Adam's in his Regenerate State; 'tis in the XII Book of his Poem, beginning at v. 561. Here our Progenitor profeffes his Faith in One God, and that 'tis his Duty to Obey, Love, and Fear him; to confider Him as Always Prefent, to Depend upon his Providence, Ever Merciful and Omnipotent. and moreover that Suffering for the Sake of a Good Confcience, is the Nobleft Fortitude; and then Crowns All these Articles of his Faith with an Acknowledgment of his Redemption by the Son of God. All This an Angel Approves, but with the Addition of Good Works. Integrity, Vertue, Patience, Temperance, Love, All Comprehended in One Word CHARITY. This no doubt the Poet intended as a Delineation of True Religion; and Probably 'twas Copy'd from What he found Engraven on his Own Heart; at leaft Charity, which Hopeth, Believeth, Endureth, is Kind; Charity Directs, Commands Us to think fo. This is what he Profeffes to be His Senfe in a Difcourfe Dedicated to the Parliament just before Their Dominion was at an End, That of Civil Power in EcclefiaAtical Caufes- What Evangelical Religion is, is told in Two Words, Faith and Charity, or Belief and Practice. That Both Thefe Flow, cither the One from the Understanding, the Other from the Will, or Both jointly from Both; Once indeed Naturally Free, but Now only as they are Regenerate and wrought on by Divine Grace, is in Part evident to Common Senfe and

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Principles Unquestion'd, the reft by Scripture. this Laft Claufe is Rich in Comfort and Glory to Reftor'd Mankind, and feems to Import Much the Same Idea as that of S. Paul, Coloff. iii. 3.Your Life is Hid with Chrift in God. Mix'd with that Immenfe Ocean of Eternal Being by vertue of our Relation to the Mediator.

Now that we have seen This Picture of the Mind of Milton, Drawn by Himself Chiefly, though I have put it together; not Quite So Well perhaps as it might have been; but as 'tis too Large for the Eye to take it In Clearly at One View, I will Contract it. and Thus he appears to be Studious, Grave, Chafte, Temperate, to be void of Covetoufnefs, Ambition, or Oftentation; to have a Warm Zeal for Liberty, Civil and Religious, not for Intereft, but as his Duty; to be Irreproachable as to any Wilful and Corrupt Deviations, However he may have been Miftaken; though Otherwise he has not been deftitute of a Masculine Judgment. Above all, his Mind Shines with No ble Sentiments of Religion, and Piety: Laftly it is Truly Poetical. Great, Strong, Elegant and Sublime; it Raifes and Beautifies all its Objects as much as Humanity Can, and Where That Fails, has gone Farther than Any Other Humane Intellect Ever Attain'd to.

the Man is Now before you, his Perfon, and his Mind; if the Latter is not without Blemishes, the Cafe is very Different from

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That

That of his Corporeal Blindness, Thefe are Spots,Motes, he is Bright All over Elfe. nor are his Blemishes Offenfive to Charity, Who will Confider Him as a Man, Subject Therefore to Error. View him So, and Thofe Defects may be no more Dishonour to him than his Extinguish'd Eyes were. in fine, He was an Ancient Greek and Roman. a Philofopher, a Divine, a Chriftian, a Poet.-but there are Readers, who from the Materials I have brought together, will form a Nobler Idea of him than any Words of Mine can give, and Such a One as will Appear in Luftre, though at the fame time they Review the Brightest Names of Antiquity.

You will Now be Defirous to know What Kind of Life was Allotted to This Extraordinary Man; How His Portion of Being in This Mortal State was Employ'd.

He was Born in Bread-street in London, 9 December 1608. his Father having been Difinherited for being a Proteftant, for his Anceftors (Gentlemen) were Hot Papifts, got his Bread by the Profeffion of a Scrivener. This Son, the Eldeft of Two, was Educated Partly at Home, and Partly at Paul's School, and was Fit for the Univerfity at 15, when he went to Chrift's in Cambridge, where he continu'd 7 Years. he was a hard Student from his Childhood, Sate up Reading till Midnight; but Whether That, or a Natural Indifpofition,

or

or Both, Occafion'd it, he was much Subject to Head-Achs, which also hurt his Eyes; or perhaps the fame Caufe produc'd Both those Effects: he Then Chofe to rife Early in the Morning, and went to Bed at 9, % and was Thus Secure from the Importunities of Lefs Temperate Friends. His Father defign'd him for the Church; That he Avoided, upon Account of the Subscription, which he Scrupled. (See his Introduction to the fecond Part of ChurchGovernment.) and by his Poetical Latin Letter to his Father it feems as if he Then would have perfuaded him to the Law; Somthing was thought Neceffary whereby Mony might be got. That too the Poet Avoided, and Prcbably the more Eafily, his Father having (as by that Letter it appears) a Tafte for Politenefs, Scrivener though he was. 'tis Evident he Intended to Give himself to the Mufes Intirely, and his Parents, who were Both very Fond of him, Indulg'd his Genius. his Father had by This time acquir'd a Moderate Estate by his Profeffion, and having but Three Children, was Content with it, and Retir'd into the Country, to Horton near Colebrook in Buckinghamshire; Here Young Milton continu'd 5 Years, Labouring at his Books. He Then Travell'd into Italy by the way of France; the French he Never lik'd, the Mercurial Temper of That Nation was very Different from his Solidity; he Haften'd Thence; Stopt Some time at Florence; Then away to Rome, where

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where he alfo Stay'd; then On till he reach'd Naples. He defign'd for Greece, but the Dif tractions at Home brought him back, after having spent about 15 Months Abroad: but he Employ'd That time very Diligently, in the Conversation of Men, the Most Esteem'd for their Wit and Learning, and who Much Efteem'd Him. the Verfes Wrote by Some of them in his Praife, and which are Printed with his Juvenile Works, and Some of his Own Latin Poems and Letters, are Proofs of This, as well as Beautiful in Themselves; particularly his Manfus. They had feen but Little of him Then. How was he Ador'd Afterward! and Is!

Some One or More Miftakes there must be in the Accounts of Time I have given, and I have given them as I found them; by These we are got but into the Year 1636, the 28th of Milton's Age, whereas 'tis certain he came from his Travels in the Year 39 or 40. we muft Therefore Allow him to have Spent More time in fome of the Places where we have hitherto feen him. but not Abroad, for Himself (Defen. 2da) fays, That was 15 Months. Bayle was therefore Mifinform'd, who fays 'twas 3 Years.

Soon after, or upon his Return to England, he Settled in London, in St. Bride's ChurchYard near Fleet-ftreet; though his Father was Yet Alive, and for About 7 Years after. He undertook to Educate the Sons of his Sifter,

for