Excipit hine fessum sinuosi pompa theatri Some time in the year 1643, when the earl of Bridgewater resided at Ludlow Castle, in Shropshire, his two sons, Lord Brackley and Mr. Egerton, with their sister, Lady Alice Egerton, while passing through Haywood Forest, in Herefordshire, were overtaken by night, and the lady, for some time, lost. The adventure furnished an abundant topic of conversation, when they got home; and, at the solicitation of Henry Lawes, who was then teaching music in the family, Milton undertook to compose a mask upon the subject. It was acted at the castle on Michaelmas night; and the two brothers, the young lady, and Lawes, each bore a part in the performance. Lawes composed the music; and was afterwards the editor of Comus. The following lines are supposed to be meant for that eminent musician; who took the part of Comus. -But first I must put off These skie robes, spun out of Iris woof, And with his soft pipe, and smooth dittied song, It has been conjectured, that Arcades was acted before the countess dowager of Derby, at her seat in Harefield, the year previous to the composition of Comus.* No reason is given for assigning the time so precisely; but, as Lady Derby died in January, 1636,† the Arcades must at least have been written before Comus was published; and, as the earl of Bridgewater, who married a daughter of her • Todd, vol. vi. p. 148. + Ibid. ladyship, lived at a much greater distance from Horton than the Countess herself, it is likely, that Milton first established his reputation with the latter; and, being afterwards introduced to the former, was solicited to make a second effort of his skill. Mr. Wharton tells us, that the Arcades was acted by the persons of Lady Derby's own family;' and Mr. Todd conjectures, that these persons could have been no other than the same Lord Brackley, Mr. Thomas and Lady Alice Egerton, who performed Comus. It seems, indeed, that they were famous for their abilities at a mask; for, in 1633, they assisted in the performance of Carew's Calum Brittanicum before the court.* In August, 1637, Mr. Edward King, son of Sir John King, secretary for Ireland, under queen Elizabeth, James the First, and Charles the First, was sailing from Chester to Ireland, when the crazy vessel, in which he had embarked, was split upon a rock, and went to the bottom. A few escaped; and an attempt was made to get Mr. King into the boat; but we have the most unequivocal evidence, that the attempt proved unsuccessful. He had many friends in Cambridge; and his death was lamented in three Greek, nineteen Latin, and thirteen English poems. Milton's Lycidas was at the end of the collection; and, though Peck says, that it was placed last in consequence of the author's disagreement with Christ College, Mr. Wharton will have it, that the end of the volume was the place of honour. King had written some Latin iambics; and Milton asks, Who would not sing for Lycidas? He knew Cleveland went farther: * Todd, vol. vi. p. 148. -Our tears shall seem the Irish seas, But a Mr. Booth exceeded all the rest; though his poem was not published in the collection. He has this epitaph upon Mr. King: Heere lies the love of gentle hearts, Heere lies Rhetoriche, all undone, Which makes the seas more fluent runne. And heere Philosophy was drown'd, Which makes the seas far more profound.* In all the three poems now mentioned, Milton had imitated the Italian versification; and it was probably on account of this preference, that he was recompensed with so much extravagant praise, during his stay in Italy. His reputation must have had time to go before him; and, as his letter of advice from Sir Henry Wotton is dated April 13th, 1638,t it is probable, that he did not set out till about the close of that year, or the beginning of the next. It was in this letter that Sir Henry Wotton gave Milton the famous advice of 'I pensieri stretti, et il viso sciolto'-thoughts close, and looks loose; which same piece of advice he received from an old Roman courtier, and was accustomed to bestow it upon all his friends, who were about to travel. This, and a direction as to the best route, are the only advice in this famous letter of Sir Henry Wotton. How Milton followed the former, is well known. Whether he adopted the latter, we cannot ascertain. He started with a single servant, who accompanied him throughout his journey. The English * Todd, vol. vi. p. 6. + Ibid. p. 179. Ibid. p. 184. tirely liberated; and, after a short residence at the village of Belloguardo, near Florence, he removed to Arceti,—where, as it is supposed, he received the visit of Milton. In an Italian Life, by M. ROLLI, it is conjectured, that some passages in Paradise Lost, which he supposes to approach the Newtonian philosophy, must have been the result of the poet's conversations with Galileo and his followers.* From Florence Milton passed through Sienna, to Rome; where he remained another two months. Lucas Holstenius, the Vatican librarian, received him with hospitality; and took care to show him all the Greek authors, whether published or in manuscript, which had undergone his care and emendation. It was by his means, also, that Milton became acquainted with Cardinal Barberini; whose attentions to the English poet have been dwelt upon, by his English biographers, as a mark of high and peculiar favour. It appears, however, that the cardinal did little more than his duty. At Rome,' says Dr. Bargrave, every forraigne Nation hath some Cardinall or other to be their peculiar guardian;' and, when I was four several times at Rome,' he continues, this Cardinall Barberini was guardian to the English.' It is no great wonder, therefore, that, in the exercise of this official guardianship, he should, with his own hands, lead an English poet into a musical entertainment. Milton himself was as much deceived as his biographers; and, esteeming the circumstance as a mark of especial distinction, he afterwards repaid Barberini in a Latin epistle to Holstenius. De cætero, (says he,) novo beneficio devinxeris, si Emmentissimum§ Cardinalem quan Todd, vol. i. pp. 30, 31. †Toland, p. 13. MS. in the library of the Canterbury cathedral. Todd, vol. i. p. 33, note. This title was first given to the cardinals by Barberini himself. That of Padrone belonged to the pope's chief nephew; and was afterwards conferred on this same cardinal, as the eldest nephew of |