ing interpolated the book called Icon Bafilike, which the Council of State, to whom he was now made Latin fecretary, employed him to cenfure, by inferting a prayer taken from Sidney's Arcadia, and imputing it to the King; whom he charges, in his Iconoclaftes, with the use of this prayer, as with a heavy crime, in the indecent language with which prosperity had emboldened the advocates for rebellion to infult all that is venerable or great: "Who would have imagined fo lit"tle fear in him of the true all-feeing Deity-as im"mediately before his death, to pop into the hands of "the grave bishop that attended him, as a special re lique of his faintly exercises, a prayer ftolen word for "word from the mouth of a heathen woman praying "to a heathen god?" The papers which the King gave to Dr. Juxon on the scaffold the regicides took away, fo that they were at least the publishers of this prayer; and Dr. Birch, who had examined the question with great care, was inclined to think them the forgers. The ufe of it by adaptation was innocent; and they who could fo noifily cenfure it, with a little extension of their malice could contrive what they wanted to accufe. King Charles the Second, being now fheltered in Holland, employed Salmafius, profeffor of Polite Learning at Leyden, to write a defence of his father and of monarchy; and, to excite his industry, gave him, as was reported, a hundred Jacobufes. Salmafius was a man of fkill in languages, knowledge of antiquity, and fagacity of emendatory criticism, almost exceeding all hope of human attainment; and having, by exceffive praises, been confirmed in great confidence of himself, though he probably had not much confi dered dered the principles of fociety or the rights of government, undertook the employment without diftruft of his own qualifications; and, as his expedition in writing was wonderful, in 1649 publifhed Defenfio Regis. To this Milton was required to write a fufficient anfwer; which he performed (1651) in fuch a manner, that Hobbes declared himfelf unable to decide whofe language was beft, or whofe arguments were worst. In my opinion, Milton's periods are fmoother, neater, and more pointed; but he delights himfelf with teaz ing his adverfary as much as with confuting him. He makes a foolish allufion of Salmafius, whofe doctrine he confiders as fervile and unmanly, to the ftream of Salmacis, which whoever entered left half his virility behind him. Salmafius was a Frenchman, and was unhappily married to a fcold. Tu es Gallus, fays Milton, et, ut aiunt, nimium gallinaceus. But his fupreme pleasure is to tax his adverfary, fo renowned for criticifm, with vitious Latin. He opens his book with telling that he has ufed Perfona, which, according to Milton, fignifies only a Mask, in a fenfe not known to the Romans, by applying it as we apply Perfon. But as Nemefis is always on the watch, it is memorable that he has enforced the charge of a folecifm by an expreffion in itself grofly folecistical, when, for one of thofe fuppofed blunders, he says, as Ker, and I think fome one before him, has remarked, propino te grammatiftis tuis vapulandum. From vapulo, which has a paffive fenfe, vapulandus can never be derived. No man forgets his original trade: the rights of nations, and of kings, fink into questions of grammar, if grammarians difcufs them. R E Milton when he undertook this answer was weak of body, and dim of fight; but his will was forward, and what was wanting of health was supplied by zeal. He was rewarded with a thousand pounds, and his book was much read; for paradox, recommended by fpirit and elegance, cafily gains attention; and he who told every man that he was equal to his King, could hardly want an audience. That the performance of Salmafius was not difperfed with equal rapidity, or read with equal eagerness, is very credible. He taught only the ftale doctrine of authority, and the unpleafing duty of fubmiffion; and he had been fo long not only the monarch but the tyrant of literature, that almost all mankind were delighted to find him defied and infulted by a new name, not yet confidered as any one's rival. If Chriftina, as is faid, commended the Defence of the People, her purpofe must be to torment Salmafius, who was then at her Court; for neither her civil ftation nor her natural character could difpofe her to favour the doctrine, who was by birth a queen, and by temper defpotick. That Salmafius was, from the appearance of Milton's book, treated with neglect, there is not much oof; but to a man fo long accustomed to admiration, a little praise of his antagonist would be fufficiently offenfive, and might incline him to leave Sweden, from which, however, he was difmiled, not with any mark of contempt, but with a train of attendance fcarce lefs than regal. He prepared a reply, which, left as it was imperfect, was published by his fon in the year of the Reftauration. In the beginning, being probably moft in pain for his Latinity, he endeavours to defend his ufe of of the word perfona; but, if I remember right, he miffes a better authority than any that he has found, that of Juvenal in his fourth fatire: -Quid agis cum dira & fœdior omni As Salmafius reproached Milton with lofing his eyes in the quarrel, Milton delighted himfelf with the belief that he had fhortened Salmafius's life, and both perhaps with more malignity than reafon. Salmafius died at the Spa, Sept. 3, 1653; and as controvertists are commonly faid to be killed by their laft difpute, Milton was flattered with the credit of destroying him. Cromwell had now difmiffed the parliament by the authority of which he had destroyed monarchy, and commenced monarch himself, under the title of protector, but with kingly and more than kingly power. That his authority was lawful, never was pretended; he himself founded his right only in neceffity; but Milton, having now tafted the honey of publick employment, would not return to hunger and philosophy, but, continuing to exercife his office under a manifeft ufurpation, betrayed to his power that liberty which he had defended. Nothing can be more just than that rebellion should end in flavery; that he, who had juftified the murder of his king, for fome acts which to him feemed unlawful, fhould now fell his fervices, and his flatteries, to a tyrant, of whom it was evident that he could do nothing lawful, He had now been blind for fome years; but his vigour of intellect was fuch, that he was not difabled to discharge his office of Latin fecretary, or continue his controverfies. His mind was too eager to be diverted, and too ftrong to be subdued, About About this time his first wife died in childbed, having left him three daughters. As he probably did not much love her, he did not long continue the appearance of lamenting her; but after a fhort time married Catherine, the daughter of one captain Woodcock of Hackney; a woman doubtlefs educated in opinions like his own. She died within a year, of childbirth, or fome diftemper that followed it; and her husband honoured her memory with a poor fonnet. The first Reply to Milton's Defenfio Populi was publifhed in 1651, called Apologia pro Rege & Populo Anglicano, contra Johannis Polypragmatici (alias Miltoni) defenfionem deftructivam Regis & Populi. Of this the author was not known; but Milton and his nephew. Philips, under whofe name he published an answer fo much corrected by him, that it might be called his own, imputed it to Bramhal; and, knowing him no friend to regicides, thought themselves at liberty to treat him as if they had known what they only fufpected. Next year appeared Regii Sanguinis clamor ad Cælum. Of this the author was Peter du Moulin, who was afterwards prebendary of Canterbury; but Morus, or More, a French minifter, having the care of its publication, was treated as the writer by Milton in his Defenfio Secunda, and overwhelmed by fuch violence of invective, than he began to fhrink under the tempeft, and gave his perfecutors the means of knowing the true author. Du Moulin was now in great danger; but Milton's pride operated against his malignity; and both he and his friends were more willing that Du Moulin fhould escape than that he should be convicted of mistake. |