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therefore he difmiffed them to receive an education more agreeable to their fex, and temper.

WE come now to take a furvey of him in that point of view, in which he will be looked on by all fucceeding ages with equal delight, and admiration. An interval of above twenty years had elapfed fince he wrote the Mafk of L'Allegro, Il Penforofo, and

Comus,

An. Et.

* 26.

§ 29.

§ Lycidas; all in fuch an exquisite strain ! that though he had left no other monuments of his genius behind him, his name had been immortal. But, neither the infirmities of age and conftitution, nor the viciffitudes of fortune, could deprefs the vigour of his mind; or divert it from executing a defign he had † long conceived of writing an heroic poem. The fall of man was a fubject which he had fome years

A 2

PAR. LOST. B. 9. V. 26.

years before fixed on for a tragedy, which he intended to form by the models of antiquity: and some, not without probability, fay the play opened with that speech in the fourth Book of PARADISE LOST, ver. 32, which is addressed by Satan to the Sun. Were it material, I believe I could produce other paffages which more plainly appear to have been originally intended for the scene. But whatever truth there may be in this report, 'tis certain that he did not begin to mold his fubject in the form which it bears now, before he had concluded his controverfy with Salmafius and More; when he had wholly lost the use of his eyes; and was forced to employ in the office of an amanuenfis any friend who accidentally paid him a vifit. Yet, under all these discouragements, and

various

An. Etat. 61.

various interruptions, in the year 1669 he published his PARADISE LOST; the nobleft poem, next to thofe of Homer and Virgil, that ever the wit of man produced in any age or nation. Need I mention any other evidence of its ineftimable worth, than that the finest geniufes who have fucceeded him have ever esteemed it a merit to relish, and illuftrate, its beauties? Whilft the critic who gazed, with fo much wanton malice, on the nakedness of Shakespear when he flept, after having + formally declared war against it, wanted courage to make his attack; flushed though he was with his conquefts over Julius Cæfar, and the Moor; which infolence his mufe, like

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*Milton's Contract with his Bookfeller S. Simmons for the Copy bears Date April 27, 1667.

+ The Tragedies of the last age confider'd, p. 143.

the other affaffines of Cæfar, * feverely revenged on herself; and not long after her triumph became her own executioner. Nor is it unworthy our obfervation, that though, perhaps, no one of our English poets hath excited fo many admirers to imitate his manner, yet I think never any was known to afpire to emulation: even the late ingenious Mr. Philips, who, in the colours of ftyle, came the nearest of all the copiers to refemble the great original, made his distant advances with a filial reverence; and reftrained his ambition within the fame bounds which Lucretius prescribed to his own imitation.

AND

Non ita certandi cupidus, quàm propter amorem
Quod TE imitari aveo: quid enim contendat hirunda
Cycnis ?-

* Vide EDGAR.

AND now perhaps it may pass for fiction, what with great veracity I affirm to be fact, that MILTON, after having with much difficulty prevailed to have this divine poem licensed for the prefs, could fell the copy for no more than fifteen pounds the payment of which valuable

:

confideration depended on the fale of three numerous impressions. So unreasonably may personal prejudice affect the most excellent performances!

An. Etat. 63.

ABOUT two Years after, * together with SAMSON AGONISTES (a tragedy not unworthy the Grecian ftage when Athens was in her glory) he published PARADISE REGAIN'D. But, Oh! what a falling off was there!— Of which I will fay no more, than that there is scarcely a more remarkable inftance of the frailty of human reason, than

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*They were licenfed July 2, 1670, but not printed

before the year enfuing.

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