It may be thought, perhaps, by some, that little occasion exists for such a publication as the present on our immortal Poet, in consequence of the Essays of Doctor Channing and Mr. Macauley; but those splendid compositions do not seem to the author to interfere with such a production as that now respectfully submitted to the public, except in the disadvantageous comparison to which they must necessarily subject it. They appear to him to be addressed to readers already well acquainted with the works of Milton, and consist rather of a general summary of his characteristics than of any particular examination of his writings, which are chiefly and briefly referred to in illustration of each author's views of Milton's peculiar powers. It was the sincere, although probably the presumptuous, wish of the author, in the present Lecture, to rouse the attention of those heretofore unacquainted with the general writings of Milton, in order that they might be animated to their perusal. Strongly impressed with that feeling, and encouraged by the flattering reception afforded by the Literary Institutions, alike to the present Lecture at the time of its delivery, and to the printed Lecture on Burke, he has ventured again to give the "winged words" of the Lecture-room a permanent and abiding character. Chancery Lane, October, 1838. LECTURE ON THE WRITINGS, &c. OF MILTON. Ar the politely urgent invitation of those gentlemen who conduct the affairs of this Institution, I am induced again to address you, and to follow up the plan which I proposed at the commencement of my former Lecture. I, therefore, now present before you as an object of contemplation, a man, who, if regarded not merely in a literary point of view, but in the various aspects of human character, is, in my opinion, of unquestionable superiority to Burke. And I present him, because not only is he the most brilliant example of that rare combination of merit to which I before directed your attention, but because, notwithstanding the great extent to which his name is known, and the number of families in the British empire in whose libraries is to be found a copy of the "Paradise Lost," yet, I must take the liberty to say that, few people really know well the varied aspects in which its illustrious author can be viewed as a great man; and many have refrained from inquiring into the subject, from the prejudices instilled unfortunately into their minds by the misrepresentations of some of our greatest writers, and from the unpopularity, till modern times, of several opinions advocated by him. The fame of Milton, however, is growing and will grow; for it is of a nature which enlarges by Time. Like the oak of his native soil, it takes centuries to attain its full growth, maturing by degrees; but also, like that oak, it acquires year by year more solid materials for endurance, until lifting at last its proud head and leafy honours to the sky, it bids defiance to the wrath of the tempest, and stands erect in majesty and strength. He expected and prophesied that he should at first "fit audience find, but few." The venal and licentious part of the nation—the court, and world of fashion, and the herd who always follow in their train, endeavoured to stifle his fame; but even then a large class of readers of the "Paradise Lost," for that day, was found. It went rapidly through several editions, and Dryden, "unhappy Dryden !" himself bestowed an honest eulogium upon it, in the noble lines with which you must be familiar;* and, even while pandering to the vitiated French taste, which then corrupted the higher circles both in politics and literature, by converting the sublime epic into a rhyming opera, prefixed a preface containing a high panegyric on his model. In the succeeding æra, Lord Somers bestowed his patronage on a fine edition of "Paradise Lost," while Addison took advantage of his popular periodical, the Spectator, to bring fully to the notice of his countrymen those enduring beauties which must perpetuate the existence of the poem so long as the English language remains. Unhappily, a few years after, the clouds of bigotry were raised to obscure the fame of the man, by the intolerant petulance and overbearing anathemas of Doctor Johnson, delivered with all that power of language, but dogmatical authority, for which that great writer is so famous. The natural effect of this has been long unhappily felt, and the life of the author of "Paradise Lost" has been taken for granted by the great mass of society-the half-educated, who are content to hold their opinions on trust and authority— to be a subject almost of shame and regret to every Englishman; while, to do the Doctor justice, the splendid critique which he has written on the immortal Epic has contributed to preserve the reputation of the poet in proud and brilliant lustre. As a poet, therefore, and as a poet alone, have the great majority of Englishmen treated their illustrious countryman; while it must be owned that even to the inquiring and intelligent, the intemperate heat and grossly abusive style occassionally occurring in some of his writings (for which, however, no allowance has been made through the excited state of the times, and the indecent attacks which provoked these replies and sallies of temper,) have created a strong prejudice against the author and the man. In France, also, a similar prejudice has been fostered by * Three Poets in three distant ages born, &c. one of the most popular of her writers. Voltaire, in his Essay on Heroic Poetry, says, "Milton, whom the English regard as a divine poet, was a very bad author in prose." Happily, however, another æra has commenced. A few years only have elapsed since a Latin MS. in Milton's handwriting was accidentally discovered by the late Mr. Lemon among the dusty records of the State Paper Office, and at the express command of his Majesty, King George IV., it was translated by the present Bishop of Winchester, and published to the world under that royal and episcopal sanction.* Some of the most distinguished writers of the present day, and in various countries, a Macauley,† a Channing, and a Chateaubriand, have thought their great talents and influence well employed in doing justice to Milton, and endeavouring to arouse their respective countrymen to an attentive study of his Life and Works; and their generous and noble efforts have been made at a favourable season, for the world is not so apt now as formerly to be cajoled or overawed by high sounding names, and men require to be satisfied as well as overwhelmed.§ The beneficial results of that spirit are daily displayed, and I know not where I view them with more complacency than in the growing estimation among inquiring spirits for the character of Milton; a man who was an honour not only to his country and his age, but to the human race in all time; one of those mighty beings * De Doctrinâ Christianâ. Libri duo Posthumi. 1825. The translation was published by Mr. Knight in that year. This Treatise has been less read than it deserves to be. It should receive the perusal, as it must excite the interest, of every one endowed with the slightest intellectual curiosity, for it contains the mature thoughts of one of the greatest of human intellects on the most important and difficult subjects of human inquiry. + Edinburgh Review, vol. 42. He has devoted a considerable portion of the second volume of his work on English Literature" to an examination of Milton. Every lover of Literature and admirer of Milton must regret that the amiable and elegant poet, Cowper, did not execute his intention of giving a new and splendid edition of Milton-compiling notes, translating the Latin and Italian poems, and writing a commentary on the whole of his works. No one could be better qualified for such a task. His enthusiastic admiration of Milton is expressed in several passages of his exquisite poems, and his ardent love of liberty would have enabled him to do justice to the prose works of the great poet. But, unhappily, his intention was soon frustrated by the attacks of that dreadful disease of which he had been through life the victim, and which after subjecting his rich intellect to gradually increasing imbecility for a few years, finally destroyed both mind and body. whom it is the wise and gracious dispensation of Providence occasionally to raise among men, in order to show to what a height the human spirit is capable of being raised, and how far it can foresee the future course, and anticipate the progress, of distant generations; and how possible and lovely is the harmonious combination of the speculative with the active faculties; of industry with genius, of learning with patriotism, of talents with virtue; of a fervent zeal for religion with a wide and liberal toleration; of purity and piety, and the most devout reverence for the Deity, with the most earnest attention to the welfare, and desire for the happiness of man! John Milton was and died in 1674. He was buried in the church of St. Giles', Cripplegate, where the admirers of genius may gratify a natural curiosity, and see in a bust, (which is thought to be the best extant resemblance of the original,)* *the countenance where sweetness was blended with strength, the wisdom of the serpent with the simplicity of the dove; and the brow on which sat, what another of our great poetst has so beautifully called, "His majesty of Thought;" and which one of our fine living writers has described as the "Throne of quiet grandeur." born on the 9th of December, 1608, His life was one of unvarying and consistent perseverance in the discharge of his duties to his GoD and his fellow men, and in the exercise of those talents, which he considered merely given him in trust, for the benefit of mankind. If any doubt, indeed, can be entertained by any person on this point, it may be dispelled by a few moments' reflection on his temporal fortunes. His poverty and neglect in the later period of his life, I may be told, were the necessary consequences at the Restoration of the office he had held under the Commonwealth; but, I reply, look then at him whilst he held that office, and what do we find ? Any converting of the public troubles to his own account? Any of *It was executed by Bacon, after a cast which was taken from his head in the year 1793, when his remains were disturbed, and found in a state of great preservation, having been evidently embalmed. The bust was erected by the late Mr. Whitbread at his own expense. + Dryden. Sir Edw. Bulwer, Disowned, vol. iii. ch. 2. |