e things which in time were to
exist, act before they existed.

Thus a Painter may make a fine piece of Work, the fancy may be good, the
strokes masterly, and the beauty of the Workmanship inimitably curious
and fine, and yet have some unpardonable improprieties which marr the
whole Work. So the famous Painter of _Toledo_ painted the story of the
three Wisemen of the _East_ coming to worship, and bring their presents
to our Lord upon his birth at _Bethlehem_, where he represents them as
three _Arabian_ or _Indian_ Kings; two of them are white, and one black;
But unhappily when he drew the latter part of them kneeling, which to be
sure was done after their faces; their legs being necessarily a little
intermix'd, he made three black feet for the _Negroe_ King, and but
three white feet for the two white Kings, and yet never discover'd the
mistake till the piece was presented to the King, and hung up in the
great Church. As this is an unpardonable error in Sculpture or Limning,
it must be much more so in Poetry, where the Images must have no
improprieties, much less inconsistencies.

In a word, Mr. _Milton_ has indeed made a fine Poem, but it is _the
Devil of a History_. I can easily allow Mr. _Milton_ to make Hills and
Dales, flowry Meadows and Plains (and the like) in Heaven; and places of
Retreat and Contemplation in _Hell_; tho' I must add, that it can be
allowed to no Poet on Earth but Mr. _Milton_. Nay, I will allow Mr.
_Milton_, if you please, to set the _Angels_ a dancing in _Heaven_,
_lib._ v. _fo._ 138. and the _Devils_ a singing in Hell, _lib._ i. _fo._
44. tho' they are in short, especially the last, most horrid
Absurdities. But I cannot allow him to make their Musick in _Hell_ to be
harmonious and charming as he does; such Images being incongruous, and
indeed shocking to Nature. Neither can I think we should allow things to
be plac'd out of time in Poetry, any more than in History; 'tis a
confusion of Images which is allow'd to be disallow'd by all the
Criticks of what tribe or species soever in the world, and is indeed
unpardonable. But we shall find so many more of these things in Mr.
_Milton_, that really taking notice of them all, would carry me quite
out of my way, I being at this time not writing the History of Mr.
_Milton_, but of the _Devil_: besides, Mr. _Milton_ is such a
celebrated Man, that who but he that can write the History of the
_Devil_ dare meddle with him?

But to come back to the busines