ordinary kind, as much as the fcene of it is above an ordinary field or meadow. I might here, fince I am accidentally led into this fubject, fhew feveral paffages in Milton that have as excellent turns of this nature, as any of our English Poets whatsoever; but shall

only

only mention that which follows, in which he defcribes the fallen angels engaged in the intricate difputes of predeftination, free-will, and fore-knowledge; and to humour the perplexity, makes a kind of labyrinth fa the very words that defcribe it.

Others apart fate on a hill retir'd,

In thoughts more elevate, and reafon'd high
Of providence, fore-knowledge, will, and fate,
Fix'd fate, free-will, fore-knowledge abfolute,
And found no end in wand'ring mazes loft.

INDEX

IN DE ND EX

TO THE

SECOND VOLUME.

A

A.

Action, a very neceffary qualification in an órator, 86. Neglected by English clergymen, 87. Applauded in Dean Atterbury, ibid.

Actors cenfured for adding words of their own in their parts, 216.

Advice to young married people, 288.

Affectation of vice and imperfections cenfured, 151.
Affection, paternal, defcribed, 241, 242-324.
Affections, how governed, 18.

After-wit, Solomon, his obfervation on the town, 186.
Alexander the Great, a memorable faying of his, 229.
Allegory of virtue and pleasure making court to Hercules,
252.

Anne, Queen, eulogiums on her government, 221.
Arria, the wife of Pætus, manner of her death, 186.
Atheist, behaviour of one in a form, 321.

Atterbury, Dean, his eloquent manner of preaching, 187.

Attornies, folve difficulties by increasing them, 261.

B.

ACON, Sir Francis, his opinion of poetry, 307. Boufflers, Marshal, his letter to Lewis the XIVth after the battle of the Woods, 154. &

VOL. II.

Battic.

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