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"to do fo was my choice, and to have done thus "was my chance," as he expreffes himself in the conclufion of one of his controverfial pieces. All who have written any accounts of his life agree, that he was affable and instructive in converfation, of an equal and chearful temper; and yet I can eafily believe, that he had a fufficient fenfe of his own merits, and contempt enough for his adverfaries.

His merits indeed were fingular; for he was a man not only of wonderful genius, but of immense learning and erudition; not only an incomparable poet, but a great mathematician, logician, hiftorian, and divine. He was a mafter not only of the Greek and Latin, but likewife of the Hebrew, Chaldee, and Syriac, as well as of the modern languages, Italian, French, and Spanish. He was particularly fkilled in the Italian, which he always preferred to the French language, as all the men of letters did at that time in England; and he not only wrote elegantly in it, but is highly commended for his writings by the most learned of the Italians themselves, and efpecially by the members of that celebrated academy called della Crufca, which was established at Florence for the refining and perfecting of the Tuscan language. He had read almost all authors, and improved by all, even by romances, of which he had been fond in his younger years; and as the bee can extract honey out of weeds, fo (to ufe his own words in his Apology for Smectymnuus) "those books, which to many others have been the "fuel of wantonnefs and loofe living, proved to "him fo many incitements to the love and ob"servation of virtue." His favorite author after

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the Holy Scriptures was Homer. Homer he could repeat almost all without book; and he was advised to undertake a tranflation of his works, which no doubt he would have executed to admiration. But (as he fays of himself in his poftfcript to the Judgment of Martin Bucer) " he never could delight in "long citations, much less in whole traductions." And accordingly there are few things, and those of no great length, which he has ever tranflated. He was poffeffed too much of an original genius to be a mere copyer. "Whether it be natural difpofition, " fays he, or education in me, or that my mother "bore me a speaker of what God made my own, " and not a tranflator." And it is fomewhat remarkable, that there is scarce any author, who has written fo much, and upon fuch various fubjects, and yet quotes fo little from his contemporary authors, or fo feldom mentions any of them. He praifes Selden indeed in more places than one, but for the reft he appears difpofed to cenfure rather than commend. After his feverer ftudies, and after dinner as we obferved before, he used to divert and unbend his mind with playing upon the organ or bafs-viol, which was a great relief to him after he had loft his fight; for he was a master of mufic as was his father, and he could perform both vocally and inftrumentally, and it is faid that he compofed very well, tho' nothing of this kind is handed down to us. It is alfo faid that he had some skill in painting as well as in mufic, and that fomewhere or other there is a head of Milton drawn by himfelf: but he was bleffed with fo many real excellences, that there is no want of fictitious ones to

raise and adorn his character. He had a quick apprehenfion, a fublime imagination, a ftrong memory, a piercing judgment, a wit always ready, and facetious or grave as the occafion required: and I know not whether the lofs of his fight did not add vigor to the faculties of his mind. He at least thought fo, and often comforted himself with that reflection.

But his great parts and learning have scarcely gained him more admirers, than his political principles have raised him enemies. And yet the darling paffion of his foul was the love of liberty; this was his constant aim and end, however he might be mistaken in the means. He was indeed very zealous in what was called the good old cause, and with his fpirit and his refolution it is fomewhat wonderful, that he never ventured his perfon in the civil war; but tho' he was not in arms, he was not unactive, and thought, I fuppofe, that he could be of more fervice to the cause by his pen than by his fword. He was a thorough republican, and in this he thought like a Greek or Roman, as he was very converfant with their writings. And one day Sir Robert Howard, who was a friend to Milton as well as to the liberties of his country, and was one of his constant visitors to the laft, inquired of him how he came to fide with the republicans. Milton anfwered among other reasons, because theirs was the most frugal government, for the trappings of a monarchy might fet up an ordinary commonwealth. But then his attachment to Cromwell must be condemned, as being neither confiftent with his republican principles, nor with his love of liberty.

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And I know no other way of accounting for his conduct, but by prefuming (as I think we may reafonably prefume) that he was far from entirely ap proving of Cromwell's proceedings, but confidered him as the only perfon who could rescue the nation from the tyranny of the Prefbyterians, who he saw were erecting a worfe dominion of their own upon the ruins of prelatical epifcopacy; and of all things he dreaded fpiritual flavery, and therefore closed with Cromwell and the Independents, as he expected under them greater liberty of confcience. And tho' he ferved Cromwell, yet it must be faid for him, that he ferved a great mafter, and ferved him ably, and was not wanting from time to time in giving him excellent good advice, especially in his fecond Defense: and fo little being faid of him in all Secretary Thurloe's ftate-papers, it appears that he had no great fhare in the fecrets and intrigues of government; what he dispatched was little more than matters of neceffary form, letters and anfwers to foreign ftates; and he may be juftified for acting in fuch a station, upon the fame principle as Sir Matthew Hale for holding a Judge's commiffion under the ufurper: and in the latter part of his life he frequently expreffed to his friends his entire fatisfaction of mind, that he had constantly employed his ftrength and faculties in the defense of liberty, and in oppofition to flavery.

In matters of religion too he has given as great offenfe, or even greater, than by his political principles. But ftill let not the infidel glory: no fuch man was ever of that party. He had the advantage of a pious education, and ever expreffed the VOL. I. G

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profoundest reverence of the Deity in his words and actions, was both a Christian and a Proteftant, and ftudied and admired the Holy Scriptures above all other books whatsoever; and in all his writings he plainly showeth a religious turn of mind, as well in verfe as in profe, as well in his works of an earlier date as in thofe of later compofition. When he wrote the Doctrin and Difciplin of Divorce, he appears to have been a Calvinift; but afterwards he entertained a more favorable opinion of Arminius. Some have inclined to believe, that he was an Arian; but there are more exprefs paffages in his works to overthrow this opinion, than any there are to confirm it. For in the conclufion of his treatise of Reformation he thus folemnly invokes the Trinity; "Thou therefore that fitteft in light and glory

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unapproachable, Parent of Angels and Men!

next thee I implore Omnipotent King, Re"deemer of that loft remnant whofe nature thou "didft affume, ineffable and everlasting Love! "And thou the third fubfiftence of divine infini*tude, illumining Spirit, the joy and folace of "created things! one Tri-perfonal Godhead! look upon this thy poor, and almost spent and ex

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piring Church &c." And in his tract of Prélatical Epifcopacy he endevors to prove the fpurioufnefs of fome epiftles attributed to Ignatius, becaufe they contained in them herefies, one of which herefies is, that "he condemns them for minifters of "Satan, who say that Chrift is God above all." And a little after in the fame tract he objects to the authority of Tertullian, because he went about to prove an imparity between God the Father, and

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