tor finds no impudence; it is his treatife of True Religion, berefy, fchifm, toleration, and the beft means to prevent the growth of popery. "This little tract," fays he, "is mo"deftly written, with refpectful mention "of the Church of England and the "thirty-nine articles." True, fo far as the Church of England declares against Popery. But, unhappily for this respect, Milton brings thefe declarations in reproof of the church's practice; and moft ably confutes the pretence of the Church of England, that the only enjoins things in"different." And even this he calls fecution. per "If it be asked," fays Milton, "how "far it fhould be tolerated? I answer, "doubtlefs equally, as being all Protef"tants; that is, on all occafions to give "account of their faith, either by ar guing, preaching in their feveral as femblies, public writing, and the free"dom of printing." If fuch toleration fhould have its free course, unreftrained by canons, fubfcriptions, and uniformity-acts, unallured by temporal emoluments, and unterrified by temporal cenfures, there muft of courfe be an end of the civil Eftablishment of the Church of England; which is here as effectually condemned, as it is in those former tracts of the author's in which he is fo fevere on prelatical ufurpations. pations. The only difference is, that there, in the Doctor's account, he is impudent, and here he is modeft. "Fortune," fays the Doctor, "ap66 pears not to have had much of Milton's 66 care *." How is this character fupported by the inftances that follow, confiftently with the account above given, that Milton," having tafted the honey of "public employment, would not return "to hunger and philosophy ?" "There is yet no reason to believe "that he was ever reduced to indi66 gence +;" and we will add, "nor to "the profpect of it;" for what the Doctor fays, that he was "given up to *Milton's Life, p. 137. + Ibid. p. 136. poverty poverty and hopeless indignation," upon his foliciting the repayment of his loan to the parliament in vain, only ferves to fhew how dextroufly the Doctor can fill up the chafms of authentic hiftory by the fertility of his imagination. And that "his wants being few, were competently fupplied," is an argument that he could as cafily return to his philofophy as part with his affluence. From this character of Milton the Doctor would fhrink if he could, and put down the merit of it among the topics of falsehood; but his draw-backs upon it only end in furmifes palpably inconfiftent with that unabated conftancy of mind in Milton, which even the new narrative could not difguife; an obfer obfervation which belongs to more articles of this remarkable compofition than this before us. The Doctor's next debate with himfelf is concerning Milton's religion. The appearances in this part of Milton's hiftory puzzled Mr. Peck before him, who, after decently drawing the faw to and again, fixes Milton in Quakerism. Dr. Johnson seems to think he was of no church, merely, as it fhould seem, because he was neither of the Church of Rome, nor of the Church of England. If not, to what purpofe is the following reflection? "To be of no church is dangerous. "Religion, of which the rewards are "diftant, |