Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

There is another prefumption against this anecdote. Warton obferves, that Wood, who, according to him, com-piled his account of Milton from Aubrey's manufcript, has omitted fome circumftances, particularly this of his flagellation. Aubrey pretends he had his information from Milton's own mouth ;. or from his relations after his death; at least so he told Wood, who could not be fuppofed to omit this circumftance fromany good-will he bore to Milton's memory. We may then reasonably fufpe&t that Wood did not believe it, and that he was convinced Aubrey was mifinformed; and suppose the story should be one

of whipping young unlucky academics was, to hoist them upon the college buttery hatch, where the difcipline was inflicted by the butler.

of

of those which Aubrey had from Milton's own mouth, Milton would hardly give him an account of the punishment, without fignifying what was the fault.

Dr. Johnson fays, "Milton was the "last student in either univerfity that fuf"fered this corporal correction." Now Mr. Warton tells us, that "the whip was "an inftrument of academical correc❝tion, not entirely laid afide in the old 66 age of Dr. Bathurft; but Bathurst furvived Milton thirty years, and the time of Milton's admiffion above eighty. If Milton therefore was the laft fufferer by this illiberal punishment in Cambridge, that univerfity got the ftart of

* Life of Bathurst, `p. 202.

Oxford * in civilisation by at leaft fifty or fixty years; which is more honour, we believe, than Dr. Johnson defired Mr. Warton fhould confer upon it.

Mr. Warton fays, "This" (meaning the whipping-bout] "explains more "fully a paffage in one of Milton's elegies:

"Nec

"In the public ftatutes of Oxford, the injunction of inflicting corporal punishment on "boys under fixteen remains unrepealed, and "in force at this day; but the execution of this "law, fo repugnant to every liberal and decent "idea, has been long abolished. Yet this code "of ftatutes was compiled no longer ago than "the year 1635. It was, however, no uncom66 mon practice at a college in Oxford, where the "foundation-scholars are elected very young, "actually to punish with the rod as far down asthe beginning of the prefent century."

Gent. Mag. 1779, P. 493

"Nec duri libet ufque minas perferre

166

magiftri,

"Cæteraque ingenio non fubeunda

"meo."

Where, in Mr. Warton's ideas, cætera fignifies flogging. But Dr. Johnfon having noted that it fignifies fomething else befides threats, interprets it into fomething more, i. e. more fevere, namely, punishment. But he feems to be in doubt whether that punishment was whip-ping or banishment; and with reason, for catera may fignify fomething more, i. e. fomething over and befides threats, and yet fomething else befides either whipping or ruftication. The most natural interpretation of the fecond line feems to be, that thofe college-exercises D

known

known by the name of impofitions (oftentimes prescribed as punishments) did not fuit Milton's genius, being indeed even within our memory calculated rather for the drudgery of an induftrious plodder than fuited to the genius of a youth of parts and fpirit. Wonderful must be that genius which has a tafte for being flogged or banished!

"It seems plain," fays the new narrative, from his own verfes to Diodati, "that he had incurred ruflication, a tem66 porary difiniffion into the country, with "perhaps the lofs of a term."

Milton was admitted of Chrift's College, February 12, 1624 5. He took his bachelor's degree in 1628, fo that

without a perhaps he loft no term.

In

« VorigeDoorgaan »