loudly of his honefty; and if he thought the office purely ministerial, he certainly might have honestly retained it under the King. But this tale has too little evidence to deferve a difquifition; large offers and sturdy rejections are among the common topicks of falsehood.

He had fo much either of prudence or gratitude, that he forbore to difturb the new fettlement with any of his political or ecclefiaftical opinions, and from this time devoted himself to poetry and literature. Of his zeal for learning in all its parts, he gave a proof by publishing, the next year (1661), Accidence commenced Grammar; a little book which has nothing remarkable, but that its author, who had been lately defending the fupreme powers of his country, and was then writing Paradife Loft, could defcend from his elevation to rescue children from the perplexity of grammatical confufion, and the trouble of leffons unneceffarily repeated.

About this time Elwood the Quaker, being recommended to him as one who would read Latin to him, for the advantage of his converfation, attended him every afternoon, except on Sundays. Milton, who, in his letter to Hartlib, had declared, that to read Latin with an English mouth is as ill a hearing as Low French, required that Elwood fhould learn and practise the Italian pronunciation, which, he faid, was neceffary, if he would talk with foreigners. This feems to have been a tafk troublesome without use. There is little reafon for preferring the Italian pronunciation to our own, except that it is more general; and to teach it to an Englishman is only to make him a foreigner at home. He who travels, if

he

he fpeaks Latin, may fo foon learn the founds which every native gives it, that he need make no provifion before his journey; and if ftrangers vifit us, it is their business to practife fuch conformity to our modes as they expect from us in their own countries. Elwood complied with the directions, and improved himself by his attendance; for he relates, that Milton, having a curious ear, knew by his voice when he read what he did not understand, and would stop him, and open the most difficult paffages.

In a fhort time he took a house in the Artillery Walk, leading to Bunhill Fields; the mention of which concludes the register of Milton's removals and habitations. He lived longer in this place than any other.

He was now bufied by Paradife Loft. Whence he drew the original defign has been variously conjectured by men who cannot bear to think themselves ignorant of that which, at last, neither diligence nor fagacity can difcover. Some find the hint in an Italian tragedy. Voltaire tells a wild and unauthorifed ftory of a farce feen by Milton in Italy, which opened thus: Let the Rainbow be the Fiddlestick of the Fiddle of Heaven. It has been already fhewn, that the first conception was a tragedy or myftery, not of a narrative, but a dramatick work, which he is supposed to have begun to reduce to its prefent form about the time (1655) when he finished his difpute with the defenders of the King.

He long had promised to adorn his native country by fome great performance, while he had yet perhaps no settled defign, and was ftimulated only by fuch expectations as naturally arofe from the furvey

of

of his attainments, and the consciousness of his powers. What he should undertake, it was difficult to determine. He was long chufing, and began late.

While he was obliged to divide his time between his private ftudies and affairs of ftate, his poetical labour must have been often interrupted; and perhaps he did little more in that bufy time than conftruct the narrative, adjuft the epifodes, proportion the parts, accumulate images and fentiments, and treasure in his memory, or preferve in writing, fuch hints as books or meditation would fupply. Nothing particular is known of his intellectual operations while he was a statefman; for, having every help and accommodation at hand, he had no need of uncommon expedients.

Being driven from all publick ftations, he is yet too great not to be traced by curiofity to his retirement; where he has been found by Mr. Richardfon, the fondeft of his admirers, fitting before his door in a grey coat of coarse cloth, in warm fultry weather, to enjoy the fresh air; and fo, as in his own room, receiving the vifits of people of diftinguished parts as well as quality. His vifitors of high quality muft now be imagined to be few; but men of parts might reafonably court the conversation of a man fo ́generally illuftrious, that foreigners are reported, by Wood, to have vifited the houfe in Bread ftreet where he was born.

According to another account, he was feen in a fmall house, neatly enough dreffed in black cloaths, fitting in a room bung with rufy green; pale but not cadaverous, with chalkftones in his hands. He Said,

that

that, if it were not for the gout, bis blindness would be tolerable.

In the intervals of his pain, being made unable to use the common exercifes, he used to fwing in a chair, and fometimes played upon an organ.

He was now confeffedly and visibly employed upon his poem, of which the progrefs might be noted by those with whom he was familiar; for he was obliged, when he had compofed as many lines as his memory would conveniently retain, to employ fome friend in writing them, having, at leaft for part of the time, no regular attendant. This gave opportunity to obfervations and reports.

Mr. Philips obferves, that there was a very remarkable circumftance in the compofure of Paradife Loft, "which I have a particular reafon," fays he, "to remember; for whereas I had the perufal of it from the very beginning, for fome years, as I "went from time to time to vifit him, in parcels of ten, twenty, or thirty verfes at a time (which,

66

being written by whatever hand came next, might

poffibly want correction as to the orthography "and pointing), having, as the fummer came on, "not been fhewed any for a confiderable while, "and defiring the reafon thereof, was anfwered, "that his vein never happily flowed but from the "Autumnal Equinox to the Vernal; and that what"ever he attempted at other times was never to his "fatisfaction, though he courted his fancy never fo "much; fo that, in all the years he was about this "6 poem, he may be faid to have fpent half his time "therein."

VOL. IX.

K

Upon

Upon this relation Toland remarks, that in his opinion Philips has mistaken the time of the year; for Milton, in his Elegies, declares, that with the advance of the Spring he feels the increase of his poetical force, redeunt in carmina vires. To this it is answered, that Philips could hardly mistake time fo well marked; and it may be added, that Milton might find different times of the year favourable to different parts of life. Mr. Richardfon conceives it impoffible that fuch a work should be fufpended for fix months, or for one. It may go on fafter or flower, but it must go on. By what neceffity it must continually go on, or why it might not be laid afide and refumed, it is not eafy to discover.

This dependance of the foul upon the feasons, those temporary and periodical ebbs and flows of intellect, may, I fuppofe, juftly be derided as the fumes of vain imagination. Sapiens dominabitur aftris. The author that thinks himfelf weather-bound will find, with a little help from hellebore, that he is only idle or exhaufted. But while this notion has poffeffion of the head, it produces the inability which it supposes. Our powers owe much of their energy to our hopes; poffunt quia poffe videntur. When fuccefs feems attainable, diligence is enforced; but when it is admitted that the faculties are fuppreffed by a crofs wind, or a cloudy fky, the day is given up without refiftance; for who can contend with the course of Nature?

From fuch prepoffeffions Milton feems not to have been free. There prevailed in his time an opinion, that the world was in its decay, and that we have had the misfortune to be produced in the decrepitude

of