trans. by Fellowes; Milton's Works, ed. Bohn, i. 238.) Milton refers also to his blindness in Sonnet 19, in 'Paradise Lost' iii. 21-35, and 'Samson Agonistes,' 67-109.

1. 27. The exact date of the death of Milton's first wife is unknown she died some time during the year 1652. The three daughters were Anne, born July 29, 1646; Mary, born October 25, 1648; Deborah, born May 2, 1652. A son, John, was born on March 16, 1650, and died about the same time as his mother. (Masson, Life of Milton, iv. 335, 468.)

1. 33. Milton married Katharine Woodcock on Nov. 12, 1656. In accordance with the Marriage Act of 1654 they were married by a Justice of the Peace, not by a clergyman. Katharine Milton's burial is entered in the register of St. Margaret's, Westminster, Feb. 10, 1658, and her infant child was buried on March 20 following. (Masson, Life of Milton, v. 281, 382.) Milton dedicated to his wife's memory Sonnet 20 (Methought I saw my late espoused saint').

P. 24, 1. 10. John Bramhall (1594-1663), bishop of Derry, then an exile at Antwerp. The book was answered by John Phillips, the elder of Milton's two nephews. The real author of the pamphlet in question was not Bramhall, but a certain John Rowland. (Masson, Life of Milton, iv. 347, 470, 533.)

1. 22. 'Regii Sanguinis Clamor ad Coelum adversus Parricidas Anglicanos,' 1652. Alexander Morus, son of a Scotchman settled in France, himself a Protestant minister, and Professor, first of Greek, afterwards of Theology, in the University of Geneva. In 1649 he became a Pastor in the Walloon Church at Middleburg, and also Professor of Theology there. Du Moulin, afraid to publish his book in England, sent it over to Holland, where it was printed under the supervision of Morus, who also added an abusive preface. When Morus heard that he was to be attacked as the author, he sent Milton assurances that he was not, but they were disbelieved, and Milton's 'Defensio Secunda,' savagely assailing Morus, appeared in May 1654. The statement that Morus gave his assailant the means of knowing the true author is incorrect. He confined himself to denying his own authorship, and not till the Restoration enabled Du Moulin to avow

his work does Milton seem to have known the truth. The statement that Milton knew the facts when he wrote his 'Defensio Secunda,' and that his pride prevented him from owning his mistake is made by Du Moulin himself in a work published in 1670, and repeated by Aubrey in his account of Milton; but seems nevertheless to have been untrue. (Masson, Life of Milton, iv. 630; v. 199, 220.)

P. 25, 1. 23. Milton's 'Pro se Defensio contra Alexandrum Morum' was published on Aug. 8, 1655. (Masson, Life of Milton, v. 198.)

P. 26, 1. 5. 'Scriptum Domini Protectoris Republicae Angliae etc. . . . in quo hujus republicae causa contra Hispanos justa esse demonstratur,' published Nov. 1655. 'Included in editions of Milton's prose writings, on the probability, though not quite the certainty, that it was Milton's performance. If so, it was the third great document in the nature of a declaration of war furnished by Milton for the Commonwealth, the two former having been his Latin version of the declaration of the causes of the war against the Scots in June 1650, and his similar version of the declaration against the Dutch in July 1652.' (Masson, Life of Milton, v. 240.)

1. 10. This took place in May 1656. Whitelocke, who gives a long account of this treaty, writes under May 6, 'The Swedish Ambassador again complained of the delays in his business, and that, when he had desired to have the articles of this treaty put into Latin, according to the custom in treaties, it was fourteen days they made him stay for that translation and sent it to one Mr. Milton, a blind man, to put them into Latin, who, he said, must use an amanuensis to read it to him, and that amanuensis might publish the matter of the articles as he pleased; and that it seemed strange to him there should be none but a blind man capable of putting a few articles into Latin. . . . The employment of Mr. Milton was excused to him, because several other servants of the Council, fit for that employment, were then absent.' (Memorials, iv. 256; ed. 1853.)

1. 16. This statement is based on Phillips' Life of Milton, p. xxxiv.

1. 26. Phillips describes this work as 'a new Thesaurus Linguae Latinae, according to the manner of Stephanus,' and says vaguely that 'what there was of it was made use of for another dictionary. According to Toland (p. 148) it was of great use to Dr. Littleton in compiling his dictionary.' Adam Littleton's Latin Dictionary was published in 1678. A third edition of it was printed at Cambridge in 1693, and this is the one referred to by Johnson. (Masson, vi. 813.)

P. 27, 1. 6. Mansus, l. 80-85; Poetical Works, p. 616, Globe Edition. Dryden thought of writing an epic on King Arthur, and did write an opera bearing his name. Fenton alludes to Sir Richard Blackmore, who published in 1695 'Prince Arthur, an Heroic Poem, in Ten Books.' See Johnson's Life of Blackmore.

1. 8. These sketches are in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge. Milton made a list of subjects suitable for poetical treatment, which included 61 drawn from scripture, and 38 from British history. A complete digest of this list is given by Masson, Life of Milton, ii. 105. Thomas Birch had before printed it in his Life of Milton, 1738. The notes were made by Milton between 1639 and 1642. Trinity College library also contains the manuscripts of 'Arcades,' 'Lycidas,' 'Comus,' four sonnets, and three of the minor poems. (Masson, Life of Milton, iii. 452).

1. 12. This subject was first designed a Tragedy, and in the fourth book of the poem there are ten verses, which several years before the poem was begun, were shewn to me and some others, as designed for the very beginning of the said tragedy. The verses are these' (Paradise Lost, iv. 31-41)— Phillips, p. xxxv. According to Aubrey, the time when these verses were shown to Phillips was 'about fifteen or sixteen years before even his Poem was thought of; which verses were intended for the beginning of a tragedy which he had designed but was diverted from it by other business.' (Letters from the Bodleian, p. 446.) The business mentioned was the composition of Milton's political pamphlets, which began in 1641. About that period, therefore, he must have abandoned the idea of writing the tragedy for which these verses were designed. (Masson, v. 407.)

P. 31, 1. 8. 'The Cabinet Council: containing the chief Arts of Empire and Mysteries of State, discabineted in political and polemical Aphorisms, grounded on authority and experience; and illustrated with the choicest examples and historical observations by the ever-renowned Knight, Sir Walter Raleigh. Published by John Milton, Esq.' This was published in May 1658.

1. 11. Milton published in February 1659 'A Treatise of Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Causes, shewing that it is not lawful for any power on earth to compel in matters of religion.' This was followed in August 1659 by 'Considerations touching the likeliest means to remove Hirelings out of the Church. Wherein is also discoursed of Tithes, Church fees, Church revenues, and whether any maintenance of Ministers can be settled by Law.' The first of these treatises concluded in favour of full liberty of worship for all sects professing to be Christians, with the exception of the Roman Catholics. The second argued against any state-establishment of religion, and in favour of the disendowment of the existing Church establishment. Two things there be which have ever been found working much mischief to the Church of God and the advancement of faith, force on the one side restraining, and hire on the other side corrupting the teachers thereof.' Johnson seems to confuse these two pamphlets and make them into one. Probably, however, he originally wrote 'gratified his malevolence to the clergy by a treatise of Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Causes' and 'The means of removing Hirelings out of the Church.'

1. 19. Johnson refers to the letter now appearing in Milton's works under the title 'A Letter to a Friend concerning the Ruptures of the Commonwealth,' dated October 20, 1659, and first published from the manuscript in Toland's edition of Milton's Works, 1698. Milton also wrote a second letter, likewise first published by Toland, and entitled by him 'The Present Means and Brief Delineation of a Free Commonwealth, easy to be put in practice and without delay; in a letter to General Monk.' (Masson, Life of Milton, vi. 617, 656.) 1. 20. Sonnet 22, 1. 7.

1. 25. 'The Ready and Easy Way to establish a Free Commonwealth, and the excellency thereof, compared with the inconveniences and dangers of readmitting kingship in this nation. The author, J. M.' This was published about the end of February or beginning of March 1660, and followed by a second and enlarged edition in April. None of Milton's pamphlets attracted more immediate attention or more violent criticism. (Masson, Life of Milton, v. 645, 677.) 1. 30. James Harrington (1611-1677) published in 1656 'The Commonwealth of Oceana.' In 1659 he was very active in publishing pamphlets setting forth his constitutional schemes, and in September of that year established a club for the debating of political questions, which met in the New Palace Yard at Westminster and continued its meetings till about February 1660. The Club was generally known as 'the Rota.' One of Harrington's chief principles was the substitution of rotation for election as a means of appointment to office.

P. 32, 1. 1. 'The Fear of God and the King. Pressed in a Sermon preached at Mercer's Chapel on the 25th of March, 1660, by Matthew Griffith, D.D., chaplain to the late King.' Milton's answer was headed: 'Brief notes upon a late Sermon, titled "The Fear of God and the King." Wherein many notorious wrestings of Scripture, and other falsities are observed.' (Masson, Life of Milton, v. 667, 675.)

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1. 3. L'Estrange's answer appeared about April 25, when the Restoration was already in progress. L'Estrange begins thus: 'Mr. Milton, in your life and doctrine you have resolved one great question, by evidencing that devils may indue human shapes.' Roger L'Estrange (1616-1704) was after the Restoration for many years the chief Censor of the Press with the title of 'Surveyor-general of the Imprimery and printing presses.' He was also the chief official journalist of the reign of Charles II, and during the years 1681-4 published a paper called the Observator. Macaulay, in describing this paper, characterises L'Estrange as 'by no means deficient in readiness and shrewdness; and his diction, though course and disfigured by a mean and