lines in the Latin poem of thanks, which I quote as they were translated by Cowper :

"Nor thou persist, I pray thee, still to slight

The sacred Nine, and to imagine vain

And useless powers, by whom inspired? Thyself

Art skilful to associate verse with airs

Harmonious, and to give the human voice

A thousand modulations; heir by right
Indisputable of Arion's fame :

Now say, what wonder is it if a son
Of thine delight in verse, if so conjoined

In close affinity, we sympathise

In social arts and kindred studies sweet?

Such distribution of himself to us

Was Phoebus' choice: thou hast thy gift, and I

Mine also, and between us we receive,

Father and son, the whole inspiring God."

There followed now in Milton's life another seven years of preparation for its highest work. They were five years and about nine months of life at Horton,-from July 1632 to April 1638,followed by about one year and three months of foreign travel,— from April 1638 to June or July 1639. From Horton, Milton paid visits to London, for purchase of books and for aid in his studies, especially of music and mathematics. He occasionally took a London lodging, and had thought at one time of obtaining, for such uses, a chamber in one of the Inns of Court. If there were plays worth seeing, Milton also when in London visited the theatre.

It was during these years of his training time at Horton that Milton wrote L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso,” "Arcades," "Comus," "Lycidas;" all in the pastoral form, to which, on the precedent of Virgil, it was thought that poets should confine themselves until their powers were strengthened for a higher flight. 'L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso" paint the gay and the grave side of the same innocent mind. The elder Milton's fellowship among

musicians had no doubt brought Henry Lawes into the round of the young poet's friends, and the suggestion of Henry Lawes, who was to write the music, probably caused Milton to be asked for words to the little domestic entertainment given by younger members of her family to the old lady at Harefield, the Dowager Countess of Derby, who was then seventy-four years old, and died two or three years later. The success of this little aid to the expression of home kindness, and the continued goodwill of Henry Lawes, their musical adviser, caused some of these younger members of the family to look again to Milton when another masque on a far larger scale was wanted.

The Countess of Derby was mother-in-law to the Earl of Bridgewater, as mother of his wife; and stepmother to him, as she had been his father's wife. The Earl of Bridgewater was made Lord President of the West; and when he had established himself in office at Ludlow Castle, he had to represent the sovereign with royal hospitality. He joined, therefore, to a state entertainment a state masque, which was Milton's " Comus," acted at Ludlow Castle on Michaelmas night, the 29th of September 1634.

We have not to discuss here Milton's poems, our concern in this volume is only with his prose; but the year in which Milton's 'Comus" was written suggests a reflection that throws light on his character.

In 1633, according to the date upon the title-page, but really, as its author tells us, "about Christide 1632," there was published a volume of strong Puritan denunciation of plays, masques, dances. It had this very long title, which saves further description: "Histrio-Mastix. The Players Scourge or Actors Tragedie, Divided into Two Parts. Wherein it is largely evidenced, by divers Arguments, by the concurring Authorities and Resolutions of sundry texts of Scripture; of the whole Primitive Church, both under the Law and Gospell; of 55 Synodes and Councels; of 71 Fathers and Christian Writers, before the yeare of our Lord 1200; of above 150 foraigne and domestique Protestant and Popish Authors, since; of 40 Heathen Philosophers, His

C

torians, Poets; of many Heathen, many Christian Nations, Republiques, Emperors, Princes, Magistrates; of sundry Apostolicall, Canonicall, Imperiall Constitutions; and of our owne English Statutes, Magistrates, Vniversities, Writers, Preachers, That popular Stage-playes (the very Pompes of the Divell which we renounce in Baptisme, if we beleeve the Fathers) are sinfull, heathenish, lewde, ungodly Spectacles, and most pernicious Corruptions; condemned in all ages, as intolerable Mischiefes to Churches, to Republickes, to the manners, mindes and soules of men. And that the Profession of Play-poets, of Stage-players; together with the penning, acting, and frequenting of Stage-playes, are unlawfull, infamous, and misbeseeming Christians. All pretences to the contrary are here likewise fully answered; and the unlawfulness of acting, of beholding Academicall Enterludes, briefly discussed; besides sundry other particulars concerning Dancing, Dicing, Health-drinking, &c., of which the Table will inform you. By William Prynne, an Vtter-Barrester of Lincolnes Inne." There was room still on the title-page for display of Latin quotations from Cyprian, Lactantius, Chrysostom, and Augustine; such long procession of words on a title-page being now to us "very Pompes of the Divell," which we renounce in the baptism of books. Prynne dedicated this volume of more than a thousand pages to the Benchers of Lincoln's Inn, and there were applied in it the worst words in the dictionary to women who took part in masques. Dancing of women was said to be fatal to the soul, and there was little chance of escape from damnation for those who only sat by and looked on. Now masques were a form of private theatricals; none took part in them but the family or friends of the entertainers. At Court it happened that at Christmas, or as the Puritans said Christide, 1632, when Prynne's "Histriomastix" appeared, the Queen was active in production of a pastoral masque at Somerset House in which she danced herself. Enemies of the Puritans at once associated the Queen's masque with Prynne's book, which they took to Court on the next day after the acting of the pastoral, and showed to the King and Queen the coarse name given by the author in his Index to

all women-actors. By that name, they said, he had called the Queen. The book had been published six weeks before the Queen's masque was presented, and it could be shown that its license was obtained two years before, and that the printing of it had been three months finished.

Laud, then Bishop of London, employed Dr. Heylin to examine the book and report upon the scandals he could find in it against the King, Queen, State, and Government of the Realm. Heylin digested matters of offence under seven heads, and on the 1st of February 1633 (New Style) Prynne was sent prisoner to the Tower by the Lords of the inner Star Chamber. So he remained a prisoner without trial, in vain seeking release on bail, and without information laid against him till the 21st of June. It was not until the 17th of February 1634 (New Style) that Prynne was condemned by the Star Chamber. He was sentenced to prison during life; to payment of a fine of £5000 to the King; to be disbarred and disabled ever to exercise the profession of a Barrister; to be degraded by the University of Oxford of his degree there taken; and that done, to be set in the Pillory at Westminster with a paper on his head declaring the nature of his offence, and have one of his ears there cut off, and at another time be set in the Pillory in Cheapside, with a paper as aforesaid, and there have his other ear cut off; and a fire was to be made before the said Pillory, that the Hangman, being there ready for the purpose, might publicly in disgraceful manner cast all the said books which could be produced into the fire to be burnt, as unfit to be seen by any hereafter.

Many of the Lords did not believe that such a sentence would be actually carried out, and Prynne says that the Queen herself earnestly interceded with the King for a remission of its execution. But it was carried out in cold blood. Prynne was pilloried and

had his ears cut off on the seventh and ninth of May.

Feeling excited by this controversy had made it for a time a point of loyalty to spend money on masques. The Four Inns of Court wishing, as Whitelocke records, "to manifest the difference of their opinion from Mr. Prynne's new learning, and to confute

his 'Histriomastix' against Interludes," prepared a masque in which they spent a thousand pounds upon the music only, and ten thousand pounds upon the clothes of the horsemen. It was "The Triumph of Peace," written by James Shirley, with scenery and machinery by Inigo Jones, and was produced on the 3rd of February 1634. But on Shrove Tuesday, the 18th of the same month, there was a masque at Court in which the King danced, which the Master of the Revels thought to be the noblest of his time.

The new impulse given by Prynne's book must have influenced the Lord President of the West when he resolved to spend liberally on the production of a masque at Ludlow; and there is signicance in the fact that the commission to write such a masque must have been accepted by Milton in the midheat of Puritan attack upon such entertainments. As the words when written had yet to be set to music, scenery and machinery invented and prepared, masks designed and made, parts learnt by children, songs and dances practised, the writing could hardly have been undertaken-Ludlow not being London-later than the spring of the same year, possibly in the interval between the sentencing of Prynne on the 17th of February and the unexpected enforcement of the sentence on the 7th of May. What Milton thought of force in the suppression of opinion, this volume shows. But his own way of reasoning against the error of those Puritans who made war against arts adding to the charm of life, innocent in themselves and more than innocent, directly helpful to its higher interests, when rightly used, we find in "Comus." He produced a masque in which Temperance was the theme, which genially fulfilled every requirement of delight, and yet applied action, song, and dance throughout as an incitement to the higher spiritual life.

In 1635 Milton was incorporated as M.A. of Oxford, and in that year his old teacher, Alexander Gill the younger, became by his father's death Head Master of St. Paul's School.

Milton's mother died on the 3rd of April 1637, and was buried in the chancel of the church at Horton.