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Confcience cites them to God's examination.

Chorus bewails, and tells the good Adam has loft,
ACT V.

Adam and Eve driven out of Paradife.

prefented by an angel with

Labour, Grief, Hatred, Envy, War,
Famine, Peftilence, Sickness, Dif-
content, Ignorance, Fear, Death,
To whom he gives their names.
Heat, Tempeft, &c.

Faith,

Hope,

Charity,

}

Mutes.

Likewife Winter,

comfort him and instruct him.

Chorus briefly concludes.

Such was his firft defign, which could have pro duced only an allegory, or mystery. The following fketch feems to have attained more maturity.

Adam unparadifed:

The angel Gabriel, either defcending or entering; fhewing, fince this globe was created, his frequency as much on earth as in heaven; defcribes Paradife. Next, the Chorus, fhewing the reafon of his coming to keep his watch in Paradife, after Lucifer's rebellion, by command from God; and withal expreffing his defire to fee and know more concerning this excellent new creature, man. The angel Gabriel, as by his name fignifying a prince of power, tracing Paradife with a more free office, paffes by the station of the Chorus, and, defired by them, relates what he knew of man; as the creation of Eve, with their love

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and marriage. After this, Lucifer appcars; after his overthrow bemoans himfelf, feeks revenge on man. The Chorus prepare refiftance at his first approach. At last, after difcourfe of enmity on either side, he departs whereat the Chorus fings of the battle and victory in heaven, against him and his accomplices: as before, after the first act, was fung a hymn of the creation. Here again may appear Lucifer, relating and infulting in what he had done to the destruction of man. Man next, and Eve having by this time been feduced by the Serpent, appears confufedly covered with leaves. Confcience, in a fhape, accufes him; Juftice cites him to the place whither Jehovah called for him. In the mean while, the Chorus entertains the ftage, and is informed by fome angel the manner of the Fall. Here the Chorus bewails Adam's fall; Adam then and Eve return; accufe one another; but efpecially Adam lays the blame to his wife; is ftubborn in his offence. Juftice appears, reafons with him, convinces him. The Chorus admonisheth Adam, and bids him beware Lucifer's example of impenitence. The angel is fent to banish them out of Paradife; but before causes to pafs before his eyes, in fhapes, a mask of all the evils of this life and world. He is humbled, relents, defpairs; at laft appears Mercy, comforts him, promifes the Meffiah; then calls in Faith, Hope, and Charity; inftructs him; he repents, gives God the glory, fubmits to his penalty. The Chorus briefly concludes. Compare this with the former draught.

These are very imperfect rudiments of Paradije Loft; but it is pleafant to fee great works in their feminal state, pregnant with latent poffibilities of excellence; nor could there be any more delightful entertainment

than

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than to trace their gradual growth and expansion, and to obferve how they are fometimes fuddenly advanced by accidental hints, and fometimes flowly improved by steady meditation.

Invention is almoft the only literary labour which blindness cannot obftruct, and therefore he naturally folaced his folitude by the indulgence of his fancy, and the melody of his numbers. He had done what he knew to be neceffarily previous to poetical excellence ; he had made himself acquainted with feemly arts and affairs; his comprehenfion was extended by various knowledge, and his memory ftored with intellectual treasures. He was skilful in many languages, and had by reading and compofition attained the full mastery of his own. He would have wanted little help from books, had he retained the power of perufing them.

But while his greater defigns were advancing, having now, like many other authors, caught the love of publication, he amufed himself, as he could, with little productions. He fent to the prefs (1658) a manufcript of Raleigh, called the Cabinet Council; and next year gratified his malevolence to the clergy, by a Treatife of Civil Power in Ecclefiaftical Cafes, and the Means of removing Hirelings out of the Church.

Oliver was now dead; Richard was constrained to refign: the fyftem of extemporary government, which had been held together only by force, naturally fell into fragments when that force was taken away; and Milton faw himself and his cause in equal danger. But he had ftill hope of doing fomething. He wrote letters, which Toland has published, to fuch men as he thought friends to the new commonwealth; and even in the year of the Restoration he bated no jot of heart or I 3 hope,

hope, but was fantastical enough to think that the nation, agitated as it was, might be fettled by a pamphlet, called A ready and easy way to establish a Free Commonwealth; which was, however, enough confidered to be both ferioufly and ludicrously anfwered.

The obftinate enthufiafm of the commonwealthmen was very remarkable. When the King was apparently returning, Harrington, with a few affociates as fanatical as himself, used to meet, with all the gravity of political importance, to fettle an equal government by rotation*; and Milton, kicking when he could strike no longer, was foolish enough to publish, a few weeks before the Restoration, Notes upon a fermon preached by one Griffiths, intituled, The Fear of God and the King. To these notes an answer was written by L'Eftrange, in a pamphlet petulantly called No Blind Guides.

But whatever Milton could write, or men of greater activity could do, the King was now about to be re

*This meeting of Harrington and his affociates is known by the name of the Rota club; the chief members whereof were Harrington, Henry Neville, Cyriac Skinner a difciple of Milton, John Aubrey, and others; it began in Michaelmas term 1659, and was held every evening at Miles's coffee houfe, in New Palaceyard: the purpose of it was to fettle the form of a commonwealth, the model of which was a fucceffion of magiftrates in rotation, to be elected by ballot, and continue in office for three years. At thefe meetings were debated political questions in the hearing of foldiers and others, whom curiofity and other worfe motives drew to it. After fitting about fix months, and enduring many infults from their auditors, this factious affembly of political fanatics, foreseeing the return of the fecluded members of the house of Commons, and the restoration of monarchy, broke up. Their principles may be seen at large in the " Oceana" and other writings of Harrington. Vide Athen, Oxon, Edit, 1721, vol. II. 59

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ftored with the irresistible approbation of the people. He was therefore no longer fecretary, and was confe quently obliged to quit the house which he held by his office; and proportioning his fenfe of danger to his opinion of the importance of his writings, thought it convenient to feek fome fhelter, and hid himself for a time in Bartholomew-Close, by West Smithfield.

I cannot but remark a kind of refpect, perhaps unconfcioufly, paid to this great man by his biographers every houfe in which he refided is historically mentioned, as if it were an injury to neglect naming any place that he honoured by his prefence.

The King, with lenity of which the world has had perhaps no other example, declined to be the judge or avenger of his own or his father's wrongs: and promifed to admit into the Act of Oblivion all, except those whom the parliament should except; and the parliament doomed none to capital punishment but the wretches who had immediately co-operated in the murder of the King. Milton was certainly not one of them; he had only justified what they had done.

This juftification was indeed fufficiently offenfive; and (June 16) an order was iffued to feize Milton's Defence, and Goodwin's Obstructors of Justice, another book of the fame tendency, and burn them by the common hangman. The attorney-general was ordered to profecute the authors; but Milton was not feized, nor perhaps very diligently pursued.

Not long after (August 19) the flutter of innumerable bofoms was ftilled by an act, which the King, that his mercy might want no recommendation of elegance, rather called an act of oblivion than of grace. Goodwin was named, with nineteen more, as incapacitated

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