Puslapio vaizdai
PDF
„ePub“
[ocr errors]

hands of the common hangman; but this ferved only to procure it the more readers: it was read and talked of every where, and even they who were of different principles, yet could not but acknowledge that he was a good defender of a bad caufe; and Salmafius's book underwent only one impreffion, : while this of Milton paffed thro' feveral editions. On the first appearance of it, he was visited or invited by all the foreign minifters at London, not excepting even thofe of crowned heads; and was particularly honored and esteemed by Adrian Paaw, embaffador from the States of Holland. He was likewife highly complimented by letters from the most learned and ingenious perfons in France and Germany; and Leonard Philaras, an Athenian born, and embaffador from the Duke of Parma to the French king, wrote a fine encomium of his Defense, and fent him his picture, as appears from Milton's letter to Philaras dated at London in June 1652. And what gave him the greatest fatisfaction, the work was highly applauded by thofe, who had de-. fired him to undertake it; and they made him a prefent of a thousand pounds, which in thofe days of frugality was reckoned no inconfiderable reward for his performance. But the cafe was far otherwise with Salmafius. He was then in high favor at the court of Chriftina Queen of Sweden, who had invited thither feveral of the most learned men of all countries: but when Milton's Defense of the people of England was brought to Sweden, and was read to the Queen at her own defire, he funk immediately in her esteem and the opinion of every body; and tho' he talked big at firft, and vowed the deftruction

4

deftruction of Milton and the Parlament, yet finding that he was looked upon with coldnefs, he thought proper to take leave of the court; and he who came in honor, was difmiffed with contempt. He died fome time afterwards at Spa in Germany, and it is faid more of a broken heart than of any diftemper, leaving a pofthumous reply to Milton, which was not published till after the Restoration, and was dedicated to Charles II. by his fon Claudius; but it has done no great honor to his memory, abounding with abuse much more than argument.

[ocr errors]

Ifaac Voffius was at Stockholm, when Milton's book was brought thither, and in fome of his letters to Nicolas Heinfius, published by Profeffor Burman in the third tome of his Sylloge Epiftolarum, he fays, that he had the only copy of Milton's book, that the Queen borrowed it of him, and was very much pleased with it, and commended Milton's wit and manner of writing in the presence of several perfons, and that Salmafius was very angry, and very bufy in preparing his anfwer, wherein he abused Milton as if he had been one of the vileft catamites in Italy, and also criticized his Latin poems. Heinfius writes again to Voffius from Holland, that he wondered that only one copy of Milton's book was brought to Stockholm, when three were fent thither, one to the Queen, another to Voffius which he had received, and the third to Salmafius; that the book was in every body's hands, and there had been four editions in a few months befides the English that a Dutch tranflation was handed about, and a French one was expected. And afterwards he writes from Venice, that Holftenius had lent

one;

him Milton's Latin poems; that they were nothing, compared with the elegance of his Apology; that he had offended frequently against profody, and here was a great opening for Salmafius's criticism: but as to Milton's having been a catamite in Italy, he fays, that it was a mere calumny; on the contrary he was difliked by the Italians, for the feverity of his manners, and for the freedom of his dif

courfes against popery. And in others of his letters to Voffius and to J. Fr. Gronovius from Holland, Heinfius mentions how angry Salmafius was with him for commending Milton's book, and fays that Grafwinkelius had written fomething against Milton, which was to have been printed by Elzevir, but it was fuppreffed by public authority.

The first reply that appeared was published in 1651, and intitled an Apology for the king and people &c, Apologia pro rege & populo Anglicano contra Johannis Polypragmatici (alias Miltoni Angli) Defenfionem deftructivam regis & populi Anglicani. It is not known, who was the author of this piece. Some attributed it to one Janus a lawyer of GraysInn, and others to Dr. John Bramhall, who was then Bishop of Derry, and was made Primate of Ireland after the Restoration: but it is utterly improbable, that fo mean a performance, written in fuch barbarous Latin, and fo full of folæcifms, fhould come from the hands of a prelate of fuch diftinguished abilities and learning. But whoever was the author of it, Milton did not think it worth his while to animadvert upon it himself, but employed the younger of his nephews to answer it; but he fupervifed and corrected the answer fo much before it went to the

prefs,

prefs, that it may in a manner be called his own. It came forth in 1652 under this title, Johannis Philippi Angli Refponfio ad Apologiam anonymi cujufdam tenebrionis pro rege & populo Anglicano infantiffimam; and it is printed with Milton's works; and throughout the whole Mr. Philips treats Bishop Bramhall with great feverity as the author of the Apology, thinking probably that fo confiderable an adverfaty would make the answer more confiderable.

Sir Robert Filmer likewife publifhed fome animadverfions upon Milton's Defense of the people,' in a piece printed in 1652, and intitled Obfervations concerning the original of government, upon Mr. Hobbes's Leviathan, Mr. Milton against Salmafius, and Hugo Grotius de Jure belli: but I do not find that Milton or any of his friends took any notice of it; but Milton's quarrel was afterwards fufficiently avenged by Mr. Locke, who wrote against Sir Robert Filmer's principles of government, more I fuppofe in condefcenfion to the prejudices of the age, than out of any regard to the weight or impor tance of Filmer's arguments.

It is probable that Milton, when he was first made Latin Secretary, removed from his houfe in High Holborn to be nearer Whitehall: and for fome time he had lodgings at one Thomfon's next door to the Bull-head tavern at Charing-Crofs, opening into Spring-Garden, till the apartment, appointed for him in Scotland-Yard, could be got ready for his reception. He then removed thither; and there his third child, a fon was born and named John, who thro' the ill ufage or bad conftitution of the nurfe died an infant. His own health too was

greatly

greatly impaired; and for the benefit of the air, he removed from his apartment in Scotland-Yard to a houfe in Petty-France Weftminster, which was next door to Lord Scudamore's, and opened into St. James's Park; and there he remained eight years, from the year 1652 till within a few weeks of the King's reftoration. In this house he had not been fettled long, before his first wife died in childbed; and his condition requiring fome care and attendence, he was eafily induced after a proper interval of time to marry a fecond, who was Catharine daughter of Captain Woodcock of Hackney: and he too died in childbed within a year after their marriage, and her child, who was a daughter, died in a month after her; and her husband has done honor to her memory in one of his fonnets.

Two or three years before this fecond marriage he had totally lost his fight. And his enemies triumphed in his blindnefs, and imputed it as a judgment upon him for writing against the King: but his fight had been decaying feveral years before, thro' his close application to ftudy, and the frequent headakes to which he had been fubject from his childhood, and his continual tampering with phyfic, which perhaps was more pernicious than all the reft: and he himself has informed us in his fecond Defense, that when he was appointed by authority to write his Defenfe of the people against Salmafius, he had almost loft the fight of one eye, and the phyficians declared to him, that if he undertook that work, he would also lose the fight of the other: but he was nothing difcouraged, and chofe rather to lofe both his eyes than defert what he thought his duty.

« AnkstesnisTęsti »