the patron of Taffo, Manfo, marquis of Villa, a nobleman diftinguished by his virtue and his learning. To this eminent perfon he was obliged in many important inftances; and, as a teftimony of gratitude, he presented to him, at his departure from Naples, his beautiful eclogue, entitled Manfus; which Dr. Johnfon acknowledges muft have raised in the noble Italian an high opinion of English elegance and literature. Manfo likewife has addreffed a diftich to Milton, which is prefixed to the Latin poems. From Naples Milton intended to proceed to Sicily and Athens: Countries," as Mr. Warton has excellently observed, ¶ "connected with his finer feelings, interwoven with his poetical ideas, and impreffed upon his imagination by his habits of reading, and by long and intimate converse with the Grecian literature. But fo prevalent were his patriotick attachments, that, hearing in Italy of the commencement of the national quarrel, inftead of proceeding forward to feast his fancy with the contemplation of fcenes familiar to Theocritus and Homer, the pines of Etna and the paftures of Peneus, he abruptly changed his course, and haftily returned home to plead the caufe of ideal liberty. Yet in this chaos of controversy, amidst endless disputes concerning religious and political reformation, independency, prelacy, tithes, toleration, and tyranny, he fometimes feems to have heaved a figh for the peaceable enjoyments of lettered folitude, for his congenial pursuits, and the more mild and ingenuous exercifes of the mufe. In a Letter to Henry Oldenburgh, written in 1654, he says, Hoc cum libertatis adverfariis inopinatum certamen, diverfis longè et amanioribus omninò me ftudiis intentum, ad fe rapuit invitum. And in one of his profe-tracts, I may one day hope to have ye again in a Preface to his Edition of the Smaller Poems. • Apol. Smectymn. 1642. still time, when there fhall be no Chiding. Not in thefe Noifes. And in another, having mentioned fome of his fchemes for epick poetry and tragedy, of highest hope and hardeft attempting' he adds, With what small willingness I endure to interrupt the pursuit of no less hopes than these, and leave a calin and pleafing folitarineffe, fed with cheerful and confident thoughts, to imbark in a troubled fea of noises and hoarfe difputes, from beholding the bright countenance of Truth in the quiet and ftill air of delightfull studies, &c.' He ftill, however, obftinately perfifted in what he thought his duty. But furely thefe fpeculations fhould have been configned to the enthufiafts of the age, to fuch restless and wayward spirits as Prynne, Hugh Peters, Goodwyn, and Baxter. Minds lefs refined, and faculties lefs elegantly cultivated, would have been better employed in this task: 'Coarfe complexions, And cheeks of forry grain, will ferve to ply He returned by the way of Rome, though fome mercantile friends had acquainted him that the Jefuits there were forming plots against him, for the liberty of his converfation upon matters of religion. He paid little attention to the " advice of his friend Sir Henry Wotton, "to keep his thoughts clofe, and his countenance open." Nor did the liberal and polished Manfo omit to acquaint him, at his departure, that he would have shown him more confiderable favours, if his conduct had been lefs unguarded. He is fuppofed to have given offence by having vifited Galileo. And he had been with difficulty reftrained from publickly afferting, within the verge of the Vatican, the Church-Governm. B. ii. 1641. "See the Prelim. Notes to Comus, in this edition. W caufe of Proteftantifim. While Milton, however, defended his principles without hypocrify, he appears not to have courted conteft. When he was queftioned as to his faith, he was too honeft to conceal his fentiments, too dauntless to relinquish them. He ftaid at Rome two months more without fear, and indeed without moleftation. From Rome he proceeded to Florence, where he was received with the moft lively marks of affection by his friends, and made a fecond refidence of two months. From Florence he vifited Lucca: Then croffing the Apennine, he paffed by the way of Bologna and Ferrara to Venice, in which city he spent a month. From Venice he took his course through Verona, Milan, and along the lake Leman, to Geneva. After spending fome time in this city, where he became acquainted with Giovanni Deodati, and Frederick Spanheim, he returned through France, and came home after an abfence of fifteen months. Mr. Hayley has admirably observed, that, "in the relation which Milton gives himself of his return, the name of Geneva recalling to his mind one of the most flanderous of his political adverfaries, he animates his narrative by a folemn appeal to Heaven on his unfpotted integrity; he protefts that, during his refidence in foreign fcenes, where licentioufness was univerfal, his own conduct was perfectly irreproachable. I dwell the more zealously on whatever may elucidate the moral character of Milton; because, even among thofe who love and rovere him, the splendour of the poet has in fome n eafure eclipfed the merit of the man; but in proportion as the particulars of his life are ftudied with intelligence and See the Notes on Epitaph. Dam. candour, his virtue will become, as it ought to be, the friendly rival of his genius, and receive its due fhare of admiration and efteem." His return happened about the time of the King's fecond expedition against the Scots, in which his forces under lord Conway were defeated by general Lesley, in the month of August 1639. In a Bible, * said to have been once in his poffeffion, (probably the conftant companion of his travels,) is a manuscript remark, dated 1639 at Canterbury city, which may serve to show the powerful impreffion made on his mind, (admitting the authenticity of the remark,) by this eventful period. "This year of very dreadful commotion, and I weene will enfue murderous times of conflicting fight." The date of the year and place may lead us to suppose that, having landed at Dover, he was on his return from his travels to London. The gentleman, who communicated the intelligence of this Bible to the publick, and had been indulged with a fight of it, selected other marginal obfervations which appeared to him remarkable; among which is the following poetical note on I. Maccab. xiv. 16. "Now when it was heard at Rome, and as far as Sparta, that Jonathan was dead, they were very sorry :" "When that day of death fhall come, "Shall flourish on my fleeping fhade.” * Gentleman's Magazine, July 1792, p. 615. And I learn, from the obliging information of Mr. Nichols, that this Bible is now in the poffeffion of the Rev. Mr. Blackburn, fon of the late Archdeacon Blackburn who wrote the Remarks on Dr. Johnfon's Life of Milton, 12mo Lond. 1780. The authenticity of the remarks, and of the Bible having belonged to Milton, has indeed been ' queftioned; but has been defended not without confiderable force, by the communicator himself, and by other writers in the valuable mifcellany, in which the information has been given; to the demonftrations and conjectures of whom I refer the reader 2. Before we attend to the bufier fcenes of life, in which Milton, now returned to his native country, became engaged; let me be permitted to lament that he never executed the fcheme, which he once propofed to himself in his animated lines to Manfo, of *" embellishing original tales of chivalry, of clothing the fabulous achievements of the early British kings and champions in the gorgeous trappings of epick attire." The delight which he had derived from the military tales of Italy now perhaps funk into neglect; though never into forgetfulness. In his latest poems he feems to look back, not without an eye of fond regard, to the more diftinguifhed compofitions of this kind; and certainly with ample teftimony of the attention, with which he had ftudied (to ufe his own words) "thofe lofty fables and romances that recount in folemn cantos the deeds of knighthood "." At his return he heard of the death of his beloved friend and fchoolfellow, Charles Diodati. And .. lamented his lofs in that elegant eclogue, the Ep Gent. Mag. Sept. 1792, p. 789. 2 Gent. Mag. Oct. 1792, p. 900. February 1793, p. 106. Gent. Mag. And Ibid. Gent. Ma March 1800, p. 1 ́3 a See Mr. Warton's Preface to the Smaller Poems. See particularly P. L. B. i. 579, &c. P. R. B. iii. 336, . |