have made 'em more tender to the confciences of others. This naturally leads men to think that they have not repented of their rigor in the civil wars; and that fhould the diffenters once more get the fecular fword into their hands, they would prefs uniformity of fentiments in religion as far as any other proteftants or papists ever yet have don witnefs their inhuman treatment of DANIEL WILLIAMS (a fober man and a judicious divine) for no caufe that I can difcern, but that he made Christianity plainer than fom of his collegues in the ministry, and that, it may be, he takes a greater latitude than fuch as thro their ignorance cannot, or will not from defign. But what renders them most suspected of affecting dominion, is the project of a comprehenfion now on foot, wherof fom men of figure among 'em feem to be fo fond, wherby the reft are easily deceiv'd, and like to be left in the lurch by certain perfons who for feveral years paft made the hierarchy and liturgy fuch strange bugbears tho if the church will please to becom a kind mother to themselves, and fhew a little complaifance for their old friends, they are ready to pronounce her orders, her prayers, and her ceremonies to be very innocent and harmless things; but mistaken formerly for the pillars of antichrift, the fymbols of idolatry, the dregs of popery, the rags of fuperftition, and proteftant paint to hide the deformities of the old Babylonifh whore. And after all, whatever ours may be, comprehenfion in all other places of the world has never bin any thing elfe but the combination of a few parties to fortify themselves, and to opprefs all others, by their united force, force, or by an absolute exclusion from preferment and other advantages to which by nature or per fonal merit they had an equal claim with the rest of their fellow citizens. Tho to be perfecuted in their turn is the juft judgment of God upon perfecutors, yet vengeance must be left to heaven: and the wishes of all good men are, that the na→ tional church, being fecur'd in her worship and emoluments, may not be allow'd to force others to her communion; and that all diffenters from it, being fecur'd in their liberty of conscience, may not be permitted to meddle with the riches or power of the national church. AFTER these things our author thinking to have leifure enough for such an undertaking, apply'd himfelf intirely to the hiftory of the English nation, which he intended from the remoteft traditional beginning to continue down to his own time, and had already finish'd four books of the fame, when neither courting nor expecting any fuch preferment, he was taken into the service of the new commonwealth. Hitherto he gratuitoufly lent his country the aid of his pen, content with the esteem of good men, and the internal fatisfaction of having perform'd his duty; while others that deferv'd it not fo well, were variously rewarded, fom with riches, fom with honors, and all with liberty. But the publication of the Tenure of Kings and Magiftrats reviving the fame of his other books, and as well fhewing the excellency of his ftile and capacity, as his affection to the good old caufe, he was made fecretary to the council of ftate for all foren affairs: for the republic fcorn'd to acknowlege that fort of tri bute * bate to any prince in the world, which is now paid to the French king, of managing their matters only in his language; and took up a noble refolution to which they firmly adher'd, that they would neither write to others, nor receive their answers, except in the Latin tongue, as being common to them all, and the propereft in it felf to contain great things, or the fubject of future pens. But this proceding could not be acceptable to those whofe tranfactions were afham'd or afraid to fee the light, and whofe names will not be tranfmitted to pofterity, unless for dextrously cheating their own people, and laying the fprings of their tyranny or neglect in the dark, tho the effects are fufficiently felt by their deluded fubjects, and the injustice visibly expos'd to all difcerning eys. None could be found more fitted for such a pot than MILTON, who quickly gain'd no less reputation to himfelf than credit to the ftate that imploy'd so able a perfon t. Of this the letters he wrote under that and the fucceding administrations (for he ferv'd OLIVER, RICHARD, and the Rump) are abundant evidence, being for different reasons admir'd by critics and ftatefmen, as they are certain and authentic materials for fuch as may bereafter write the history of thofe times. It would have been well, if fucceding princes had followed their example; for in the opinion of very wife men, the universality of the French language will make way for the univerfality of the French monarchy. Dr. NEWTON's Life of MILTON. It is faid, that at the restoration an offer was made to MILTON, of holding the fame place of fecretary under the king, which he had discharged with fo much integrity and ability under the commonwealth, and under CROMWELL; but he perfifted in refufing it, though his wife preffed his compliance: "Thou art "in the right, fays he; you, as other women, would ride in your "coach; for me, my aim is to live and die an boneft man.” But it was not only in foren dispatches that the government made ufe of his pen; for juft after the king's death appear'd a book under his name, intitul'd Eikon Bafilike, wherin he vindicats himself in fo many diftinct chapters from the chief heads of thofe tyrannies charg'd upon him by the people, either as occafions of the civil war, or as inhumanities committed during the fame. This piece, like CESAR'S laft will, doing more execution upon the enemy than its author when alive, MILTON was commanded to prevent by an answer those ill effects the Eikon Bafilike might produce. Having undertaken this tafk, he obferves that kings indeed have gain'd glorious titles from their flatterers or *It was first printed at London, in 1649, in quarto, under the 'following title: " EIKONOKAAETHE, in answer to a book in-"titled EIKON BAZIAIKH, the portraiture of his facred majesty "in his folitudes and fufferings. The author J. M. published by "authority." In 1650 it was printed a second time, with many enlargements. And in 1652 there was a French translation printed at London in 12°. " par GUILL. DU GARD, imprimeur du conseil d'Etat;" from which the following extract is copied. "Aver"tiffement au Lecteur." "Le Lecteur eft prié de remarquer, "avant que d'entrer en la lecture du préfent Traité, que le Tra"ducteur a été obligé par plufieurs confidérations, mais princi"palement, à caufe de l'élégance du ftile & du language de " l'Auteur & de fes conceptions, de s'attacher entiérement à ses "paroles & expreffions, autant que la langue Françoise l'a pû "permettre, de peur de perdre la grace, qui fe trouve en "l'Original. Ce qui eft caufe qu'il fe pourra trouver, peut "être, en cette verfion quelques Anglicifmes, ou façons de par"ler Angloifes, ou moins Françoises, bien qu'il ait tâché de les "éviter avec autant de foin, qu'il en a eu de ne perdre rien du "fens & des belles expreffions del'Auteur. Il efpére que le Lecteur "fera plus curieux de la fubftance, que des accidens, et que le "corps lui plaira davantage, que le vêtement; vu qu'en matiére "de telle conféquence, et en chofe, qui ne sert pas peu à juftifier les "procédures d'un Etat, tel que celui d'Angleterre, en un fi grand et fi "notable changement, les frafes et les termes ne doivent pas être "recherchez, à l'égal des chofes, qu'ils fignifient." favorers favorers for writing against privat men, as our HENRY the eighth was ftil'd defender of the faith for ingaging LUTHER; yet that no man can expect much honor by writing against a king, as not ufually meeting with that force of argument in fuch courtly antagonists, which to confute might add to his fame. 66 Kings, fays he, tho ftrong in legions, are moft 66 commonly but weak at arguments; as they who ever have accuftom'd from the cradle to use "their will only as their right hand, their reafon always as their left: whence unexpectedly con"ftrain'd to that kind of combat, they prove but "weak and puny adverfaries. Nevertheless, con"tinues he, for their fakes, who thro cuftom, fimplicity, or want of better teaching have not more seriously confider'd kings than in the gaudy name of majesty, and admire them and their "doings, as if they breath'd not the fame breath "with other mortal men, I fhall make no fcruple 66 66 66 to take up this gauntlet, tho a kings, in the be"half of liberty and the commonwealth." Having thus accepted the challenge, he fairly measures weapons, and answers all the allegations of that book beyond the poffibility of a reply. But every chapter of it ending with devotion, model'd into the form of a privat Pfalter, he once for all gives his judgment of it in these words. They, who fo much "admire the archbishops late Breviary, and many "other as good manuals and handmaids of devo"tion, the lipwork of every prelatical liturgift, clapt this together, and quilted it out of fcripture 66 phrase, with as much ease, and as little need of "Chriftian diligence or judgment, as belongs to F. 2 66 66 the |