Gift

LIFE OF

Gedde FammerHE
4-29-32 JOHN MILTON.

FROM a family and town of his name in Oxfordshire
our Author derived his descent; but he was born at
London in the year 1608. The publisher* of his works
in profe (on whofe veracity some part of this Narra
tive must entirely depend) dates his birth two years
earlier than this; but, contradicting himself after-
wards in his own computation, I reduce it to the
time that Monsieur Bayle had assigned, and for the
fame reason which prevailed with him to affign it.
His father, John Milton, by profession a scrivener,
lived in a reputable manner, on a competent estate
entirely his own acquifition; having been early difin-
herited by his parents for renouncing the communion
of the Church of Rome, to which they were zealously
devoted. By his wife, Sarah Cafton, he had likewise
one daughter, narped Anna, and another fon, Chri-
stopher, whom he trained to the practice of the
Common law; who in the Great Rebellion adhered to
the Royal caufe; and in the reign of King James II.
by too eafy a compliance with the doctrines of the
Court, both religious and civil, he attained to the
dignity of being made a judge of the Common Pleas ;
of which he died divested not long after theRevolution.

Mr. Toland.

An. Etat. 12.

But John, the fubject of the present Effay, was the favourite of his father's hopes, who, to cultivate the great genius which early displayed itself, was at the expense of a domestic tutor; whofe care and capacity his pupil hath gratefully celebrated in an excellent Latin elegy. At his initiation he is faid to have applied himself to letters with fuch indefatigable industry, that he rarely was prevailed with to quit his studies before midnight; which not only made him frequently fubject to severe pains in his head, but likewife occafioned that weakness in his eyes which terminated in a total privation of fight. From a domestic education he was removed to St. Paul's school, to complete his acquaintance with the Claffics, under the care of Dr. Gill: and after a short stay there was An. Etat. 15. transplanted to Christ's College in Cambridge, where he distinguished himself in all kinds of academical exercises. Of this fociety he continued a member till he commenced Master of Arts; and then leaving the University, he returned to his father, who had quitted the Town, and lived at Horton in Buckinghamshire, where he pursued his studies with unparalleled affiduity and fuccefs.

An. Etat. 23.

After fome years spent in this studious retirement his mother died; and then he prevailed with his father to gratify an inclination he had long entertained An. Etat. 30. of feeing foreign countries. Sir Henry Wotton, at that time Provost of Eton College, gave

*" SIR,

him a letter of advice * for the direction of his travels; but by not observing an excellent maxim in it, he incurred great danger, by difputing against the superstition of the Church of Rome within the verge Eton College, 10th April, 1638. "It was a fpecial favour when you lately bestowed upon me here the first taste of your acquaintance, though "no longer than to make me know that I wanted more "time to value it, and to enjoy it rightly. And in truth, "if I could then have imagined your farther stay in thefe 66 parts, which I understood afterwards by Mr. H. I would "have been bold, in our vulgar phrafe, to mend my draught, "for you left me with an extreme thirst, and to have beg"ged your conversation again, jointly with your faid learn "ed friend, at a poor meal or two, that we might have "banded together fome good authors of the ancient time, 66 among which I obferved you to have been familiar.

"Since your going, you have charged me with new obli"gations, both for a very kind letter from you, dated the "6th of this month, and for a dainty piece of entertainment "that came therewith; wherein I fhould much commend "the tragical part, if the lyrical did not ravish with a "certain Doric delicacy in your Songs and Odes, wherein "I must plainly confefs to have feen yet nothing parallel " in our language, ipfa mollities. But I mult not omit to "tell you, that I now only owe you thanks for intimating "unto me, how modeftly foever, the true artificer: for the "work itself I had viewed fome good while before with fin "gular delight, having received it from our common friend "Mr. R. in the very clofe of the late R's poems, printed "at Oxford, whereunto it is added, as I now fuppofe, that "the acceffory might help out the principal, according to the art of itationers, and leave the reader con la bocca " dulce.

"Now, Sir,concerningyourtravels, wherein maychallenge a little more privilege of difcourfe with you: I fuppofe you will not blanch Paris in your way; therefore I have been bold to trouble you with a few lines to Mr. M. B. "whom you fhall eafily find attending the young Lord S. "as his governor; and you may furely receive from him "good directions for fhaping of your farther journey into Italy, where he did refide, by my choice, fome time for the King, after mine own recefs from Venice.

I fhould think that your best line will be through the "whole length of France to Marfeilles, and thence by fea

of the Vatican. Having employed his curiosity about two years in France and Italy *, on the news of a Civil war breaking out in England, he returned without taking a survey of Greece and Sicily, as, at his fetting out, the scheme was projected. At Paris the

to Genoa, whence the paffage into Tufcany is as d'urnal "as a Gravefend barge. I haften, as you do, to Florence "or Sienna, the rather to tell you a fhort story, from the "intereft you have given me in your fafety.

"At Sienna I was tabled in the house of one Alberto "Scipione, an old Roman courtier in dangerous times, "having been steward to the Duca di Pagliano, who with "all his family were ftrangled, fave this only man, that "efcaped by forefight of the tempeft. With him I had "often much chat of thofe affairs; into which he took

pleasure to look back from his native harbour; and at "" my departure toward Rome, which had been the center "of his experience, I had won confidence enough to beg "his advice how I might carry myself fecurely there, with "out offence of others, or of my own confcience. Signor "" Arrigo meo, fays he, I pensieri stretti, et il vise sciolto, "that is, Your thoughts clofe, and your countenance "loofe, will go fafely over the whole world." Of which "Delphian oracle (for fo I have found it) your judgment "doth need no commentary; and therefore, Sir, I will "commit you with it to the best of all fecurities, God's "dear love, remaining your friend, as much at command "as any of longer date." "H. WOTTON.

P. S. " Sir, I have exprefsly fent this by my foot-boy, 4 to prevent your departure without fome acknowledge "ment from me of the receipt of your obliging letter, ha

ving myfelf, through fome bufinefs, I know not how, "neglected the ordinary conveyance. In any part where "I fhall understand you fixed, Í shall be glad and diligent "to entertain you with home novelties, even for fome "fomentation of our friendship, too foon interrupted in the cradle.

* Et jam bis viridi furgebat culmus arista,
Et totidem flavas numerabant horrea meffes,-
Nec dum aderat Thyrfis: paftorem fcilicet illum
Dulcis amor Mufae Thufca retinebat in urbe.

Epitaph. Dam.

Lord Viscount Scudamore, ambassador from King Charles I. at the court of France, introduced him to the acquaintance of Grotius *, who, at that time, was honoured with the fame character there by Christina Queen of Sweden. In Rome, Genoa, Florence, and other cities of Italy, he contracted a familiarity with those who were of highest reputation for wit and learning; several of whom gave him very obliging teftimonies of their friendship and esteem, which are printed before his Latin poems. The first of them was written by Manfo Marquis of Villa, a great patron of Taffo, by whom he is celebrated in his poem on the conqueft of Jerusalem †. It is highly probable that to his conversation with this noble Neapolitan we owe the first design which Milton conceived of writing an epic poem : and it appears, by fome Latin verfes addreffed to the Marquis with the title of Manfus, that he intended to fix on King Arthur for his hero: but Arthur was reserved to another destiny!

Returning from his travels, he found England on the point of being involved in blood and An. Ætat. 32. confufion. It seems wonderful that one of fo warm and daring a spirit as his certainly was, should be restrained from the camp in those unnatural commotions. I suppose we may impute it wholly to the great deference he paid to paternal authority, that he re*Defenfio Secunda, p. 96. Fol.

Fra Cavalier' magnanimi, e cortefi "Refplende il Manfo."

Lib. 20.