of his own. He would have wanted little help from books, had he retained the power of perufing

them.

But while his greater defigns were advancing, having now, like many other authors, caught the love of publication, he amused himself, as he could, with little productions. He fent to the prefs (1658) a. manuscript of Raleigh, called The Cabinet Council; and next year gratified his malevolence to the clergy, by a Treatife of Civil Power in Ecclefiaftical Cafes, and the Means of removing Hirelings out of the Church.

Oliver was now dead; Richard was conftrained to refign the fyftem of extemporary government, which had been held together only by force, naturally fell into fragments when that force was taken away; and Milton faw himself and his caufe in equal danger." But he had ftill hope of doing fomething. He wrote letters, which Toland has publifhed, to fuch men as he thought friends to the new commonwealth; and even in the year of the Restoration he bated no jot of heart or hope, but was fantastical enough to think that the nation, agitated as it was, might be fettled by a pamphlet, called A ready and eafy Way to eftablish a Free Commonwealth; which was, however, enough confidered to be both ferioufly and ludicrously anfwered.

The obftinate enthufiafm of the commonwealthmen was very remarkable. When the King was apparently returning, Harrington, with a few affociates: as fantastical as himself, ufed to meet, with all the gravity of political importance, to fettle an equal go. vernment by rotation; and Milton, kicking when he could strike no longer, was foolish enough to pub.

lish, a few weeks before the Reftoration, Notes upon a fermon preached by one Griffiths, intituled, The Fear of God and the King. To these notes an answer was written by L'Eftrange, in a pamphlet petulantly called No Blind Guides.

But whatever Milton could write, or men of greater activity could do, the King was now about to be restored with the irrefiftible approbation of the people. He was therefore no longer fecretary, and was confequently obliged to quit the house which he held by his office; and proportioning his fenfe of danger to his opinion of the importance of his writings, thought it convenient to seek fomne fhelter, and hid himself for a time in Bartholomew-Clofe, by WeftSmithfield.

I cannot but remark a kind of refpect, perhaps unconsciously, paid to this great man by his biographers: every house in which he refided is hiftorically mentioned, as if it were an injury to neglect naming any place that he honoured by his presence.

The King, with lenity of which the world has had perhaps no other example, declined to be the judge or avenger of his own or his father's wrongs: and promifed to admit into the Act of Oblivion all, except those whom the Parliament fhould except; and the Parliament doomed none to capital punishment but the wretches who had immediately cooperated in the murder of the King. Milton was certainly not one of them; he had only justified what they had done.

This juftification was indeed fufficiently offenfive; and (June 16) an order was iffued to feize Milton's Defence, and Goodwin's Obftructors of Justice, another

book of the fame tendency, and burn them by the common hangman. The attorney-general was ordered to profecute the authors; but Milton was not feized, nor perhaps very diligently pursued.

Not long after (Auguft 19) the flutter of innumerable bofoms was ftilled by an act, which the King, that his mercy might want no recommendation of elegance, rather called an Act of Oblivion than of Grace. Goodwin was named, with nineteen more, as incapacitated for any publick truft; but of Milton there was no exception.

Of this tenderness fhewn to Milton, the curiofity of mankind has not forborn to enquire the reason. Burnet thinks he was forgotten; but this is another inftance which may confirm Dalrymple's obfervation, who fays, "that whenever Burnet's narrations are "examined, he appears to be mistaken."

Forgotten he was not; for his profecution was ordered; it must be therefore by defign that he was included in the general oblivion. He is faid to have had friends in the Houfe, fuch as Marvel, Morrice, and Sir Thomas Clarges; and undoubtedly a man like him must have had influence. A very particular story of his efcape is told by Richardfon in his Memoirs, which he received from Pope, as delivered by Betterton, who might have heard it from Davenant. In the war between the King and Parliament, Davenant was made prifoner and condemned to die; but was fpared at the request of Milton. When the turn of fuccefs brought Milton into the like danger, Davenant repayed the benefit by appearing in his favour. Here is a reciprocation of generofity and gratitude fo pleafing, that

the

the tale makes its own way to credit. But if help were wanted, I know not where to find it. The danger of Davenant is certain from his own relation; but of his escape there is no account. Betterton's narration can be traced no higher; it is not known that he had it from Davenant. We are told that the benefit exchanged was life for life; but it seems not certain that Milton's life ever was in danger. Goodwin, who had committed the fame kind of crime, efcaped with incapacitation; and, as exclufion from publick truft is a punishment which the power of government can commonly inflict without the help of a particular law, it required no great intereft to exempt Milton from a cenfure little more than verbal. Something may be reasonably afcribed to veneration and compaffion; to veneration of his abilities, and compaffion for his diftreffes, which made it fit to forgive his malice for his learning. He was now poor and blind; and who would purfue with violence an illuftrious enemy, depreffed by fortune, and difarmed by nature * ?

The publication of the Act of Oblivion put him in the fame condition with his fellow fubjects. He was, however, upon fome pretence now not known, in the cuftody of the ferjeant in December; and,

* A different account of the means by which Milton fecured himself is given by an hiftorian lately brought to light. "Mil"ton, Latin fecretary to Cromwell, diftinguished by his writings "in favour of the rights and liberties of the people, pretended "to be dead, and had a publick funeral proceffion. The King "applauded his policy in efcaping the punishment of death, by "a feasonable fhew of dying." Cunningham's Hifiory of GreatBritain, Vol. I. p. 14. R.

when he was released, upon his refufal of the fees demanded, he and the ferjeant were called before the House. He was now fafe within the fhade of oblivion, and knew himself to be as much out of the power of a griping officer, as any other man. How the question was determined is not known. Milton would hardly have contended, but that he knew himself to have right on his fide.

He then removed to Jewin-street, near Alderfgate-ftreet; and being blind and by no means wealthy, wanted a domeftick companion and attendant; and therefore, by the recommendation of Dr. Paget, married Elizabeth Minfhul, of a gentleman's family in Cheshire, probably without a fortune. All his wives were virgins; for he has declared that he thought it grofs and indelicate to be a fecond husband: upon what other principles his choice was made cannot now be known; but marriage afforded not much of his happinefs. The first wife left him in difguft, and was brought back only by terror; the fecond, indeed, feems to have been more a favourite, but her life was fhort. The third, as Philips relates, oppreffed his children in his life-time, and cheated them at his death.

Soon after his marriage, according to an obfcure ftory, he was offered the continuance of his enployment, and, being preffed by his wife to accept it, answered, You, like other women, want to "ride in your coach; my wifh is to live and die an "honest man." If he confidered the Latin fecretary as exercifing any of the powers of government, he that had shared authority, either with the Parliament or Cromwell, might have for born to talk very

loudly