L I I FE O F JOHN MILTON. F ROM a family and town of his name in Oxfordfhire our Author derived his defcent; but he was born at London in the year 1608. The publisher * of his works in profe, (on whofe veracity fome part of this narrative must entirely depend,) dates his birth two years earlier than this: but contradicting himself afterwards in his own computation, I reduce it to the time that Monfieur Bayle hath affigned; and ́for the fame reafon which prevailed with him to asfign it. His father John Milton, by profession a scrivener, lived in a reputable manner on a competent eftate, entirely his own acquifition, having been early difinherited 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, named Anna, and another fon, Chriftopher, whom he trained to the practice of the common law, who in the great rebellion adhered to the royal cause; and in the reign of King James II. a 2 by * Mr. Toland. 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 divefted not long after the Revolution. But John, the fubject of the prefent effay, was the favourite of his father's hopes, who, to cultivate the great genius which early difplayed itfelf, was at the expence of a domeftic tutor; whofe care and capacity his pupil hath gratefully celebrated in An. atat. 12. an excellent Latin elegy t At his initiation he is said to have applied himself to letters with fuch indefatigable industry, that he rarely was prevailed with to quit his ftudies before midnight; which not only made him frequently subject to fevere pains in his head, but likewife occafioned that weaknefs in his eyes, which terminated in a total privation of fight. From a domeftic education he was removed to St. Paul's fchool, to complete his acquaintance with the claffics under the care of Dr. Gill; and after a short stay there, was tranfplantAn. atat. 15. ed to Chrift's college in Cambridge, where he diftinguifhed himself in all kinds of acade-mical exercises. Of this fociety he continued a member till he commenced mafter of arts; and then, leaving the univerfity, he returned An. atat. 23. to his father, who had quitted the town, and lived at Horton in Buckinghamshire, where he purfued his ftudies with unparalleled affiduity and fuccefs. After fome years spent in this ftudious retirement his mother died, and then he prevailed with his father to gratify an inclination he had long entertained of feeing See the fourth in his collection of poems. feeing foreign countries. Sir Henry Wotton, at that time provoft of Ea An. atat. 30. ton college, gave him a letter of advice for the direc tion of his travels; but by not obferving an excellent maxim in it, he incurred great danger, by difputing. against the fuperftition of the church of Rome, with. in the verge 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 furvey of Greece and Sicily, as at his fetting out the scheme was projected. At Paris the 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 Chriftina queen of Sweden. In Rome, Genoa, Florence, and other cities of Italy, he contracted as familiarity with thofe who were of higheft reputation: for wit and learning, feveral of whom gave him very obliging teftimonies of their friendship and esteem, which are printed before his Latin poems. The Art 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 Jerufalem .. It is highly probable that to his converfation with this noble. Neapolitan we owe the firft defign which MILTON conceived, of writing an epic poem; and it appears a 3 * I penfieri firetti, ed il viso sciolto. Et jam bis viridi furgebat culmus arista, Defenfio fecunda. Pag. 96. fol. Epitaph. Dam Lib. 20. by. 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 referved to another destiny! Returning from his travels he found An. atat. 32. England on the point of being in volved in blood and confufion. It seems wonderful that one of fo warm and daring a spirit, as his certainly was, fhould be reftrained from the camp in thofe unnatural commotions. I fuppofe we may impute it wholly to the great deference he paid to paterpal authority, that he retired to lodgings provided for him in the city; which being commodious for the reception of his fifter's fons, and fome other young gentlemen, he undertook their education, and is faid to have formed them on the fame plan which he afterwards published, in a fhort tractate, infcribed to his friend Mr. Hartlib. In this philofophical courfe he continued without a wife till the year 1643; when he An. atat. 35. married Mary, the daughter of Richard Powell of Foreft-hill in Oxfordfhire, a gentleman of estate and reputation in that county, and of principles fo very oppofite to his fon-in-law, that the marriage is more to be wondered at than the feparation which enfued, in little more than a month after she had cohabited with him in London. Her desertion provok ed him both to write feveral treatifes concerning the doctrine and difcipline of divorce, and alfo to make his addreffes to a young lady of great wit and beauty; but before he had engaged her affections to conclude the marriage treaty, in a vifit at one of his relations he found his wife proftrate before him, imploring forgiveness and reconciliation. It is not to be doubted but an interview of that nature, fo little expected, muft |