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the refentment of the reputable public, and to atone, in fome degree, for their immoralities.

A man of genius, who has words and will to deprefs or raife fuch characters refpectively, will confider little in his operations upon them, but the motives and occafions which call for his prefent interference; and the world who know the artificer will make it no wonder that the encomiaft and apologist of the profligate Richard Savage fhould employ his pen to fatyrize and calumniate the virtuous John Milton.

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"The Life of Milton," fays Dr. Johnfon, has been already written in fo "many forms, with fuch minute enqui

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ry, that I might perhaps more pro

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"perly have contented myself with the " addition of a few notes to Mr. Fen"ton's elegant Abridgement; but that a

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new narrative was thought neceffary tọ "the uniformity of this edition *."

The uniformity of editions is com monly the bookfeller's care, and the neceffity of fuch uniformity generally arifes from the taste of the public; of which, among the number of names exhibited in the title pages of thefe volumes, there must be many competent judges. It would be a pity, however that a conformity to this taste should engage Dr. Johnfon in writing this Life, to go beyond what would more properly have contented himself; the leaft intimation from the

*Life of Milton, p. 1..

*

1

Biographer of the impropriety of a nero narrative would, we are perfuaded, have made the undertakers of the edition contented with the Doctor's plan.

He might not indeed have found the means to introduce certain particulars, which embellifh his new narrative, into his notes on Mr. Fenton's abridgement, in which there is a vein of candor that does the writer more honour than the ingenuity of his performance; not to mention the different judgment, from that of Dr. Johnson, formed by Mr. Fenton, on fome of Milton's poetical pieces.

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We therefore believe this new narrative was calculated rather for Dr. Johnfon's private contentment than the neceffities of the edition.

A few

A few inftances will ferve to thew the probability of this furmife.

All the writers of Milton's Life before Dr. Johnfon fpeak of the efteem with which Milton was honoured by his fellow-members of Chrift's College at Cambridge. Milton values himself upon it at a time when the under-workers of the royalifts, who fent different accounts to the defenders of Salmafius abroad, might have effectually confuted him. Let us now observe the contrast.,

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"Of the exercises which the rules of the university required, fome were published by him in his maturer years. They had been undoubtedly

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applauded, for they were fuch as few "can perform; yet there is reafon to 66 fuf

fufpect, that he was regarded in his "college with no great fondness. That "he obtained no fellowship is certain; but the unkindness with which he was "treated was not merely negative. I am afhamed to relate what I fear is true; that Milton was the laft ftudent in either univerfity that fuffered the public indignity of corporal correction" This filly tale is taken from Warton's Life and Remains of Dean Bathurft,' and retailed by Warton from fome manufcripts of Aubrey the antiquarian in the Afhmolean Museum, whofe anile credulity has difabled him from being a writer of any authority. In what manner, and with what circumftances, this corporal

* Milton's Life, p. 7, 8.

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