WE were in hope that we had done. with Milton's Biographers; and had little forefight that fo accomplished an artificer B of of language would have condefcended to bring up the rear of his hiftorians. But it was not for the reputation of Dr. Johnfon's politics that Milton fhould be abused for his principles of Liberty by a lefs eminent hand than his own. The minute fnarlers, or punofe declamers against the sentiments and diction of Milton's profe-works, had ceafed to be regarded, till the maxims of fome of those who pay Dr. Johnfon's quarterages had occafioned an inquiry into the genuine principles of the English Government, when the writings of Milton, Sydney, Locke, &c. which the moderation, of the laft reign had left in fome degree of neglect, were now taken down from the fhelves where they had fo long repofed, to confront the doctrines which, it had been prefumed, would never more come into fafhion. No man contributed more to reftoré the esteem and credit of thefe noble patriotic writers than the late ever-to-behonoured Mr. Hollis, of whofe beautiful and accurate editions of Sydney's Difcourfes, of Locké on Government and Toleration, and of Toland's Life of Milton, we have spoken largely in another place. Dr. Johnfon's peace of mind required that this recovering tafte of the public fhould not ripen into appetite, particularly for Milton's works, whofe reputation he had formerly taken fo much elegant pains to depreciate. The fource of his difaffection to Milton's principles can be no fecret to those who have been converfant in the controverfies of the times. Dr. Johnson's early and well-known attachments will fufficiently account for it; and posterity will be at no loss to determine whether our biographer's veneration was paid to the White Rofe or the Red*, But Dr. Johnfon's particular malevolence to Milton may not be fo well known, or poffibly forgot; we shall therefore give a short account of its progrefs, from its firft appearance to its confummation in this Life of Milton. In the year 1747, one William Lauder fent to the Gentleman's Magazine fome hints of Milton's plagiarifm, in pillaging certain modern writers for the materials of his poem, intituled, Paradife Loft. * See Preface to Milton, p. 2, Who Who William Lauder was, what was his character, and of what ftamp his mo ral and political principles, may be learned from a pamphlet, intituled, FURIUS, printed for Carpenter, in Fleet-ftreet, without a date; but, as evidently appears by the Remarks at the end of it, published foon after Lauder's appearance in the Gentleman's Magazine, with his famous discoveries. Congenial politics create connections between men in whofe abilities there is great disparity, Buchanan's principles, in his dialogue, De jure Regni apud Scotos, were equally detefted by the noted Thomas Ruddiman and William Lauder. But Lauder's malignity could never prevail with the ingenuous Ruddiman to B 3 detract |