blame to his

relating and infulting in what he had done to the deftruction of man, Man next, and Eve having by this time been feduced by the Serpent, appears confufedly covered with leaves. Conscience, in a fhape, accuses him ; Juftice cites him to the place whither Jehoyah called for him. In the mean while, the Chorus entertains the stage, and is informed by fome angel the manner of the Fall. Here the Chorus bewails Adam's fall; Adam then and Eve return; accufe one another; but especially Adam lays the wife; is ftubborn in his offence. Juftice appears, reafons with him, convinces him. The Chorus admonisheth Adam, and bids him beware Lucifer's example of impenitence. The angel is fent to banish them out of Paradife; but before causes to pafs before his eyes, in hapes, a mask of all the evils of this life and world. He is humbled, relents, despairs: at laft appears Mercy, comforts him, promifes the Meffiah; then calls in Faith, Hope, and Charity; instructs him; he repents, gives God the glory, fubmits to his penalty. The Chorus briefly concludes. Compare this with the former draught."

,

Thefe

These are very imperfect rudiments of Paradife Loft; but it is pleasant to fee great works in their feminal ftate, pregnant with latent poffibilities of excellence; nor could there be any more delightful entertainment. than to trace their gradual growth and expanfion, and to obferve how they are fometimes fuddenly advanced by accidental hints, and fometimes flowly improved by fteady meditation.

Invention is almoft the only literary labour which blindness cannot obstruct, and therefore he naturally folaced his folitude by the indulgence of his fancy, and the melody of his numbers. He had done what he knew to be neceffarily previous to poetical excellence; he had made himself acquainted with feemly arts and affairs; his comprehension was extended by various knowledge, and his memory stored with intellectual treasures. He was skilful in many languages, and had by reading and compofition attained the full maftery of his own. He would have wanted little help from books, had he retained the power of perusing them.

But while his greater defigns were advancing, having now, like many other authors, caught the love of publication, he amufed himself, as he could, with little pro ductions. He fent to the prefs (1658) a manuscript of Raleigh, called the Cabinet Coun-cil; and next year gratified his malevolence to the clergy, by a Treatife of Civil Power in Ecclefiaftical Cafes, and the Means of removing Hirelings out of the Church.

Oliver was now dead; Richard was conftrained to refign: the fyftem of extemporary government, which had been held together only by force, naturally fell into fragments when that force was taken away; and Milton saw himself and his caufe in equal danger. But he had ftill hope of doing fomething. He wrote letters, which Toland has published, to fuch men as he thought friends to the new commonwealth; and even in the year of the Restoration he bated no jot of heart or hope, but was fantastical enough to think that the nation, agitated as it was, might be fettled by a pamphlet, called A ready and easy way to establish a Free Commonwealth;

which was, however, enough confidered to be both seriously and ludicrously answered.

The obftinate enthusiasm of the commonwealthmen was very remarkable. When the King was apparently returning, Harrington, with a few affociates as fanatical as himself, ufed to meet, with all the gravity of political importance, to fettle an equal government by rotation; and Milton, kicking when he could ftrike no longer, was foolish enough to publish, a few weeks before the Reftoration, Notes upon a fermon preached by one Griffiths, intituled, The Fear of God and the King. To thefe notes an answer was written by L'Estrange, in a pamphlet petulantly called No blind Guides.

But whatever Milton could write, or men of greater activity could do, the King was now about to be restored with the irre

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fiftible approbation of the people. He was therefore no longer fecretary, and was confequently obliged to quit the house which he held by his office; and proportioning his fenfe of danger to his opinion of the impor-. tance of his writings, thought it convenient

to

to feek fome fhelter, and hid himself for a time in Bartholomew-Clofe by West Smithfield.

I cannot but remark a kind of respect, perhaps unconscioufly, paid to this great mạn by his biographers: every houfe in which he refided is historically mentioned, as if it were an injury to neglect naming any place that he honoured by his prefence.

The King, with lenity of which the world has had perhaps no other example, declined to be the judge or avenger of his own or his father's wrongs; and promised to admit into the Act of Oblivion all, except those whom the parliament fhould except; and the par liament doomed none to capital punishment but the wretches who had immediately co operated in the murder of the King. Milton was certainly not one of them; he had only justified what they had done.

This juftification was indeed fufficiently offenfive; and (June 16) an order was issued to feize Milton's Defence, and Goodwin's ObAructors of Justice, another book of the fame

tendency,