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But Oliver Cromwell being dead, and the government weak and unfettled in the hands of Richard and the Parlament, he thought it a feasonable time to offer his advice again to the public; and in 1659 published a Treatife of civil power in ecclefiaftical caufes; and another tract intitled Confiderations touching the likelieft means to remove hirelings out of the church; both addreffed to the Parlament of the commonwealth of England. And after the Parlament was diffolved, he wrote a Letter to fome Statefman, with whom he had a ferious difcourfe the night before, concerning the ruptures of the commonwealth; and another, as it is fuppofed, to General Monk, being a brief Delineation of a free commonwealth, eafy to be put in practice, and without delay. These two pieces were communicated in manufcript to Mr. Toland by a friend, who a little after Milton's death had them from his nephew; and Mr. Toland gave them to be printed in the edition of our author's profe-works in 1698. But Milton, ftill finding that affairs were every day tending more and more to the fubverfion of the commonwealth and the restoration of the royal family, published his Ready and easy way to establish a free commonwealth, and the excellence thereof, compared with the inconveniences and dangers of readmitting kingship in this nation. We are informed by Mr. Wood, that he published this piece in February 1659-69s and after this he publifhed Brief notes upon a late fermon intitled, the Fear of God and the King, preached by Dr. Matthew Grif fith at Mercers Chapel March 25, 1660: fo bold and refolute was he in declaring his fentiments to E 2

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the last, thinking that his voice was the voice of ex piring liberty.

A little before the King's landing he was dif charged from his office of Latin Secretary, and was forced to leave his house in Petty France, where he had lived eight years with great reputation, and had been vifited by all foreigners of note, who could not go out of the country without feeing a man who did fo much honor to it by his writings, and whose name was as well known and as famous abroad as in his own nation; and by feveral perfons of quality of both fexes, particularly the pious and virtuous Lady Ranelagh, whofe fon for fome time he inftructed, the fame who was Paymafter of the forces in King William's time; and by many learned and ingenious friends and acquaintance, particularly Andrew Marvel, and young Laurence, fon to the Prefident of Oliver's Council, to whom he has infcribed one of his fonnets, and Marchamont Needham the writer of Politicus, and above all Cyriac Skinner, whom he has honored with two fonnets. But now it was not fafe for him to appear any longer in public, fo that by the advice of fome who wished him well and were concerned for his prefervation, he fled for fhelter to a friend's houfe in Bartholomew Close near Weft Smithfield, where he lay concealed till the worst of the ftorm was blown over. The first notice that we find taken of him was on Saturday the 16th of June 1660, when it was ordered by the Houfe of Commons, that his Majesty fhould be humbly moved to iffue his proclamation for the calling in of Milton's two books, his Defense of the people and Iconoclaftes, and alfo Goodwyn's

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book intitled the Obftructors of justice, written in juftification of the murder of the late King, and to order them to be burnt by the hands of the common hangman. At the fame time it was ordered, that the Attorney General fhould proceed by way of indictment or information against Milton and Goodwyn in refpect of their books, and that they themfelves fhould be fent for in cuftody of the Serjeant at arms attending the Houfe. On Wednesday June 27th an order of Council was made agreeable to the order of the House of Commons for a proclamation against Milton's and Goodwyn's books; and the proclamation was iffued the 13th of Auguft following, wherein it was faid that the authors had fled or did abfcond and on Monday Auguft 27th Milton's and Goodwin's books were burnt according to the proclamation at the Old Baily by the hands of the common hangman. On Wednesday August 29th the act of indemnity was paffed, which proved more favorable to Milton than could well have been expected; for tho' John Goodwyn Clerk was excepted among the twenty perfons, who were to have penalties inflicted upon them, not extending to life, yet Milton was not excepted at all, and confequently was included in the general pardon, We find indeed that afterwards he was in cuftody of the Serjeant at arms; but the time, when he was taken into cuftody, is not certain. He was not in cuftody on the 12th of September, for that day a lift of the prifoners in cuftody of the Serjeant at arms was read in the Houfe, and Milton is not among them; and on the 13th of September the Houfe adjourned to the 6th of November. It is most probable therefore,

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fore, that after the act of indemnity was paffed, and after the House had adjourned, he came out of his concealment, and was afterwards taken into cuftody of the Serjeant at arms by virtue of the former order of the Houfe of Commons: but we cannot find that he was profecuted by the Attorney General, nor was he continued in cuftody very long: for on Saturday the 15th of December 1660, it was or→ dered by the Houfe of Commons, that Mr. Milton now in cuftody of the Serjeant at arms fhould be forthwith released, paying his fees; and on Monday the 17th of December, a complaint being made that the Serjeant at arms had demanded exceffive fees for his imprisonment, it was referred to the Committee of privileges and elections to examin this business, and to call Mr. Milton and the Serjeant before them, and to determin what was fit to be given to the Serjeant for his fees in this cafe; fo courageous was he at all times in defenfe of liberty against all the encroachments of power, and tho' a prifoner, would yet be treated like a freeborn Englishman. This appears to be the matter of fact, as it may be collected partly from the Journals of the House of Commons, and partly from Kennet's Hiftorical Regifter: and the clemency of the government was furely very great towards him, confidering the nature of his offenses; for tho' he was not one of the King's judges and murderers, yet he contributed more to murder his character and reputation than any of them all and to what therefore could it be owing, that he was treated with fuch lenity, and was fo eafily pardoned? It is certain, there was not wanting powerful interceffion for him both in

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Council and in Parlament. It is said that Secretary Morrice and Sir Thomas Clargis greatly favored him, and exerted their intereft in his behalf, and his old friend Andrew Marvel, member of Parlament for Hull, formed a confiderable party for him in the Houfe of Commons, and neither was Charles the Second (as Toland fays) fuch an enemy to the Mufes, as to require his deftruction. But the principal inAtrument in obtaining Milton's pardon was Sir Wilham Davenant, out of gratitude for Milton's having procured his releafe, when he was taken prifonner in 1650. It was life for life. Davenant had been faved by Milton's intereft, and in return Milton was faved at Davenant's interceffion. This ftory Mr. Richardson relates upon the authority of Mr. Pope; and Mr. Pope had it from Betterton the famous actor, who was firft brought upon the stage and tronized by Sir William Davenant, and might therefore derive the knowledge of this tranfaction from the fountain.

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Milton having thus obtained his pardon, and being fet at liberty again, took a house in Holborn near Red Lion Fields; but he removed foon into Jewen Street near Alderfgate Street: and while he lived there, being in his 53d or 54th year, and blind and infirm, and wanting fome body better than fervants to tend and look after him, he employed his friend Dr. Paget to choose a proper confort for him; and at his recommendation married his third wife, Elizabeth Minshul, of a gentleman's family in Cheshire, and related to Dr. Paget. It is faid that an offer was made to Milton, as well as to Thurloe, of holding the fame place of Secretary under the King, which

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