even in the favourite republic now established, there was but little that suited with the order of things he had projected.

The immediate cause, however, of the interruption given to his "History," was his being appointed Latin Secretary to the new Council of State, which was to supply all the offices of royalty. He had scarcely accepted this appointment, when his employers called upon him to answer the famous book entitled "Icon Basiliké, or the portraiture of his sacred majesty in his solitudes and sufferings." This was then understood to be the production of Charles I., and was published unquestionably with the view to exhibit him to the people in a more favourable light than he had been represented by those who brought him to the block. It probably too was beginning to produce that effect, as the government thought it necessary to employ the talents of Milton to answer it, which he did in a work entitled "Iconoclastes," or Image-breaker. In this he follows the common opinion, that the king was the writer, although he sometimes seems to admit of doubts, and makes his answer a sort of review and vindication of all the proceedings against the court. This has been praised as one of the ablest of all Milton's political tracts, while it is at the same time confessed that it did not in the least diminish the popularity of the "Icon," of which 48,500 are said to have been sold, and whether it was the production of the king or of Bishop Gauden, it must have harmonized with the feelings and sentiments of a great proportion of the public. The story of Milton's inserting a prayer

taken from Sidney's "Arcadia," and imputing the use of it to the king as a crime, appears to have no foundation; but we know not how to vindicate this, and other petty objections to the king's character, from the charge of personal animosity.

Milton's next employment was to answer the celebrated Salmasius, who, at the instigation of the exiled Charles II., had written a defence of his father and of monarchy. Salmasius was an antagonist worthy of Milton, as a general scholar, but scarcely his equal in that species of political talent which rendered Milton's services so important to the new Government. Salmasius's work was entitled "Defensio Regia," and Milton's "Defensio pro populo Anglicano," which greatly increased Milton's reputation abroad, and at home we may be certain would procure him no small share of additional favour. That his work includes a very great portion of controversial bitterness, may be attributed either to the temper of the times, or of the writer, as the reader pleases; but the former was entirely in his favour, and his triumph was therefore complete. Of Salmasius's work, the highest praise has been reserved to our own times, in which the last biographer of Milton has compared it to Mr. Burke's celebrated book on the French revolution.

Milton's eyesight, which had been some time declining, was now totally gone; but, greatly felt as this privation must have been to a man of studious habits, his intellectual powers suffered no diminution. About this time (1652), he was involved in another controversy respecting the "Defensio pro populo

Anglicano," in consequence of a work published at the Hague, entitled "Regii sanguinis clamor ad cœlum adversus parricidas Anglicanos," written by Peter du Moulin, but published by, and under the name of, Alexander Morus, or More. This produced from Milton his "Defensio secunda pro populo Anglicano," and a few replies to the answers of his antagonists. In this second "Defensio," written in the same spirit as the preceding, is introduced a high panegyric upon Cromwell, who had now usurped the supreme power with the title of Protector. It seems acknowledged that his biographers have found it very difficult to justify this part of his conduct. They have therefore had recourse to those conjectural reasons which show their own ingenuity, but perhaps never existed in the mind of Milton. Their soundest defence would have been to suppose Milton placed in a choice of evils, a situation which always admits of apology. It is evident, however, that he had now reconciled himself to the protector-king, and went on with his business as secretary, and, among other things, is supposed to have written the declaration of the reasons for a war with Spain. About this time (1652) his first wife died in childbed, leaving him three daughters. He married again, not long after, Catherine, the daughter of a Captain Woodcock, of Hackney, who died within a year in childbirth, and was lamented by him in a sonnet, which Johnson terms " poor," but others pleasing and pathetic." To divert his grief he is said now to have resumed his "History of England," and to have made some progress in a Latin dictionary. This last appears to have engaged his attention occa

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sionally for many years after, for he left three folios of collections, that were probably used by subsequent lexicographers, but could not of themselves have formed a publication.

He had praised Cromwell as the only person who could allay the contentions of parties, and the time was now come when the nation was to lose this protecting genius. Another Cromwell was not to be found, and general anarchy seemed approaching. Milton, somewhat alarmed, but not wholly dispirited with this state of things, took up his pen to give advice on certain urgent topics, and having as much dread of Presbyterianism as of royalty, he published two treatises, one, "Of the civil power in ecclesiastical causes," and the other, "Considerations touching the likeliest means to remove hirelings out of the church." In both these he showed his sentiments to be unaltered on the subjects of civil and ecclesiastical government; and he urged them yet farther in "The present means and brief delineation of a free Commonwealth," and "The ready and easy way to establish a free Commonwealth." In this last his inconsistencies have been justly exposed by one of his recent biographers. "With the strongest prepossession of a party-zealot, he deserts his general principle for the attainment of his particular object: and thinks that his own opinions ought to be enforced in opposition to those of the majority of the nation. Aware also that a frequent change of the governing body might be attended with inconvenience and possible danger, he decides against frequent parliaments, and in favour of a permanent council. Into such

inconsistencies was he betrayed by his animosity to monarchy, and his bigoted attachment to whatever carried the name of a republic." These pamphlets were answered both in a sportive and serious way, but neither probably gave him much uneasiness. His last effort in the cause of republicanism was entitled "Brief notes" on a loyal sermon preached by Dr. Matthew Griffith, one of the late king's chaplains; and with this terminated his political controversies.

Charles II. was now advancing, with the acclamations of the people, to the throne, and Milton, it was natural to suppose, might expect his resentment: for some time, therefore, he secreted himself, but on the issuing of the act of oblivion, his name was not found among the exceptions, and he appeared again in public. Various reasons have been assigned for this lenity, but the most probable was the interest of his friends Andrew Marvell, Sir Thomas Clarges, and especially Sir William Davenant, whom Milton had once rescued from a similar danger. The only notice taken of him was by the House of Commons, who ordered his "Iconoclastes" and "Defence of the people of England" to be burnt by the hands of the hangman; and it appears that he was once, and for a short time, in custody, but on what pretext is not known.

In 1662 he resided in Jewin-street, and from this he removed to a small house in the Artillery-walk, adjoining Bunhill-fields, where he continued during the remaining part of his life. While living in Jewinstreet, he married his third wife, Elizabeth Minshull, the daughter of a gentleman of Cheshire. He was