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who was known to have a wife still living. He might not think himself too at liberty as before, while his wife continued obftinate; for his moit plaufible argument for divorce proceeds upon a fuppofition, that the thing be done with mutual confent.

After his wife's return, his family was increafed not only with children, but also with his wife's relations; her father and mother, her brothers and fifters, coming to live with him in the general diftrefs and ruin of the royal party; and he was fo far from refenting their former ill treatment of him, that he generously protected them, and entertained them very hofpitably, till their affairs were accomodated through his intereft with the prevailing faction. Upon their removal, and the death of his own father, his houfe looked again like the house of the Muses. But his ftudies had like to have been interrupted by a call to public bufinefs: For about this time there was a defign of conftituting him Adjutant-General in the army under Sir Wil liam Waller; but the new-modelling of the army foon following, that defign was laid afide. Not long after, his great houfe in Barbican being now too large for his family, he quitted it for a fmaller in High Holburn, which opened backward into Lincoln's-inn Fields where he profecuted his ftudies till the King's trial and death; when the Prefbyterians declaiming tragically against the King's execution, and afferting that his perfon was facred and inviolable, provoked him to write The tenure of kings and magiftrates, prov ing that it is lawful to call a tyrant to account, and to depofe or put him to death; and that they who of late fo much blame depofing, are the men who did it themselves. This book he published in the beginning of 1649, to fatisfy and compofe the minds of the people. Not long after he wrote his Obfervations on the articles of peace between the Earl of Ormond and the Irish rebels. In these and all his writings, whatever others of different parties may think, he thought himself an advocate for true liberty; for ecclefiaftical liberty in his treatises against the bishops, for domeftic liberty in his books of divorce, and for civil liberty in his wriD

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stings against the King, in defence of the parliament 22nd people of England.

After this he retired again to his private ftudies; and thinking that he had leisure enough for fuch a work, he applied himself to the writing of a history of England, which he intended to deduce from the earliest accounts down to his own times. He had finithed four books of that history, when, neither courting nor expecting any fuch preferment, he was invited by the council of state to be their Latin fecretary for foreign affairs. And he ferved in the fame capacity under Oliver, and Richard, and the Rump, till the reftoration; and without doubt a better Latin pen could not have been found in the kingdom. For the republic and Cromwell fcorned to pay that tribute to any foreign prince, which is ufually paid to the French King, of managing their affairs in his language: They thought it an indignity and meannefs, to which this or any free nation ought not to fubmit; and took a noble refolution, neither to write any letters to any foreign ftates, nor to receive any anfwers from them, but in the Latin tongue, which wascommon to them all. And it would have been well, if fucceeding princes had followed their example; for, in the opinion of very wife men, the univerfality of the French language will make way for the univerfality of the French monarchy.

But it was not only in foreign difpatches that the government made ufe of his pen. He had difcharged the bufinefs of his office a very little time, before he was called to a work of another kind. For foon after the King's death was publifhed a book under his name, intitled, Eixov Barilinn, or, The royal image. This book, like Cæfar's last will, making a deeper impreffion, and exciting greater commiferation in the minds of the people, than the King himself did while alive, Milton was ordered to prepare an answer to it; which was published by authority, and intitled, Exovoxλ65-75, or, The Image-breaker; the famous firname of many Greek Emperors, who in their zeal against idolatry broke all fuperftitious images to pieces. This piece

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was tranflated into French; and two replies to it werepublished, one in 1651, and the other in 1692, upon the reprinting of Milton's book at Amfterdam,

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But his most celebrated work-in profe is his Defence of the people of England against Salmafius; Defenfio pro populo Anglicano contra Claudii anonymi, alias Salmafii, defenfionem regiam. Salmafius, by birth a Frenchman, fucceeded the famous Scaliger as honorary Profefior of the univerfity of Leyden; had gained great reputation by his Plinian exercitations on Solinus, and by his critical remarks on feveral Latin and Greek authors; was generally esteemed one of the greatest and moft confummate fcholars of that age; and is cómmended by Milton himself in his Reafon of church-government, and called the learned Salmafius. Befides his great learning, he had extraordinary talents in railing. "This prince of fcholars," as fome body faid of him," feemed to have erected his throne up-on a heap of ftones, that he might have them at hand to throw at every one's head who paffed by.' He was therefore courted by Charles II. as the most able man to write a defence of the late King his father, and to traduce his adverfaries; and a hundred jacobufes were given him for that purpofe. His book was published in 1649, under the title of Defenfio regia pro Carolo I. ad Carolum II. No fooner did this piece appear in England, but the council of ftate unanimoufly appointed Milton, then present, to answer it. He performed the talk with amazing spirit and vigour, though his health at that time was fuch, that he could hardly endure the fatigue of writing; and being weak in body, he was forced to write by piece-meal, and to break off almost every hour. This neceffarily occafioned fome delay; fo that his Defence of the people of England was not made public till the beginning of 1651. They who cannot read the original, may yer have the pleasure to read the English translation by Mr. Walhington of the Temple, which was printed in 1692, and is inferted among Milton's works in the two last editions. It was fomewhat extraordinary, that Salmafius, a penfioner to a republic, fhould pre

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tend to write a defence of monarchy: But the ftates fhowed their difapprobation by publicly condemning his book, and ordered it to be fuppreffed. On the other hand, Milton's book was burnt at Paris, and at Thouloufe, by the hands of the common hangman : But this ferved only to procure it the more readers. It was read and talked of every where; even they who were of different principles, could not but acknowledge that he was a good defender of a bad caufe. Salmafius's book underwent only one impreffion, while Milton's paffed through feveral editions. On the first appearance of it, he was visited or invited by all the foreign minifters at London, not excepting even thofe of crowned heads; and was particularly honoured and esteemed by Adrian Paaw, ambaffador from the States of Holland. He was likewife highly complimented by letters from the most learned and ingenious perfons in France and Germany; and Leonard Philaras, an Athenian born, and ambassador from the Duke of Parma to the French king, wrote a fine encomium of his defence, and fent him his picture, And what gave him the greatest fatisfaction, the work was highly applauded by those who had defired him to undertake it; and they made him a prefent of 1000 l. which in thofe days of frugality was reckoned no inconfiderable reward for his performance. But the cafe was far otherwise with Salmafius.

He was then in high favour at the court of Chriftina Queen of Sweden, who had invited thither feveral of the most learned men of all countries; But when Milton's Defence was brought to Sweden, and was read to the Queen at her own defire, he funk immediately in her elteem, and the opinion of every body; and though he talked big at firft, and vowed the deftruction of Milton and the-parliament, yet finding that he was looked upon with coldnefs, he thought proper to take leave of the court; and he who came in honour, was difmiffed with contempt. He died sometime afterwards at Spa in Germany, and it is faid more of a broken heart than of any diftemper; leaving a pofthumous reply to Milton, which was not publifhed

published till after the restoration, and was dedicated to Charles II. by his fon Claudius: But it has done no great honour to his memory, abounding with abufe much more than argument.

Ifaac Voffius, who was at Stockholm, when Milton's book was brought thither, in fome of his letters, to Nicholas Heinfius, fays, that he had the only copy of Milton's book, that the Queen borrowed it of him, was very much pleafed with it, and commended Milton's wit and manner of writing; and that Salmafius was very angry, and very bufy in preparing his anfwer, wherein he abufed Milton as if he had been one of the vileft catamites in Italy, and alfo criticifed his Latin poems. Heinfius writes again to Voffius from Holland, that he wondered that only one copy of Milton's book was brought to Stockholm, when three were fent thither, one to the Queen, another to Voffius, and the third to Salmafius; that the book was in every body's hands, and there had been four editions in a few months, befides the Englith one; that a Dutch tranflation was handed about, and a French one was expected. Afterwards he writes from Vénice, that Holftenius had lent him Milton's Latin poems; that they were nothing, compared with the elegance of his Apology; that he had offended fre. quently against profody, and here was a great opening for Salmafius's criticifin: But as to Milton's ha· ving been a catamite in Italy, he fays, that it was a mere calumny; on the contrary, he was difliked by the Italians, for the feverity of his manners, and for the freedom of his difcourfes against Popery. In o thers of his letters 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 was published in 1651, intitled, An apology for the King and people, &c. Apologia pro rege ét populo Anglicans, contra Jobannis Polypragmatici (alias. Miltoni Angli) defenfionem deftructivam regis et popul.. Anglicani.

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