_----Had not by ill chance The strong Rebuff of some tumultuous Cloud Instinct with Fire, and Nitre, hurry'd him As many miles aloft. That fury stay'd; Quench'd in a boggy Syrtis, neither Sea, Nor good dry Land: Nigh founder'd on he fares, Treading the crude Consistence----_ Thus again in the VIth Book. _Had to her Center shook. What wonder? when----_ _Had not th' Eternal King Omnipotent----_ _And limited their Might; tho' number'd such----_ These Verses disjointed from their Fellows make but an indifferent Figure: But read the following Passage and I believe you will acknowledge there is not one bad Verse in it: _So under fiery Cope together rush'd Both Battles maine, with ruinous Assault, And inextinguishable Rage: All Heav'n Resounded; and had Earth been then, all Earth Had to her Center shook. What wonder? when Millions of fierce encountring Angels fought On either side; the least of whom could wield These Elements, and arm him with the force Of all their Regions. How much more of pow'r, Army 'gainst Army, numberless, to raise Dreadful Combustion, warring, and disturb, Tho' not destroy, their happy native Seat: Had not th' Eternal King Omnipotent From his strong Hold of Heav'n high over-rul'd And limited their Might; tho' number'd such As each divided Legion might have seem'd A num'rous Host in strength, each armed hand A Legion----_ In Short, a Poem consisting of Rhime is like a Building in which the Stones are all (or far the greatest part of them) _hewn with equal Exactness_; but are all of a Shape, and not so well jointed: _Every one_ of them, _by it self_, is better squared, than _some_ in another Building, in which they are of different Figures. But tho' in this latter there shall be a few, which, taken separately, do not look so well: yet some _running into others_, and all being _better adjusted_ together; it shall not only _upon the Whole_, but with regard to any _considerable Part_, by it self, be a stronger, and a more beautiful Fabrick, than the former.