for any publick truft; but of Milton there was no ex ception.

Of this tenderness fhewn to Milton, the curiofity of mankind has not forborn to enquire the reafon. Burnet thinks he was forgotten; but this is another inftance. which may confirm Dalrymple's obfervation, who fays, "that whenever Burnet's narrations are examined, he 66 appears to be mistaken."

Forgotten he was not; for his profecution was or dered; it must be therefore by defign that he was included in the general oblivion. He is faid to have had friends in the houfe, fuch as Marvel, Morrice, and Sir Thomas Clarges; and undoubtedly a man like him must have had influence. A very particular story of his efcape is told by Richardfon in his Memoirs, which he received from Pope, as delivered by Betterton, who might have heard it from Davenant. In the war between the King and Parliament, Davenant was made prifoner, and condemned to die; but was fpared at the request of Milton. When the turn of fuccefs brought Milton into the like danger, Davenant repaid the benefit by appearing in his favour. Here is a reciprocation of generofity and gratitude fo pleafing, that the tale makes its own way to credit. But if help were wanted, I know not where to find it. The danger of Davenant is certain from his own relation; but of his efcape there is no account. Betterton's narration can be traced no higher; it is not known that he had it from Davenant. We are told that the benefit exchanged was life for life; but it feems not certain that Milton's life ever was in danger. Goodwin, who had committed the fame kind of crime, efcaped with incapacitation; and as exclufion

from

from public truft is a punishment which the power of government can commonly inflict without the help of a particular law, it required no great intereft to exempt Milton from a cenfure little more than verbal, Something may be reasonably afcribed to veneration and compaffion; to veneration of his abilities, and compaffion for his diftreffes, which made it fit to forgive his malice for his learning. He was now poor and blind; and who would purfue with violence an illuf, rious enemy, depreffed by fortune, and difarmed by

nature?

The publication of the act of oblivion put him in 103 the fame condition with his fellow-fubjects. He was, however, upon fome pretence now not known, in the cuftody of the ferjeant in December; and, when he was released, upon his refufal of the fees demanded, ho and the ferjeant were called before the Houfe. He was now fafe within the fhade of oblivion, and knew him felf to be as much out of the power of a griping officer, as any other inan. How the question was determined is not known. Milton would hardly have contended, but that he knew himfelf to have right on his fide.

He then removed to Jewin-ftreet, near AlderfgateStreet; and being blind, and by no means wealthy, wanted a domeftick companion and attendant; and therefore, by the recommendation of Dr. Paget, married Elizabeth Minfhul, of a gentleman's family in Chefhire, probably without a fortune. All his wives were virgins; for he has declared that he thought it gross and indelicate to be a second husband: upon what other principles his choice was made, cannot now be known; but marriage afforded not much of

his happiness. The first wife left him in difguft, and was brought back only by terror; the fecond, indeed, feems to have been more a favourite, but her life was fhort. The third, as Philips relates, oppreffed his children in his life-time, and cheated them at his death.

Soon after his marriage, according to an obfcure ftory, he was offered the continuance of his employment; and being preffed by his wife to accept it, anfwered, "You, like other women, want to ride in your coach; my wifh is to live and die an honest "man." If he confidered the Latin fecretary as exercifing any of the powers of government, he that had fhared authority, either with the parliament or Cromwell, might have forborn to talk very loudly of his honefty; and if he thought the office purely minifterial, he certainly might have honestly retained it under the king. But this tale has too little evidence to deferve a difquifition; large offers and sturdy rejections are among the most common topicks of falfehood.

He had fo much either of prudence or gratitude, that he forbore to disturb the new fettlement with any of his political or ecclefiaftical opinions, and from this time devoted himself to poetry and literature. Of his zeal for learning in all its parts, he gave a proof by publishing, the next year (1661), Accidence commenced Grammar; a little book which has nothing remarkable, but that its author, who had been lately defending the fupreme powers of his country, and was then writing Paradife Loft, could defcend from his elevation to refcue children from the perplexity of grammatical confufion, and the trouble of leffons unneceffarily repeated.

About

About this time Elwood the quaker, being recommended to him as one who would read Latin to him, for the advantage of his converfation, attended him every afternoon, except on Sundays *. Milton, who, in his letter to Hartlib, had declared, that to read Latin with an English mouth is as ill a bearing as Law French, required that Elwood fhould learn and practife the Italian pronunciation, which, he faid, was neceffary, if he would talk with foreigners. This feems to have been a task troublesome without ufe. There is little reafon for preferring the Italian pronunciation to our own, except that it is more general; and to teach it to an Englishman is only to make him a foreigner at home. He who travels, if he speaks Latin, may fo foon learn the founds which every native gives it, that he need make no provifion before his journey; and if ftrangers vifit us, it is their bufinefs to practife fuch conformity to our modes as they expect from us in their own countries. Elwood complied with the directions, and improved himself by his attendance; for he relates, that Milton, having a curious ear, knew by his voice when he read what he did not understand, and would ftop him, and open the most difficult paffages.

This fingular perfon was a neighbour of Milton's father in the country, and also of Waller, and had the confidence of the latter, as appears by the life of that poet prefixed to fome editions of his works. He was an ingenious man, and a scholar, and wrote a life of himself, published in Svo, 1714. In it are related his fudden converfion to quakerism, the refentment of his father for his refufing to be uncovered before him, his fufferings for the truth by imprifonment, and other feverities, his deliverance from all his troubles, and lastly his marriage to an amiable young woman of his own profeffion, one of the Penn family, whom he had courted both in prose and verfe, with all that fimplicity of ftyle and fincerity of expreffion which then distinguished that inoffenfive people.

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In a fhort time he took a house in the Artillery Walk, leading to Bunhill Fields; the mention of which concludes the register of Milton's removals and habita tions. He lived longer in this place than in any other,

He was now bufied by Paradife Loft. Whence he drew the original defign has been variously conjectured by men who cannot bear to think themselves ignorant of that which, at laft, neither diligence nor fagacity can discover. Some find the hint in an Italian tragedy, Voltaire tells a wild and unauthorised story of a farce feen by Milton in Italy, which opened thus: Let the Rainbow be the Fiddleftick of the Fiddle of Heaven. It has been already fhewn, that the firft conception was a tragedy or myftery, not of a narrative, but a dramatick work, which he is fuppofed to have begun to reduce to its prefent form about the time (1655) when he finished his difpute with the defenders of the king.

He long had promised to adorn his native country by fome great performance, while he had yet perhaps no fettled defign, and was ftimulated only by fuch expectations as naturally arofe from the furvey of his attainments, and the confcioufnefs of his powers. What he fhould undertake, it was difficult to determine. He was long chufing, and began late.

While he was obliged to divide his time between his private ftudies and affairs of ftate, his poctical labour must have been often interrupted; and perhaps he did little more in that bufy time than conftruct the narrative, adjust the epifodes, proportion the parts, accumulate images and fentiments, and treasure in his me mory, or preferve in writing, fuch hints as books of meditation would fupply. Nothing particular is known of his intellectual operations while he was a statesman ;

for