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"means coincided with his own, may be "thought rather too fevere."

It was Waller's misfortune (a misfortune only in the fcale of Dr. Johnfon) to be born of a mother who was fifter to the illuftrious patriot John Hampden, whom the Doctor calls the zealot of rebellion, by the fame figure of fpeech which reprefents Chriftopher Milton, as taught by the law to adhere to king Charles, who was breaking the law every day by a thoufand of thofe arbitrary acts and oppreffions which make up the defcription of a tyrant.

It is not eafy to determine which, in this character of Hampden, is the more confpicuous, the zeal of the loyalift, or the manners of the gentleman. The man

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talks

talks in one place of Milton's brutality. We could wish to have his definition of the term, that we may not injure him in the adoption of it to his own ftyle.

But Milton only, for the prefent, is our client, and only Milton the profewriter, who, in that character, must ever be an eye-fore to men of Dr. Johnson's principles; principles that are at enmity with every patron of public liberty, and every pleader for the legal rights of Englishmen, which, in their origin, are neither more nor lefs than the natural rights of all mankind.

Milton, in contending for these against the tyrant of the day and his abettors, was ferious, energetic, and irrefragable. He bore down all the filly fophifms in favour

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favour of defpotic power like a torrent and left his adverfaries nothing to reply, but the rhetoric of Billingfgate, from which Lauder, in the end of his pamphlet, intituled, "King Charles I. vindi"cated, &c." has collected a nofegay of the choiceft flowers; and pity it was, that he was too early to add his friend Johnson's character of Milton the profewriter to the favoury bouquet.

When the Doctor found, on fome late Occafions, that his crude abuse and malicious criticisms would not bring down Milton to the degree of contempt with the public which he had affigned him in the fcale of profe-writers; he fell an expedient which has fometimes fuc

upon

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ceeded

ceeded in particular exigences. In one word, he determined to write his Life.

There are no men fo excellent who have not fome perfonal or cafual defect in their bodily frame, fome aukward peculiarity in their manners or converfation, fome fcandalous calumny tacked to their private hiftory, or fome of those natural failings which distinguish human from angelic beings.

On the other hand, few men are fo totally abandoned and depraved as to have no remnants of grace and goodness, no intervals of fobriety, no touches of regret for departed innocence, no fenfe of those generous paffions which animate the wife and good to praise-worthy actions, or no natural or acquired abilities to abate

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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 apologift of the profligate Richard Savage fhould employ his pen to fatyrize and calumniate the virtuous John Milton.

"The Life of Milton," fays Dr. Johnfon, "has been already written in fo

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many forms, with fuch minute enqui

66 ry, that I might perhaps more pro66 perly

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