"Canst thou with impious obloquy condemn "Dost thou count, Or all angelic natures join'd in one, Equal to Him begotten Son? by whom, As by His word, the Mighty Father made All things, even thee: and all the spirits of heaven."—Ib. 1. 833-837. "Thou Spirit, who ledst this glorious eremite Into the desert, his victorious field, Against the spiritual foe, and brought'st him thence By proof the undoubted Son of God, inspire, As thou are wont, my prompted song, else mute."-Paradise "Gabriel, this day by proof thou shalt behold, Thou and all angels conversant on earth With man or men's affairs, how I begin To verify that solemn message, late On which I sent thee to the virgin pure In Galilee, that she should bear a Son Great in renown, and call'd the Son of God; Thou toldst her, doubting how these things could be To her a virgin, that on her should come The Holy Ghost, and the power of the Highest O'ershadow her."-Ib. 1. 129–139. "By voice from heaven Heard thee pronounced the Son of God beloved.”—Ib. book iv. 1. 512, 513. Any comparison of the foregoing extracts with the doubtful treatise ascribed to Milton would be quite out of place. We must, nevertheless, say that whoever can prefer the absurdities about polygamy, the destruction of the Sabbath, the heathen mythology, and the Arian creed contained in the so-called Treatise on Christian Doctrine,' to the sublime observations here quoted, is to be pitied indeed. The last known survivor of Milton's family was his granddaughter, named Elizabeth Foster, who in 1750 kept a chandler's shop at Holloway, and for whose benefit the Mask of Comus' was performed at Drury Lane Theatre, at the instigation of Dr. Johnson, who not only wrote a prologue for the occasion, but also sent the following letter to the 'General Advertizer,' viz. : "Sir,-That a certain degree of reputation is acquired merely by approving the works of genius, and testifying a regard to the memory of authors, is a truth too evident to be denied; and, therefore, to ensure a participation of fame with a celebrated poet, many who would, perhaps, have contributed to starve him when alive, have heaped expensive pageants upon his grave. It must, indeed, be confessed that this method of becoming known to posterity with honour is peculiar to the great, or at least to the wealthy; but an opportunity now offers for almost every individual to secure the praise of paying a just regard to the illustrious dead, united with the pleasure of doing good to the living. To assist industrious indigence, struggling with distress, and debilitated by age, is a display of virtue, and an acquisition of happiness and honour. “Whoever, then, would be thought capable of pleasure in reading the works of our incomparable Milton, and not so destitute of gratitude as to refuse to lay out a trifle in rational and elegant entertainment, for the benefit of his living remains, for the exercise of their own virtue, the increase of their reputation, and the pleasing consciousness of doing good, should appear at Drury Lane Theatre to-morrow, April 5, when Comus' will be performed, for the benefit of Mrs. Elizabeth Foster, granddaughter to the author, and the only surviving branch of his family. 6 "N.B. There will be a new prologue on the occasion, written by the author of Irene,' and spoken by Mr. Garrick; and, by particular desire, there will be added to the Masque a dramatick satire, called 'Lethe,' in which Mr. Garrick will perform." It is remarkable that Milton produced his greatest works after having been blind for several years. Some writers, indeed, have tried to make it appear that he wrote the greater part of Paradise Lost' while yet possessing sight, but for this assumption there is not the smallest ground, and its being advanced is not at all creditable to its authors. Milton, having possessed vision for more than fortyfour years, was enabled to collect a mass of information of a kind that never could have been obtained by any one blind from infancy; but there is every reason to believe that if he had not lived for the last twentytwo years of his life in a darkened state, the best fruits of his labours would have been lost to mankind. If he had been able to see, it is probable he might not have been pardoned by the king; or his ardent spirit might have induced him to follow the example of so many of his compeers, and seek a home in New England. He might, again, have had the opportunity, and have been content, to have remained in the land of his forefathers, but his love of political life would certainly have been a snare to him. If bent on retiring from public view, and devoting himself exclusively to the peaceful walks of literature, the desire to carry out his dictionary and history of England would have interfered greatly with his poetical genius. As a sighted man, he would not have possessed the powers of concentration necessary to enable him to produce the inimitable 'Paradise Lost' and 'Paradise Regained.' In a word, Milton would never have been what he was unless he had possessed the advantages arising from the possession of sight, and also those which spring from blindness, and it must be generally admitted that the world has only seen one other author at all equal to Milton, viz. Homer; and he, too, was without sight. Under these circumstances, the blind in all ages have a right to expect to receive from their seeing brethren a fair opportunity for the development of the abilities which God, in his infinite mercy, has vouchsafed to them. Ꭱ De Valbonais, the Historian. Bourchenu de Valbonais was born at Grenoble, in the south of France, in 1651, and was present when twenty-one years of age at the indecisive naval engagement of Solbaye, fought between the English and French on the one side, and the Dutch on the other, soon after which battle he lost his sight. This calamity, however, while it cut him off from warlike pursuits, did not prevent his embarking in literary undertakings. He published a history of Dauphinay in two volumes folio, and also a compilation of the genealogies of the nobility of that province. It is to be regretted that more is not known of his life; but the above circumstances are deemed of sufficient importance to be recorded here. Nicholas Saunderson, LL.D., F.R.S. This eminent mathematician and natural philosopher, was born at Thurlston, in Yorkshire, in 1682, eight years after the death of Milton. Before the age of one year Nicholas was attacked with small-pox, which not only deprived him of sight, but also destroyed his eye-balls. His father was in comfortable circumstances, being in the excise and having a small private property. A large family, however, prevented his incurring any considerable expense on account of his son Nicholas; he nevertheless did all that he could for him, and finding that he had a taste for figures, he early initiated him into the details of mental arithmetic, in which the blind son made such progress that he soon excelled his father. When quite young, he was sent to the free school of Penniston, in which parish Thurlstone is situated. Here he acquired the knowledge of the Greek and Latin authors, and obtained that familiarity with sighted persons of his own age, which fitted him in after life to pass through society without diffidence or embarrassment, and to conduct himself with that easy self-reliance which tends so much to procure success in life. At the age of eighteen he had the good fortune to attract the notice of a gentleman of property, R. West, Esq., of Underbank, who was so much interested in young Saunderson that he himself gave him lessons in algebra and geometry. Dr. Nettleton also devoted much time to the development of the faculties of the blind student; and by the kindness of these two gentlemen in reading to him, Saunderson became acquainted with the writings of the best authors on mathematics and natural philosophy. He went for a short time to a private academy at Attercliff, near Sheffield, to study logic and metaphysics; but these subjects not suiting his taste, he left that establishment, and had as many of his favourite works read at home as circumstances would permit. Some friends having noticed the felicitous way in which Saunderson was accustomed to illustrate the subjects on which he conversed, proposed that he should go to Cambridge, and give lectures to the students in mathematics and philosophy. This plan was eventually carried out, and at the age of twentyfive we find Saunderson in company with his friend Joshua Dunn (a fellow commoner of Christ's College) at the ancient seat of learning, offering himself as a preceptor to the candidates for university honours. Whiston was at that time the Professor of Mathematics, and it might well have been thought that any interference with the privileges connected with his office would have met with some resentment, but no sooner was Saunderson's object made known to him, than he with great generosity expressed his approval of the plan. Saunderson, although not admitted as a member of any educational establishment, was treated with great respect; he was allowed a chamber in Christ's College and granted free access to the library. |