The Spectator, No. 90-505

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1721 edition. Excerpt: ...criminal exploits, and--their Discourse in founding the unfathomable depths of fate, free-will, and fore-knowledge. ' ' The several circumstances in the description of Hell are finely imagined; as the four rivers which disgorge themselves into the sea of fire, the ex treams of cold and heat, and the river of oblivion. The monstrous animals produced in that infernal world are represented by a singlev line, urhich gives us a more horrid Idea of them, than a much-longer description would have done. Nature This Episode of the fallen Spirits, and their place of habitation, comes in very happily to unbend the mind of the Reader from its attention to the debate. An ordinary Poet would indeed have spun out so many circumstances to a great length, and by that means have weakned, instead of illustrated, the principal Fable. The flight of Satan to the gates of hell is finely imagined. I have already declared my opinion of the Allegory concerning Sin and Death, which is however a very finished Piece in its kind, when it is not considered as a part of an Epic Poem. The Genealogy of the several persons is contrived with great delicacy. Sin is the daughter of Satan, and Death the off-spring of Sin. The incestuous mixture betweensi Sin and Death produces those Monsters and Hell-hounds which from time to time enter into their Mother, and tear the bowels of her who gave them birth. These are the Terrors of an evil Conscience, and the proper fruits of Sin, which naturally rise from the apprehensions of Death. This last beautiful Moral is, I think, clearly intimated in the speech of Sin, where complaining of this her dreadful Issue, she adds, I need not mention to the Reader thessbeautiful Circumstance in the last part of this quotation. He will likewise...