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him Milton's Latin poems; that they were nothing, compared with the elegance of his Apology; that he had offended frequently against profody, an d here was a great opening for Salmafius's criticism; but as to Milton's having been a catamite in Italy, he says, that it was a mere calumny; on the contrary he was disliked by the Italians, for the feverity of his manners, and for the freedom of his dif courses against popery. And in others of his letters to Voffius and to J. Fr. Gronovius from Holland, Heinfius mentions how angry Salmafius was with him for commending Milton's book, and fays that Grafwinkelius had written fomething against Milton, which was to have been printed by Elzevir, but it was fuppreffed by public authority.

The firft reply that appeared was published in 1651, and intitled an Apology for the king and people &c, Apologia pro rege & populo Anglicano contra Johannis Polipragmatici (alias Miltoni Angli) Defenfionem destructivam regis & populi Anglicani. It is not known, who was the author of this piece. Some attribute it to one Janus a lawyer of GraysInn, and others to Dr. John Bramhall, who was then Bishop of Derry, and was made Primate of Ireland after the Restoration: but it is utterly improbable, that so mean a performance, written in fuch barbarous Latin, and fo full of folæcifms, fhould come from the hands of a prelate of fuch diftinguished abilities and learning. But whoever was the author of it, Milton did not think it worth his wile to animadvert upon it himself, but employed the younger of his nephews to answer it; but he fupervifed and corrected the anfwer fo much before it went to the

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prefs, that it may in a manner be called his own. It came forth in 1652 under this title, Johannis Philippi Angli Refponfio ad Apologiam anonymi cujufdam tenebrionis pro rege & populo Anglicano infantiffimam; and it is printed with Milton's works; and throughout the whole Mr. Philips treats Bishop Bramhall with great feverity as the author of the Apology, thinking probably that fo confiderable an adversary would make the answer more confiderable.

Sir Robert Filmer likewife published some animadverfions upon Milton's Defenfe of the people, in a piece printed in 1652, and intitled Obfervations concerning the original of government, upon Mr. Hobbes's Leviathan, Mr. Milton against Salmafius, and Hugo Grotius de Jure belli: but I do not find that Milton or any of his friends took any notice of it; but Milton's quarrel was afterwards fufficiently avenged by Mr. Locke, who wrote against Sir Robert Filmer's principles of government, more I fuppofe in condefcenfion to the prejudices of the age, than out of any regard to the weight or importance of Filmer's arguments.

It is probable that Milton, when he was first made Latin Secretary, removed from his house in High Holborn to be nearer Whitehall; and for fome time he had lodgings at one Thomfon's next door to the bull-head tavern at Charing-Crofs, opening into Spring-garden, till the apartment; appointed for him in Scotland-Yard, could be got ready for his reception. He then removed thither; and there his third child, a fon was born and named John, who, thro' the ill ufage or bad conftitution of the nurfe died an infant. His own health too was greatly

greatly impaired; and for the benefit of the air, he removed from his apartment in Scotland-Yard to a houfe in Petty-France Westminster, which was next door to Lord Scudamore's, and opened into St. James's Park; and there he remained eight years, from the year 1652 till within a few weeks of the King's reftoration. In this house he had not been fettled long before his first wife died in childbed; and his condition requiring fome care and attendance, he was eafily induced after a proper interval of time to marry a fecond, who was Catherine daughter of Captain Woodcock of Hackney and she too died in childbed within a year after their marriage, and her child, who was a daughter, died in a month after her; and her husband has done honor to her memory in one of his fonnets.

Two or three years before this fecond marriage he had totally loft his fight. And his enemies triumphed in his blindness, and imputed it as a judgment upon him for writing against the King: but his fight had been decaying feveral years before, thro' his close application to study, and the frequent headakes to which he had been fubject from his childhood, and his continual tampering with phyfic, which perhaps was more pernicious than all the rest: and he himself has informed us in his fecond Defense, that when he was appointed by authority to write his Defense of the people against Salmafius, he had almost lost the fight of one eye, and the phyficians declared to him, that if he undertook that work, he would also lose the fight of the other: but he was nothing difcouraged, and chose rather to lose both his eyes than defert what he thought his duty.

It was the fight of his left eye that he lost first: and at the defire of his friend Leonard Philaras the Duke of Parma's minifter at Paris he fent him a particular account of his cafe, and of the manner of his growing blind, for him to confult Thevenot the physician, who was reckoned famous in cafes of the eyes. The letter is the fifteenth of his familiar epiftles, is dated Septemb. 28, 1654: and is thus tranflated by Mr. Richardfon.

" Since you advise me not to fling away all hopes "of recovering my fight, for that you have a friend " at Paris, Thevenot the phyfician, particularly fa"mous for the eyes, whom you offer to confult in 86 my behalf if you receive from me an account by "which he may judge of the causes and symptoms "of my difeafe, I will do what you advise me to, "that I may not seem to refuse any affistance that "is offer'd, perhaps from God.

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"I think 'tis about ten years, more or lefs, fince I began to perceive that my eye-fight grew weak and "dim, and at the fame time my fpleen and bowels to "be oppreft and troubled with Flatus; and in the

morning when I began to read, according to cu"ftom, my eyes grew painful immediately, and to "refuse reading, but were refresh'd after a mode"rate exercise of the body. A certain Iris began "to furround the light of the candle if I look'd at "it; foon after which, on the left part of the left eye

(for that was fome years fooner clouded) a mist "arofe which hid every thing on that fide; and looking forward if I fhut my right eye, objects "appear'd smaller. My other eye alfo, for these

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"laft three years, fading by degrees, fome months "before all fight was abolished things which I "looked upon feemed to fwim to the right and "left; certain inveterate vapors feem to poffefs my "forehead and temples, which after meat efpecially, quite to evening, generally, urge and deprefs my eyes with a fleepy heavinefs. Nor would " I omit that whilst there was as yet fome remain"der of fight, I no fooner lay down in my bed, " and turn'd on my fide, but a copious light daz"zled out of my shut eyes; and as my fight dimi"nish'd every day colors gradually more obfcure "flash'd out with vehemence; but now that the "lucid is in a manner wholly extinct, a direct

blackness, or elfe fpotted, and, as it were, woven " with ash-color, is us'd to pour itfelf in. Never"theless the conftant and fettled darkness that is "before me as well by night as by day, feems "nearer to the whitish than the blackish; and the eye rolling itself a little, feems to admit I know "not what little fmallness of light as through a "chink."

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But it does not appear what answer he received; we may prefume, none that administered any relief. His blindness however did not difable him entirely from performing the business of his office. An affiftant was allowed him, and his falary as fecretary ftill continued to him.

And there was farther occafion for his service befides dictating of letters. For the controversy with Salmafius did not die with him, and there was publifhed at the Hague in 1652 a book intitled the

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