which mentions his exile, proves likewise that it was not perpetual; for it concludes with a resolution of returning fome time to Cam3 bridge.

He took both the ufual degrees; that of Batchelor in 1628, and that of Mafter in 1632; but he left the university with no kindness for its inftitution, alienated either by the injudicious feverity of his governors, or his own captious perverfenefs. The caufe cannot now be known, but the effect appears in his writings. His fcheme of education, infcribed to Hartlib, fuperfedes all academical instruction, being intended to comprise the whole time which men ufually spend in literature, from their entrance upon grammar, till they proceed, as it is called, mafers of arts. And in his Difcourfe on the likeliest Way to remove Hirelings out of the Church, he ingenioufly propofes, that the profits of the lands forfeited by the act for fuperftitious ufes, should be applied to fuch academies all over the land, where languages and arts may be taught together; so that youth may be at once brought up to a competency of learning and an honeft trade, by which means fuch of them as had the gift,

being enabled to support themselves (without tithes) by the latter, may, by the help of the former, become worthy preachers.

One of his objections to academical education, as it was then conducted, is, that men defigned for orders in the Church were permitted to act plays, writhing and unboning their clergy limbs to all the antick and dishonest geftures of Trincalos, buffoons and bawds, proftituting the fhame of that miniftry which they had, or were near having, to the eyes of courtiers and court-ladies, their grooms and mademoifelles.

This is fufficiently peevish in a man, who, when he mentions his exile from the college, relates, with great luxuriance, the compenfation which the pleafures of the theatre afford him. Plays were therefore only criminal when they were acted by academicks.

He went to the univerfity with a design of entering into the church, but in time altered his mind; for he declared, that whoever became a clergyman muft" fubfcribe flave, and "take an oath withal, which, unless he took

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"with a confcience that could retch, he must ftraight perjure himself. He thought it "better to prefer a blameless filence before "the office of fpeaking, bought and begun "with fervitude and forfwearing."

Thefe expreffions are, I find, applied to the subscription of the Articles; but it seems more probable that they relate to canonical obedience. I know not any of the Articles which feem to thwart his opinions; but the thoughts of obedience, whether canonical or civil, raised his indignation,

His unwillingness to engage in the ministry, perhaps not yet advanced to a settled refolution of declining it, appears in a letter to one of his friends, who had reproved his fufpended and dilatory life, which he seems to have imputed to an infatiable curiosity, and fantastick luxury of various knowledge. To this he writes a cool and plausible answer, in which he endeavours to perfuade him that the delay proceeds not from the delights of defultory study, but from the desire of obtaining more fitnefs for his task; and that he K 3

goes

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goes on, not taking thought of being late, fo is give advantage to be more fit.

When he left the university, he returned to his father, then refiding at Horton in Buckinghamshire, with whom he lived five years; in which time he is faid to have read all the Greek and Latin writers. With what limitations this univerfality is to be underftood, who fhall inform us?

It might be fupposed that he who read fo much should have done nothing else; but Milton found time to write the Mafque of Comus, which was prefented at Ludlow, then the refidence of the Lord President of Wales, in 1634; and had the honour of being acted by the Earl of Bridgewater's fons and daughter. The fiction is derived from Homer's Circe; but we never can refuse to any mo dern the liberty of borrowing from Homer:

-a quo ceu fonte perenni

Vatum Pieriis ora rigantur aquis.

His next production was Lycidas, an elegy, written in 1637, on the death of Mr. King,

the

the fon of Sir John King, fecretary for Ireland in the time of Elizabeth, James, and Charles. King was much a favourite at Cambridge, and many of the wits joined to do honour to his memory. Milton's acquaintance with the Italian writers may be difcovered by a 'mixture of longer and fhorter verfes, according to the rules of Tufcan poetry, and his malignity to the Church by fome lines which are interpreted as threatening its extermination.

He is fuppofed about this time to have written his Arcades; for while he lived at Horton he used fometimes to fteal from his studies a few days, which he spent at Harefield, the house of the countefs dowager of Derby, where the Arcades made part of a dramatick entertainment.

He began now to grow weary of the country; and had some purpose of taking chambers in the Inns of Court, when the death of his mother fet him at liberty to travel, for which he obtained his father's confent, and Şir Henry Wotton's directions, with the celebrated precept of prudence, i penfieri firetti,