chanced to be upon the fubject of death, which he treated with fuch a ftrength of reafon, and greatnefs of foul, that, inftead of being terrible, it appeared to a mind rightly cultivated altoge ther 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, notwithstanding 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 eldest daughter was in tears, bufied in attendance upon her mother; others were kneeling about the bedfide; and what troubled me moft was, to fee a little boy, 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, This is kindly done-Take care of your friend do not go from him!' She had before taken leave of her hufband 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 husband on one fide fuppreffing and keeping down the swellings of his grief, for fear of disturbing her in her last 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 fhe grew fpeechlefs, and foon after closed them for ever. In the moment of her departure, my friend, who had thus far commanded himself, gave a deep groan, and fell into a fwoon by her bedfide. The distraction of the children, who thought they faw both their parents expiring together, and now lying dead before them, would have melted the hardeft heart; but they foon perceived their father recover, whom I helped to remove into another room, with a refolution to accompany him until the first 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 use the method of an antient author, who, in one of his epiftles, relating the virtues and death of Macrinus's wife, expreffes himfelf thus: I fhall fufpend my advice to this best of friends, until he is made capable of receiving it by thofe three great remedies, the neceffity of fubmiffion, length of time, and fatiety of grief".' 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 Neceffitas ipfa, dies longa, & fatietas doloris.' PLINY. one who has lately loft his right arm, and is every moment offering to help himself with it, He does not appear to himfelf the fame perfon in his house, at his table, in company, or in retirement; and lofes the relifh 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 pleasures in the fociety of one we love, is admirably defcribed by Milton, who reprefents Eve, though in Pa radise itself, no farther pleased with the beau tiful objects around her, than as fhe 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 earlieft birds; pleafant the fun, When firft on this delightful land he fpreads His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, Gliftering with dew; fragrant the fertile earth After foft fhowers; and fweet the coming on Of grateful evening mild; the filent night, With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon, And these the gems of heaven, her ftarry train. But neither breath of morn when the afcends With charm of earlieft birds; nor rifing fun On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower, Gliftering with dew; nor fragrance after showers; Nor grateful evening mild; nor filent night, With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon, Or glittering ftar-light, without thee is fweet.' The variety of images in this paffage is infinitely pleafing, and the recapitulation of each particular Paradife Loft, book iv. ver. 639. image, with a little varying of the expreffion, makes one of the finest turns of words that I have ever.feen: which I rather mention, because Mr. Dryden has faid, in his preface to Juvenal, that he could meet with no turn of words in Milton. r It may be farther obferved, that though the sweetness of these verfes has fomething in it of a paftoral, yet it excels the ordinary kind, as much as the scene 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 fhall only mention that which follows, in which he defcribes the fallen angels engaged in the intricate difputes of predeftination, freewill, and fore-knowledge; and, to humour the perplexity, makes a kind of labyrinth in the very words that defcribe it. r ⚫ Others apart fat on a hill retir'd, Dryden had not at this time grown into the celebrity which makes Mr. a redundancy. Milton had; and fo have now both Addison and Steele. Paradife Loft, book ii. ver. 557. **As Addifon was concerned in this paper, two paragraphs are fubjoined to the following number, pointing out feveral corrections, with additions to be made, which have been properly attended to, and inferted according to the directions, in the edition. What follows comes after the two paragraphs above-mentioned, in the original folio. N. B. The reader is defired not to pronounce any thing in any one of these writings nonfenfe, till the following paper comes out.' INDEX. ACTEON, his manner of life, N. 59. Action, a very neceffary qualification in an orator, N. 66. neglected by English clergymen, ibid. Actors cenfured for adding words of their own in their Advice to young married people, N. 104. Affectation of vice and imperfections cenfured, N. 77. Affections, how governed, N. 54. Afterwit, Solomon, his obfervation on the town, N. 83. Anne, queen, eulogiums on her government, N. 90. Atterbury, dean, his eloquent manner of preaching, N.66. BACON, fir Francis, his opinion of poetry, N. 108. Battle near Mons, account of it, N. 63 and 64. Bennet, madam, her maxim for the ladies, N. 84. of his fifter Jenny's marriage, N.79. advice to his fifter on her wedding day,ibid. caught writing nonfenfe, N. 59. contents of his fcrutoir, N. 78. defign to marry him, N. 91. epitome of his life, N. 89. |