against him by the Jefuits, for the liberty of his conversations on religion. He had fenfe enough to judge that there was no danger, and therefore kept on his way, and acted as before, neither obtruding nor fhunning controverfy. He had perhaps given fome offence by vifiting Galileo, then a prifoner in the Inquifition for philofophical herefy; and at Naples he was told by Manfo, that, by his declarations. on religious queftions, he had excluded himself from fome diftinctions which he should otherwife have paid him. But fuch conduct, though it did not please, was yet fufficiently fafe; and Milton ftaid two months more at Rome, and went on to Florence without moleftation.

From Florence he vifited Lucca. He afterwards went to Venice; and, having fent away a collection of mufick and other books, travelled to Geneva, which he probably confidered as the metropolis of orthodoxy.

Here he repofed as in a congenial element, and became acquainted with John Diodati and Frederick Spanheim, two learned profeffors of Divinity. From Geneva he paffed through France; and came home, after an abfence of a year and three months.

At his return he heard of the death of his friend Charles Diodati; a man whom it is reasonable to suppose of great merit, fince he was thought by Milton worthy of a poem, intituled Epitaphium Damonis, written with the common but childish imitation of paftoral life.

He now hired a lodging at the house of one Ruffel, a taylor in St. Bride's Church-yard, and undertook the education of John and Edward Phi

lips, his fifter's fons. Finding his rooms too little, he took a house and garden in Alderfgate-ftreet*, which was not then fo much out of the world as it is now; and chose his dwelling at the upper end of a paffage, that he might avoid the noife of the street. Here he received more boys, to be boarded and inftructed.

Let not our venetation for Milton forbid us to look with fome degree of merriment on great promifes and fmall performance, on the man who haftens home, because his countrymen are contending for their liberty, and, when he reaches the fcene of action, vapours away his patriotifm in a private boarding-fchool. This is the period of his life from which all his biographers feem inclined to fhrink. They are unwilling that Milton fhould be degraded to a school-mafter; but, fince it cannot be denied that he taught boys, one finds out that he taught for nothing, and another that his motive was only zeal for the propagation of learning and virtue; and all tell what they do not know to be true, only to excuse an act which no wife man will confider as in itself disgraceful. His father was alive; his allow

*This is inaccurately expreffed: Philips, and Dr. Newton after him, fay a garden-houfe, i. e. a house fituate in a garden, and of which there were, especially in the north fuburbs of London, very many, if not few elfe. The term is technical, and frequently occurs in the Athen. and Faft. Oxon. The meaning thereof may be collected from the article Thomas Farnaby, the famous fchoolmafter, of whom the author fays, that he taught in Goldfinith's Rents, in Cripplegate-parifh, behind Redcross-freet, where were large gardens and handfome houses. Milton's houfe in Jewin street was also a garden-house, as were indeed moft of his dwellings after his fettlement in London. H.

ance

ance was not ample; and he fupplied its deficiencies by an honeft and useful employment.

It is told, that in the art of education he performed wonders; and a formidable lift is given of the authors, Greek and Latin, that were read in Alderfgateftreet by youth between ten and fifteen or fixteen years of age. Thofe who tell or receive these ftories fhould confider, that nobody can be taught fafter than he can learn. The speed of the horseman must be limited by the power of the horse. Every man, that has ever undertaken to inftruct others, can tell what flow advances he has been able to make, and how much patience it requires to recall vagrant inattention, to ftimulate fluggish indifference, and to rectify abfurd misapprehenfion.

The purpose of Milton, as it feems, was to teach fomething more folid than the common literature of Schools, by reading those authors that treat of phyfical fubjects; fuch as the Georgick, and aftronomical treatifes of the ancients. improvement which feems to rary projectors of that age. means than Milton of knowing what was wanting to the embellishments of life, formed the fame plan of education in his imaginary College.

This was a scheme of have bufied many liteCowley, who had more

But the truth is, that the knowledge of external nature, and the sciences which that knowledge requires or includes, are not the great or the frequent bufinefs of the human mind. Whether we provide for action or converfation, whether we wish to be useful or pleafing, the first requifite is the religious and moral knowledge of right and wrong; the next is an acquaintance with the hiftory of mankind, VOL. IX.

H

and

and with those examples which may be faid to embody truth, and prove by events the reasonableness of opinions. Prudence and Juftice are virtues and excellencies of all times and of all places; we are perpetually moralifts, but we are geometricians only by chance. Our intercourfe with intellectual nature is neceffary; our speculations upon matter are voluntary, and at leifure. Phyfiological learning is of fuch rare emergence, that one may know another half his life, without being able to estimate his skill in hydrostaticks or aftronomy; but his moral and prudential character immediately appears.

Thofe authors, therefore, are to be read at fchools that fupply moft axioms of prudence, moft principles of moral truth, and moft materials for converfation; and thefe purpofes are beft ferved by poets, orators, and hiftorians.

Let me not be cenfured for this digreffion as pedantick or paradoxical? for, if I have Milton against me, I have Socrates on my fide. It was his labour to turn philofophy from the ftudy of nature to fpeculations upon life; but the innovators whom I oppofe are turning off attention from life to nature. They feem to think, that we are placed here to watch the growth of plants, or the motions of the ftars. Socrates was rather of opinion, that what we had to learn was, how to do good, and avoid evil.

Ὅτι τοι ἐν μεγάροισι κακόν) αγαθόνε τέτυκται.

Of inftitutions we may judge by their effects. From this wonder-working academy, I do not know, that there ever proceeded any man very eminent For knowledge: its only genuine product, I believe,

is a finall History of Poetry, written in Latin by his nephew Philips, of which perhaps none of my readers has ever heard *.

That in his fchool, as in every thing elfe which he undertook, he laboured with great diligence, there is no reason for doubting. One part of his method deferves general imitation. He was careful to inftruct his fcholars in religion. Every Sunday was fpent upon theology; of which he dictated a fhort fyftem, gathered from the writers that were then fashionable in the Dutch univerfities.

He fet his pupils an example of hard ftudy and fpare diet; only now and then he allowed himfelf to pafs a day of feftivity and indulgence with fome gay gentlemen of Gray's Inn.

He now began to engage in the controverfies of the times, and lent His breath to blow the flames of contention. In 1641 he published a treatife of Re formation, in two books; against the Eftablished Church; being willing to help the Puritans, who were, le fays, inferior to the Prelates in learning..

Hall, bifhop of Norwich, had published an Humble Remonstrance, in defence of Epifcopacy; to which, in 1641, five minifters, of whofe names the firft letters made the celebrated word Smellymnuus, gave their Anfwer. Of this Anfwer a Confutation was

"We may be fure at least, that Dr. Johnfon had never seen the book he fpeaks of; for it is entirely compofed in English, though its title begins with two Latin words, Theatrum Poe"tarum; or, a compleat Collection of the Poets, &c.' a circum"ftance that probably misled the biographer of Milton." European Magazine, June 1787, p. 388. R.

Stephen Marshall, Edmund Calamy, Thomas Young, Matthew Newcomen, William Spurftow. R.