the most learned of the Italians themselves, and especially by the members of that celebrated academy called della Crufca, which was established at Florence for the refining and perfecting of the Tuscan language. He had read almost all authors, and improved by all, even by romances, of which he had been fond in his younger years; and as the bee can extract honey out of weeds, fo (to use his own words in his Apology for Smectymnuus) "those books, which to many others have been the " fuel of wantonness and loofe living, proved to him fo 66 But many incitements to the love and obfervation of virtue." His favorite author after the Holy Scriptures was Homer. Homer he could repeat almost all without book; and he was advised to undertake a tranflation of his works, which no doubt he would have executed to admiration. (as he says of himself in his postscript to the Judgment of Martin Bucer) " he never could delight in long citations, " much less in whole traductions" And accordingly there are few things, and those of no great length, which he has ever translated. He was poffeffed too much of an original genius to be a mere copyer. "Whether it be " natural difpofition, says he, or education in me, or that my mother bore me a speaker of what God made my own, and not a tranflator." And it is fomewhat remarkable, that there is scarce any author, who has written so much, and upon such various fubjects, and yet quotes so little from his contemporary authors, or fo feldom mentions any of them. He praises Selden indeed in more places than one, but for the rest he appears difposed to censure rather then commend. After his severer studies, and after dinner as we observed before, he used to divert and unbend his mind with playing upon the organ or bass-viol, which was a great relief to him after he had lost his fight; for he was a master of mufic as was his father, and he could perform both vocally and instrumentally, and it is faid that he composed very well, ८८ tho' tho' nothing of this kind is handed down to us. It is also said that he had fome skill in painting as well as in music, and that somewhere or other there is a head of Milton drawn by himself: but he was blessed with fo many real excellences, that there is no want of fictitious ones to raise and adorn his character. He had a quick apprehenfion, a fublime imagination, a strong memory, a piercing judgment, a wit always ready, and facetious or grave as the occafion required: and I know not whether the loss of his fight did not add vigor to the faculties of his mind. He at least thought fo, and often comforted himself with that reflection. He But his great parts and learning have fcarcely gained him more admirers, than his political principles have raised him enemies. And yet the darling paffion of his foul was the love of liberty; this was his constant aim and end, however he might be mistaken in the means. was indeed very zealous in what was called the good old cause, and with his spirit and his resolution it is fomewhat wonderful, that he never ventured his person in the civil war; but tho' he was not in arms, he was not unactive, and thought, I suppose, that he could be of more fervice to the cause by his pen than by his fword. He was a thorough republican, and in this he thought like a Greek or Roman, as he was very converfant with their writings. And one day Sir Robert Howard, who was a friend to Milton as well as to the liberties of his country, and was one of his conftant visitors to the last, inquired of him how he came to fide with the republicans. Milton answered among other reasons, because theirs was the most frugal government, for the trappings of a monarchy might set up an ordinary commonwealth. But then his attachment to Cromwell must be condemned, as being neither consistent with his republican principles, nor with his love of liberty. And I know no other way of accounting for his conduct, but by presuming (as I think we may may reasonably presume) that he was far from entirely approving of Cromwell's proceedings, but considered him as the only person who could rescue the nation from the tyranny of the Presbiterians, who he saw were erecting a worse dominion of their own upon the ruins of prelatical episcopacy; and of all things he dreaded spiritual flavery, and therefore closed with Cromwell and the Independents, as he expected under them greater liberty of confcience. And tho' he served Cromwell, yet it must be faid for him, that he served a great master, and ferved him ably, and was not wanting from time to time in giving him excellent good advice, especially in his fecond Defense: and so little being faid of him in all Secretary Thurloe's state-papers, it appears that he had no great share in the secrets and intrigues of government; what he dispatched was little more than matters of necessary form, letters and answers to foreign states; and he may be justified for acting in such a station, upon the fame principle as Sir Matthew Hale for holding a Judge's commiffion under the ufurper: and in the latter part of his life he frequently expressed to his friends his entire satisfaction of mind, that he had constantly employed his strength and faculties in the defense of liberty, and in oppofition to flavery. In matters of religion too he has given as great offense, or even greater, than by his political principles. But still let not the infidel glory: no fuch man was ever of that party. He had the advantage of a pious education, and ever expressed the profoundest reverence of the Deity in his words and actions, was both a Christian and a Proteftant, and studied and admired the Holy Scriptures above all other books whatsoever; and in all his writings he plainly showeth a religious turn of mind, as well in verse as in profe, as well in his works of an earlier date as in those of later compofition. When he wrote the Doctrin and Disciplin of Divorce, he appears to have been been a Calvinist; but afterwards he etertained a more favorable opinion of Arminius. Some have inclined to believe, that he was an Arian; but there are more express passages in his works to overthrow this opinion, than any there are to confirm it. For in the conclusion of his treatise of Reformation he thus folemnly invokes the Trinity; "Thou therefore that fittest in light and glory unapproachable, Parent of Angels and Men! next thee " I implore Omnipotent King, Redeemer of that loft remnant whose nature thou didst assume, ineffable and e"verlasting Love! And thou the third subsistence of " divine infinitude illumining Spirit, the joy and folace " of created things! one Tri-perfonal Godhead! look up on this thy poor, and almost spent and expiring Church " &c." And in his tract of Prelatical Episcopacy he endevors to prove the spuriousness of some epistles attributed to Ignatius, because they contained in them heresies, one of which herefiesis, that " he condemns them for mini"sters of Satan, who say that Christ is God above all." And a little after in the same tract he objects to the authority of Tertullian, because he went about to "prove an imparity between God the Father, and God the Son." And in the Paradife Loft we shall find nothing upon this head, that is not perfectly agreeable to Scripture. The learned Dr. Trap, who was as likely to cry out upon heresy as any man, afferts that the poem is orthodox in every part of it; or otherwise he would not have been at the pains of translating it. Neque alienum videtur a studiis viri theologi poema magna ex parte theologicum; omni ex parte (rideant, per me licet, atque ringantur athei et infideles) orthodoxum. Milton was indeed a difsenter from the Church of England, in which he had been educated, and was by his parents designed for holy orders, as we related before; but he was led away by early prejudices against the doctrin and difciplin of the Church; and in his younger years was a favorer of the Presbyterians; in his middle age he was best pleased with the Independents and Anabaptifts, as allowing greater liberty of confcience than others, and coming nearest in his opinion to the primitive practice; and in the latter part of his life he was not a professed member of any particular fect of Chriftians, he frequented no public worship, nor ufed any relgious rite in his family. Whether fo many different forms of worship as he had feen, had made him indifferent to all forms; or whether he thought that all Cristians had in fome things corrupted the purity and fimplicity of the Gofpel; or whether he disliked their endless and uncharitable disputes, and that love of dominion and inclination to perfecution, which he faid was a piece of Popery infeparable from all Churches; or whether he believed, that a man might be a good Christian without joining in any communion; or whether he did not look upon himself as inspired, as wrapt up in God, and above all forms and ceremonies, it is not easy to determin: to his own master he standeth or falleth: but if he was of any denomination, he was a fort of a Quietest, and was full of the interior of religion tho' he so little regarded the exterior; and it is certain was to the last an enthusfiaft rather than an infidel. As enthusiasm made Norris a poet, fo poetry might make Milton an enthufiaft. His circumftances were never very mean, nor very great; for he lived above want, and was not intent upon accumulating wealth; his ambition was more to enrich and adorn his mind. His father supported him in his travels, and for fome time after. Then his pupils must have been of fome advantage to him, and brought him either a certain ftipend or confiderable presents at least; and he had fcarcely any other method of improving his fortune, as he was of no profession. When his father died, he inherited an elder son's share of his eftate, the principal part of which I believe was his house in BreadStreet: And not long after, he was appointed Latin Secretary |