ever.

She kept her eyes upon him for some moments after she grew speechless, and soon after closed them for In the moment of her departure, my friend, who had thus far commanded himself, gave a deep groan, and fell into a swoon by her bedside. The distraction of the children, who thought they saw both their parents expiring together, and now lying dead before them, would have melted the hardest heart; but they soon perceived their father recover, whom I helped to remove into another room, with a resolution to accompany him until the first pangs of his affliction were abated. I knew consolation would now be impertinent; and therefore contented myself to sit by him, and condole with him in silence. For I shall here use the method of an ancient author, who in one of his epistles, relating the virtues and death of Macrinus's wife, expresses himself thus: "I shall suspend my advice to this best of friends, until he is made capable of receiving it by those three great remedies, the necessity of submission, length of time, and satiety of grief 3."

In the mean time, I cannot but consider, with much commiseration, the melancholy state of one who has had such a part of himself torn from him, and which he misses in every circumstance of life. His condition is like that of one who has lately lost his right arm, and is every moment offering to help himself with it. He does not appear to himself the same per son in his house, at his table, in company, or in retirement; and loses the relish of all the pleasures and diversions that were before entertaining to him by her participation of them. The most agreeable objects recall the sorrow for her with whom he used to enjoy them. This additional satisfaction, from the

3 Necessitas ipsa, dies longa, et satietas doloris, PLINY.

taste of pleasures in the society of one we love, is admirably described by Milton, who represents Eve, though in Paradise itself, no further pleased with the beautiful objects around her, than as she sees them in company with Adam, in that passage so inexpressibly charming+:

With thee conversing, I forget all time;

All seasons, and their change; all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet
With charms of earliest birds; pleasant the sun,
When first on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower,
Glistering with dew; fragrant the fertile earth
After soft showers; and sweet the coming on
Of grateful evening mild; the silent night,
With this her solemn bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heaven, her starry train.
But neither breath of morn when she ascends
With charm of earliest birds; nor rising sun
On this delightful land, nor herb, fruit, flower,
Glistering with dew; nor fragrance after showers;
Nor grateful evening mild; nor silent night,
With this her solemn bird, nor walk by moon,
Or glittering star-light, without thee is sweet.'

The variety of images in this passage is infinitely pleasing, and the recapitulation of each particular image, with a little varying of the expression, makes one of the finest turns of words that I have ever seen: which I rather mention, because Mr. Dryden has said, in his preface to Juvenal, that he could meet with no turn of words in Milton.

It may be further observed, that though the sweetness of these verses has something in it of a pastoral, yet it excels the ordinary kind, as much as the scene

4 Paradise Lost, book iv. ver. 639, & seqq.

of it is above an ordinary field or meadow. I might here, since I am accidentally led into this subject, shew several passages in Milton that have as excellent turns of this nature as any of our English poets whatsoever; but shall only mention that which follows, in which he describes the fallen angels engaged in the intricate disputes of predestination, free-will, and fore-knowledge; and, to humour the perplexity, makes a kind of labyrinth in the very words that describe it.

Others apart sat on a hill retir'd,

In thoughts more elevate, and reason'd high
Of providence, fore-knowledge, will, and fate,
Fix'd fate, free-will, fore-knowledge absolute,
And found no end, in wandering mazes lost 5.'
ADDISON AND STEELE.

INDEX.

ACTEON his manner of life.......

Action, a very necessary qualification in an orator.....
applauded in dean Atterbury.....
neglected by English clergymen...

Actors censured for adding words of their own in their
parts....

Advice to young married people..........

Affectation of vice and imperfections censured.
Affection, paternal, described....

Affections, how governed......

Afterwit, Solomon, his observation on the town..........
Alexander the Great, a memorable saying of his........
Allegory of Virtue and Pleasure making court to Her-
cules......

104.

..... 77

...95, 112

Atterbury, dean, his eloquent manner of preaching.... 66
Attornies solve difficulties by increasing them......

108

Anne, queen, eulogiums on her government..
Arria, the wife of Pætus, manner of her death...
Atheist, behaviour of one in a storm

BACON, Sir Francis, his opinion of poetry.
Battle-critics, what

Battle near Mons, account of it

.............

.......

Beauty, how long it ought to be the chief concern of

the fair sex

Bennet, Madam, her maxim for the ladies......
Betterton, Mr. applauded in the part of Hamlet......
Bickerstaff, Mr. account of his ancestors.......

of his sister Jenny's marriage 79

advice to his sister on her wedding day 79
caught writing nonsense...........

contents of his scrutoir...............................................
design to marry him.........

epitome of his life.....