“He that would hope to write well hereafter in laudable things,”
says Milton, “ought himself to be a true poem; that is, a
composition and pattern of the best and most honorable things.”
Here is a new proposition in art which suggests the lofty
ideal of Fra Angelico, that before one can write literature,
which is the expression of the ideal, he must first develop in
himself the ideal man. Because Milton is human he must know
the best in humanity; therefore he studies, giving his days to
music, art, and literature; his nights to profound research and
meditation. But because he knows that man is more than mortal
he also prays, depending, as he tells us, on “devout prayer
to that eternal Spirit who can enrich with all utterance and
knowledge.”--WILLIAM J. LONG, “English Literature.”
(206)
=Belated Honors=--See DELAY.
=Belief not Destroyed by Mysteries=--See MYSTERY IN RELIGION.
=Belief Required=--See MYSTERY NO BAR TO BELIEF.