calls the girl Anglicana puella, Ibid. p. 643, 650, 651. See also p. 647, 658, 662, 663, and ii. 748. This distich is inconsistent with our author's usual delicacy. But revenge too naturally seeks gratification at the expence of propriety. And the same apology must be made for a few other obscene ambiguities on the name of More, in the prose part of our author's two Replies to More. T. WARTON. The writer of the article Morus (Alexandre) in the Nouveau Dict. Hist. Caen, 1786, observes, that "Milton l' a cruellement déchiré dans ses écrits;" yet acknowledges More's gross misconduct; "sa passion pour les femmes, et sa conduite peu réguliére, lui suscitérent un grand nombre d'ennemis." From the letter of Tanaquil Faber, it appears that Morus had been much hurt at the calumniola et rumusculi. See Tanaq. Fabri Epist. lxvi. lib. i. edit. 1674, p. 219. "Nam de calumniolis et rumusculis; nugæ vero illæ sunt: queis si moveare, tui oblitus fueris. Id quæso in te juris habeat popellus, ut animi tranquillitatem tibi excutiat? Alios, ô More, judices, alios æstimatores tuæ virtutis habes. Neque verò te (etiamsi ita credi postulas) miserum et infelicem dicam; sed virum fortem, virum egregiè industrium," &c. Todd. XII. Apologus de Rustico et Hero*. 5 RUSTICUS ex malo sapidissima poma quotannis * This piece first appeared in the edition 1673. 10 XIII. Ad CHRISTINAM SUECORUM REGINAM, nomine CROMWELLI*. BELLIPOTENS virgo, septem regina trionum, 5 * These lines are simple and sinewy. They present Cromwell in a new and pleasing light, and throw an air of amiable dignity on his rough and obstinate character. They are too great a compliment to Christina, who was contemptible both as a queen and a woman. The uncrowned Cromwell had no reason to approach a princess with so much reverence, who had renounced her crown. The frolicks of other whimsical modern queens have been often only romantick. The pranks of Christina had neither elegance nor even decency to deserve so candid an appellation. An ample and lively picture of her court, politicks, religion, intrigues, rambles, and masquerades, is to be gathered from Thurloe's State Papers. Of her travels through several cities in a fantastick masculine dress, I select the following anecdotes, from various Letters of that collection, about the years 1654, 1655. This lucid star of the northern pole soon deserted her bright station, and became a desultory meteor. "The queen when she came into the inn [at Elsineur], had boots on, and a carbine about her neck." Vol. ii. 44. "We hear [at Bologne] strange stories of the Swedish queen with her Amazonian behaviour:-in her discourse she talks loud and sweareth notably." Ibid. 546. "The queen came this week to Antwerp in man's apparel, disguised as a page to one of her own servants: not so much as a maid besides in her company." Ibid. p. 449. "She arrived at Brussels last week, more man-like than woman. Her train here yet consists of two earls, two men servants, and one woman." Ibid. "She 536. p. travails a hors back lyk a man, being clad so from middle upwards, with doublet, cassock, band, hat, fether, in so much that the Italians say she is an Hermofrodyte." Ibid. vol. iv. 172. "In her passing through the multitude [at Franckfort] she made several strange grimaces and faces, and was not able to keep her countenance long. When she approached the forts, she sat in the right boot of the coach, in a black velvet coat, and a hat with feathers, &c.-Coming nearer to the city itself, she suddenly changed her black coat, and put on a grey, with a black hood about her head, and gott to the left boot," &c. Ibid. p. 89. She had all the failings of her own sex, without any of the virtues of the sex she affected to imitate. She abdicated her kingdom in 1654. So that this Epigram could not have been written after that time. It was sent to the queen with Cromwell's picture, on which it was inscribed. It is supposed to be spoken by the portrait. Doctor Newton, whose opinion is weighty, ascribes these lines to Milton, as coinciding with his department of Latin Secretary' to Cromwell. See also Birch's Life of Milton, p. lxii. Toland, by whom they were first printed, from common report, indecisively gives them either to Milton or to Andrew Marvell, Life, p. 38. Prose-Works, vol. i. p. 38. Tol. I suspect, that Milton's habit of facility in elegiack latinity had long ago ceased: and I am inclined to attribute them to Marvell, so good a scholar, as to be thought a fit assistant to Milton in the Latin Secretaryship, and who, as Wood says, was very intimate and conversant with that person," Athen. Oxon. ii. 818. Again, he calls Marvell, "sometimes one of John Milton's companions," Ibid. p. 817. And he adds, that Marvell was "cried up as the main witmonger surviving to the fanatical party." In other words, Marvell satirised the dissipations and profligate amours of Charles the second with much wit and freedom. 66 I must however, observe, that this Epigram appears in Marvell's Miscellaneous Poems, fol. Lond. 1681. p. 134. Where it follows other Latin poems of the same class and subject: and is immediately preceded by a Latin distich, intitled, In Effigiem Oliveri Cromwelli, "Hæc est quæ toties," &c. Then comes this Epi 1 gram there intitled "In eandem [effigiem] reginæ Sueciæ transmissam." Where the second distich is thus printed, "Cernis quas merui dura sub casside rugas, 66 Sicque senex armis impiger ora fero." And in To the Reader, these poems are said by his pretended wife, Mary, to be " printed according to the exact copies of my late dear husband, under his own hand-writing," &c. I think we may therefore fairly give them to Marvell. But see Marvell's Works, Lond. 4to. 1766. vol. iii. p. 489. Marvell was appointed assistant Secretary to Milton in 1657. See Sec. Part Rehears. Transpros. ut supr. p. 127, 128. And I have before observed, that Christina ceased to be queen of Sweden in 1654. At least therefore, when these lines were written, Marvell was not associated with Milton in the secretaryship. Milton has a prolix and most splendid panegyrick on queen Christina, dictated by the supposition that she dismissed Salmasius from her court on account of his Defence of the King. See Milton's Prose-Works, ii. 329. T. WARTON. "This Christina Queene of Sweden, as being the Daughter to the Greate Gustavus Adolphus, and bred vp a Protestant in the Lutheran way, quitted her Crowne and her Religion too; turning Papist and was receiued at Inspruck in Tiroll by that ArchDuke and Prince, with extraordinary greate Pomp and Magnificence; that being the appoynted place, at the confines of Italy and Germany, for her to renounce her former Religion of a Lutheran Protestant, and to be receiued into the bousome of the Church of Rome; which was donn with greate Solemnety. At which I was Present, staying there a month for that purpose. Allmost all the Emperors Court and other Nobilety were there. The Pope, Alexander VII. sending thither as his Internuntio, Monsig" Lucas Holstenius to receiue her Renunciation, and admit her into the Roman Fayth. That Internuntio was a High German, of Hamburgh, and had binn bredd vp a Lutheran, but turned as Shee did; and, being a greate Scholler, he was the Keeper of the Vatican Library, and Canon of St Peters at Rome, and my former courteous Acquaintance, which with all Kindness he renewed at oure meeting here; He giving mee 3 sheets of Paper printed in Latine of the Solemnety, of which Shee reade |