the ftage, and is informed by fome angel the manner of the fall. Here the Chorus bewails Adam's fall; Adam then and Eve return; accufe one another; but especially Adam lays the blame to his wife; is ftubborn in his offence. Juftice appears, reasons with him, convinces him. The Chorus admonifhes Adam, and bids him beware Lucifer's example of impenitence. The angel is fent to banish them out of Paradife; but before caufes to pafs before his eyes, in shapes, a mask of all the evils of this life and world. He is humbled, relents, defpairs; at laft appears Mercy, comforts him, promises the Meffiah; then calls in Faith, Hope, and Charity; inftructs him; he repents,, gives God the glory, fubmits to his penalty. The Chorus briefly concludes. Compare this with the former draught.

These are very imperfect rudiments of Paradife Loft; but it is pleafant to fee great works in their feminal ftate, pregnant with latent poffibilities of excellence; nor could there be any more delightful entertainment than to trace their gradual growth and expanfion, and to obferve how they are fome

times fuddenly advanced by accidental hints, and fometimes flowly improved by steady meditation.

Invention is almoft the only literary labour which blindnefs cannot obftruct, and therefore he naturally folaced his folitude by the indulgence of his fancy, and the melody of his numbers. He had done what he knew to be neceffarily previous to poetical excellence; he had made himself acquainted with feemly arts and affairs; his comprehenfion was extended by various knowledge, and his memory ftored with intellectual treasures. He was skilful in many languages, and had by reading and compofition attained the full maftery of his own. He would have wanted

little help from books, had he retained the

power of perufing them.

many

But while his greater defigns were advancing, having now, like other authors, caught the love of publication, he amufed himself, as he could, with little productions. He fent to the prefs (1658) a manufcript of Raleigh, called the Cabinet Council; and next year gratified bis malevolence to the clergy, VOL. I. N

by

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 fantiftical 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 feriously and ludicroufly anfwered.

The obftinate enthufiafm of the commonwealthmen was very remarkable. When the King was apparently returning, Harrington, with a few affociates as fanatical as himself, ufed to meet, with all the gravity of political importance

importance, to fettle an equal government by rotation; and Milton, kicking when he could ftrike no longer, was foolish enough to publifh, a few weeks before the Restoration, Notes upon a fermon preached by one Griffiths, intituled, The Fear of God and the King. To thefe 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 reftored 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 feek fome fhelter, and hid himself for a time in Bartholomew-Close, by Weft Smithfield.

I cannot but remark a kind of respect, perhaps unconsciously, paid to this great man by his biographers: every house in which he refided is historically mentioned, as if it were

an injury to neglect naming any place that he honoured by his prefence.

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 should 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 juftified 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 fuftice, another book of the fame tendency, and burn them by the common hangman. The attorney-general was ordered to prosecute the authors; but Milton was not feized, nor perhaps very diligently purfued.

Not

(