treat him as if they had known what they only fufpected.

Next year appeared Regii Sanguinis clamor ad Cælum. Of this the author was Peter du Moulin, who was afterwards prebendary of Canterbury; but Morus, or More, a French minifter, having the care of its publication, was treated as the writer by Milton in his Defenfio Secunda, and overwhelmed by fuch violence of invective, that he began to fhrink under the tempeft, and gave his perfecutors the means of knowing the true author. Du Moulin was now in great danger; but Milton's pride operated against his malignity; and both he and his friends were more willing that Du Moulin should escape than that he should be convicted of mistake.

In this fecond Defence he fhews that his eloquence is not merely fatirical; the rudeness of his invective is equalled by the groffnefs of his flattery. "Deferimur, Cromuelle, "tu folis fuperes, ad te fumma noftrarum rerum rediit, in te folo confiftit, infupe“rabili tuæ virtuti cedimus cuncti, nemine

"vel

"vel obloquente, nifi qui æquales inæqualis ipfe honores fibi quærit, aut digniori con"ceffos invidet, aut non intelligit nihil effe "in focietate hominum magis vel Deo gra"tum, vel rationi confentaneum, effe in ci"vitate nihil æquius, nihil utilius, quam "potiri rerum digniffimum. Eum te agno"fcunt omnes, Cromuelle, ea tu civis maxi"mus et gloriofiffimus, dux publici confilii, exercituum fortiffimorum imperator,

*

pater patriæ geffifti. Sic tu fpontanea bo"norum omnium et animitus miffa voce fa"lutaris."

Cæfar, when he affumed the perpetual dictatorship, had not more fervile or more elegant flattery. A tranflation may fhew its fervility; but its elegance is lefs attainable. Having expofed the unfkilfulness or selfishness of the former government, "We were left,' fays Milton," to ourselves: the whole na❝tional interest fell into your hands, and

* It may be doubted whether gloriofiffimus be here used with Milton's boasted purity. Res gloriofa is an illuftrious thing; but vir gloriofus is commonly a braggart, as in miles gloriofus.

" fubfifts

"fubfifts only in your abilities. To your "virtue, overpowering and refiftless, every "man gives way, except fome who, without "equal qualifications, afpire to equal honours, who envy the diftinctions of me

"rit greater than their own, or who have 66 yet to learn, that in the coalition of "human fociety nothing is more pleafing to "God, or more agreeable to reason, than "that the highest mind should have the fovereign power. Such, Sir, are you by ge

"neral confeffion; fuch are the things at"chieved by you, the greatest and most glo"rious of our countrymen, the director of “our publick councils, the leader of unconquered armies, armies, the father of your "country; for by that title does every good "man hail you, with fincere and voluntary

86

Next year, having defended all that wanted defence, he found leifure to defend himfelf. He undertook his own vindication againft More, whom he declares in his title to be justly called the author of the Regii Sanguinis clamor. In this there is no want of vehemence nor eloquence, nor does he forget

VOL. I.

M

his

his wonted wit." Morus es? an Momus an 66 uterque idem eft?" He then remembers that Morus is Latin for a Mulberry-tree, and hintŝ at the known transformation :

-Poma alba ferebat

Quæ poft nigra tulit Morus.

With this piece ended his controverfies; and he from this time gave himself up to his pri vate studies and his civil employment.

As fecretary to the Protector he is fuppofed to have written the Declaration of the reafons for a war with Spain. His agency was confidered as of great importance; for when a treaty with Sweden was artfully fufpended, the delay was publickly imputed to Mr. Milton's indifpofition; and the Swedish agent was provoked to exprefs his wonder, that only one man in England could write Latin, and that man blind.

Being now forty-feven years old, and feeing himself difencumbered from external interruptions, he seems to have recollected his former purposes, and to have resumed three

great

great works which he had planned for his future employment; an epick poem, the hiftory of his country, and a dictionary of the Latin tongue.

To collect a dictionary, feems a work of all others least practicable in a state of blindness, because it depends upon perpetual and minute infpection and collation. Nor would Milton probably have begun it, after he had loft his eyes; but, having had it always before him, he continued it, fays Philips, almost to his dying-day; but the papers were fo difcomposed and deficient, that they could not be fitted for the prefs. The compilers of the Latin dictionary, printed at Cambridge, had the use of thofe collections in three folios; but what was their fate afterwards is not known.

To compile a history from various authors, when they can only be confulted by other eyes, is not eafy, nor poffible, but with more fkilful and attentive help than can be commonly obtained; and it was probably the difficulty of confulting and comparing that stopped Milton's narrative at the Conqueft; a period at which affairs were not yet M 2 very