"Have not many perfons eminent in the arts of "war and peace bin fo before me? tho I fee no "reafon why that fhould be cal'd little which in courage is fufficiently great. "flender; for I was ftrong and 66 Neither am I fo capable enough in my youth to handle my weapons, and to exer"cife daily fencing: fo that wearing a fword by my fide, as became a gentleman, I thought my "felf a match for thofe that were much ftronger, "and was not afraid of receiving an affront from any body. I have ftill the fame foul and vigor, "but not the fame eys; yet to all outward appearance fo found, fo clear, and free from the "leaft fpot, as theirs who fee furtheft: and "herein only, in fpite of my self, I am a deceiver. "My countenance, than which he fays there's no thing paler, is ftill of a color fo contrary to wan "and bloodlefs, that tho I am above forty, any body would think me ten years younger, being "neither contracted in body or fkin. If in any "of these particulars I told a ly, I should be defervedly ridiculous to many thousands of my "own countrymen, and to feveral ftrangers that perfonally know me." As for his blindness, he fays that fuch a condition is not miferable, but not to be able to bear it; and then quotes the examples of valiant, learned, wife, and holy men of all times that have bin blind. But the lofs of his eys being objected to him as an effect of divine vengeance, after folemnly protesting that he's not confcious of any thing for which he should deferve that punishment more than other men, he adds, "As for what I wrote at any time (fince the "royalists think I now fuffer on that account, and CC triumph over me) I call God to witness that I "did not write any thing but what I then thought, "and am still perfuaded to be right, and true, and acceptable to God; not led by any fort of am"bition, profit, or vainglory; but have don all "from a fenfe of duty and honor, or out of piety to my country, and for the liberty of church "and state. On the contrary, when that task of "answering the king's defence was injoin'd me by "public authority, being both in an ill ftate of "health, and the fight of one ey almoft gon "already, the phyficians openly predicting the lofs "of both if I undertook this labor; yet nothing "terrify'd by their premonition, I did not long "balance whether any duty fhould be prefer'd to "my eys." And what he really thought of his blindnefs, and how he bore it, may be further perceiv'd by this fonnet to his friend CYRIAC SKINNER, never printed with his other poems. CYRIAC, this three years day, these eys, tho clear Wherof all Europe rings from fide to side. This thought might lead me thro this world's vain mask, Content, tho blind, had I no other guide. MORUS MORUS publish'd his Fides publica in answer to MILTON'S fecond defence, to which the latter oppos'd a* Defence of himself; and by original letters, or the like authentic pieces, made good all his affertions against his adversary: wherupon MORUs, vanquish'd and baffled, quitted the field. Our author was now Latin fecretary to the protector OLIVER CROMWEL, who, be confidently bop'd, would imploy his trust and power to extinguish the numerous factions of the ftate, and to fettle fuch a perfect form of a free government, wherin no fingle person should injoy any power above or befide the laws: but he particularly expected his establishing an impartial liberty of confcience, to which he incourages him by thefe lines, never printed among his poems. + CROMWEL, our chief of men, that thro a croud Not of war only, but diftractions rude, (Guided by faith and matchlefs fortitude) To peace and truth thy glorious way haft plow'd, No less than thofe of war. New foes arife * Defenfio pro fe. HE The title of this fonnet, as it appears in MILTON'S MS. in Trinity-College library, is as follows: "To the Lord General "CROMWELL: on the propofals of [certain] minifters at the "Committee He had leisure enough now from his imployment in the state (no adverfary daring to appear any more) to "Committee for propagation of the Gofpell, in [May] 1651." MILTON's fervice under CROMWELL has been thought by many a great inconsistency with the zeal which he profeffed for liberty; fince it is certain that CROMWELL's affuming the protectorship was a fhocking ufurpation over the rights and liberties of the nation, and rendered him deteftable to almoft all the republican party. But upon this head it may be alledged, that the office, which he held under the Protector, was not received from him, but had been enjoy'd by him under the Commonwealth, and was one that related to the public, more than to the private interefts of CROMWELL, in whofe confidence he does not appear to have been, during his whole government, there being no trace of his activity, in all the vaft collection of fecretary THURLOE's papers. He took the freedom likewife to give fome excellent advice to that great man, against affuming an exorbitant authority, in his Defenfio fecunda, (p. 152, & feqq. edit. 1654.) in the following addrefs to him. 66 66 66 66 66 "You have jultly rejected the title of King; for if you, who, "when a private perfon, was able to reduce it to nothing, fhould, now you are fo highly advanced, be captivated with it, it would "be exactly the fame cafe, as if, after having, by the affistance "of the true God, fubdued an idolatrous nation, you should worfhip the deities which you had conquered. Confider often with yourself, that your Country has intrufted you with her dearest pledge, that of her Liberty. Regard the great expectations "conceived of you; reflect that your Country's hope is intirely " from you; regard the countenances and wounds of fo many "brave men, who, under your conduct, have fought for Liberty; 'regard the manes of thofe who have died in battle; regard what foreign nations may think and fay of us, and the "great things which they have promised themfelves from our "noble acquifition of Liberty, and our new Commonwealth fo gloriously begun to be established, which, if it prove abortive, "will be the greatest infamy to this nation; laftly, regard your own character, and never fuffer that Liberty, for which you have paffed through fo many toils and dangers, to be violated by "yourself, or in any measure leffened by others. You cannot "be free yourself, unless we are free; for fuch is the neceffary "conftitution of things, that whoever invades the liberty of "others, first of all lofes his own, and will be firft fenfible of "his own being a flave. But if he, who has been the patron, "and as it were tutelar deity of Liberty, and been esteemed a 66 66 66 to purfue his Hiftory of Britain, and his new Thefaurus Lingue Latine: but what took up moft of his time was the epic poem he had fo long defign'd, and which is fince printed under the title of Paradife Loft, wherof in due order. But the next book he publish'd was a treatise, dedicated to the parlament, of Civil power in Ecclefiaftical Caufes, fhewing that it is not lawful for any power on earth to compel in matters of religion, whether fpeculative or practical; or in any thing except immorality, or what evidently fubverts the foundation of civil fociety: for which reafon be justly excludes popery from this toleration, for being not fo much a religion, as a politic faction, wherof the members, wherfoever they are, own the pope for their fuperior, to the prejudice of the allegiance due to their natural foverains. Befides, that they never tolerat others where they have the mastery; and that their doctrin of difpenfations, or keeping no faith with fuch as they count beretics, renders 'em worse than atheists, and the declar'd enemies of all mankind * befides thofe of their own communion. AFTER this he addreft to the parlament Confiderations touching the likelieft Means to remove hirelings out of the Church; not that he was against all fort of "man of the greatest fanctity and probity, fhould ufurp over "that liberty which he has defended; it will be a pernicious and "almost fatal wound, not only to his reputation, but even to "that of virtue and piety in general. Honesty and virtue will "feem to be loft; religion will have little regard paid to it; and reputation will ever after be of fmall account; than which no greater misfortune can befal mankind." 66 See, among numberless hiftories of Maffacres committed by papifts, a moft curious" hiftory of the evangelical churches of the vallies of Piemont;" written by Samuel Morland, Efq; who went Commiffioner from O. Cromwel for their relief. It was published 1658, in folio. |