Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-05-15
: From the Analectic Magazine.
REMARKS
On Addison's Criticism of the Seventh
Pnl, nr poro,l;ro r oet
Book Of Paradise Lost.

4 g..
Looking over that delightful collection
of essays, The Spectator, Of which those
lot Addison make by far the best part--I
.psrtieuiarly noticed in the 5S9th number
his celebrated criticism upon the seventh
book Of Paradise Lost. Addison extols
In very ixh terms Milton's thought of the
Creator taxing his Golden compasses $ to
thi. uaiyerse and all Great
ed thugs and says g It is a. noble iu-
cident IN this wonderful description" p.
New. with. ali due difference to so great
csii.c, | think the thought a very poor
one. The Creator, who had only TO say.
. let the world be. anG the wos.d was is
represented almost irreverently, certain
ly most uawort!iily like 9 mechanic, TAX
ny pair Of cempassea TO circumscribe,
tie bounds of the universe. THIS thought,
which would do honor to Black,nore,~&
might make figure in Pare's ART of
Sinkinss, Is yet-merslE because Milton
wrote it. and Addison praised extoIi-
ed bv thousands, who are ready to pro-
neunee 1t wonderfully sublime.
/, But Addison tells us that this thought
IS /" altogether in Homeg's spirit"
grant il is npcb more ike heather 30
cts idea Of gods, than that which q Chris
tian ouGht 70 entertain Of the Great Gre /
ator. HeEler frequently represents ms
dsities engaging in contests with men. 81
not always successfully Even Mars is
once sent believing from the field Of bat /
RE, having been wounded bY tie spear OF
Dlomed. But how different are these
gods from that Almighty Being, to whose
qre&tness the highest human Imagination
cannot elevate Itself! Who SC beEeld. <
drove aspnderthe nations at whose pre- :
sence $. tie everlasting mountains were
scatterea.' What sublime idea is here
presented Of the Supreme Being, in com
garrison with fioiner'sMipsrva, with cher,
.speai," which would overturn whole
squadrons. and her helmet which was
sufficient to cover an army drawn cit Of
an hundred cities,n or even with Millions
notion Of the Creator taking pair O.
compssses, ard eenterng enc foot and
turning tue other round--to lay out the
world in exact circle. Row feeble are
these conceptions compared with the re-
presentation given Of the Eternal Spirit,
in the first book of Genesis-simple as
THAT appears, and unadorned By that mag
'nifcence Of LANGUAGE, with which Milton
has clothed his ideas. In the whole po-
EN- there is hardy greater beauty Of YER
sifeation than in the passage to which |
allude; and this charm imposes upon
many who mistake elegance of diction for
grandeur Of thought.
How many. while repeating the follow.
ing lines, VIII condemn my criticismP
:. Then STAYED the fervid wheels, and in
his hand
He took the golden cOmpasses, prepared
In Gods eternal store. to circumscribe
This universe. and all created things.
Ions foot he conferred, & the other turned
Round through the vast pfofundity OBJ
scure, @
And said, thus far extend, thus far thy
bounds,
This be thy just circumference, 0 world"
,Note-gt is a singular anecdote, not
generally known in this country, or In
England that the = Art Of Sinking"
Which has been attributed TO Swift, was
written by Pope. Agentleman of the
most pnquestionable yeracity assured the
writer of this, that he saw an affidavit of
pone,s which va,;6od fb;s fset