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From Milton's filence it might perhaps be fufpected, that the Bifhop was under fome fort of confinement, were it not that on the 7th of February we find him at full liberty, attending the King's funeral at Windfor, and ftanding ready with a Common-prayer-book to read the burial-office over the royal corpse *.

But what is beyond a thousand furmifes, accumulated by Wagstaffe and others, to prove Milton's first publishing this prayer as felected by King Charles, for his own ufe, is the dead filence of Bp. Juxon from this period to the time of his death. If his timidity during the Interregnum prevailed with him to conceal the forgery, his fears must be at

Biographia Britannica, JuxoN, Rem. [C.]

an

an end at the Reftoration. The prayer had been publifhed as King Charles's over and over during that interval; Milton's reproach was equally and repeatedly made public. Yet this worthy Bishop fuffers this prayer to be published in a collection of King Charles's works in the year 1662, without giving the least hint of the forgery, imputed afterwards to Milton and Bradshaw.

Let Dr. Johnson then make what he can of the adaptation of this prayer to the cafe of King Charles; but let not his fplenetic prejudice against Milton afsociate him with fuch a driveling crew, fuch a defpicable groupe of knights of the poft, as would perfuade the world that Milton wanted the aid of such pitiG

ful

!

ful forgeries as they themfelves occafionally practifed to fupport the noblest of all employments, the defence of public liberty againft tyrants and oppreffors.

The Doctor's account of Milton's difpute with Salmafius we fhall pass by, and leave his criticisms on fome Latin expreffions on either fide to those who have not forgotten a trade, which, in fome degree or other, is, or fhould be, original to every good writer, namely, the trade of a Grammarian. No man has exercised this trade with more emolument than Dr. Johnfon, would he allow us to fay, that in his political pamphlets "the rights of nations and kings fink

into a laborious folicitude for the " choice

choice of words and modes of expref

"fion."

Milton's answer to Salmafius was much read, and it is no difparagement to his arguments that they appeared bad to a man of Hobbes's principles, or paradoxical in Dr. Johnson's ideas*.

But, however, the Doctor thought himself obliged to account for this depravity of taste in the numerous readers of Milton's defenfe, which he does in

this way:

"Paradox," fays our Biographer, "commended by fpirit and elegance, "eafily gains attention; and he who told

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every man that he was equal to his

King, could hardly want an

*dience."

* Life, p. 56.

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The paradox then is that every man is equal to his King. But where has Milton told this? or is it to Dr. Johnson's mifapprehenfion of Milton's ftate of the cafe, or to his propensity to calumniate, that we owe this falfe and rancorous infinuation?

That every man is not equal, but fuperior, to his Tyrant, is a propofition which has been demonftrated over and over, before Milton was born; and if Milton efpoufed it, and made it better understood by a notorious example, he ferved his generation in a moft material article of their focial happiness. The next generation had the fpirit and good" fense to profit by his doctrine; and by virtue of it drove their Tyrant into an ignominious exile.

Milton's

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