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very well pleafed with living fo obfcurely in the country: But his mother dying, he prevailed with his father to let him indulge a defire which he had long entertained, of feeing foreign countries, and particularly Italy. Having communicated his defign to Sir Henry Wotton, who had formerly been ambaffador at Venice, and was then Provoft of Eton College, and having alfo fent him his Mafque, of which he had notyet publicly acknowledged himfelf the author, he received from him the following friendly letter, dated, From the college, the 13th of April 1638.

"SIR,

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T was a special 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 ftay in these parts, which I understood afterwards by Mr. H. I would have been bold, in our vulgar phrase, to mend my draught, (for you left me with an extreme thirst), and to have begged your converfation again, jointly with your faid learned friend, at a poor meal or two, that we might have banded together fome good authors of the ancient time; among which L obferved you to have been familiar.

Since your going, you have charged me with new obligations, both for a very kind letter from you, dat. ed the fixth of this month, and for a dainty piece of entertainment that came therewith. Wherein I should much commend the tragical part, if the lyrical did not ravish me with a certain Doric delicacy in your fongs and odes, whereunto I muft plainly confefs to have feen yet nothing parallel in our language, ipfa mollities. But I must 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 itfelf I had viewed fome good while before, with fingu lar delight, having received it from our common friend

friend Mr. R. in the very close of the late Mr. 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 ftationers, and leave the reader con la bocca dolce.

Now, Sir, concerning your travels, wherein I may challenge 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 governour; and you may furely receive from him good directions for the 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 Marseilles, and thence by fea to Genoa, whence the paffage into Tufcany is as diurnal as a Gravefend barge. I haften, as you do, to Florence, or Sienna, the rather to tell you a fhort ftory, from the intereft you have given me in your fafety.

At Sienna I was tabled in the houfe of one Alberto Scipioni, 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 escaped 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 centre of his experience), I had won confidence enough to beg his advice, how I might carry myfelf fecurely there, without offence of others, or of mine own confcience. Signor Arrigo mio, (fays he), Ipenfieri ftretti, et il vifo fciolto, 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

maining your friend, as much at command as any of longer date,

H. WOTTON."

P. S. " Sir, I have exprefsly fent this by my footboy, to prevent your departure without fome acknowledgment from me of the receipt of your obliging letter, having myself through fome business, I know not how, neglected the ordinary conveyance. In any part where I fhall understand you fixed, I fhall be glad, and diligent to entertain you with home-novelties; even for fome fomentation of our friendship, too foon interrupted in the cradle."

Soon after this he fet out upon his travels, being of an age to make the proper improvements, and not barely to fee fights and to learn the languages, like most of our modern travellers, who go out boys, and return fuch as we fee, but fuch as I do not chuse to name. He went first to France, where he had recommendations to the Lord Scudamore, the English ambaffador. As foon as he came to Paris, he waited upon his Lordship, and was received with wonderful civility. Having an earnest desire to visit the learned Hugo Grotius, he was by his Lordship's means introduced to that great man, who then refided at the French court as ambaffador from the famous Christina . Queen of Sweden. The vifit was to their mutual fatisfaction; they were each of them pleafed to fee a perfon, of whom they had heard fuch commendations. But he staid not long at Paris; his thoughts and his wifkes haftened into Italy. He therefore after a few days took leave of Lord Scudamore, who very kindly gave him letters to the English merchants in the feveral places through which he was to travel, requesting them to do him all the good offices which lay in their power.

From Paris he went directly to Nice, where he took fhipping for Genoa; from whence he went to Leghorn, and thence to Pifa; and fo to Florence, in which city he found fufficient inducements to make a

ftay

fay of two months. For befides the curiofities and ether beauties of the place, he took great delight in the company and converfation there, and frequented their academies as they are called, the meetings of the most polite and ingenious perfons, which they have in this, as well as in the other principal cities of Italy, for the exercise and improvement of wit and learning among them. In thefe converfations he bore fo good a part, and produced fo many excellent compofitions, that he was foon taken notice of, and was very much courted and careffed by feveral of the nobility and prime wits of Florence. For the manner is, as Milton tells us, that every one muft give fome proof of his wit and reading there. His productions were received with written encomiums, which the Italian is not forward to bestow on men of this fide the Alps. Jacomo Gaddi, Antonio Francini, Carlo Dati, Beneditto, Bonmatthei, Cultellino, Frefcobaldi, Clementilli, are reckoned among his particular friends. At Gaddi's house the academies were held, which he conftantly frequented. Antonio Francini compofed an Italian ede in his commendation. Carlo Dati wrote a Latin eulogium of him, and correfponded with him after kis return to England. Bonmatthei was at that time about publishing an Italian grammar; and Milton addressed an epistle to him upon that occafion, commending his defign, and adviting him to add fome obfervations concerning the true pronunciation of that language for the ufe of foreigners.

So much good acquaintance would probably have detained him longer at Florence, if he had not been going to Rome, which to a curious traveller is certainly the place the moft worth feeing of any in the world. From Florence he went to Sienna, and from thence to Rome; where he ftaid much about the fame time that he had continued at Florence, feafting both his eyes and his mind, and delighted with the fine paintings, and sculptures, and other rarities and antiquities of the city, as well as with the converfation of feveral learned and ingenious men, particularly of Lucas Holftenius, keeper of the Vatican library, who C

received

received him with the greatest humanity, and showed him all the Greek authors, whether in print or in manufcript, which had paffed through his correction ; and also presented him to Cardinal Barberini, who at an entertainment of mufic, performed at his own expence, waited for him at the door, and taking him by the hand brought him into the affembly. The next morning he waited upon the Cardinal to return him thanks for his civilities, and by the means of Holftenius was again introduced to his Eminence, and spent fome time in conversation with him. It seems that Holstenius had ftudied three years at Oxford, and this might difpofe him to be more friendly to the English; but he took a particular liking and affection to Milton; and Milton, to thank him for all his favours, wrote to him afterwards from Florence. At Rome too Selvaggi made a Latin diftich in honour of Milton, and Salilli a Latin tetraftich, celebrating him for his Greek, and Latin, and Italian poetry; and he in return prefented to Salfilli in his fickness those fine Scazons, or Iambic verfes having a fpondee in the laft foot, which are inferted among his juvenile poems.

From Rome he went to Naples, in company with a certain hermit; and by his means was introduced to the acquaintance of Giovanni Baptifta Manfo, Marquis of Villa, a Neapolitan nobleman, of fingular merit and virtue; to whom Taffo addreffes his dialogue of friendship, and whom he mentions likewife in his Gierufalemme Liberata with great honour, This nobleman was particularly civil to Milton, frequently vifited him at his lodgings, went with him to fhow him the Viceroy's palace, and whatever was curious or worth notice in the city; and honoured him fo far as to make a Latin diftich in his praise, which is printed before our author's Latin poems, as is likewise the other of Selvaggi, and the Latin tetraftich of Salfilli, together with the Italian ode and the Latin eulogium before mentioned. We may fuppofe that Milton was not a little pleased with the honours conferred upon him by fo many perfons of diftinétion, and especially

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