lation of fedition during the laft reign, when many an honeft Jacobite propagated his discontents without the least apprehenfion for his ears, is now become a pernicious policy, unworthy of the wifdom and dignity of an administration under the protection of the refpectable Dr. Samuel Johnson.

It is obfervable, that Milton addreffed his noble tract, intituled, Areopagitica, to an antimonarchical parliament, from which he expected the reformation of all the errors and encroachments of the late kingly and prelatical government. He was above the little dirty prejudices or pretences that they might be trufted with power, only because he approved of the men, or depended upon their fa

vour to himself. He had his eye only on the caufe, and when the Presbyterians deferted that, he deferted them, not out of humour, as this rancorous Biographer would infinuate ; but because they fainted in the progress of that work to the completion of which their firft avowed principles would have led them.

Would Dr. Johnson have chofen to have fubmitted his works to the licenfers appointed by such a parliament? or would he venture to expoftulate with the pow

*See fome fenfible and masterly reflections on the fubject in Dr. Moore's View of Society and Manners in France, Switzerland, and Germany. See likewife Gilbert Mabbot's reafons for defiring to be difmiffed from the office of Licenfer. Toland's Life of Milton, Mr. Hollis's edition, p. 57.

ers

ers in being on any point of literary privilege, wherein he fhould think them effentially wrong, with that generous and honeft freedom that Milton exhibits in this incomparable tract? No, he sneaks away from the queftion, and leaves it as he found it.

"As faction feldom leaves a man ho

"neft," fays the Doctor, p. 51, "how

.66

ever it might find him, Milton is fuf"pected of having interpolated the book

cailed Icon Bafilike, which the council of "ftate, to whom he was now made Latin "Secretary, employed him to cenfure, by inferting a prayer, &c."

The contexture of this fentence feems

to be a little embaraffed and to leave us

under fome uncertainty whether Milton " inter

F 2

"interpolated by inferting," or whether he was "employed to cenfure by infert"ing, &c."

Milton, however, it feems, was "fuf"pected of inferting, in the Icon Bafi"like, a prayer taken from Sidney's Arcadia, and imputing it to the King, "whom he charges, in his Iconoclaftes, "with the use of this prayer, as with a "heavy crime, in the indecent language "with which profperity had embolden"ed the advocates for rebellion to infult "all that is venerable and great."

Does the Doctor mean to fay, that thefe advocates for rebellion infulted the venerable and great Creator of all things, or that there was nothing venerable and great but King Charles I. and his appurtenances?

tenances? The imputation of blafphemy on the one fide or the other is

unavoidable.

After which follows the citation fromi the Iconoclaftes, where the imputation and the grounds of it are fairly and openly told. Now for the proof of the interpolation.

"The papers which the King gave to "Dr. Juxon, on the fcaffold, the regicides "took away, fo that they were at least "the publishers of this prayer.”

Let us parallel this with an inference from another fcrap of English hiftory.

"The miniftry took away Mr. Wilkes's 66 papers, among which was faid to be "the Effay on Woman; fo that the mi"nifters were at leaft the publishers of F 3 "that