CAI.TO; R i -'To. 
 
 m o LIT Q) IN 
 
 /CTATIS SU/t. CIRCA 1666. 
 
 (S7j 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 7 ' : -- 
 
 

RAMBLINGS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 ELUCIDATION OF THE AUTOGKAPH 
 
 OF 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 SAMUEL LEIGH SOTHEBY, F.S.A. 
 
 AUTHOR OF THE "PRINCIPIA TYPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY THOMAS RICHARDS, 
 AND SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. 
 
 M.DCCC.LXI. 
 
 ' r ia 
 
57 
 
 AW I A) 
 
 Go FOETH, MY FANCY RAMBL1NGS, TO THE GAZE 
 
 OF KINDRED SPIRITS, AND TO CRITICS FIERCE 
 
 WHO LOVE TO STORM; ALTHOUGH THEY OFTEN PROVE 
 
 THE AUTHOR'S WARMEST FRIEND. SHEW ME THE HEART 
 
 THAT LOVES NOT MILTON. PROVIDENCE HATH WELL 
 
 ORDAINED : WHATE'ER THE PART HIS RESTLESS PEN 
 
 IN ENGLAND'S CIVIL WARS so BOLDLY TOOK, 
 
 HlS MUSE,- HIS HEARTHS BELOV'D,- SHOULD PROUDLY RAISE 
 
 A MONUMENT ON MOUNT PARNASS, BESIDE 
 
 OUR SHAKESPEARE,- ENGLAND'S TRUEST, GREATEST BARD. 
 
 S. LEIGH S. 
 
 6*24879 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 WORK of above two hundred pages of type, printed 
 in imperial quarto, on the AUTOGRAPH^ or MILTON ! 
 The height of absurdity, doubtless, in the opinion of 
 the General Public, and then, what a "fanciful" 
 Title, "RAMBLINGS" in its "ELUCIDATION." Very 
 truly it may be so, as the learned editor of a widely 
 circulated Journal of Literature pronounced it. We are, however, 
 quite content that the whole work should be looked upon $& fanciful. 
 What a charming Theme is FANCY ! What an amusing work 
 might be written by such authors as Thackeray, Dickens, and others, 
 on the Antiquarian, Archaeological, Bibliographical, Biographical, 
 Geological, Palaeological, Philological, Physiological, Theological, and 
 other Fancies of many learned authors ! Was there ever an active 
 mind that had not some fancy or whim that he dearly cherished ? 
 Many have fancies without any object or purpose. Others, like Hamlet 
 in his feigned madness, display a degree of 'method for some good and 
 intelligible object. 
 
 So likewise in our humble fancy, we hope there will be found 
 
 1 AUTOGRAPH. When we make use of the 
 word "Autograph," we mean it to apply to the 
 general handwriting of the person to whom it 
 refers, and not to his mere signature, as is too 
 frequently understood. Though autograph and 
 liolorjrapli are synonymous in their general ac- 
 ceptation, the latter word is not used as applic- 
 
 able only to the signature of a person in the 
 sense of signed, when subscribed to a document 
 not in his own handwriting ; while the words 
 autograph letter would signify the fact of the 
 whole being written by the person by whom it 
 was signed, whether he uses the first or third 
 person. 
 
IV 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 some little degree of method that may interest the reader to go on 
 from page to page until he arrives at the conclusion of our Ramblings. 
 
 "What could induce you, Mr. Sotheby," may argue some kind 
 friends, "to announce a work in imperial quarto, upon a subject that 
 might be compressed into an octavo sheet, or in an article in one of 
 the volumes issued by the Royal Society of Antiquaries of London, of 
 which you have the honour of being a Member. The one might be 
 published for a few shillings ; but the other plan would answer all 
 your purpose, for the public care very little or nothing about the 
 AUTOGRAPH of MILTON." 
 
 We are very sorry to incur the displeasure of those who would 
 have persuaded us to desist from a pursuit wherein we have endea- 
 voured to invest the subject with somewhat more interest than might 
 be expected, in the mere research as to whether certain existing do- 
 cuments and papers are in the autograph of the Poet, or written by 
 his Amanuenses. 
 
 Apologising for this preamble, we desire, first, to make known the 
 origin of these our fanciful ramblings; and then to show how, from 
 one day's rambling to another, we journeyed over much ground, find- 
 ing, as we daily progressed, a great accumulation of interesting glean- 
 ings, no portion of which we could, on any consideration, cast on the 
 wayside, without materially affecting the successful gathering of the 
 whole. 
 
 In 1858 our attention was drawn to a signature of Milton ap- 
 pended to the deed described at page 129 in the present work. That 
 document was in the collection of Autographic Relics of the Departed 
 Great, belonging to the late Mr. Singer; whose learning, elegant taste, 
 and judgment in all matters connected with the early literature of the 
 enlightened world, are well known and duly appreciated. The Relic 
 had been in the possession of Mr. Singer for many years, and he prided 
 himself as being the owner of one of the most interesting AUTOGRAPH 
 SIGNATURES OF MILTON extant. The moment we saw it, we recognized 
 the same hand as had been employed in the writing of the long lost 
 manuscript work of the Poet's, " DE DOCTRINA CHRISTIANA"; of which, 
 in 1815, the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Winchester had issued 
 a translation, accompanied with some fac-similes of the original. The 
 learned Mr. Singer, forgetting that the lately discovered work of Milton 
 
INTBODUCTION. 
 
 was written long after he was totally blind, and, consequently, then 
 unable to write, considered that the writing of that manuscript was 
 in the autograph of the Poet; and, therefore, that it proved the signa- 
 ture to the document in his possession to be autograph, an opinion 
 strengthened, as he thought, from the fact of its being attached to 
 a paper issued by an Office of Government with the words, " Witness 
 my hand this day, May, 1660/' 
 
 Such was a very natural conclusion, the more so, when the 
 circumstance that the Poet was at that time blind was overlooked; a 
 conclusion which also for the time misled us. Mr. Singer was much 
 chagrined at the idea of our disputing the autographic character of 
 the signature. The result, therefore, was that, in his collection, dis- 
 persed that year, the document was sold as bearing the genuine 
 handwriting of the Poet, nobody entertaining any other opinion, or, 
 at least, if they did, they did not make the same known. They pro- 
 bably hesitated, in order, that, should it prove otherwise, they might 
 claim the distinction of having always entertained a contrary view. 
 
 In 1859, there appeared in the sale catalogue of the collection of 
 Manuscripts formed by the late Mr. Dawson Turner, what pur- 
 ported to be the autographic receipt of the Poet in 1669, for the pay- 
 ment of the third five pounds he had received from Simmons for the 
 copyright of his Paradise Lost. When we saw the fac-simile of that 
 document, we felt certain, that neither that nor the signature to the 
 Singer document could be in the autograph of Milton. 
 
 We then entered into an investigation of all the known Manu- 
 scripts considered to be in the handwriting of the Poet, and soon dis- 
 covered, that the well-known original document for the sale in 1667 of 
 the Paradise Lost of Milton, preserved in the Manuscript Department 
 of the British Museum, did not bear the autograph signature of Milton ; 
 the document itself being either an attested copy, or, if the original, the 
 signature was subscribed by procuration, owing to the Poet being at 
 that period ^otally blind. 
 
 This induced us to extend our inquiries, and to visit Oxford ; 
 where, through the kindness of the late Rev. Dr. Bandinel, we were 
 enabled to increase our knowledge of the Poet's penmanship, so 
 remarkably exemplified in the specimens preserved in the Bodleian 
 Library, given in fac-simile, plate xvn. 
 
VI 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 So likewise at Cambridge : where through the kind aid of the 
 Master and Fellows of Trinity College, we were permitted to make use 
 of that volume in which Milton had written the majority of his 
 detached poems from the year 1631 until 1650 ; an amanuensis and 
 friends, after that period, having been employed, owing to the failure 
 of the sight of the poet. 
 
 Thus led on by the confiding manner in which all the existing 
 manuscripts of Milton were placed in our hands; we found that we had 
 accumulated materials, which, we thought, if digested in some kind of 
 form, might make an interesting work. We had no desire to enter 
 the field as an addition to the numerous Biographers of the Poet ; 
 but we saw that, in order to come to any satisfactory result touching 
 the autograph of the Poet, it was absolutely necessary that we should 
 become acquainted with all the details known of his eventful life. 
 Accordingly, we perused the labours of his biographers, noting, by the 
 way, everything that would at all tend to elucidate the subject upon 
 which we were engaged. We soon found that there was very little 
 original information in any of the Memoirs of Milton ; the materials 
 of all the labours of his biographers having been collected from the 
 autobiography 1 of the Poet, though in most cases put forth as the result 
 of research, the biographers merely enlarging and altering the language 
 according to their abilities. Of course, we allude only to the minute 
 biographical details, not at all entering into the views entertained by 
 those learned authors of the character of Milton, or of the merit of his 
 writings. However much we mav agree in the general opinion of the 
 injustice done to Milton by the Leviathan Johnson; no one can read 
 the Memoir of the Poet from the pen of such a man, without being 
 charmed with the elegant diction by which either his admiration or 
 dispraise of the Poet is recorded. So likewise with the great Macaulay, 
 and some few others of the Miltonian Biographers and Essayists. We 
 much regret that we have not heard the essay on Milton so success- 
 fully delivered by the Rev. and Learned J. M. Bellew, whose power of 
 delineating character and whose beautiful language have been rarely 
 surpassed. 
 
 1 See pp. 26-31, where many interesting portions of it are given in full. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Vll 
 
 |HE lamentable Shakesperian Controversy that has of late 
 occupied the attention of the Literary World, has shown 
 what a diversity of opinion arises respecting the age and 
 genuineness of handwriting, even among those whose whole 
 lives have been devoted to the study of Palaeology. 
 
 If, when a question arises upon the identity of handwriting with 
 that executed by the same person at an earlier period of his life, or, 
 under circumstances which may have influenced the style of the writ- 
 ing, persons would take the trouble to refer to what must daily come 
 before them, much of that remarkable red-tapeism and circuitous 
 argument of the learned and professed Paleeologist would be found 
 superfluous. 
 
 The fact is one that may be exemplified by almost every person 
 in the daily occurrences of life; but, it often happens, that the more 
 simple the means of ascertaining causes by the use of a little common 
 sense, the more frequently they are overlooked. 
 
 Comparatively, few persons adopt any other than the ordinary 
 handwriting they use in their daily transactions. Their writing does 
 not vary throughout their lives more than by its failure in precision and 
 boldness, as their physical powers decay. Of this fact numerous in- 
 stances might be illustrated by fac-similes ; while, on the other hand, 
 many examples might be given of the handwriting of eminent persons, 
 the character of which is totally different at various periods of their 
 lives. More remarkable instances could not be adduced than in the 
 autograph of Queen Elizabeth and of Charles I. 
 
 The great reformer MELANCHTHON, on forwarding his transcript in 
 Greek of a chapter in the Bible to a friend, has recorded, while stating 1 
 that " Erasmus, Budaeus, Luther, painted letters in the best style, and 
 Capnio (Reuchlin) who wrote beautifully, and loved the larger letters, 
 excelled them all," he himself "could paint better" at an earlier period 
 of his life, when his hand was more free, and he had more leisure. 
 
 1 PEINCIPIA TYPOGRAPHICA. THE BLOCK- BOOKS, 
 or Xylographic Delineations of Scripture His- 
 tory, issued in Holland, Flanders, and Germany, 
 during the FIFTEENTH CENTURY, in connexion 
 with the Origin of Printing. 3 vols. A work 
 contemplated by the late Samuel Solheby, and 
 
 carried out by his son, S. Leigh Sotheby. Illus- 
 trated inth one hundred and twenty large engrav- 
 iinjs, some in colours, in exact fac-simile of the 
 very rare Original Block-Books. Small folio. 
 Lond., 1858. 
 
via 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Such is the inevitable consequence with all, as they draw near to 
 their journey's end. No attempt to keep up the appearance of youth, 
 in whatever way it may be exercised, succeeds. While the mind, as 
 age creeps on, is blessed with a periodical renewal of strength, the 
 body ordinarily ceases to receive that sustenance by which its physical 
 power is developed in the prime of life. In no daily occupation is the 
 want of that power more felt than in the use of the muscles of the 
 fingers in the exercise of writing. 
 
 |HE non-employment of common sense in all matters of 
 daily occurrence is what cannot but be discernible to 
 everybody. There are very few subjects that even the un- 
 educated cannot, by the well directed use of what nature 
 has bestowed upon them, be brought in some degree to compre- 
 hend. Few topics that have been discussed or written upon during 
 late years are of more interest, than the Age of this Terrestrial Globe, 
 and its marvellous disembowelled contents, that have been during the 
 last forty years and are daily being discovered by Geologists. 
 
 We are, when children, taught to believe that the world was not 
 called into existence until five ordinary days before the Creation of 
 Man. That it was within the period of the twenty-four hours of five 
 successive days, that all which the eye of mortal man is permitted to 
 see was formed in the order as related by Moses. 
 
 As we grow up, and view all around us under the influence of 
 feelings created by the discoveries Man has been allowed to make in 
 connection with the formation of the earth, our common sense induces 
 us to think, that the Sacred Historian in the two first chapters of Holy 
 Writ, intended to embrace in the opening words, " IN THE BEGIN- 
 NING," an amount of Heavenly and Terrestrial History, unnecessary 
 for the benefit of Man to be revealed. Incalculable Periods appear to 
 have been passed over, in order at once to arrive at the history of 
 Mankind during the earlier part of that dispensation which Moses 
 was inspired to record. 
 
 Many months have elapsed since these remarks were penned. It 
 is therefore gratifying to notice the almost similar opinions of the 
 learned Mr. J. O. Halliwell, who, in his Note on the "Essays and 
 
INTRODUCTION. ix 
 
 Reviews", published in the first number, April, 1861, of The St. James's 
 Magazine, writes, " If the writer of the Book of Genesis had com- 
 menced his account with a geological description of the world, con- 
 sonant with modern discovery, nothing but the interposition of a 
 continuous miracle, commencing from the time that book was pro- 
 mulgated until that in which such a description could have been 
 understood, would have saved the work from destruction, and its 
 human author from being considered as an impostor." 
 
 One simple fact alone in forming an opinion as to the Antiquity 
 of the Inhabited World ought of itself to convince any thinking mind, 
 that we are exceedingly ignorant upon that subject, and very properly 
 so. That such was the intention of the Almighty, the silence of Our 
 Saviour, the Prophets, and all the Inspired Writers of Holy Writ, 
 sufficiently confirms. Beyond mentioning, in one or two instances, the 
 " round world" few are the passages, either in the Old or in the New 
 Testament, that bear on the subject in such a way as to enlighten the 
 inquirer. The world is generally believed to have been created 
 only about 5500 years ago. The Great Pyramid at Gizeh was built 
 about 1080 years before Christ. It has stood the ravages of nearly 
 3000 years without sustaining the smallest injury, beyond the mere 
 decay of its exterior coating, which, proportionably, is far less than 
 the mere covering of cement over the bricks of a modern house 
 receives in fifty years. 
 
 There the Pyramid stands, and there it will no doubt remain until 
 the end of This Dispensation, as the most marvellous existing Monu- 
 ment of the Work of Man. Let the mind place side by side with that 
 monster Sepulchre, one of the Mountains of the Pyrenees, rearing its 
 head many thousand feet above the level of the sea a mountain 
 rising in the form of a Pyramid, and fundamentally composed of that 
 granite which, forming, as universally allowed by all geologists, the 
 basis of the earth, while its sides are coated with the several strata 
 of deposit found to correspond in all their minutiae in almost every 
 part of the globe. With these objects before his mind's eye, it will 
 not require an intimate knowledge of the writings of the Great 
 Geologists, to enable any man gifted with common sense, to arrive, by 
 analogy, at a conclusion, that, if the GREAT PYRAMID, formed of 
 perishable materials by the HAND of MAN, has thus stood uninjured, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the MOUNTAIN, as the PROGRESSIVE WORK of NATURE, may fairly 
 claim an existence far beyond the limit assigned to its creation 
 according to the literal interpretation of the Sacred Historian. 
 
 The more recent discoveries of the preservation of even some of 
 the luxuries of civilization; such as the perishable ivory combs, used 
 by ladies, from the excavations of Nineveh, a city claiming a much 
 higher antiquity than the Pyramids of Egypt, may fairly be brought 
 to bear upon the point advocated. The preservation of such materials 
 no doubt depends upon their position and on the climate of the 
 country. The most fragile objects that were placed four thousand years 
 since in the Tombs of Egypt, into which the waters of the Nile have 
 not penetrated, are found to be almost in their pristine state, while 
 stone objects in the same country are, from the annual inundations, 
 often in a state of decomposition. The perishable relics from Nineveh 
 have been for the most part taken from the debris of the Palaces 
 which were destroyed by fire, and therefore their preservation is 
 more remarkable than that of the relics of civilization found in the 
 Tombs of Egypt and Etruria. 
 
 |N connection with this subject, it is also remarkable, that 
 while the Museums of Europe abound with almost all the 
 manufactured works of early civilisation, yet in this 
 country not one has ever been found in any way to prove 
 the period when those marvellous Monoliths on the Plains of Salis- 
 bury were erected, or to throw a light upon the people who inhabited 
 that and other parts of the world, where innumerable monuments of 
 a similar character abound. All is a matter of speculation and con- 
 troversy. 
 
 Many learned authors consider the relation of Historians respect- 
 ing the DRUIDS as a MYTH. Providence having permitted us to make 
 the country, around which there exist innumerable relics of the early 
 inhabitants of this land, our residence ; we cannot but take the 
 greatest interest in all matters that in any way bear upon the eluci- 
 dation of a PEOPLE of whose existence the monuments around record 
 unmistakable evidence. On taking possession of this, our Homestead, 
 
INTEODUCTION. xi 
 
 THE ABBEY of BUCKFASTLEIGH, SOUTH DEVON, we anticipate the 
 greatest pleasure, ere long, of passing with a few Antiquarian Friends, 
 a FORTNIGHT'S RAMBLING ON DARTMOOR ; and, it will be hard, 
 even after the personal researches of so eminent a man as SIR JOHN 
 GARDNER WILKINSON, the Egyptian Traveller and Historian, if we 
 cannot find something that will repay the more learned of our Com- 
 panions in their Archaeological Jottings, while our humble part will 
 be to supply the comforts of life, aided by the Rod in the pursuit of 
 Dartmoor Trout. 
 
 The learned Sir John Gardner Wilkinson has, in "the Journal 
 of the British Archceological Association" for June 1860, given a most 
 interesting article " On the Rock-Basins of Dartmoor, and some 
 British Remains in England." Having touched upon the fact of the 
 existence of the DRUIDS being mythical, we cannot abstain from 
 giving the opinion of so learned a man as Sir John Gardner Wilkinson 
 on that point ; an opinion in which he very properly brings common 
 sense to bear. He writes : 
 
 " The question may not be one of very great importance ; but 
 there is another which ought to interest us, and this is the name and 
 religious rites of the people by whom the many ancient monuments in 
 Britain were erected ; and as some have doubted the very existence 
 of Druids and their religion in this country, it may not be irrelevant 
 to inquire on what authority those doubts have been raised. It is the 
 tendency of the day to call in question whatever has been hitherto 
 credited : some, therefore, not satisfied with doubting the antiquity of 
 every ruin of early times, have affected to disbelieve the accounts 
 handed down to us by Roman writers concerning the Britons, their 
 priesthood, and their customs; though I must confess that such doubts 
 amount to something more than mere scepticism, when we have nu- 
 merous records of a people whose ortholithic circles still remain at 
 Stonehenge, A bury, Stanton-Drew, Arbe-Low, and many places in 
 Cornwall, Devonshire, Cumberland, and various parts of this country, 
 as well as in Wales and Scotland, together with cromlechs and various 
 monuments ; and when similar records are found in France and other 
 countries once inhabited by tribes professing the same religion, and 
 offsets of the same race as the early Britons. 
 
 " If we are not to trust to the authority of Roman writers who 
 
xii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 mention the Druids, what is to be our guide ? And if History is to 
 be unceremoniously put aside, on what are we to depend for any 
 information respecting the inhabitants, the manners, and the religion 
 of Britain and Gaul, or the state of any other country of Antiquity ? 
 We may at once cease to read history, if mere speculations are to 
 take its place. We have circumstantial accounts of the existence of 
 Britons and of Druids in our island, of the stand they made in defence 
 of their sacred retreats, and of some of their ceremonies: at all events, 
 they were in Britain when the Romans first landed, and when they 
 afterwards conquered the country. And if not to them, to whom are 
 these strange monuments to be attributed ?" 
 
 |O return to the subject of Handwriting : the learned 
 Palseologist occasionally avows, unmindful of the well- 
 known proverb of Solomon, which is daily verified, that 
 the origin and progress of writing during the several 
 phases of its employment, can only be ascertained by the formation 
 of particular letters. It will no doubt be considered very presump- 
 tuous in one, not brought up to the study of Palseology, even to 
 venture a remark upon such a point. Experience has shewn how 
 widely in all such matters the most learned differ in their opinions. 
 The late W. Young Ottley than whom there existed, as contemporary, 
 no one possessing more general knowledge devoted much labour in 
 showing that a manuscript of ARATUS was written in the Second or 
 Third Century, contrary to the opinion of almost all who examined 
 the volume. Mr. Ottley was a man of a most determined character; 
 one who, entering on any pursuit, followed it with enthusiasm, and, 
 generally, with great judgment and accuracy. One of his last acts 
 in connection with his worldly pursuits, when on his death bed, was 
 to get the writer of these observations to examine some newly 
 discovered uncial letters in the Manuscript Department of the British 
 Museum, believing that they would confirm the views he had pro- 
 pounded in respect to the Manuscript of Aratus. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xni 
 
 ilHOUGH one of the Lions at Cambridge is the MILTON 
 VOLUME preserved in Trinity College Library, few, compa- 
 ratively, are the persons who have minutely examined its 
 contents ; the visitors, and perhaps even many of the bio- 
 graphers of the Poet, and editors of his Works, being satisfied with a 
 passing look at it in the glass case in which it is placed. It is a 
 volume of surpassing interest, such as I could not view, without 
 feeling a desire, that all who venerate the Poetic Genius of Milton, and 
 few are there who do not, should have the opportunity of possessing 
 fac-similes of the most interesting portions of the volume. Consequently, 
 when my wish was met with so kind an acquiescence on the part of 
 the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, I could not satisfy myself, 
 without having many of the pages most accurately taken in fac- 
 simile, such as would of themselves have formed a most interesting 
 work. 
 
 Those fac-similes will, we believe, bear the strictest examination. 
 Fac-similes should be what they profess to be; otherwise, they are 
 worthless for the purpose for which they were made. During the 
 last few years there have been published " REPRODUCTIONS IN FAC- 
 SIMILE," by M. BERJEAU, of the BIBLIA PAUPERUM, and the CANTICUM 
 CANTICORUM, BLOCK-BOOKS. They are little more than tracings, not 
 in any way shewing the merit of the Designs, or the skill of the Wood 
 Engraver. They do not merit the name of fac-similes. As reproduc- 
 tions of the contents of the works they are most valuable ; the more 
 so, as the introduction of Mr. Berjeau prefixed to each work displays 
 great bibliographical research, but not great liberality respecting the 
 opinions of his fellow labourers. It is to be hoped, that in the event 
 of M. Berjeau issuing a reproduction of the SPECULUM HUMANE SAL- 
 VATIONIS, as announced, he will employ a professional artist to make 
 the fac-similes of the work, instead of employing his own unskilled 
 hand-; contenting himself with enlightening his readers with a 
 detailed description of the text of the work. 
 
XIV 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 i|AVING, in our early Ramblings, made fac-similes of ten 
 pages from the Miltonian volume at Cambridge, we 
 soon found other documents of interest, which led us, 
 most unintentionally in the first instance, to extend our 
 pursuit. To observe upon the assistance derived from the confiding 
 manner in which the various documents were placed in our hands, 
 would most certainly afford us a further opportunity of expressing our 
 thankful acknowledgments offered in our work. We cannot, however, 
 omit the opportunity of mentioning the joy we felt at being permitted 
 to make use of the almost forgotten Miltonian Relic in the possession 
 of William Baker, Esquire, of Bayfordbury, Herts. We allude to the 
 Original Manuscript of the First Book of PARADISE LOST, which was 
 forwarded to the Authorities, to be read previous to its being licensed 
 for Printing. The history of that interesting manuscript is fully 
 given at pp. 196-9, together with a fac-simile of a portion of it. But, 
 in addition to this kindness of Mr. Baker, he has permitted us to call 
 in the aid of Messrs. Caldesi and Blandford to present to the pur- 
 chasers of this work a faithful photograph of the only really good 
 portrait of Milton extant, a portrait taken from the life, ere the 
 features of the Poet had become changed by the inward sorrow of his 
 later days. 
 
 But we must not forget the BUST OF MILTON, preserved at Christ's 
 College, Cambridge, a bust taken from life about twelve years earlier. 
 Here again we are called upon to offer our thanks to the Master, 
 Dr. Cartmell, and to the Fellows of that College, for their kind per- 
 mission in granting, for the first time, a photograph of that interest- 
 ing Memorial of the Poet to be taken. We now avail ourselves of the 
 opportunity of presenting to our readers an account of that interesting 
 Bust, as also of the Portrait in the possession of William Baker, Esq., 
 the Photographs from which precede the title of our work. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XV 
 
 THE BUST OF MILTON, TAKEN FROM LIFE, ABOUT 1652. 
 
 JR. Disney, in the first volume of the copy of the Prose 
 Works of Milton, 4to., 1753, which he presented to the 
 Library of Christ's College, Cambridge, has noted, among 
 other interesting matter, the subjoined memorandum re- 
 specting the bust of Milton presented about forty-five years ago at 
 his request to that College. 
 
 " 3. A Bust in plaster modelled from, and big as life, now in the 
 possession of Thomas Hollis of Lincolnshire, done soon after Milton 
 had written his Defensio pro Populo Anglicano, as some think by 
 one Pierce, a sculptor of good reputation in those times, the same 
 who made the bust of Sir Christopher Wren, which is in the Bodleian 
 Library; or as others by Abraham Simon. A print of this bust, very 
 badly designed, is prefixed to Milton's Prose Works, published at 
 London, 1753." 
 
 The above is all the information that we are enabled to gather 
 respecting the only authentic Bust of the Poet ; with which, beyond 
 the engraving by Vertue, from a bad design by J. Richardson, and 
 another equally unsatisfactory engraving, 1 the public generally have 
 hitherto been unacquainted. 
 
 JIHE Bust bears evidence of having been the cast taken from 
 the original mould 2 , without having been under the hand 
 of a sculptor to spoil it, as is frequently the case. The 
 flowing hair, which, at that time, formed a prominent fea- 
 ture in the portrait of Milton, was afterwards modelled and added to 
 the bust cast from life. The usual portraits of the Poet do not indi- 
 cate the appearance of any beard ; but, there is in the bust the evident 
 impress of the hair on the lower part of the face. 
 
 There is, in our humble opinion, no bust or portrait of the Poet 
 
 1 One "drawn and etched, 17GO, by J. B. 
 Cipriani, a Tuscan, from a bust in plaster mo- 
 delled from the life ; now in the possession of 
 Thomas Hollis, Esq., F.R.S., F.S.A." 
 
 2 The bust does not exhibit any appearance 
 of having been afterwards recast for the pur- 
 pose of multiplying it. 
 
xvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 extant, that conveys the nobleness of his character so much as 
 that we are now considering. There is in it a breadth and expres- 
 sion truly characteristic of a great man. It reminds one of the por- 
 trait of Cromwell engraved by Faithorne ; a portrait expressive of a 
 determined mind, which once set upon an object no earthly power 
 could alter. While, however, the Bust exhibits the high characteristics 
 of the Poet, there is a calmness about the features that renders it 
 most pleasing, more particularly in the lips, which impart the expres- 
 sive power to the human face. This feeling of fascination which the 
 bust produces may be attributed in some degree to the period of life 
 when it was taken, the Poet being at that time in his very prime, 
 when he had not arrived at the age of fifty ; whereas the Portrait 
 engraved by Faithorne, prefixed to the History of Great Britain by 
 Milton, represents him at the age of sixty-two. That portrait exhibits, 
 no doubt, a very faithful likeness of the Poet as he then was, but it is 
 most painfully interesting. There we have Milton, shewing in his very 
 countenance the grief that had weighed down his then comparatively 
 peaceful soul. There the remains of his determined spirit still are to 
 be traced, but not in the firmness as displayed in the Bust taken 
 when in the zenith of his life. The one commands admiration, while 
 the other excites our sympathy. 
 
 PARAGRAPH in the Athenceum of 10th August, 1850," 
 notes Mr. John Fitchett Marsh, at the close of his interest- 
 ing account of the Portraits of Milton, " mentions the pur- 
 chase by Mr. Labouchere, for 200 guineas, of a marble 
 bust of Milton, made, it is said, from the life, by an Italian sculptor 
 during the Poet's visit to Italy. Its history is not stated ; but it is 
 worthy of note, that Mr. Thomas Hollis was so far impressed with 
 the belief, that there was somewhere in Florence a marble bust of 
 Milton, as to be induced to make search for it in 1762, but without 
 success. See Memoirs of Thomas Hollis, p. 167, and Wartoris Poems, 
 p. 333, ed. 1791." 
 
 Some years ago we had the pleasure of seeing a small marble bust 
 of the Poet, brought from Italy by the Rev. Mr. Woodward. It was, 
 we believe, pronounced by competent judges to be a work of the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XVll 
 
 period. On inquiry, we learn that it is now in the possession of Lord 
 Taunton. 
 
 In the will of Alexander Pope, printed at the close of his Bio- 
 graphy by Owen Ruffhead, edition 1769, pp. 544-550, the Poet records, 
 "I desire Mr. Lyttleton to accept the busts of Spencer, Shakespear, 
 Milton, and Dryden, in marble, which His Royal Highness the Prince 
 was pleased to give me." We are not aware of the present locality 
 of the bust of Milton here mentioned. 
 
 THE PORTRAITS OF MILTON. 
 
 T is very gratifying, when employed upon a work which 
 one feels will not be considered of much interest to the 
 general public, to find that there are other fellow-labour- 
 ers who are not disheartened by such a feeling, but, 
 on the contrary, follow up their researches with a 
 determined spirit, thinking that their pursuit cannot 
 fail to be of the same interest to the whole world as to themselves. 
 Without such a feeling, call it enthusiasm or what you will, certain 
 it is, that unless an author devotes his whole energy, and heartily 
 "loves his love," he is little more than one of the evanescent 
 employers of that most useful piece of mechanism, usually lying upon 
 the library table. 
 
 Whatever may be the matter of inquiry, whether historically 
 important or curious in bygone or modern literature ; or touching 
 politics, religion, or the amusements of life ; or what would appear, at 
 first sight, of useless inquiry, the actively minded enthusiast will not 
 fail to invest his subject with an interest that irresistibly leads his 
 reader to the end of it. 
 
 We have an example DOW before us in a brochure 1 " On the 
 Engraved Portraits and the Pretended Portraits of Milton. By John 
 Fitehett Marsh, Esq.," a gentleman decidedly fond of early literature 
 and its concomitants. Who would suppose that since the death of 
 Milton there have been considerably above 150 portraits engraved of 
 
 1 It is printed in "TJie Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire," vol. xii. 
 Read 3rd May, 1860. 
 
xviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 him ? With great assiduity Mr. Marsh has succeeded in obtaining 
 impressions of nearly all of them ; and in describing them has most 
 successfully traced from whence they have been taken. 
 
 PORTRAITS IN OIL ; FROM LIFE. 
 
 JF the numerous paintings and drawings that may exist as 
 representing Portraits of Milton, there are only two tbat 
 may be considered as authentic. 
 
 FIRST. The Portrait of the Poet when ten years old. 
 It is the work of Janssen, and is now in the possession of Mr. Disney. 
 It was engraved by Cipriani, and copied by others. 
 
 SECOND. The Portrait at the age of twenty-one, which was " pur- 
 chased from the executor of Milton's widow by Speaker Onslow." It 
 is unknown by whom it was painted. It has been frequently engraved. 
 The portrait which appeared in the " Gentleman's Magazine," 
 1787, vol. LVII, p. 759, may have been genuine. It is there stated to 
 have been taken from a drawing made when the Poet was twelve 
 years of age. As there was no note to whom the original belonged, 
 and its merest whereabouts being unknown, it can only be recorded 
 as a memorial, now lost. 
 
 PORTRAITS IN CRAYONS, ETC. ; FROM LIFE. 
 
 IRST. The drawing made by FATTHORNE, either before or in 
 1670, from which, in that year, he engraved the Portrait 
 prefixed to Milton's History of Great Britain, 4to., published 
 in the same year. 
 Whether this drawing is still in existence is a matter of doubt. 
 There is no trace of it after having been in the possession of Messrs. 
 Tonson. 
 
 SECOND. The Drawing in crayons, which was, in and before 1734, 
 in the possession of John Richardson, sen., etched several times by 
 Richardson, and engraved, with variations, by others subsequently. 
 THIRD. The Drawing by Robert White, engraved by Simon. 
 Mr. Marsh has most satisfactorily shown, that it is from the three 
 above-mentioned drawings, that the greater portion of the ENGRAVED 
 PORTRAITS of Milton have their origin. Very many of the numerous 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XIX 
 
 existing engraved portraits of the Poet are made up, some with a 
 greater degree of truthfulness than others, but there are very few 
 deserving of much commendation for their design or execution. 
 
 The First Engraved Portrait that appeared was taken from life. 
 It was executed by Marshall, from, we presume, a drawing made by 
 himself; but whether the fault lay with the design or with the 
 engraver, certain it is, that when the portrait appeared in 1645, as a 
 frontispiece to the first edition of the Poems of Milton, so unsatis- 
 factory was the likeness considered, that the Poet recorded its unfaith- 
 fulness in a Greek Epigram, intitled " In effigiei ejus sculptorem." 
 
 The Second Engraved Portrait was the work of the celebrated 
 FAITHORNE. It appeared, as stated, in 1670, and was inscribed as 
 having been done "ad vivum," which, if taken in that year, was 
 only four years before the death of the Poet. The engraving was 
 specially 1 made to be prefixed to the work in which it appeared. 
 
 jHAT the ORIGINAL DRAWING by FAITHORNE, whence, in 
 1670, he executed his engraving, was in existence in 1760, 
 is proved by the inscription to the Cipriani Portrait, 
 " Drawn and etched MDCCLX, ly J. B. Cipriani, a Tuscan, at 
 the desire of Thomas Hollis, from a Portrait in crayons, now in the 
 possession of Messrs. Tonson, Booksellers in the Strand, London." The 
 engraving by Cipriani corresponds more with that engraved by 
 Faithorne, than with the Richardson Portrait. In the Memoirs of 
 Thomas Hollis, p. 619, the one from which Cipriani made his engrav- 
 ing is described as "A drawing in crayons, by William Faithorne." 
 
 Strutt, in his Biographical Dictionary of Engravers, 1785, Ed. 1, 
 p. 283, states, that Faithorne "painted portraits from the life, in 
 Crayons, which art he learned of Nanteuil, during his abode in France." 
 
 1 It was first used for "The History of Britain," 
 by John Milton ; published in small 4to., 1670. 
 It is inscribed, " Oul. Faithorne ad Vivum Delin. 
 el seulpsit. Joannis Miltoni effigies, tat. 62, 
 1670." That such was the case is proved by 
 the portrait and the title-page forming the same 
 half of the folio sheet of paper. I am in the 
 
 possession of a copy of the work in the original 
 binding, in which the paper-mark, the Royal 
 Arms, appears in part on both leaves. That copy 
 was presented to me by Mrs. Holland, as a 
 memorial of my kind friend, the late Lancelot 
 Holland, Esq., of Beckenham, Kent, whose 
 library was sold in Wellington-street, July 1860. 
 
 d 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Vertue, in his Catalogue of Engravers, records, that Faithorne " made 
 crayon drawings after 1680, when he had returned to Printing-House- 
 Yard, Blackfriars." He died in 1691. 
 
 In the Print Room of the British Museum, among the Cracherode 
 Collection of British Portraits, is one of Sir Orlando Bridgman, by 
 Faithorne. It is delicately executed in pencil, slightly washed with 
 Indian ink. The drapery is in Indian ink and well drawn, but rather 
 coarse. There is also an Engraving by Faithorne of the same portrait. 
 It, however, is of a larger size, and though evidently engraved from 
 the drawing, Faithorne has varied the expression of the face, as also 
 the costume. The drawing is the only one by Faithorne in the British 
 Museum, and, consequently, as it is not in crayons, we are not enabled 
 to obtain any guide as to the character or touch of Faithorne's style 
 of such work. 
 
 |HE DRAWING IN CRAYONS, which was, in or before the year 
 1734, in the possession of J. Richardson, sen., was etched 
 by him on several occasions, with some slight variations, 
 according to his fancy. He was a great lover of Works of 
 Art and an Amateur Engraver. In the introduction to the " Ex- 
 planatory Notes and Remarks on Milton's Paradise Lost," published 
 in 1734, he states : " The print prefixed shows the face of him who 
 wrote Paradise Lost, the face we chiefly desire to be acquainted with ; 
 'tis done from a picture which I have reason to believe he sat for not 
 long before his death, I have therefore given a little more vigour to 
 the print, and but a little. The complexion must be imagined as of 
 one who had been fair and fresh coloured. Toland says, he was ruddy 
 to the last; my picture, and other information, does not tell us that, but 
 that he might have been so not long before. The colour of his eyes 
 inclined to blue, not deep ; and though sightless, they were, as he 
 says himself, 'clear, to outward view, of blemish or of spot/ He was told 
 so, and 'tis certain thegutta serena, (which was his case), does not appear 
 to common eyes, and at a little distance ; but blindness, even of that 
 kind, is visible in the colour, motion, and look of the eye which has 
 the sad unhappiness of being extinguished by it. 'Tis wonderfully 
 expressed in the picture from whence this print was made, as well as 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxi 
 
 the sett of the mouth, and the rest of the air. I have imitated it as 
 well as I could in a way of working which I never practised but on a 
 few plates, and those in my youth, except an attempt on one or two 
 near twenty years ago. The laurel is not in the picture, the two 
 lines under it are my reasons for putting it there, not what otherwise 
 would have been imagined. All the world has given it him long since." 
 Mr. Marsh has had a copy of this portrait engraved, No. 70, in 
 his brochure, the inscription to which is : /. R. [Richardson] sen. f. 
 From an excelt. orig. (crayon) in his collection!' Following, is another 
 portrait etched by Richardson, described as No. 74, "J. Richardson, F" 
 at the foot of which are some verses signed " J. R. Jun." Then occurs, 
 No. 75, another Portrait, "An Etching, in Richardson's manner, and 
 so described by Granger." The latter may have been one of the etch- 
 ings alluded to, as executed by J. Richardson many years previously. 
 It matters, however, very little, whether the etching was executed by 
 the senior or younger Richardson ; the important fact is, that, with 
 the exception of the drapery being reversed, and a want of expres- 
 sion in the face, it is a correct copy of the drawing in crayons now in 
 the possession of William Baker, Esq., of Bayfordbury. 
 
 |HE ORIGINAL DRAWING, by White, as stated in the en- 
 graving made from it by J. Simon, inscribed " ad vivum 
 delin." Robert White was an engraver who drew portraits 
 in black chalk, as stated in Vertue's Catalogue of Engravers. 
 In the Cracherode Collection of British Portraits in the Print Room 
 of the British Museum, are many executed by R. White. They are, 
 however, all in pencil, delicately executed, more as sketches than 
 finished drawings, for the purpose of engraving from. There is not 
 one in black chalk, so that we can form no opinion as to the style of 
 his portraits in chalk. 
 
 There is no date to the engraving by Simon. Robert White died 
 in 1704 ; and as it is hardly probable that he would have consented to 
 any other engraver but himself executing a work from his own design, 
 we may consequently presume, that the engraving by Simon was not 
 done until after the death of White in 1704. Simon died in 1753. 
 
 d 2 
 
XX11 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 HEN Mr. Marsh proposed to himself the pleasure of 
 recording a note of all the Engraved Portraits of 
 Milton he had collected together, he found that a great 
 many of them had their origin from what had been 
 generally known as " The Crayon Drawing" taken 
 from the Life by Faithorne ; but which had been by 
 many of the Biographers of the Poet " confounded" with another 
 drawing in crayons possessed by J. Richardson, Sen. 
 
 On referring to the various authors who had mentioned these 
 drawings, Mr. Marsh discovered, what is usually the case, that when 
 an author, whose name carries with it authority, happens to make a 
 mistake, that mistake is continued on by each successive author when 
 writing upon the same subject, " each adopting and adding to the 
 mistakes of his predecessors ;" so as, says Mr. Marsh, p. 3, " to produce 
 an amount of confusion from which it is my hope to assist in extricating 
 the subject." 
 
 We have previously stated that there were taken, at probably 
 about the same period, three Portraits of Milton from the Life : one 
 by Faithorne ; another, the " Richardson" Drawing, in crayons ; and 
 one by White. 
 
 That the Drawing by Faithorne, and also the " Richardson" crayon 
 drawing, were in the possession of Messrs. Tonson, the Booksellers, 1 in 
 1760, is proved, first, by the fact of Cipriani having made a copy of 
 the Faithorne Drawing previous to etching it ; and, secondly, by the 
 portrait engraved by Miller from the " Richardson" crayon drawing 
 being prefixed to Baskerville's edition of Paradise Lost, printed at 
 Birmingham in 1759, edited by Bishop Newton, and published by the 
 Tonsons. 
 
 Mr. Marsh (p. 8, in his Brochure) considers Bishop Newton to 
 have added to the confusion that has occurred, in distinguishing the 
 Faithorne and the "Richardson" Drawings. 
 
 1 There are differences in the design of the 
 Faithorne and Richardson Portraits. The en- 
 graving by Cipriani corresponds, as stated, p. 
 xix, more with that engraved by Faithorne ; and 
 as the inscription beneath it states it to have been 
 copied from a drawing in crayons in the posses- 
 sion of Messrs. Tonson, we may fairly presume 
 
 that they possessed the Faithorne as well as the 
 Richardson Drawing. It may, however, turn 
 out that the Richardson Drawing is really by 
 Faithorne ; and if BO, the confusion would be 
 accounted for by the dress having been slightly 
 altered by Faithorne in his engraving in 1670. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxiii 
 
 When, in 1759, Bishop Newton edited the edition of Paradise 
 Lost to which was prefixed a Portrait of the Poet, engraved by Miller 
 for " Tonsoris Baskerville edition" he stated in his life of Milton : 
 
 " There are two pictures of greater value than the rest, as they 
 are undoubted originals, and were in the possession of Milton's widow : 
 the first was drawn when he was about twenty-one, and is at present 
 in the Collection of the Right Honourable Arthur Onslow, Esq., 
 Speaker of the House of Commons : the other, in crayons, was drawn 
 when he was about sixty-two, and was in the Collection of Mr. 
 Richardson, but has since been purchased by Mr. Tonson. Several 
 prints have been made from both these pictures, and there is a print 
 done, when he was about sixty-two or sixty-three, after the life, by 
 Faithorne, which, tho' not so handsome, may yet, perhaps, be as true 
 a resemblance as any of them. It is prefixed to some of our author's 
 pieces, and to the folio edition of his prose works, in three volumes, 
 printed in 1698." 1 
 
 It is here seen that Bishop Newton, who was no doubt employed 
 by Messrs. Tonson, makes mention of the " Richardson" Drawing in 
 " crayons" quite unconnected with the name of Faithorne, whose 
 engraved portrait, executed in 1670, he merely notices, but does not 
 allude to the existence of any original drawing. That Messrs. Tonson 
 were in the possession of the Faithorne Drawing in 1760, is clearly 
 shown ; and it is therefore singular, that Bishop Newton should not 
 have mentioned that original drawing. It may have been, however, 
 that Bishop Newton never saw it. He was not engaged in writing a 
 history of the various portraits that had been taken of the Poet. His 
 notice of the portraits was merely incidental in his biography of the 
 Poet. He may have only casually seen the " Richardson" drawing 
 whence the portrait was engraved for the edition of Paradise Lost on 
 which he was then occupied. 
 
 We do not think that there is any confusion in the statement 
 made by Bishop Newton. He merely notes the bare fact of the 
 " Richardson" crayon drawing being then in the possession of " Mr. 
 Tonson." That the "Richardson" drawing was that recognised by 
 Deborah, the youngest daughter of the Poet, is quite clear. 
 
 1 The Works of Milton, edited by Bishop Newton. 5th edition, 1761. Vol. i., p. Ixvi. 
 
xxvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 " The elder Richardson," observes Mr. Marsh, p. 6, in his 
 'Explanatory Notes and Remarks on Milton's Paradise Lost,' pub- 
 lished in 1734, " inserted an etching ' from an excellent original in 
 crayons' in his possession, and which he states in his introduction (p. 
 ii.) he had reason to believe Milton sat for not long before his death. 
 In a subsequent passage (p. xxxvi.) he relates, as an evidence of 
 Deborah Clarke's tender remembrance of her father, that, ' this picture 
 in crayons was shewn her after several others, or which were pretended 
 to be his. When those were shewn, and she was asked if she could 
 recollect if she had ever seen such a face, ' No, no ;' but, when this was 
 produced, in a transport ' Tis my father ! 'tis my dear father, I see 
 him ! 'tis him !' and then she put her hands to several parts of her 
 face, "'Tis the very man, here ! here!" 
 
 Here is a plain fact recorded in 1734 by J. Richardson, Sen., the 
 then possessor of the Crayon Drawing, which drawing was after- 
 wards, as stated by Bishop Newton, purchased by "Mr. Tonson" from the 
 collection of Mr. Richardson ; and which was, in 1759, in the posses- 
 sion of Mr. Tonson, from whose family it descended as an Heir-loom 
 to William Baker, Esq., of Bayfordbury, Herts, Grandfather of the 
 present William Baker, Esq., of Bayfordbury, in right of his mother, 
 the great niece of Jacob Tonson. 
 
 The circumstance of the " Richardson" crayon drawing having 
 been shown to Deborah Clarke, does not in any degree affect the state- 
 ment as recorded (p. 619) in the "Memoirs of Thomas Hollis," of the 
 original drawing by Faith orne, in the possession of " Messrs. Tonson," 
 having been also taken about the year 1725 to Deborah Clarke by 
 Vertue, the engraver ; nor does that fact invalidate the relation 1 by 
 Vertue, of his having taken, in 1721, several engraved portraits of the 
 Poet to his Daughter, as also a picture, but whether in oil or crayons, 
 is not recorded. It may have been the original Drawing made from 
 life by Robert White, who died in 1704, and Vertue may have pos- 
 sessed it after it had been engraved by Simon. 
 
 There is most undoubtedly a great similarity between the design 
 of the Richardson and White portraits, such as one can only suppose 
 could have arisen by their having been taken at about the same period. 
 That such was the case we are warranted in believing, as Vertue 
 
 1 Marsh on the Engraved, etc., Portraits of Milton. I860 ; pp. 5, 6. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxv 
 
 inscribed that engraved by him in 1725 " ^Etat. 62, A.D. 1670," the 
 same year as that engraved by Faithorne. 
 
 Had Mr. Peter Cunningham, when he edited "Johnson's Lives of 
 the Poets," taken the trouble of seeking an introduction to Mr. Baker 
 to obtain a personal inspection of the " Richardson" Drawing, he would 
 not have followed in the wake of the confusion made by Archdeacon 
 Todd, Mr. Keightley, and others, between the Faithorne and the 
 Richardson Drawings, by stating, " Faithorne' s original drawing is 
 preserved with other portraits belonging to Tonson, including the 
 Kit-Kat collection, at Bayfordbury, near Hertford, the seat of Mr. 
 Baker." 
 
 j]T is very evident that the Richardson Portrait, which we 
 shall in future designate the " Baker-Drawing," has been 
 very little seen by any of the biographers and persons who 
 have edited the works of the Poet, though most of them, 
 more or less, make mention of it. When we had the pleasure of first 
 seeing it at Bayfordbury, July 1860, we were inclined to the same 
 opinion as we now entertain ; namely, that there is no evidence, by way 
 of style, to justify our considering it to be by the hand of Faithorne. 
 But it is a Work of Art of much merit. It certainly appears to us 
 to have been taken at a period a little earlier than the one engraved 
 by Faithorne. On examining it more carefully a second time in 
 November, consequent on the very interesting brochure issued by 
 Mr. Marsh, we were led to consider whether it could have been 
 an earlier drawing by Faithorne, from which, when he made the 
 engraving in 1670, he took another copy for that purpose, altering the 
 form of the dress, and giving a different expression to the countenance 
 in the same way as he did with regard to the portrait of Sir Orlando 
 Bridgman previously noticed. 
 
 It is related of the Poet, that his visitors, unless made acquainted 
 with the fact of his being totally blind, could not have discovered that 
 he was afflicted with so sad a calamity. That so noble a face should 
 have been deprived of the use of its most intellectual feature, and yet 
 have all the appearance of its full possession, is remarkably shewn 
 in the characteristic drawing under consideration. 
 
 The Baker drawing, as stated, note, p. xxii, differs very mate- 
 
XXVI 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 rially from the engraved Portrait by Faithorne : which, though giving 
 a living expression to the eyes, presents a distressing degree of 
 sternness in the general character of the face, such as no description 
 of the personal appearance given by any of his contemporaries leads 
 us to think was the case ; whereas, in the Baker drawing, a charming 
 placidity, yet melancholy thoughtfulness, pleasingly pervades the 
 whole of his features. 
 
 We may with confidence assert that no satisfactory engraving has 
 been made of the crayon drawing now in the possession of Mr. Baker. 
 That prefixed to the edition of the Baskerville edition of Milton's 
 Paradise Lost, issued in 1759, represents the head not only in a dif- 
 ferent position, but it is altogether a bad representation of the original. 
 That engraved by J. Baker from a drawing specially made by a young 
 artist named Simpson, for Todd's edition of the Poetical Works of 
 Milton, published in 1801, is very fairly executed, but fails to embody 
 the pleasurable expression of the original ; while the engraving by 
 Vertue prefixed to the fifth edition of Paradise Lost, edited by Bishop 
 Newton, in 1761, carries with it a wildness in the features totally un- 
 characteristic of Milton. 
 
 jUPvING the Progress of our Pursuit, we have had much 
 pleasure in availing ourselves of the very ingenious and 
 really marvellously effective PROCESSES OF THE ELECTRO 
 PRINTING BLOCK COMPANY, in giving in our text fac-similes 
 of autograph Documents connected with Milton, in lieu of adopting the 
 usual course of employing a Wood-engraver, in order that such illus- 
 trations should more conveniently be intermixed with the type. 
 Independent, however, of those appliances of the Processes of the 
 Invention ; namely, the making of surface blocks for the purpose of 
 working them with type by the ordinary printing press, we have availed 
 ourselves of the very important and most useful part of the Patent 
 obtained by the company, namely, the POWER of REDUCING 1 any Design 
 to any desired size. Accordingly, when we came to the considera- 
 tion of the binding of this work, we found that our very talented 
 
 1 The ENLARGEMENT of any Design is most 
 effective, many hundreds having been done with 
 the greatest success ; and the fine work of the 
 
 small one, however much it may be enlarged, 
 will still be preserved. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XXVll 
 
 friend and sculptor, Mr. J. L. Tupper, had made his elegant Designs 
 for the exterior of the Binding too large. What was to be done ? To 
 ask a Sculptor, who had, cow Milton-amore, kindly made the designs, to 
 alter them, was rather more than we could expect he would do. It was 
 not likely that he would so mechanically employ his pencil. He had, 
 at our particular request, made his designs in transfer-ink, in order 
 to avoid the necessity of employing (we mean no disrespect) an 
 artist of inferior kind, to copy them; the designs being at once 
 transferred to the stcne. In this Dilemma, we had recourse to the 
 Processes of the Electro Printing Block Company; and, accordingly, 
 to the ultimate satisfaction of Mr. Tupper, his Designs, which were 
 at that time on the Lithographic Stones, were reduced about half 
 an inch in breadth, and a quarter of an inch in length, in order that 
 they might occupy the space allotted to them on the exterior of the 
 binding of the work. To do this, with regard to the designs propor- 
 tionately, was a matter that required some skill. When the designs 
 were reduced in breadth, the figures became too much lengthened, in 
 consequence of the reduction of the breadth not being in the same 
 proportion as the reduction in length. In order to remedy this, the 
 centre figures in each design were taken out, and, after having been 
 mathematically reduced, they were re-transferred on the stone ; and 
 thus, as on the exterior covers of the binding, the Two designs have 
 been, by this marvellously effective and yet most simple Patented 
 Process of the Electro Printing Block Company, made available for 
 the purpose for which they were intended, without the aid of the 
 Artist by whom they were designed. In order further to exhibit the 
 illimitable power of the Invention, we have, in lieu of the usual 
 plain or marbled paper on the interior of the covers of the binding of 
 this work, given of each Design Three Further Reductions. They speak 
 for themselves. They are most interesting, as at once showing the 
 Marvellous Power of the Application of this Mechanical Invention to 
 Works of Art a Power that our pen is quite unable to circumscribe 
 a power that is so great as not to be at first comprehended by even 
 those whose whole lives have been devoted to Art. The consequence has 
 been, that a prejudice has arisen against the Invention. Many Persons 
 suppose that the adaptation of this ingenious process would materially 
 affect the business of the Wood-engraver, and also of the Lithogra- 
 
xxviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 pher. To a certain extent it may affect the Wood-Engraver, inasmuch 
 as a surface-block of Electro-plate can be made from any original design 
 without the necessity, as was hitherto the case, of having it cut in 
 wood, in order to be worked, intermixed with type, by the ordinary 
 printing press. With respect, however, to the Lithographer, his em- 
 ployment is immeasurably increased, because there is no limit to the 
 reemployment of all description of works, for republication in either 
 enlarged or reduced forms. Series of Views or Maps, and all kinds 
 of Engravings which may have been published fifty years ago, of a 
 large size, say two feet or more square, can be now made again avail- 
 able, reduced from that size to six inches square. So likewise may the 
 smaller works be enlarged in the same proportion. Suffice it to 
 state, that the text of any folio, octavo, or duodecimo work, can be 
 transferred and enlarged to an Imperial folio; or an Imperial folio 
 work can be reduced to a duodecimo, in the same perfect manner as 
 the smaller reductions of the Designs on the inner covers of this 
 volume have been. 
 
 We feel the greatest interest in the wide extension of the employ- 
 ment of this mechanical application to Works of Art; not merely 
 because we are on the Direction of the Company, but because we 
 are convinced that it is a most remarkable and most useful invention. 
 ART-MECHANISM competing with the RAILWAY-PACE OF THE AGE. 
 
 |N concluding our introductory, though somewhat rambling, 
 observations, we desire to offer our hearty thanks to the 
 many kind friends who have rendered us their co-operation 
 in our pursuit ; and though last, not least, we have to 
 acknowledge the aid of our old Friend and Tutor, Mr. Walter 
 M'Dowall, M.A., in the compilation of the "Biographical Notices," 
 which we have been induced to add to our "fanciful" RAMBLINGS, 
 Rarnblings that have afforded us the greatest pleasure, a pleasure 
 only to be increased by the hope, that those who may be induced to 
 ramble through this volume will leniently criticize its contents. 
 
 BUCKFASTLEIGH ABBEY, 
 
 SOUTH DEVON, JUNE 1, 1861. 
 
RAMBLINGS 
 
 IS THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 ITEEATUEE is AN AVENUE TO GLORY, EVER OPEN FOR THOSE 
 INGENIOUS MEN WHO ARE DEPRIVED OF HONOURS OR WEALTH." 
 
 Thus does the learned D'ISRAELI, the father of that author 
 who by the versatility of his talent has raised himself to the 
 highest offices of the State, open the twenty-fourth chapter of 
 " THE LITERARY CHARACTER; or the History of Men of Genius." 
 
 After the Decline of Literature and Art in Greece, Eome, and other Countries, 
 the brutal power of man prevailed, and revelled in the destruction of what 
 Centuries had created. Intellectuality took flight to seek repose until the lawless 
 spirit of barbarism had exhausted itself. During the eclipse that spread partial 
 darkness over the mouldering remains of high cultivation, the few labourers that 
 survived, stored their produce in monastic repositories, apart from the gaze of ruthless 
 
 ignorance. 
 
 The GREAT CHARLEMAGNE would have delayed the advance of his army, 1 to 
 have welcomed the arrival of a Man of Letters. The learned ALCUINE was esteemed 
 by Charlemagne as inferior to none in his kingdom. The native of York, and disciple 
 of Bede, was a companion and tutor, not only to his Eoyal Patron, but also to his 
 Sons. 
 
 In later days, amidst even the conflicts of religious wars, PHILIP DUKE OF 
 BURGUNDY, one of the most powerful Princes of Europe, took special pains in 
 adorning his court with the presence of the most learned and artistic men of his 
 
 1 " SPINOSA, when he gained an humble liveli- 
 hood by grinding optical glasses at an obscure 
 village in Holland,was visited by the first Generals 
 
 of Europe, who, for the sake of this philosophical 
 conference, suspended the march of an army." 
 "The Literary Character," I. D'Israeli,chap. xxiv. 
 
 1 
 
RAMBLIXGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 country; a country, one of the first to take the lead in the cultivation of the intel- 
 lectual faculties of man, after the period of darkness and barbarism that had for so 
 many centuries almost universally prevailed. To the Burgundian Court was CAXTON, 
 our first printer, indebted for support ; and to that patronage do we owe the intro- 
 duction of the Art of Printing into this country. 
 
 So likewise POPE LEO THE TENTH, before whom no potentate of his time could 
 take precedence, intuitively as a Medici, encouraged Literature and Art. He did so 
 to such an extent as almost to peril, not only his own resources, but those of the 
 country over which he held sway. 
 
 Following the example of the Eomau Emperors, when carrying their Eagles to 
 all parts of the globe, THE GREAT NAPOLEON deemed the presence of the most 
 Scientific, Literary, and Artistic Men he could procure, as one of the means for 
 transmitting his name to future ages, and raising France to that state of intellectual 
 cultivation to which at no period of its previous history had it arrived. 
 
 Even amidst defeat, as in Egypt, Napoleon never lost sight of that object; ;m>l 
 however much he may have transgressed the Laws of Nations by the transportation 
 to his Capital, of what he considered he had a right, as Conqueror, to possess, the 
 Imperial Will was rewarded by the assiduity with which his beloved people imbibed 
 that taste for Science, Literature, and Art, which now, under the extraordinary reign 
 of the EMPEROR Louis NAPOLEON, forms so prominent a feature in the character of 
 that nation. The small but significant bit of red silk attached to the left button- 
 hole is, in that country, never despised ! Piare indeed are the instances in which it 
 has been abused. It is a passport for respect on all occasions. It is the pride, as 
 much of the working classes, as of the first officers of the State. 
 
 In the history of the world, the brighter side reflects the shadows that are 
 cast around. Men of Science and Invention in all ages are to be found, whose 
 long-cherished hopes of reward for their discoveries have been blighted, either by 
 the neglect of their country, or by the wickedness, jealousies, or covetousness of 
 their neighbours, of which numerous instances, even in these enlightened days, 
 might be enumerated. The following, among many in modern times, may serve 
 as an example. THOMAS CROMPTON, the son of a farmer near Bolton, was the 
 inventor of the mule spindle, by which the Arkwriglris, the Peels, and others, have 
 realized enormous fortunes; while the inventor, with the utmost difficulty, after 
 many years of incessant application, could only obtain the paltry sum of .5,000. 
 Well might Mr. Bright, the philanthropic member of Parliament, a short time ago 
 exclaim : "We should relapse into barbarism if Crompton's spindle carriage was 
 taken away." " The Cromptons," wrote The Athenaeum a few months since, while 
 reviewing The Life and Times of Samuel Crompton, by Gilbert J. French, "were of 
 gone down people of good origin; the 'Clan' tracing back as far as Henry the Third, 
 and declared by the College of Heralds entitled to use armorial bearings at the 
 visitation of Dugdale in 1664." 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 So likewise of Men of Letters, and equally so of Artists. Sorrowful indeed 
 would be the task to enumerate the sufferings, the disappointments, the mournful 
 and the untimely end, of many of the most celebrated and learned men of all 
 countries, men preeminent in those branches of science to which the whole world is 
 mainly indebted for its civilization. 
 
 JILTON being the subject of our thoughts, we naturally cast our eye over 
 the Position of the Poets of England up to about the period of his time. 
 In doing so we omit the mention of other professions, and consequently 
 the names of men distinguished in the annals of Science, Literature, 
 and Art : men of far greater importance than those whose imaginative 
 
 Muse has tended more to the luxury of cultivated minds than to the general utility 
 
 of mankind. 
 
 Since penning these few preceding lines, we have read with much delight a 
 
 leading article in one of the most instructive and yet amusing periodicals 1 of the 
 
 day. It touches on the very subject to which our thoughts have been incidentally 
 
 drawn : 
 
 " From the earliest ages of the world, poetry has wielded so wide a power, poets have held so 
 high a place, that the subject before us invites the deepest interest on the part of those to whom it is 
 an enjoyment and a source of profit ; and not only this, but it demands the consideration of the few 
 who profess to be beyond its reach, above or below its influence. And yet it is not an uncommon 
 thing to hear men scoff at poetry. They who term it the idle production, the unprofitable amusement 
 of weak minds, would do well to be silent when they see nation after nation, from age immemorial 
 until now, all raising above them their poetry and their poets as the matter and the men who are to 
 establish their claims to greatness, as far as regards intellectual influence and superiority, in the eyes 
 of their contemporaries and posterity. Such scoffers must surely wonder when they see the objects 
 of their contempt receiving the homage of the highest intellect and the noblest genius of mankind. 
 It cannot be an unmeaning fanaticism that makes the whole civilized world look back reverentially 
 over the tracks of eventful centuries to the light that still burns undimmed round old Homer ; that 
 makes Italy deify her Dante ; and raises England above all the nations of time past and present, by 
 the name of William Shakespeare. And yet these men, and with them a thousand other glorious, 
 though ' lesser lights,' were the agents of no great deeds that saved a country or made a name ; they 
 were the originators of no invention that helped to broaden the path of civilization, and to distinguish 
 an age. Save incidentally, they were not historians, they were not warriors, nor orators, nor states- 
 men ; and yet they exercised then, and they retain now, a prodigious influence as the priests of 
 mysteries, the beauty of which, though it is granted to many to love and reverence, it is given but to 
 few to impart and to proclaim." 
 
 Such is the beautiful and powerful language used by way of introduction to an 
 essay upon " POETRY, THE POET, AND THE POETIC PRINCIPLE," in one of the Penny 
 Periodicals of the day ! Those who are desirous, now-a-days, of enjoying the beauties 
 
 1 "THE FAMILY HEKALD," No. 851. The pro- 
 prietor of this work Mr. George Biggs died a 
 few months since, leaving a very large fortune, 
 
 the reward of the admirable manner in which 
 this Journal was conducted. 
 
 I 2 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 of the English language, must peruse the Public Journals. Such language as is met 
 with in the leading articles of the daily papers, as well as in the weekly and monthly 
 periodicals, is nowhere else to be found. The proprietors of those publications 
 employ the highest talent that can be procured, and reward it by salaries equal to 
 those of many of the chief appointments under the Government of the country. 
 Beautiful also are the words of COLERIDGE in the preface to his Poems : 
 
 " I expect neither profit nor general fame by my writings ; and I consider myself as having been 
 repaid withont either. Poetry has been to me its own exceeding reward ; it has soothed my 
 afflictions ; it has multiplied and refined my enjoyments ; it has endeared solitude ; and it has given 
 me the habit of wishing to discover the good and the beautiful in all that meets and surrounds me." 
 
 I HAUCER, " the Father of English Poetry," a man of high education, was 
 received at Court, rewarded by government appointments, and on his 
 death, in 1400, was buried in Westminster Abbey. 1 Ocleve, the disciple 
 of Chaucer Lydgate Skelton Howard, Earl of Surrey Sir Thomas 
 Wyat Sir Thomas More and other noble Poets of the fifteenth and 
 early part of the sixteenth centuries, were specially honoured by their Sovereigns. 
 
 The REIGNS of ELIZABETH, JAMES, and CHARLES, were remarkable for the extent 
 and variety of poetic talent. Elizabeth was distinguished for her literary abilities. 
 James 2 possessed the cacoethes scribendi to a great extent, and considered himself 
 a no mean poet; while his son Charles, though fondly patronizing Literature and the 
 Fine Arts, was too much absorbed with the unhappy state of his country to devote 
 much time to the cultivation of letters. 
 
 1 The mention of Westminster Abbey as the 
 resting place of the mortal remains of many of 
 the most celebrated men in this country, induces 
 us here to record the language of "The Times," 
 Oct. 24th, 1859, on the occasion of the funeral 
 of the late SIR ROBERT STEPHENSON : 
 
 " But death opens the portals of greatness, 
 and the realities of honour begin. There is, 
 indeed, something more than striking ; some- 
 thing grand, affecting, and sublime, in the up- 
 lifting of the curtain which admits the great 
 Engineer to sleep with the kings of England, 
 with her great warriors, statesmen, poets, and 
 men of renown. The change is sudden from the 
 rigid jealousy of custom and etiquette, which 
 dealt out so parsimonious a tribute in life, to the 
 overwhelming generosity of the grave, which 
 knows no bound or stint in what it has to give, 
 and receives the hero of science with all its 
 honours. A burial in Westminster Abbey is the 
 
 first honour of the grave, its proudest heraldry 
 and highest patent of nobility. 'A peerage, or 
 Westminster Abbey,' said Lord Nelson before 
 the battle of the Nile. The nations of the old 
 world buried their great men by themselves. 
 'All the kings of the nations, even all of them, 
 lay in glory, every one in his own house.' We 
 bury our great men side by side. Wellington 
 by Nelson, and Stephenson by Telford ; and our 
 Generals, Admirals, and Engineers, by the side 
 of Statesmen and Poets." 
 
 J D'IsRAELi, in his " Character of James the 
 First," does justice to the great powers of mind 
 of that monarch, who, when viewing the Bod- 
 leian Library, is recorded to have exclaimed : 
 " Were I not a king, I would be an university 
 man ; and if it were so that I must be a prisoner, 
 I would have no other prison than this library, and 
 becltaitied together frith all these goodly authors." 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 Sir Philip Sidney -Spenser Sir J. Davies Daniel Sir W. Davenant and 
 many others who adorned the Court in those reigns, received appointments in the 
 various departments of the State. 
 
 Though Pageants, Masques, and Entertainments, then formed the great feature 
 in the daily occupation of the Court, it becomes a question, how far the working 
 Dramatic Poets came in for a portion of the more substantial rewards bestowed upon 
 their more wealthy and courtly brethren. Such men as Heywood, Marlowe, Dekker, 
 Jonson, and even Shakespeare, as also many others, formed part and parcel of the 
 Company of Players to which they specially belonged. It was therefore with them, 
 principally in their professional capacity, that they received any Court favour. They 
 never had any substantial mark of distinction conferred upon them; for though 
 Jonson "Rare Ben" was made Poet Laureate in his old age, the previous years of 
 his life had not met with much consideration. He, like many others of his class, 
 was, it is stated, an improvident man. Hence the cause of his poverty, and probably 
 of his apparent neglect. 
 
 While many of the ennobled and wealthier Poets proudly dedicated their pro- 
 ductions to Royalty; those, whose resources were dependent on the success of their 
 labours, availed themselves of Patrons who suffered not their names to be the only 
 indication of their support. Accordingly, we find that SHAKESPEARE sought the 
 protection of the EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON, to whom, in 1593, 1 he dedicated his cele- 
 brated poem, VENUS AND ADONIS, the first effusion of his Muse. 
 
 There is something so peculiarly interesting in the debid of a great author, that 
 we cannot withstand the opportunity of here inserting the charmingly modest 
 language used by Shakespeare on that occasion : 
 
 " Right Honourable, I know not how I shall offend in dedicating my vnpolishht lines to your 
 lordship nor how this world will censure me for chwsing so strong a proppe to support so weake a 
 burthen, onely if your Honour seeme but pleased, I account my selfe highlie praysed, and vow to 
 take aduantage of all idle houres, till I hane honoured you with some grauer labour. But if the first 
 heyre of my inuention proue deformed, I shall be sorry it had so noble a god-father : and never after 
 eare so barren a land, for feare it yeeld me still so bad a haruest, I leave it to your hearts content, 
 which I wish may alwayes answere your owne wish, and the worlds hopefull expectation. 
 
 " Your Honors in all dutie 
 
 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. " 2 
 
 1 A copy of this Poem, bearing date 1593, is 
 in the Malone Collection bequeathed to the Bod- 
 leian Library, Oxford. We believe it to be the 
 only copy known. In it occurs the subjoined 
 memorandum, in the autograph of Edmund 
 Malone : 
 
 " Bought of Mr. William Ford, bookseller, in 
 Manchester, in August 1805, at the enormous 
 price of twenty-five pounds. 
 
 " Many years ago I said that I had no doubt 
 
 an edition of Shakespeare's 'Venus and Adonis' 
 was published in 1593 ; but no copy of that 
 edition was discovered in the long period that 
 has elapsed since my first notice of it ; nor is 
 any other copy of 1593, but the present, known 
 to exist. E. MALONE." 
 
 1 We do not desire to enter into the never- 
 ending controversy as to the correct mode of 
 spelling the name of the Poet. We merely ask 
 
RAMBLINGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Though as an actor and dramatic author, Shakespeare received that kind of 
 royal patronage usually bestowed upon those who afford pleasure to the Court, there 
 is no authenticated record of his ever having had any personal attention or honour 
 bestowed upon him. 
 
 The "amicable" letter 1 stated to have been written to Shakespeare by James 1., 
 has been lost! The player had, it is supposed, offended his King, whose tastes were 
 not of the most refined quality, or perhaps not in accordance with the views of 
 Shakespeare. Davies, in his Scourge of Folly, p. 76, alludes, no doubt, in the sub- 
 joined bines, to that fact : 
 
 "Had'st thou not plaid some kingly parts in sport, 
 Thou hadst bin a companion for a king." 
 
 of these most learned disputants, whether it is 
 likely that Shakespeare would have allowed his 
 first, and nearly all the other early productions 
 of his Muse, to appear in print with Ms name 
 incorrectly spelt? Surely he must have superin- 
 tended the printing of the first editions of his 
 poems and plays which all bear his name, 
 
 SHAKESPEARE or SHAKE-SPEARE ! 
 "We are quite aware of the fact, that in many 
 works the names of the authors are wrongly 
 printed. Thus we find in the early editions of 
 Dramatic Pieces, the names Mermion, Mari/ion, 
 Sucklira, Messenger, Deker, Dickers, in lieu of 
 Mannion, Suckling, Massinger, Dekker. We 
 might enumerate many others. Sir Walter 
 Raleigh, like Philip Melanchthon, must have 
 had a penchant for varying the orthography of 
 his name, as may be seen by referring to Docu- 
 ments in the British Museum. 
 
 In the " Unpublished Documents, Marginal 
 Notes, and Memoranda, in the Autographs of 
 Philip Melanchthon and Martin Luther," by 
 S. Leigh Sotheby, published in 1840, are enu- 
 merated sixty different ways in which Melan- 
 chthon signed his Name. If all the documents 
 bearing his autograph signature were examined, 
 
 we believe, that, in lieu of sixty varieties in the 
 spelling of his name, nearly one hundred might 
 be found. 
 
 Of Shakespeare, the Rev. Joseph Hunter 
 records : " There has been endless variety in the 
 form in which this name has been written. I 
 can vouch for the following forms, all taken from 
 writings of nearly the poet's own age ; and those 
 not the mere scrawls of rude and uneducated 
 persons, but for the most part traced by the 
 pens of uniformity of orthography as any of their 
 neighbours. But, in truth, uniformity in the 
 orthography of proper names was in those times 
 not thought of, nor aimed at." 
 
 "Scliaksper 
 Schakesper 
 Sclwkespeyr 
 Snagspere 
 Shaxper 
 
 Shazpeare 
 Shaxsper 
 
 Shaxespere 
 
 Shakepere 
 
 Shak#pear 
 
 SJtakgpeere 
 
 Shackspeare 
 
 Shackespeare 
 
 Sliackespere 
 
 Sludeetpere 
 
 Shakeseper 
 Shdhytpere 
 
 57//.vxy,//v 
 
 ,s7<"/,'>/)ear 
 
 Shaxspere." 
 
 1 The Works of Shakespeare, edited by J. 0. 
 HaUiwell, F.R.S.,etc. Fol. 1853. Vol. i. p. 130. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 VERY common error, one which has gained credence from genera- 
 tion to generation, exists, that in this country PLAYERS were 
 always looked upon by the State as "Rogues" and "Vagabonds," 
 and consequently as men totally unfit to receive any mark of 
 distinction. How far such prejudice has been permitted to take 
 possession of the Minds of Royalty, from the time when men of 
 high intellectual qualities were invited to adorn the court by the 
 representation of their works, and the development of high mental powers, so as to 
 have precluded them from participating in the honours bestowed upon others around 
 them, remains doubtful. Certain it is that at no period, has an Actor, whatever may 
 have been his position by birth or education, received a distinction such even as has 
 been frequently awarded to the ordinary tradesman when employed upon the 
 intellectual labour of carrying up some congratulatory address ! 
 
 Interludes and Plays, from the earliest ages, have been adopted as the popular 
 means of representing the feelings of a nation. We leave the exemplification of this 
 fact, if necessary, in the hands of the more learned. Suffice it for us to allude to the 
 representations of Mysteries that prevailed during the latter part of the fifteenth and 
 in the sixteenth centuries, in all parts of Italy : : representations intended to act 
 upon the minds of the people in respect chiefly to religion. 
 
 So it was as regards the Early Drama of this country. When QUEEN MARY 
 ascended the throne in July 1553, she found that the Players were sapping the very 
 foundations of the religion she advocated; therefore "little more than a month 
 elapsed before she issued a proclamation, the object of which was, among other 
 things, to prevent the performance of plays calculated to advance the principles and 
 doctrines of the Reformation." 2 Consequently, " some proceedings in the north of 
 England caused the interference of the Star-Chamber, in the spring of the year 1556, 
 for the total suppression of dramatic amusements ;" the result of which was that the 
 Earl of Shrewsbury was required to seek out certain players who represented them- 
 selves to be " servants unto Sir Francis Leek," who had performed " certain plays 
 and interludes containing very naughty and seditious matter touching the King 
 and Queen's Majesties and the state of the realme, and to the slander of Christ's true 
 and catholic religion ;" and " upon a repetition of their offence, to punish them as 
 Vagabonds." 
 
 1 It is believed that in Italy the mind of Mil- 
 ton was first imbued with those sublime ideas 
 that carry his name to posterity. 
 
 Annals of the Stage, by J. Payne Collier, 
 F.S.A. 3 vols. 1831. Vol. i. p. 156. 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 The condemnatory mandate of QUEEN MARY, in ] 553, did not prevent the 
 growth of the Company of Players. Indeed, to such an extent had they increased, 
 
 " Enrolling themselves as the retainers of the nobility, and travelling all over the country, that it 
 was found requisite to pass a statute for their regulation and controul." 
 
 Accordingly, in the year 1572, ELIZABETH passed an edict of protection, ordering 
 
 " All fencers, bearwards, common-players in interludes and minstrels, not belonging to any Baron 
 of this realm or towards any other honorable personage of greater degree, &c., &c., [w/j] shall wander 
 abroad and not have the licence of two justices of the peace at least, shall be deemed, and dealt with, as 
 ' ROGUES and VAGABONDS.' '" 
 
 Here, then, we may presume, is the foundation of that vulgar error, assigning to the 
 profession of an Actor the undesirable cognomen of "Rogue" and "Vagabond." 
 
 In 1574, QUEEN ELIZABETH, through the influence of the Earl of Leicester, 
 granted the Royal Patent 2 unto John Perkyn and others as his licensed players, 
 
 " To use, exercise, and occupy the ART and FACULTIE of playeing Comedies, Tragedies, Enterludes, 
 Stage-playes, and such like," &c., &c., " as well w^n our City of London and Liberties of the same, 
 as also w th in the liberties and freedomes of any our Cytyes, townes, Boroughes, &c., whatsoever, as 
 w th out the same, throughout our Realme of England." 
 
 It is here seen that the occupation of the Players, in this Royal Patent, came 
 under the denomination of "ART" and " FACULTIE." The only restriction made, was 
 
 " That the saide Comedies, Trajedies, Enterludes and Stage-playes be by the M r of our Revills 
 (for the tyme being) before seen and allowed, and that the same be not publisshed, or shewen in the 
 tyme of common prayer, or in the tyme of great and common plague in our sayd City of London." 
 
 Equally might the denomination of " ROGUES" and "VAGABONDS" have been, 
 morally, applied to Physicians and other professional men practising their art and 
 "facultie" without their Licenses or Diplomas. There are Gradations in all Professions! 
 
 " The right conceded to the players of the Earl of Leicester", writes Mr. Collier, 
 " was strenuously opposed by the Lord Mayor and Corporation of London." Accord- 
 ingly an "Order from the Common Council was issued, Dec. 6, 1575, forbidding the 
 performance of plays, interludes, &c., under pain of fine and imprisonment ; and that 
 no play shall be performed in the city which has not first been ' perused and allowed' 
 by persons appointed by the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen ; that the licence 
 of the Lord Mayor shall be necessary before every public exhibition ; and that half 
 the money taken shall be applied to charitable purposes." 
 
 In this Act of the Common Council, 3 not one word occurs touching the patent 
 granted to the Players of the Earl of Leicester. That patent was ceded with the 
 express proviso that no plays, or such like, should be "shewen in the tyme of 
 common prayer, or in the tyme of great and common plague in our said City of 
 London ;" and it is not likely, nor is it apparent, that the Players of the Earl of 
 Leicester would, or did, transgress against the privileges conferred upon them. It is 
 
 1 Annals of the Stage, by J. P. Collier, F.S.A. 
 3 vols. 1831. Vol. i. p. 203. 
 
 1 Ibid., vol. i. pp. 211-12. 
 
 3 The Order is printed in full in "TJte An- 
 of tie Stage," by J. P. Collier, F.S.A. 
 Vol. i. p. 214. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 very evident that the companies of Players of every denomination endeavoured to 
 maintain their position against the monopoly then granted. The Corporation of 
 London must have had good cause,- without at all acting with disrespect to the order 
 of their Queen, inasmuch as that interdict was not directed against any particular 
 company of performers,- for the issuing of their " Order," the preamble of which states: 
 
 " Whereas heartofore sondrie greate disorders and inconvenyces have beene found to ensewe to 
 this Cittie by the inordynate hauntynge of great multitudes of people, speciallye youths, to playes, 
 enterludes and shewes ; namelye occasion of frayes and quarrelles, eavil practizes of incontinencye in 
 greate limes, having chambers and secret places adjoyninge to their open stagies and gallyries, 
 invevglynge and allewrynge of maides, speciallye orphanes, and good citizens children under age, to 
 previe and unmete contracts, the publishinge of unchaste, uncomelye, and unshamefaste speeches and 
 doynges, with drawinge of the Queenes Majesties subjects from dyvyne servyce on Sondaies and 
 holyclaies, at which tymes such playes were chefely used, unthriftye waste of the moneye of the poore 
 and fond persons, sondrie robberies by pyckinge and cuttinge of purses, utteringe of popular, base 
 and sedycious matters, and manie other corruptions of youthe, and other enormyties ; besydes that 
 allso soundrye slaughters and mayeminges of the Queenes subjectes have happened by mines of 
 skaffoldes, fframes and stagies, and by engynes, weapons and powder used in plaies." 
 
 A corporate body like that of London would not have issued an order to put a 
 stop to the open immorality occasioned by the performances of Plays, etc., without 
 reason; and in all such cases, the innocent must suffer with the guilty. Accord- 
 ingly, we find "Her Ma tie> poor Players", -no doubt the players of the Earl of 
 Leicester, as there was at that time no company known as " The Queens Play ers" 1 - 
 petitioning the Privy Council to have the letter of License previously granted, 
 confirmed. The result of all these proceedings was the construction of three places 
 set apart for dramatic representations. "Her Majesties Poore Players" settled them- 
 selves at one, that of Blackfriars, the site of the then lately dissolved monastery. 
 
 Sunday was rather a favourite day for the representation of dramatic pieces 
 before the Court of Elizabeth. Hence the renewal, in 1581, of the dispute between 
 the City of London and the Privy Council, the latter then yielding, and forbidding 
 the performance of plays on the Sabbath Day ; a general order to that effect, from 
 the Privy Council, being afterwards issued in 1583. In 1587, however, the Council 
 had again to interfere, though not with much effect, as "in 1592 plays were still 
 performed on Sundays." 2 
 
 To such a state of demoralization had the drama been debased by the conduct 
 of the lower order of players, that the University of Cambridge applied for and 
 obtained power to put down all interludes and plays within a circumference of five 
 miles of that seat of learning ; nevertheless, in the same year, an order was sent to 
 the University to prepare a comedy to be represented there before the Queen 3 during 
 Christinas, in pursuance of a desire on the part of the Queen to uphold the "art and 
 
 1 The History of English Dramatic Poetry to 
 the Time of Shakespeare, and Annals of the 
 Stage, by J. P. Collier, F.S.A. Vol. i. p. 220. 
 
 2 Annals of the Stage, etc., vol. i, page 279. 
 
 3 Annals of the Stage, etc., vol. i. pp. 294-5. 
 
10 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 facultie" of the higher drama. Subsequently, in 1594, "certain comcedies and one 
 tragcedie" were performed there; Thomas Neville, the Vice-Chancellor, soliciting the 
 loan of the royal robes in the Tower for that purpose. 
 
 The number and companies of players having considerably increased during the 
 latter part of the reign of Elizabeth, King James, though particularly partial to 
 theatrical amusements, found it necessary, on succeeding to the throne, to annul the 
 protection of players acting only on the license of one of the nobility, rendering 
 them, on doing so, liable to the pains and penalties enacted against vagrants. That 
 Act did not, however, as supposed by Mr. Kingsley, 1 denominate the licensed and 
 royal players as "rogues and vagabonds" or forbid their performances as " unlawful 
 pastime;" nor did the Act of Charles I., an Act directed specially against perform- 
 ances on Sundays, such frequently having taken place before the Court during the 
 latter part of the reign of James. The ordinances issued by the Parliament during 
 the Kebellion, denouncing all players and actors as " incorrigible rogues" can only 
 be looked upon as one of the many fanatical acts of the day. 
 
 I HATEVER may have been the feelings of Milton with regard to Dramatic 
 Eepresentations, when in 1634 he wrote his Comus, he did not, in 
 1644, entertain an exalted opinion of the merit of Dramatic Authors 
 generally. 
 
 In his singularly remarkable and dogmatic treatise " Of Education" 
 addressed " to Master Samuel Hartlib," and issued in that year, Milton recommends 
 
 " Choise Histories, Heroic Poems, and Attic Tragedies," to the special study of youth, together 
 with the aid of Logic and Rhetorick, adding, " To which Poetry would be made subsequent, or indeed 
 rather precedent, as being less suttle and fine, but more simple, sensuous and passionate. I mean not 
 here the prosody of a verse, which they could not but have hit on before among the Rudiments of 
 Grammar ; but that sublime Art which in Aristotle's Poetics, in Horace, and the Italian Commentaries 
 of Castelvetro, Tasso, Mazzoni, and others, teaches what the laws are of a true i 1 /'"' 1'm'in, what of a 
 
 1 " The city of London, in 1580, had obtained 
 from the queen the suppression of plays on Sun- 
 day ; and not long after, ' considering that play- 
 houses and dicing-houses were traps for young 
 gentlemen and others,' obtained leave from the 
 queen and privy council to thrust the players 
 out of the city, and to pull down the playhouses, 
 five in number ; and, paradoxical as it may seem, 
 there is little doubt that, by the letter of the 
 law, 'stage-plays and interludes' were even to 
 the end of Charles the First's reign, 'unlawful 
 pastime,' being forbidden by 14 Eliz., 39 Eliz., 
 1 Jacobi, 3 Jacobi and 1 Caroli, and the players 
 subject to severe punishment as ' rogues and 
 vagabonds.' The Act 1 Jacobi seems even to 
 have gone so far as to repeal the clauses which, 
 
 in Elizabeth's reign, had allowed honourable 
 persons of greater degree ; who might 'authorize 
 them to play under his hand and seal of arms.' 
 So that the Puritans were only demanding of 
 the sovereigns that they should enforce the very 
 laws which they themselves had made, and which 
 they and their nobles were setting at defiance. 
 Whether the plays ought to have been put down, 
 and whether the laws were necessary, is a dif- 
 ferent question ; but certainly the court and the 
 aristocracy stood in the questionable, though too 
 common, position of men who made laws to 
 prohibit to the poor amusements in which they 
 themselves indulged without restraint." "Min- 
 cdlanies" by Charles Kingsley. 2 vols. 1859. 
 Vol. ii, p. 87. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 11 
 
 Dramatic, what of a Lyric, what Decorum is, which is the grand master-piece to observe. This would 
 make them soon perceive what despicable creatures our common Rimers and Play-writers be, and sJiew 
 them, what religious, what glorious and magnificent use might be made of Poetry both in divine and 
 humane things. From hence and not till now will be the right season of forming them to be able 
 Writers and Composers in every excellent matter, when they shall be thus fraught with an universal 
 insight into things." 
 
 It is generally believed that Sir William D'Avenant was, about the time when 
 the preceding observations were written, one of the most intimate friends of Milton. 
 It therefore seems extraordinary that Milton should have written of the dramatic 
 authors and poets of the day as being "despicable creatures." He makes no distinction 
 beyond the word "common" so that his language was as applicable to his friend 
 Sir W. D'Avenant, and to all the then distinguished dramatic authors and poets, as it 
 might be to street-balladmongers and itinerant play-writers. 
 
 Milton was a man of strong religious feelings : one who, no doubt, openly 
 expressed his views upon the immorality of the existing Drama ; and more especially 
 upon the conduct of the Court in making Dramatic Eepresentations, and all such 
 like amusements, the principal occupation of Koyalty on the Sunday. Though Milton 
 did not consider that that day, 1 more than any other day of the week, should be deno- 
 minated " The Lord's Day," yet, in accordance with the general feeling and practice 
 of those even with whom he differed, he was known to devote the Sunday specially 
 to the study of the Scriptures. 2 
 
 1 SUNDAY. The Seventh Chapter in the Second 
 Book of Milton's "Treatise on Christian Doe- 
 trine," is specially devoted to" The Time for Divine 
 Worship ; wherein are considered The Sabbath, 
 Lord's Day, and Festivals." The views of Milton 
 on this subject are most comprehensive and 
 learned. He considered the Sabbath an ordi- 
 nance of the Mosaic Law, since repealed ; and he 
 therefore argues " that no particular day of wor- 
 ship has been appointed in its place, [as] is evident 
 from the same Apostle (St. Paul), Rom. xiv. 5 : 
 One man esteemeth one day above another: another 
 esteemeth every day alike : let every man be fully 
 persuaded in his own mind. For since, as was 
 observed before, no particular place is designated 
 under the gospel for the public worship of God, 
 there seems no reason why time, the other cir- 
 cumstance of worship, should be more defined. 
 If Paul had not intended to intimate the aboli- 
 tion of all sabbaths whatever, and of all sancti- 
 fication of one day above another, he would not 
 have added, in the following verse, he that re- 
 gardeth not the day, to the Lord lie doth, not regard 
 it. For how does he not regard the day to the 
 
 Lord, if there be any commandment still in force 
 by which a particular day, whether the Sabbath 
 or any other, is to be observed ?" Page 605. 
 
 2 SUNDAY. " Aubrey and others, who obtained 
 their information from his widow, have related 
 that as long as he lived it was his custom to 
 begin the day with hearing a portion of the 
 Hebrew Scriptures, which a person was employed 
 to read to him ; and during every period of his 
 life his Sundays were wholly devoted to theology. 
 The importance which he attached to these pur- 
 suits is further confirmed by what Birch relates 
 of the system pursued by him with his pupils. , 
 The Sunday's work for his pupils was for the 
 most part to read a chapter of the Greek Testa- 
 ment, and hear his exposition of it. The next 
 work after this was to write from his dictation 
 some part of a system of divinity which he col- 
 lected from the most eminent writers upon that 
 subject, as Amesius, Wollebhis, etc." Extract 
 from the preface of Bishop Sumner to the " Trea- 
 tise on Christian Doctrine," by Milton, 1825, 4to., 
 pp. xx-xxi. 
 
12 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 There is no record of Milton having written against the Drama, or that he had 
 any participation in advising the Ordinance of the Parliament, in 16'42, "for the 
 suppression of public stage-plays throughout the kingdom dtn-imj these calamitous 
 times" an ordinance followed, in 1647, by others subjecting all Players and Actors 
 infringing the order to be punished as " Rogues." 
 
 JILTON does not appear to have derived any pecuniary advantage from 
 his labours as a Poet. His juvenile productions, and a few other minor 
 pieces, were published for the first time 1 in 1645. His Poems were 
 evidently at that period not more esteemed than many of the con- 
 temporaneous poetical volumes of similar character. If we may judge 
 from the fact of those poems being issued without any of those commendatory 
 verses,- the tribute of praise so generally accorded by way of introduction to the 
 effusions of a brother poet, 2 -we may fairly come to the conclusion that Milton was, 
 at that period, comparatively little known in the poetical world. 
 
 Unlike also the works of other poets of the day, those of Milton are not inscribed 
 to any patron, but are merely introduced to the public by an address from Humphrey 
 Moseley the publisher. The volume bears no indication that it had been even 
 published under the superintendence of the author. The Poems are arranged without 
 much attention to their chronological order; and some of the Sonnets are without 
 the headings that occur in the originals in the Trinity College Manuscript. Besides 
 this, several of the Sonnets written before 1645, are omitted, as also other of his 
 early poetical productions. As we do not find the address of Moseley reprinted in 
 any of the later editions of his Poems, we do not hesitate to present it to our readers 
 as an example of the singular style of the writing of that day. 
 
 "THE STATIONER TO THE READER. 
 
 "It is not any private respect of gains, gentle Reader, for the slightest Pamphlet is now udavi > 
 more vendible than the Works of learnedest men ; but it is the love I have to our own language 
 that hath made me diligent to collect, and set forth such Peeces both in Prose and Verse, as 
 may renew the wonted honour and esteem of our English tongue: and its the worth of these both 
 English and Latin Poems, not the nourish of any prefixed encomiums than can invite thee to buy 
 them, though these are not without the highest commendations and applause of the learnedst Acade- 
 micks, both domestick and forrein. And amongst those of our own countrey, the unparalld'd 
 attestation of that renowned Provost of Eaton, Sir Henry Wootton : I know not thy palat how 
 it relishes such dainties, nor how harmonious thy soul is ; perhaps more trivial Airs ma}' please 
 thee better. But howsoever this opinion is spent upon these, that incouragement I have already 
 
 1 Except his Comus, published in 4to., 1637, 
 and his Lycidas in 1638. 
 
 J The poems of William Cartwright issued by 
 
 H. Moseley in 1651, were preceded by the elu- 
 sions of above fifty of the most eminent Poets and 
 learned men of the day. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 13 
 
 received from the most ingenious men in their clear and courteous entertainment of MB. WALLERS late 
 choice Peeces, hath once more made me adventure into the World, presenting it with these ever-green, 
 and not to be blasted Laurels. The Authors more peculiar excellency in these studies, was too well 
 known to conceal his Papers, or to keep me from attempting to sollicit them from him. Let the 
 event guide it self which way it will, I shall deserve of the age, by bringing into the Light as true 
 Birth as the Muses have brought forth since our famous SPENCER wrote ; whose Poems in these 
 English ones are as rarely imitated, as sweetly excell'd. Reader, if thou art Eagle-eied to censure 
 their worth, I am not fearful to expose them to thy exactest perusal. 
 
 " Thine at command, 
 
 " HUMPH. MOSELEY." 
 
 |ENEY LA WES, Eoyal Musician, and the friend of Milton, had, as stated 
 on the title of the edition of the poems of Waller, issued by H. Moseley 
 in 1645, just previous to those of Milton, set "All the Lyrick Poems" 
 of the former to music. Authors and publishers, in those days, were at 
 least as much, and perhaps more, intimately connected in social life 
 than at the present time. Edmund Waller, though he had not at that period openly 
 declared against Charles the First, was decidedly opposed to the Royal Measures; 
 and consequently coincided, to a certain extent, in the views of Milton. 
 
 Unlike Milton, however, Waller was not true to the opinions he had declared. 
 He forsook his party,- he betrayed his friends,- he played false to his King,- he 
 truckled to Cromwell,- he turned Royalist,- he became a Member of Parliament under 
 James II, and established himself as one of the favourites of the Court. Thus 
 was the political life of Edmund Waller one of great success, while his poetical 
 talents are now comparatively as much obscured as those of Milton are elevated to 
 the highest pinnacle of poetic fame. 
 
 The Arcades of Milton,-his Comw.s,-his Lycidas,-}m Outline of Paradise Lost, 
 as a sacred drama,- his notes of "Other Tragedies," and his Sketches of Dramas 
 illustrative of English History, forcibly point out the early bent of his mind. There 
 must have been some great change in his views in regard to the Drama, to have 
 induced him to lay aside all his once cherished dramatic schemes, so carefully 
 outlined in the Trinity College Manuscript. 
 
 On entering the University of Cambridge, it was his intention to have embraced 
 the Church as his profession. That idea was abandoned by him soon after the age 
 of twenty-three, as shewn in a letter 1 written to a friend in Cambridge. In that 
 beautiful letter Milton does not express any feelings indicative of those opinions 
 which he entertained at a later period ; nor had he at that time decided on his future 
 course of action. He thus defended his then life of retirement and "love of learning." 
 
 " Or if it be to be thought a natural proneness, there is against that a much more potent inclina- 
 tion inbred, which about this time of a man's life solicits most, the desire of house and family of his 
 
 1 Two autograph drafts of this letter are in 
 the Trinity College Manuscript. The letter is 
 
 given in full by Dr. Masson in his "Life of Mil- 
 ton," vol. i. pp. 289-92. 
 
14 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 own ; to which nothing is esteemed more helpful than the early entering into creditable employment, 
 and nothing hindering than this affected solitariness. And though this were enough, yet there is 
 another aid, if not of pure, yet of refined nature, no less available to dissuade prolonged obscurity, 
 a desire of honour and repute and immortal fame, seated in the breast of every true scholar ; which 
 all make haste to by the readiest ways of publishing and divulging conceived merits, as well those 
 that shall, as those that never shall obtain it. Nature, therefore, would presently work the more 
 prevalent way if there were nothing but this inferior bent of herself to restrain her. Lastly, the love 
 of learning, as in the pursuit of something good, it would sooner follow the more excellent and 
 supreme good known and prescribed, and so be quickly diverted from the empty and fantastic chase 
 of shadows and motions, to the solid good flowing from due and timely obedience to that command in 
 the Gospel set out by the terrible feasing of him that hid the talent." 
 
 In confirmation of the views thus expressed, Milton takes the opportunity of 
 adding a Sonnet which he had previously written, "on his being amved at the age 
 of twenty-three," touching upon the very subject on which his friend had remonstrated 
 with him. Milton precedes it by observing, 
 
 " Yet that you may see that I am suspicious of myself, and do take notice of a certain belated- 
 ness in me, I am the bolder to send you some of my nightward thoughts some while since, because 
 they come in not unfitly, made up in a Petrarchian stanza, which I told you of." 
 
 " By this I believe yon may well repent of having made mention at all of this matter ; for if I 
 have not all this while won you to this, I have certainly wearied you of it. This, therefore, alone may 
 be a sufficient reason for me to keep me as I am, lest having thus tired you singly, I should deal 
 worse with a whole congregation, and spoil all the patience of a parish." 
 
 The Sonnet is one of considerable interest, and was composed on or before 
 December 8, 1631, that being the day it was intended to commemorate. In lieu of 
 giving it in type, we give it in fac-simile 1 from the original in the Trinity College 
 
 1 Here our readers are presented with a Fac- 
 simile of the Autograph of the Poet ; not im- 
 pressed from an engraved wood-block, or a metal 
 cast from the wood-nlor,k, which were the only 
 
 means hitherto practised in order to make the 
 fac-simile available to be printed simultaneously 
 in the same page with type ; but obtained by the 
 marvellous application of Heclianical Skill in 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 15 
 
 Manuscript, as a good specimen of the ordinary cursive handwriting of the Poet at 
 that early period of his life. 
 
 conjunction with Science. Before this discovery, 
 in order to obtain a fac-simile of any writing or 
 design, excepting by the use of Photography, 
 it was first necessary to employ an artist to trace 
 or copy it. That tracing or copy was then trans- 
 ferred to a wood-block, and cut by the graver of 
 a second skilful artist ; and were he one of first- 
 rate talent, the cost of his artistic work would 
 almost equal that of a leading line-engraver. 
 Yet with all the skill and care of the most prac- 
 tised wood or other engraver, the original idea 
 of the artist, and character of the writing, would 
 be impaired. We venture to assert, that very rare 
 are the instances in which an artist can convey, 
 in a copy, the same artistic feeling that exists in 
 an original. The mind of the artist cannot be 
 transferred to the mechanic. We mean no dis- 
 respect to, nor do we undervalue, the services of 
 the wood-engraver, for many are of the highest 
 talent in their knowledge of design. 
 
 To the processes, however, of the invention 
 to which we refer, we are indebted for the ex- 
 tremely perfect fac-simile of the Autograph of 
 Milton as it here appears intermixed with type. 
 The original has been merely traced by a most 
 careful Artist ; and by the accurate Processes 
 of THE ELECTRO PRINTING BLOCK COMPANY, the 
 tracing has been formed into an Electro-surface- 
 block without the intervention of a Wood-Engraver. 
 
 From the Electro surface-block innumerable 
 impressions may be taken by the ordinary print- 
 ing press, either separately, or intermixed with 
 type ; while the matrix, whence the Electro sur- 
 face-block has been made, can be preserved, like 
 the negative of a photograph, for repetition to 
 any extent. 
 
 One of the most distinguished and deservedly 
 popular authors of the present day is gifted with 
 such artistic powers that his sketches can be ex- 
 ceeded by few. In the illustrations, however, of 
 his works, the effective touch of his pencil loses 
 much of its power by passing through the hands 
 of the engraver. 
 
 By the Processes of this most interesting in- 
 vention, to which there is no limit of its applica- 
 bility, an artistic author may not only have the 
 illustrations of his pencil, but also his autograph, 
 turned simultaneously into pages of Electro sur- 
 face-blocks, and thus avoid all the expense of 
 having his manuscript set up in type ! How 
 interesting would be such a work from the pencil 
 and pen of THACKERAY ! 
 
 THE ELECTRO PRINTING BLOCK COMPANY, duly 
 incorporated under the Joint-Stock Companies' 
 Act, with limited liability, has been formed 
 for the purpose of bringing into practical opera- 
 tion certain Patents for the CHEAP reproduction, 
 on an enlarged or reduced scale, of Original 
 Drawings and existing Engravings, Maps, and 
 Prints, and for making therefrom Electro-blocks 
 for surface printing, either at the Hand or Steam 
 Press. Its application to MAPS and PLANS has 
 proved most useful and marvellously successful. 
 
 The correctness, expedition, and economy, with 
 which Original Pen and Ink Drawings, existing 
 Copper or Steel Engraved Plates, or Impres- 
 sions therefrom, Stereotypes, Wood-blocks, or 
 Lithographic Stones, can be equally, or eccentri- 
 cally, partially or entirely enlarged or reduced in 
 size, or converted into Electro-blocks, without 
 the intervention of the Engraver, give to the 
 inventions a value which can scarcely be over- 
 stated. 
 
 It is equally applicable for Lithographic print 
 ing, and every description of drawings upon 
 stone can be enlarged or reduced, and made 
 available for printing any number of copies in 
 three or four hours. By a process peculiar, we 
 believe, to this Company, portions of the Ord- 
 nance or other maps can be transferred to stone 
 and metal and enlarged to any scale, so that the 
 proprietor of an estate desiring a knowledge of 
 it, or a surveyor requiring a plan of a district, can, 
 by the means of this Company, obtain them at 
 a very small cost indeed, and with a celerity per- 
 fectly astonishing. 
 
16 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 JIHOUGH we do not enter largely into biographical details, the subjoined 
 passage, touching the ambition of Milton, is interesting as expressive 
 of his feelings in 1657, when writing to CARLO DIODATI, a most inti- 
 mate friend, whom he always addressed with the utmost freedom and 
 affection. 
 
 " But if my disposition or my destiny were such that I could without any conflict or any toil 
 emerge to the highest pitch of distinction and of praise, there would nevertheless be no prohibition, 
 either human or divine, against my constantly cherishing and revering those, who have either obtained 
 the same degree of glory, or are successfully labouring to obtain it. But now I am sure that you 
 wish me to gratify your curiosity, and to let you know what I have been doing, or am meditating to 
 do. Hear me, my Deodati, and suffer me for a moment to speak without blushing in a more lofty 
 strain. Do you ask what I am meditating ? By the help of Heaven an immortality of fame. 
 
 " But what am I doing ? irrepo^vw. I am letting my wings grow, and preparing to fly ; but 
 my Pegasus has not yet feathers enough to soar aloft in the fields of air. I will now tell you seriously 
 what I design : to take chambers in one of the inns of court, where I may have the benefit of a 
 pleasant and shady walk ; and where with a few associates I may enjoy more comfort when I choose 
 to stay at home, and have a more elegant society when I choose to go abroad. In my present situa- 
 tion, you know in what obscurity I am buried, and to what inconveniences I am exposed." 1 
 
 On his return, 2 in 1639, from the continent, Milton devoted himself to the 
 education of the two sons of his sister, Mrs. Phillips ; at the same time taking charge 
 of a few other boys, the sons of his friends, by which he doubtless obtained an 
 addition to his pecuniary resources. He, however, who could write of a desire of 
 honour and immortal fame, was not very likely long to submit to the daily drudgery 
 of a pedagogue's life, or to be looked upon by the uneducated and purseproud simply 
 as a "schoolmaster, "-an occupation worthy of the man of the highest intellectual 
 ability. The chief Positions in the Universities arc the reward of tutorial pre- 
 eminence; stepping-stones to the Bishoprics of the Land. 
 
 Accordingly, though at the same time continuing his scholastic duties, 3 Milton 
 sought in the Political and Eeligious Drama of the Times a relief congenial to his 
 active mind. He did not allow much time to elapse, ere he entered the Arena of 
 
 1 Extract from a letter to " Carlo Diodati," 
 dated from London, Sept. 23, 1637. "Fay,, 
 Letters," No. VII. 
 
 3 Milton went to Italy in 1638, and "imme- 
 diately after his return he tooke a lodging at 
 Mr. Russell's a taylour in St. Bride's Church- 
 yard, and took into his tuition, his sister's two 
 sons, Edw. and John Philips. y e first 10 and the 
 other 9 years of age." "Letters of Aubrey," vol. 
 ii, p. 446. 
 
 3 The circumstance of Milton being persuaded 
 
 to take some additional pupils to educate with 
 his Nephews, placed him in the position of a 
 schoolmaster, a title which some of his biogra- 
 phers assert was most distasteful to his feelings. 
 Dr. Johnson most ungenerously alludes to the 
 scholastic occupation of Milton, forgetting that 
 the very elements of education had been the 
 source whence his own fame had sprung. Milton 
 was a man of peculiarly fine feeling ; a man of a 
 totally different character from that of Johnson, 
 whose prejudices rendered liim in many cases a 
 most partial critic and censorious biographer. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 17 
 
 Polemical Controversy; while even as late as 1647, when he had removed to Holborn, 
 Milton received a few scholars. 1 
 
 In 1641 he issued no less than three treatises on the Doctrine and Discipline of 
 the Church. In one, " The Reason of Church Government, urged against Prelaty" 
 those latent feelings which existed in his unsettled mind when at Cambridge, were 
 openly avowed. " The Church," he wrote, " to whose service, by the intentions of my 
 parents and friends, I was destined from a child, and in mine own resolutions ; till, 
 coming to some maturity of years, and perceiving what tyranny had invaded the 
 Church,- that he who would take orders must subscribe slave, and take an oath withal, 
 which unless he took with a conscience that would retch, he must either straight 
 perjure, or split his faith;-! thought it better to prefer a blameless silence before the 
 sacred office of speaking, bought and begun with servitude and forswearing. How- 
 soever thus Church-outed by the prelates, hence may appear the right I have to 
 meddle in these matters, as before the necessity and constraint appeared." 
 
 From this time Milton became a public man. He openly and honestly avowed 
 the cause he espoused ; but domestic circumstances unhappily occurred which induced 
 him to employ his powerful pen in writing a treatise "On the Doctrine and Disci- 
 pline of Divorce." In 1643 he married MARY, the eldest daughter of Mr. Eichard 
 Powell. The marriage turned out unhappily, the lady within a few weeks returning 
 to her parents. The political views, the literary tastes, and the sedentary occupations 
 of Milton, did not, it is presumed, quite agree with her previous convivial enjoy- 
 ments. Her father was a Eoyalist, and she had been accustomed to mix in a great 
 deal of society, more particularly among military men. She became disgusted with 
 the too much " love of learning" of her husband, and consequently left him. He, in 
 return, felt himself grossly insulted, and consoled himself for the loss of his wife by 
 writing his celebrated " Treatise on Divorce," impetuously issued by him, with the 
 utmost rancour of feeling, in the same year. 
 
 Political events, and the Battle of Naseby, July 1645, brought about a reconcili- 
 ation with his wife, whose father and family sought the aid of the then republican 
 Milton, who received them into his house. The result of the reunion of Milton with 
 his wife, was the birth of his daughter ANNE, July 29, 1646; followed by that of 
 MAEY, October 25, 1648; a son, March 16, 1650; and in May 1652, by DEBORAH. 
 His wife died in the same year. His son also died in its infancy. 
 
 It appears extraordinary that Milton, after reconciliation with his wife, should 
 have so strenuously continued the controversy upon a subject, which, in the judgment 
 of even his admirers and friends, met with almost general condemnation. That he 
 entertained the same feelings on the "Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce" up to a 
 late period of his life, is evident from the fact of his closing the tenth chapter of his 
 most learned " Treatise on Christian Doctrine" with a recapitulation of the arguments 
 
 1 Life of Milton, by Todd. Works, vol. i. p. 63. 
 
18 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 he had brought forward in support of his views,- views which, if entertained by the 
 generality of mankind, would be almost sufficient to annul the very bonds of social 
 happiness. In that chapter Milton sums up all his arguments by considering, that 
 in the event of the tastes and feelings of the wife turning out not to be congenial to 
 the husband, that fact alone is sufficient to justify divorce. 
 
 In a little volume, published in 1649, intitled "Cases of Conscience Practically 
 Resolved," the author, JOSEPH HALL, Bishop of Norwich, one of the most learned and 
 pious men of the day, strongly condemns, in "Case II.," the opinions of the Poet. 
 
 " I have heard too much of, and once saw, a licentious Pamphlet thrown abroad in these luwlesse 
 times, in the defence and encouragement of Divorces (not to be sued out, that solemnity needed not, 
 but) to be arbitrarily given by the disliking husband, to his displeasing and unquiet wife ; upon this 
 ground principally, that Marriage was instituted for the help and comfort of man ; where therefore 
 the match proues such, as that the wife doth but pull downe a side, and by her innate peevishnesse, 
 and either sullen, or pettish and froward disposition brings rather discomfort to her husband, the end 
 of marriage being hereby frustrate, why should it not, saith he, be in the Husband's power (after 
 some unprevailing means of reclamation attempted) to procure his own peace, by casting off this clog, 
 and to provide for his own peace and contentment in a fitter Match ? 
 
 "Woe is me, To what a passe is the world come that a Christian pretending to Reformation, 
 should dare to tender so loose a project to the publique? I must seriously profess when I first did 
 cast my eye upon the front of the book, I supposed some great wit meant to try his skill in the msiin- 
 tenance of this so wild, and improbable a paradox ; but ere I could have run over som of those too 
 welpenned pages, I found the Author was in earnest, and meant seriously to contribute this peece of 
 good councel in way of Reformation to the wise and seasonable care of superiors ; I cannot but blush 
 for our ages, wherein so bold a motion hath been, amongst others, admitted to the light : what will all 
 the Christian Churches through the world, to whose notice those lines shall come, think of our wot nil 
 degeneration in these deplored times, that so uncouth a designe should be set on foot amongst us " 
 
 The circumstances connected with the first marriage of Milton having been so 
 partially mentioned and distorted by some of his learned biographers, 1 we are induced 
 to enter fully into the statement of the facts so interestingly detailed by his nephew 
 and earliest biographer, EDWARD PHILLIPS, in the Memoir of the Poet prefixed to 
 the "LETTERS OF STATE" 2 published in 1694. 
 
 1 WARTON appears to have considered that 
 Milton was actually divorced from his wife. 
 "Poem* of Milton," p. 338, note. 
 
 J. A. ST. JOHN, the editor of the Prose Works 
 of Milton, published by our indefatigable friend 
 Mr. Henry Bohn, omits in his Preface (p. xiii) 
 all note of the reconciliation of the Poet to his 
 Wife. 
 
 LAMABTINE, the French Historian, in his "Me- 
 moirs of Celebrated CJtaracters," vol. ii. p. 7, writes 
 that Milton had " obtained his divorce, and was 
 ready to marry a second time." It is extraor- 
 dinary how often the most learned foreigners 
 misinterpret, or are careless in correctly ascer- 
 
 taining, the facts connected with English His- 
 tory. There must be a something in the English 
 Language that is insurmountable to the under- 
 standing of Foreigners. 
 
 3 "Letters of State, Written by Mr. John 
 Milton, To most of the Sovereign Princes and 
 Republicks of Europe. From the year 1 ' '> I '. ' 
 Till the year 1659. To which is added, An 
 Account of his life. Together with several of 
 his Poems ; And a Catalogue of his works, never 
 before Printed." London. Printt-il in tin // <, 
 1694. 12mo. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 19 
 
 The Poems mentioned in the title to the "Letters of State" consist only of Four 
 Sonnets, being those addressed "To Oliver Cromwell" -"To my Lord Fairfax"- 
 "To Sir Henry Fane,"- and "To Mr. Cyriac Skinner upon his Blindness,"-soimets 
 purposely omitted in the edition of the Poems of Milton previously issued in 1673. 
 Though Milton maintained his opinions, he was not the man to insult, or to be 
 ungrateful to the Monarch to whose clemency he owed his life. Hence the omission 
 of the, Sonnets in the Second Edition of his Poems, 1673. 
 
 The "Letters of State," believed to have been "surreptitiously obtained," were 
 issued in 1676, in Latin, in which language they were originally written by Milton, 
 thus intitled, "Literce Pseudo-Senates Anglicani, Cromwellii, Reliquorumqne Perdu- 
 ellium, nomine acjussu conscriptce d Joanne Miltono. Impresses anno 1676." 
 
 The English Translation of 1694 1 was accompanied with the most authentic 
 particulars of the Life of the Poet that had appeared. It was preceded by an anony- 
 mous address, no doubt from the pen of Edward Phillips, the editor of the volume. 
 
 " To the Reader :"-thus closing,-" Then, for the Honour of these People, who had in those 
 times successively vsurp'd the Supream Authority of the Nation, nothing more plainly discovers it then 
 the different Style of the ensuing Letters : for Mr. Milton is not to be thought to have Written his own 
 sense, but what was dictated to him by his Superiours. The Language of the Long Parliament was 
 more Imperious and downright. Oliver's Vein was more full of Cants ; and where he concluded with 
 Threats, he began with Godly Expostulations. In the last place, to question the Truth of those 
 Transactions to which these following Letters have Relation, would be a Solecism which Ignorance it 
 self would be ashamed to own. The Dates, the Subscriptions, Superscriptions, render every thing 
 Authentick. So that were it only their Character of Truth which must be allow'd 'em, that alone is 
 sufficient to recommend 'em to Posterity ; at least to those who may be ambitious to be the English 
 Thuamis's of succeeding Ages, to whom the Verity of these Letters will be a useful Clue, so far as it 
 reaches, to guide them through the Labyrinth of forgotten story. Hony soit qui mal y pence." 
 
 As we shall have occasion at the close of our Ramblings to refer to the delicate 
 position held by Edward Phillips in connexion with Milton his uncle, we will only 
 here observe, that it was not likely that his nephew, who entertained political 
 opinions of a totally opposite character, would write in either strong laudatory or 
 condemnatory terms of the public conduct of his deceased uncle. 
 
 Edward Phillips was a royalist, and continued so to his death ; yet withal, he is 
 not sparing, in the opening of the Memoir of his Uncle, of language most encomiastic, 
 worthily transmitting the fame of Milton, as an Historian, to all posterity. He writes : 2 
 
 " Had his Fame been as much spread through Europe, in Thuamis's time as now it is, and hath 
 been for several Years, he had justly merited from that Great Historian, an Eulogy not inferiour to 
 the highest, by him given to all the Learned and Ingenious that liv'd within the compass of his 
 History. For we may safely and justly affirm, that take him in all respects, for Accuracy of Wit, 
 Quickness of Apprehension, Sagacity of Judgment, Depth of Argument, and Elegancy of Style, as 
 
 1 In the Preface to the prose works of Milton, 
 published by Henry Bohn, Mr. St. John, the 
 editor, states, p. xl, that the edition in English of 
 the "Letters of State," 1694, "appeared, no doubt, 
 
 under tlie care of Toland." On what authority 
 Mr. St. John grounds his opinion we know not. 
 
 2 Familiar Letters Memoir p. iii. 1694. 
 
20 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 well in Latin as English, as well in Verse as Prose, he is scarce to be parallel'd by any the best of 
 Writers our Nation hath in any Age brought forth." 
 
 While here paying the highest tribute of respect to his uncle, the writer in no 
 way compromises himself as to his own views of the part Milton had taken in the 
 political drama of the latter part of the Keign of Charles I. Very different was the 
 conduct of his younger nephew, John Phillips ; who, after having for many years 
 held similar opinions to those of his uncle, even assisting him in his controversial 
 writings, turned royalist, and wrote against those views which his uncle had firmly 
 and conscientiously maintained. 
 
 Touching the First Marriage of Milton, his nephew, Edward Phillips, relates that 
 
 " About Whitsuntide it was, or a little after, that he took a Journey into the Country ; no body 
 about him certainly knowing the Reason, or that it was any more than a Journey of Recreation : 
 after a Month's stay, home he returns a Married-man that went out a Batchelor ; his Wife being 
 Mary the Eldest Daughter of Mr. Richard Powell, then a Justice of Peace, of Forresthil, near $/<// 
 in Oxfordshire ; some few of her nearest Relations accompanying the Bride to her new Habitation ; 
 which by reason the Father nor any body else were yet come, was able to receive them ; where the 
 Feasting held for some days in Celebration of the Nuptials, and for entertainment of the Bride's 
 Friends. At length they took their leave, and returning to Forrestliill, left the Sister behind ; pro- 
 bably not much to her satisfaction as appeared by the sequel ; by that time she had for a Month or 
 thereabout led a Philosophical Life, after having been used to a great House, and much Company and 
 Joviality Her Friends, possibly incited by her own desire, made earnest suit by Letter, to have her 
 Company the remaining part of the Summer, which was granted, on condition of her return at tin- 
 time appointed, Michalemas, or thereabouts. In the mean time came his Father, and some of the 
 foremention'd Disciples. And now the Studies went on with so much the more Vigour, as there 
 were more Hands and Heads employ'd ; the Old Gentleman living wholly retired to his Rest and 
 Devotion, without the least trouble imaginable: Our Author, now as it were a single man attain, 
 made it his chief divertion now and then in an Evening to visit the Lady Margaret Lee, Daughter to 
 
 the Lee, Earl of Marlborough, Lord High Treasurer of England, and President of the Privy 
 
 Counsel to King James the First. This Lady being a Woman of great Wit and Ingenuity, had a parti- 
 cular Honour for him, and took much delight in his Company, as likewise her Husband Captain 
 Hobson, a very Accomplish'd Gentleman ; and what Esteem he at the same time had for Her, appears 
 by a Sonnet he made in praise of her, to be seen among his other Sonnets in his Extant Poems. 
 Michalemas being come, and no news of his wife's return, he sent for her by Letter, and receiving no 
 answer sent several other Letters, which were also unanswered ; so that at last he dispatch'd down a 
 Foot-Messenger with a Letter, desiring her to return ; but the messenger came back not only without an 
 answer, at least a satisfactory one, but to the best of my remembrance, reported that he was dismissed 
 with some sort of Contempt ; this proceeding, in all probability, was grounded upon no other Cause 
 but this, namely, That the Family being generally addicted to the Cavalier Party, as they called it, 
 and some of them possibly engaged in the King's Service, who by this time had his Head Quart ITS 
 at Oxford, and was in some Prospect of Success, they began to repent them of having Matched the 
 Eldest Daughter of the Family to a Person so contrary to them in Opinion ; and thought it would be 
 a blot in their Escutcheon, when ever that Court should come to Flourish again ; however, it so 
 incensed our Author, that he thought it would be dishonourable ever to receive her again, after such 
 a repulse ; so that he forthwith prepared to Fortify himself with Arguments for such a Resolution, 
 and accordingly wrote two Treatises, by which he undertook to maintain, That it was against Reason, 
 and the enjoynment of it not proveable by Scripture, for any Married Couple disagreeable in Humour 
 and Temper, or having an aversion to each, to be forc'd to live yok'd together all their Days. The 
 first was, His Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce ; of which there was Printed a Second Edition, with 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 21 
 
 some Additions. The other, in prosecution of the first, was styled, Tetrachordon. Then the better to 
 confirm his own Opinion, by the attestation of others, he set out a Piece called the Judgement of 
 Murtin Bucer, a Protestant Minister, being a Translation, out of that Reverend Divine, of some part 
 of his Works, exactly agreeing with Tiim in sentiment. Lastly, he wrote in answer to a Pragmatical 
 Clerk, who would needs give himself the Honour of Writing against so great a Man, His Colasterion 
 or Rod of Correction for a Sawcy Impertinent. Not very long after the setting forth of these 
 Treatises, having application made to him by several Gentlemen of his acquaintance, for the education 
 of their sons, as understanding haply the Progress he had infused by his first undertakings of that 
 nature, he laid out for a larger House, and soon found it out ; but in the interim before he removed, 
 there fell out a passage, which though it altered not the whole Course he was going to Steer, yet it 
 put a stop or rather an end to a grand Affair, which was more than probably thought to be then in 
 agitation : It was indeed a design of Marrying one of Dr. Davis's Daughters, a very Handsome and 
 Witty Gentlewoman, but averse as it is said to this Notion ; however, the Intelligence hereof, and the 
 then declining State of the King's Cause, and consequently of the Circumstances of Justice Powell's 
 Family, caused them to set all Engines on Work, to restore the late Married Woman to the station 
 wherein they a little before had planted her ; at last this device was pitched upon. There dwelt in 
 the Lane of St. Martin's Le Grand, which was hard by, a relation of our Author's, one Blaclcborourjli, 
 whom it was known he often visited, and upon this occasion the visits were the more narrowly 
 observ'd, and possibly there might be a Combination between both Parties ; the Friends on both sides 
 concentring in the same action though on different behalfs. One time above the rest, he making his 
 usual visit, the Wife was ready in another Room, and on a sudden he was surprised to see one whom 
 he thought to have never seen more, making Submission and begging Pardon on her Knees before 
 him ; he might probably at first make some shew of aversion and rejection ; but partly his own 
 generous nature, more inclinable to Reconciliation than to perseverance in Anger and Revenge, and 
 partly the strong intercession of Friends on both sides, soon brought him to an Act of Oblivion, and a 
 firm League of Peace for the future ; and it was at length concluded, That she should remain at a 
 Friend's house, till such time as he was settled in his New house at Barbican, and all things for her 
 reception in order ; the place agreed on for her present abode, was the Widow Webber's house in St. 
 Clement's Church-yard, whose Second Daughter had been Married to the other Brother many years 
 before ; the first fruits of her return to her Husband was a brave Girl, born within a year after, 
 though, whether by ill Constitution, or want of Care, she grew more and more decrepit. But it was 
 not only by Children that she encreas'd the number of the Family, for in no very long time after her 
 coming, she had a great resort of her Kindred with her in the House, viz. her Father and Mother, 
 and several of her Brothers and Sisters, which were in all pretty numerous ; who upon his Father's 
 Sickning and Dying soon after went away. And now the House lookd again like a House of the 
 Muses only, though the accession of Scholars was not great. Possibly his proceeding thus far in the 
 Education of Youth may have been the occasion of some of his Adversaries calling him Peedagogue 
 and Schoolmaster ; whereas it is well known he never set up for a Publick School to teach all the 
 young Fry of a Parish, but only was willing to impart his Learning and Knowledge to Relations, and 
 the Sons of some Gentlemen that were his intimate Friends ; besides, that neither his Converse, nor 
 his Writings, nor his manner of Teaching ever favour'd in the least any thing of Pedantry ; and 
 probably he might have some prospect of putting hi Practice his Academical Institution, according to 
 the Model laid down in his Spirit of Education. The Progress of which design was afterwards 
 diverted by a Series of Alterations in the Affairs of State ; for I am much mistaken, if there were not 
 about this time a design in Agitation of making him Adjutant-General 1 in Sir William Waller's 
 Army ; but the new modelling of the Army soon following, prov'd an obstruction to that design ; 
 
 1 This fact is omitted to be noticed by many 
 of the biographers of the Poet. Archdeacon 
 Todd, in his last edition of the works of the 
 
 Poet, 1842, notes, in his "Life of Hilton," p. 62, 
 " This perhaps may be doubted, when it is con- 
 sidered that Waller was esteemed a leader of 
 
22 
 
 RAMBLINGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 and Sir William, his Commission being laid down, began, as the common saying is, to turn Cat 
 in Pan." 
 
 In quoting the biographical language of nearly two centuries ago, respecting 
 one whose life as a poet is only in interest exceeded by that of Shakespeare, we are 
 reminded that some learned author or intellectual spirit of the press designates the 
 " Literary Antiquary" as a " bwe". That such may be the case, we do not attempt 
 to deny ; but we must remind our learned critic, that, without the dogged researches 
 of the Antiquarian Author, many of the works of the most eminent men of the 
 present day would be of no authority. In no other Memoir of Milton do we find 
 facts so impartially represented. Unlike the biography of many distinguished men 
 of the present time, written frequently when the over-excited pen is scarcely dry from 
 the relation of the painful details of their last illness, death, and funeral ceremonies, 
 the chief events in the Life of Milton are, in the little unostentatious volume quoted, 
 so modestly related, that they carry with them evidence of unexaggerated truth. 
 
 Mr. Marsh, 1 while referring to the few existing manuscripts in the Autograph 
 of Milton, very justly remarks : 
 
 " This circumstance, while it enhances the pecuniary value of those curiosities which have been 
 preserved, accounts for the paucity of the materials of which his biographers have been able to avail 
 themselves, in illustrating his private and domestic history. The MS. Notes of Aubrey are perl nips 
 trustworthy so far as relates to facts within his knowledge, and possess a peculiar value as the impart ial 
 evidence of one who was in habits of some familiarity with Milton himself; but, as they consist of 
 mere memoranda, it is not fair to expect from them such a picture of the private life and circumstances 
 of the Poet as would have been the result of the regular Biography for which they were intended as 
 materials. This want is, to a considerable extent, supplied by the Memoir of Edward Phillips, which 
 has been pronounced ' a monument of sober affection and veneration, such as the world has seldom 
 witnessed in a case of such general interest :' and yet there are points, in which it has been shewn by 
 the light of subsequent discovery, that even he was not wholly impartial, and that his uncle's memory 
 has suffered from the nephew's perhaps unconscious participation in the sentiments of his cousins, 
 whose testimony is now found to have been wholly unworthy of credit. The result has been that, 
 while the biographies above alluded to, and those of Toland, Wood, Birch, Richardson, Peck, Newton, 
 and Johnson, enabled us to form a tolerably accurate view pf the public and literary character of 
 Milton, and the leading incidents of his personal history, his domestic circumstances were lamentably 
 misrepresented. The Poet himself was pictured as a morose domestic tyrant, who, while ' with a 
 Turkish contempt of females,' he degraded his daughters by a mean and penurious education, 
 compelled them to minister to his service by the most irksome attendance on his studies, and the 
 intolerable drudgery of reading to him in languages which they did not understand : and his wilt' was 
 represented as a termagant, the oppressor of her husband's children, and the disturber of his own 
 domestic comfort." 
 
 Sir Egerton Brydges, than whom no one has been more careful, and few more 
 elegant, in the style in which he has conveyed the pith of the memoir by Phillips to 
 
 the Presbyterians against the designs of the 
 Independents. Milton, in his military capacity, 
 could not have served cordially under a general 
 so disposed." We see no reason to doubt the 
 assertion of the nephew of Milton in this rela- 
 
 tion more than in any other portion of the bio- 
 graphy of his Uncle. 
 
 1 Papers connected with the affairs of Milton 
 and his Family. " CheethamMigcel," i.!851,p.3. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 23 
 
 his readers, honestly tells them in the preface to his biographical sketch of Milton, 
 that " The foundation of all the Memoirs of the Poet is that which was written by 
 his nephew, Edward Phillips : his personal knowledge of the bard gives authenticity 
 to all he relates ; but it is a piece of biography brief and bare." 1 
 
 "Brief and bare" as that Memoir is, it is far more interesting than many of the 
 subsequent lives that have been written. Our astonishment is, that Sir Egerton 
 Brydges, one of the most enthusiastic and diligent poetical antiquaries of his time, 
 did not reprint it entire. 2 The biography of the Poet by Toland, Aubrey, Birch, 
 Todd, Symmons, and others, does not contain many facts of importance in respect to 
 the private or public life of Milton, beyond those which are related by Phillips. Each 
 biographer avails himself of the opportunity of expressing, some in more elegant 
 language than others, his own theological, political, and critical views ; thus, in some 
 instances, giving their biography more the character of an Essay on the religion and 
 politics of the period, than of the life of the Poet. 
 
 In making these observations we do not include the recent and progressing 
 labours of the learned DAVID MASSON, M.A. His arduous undertaking professes to 
 give the life of Milton "narrated in connexion with the Political, Ecclesiastical, and 
 Literary History of his Time." As such, his work will rank as one of the most 
 comprehensive and valuable histories of the period ; while it will no doubt embody 
 every particular that can be obtained to illustrate the polemical, political, and 
 domestic life of the Poet. 
 
 TOLAND, whose life of Milton appeared 3 only four years after the memoir by 
 Phillips, does not seem to have been personally known to Milton. He closes the few 
 introductory lines to his memoir by stating : 
 
 " The amplest part of the materials I had from his own books, where, constrain'd by the difiama- 
 tions of his enemys, he often gives an account of himself. I learnt some particulars from a person 
 that had bin once his amanuensis, which were confirm'd to me by his daughter now dwelling in 
 London, and by a letter written to one at my desire from his last wife, who is still alive. I perus'd 
 the papers of one of his Nephews ; learn't what I could in discourse with the other, as, after the best 
 inquiry, I was able to discover." 
 
 It would have been very satisfactory had the learned Toland named who was 
 the person who acted as Milton's Amanuensis. Certain it is, that, had he been any 
 one connected by relationship with Milton, Toland would not have omitted to have 
 noticed so important a point. 
 
 1 Poetical Works of Milton, edited by Sir 
 Egerton Brydges. 6 vols. 1835. Vol. i. p. xix. 
 
 3 Godwin, in his Lives of Edward and John 
 Phillips, had reprinted the whole of the Memoir 
 as an "Appendix" to his work. It was published 
 in 4to., 1815 ; but, as the work of Godwin was 
 written principally with a view of propounding 
 
 his own political views, few of those who have 
 sought for the particulars of the life of Milton 
 may have seen it. 
 
 3 The first edition was prefixed to the Amster- 
 dam edition of Milton's Prose Works, 1698. 
 Again, separately, in 2 vols. 8vo., 1699 ; and in 
 1 vol. 8vo., 1761. 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 The learned and Rev. Dr. Hawkins, in the preface to his variorum edition of 
 the Poetical Works of Milton, while reviewing the various memoirs of the Poet, 
 considers that the Memoir by Phillips " is often inaccurate, apparently from the care- 
 lessness of the writer, who was an author by profession ; and it does not afford so 
 many particulars of Milton's private life as might have been expected from one who 
 knew him so intimately. Bishop Newton has incorporated, in his life of Milton, 
 almost everything that is most valuable in Phillips, and usually in the very words of 
 the author." 
 
 Milton died in 1674. The year after, his nephew, Edward Phillips, issued his 
 "Theatrum Poetarum Anglicanarum" a work on which he had, no doubt, had the 
 assistance of his Uncle. In the very fine lines he has in that work devoted to Milton, 
 he does not give any biographical information; and when alluding to his Paradise 
 Lost, and other poems, modestly adds, " it will better become a person less related 
 than myself to deliver his judgment." 
 
 It must be borne in mind that when Milton died, he was, and had been for 
 many years, a fallen and neglected man. The world had forgotten him. His party 
 had temporarily passed away. Save now and then the visits of respect, and perhaps 
 of curiosity, from Foreign Princes, few thought about him. There are no records of 
 his domestic life, of such importance as to lead us to think his Nephew considered 
 the melancholy scene of his declining years of sufficient public interest to be related 
 with the same minutiae as that of one who was surrounded with the comforts of life, 
 an affectionate family, and the esteem of the public. Milton had no dutiful son to 
 tell the happy scenes of the early and last days of his Father. Edward Phillips 
 might, no doubt, have added much more of interest to the Memoir of his Uncle. It 
 is only astonishing, that, as he declined expressing an opinion on the merits of the 
 poetical productions of Milton, he should have given so much biographical informa- 
 tion, which, though perhaps occasionally faulty, has been the foundation, more or less, 
 of nearly all the biographies of Milton, though by some not acknowledged. 
 
 It is remarkable that none of his biographers should have noticed two singular 
 errors that occur in the Memoir referred to,- errors so likely to be made by an 
 author and a relation. Phillips,-p. xxxviii,- states, that when Milton was living in 
 the Artillery Walk leading to Bunhill Fields, he there " Finisht his noble Poem 
 (Paradise Lost) and publish't it in the year 1666. The first Edition was Printed in 
 Quarto by one Simons a Printer in Aldersyate-Slreet, the other in a large Octavo 
 by Starky, near Temple-Bar, amended, enlarg'd, and differently dispos'd as to the 
 Number of Books, by his own hand, that is, by his own appointment." 
 
 The first error in this statement is in the date of the first edition of Paradise 
 Lost, which did not appear until 1667; and the second, in stating that the second 
 edition was published by Starkey. The First Edition of Paradise Regained and 
 Samson Agonistes was issued by John Starkey in octavo in 1671, and again in 1680. 
 
 It may be interesting here to notice that in the first edition of Paradise 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 25 
 
 Regained, 1671, the Imprint runs thus : "Printed by J. ~M..for John Starkey." The 
 initials J. M. were no doubt intended for those of the author, denoting that the 
 volume was printed by him, i.e., at his expense, and merely published for sale by 
 John Starkey. As, however, we shall have occasion to enter more fully upon the 
 points touching the printing and publishing of Paradise Lost, we close the subject of 
 the preceding remarks by observing, that, in respect to the two singular errors made 
 by Phillips, we doubt whether any author,- and authors are very frequently most 
 indifferent on such minor points,- would not be liable to make similar mistakes; 
 more particularly so, when the circumstances are recorded by a relative. 
 
 AVING gained some little information by departing from the more 
 beaten roads whence the Biographers of Milton have obtained their 
 materials, we were induced to wander into the more secluded lanes, 
 hoping, that perchance the reapers might have thought the way-side 
 crop hardly worth their attention. 
 We had not rambled very far, ere we had the gratification of meeting with 
 
 AS CHARMING A PIECE OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY AS WAS EVER PENNED. 
 
 We found, however, that the sickles of Toland and Symmons, more vigorous 
 among the many Miltonic reapers than others, had carried away some little portion 
 of the self-sown crop ; but which, however, being intermingled with that previously 
 stored, only added to its bulk, with little chance of its superior quality being 
 discernible. 
 
 THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MILTON that we here introduce, is to be found in his 
 "Second Defence of the People of England" 1 issued in 1654, being an answer to 
 the " Regii Sanguinis Clamor ad Ccelum adverse Parricidos Anglicanos," written 
 by the celebrated PETER DU MOULIN, and published at the Hague in 1652. 
 
 Both of these works were written in the Latin Language, and though the one 
 by Milton is to be found in the collected editions of his Prose Works, yet those 
 portions of personal details which it contains, have evidently been overlooked, to a 
 great extent, by most of his biographers. 
 
 The learned Dr. Symmons considers the "Second Defence of the People of 
 England," by Milton, to be the most interesting, if not the most striking of all his 
 prose compositions; and that it contains biographical "materials of peculiar value, as 
 
 1 " Joannis Miltoni Angli, pro Populo Angli- 
 cano Defensio secunda contra infamem libellum 
 Anonymum cui titulus, Regii Sanguinis Clamor 
 ad Ccelum adversus Parricidas Anglicanos." 
 12mo., Lond., 1055. 
 
 Our extracts are taken from the translation 
 by the Rev. Robert Fellowes, of Oxford, of the 
 Prose Works of Milton. 6 vols. Published by 
 Hemy G. Bohn. Vol. i. pp. 235-40, 253-59. 
 
26 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 they cannot be obtained in any other place, and as their authenticity cannot be 
 doubted." 1 
 
 The fact, therefore, of this most interesting piece of AUTOBIOGRAPHY never 
 having appeared at length in any of the many Lives of the Poet, may warrant its 
 insertion in our RAMBLINGS. It is connected with the ELUCIDATION OF HIS AUTO- 
 GRAPH, inasmuch as Milton there enters more fully than elsewhere upon the subject 
 of his blindness, an affliction that deprived him of the personal use of his pen for 
 above twenty years previous to his decease, during which time the energies of his 
 ever active mind were called into almost incessant occupation, rendered doubly 
 and painfully laborious, owing to his being obliged to dictate, word by word, aye 
 sometimes letter by letter, to those who acted as his Amanuenses. 
 
 " Let us now," wrote Milton, " come to the charges which were brought against myself. Is there 
 anything reprehensible in my manners or my conduct ? Surely nothing. What no one, not totally 
 divested of all generous sensibility, would have done, he reproaches me with want of beauty and loss 
 
 of sight. 
 
 " 'A monster huge and hideous, void of sight.' 
 
 " I certainly never supposed that I should have been obliged to enter into a competition for 
 beauty with the Cyclops ; but he immediately corrects himself, and says, ' though not indeed huge, 
 for there cannot be a more spare, shrivelled, and bloodless form.' It is of no moment to say anything 
 of personal appearance, yet lest (as the Spanish vulgar, implicitly confiding in the relations of their 
 priests, believe of heretics) any one, from the representations of my enemies, should be led to imagine 
 that I have either the head of a dog, or the horn of a rhinoceros, I will say something on the subject, 
 that I may have an opportunity of paying my grateful acknowledgments to the Deity, and of refuting 
 the most shameless lies. I do not believe that I was ever once noted for deformity, by any one who 
 ever saw me ; but the praise of beauty 2 1 am not anxious to obtain. My stature certainly is not tall ; 
 but it rather approaches the middle than the diminutive. Yet what if it were diminutive, when so 
 many men, illustrious both in peace and war, have been the same ? And how can that be called 
 diminutive, which is great enough for every virtuous achievement ? Nor, though very thin, WHS I 
 ever deficient in courage or in strength ; and I was wont constantly to exercise myself in the use of 
 the broadsword, as long as it comported with my habits and my years. Armed with this weapon, as 
 I usually was, I should have thought myself quite a match for any one, though much stronger than 
 myself ; and I felt perfectly secure against the assault of any open enemy. At this moment I have 
 the same courage, the same strength, though not the same eyes ; yet so little do they betray any 
 external appearance of injury, that they are as unclouded and bright as the eyes of those who most 
 distinctly see. In this instance alone I am a dissembler against my will. My face, which is said to 
 indicate a total privation of blood, is of a complexion entirely opposite to the pale and the cadaverous ; 
 so that, though I am more than forty years old, there is scarcely any one to whom I do not appear 
 ten years younger than I am ; and the smoothness of my skin is not, in the least, affected by the 
 wrinkles of age. If there be one particle of falsehood in this relation, I should deservedly incur the 
 ridicule of many thousands of my countrymen, and even many foreigners to whom I am personally 
 known. But if he, in a matter so foreign to his purpose, shall be found to have asserted so many 
 
 1 Life of John Milton, by Charles Symmons, 
 D.D., of Jesus College, Oxford. 8vo. 1810. 
 
 * " In his youth he is said to have been ex- 
 tremely handsome ; and while he was a student 
 
 at Cambridge, he was called ' The Lady of Clirist's 
 College;" and he took notice of this himself in 
 one of his public Prolusions before that Univer- 
 sity. 1 A quibusdam audivi nuper domiiui,' "etc. 
 Life of Hilton, by Birch. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 27 
 
 shameless and gratuitous falsehoods, you may the more readily estimate the quantity of his veracity 
 on other topics. Thus much necessity compelled me to assert concerning my personal appearance. 
 Respecting yours, though I have been informed that it is most insignificant and contemptible, a 
 perfect mirror of the worthlessnesB of your character and the malevolence of your heart, I say nothing, 
 and no one will be anxious that anything should be said. I wish that I could with equal facility 
 refute what this barbarous opponent has said of my blindness ; but I cannot do it ; and I must submit 
 to the affliction. It is not so wretched to be blind, as it is not to be capable of enduring blindness. 
 But why should I not endure a misfortune, which it behoves every one to be prepared to endure if it 
 should happen ; which may, in the common course of things, happen to any man ; and which has 
 been known to happen to the most distinguished and virtuous persons in history. Shall I mention 
 those wise and ancient bards, whose misfortunes the gods are said to have compensated by superior 
 endowments, and whom men so much revered, that they chose rather to impute their want of sight to 
 the injustice of heaven than to their own want of innocence or virtue ? What is reported of the 
 Augur Tiresias is well known ; of whom Apollonius sung thus in his Argonauts : 
 " ' To men he dar'd the will divine disclose, 
 
 Nor fear'd what Jove might in his wrath impose. 
 
 The gods assigned him age, without decay, 
 
 But snatched the blessing of his sight away.' 
 
 But God himself is truth ; in propagating which, as men display a greater integrity and zeal, they 
 approach nearer to the similitude of God, and possess a greater portion of his love. We cannot 
 suppose the deity envious of truth, or unwilling that it should be freely communicated to mankind. 
 The loss of sight, therefore, which this inspired sage, who was so eager in promoting knowledge 
 among men, sustained, cannot be considered as a judicial punishment. Or shall I mention those 
 worthies who were as distinguished for wisdom in the cabinet, as for valour in the field ? And first, 
 Timoleon of Corinth, who delivered his city and all Sicily from the yoke of slavery ; than whom there 
 never lived in any age, a more virtuous man, or a more incorrupt statesman : next Appius Claudius, 
 whose discreet counsels in the senate, though they could not restore sight to his own eyes, saved Italy 
 from the formidable inroads of Pyrrhus : then Coscilius Metellus the high priest, who lost his sight, 
 while he saved, not only the city, but the Palladium, the protection of the city, and the most sacred 
 relics, from the destruction of the flames. On other occasions Providence has indeed given conspicuous 
 proofs of its regard for such singular exertions of patriotism and virtue ; what, therefore, happened 
 to so great and so good a man, I can hardly place in the catalogue of misfortunes. Why should I 
 mention others of later times, as Dandolo of Venice, the incomparable Doge ; or Boemar Zisca, the 
 bravest of generals, and the champion of the cross ; or Jerome Zanchius, and some other theologians 
 of the highest reputation ? For it is evident that the patriarch Isaac, than whom no man ever 
 enjoyed more of the divine regard, lived blind for many years ; and perhaps also his son Jacob, who 
 was equally an object of the divine benevolence. And in short, did not our Saviour himself clearly 
 declare that that poor man whom he restored to sight had not been born blind, either on account of 
 his own sins or those of his progenitors ? And with respect to myself, though I have accurately 
 examined my conduct, and scrutinized my soul, I call thee, O God, the searcher of hearts, to witness 
 that I am not conscious, either in the more early or in the later periods of my life, of having committed 
 any enormity which might deservedly have marked me out as a fit object for such a calamitous 
 visitation. But since my enemies boast that this affliction is only a retribution for the transgressions 
 of my pen, I again invoke the Almighty to witness that I never, at any time, wrote anything which 
 I did not think agreeable to truth, to justice, and to piety. This was my persuasion then, and I feel 
 the same persuasion now. Nor was I ever prompted to such exertions by the influence of ambition, 
 by the lust of lucre or of praise ; it was only by the conviction of duty and the feeling of patriotism, 
 a disinterested passion for the extension of civil and religious liberty. Thus, therefore, when I was 
 publicly solicited to write a reply to the Defence of the royal cause, when I had to contend with the 
 pressure of sickness, and with the apprehension of soon losing the sight of my remaining eye, and 
 
28 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 when my medical attendants clearly announced, that if I did engage in the work, it would be irrepa- 
 rably lost, their premonitions caused no hesitation and inspired no dismay. I would not have listened 
 to the voice even of Esculapius himself from the shrine of Epidauris, in preference to the suggestions 
 of the heavenly monitor within my breast ; my resolution was unshaken, though the alternative was 
 either the loss of my sight, or the desertion of my duty ; and I called to mind those two destinies, 
 which the oracle of Delphi announced to the son of Thetis : 
 
 " ' Two fates may lead me to the realms of night : 
 
 If staying here, around Troy's wall I fight, 
 
 To my dear home no more must I return ; 
 
 But lasting glory will adorn my urn. 
 
 But, if I withdraw from the martial strife, 
 
 Short is my fame, but long will be my life." II., ix. 
 
 I considered that many had purchased a less good by a greater evil, the meed of glory by the 
 loss of life ; but that I might procure great good by little suffering : that though I am blind, I might 
 still discharge the most honourable duties, the perfomance of which, as it is something more durable 
 than glory, ought to be an object of superior admiration and esteem ; I resolved, therefore, to make 
 the short interval of sight, which was left me to enjoy, as beneficial as possible to the public interest. 
 Thus it is clear by what motives I was governed in the measures which I took, and the losses which 
 I sustained. Let then the calumniators of the divine goodness cease to revile, or to make me the 
 object of their superstitious imaginations. Let them consider, that my situation, such as it is, is 
 neither an object of my shame or my regret, that my resolutions are too firm to be shaken, that I am 
 not depressed by any sense of the divine displeasure ; that, on the other hand, in the most momentous 
 periods, I have had full experience of the divine favour and protection ; and that, in the solace and 
 the strength which have been infused into me from above, I have been enabled to do the will of God ; 
 that I may oftener think on what he has bestowed, than on what he has withheld ; that, in short, I 
 am unwilling to exchange my consciousness of rectitude with that of any other person ; and that I 
 feel the recollection a treasured store of tranquillity and delight. But, if the choice were necessary, 
 I would, sir, prefer my blindness to yours ; yours is a cloud spread over the mind, which darkens 
 both the light of reason and of conscience ; mine keeps from my view only the coloured surfaces of 
 things, while it leaves me at liberty to contemplate the beauty and stability of virtue and of truth. 
 How many things are there besides which I would not willingly see ; how many which I must see 
 against my will ; and how few which I feel any anxiety to see ! There is, as the apostle has 
 remarked, a way to strength through weakness. Let me then be the most feeble creature alive, as 
 long as that feebleness serves to invigorate the energies of my rational and immortal spirit ; as long 
 as in that obscurity, in which I am enveloped, the light of the divine presence more clearly shines, 
 then, in proportion as I am weak, I shall be invincibly strong ; and in proportion as I am blind, I 
 shall more clearly see. O ! that I may thus be perfected by feebleness, and irradiated by obscurity ! 
 And, indeed, in my blindness, I enjoy in no inconsiderable degree the favour of the Deity, who 
 regards me with more tenderness and compassion in proportion as I am able to behold notliiiig but 
 himself. Alas ! for him who insults me, who maligns and merits public execration ! For the divine 
 law not only shields me from injury, but almost renders me too sacred to attack ; not indeed so much 
 from the privation of my sight, as from the overshadowing of those heavenly wings which seem to 
 have occasioned this obscurity ; and which, when occasioned, he is wont to illuminate with an interior 
 light, more precious and more pure. To this I ascribe the more tender assiduities of my friends, 
 their soothing attentions, their kind visits, their reverential observances; among whom there are 
 some with whom I may interchange the Pyladean and Thesean dialogue of inseparable friends : 
 "'OREST. Proceed, and be rudder of my feet, by shewing me the most endearing love.' Eur!^. in Orest. 
 And in another place, 
 
 " ' Lend your hand to your devoted friend, 
 
 Throw your arm round my neck, and I will conduct you on the way.' 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 29 
 
 This extraordinary kindness, which I experience, cannot be any fortuitous combination ; and 
 friends, such as mine, do not suppose that all the virtues of a man are contained in his eyes. Nor do 
 the persons of principal distinction in the commonwealth suffer me to be bereaved of comfort, when 
 they see me bereaved of sight, amid the exertions which I made, the zeal which I shewed, and the 
 dangers which I run for the liberty which I love. But, soberly reflecting on the casualties of human 
 life, they shew me favour and indulgence, as to a soldier who has served his time, and kindly concede 
 to me an exemption from care and toil. They do not strip me of the badges of honour which I have 
 once worn ; they do not deprive me of the places of public trust to which I have been appointed ; 
 they do not abridge my salary or emoluments ; which, though I may not do so much to deserve as I 
 did formerly, they are too considerate and too kind to take away ; and, in short, they honour me as 
 much as the Athenians did those whom they determined to support at the public expense in the 
 Prytaneum. Thus, while both God and man unite in solacing me under the weight of my affliction, 
 let 110 one lament my loss of sight in so honourable a cause. And let me not indulge in unavailing 
 grief, or want the courage either to despise the revilers of my blindness, or the forbearance easily to 
 pardon the offence. I return to you, sir, whoever you may be, who, with a remarkable inconsistency, 
 seem to consider me at one time as a giant, and at another as a dwarf. You end with expressing 
 your wish that the United Provinces may, with as much ease and as much success, put an end to this 
 war as Salmasius will put an end to Milton. To which wish, if I were cheerfully to assent, I think 
 that I should not omen ill, nor ill implore for our success, or for the English interest." 
 
 In another part of his defence, Milton again refers to his personal history, 
 adding to the previous interesting details, very many particulars of his early life. 
 
 " I must, therefore, crave the indulgence of the reader if I have said already, or shall say here- 
 after, more of myself than I wish to say ; that, if I cannot prevent the blindness of my eyes, the 
 oblivion or the defamation of my name, I may at least rescue my life from that species of obscurity, 
 which is the associate of unprincipled depravity. This it will be necessary for me to do on more 
 accounts than one ; first, that so many good and learned men among the neighbouring nations, who 
 read my works, may not be induced by this fellow's calumnies to alter the favourable opinion which 
 they have formed of me ; but may be persuaded that I am not one who ever disgraced beauty of 
 sentiment by deformity of conduct, or the maxims of a freeman by the actions of a slave ; and that 
 the whole tenor of my life has, by the grace of God, hitherto been unsullied by enormity or crime. 
 Next, that those illustrious worthies, who are the objects of my praise, may know that nothing could 
 afflict me with more shame than to have any vices of mine diminish the force or lessen the value of 
 my panegyric upon them ; and, lastly, that the people of England, whom fate, or duty, or their own 
 virtues, have incited me to defend, may be convinced, from the purity and integrity of my life, that 
 my defence, if it do not redound to their honour, can never be considered as their disgrace. I will 
 now mention who and whence I am. I was born at London, of an honest family ; my father was 
 distinguished by the undeviating integrity of his life ; my mother, by the esteem in which she was 
 held, and the alms which she bestowed. My father destined me from a child to the pursuits of 
 literature ; and my appetite for knowledge was so voracious, that, from twelve years of age, I hardly 
 ever left my studies, or went to bed before midnight. This primarily led to my loss of sight. My 
 eyes were naturally weak, and I was subject to frequent head-aches ; which, however, could not chill 
 the ardour of my curiosity, or retard the progress of my improvement. My father had me daily 
 instructed in the grammar-school, and by other masters at home. He then, after I had acquired a 
 proficiency in various languages, and had made a considerable progress in philosophy, sent me to the 
 University of Cambridge. Here I passed seven years in the usual course of instruction and study, 
 with the approbation of the good, and without any stain upon my character, till I took the degree of 
 Master of Arts. After this I did not, as this miscreant feigns, run away into Italy, but of my own 
 accord retired to my father's house, whither I was accompanied by the regrets of most of the fellows 
 of the college, who shewed me no common marks of friendship and esteem. On my father's estate, 
 where he had determined to pass the remainder of his days, I enjoyed an interval of uninterrupted 
 
30 RAMBLIXGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OP 
 
 leisure, which I entirely devoted to the perusal of the Greek and Latin classics ; though I occasion- 
 ally visited the metropolis, either for the sake of purchasing books, or of learning something new in 
 mathematics or in music, in which I, at that time, found a source of pleasure and amusement. In 
 this manner I spent five years till my mother's death. I then became anxious to visit foreign parts, 
 and particularly Italy. My father gave me his permission, and I left home with one servant. On 
 my departure, the celebrated Henry Wootton, who had long been King James's ambassador at 
 Venice, gave me a signal proof of his regard, in an elegant letter which he wrote, breathing 
 not only the warmest friendship, but containing some maxims of conduct which I found very 
 useful in my travels. The noble Thomas Scudamore, King Charles's ambassador, to whom 
 I carried letters of recommendation, received me most courteously at Paris. His lordship gave 
 me a card of introduction to the learned Hugo Grotius, at that time ambassador from the 
 queen of Sweden to the French court; whose acquaintance I anxiously desired, and to whose 
 house I was accompanied by some of his lordship's friends. A few days after, when I 
 set out for Italy, he gave me letters to the English merchants on my route, that they might 
 shew me any civilities in their power. Taking ship at Nice, I arrived at Genoa, and afterward! 
 visited Leghorn, Pisa, and Florence. In the latter city, which I have always more particularly 
 esteemed for the elegance of its dialect, its genius, and its taste, I stopped about two months ; when 
 I contracted an intimacy with many persons of rank and learning, and was a constant attendant 
 at their literary parties ; a practice which prevails there, and tends so much to the diffusion of know- 
 ledge, and the preservation of friendship. No time will ever abolish the agreeable recollections 
 which I cherish of Jacob Gaddi, Carolo Dati, Frescobaldo, Cultellero, Bonomatthai, Clement illo, 
 Francisco, and many others. From Florence I went to Siena, thence to Rome, where, after I had 
 spent about two months in viewing the antiquities of that renowned city, where I experienced the 
 most friendly attention from Lucas Holstein, and other learned and ingenious men, I continued my 
 route to Naples. There I was introduced by a certain recluse, with whom I had travelled from Rome, 
 to John Baptista Manso, marquis of Villa, a nobleman of distinguished rank and authority, to whom 
 Torquato Tasso, the illustrious poet, inscribed his book on friendship. During my stay, he gave me 
 singular proofs of his regard : he himself conducted me round the city, and to the palace of the 
 viceroy ; and more than once paid me a visit at my lodgings. On my departure he gravely apologized 
 for not having shewn me more civility, which he said he had been restrained from doing, because 
 I had spoken with so little reserve on matters of religion. When I was preparing to pass over into 
 Sicily and Greece, the melancholy intelligence which I received of the civil commotions in England 
 made me alter my purpose ; for I thought it base to be travelling for amusement abroad, while my 
 fellow-citizens were fighting for liberty at home. While I was on my way back to Rome, some 
 merchants informed me that the English Jesuits had formed a plot against me if I returned to Rome, 
 because I had spoken too freely on religion ; for it was a rule which I laid down to myself in those 
 places, never to be the first to begin any conversation on religion ; but if any questions were put to 
 me concerning my faith, to declare it without any reserve or fear. I, nevertheless, returned to Rome. 
 I took no steps to conceal either my person or my character ; and for about the space of two months 
 I again openly defended, as I had done before, the reformed religion in the very metropolis of popery. 
 By the favour of God, I got safe back to Florence, where I was received with as much affection as if 
 I had returned to my native country. There I stopped as many months as I had done before, except 
 that I made an excursion for a few days to Lucca ; and, crossing the Apennines, passed through 
 Bologna and Ferrara to Venice. After I had spent a month in surveying the curiosities of this city, 
 and had put on board a ship the books which I had collected in Italy, I proceeded through Verona 
 and Milan, and along the Leman lake to Geneva. The mention of this city brings to my recollection 
 the slandering more, and makes me again call the Deity to witness, that in all those places in which 
 vice meets with so little discouragement, and is practised with so little shame, I never once deviated 
 from the paths of integrity and virtue, and perpetually reflected, that, though my conduct might 
 escape the notice of men, it could not elude the inspection of God. At Geneva, I held daily con- 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 31 
 
 ferences with John Deodati, the learned professor of Theology. Then pursuing my former route 
 through France, I returned to my native country, after an absence of one year and about three 
 months ; at the time when Charles, having broken the peace, was renewing what is called the 
 episcopal war with the Scots, in which the royalists being routed in the first encounter, and the English 
 being universally and justly disaffected, the necessity of his affairs at last obliged him to convene a 
 parliament. As soon as I was able, I hired a spacious house in the city for myself and my books ; 
 where I again with rapture renewed my literary pursuits, and where I calmly awaited the issue of 
 the contest, which I trusted to the wise conduct of Providence, and to the courage of the people. 
 The vigour of the parliament had begun to humble the pride of the bishops. As long as the liberty 
 of speech was no longer subject to control, all mouths began to be opened against the bishops. 
 Some complained of the vices of the individuals, others of those of the order. They said that it 
 was unjust that they alone should differ from the model of other reformed churches ; that the govern- 
 ment of the church should be according to the pattern of other churches, and particularly the 
 word of God. This awakened all my attention and my zeal. I saw that a way was opening for 
 the establishment of real liberty ; that the foundation was laying for the deliverance of man from 
 the yoke of slavery and superstition ; that the principles of religion, which were the first objects of 
 our care, would exert a salutary influence on the manners and constitution of the republic ; and as 
 I had from my youth studied the distinctions between religious and civil rights, I perceived that if I 
 ever wished to be of use, I ought at least not to be wanting to my country, to the church, and to so 
 many of my fellow- Christians, in a crisis of so much danger ; I therefore determined to relinquish 
 the other pursuits in which I was engaged, and to transfer the whole force of my talents and my 
 industry to this one important object. I accordingly wrote two books to a friend concerning the 
 reformation of the Church of England. Afterwards, when two bishops of superior distinction 
 vindicated their privileges against some principal ministers, I thought that on those topics, to the 
 consideration of which I was led solely by my love of truth, and my reverence for Christianity, I should 
 not probably write worse than those who were contending only for their own emoluments and 
 usurpations. I therefore answered the one in two books, of which the first is inscribed, Concerning 
 Prelatical Episcopacy, and the other, Concerning the Mode of Ecclesiastical Government ; and I 
 replied to the other in some Animadversions, and soon after in an Apology. On this occasion it was 
 supposed that I brought a timely succour to the ministers, who were hardly a match for the eloquence 
 of their opponents ; and from that time I was actively employed in refuting any answers that 
 appeared. When the bishops could no longer resist the multitude of their assailants, I had leisure to 
 turn my thoughts to other subjects ; to the promotion of real and substantial liberty ; which is rather 
 to be sought from within than from without ; and whose existence depends, not so much on the terror 
 of the sword, as on sobriety of conduct and integrity of life. When, therefore, I perceived that there 
 were three species of liberty which are essential to the happiness of social life religious, domestic, 
 and civil ; and as I had already written concerning the first, and the magistrates were strenuously 
 active in obtaining the third, I determined to turn my attention to the second, or the domestic species. 
 As this seemed to involve three material questions, the conditions of the conjugal tie, the education 
 of the children, and the free publication of the thoughts,! made them objects of distinct consideration." 
 
 j|0 inquire into the number of the biographies of Milton, would be almost 
 as great a waste of time as to calculate the amount of useless mental 
 occupation which has been imposed upon themselves by Men, distin- 
 guished in the world of Literature, who, when employed in detailing 
 the more interesting particulars of the life of the Poet, have, in order 
 to give an appearance of originality to their biographies, endeavoured, in their 
 relations, to make their readers suppose that the materials were collected from docu- 
 
32 
 
 KAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 ments until then unknown. Far better would it have been, had all the Biographers 
 of Milton been content to have depicted the prominent features of his life, as 
 delineated by himself. What has been added even by the most learned biographer 
 of the Poet to that which we have quoted from his own Pen ? Nothing,- aye, worse 
 than nothing; for in many instances, they have so embellished the facts detailed in 
 the Autobiography, as to render their illustrations more fit for a novel than an honest 
 narrative of the life of the Poet. 
 
 What biographer of Milton is there, that could have defended the controverted 
 passages of the life of the Poet with so much effect as he himself has done ? Milton 
 commences the Memoir of his life, as it were, from a boy. From boyhood he carries 
 his readers to his rooms at College; thence to the varied scenes of his Continental 
 Tour, taken, as is customary in the present day, by the young man to improve his 
 mind, and fit him for the duties of his future worldly career. Home again, the Poet 
 enters into the causes which induced him to take an active part in the political and 
 polemical discussions in which the leading men of his country were then engaged. 
 He honestly states the views he had espoused, and leaves it to the world to judge 
 how far he had acted otherwise than as an honest man. Milton was an honest man, 
 if ever honest man there was ! We are not bound to coincide with his views ; yet, 
 without adopting them, we may venerate his character. He was a Man of the Times ; 
 and to the power of his pen are we indebted for the upholding of Protestantism, 
 which, in his time, was in such a state of decline, as to have made it almost a matter 
 of chance, whether this country would become subject to the authority of the Pope, 
 or succumb to the gloomy rule of the Fanatics and Ultra-Puritans. 
 
 How charming it is to read of a man, totally bereft of sight, acknowledging the 
 consolation derived by the constancy of his friends. While alluding to the fact of 
 his services having been rewarded by the pecuniary emoluments they merited, he 
 expressed a full feeling of confidence in the Master he had served ; not then dreaming 
 that a time might arrive, when adverse circumstances might render it necessaiy for 
 his Master to curtail those acts of generosity and gratitude which had previously 
 distinguished his character. This is placing the public position of Cromwell in the 
 most favourable light. Had he so many claimants, however, upon his privy puree 
 for services of a darker and a more reproachable nature, in procuring the condemna- 
 tion of his King, that he was necessitated to forget his former friend and pen-worn 
 agent ? 
 
 While posterity, though differing in opinion, will render justice to the character 
 of Milton, it may still admire the rigid sternness of the Usurper, without overlooking 
 his want of all other feeling but self-exaltation. In all his actions, the Usurper had 
 only Cromwell in his view;-while Milton, with all his faults, sought no more than the 
 Independence of his Countrymen. > 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 33 
 
 Y supporting the views and acts of the great reformer LUTHER, the 
 learned and powerful pen of MELANCHTHON contributed far more 
 to the Reformation of the Church than did the exertions of the 
 belligerent and boisterous adherents of Luther. So likewise did 
 the pen of the accomplished scholar MILTON aid the revolutionary 
 schemes of OLIVER CROMWELL; not personally in the actual 
 transactions of the day, but most effectually by the zeal and 
 learning he displayed in support of the doctrines he had publicly avowed in 1641. 
 
 " Cromwell, who at that time personified in himself the citizens, the people, the 
 army, the fervour of religious zeal, the national pride and privileges," writes 
 Lamartine, 1 "became the Maccabseus of Milton's imagination. The poet attached 
 himself to the fortunes of the Protector, as to his own and his country's destiny; he 
 saw in him the champion of the people, the uprooter of monarchs, and a new judge 
 of Israel : we find these exact expressions in his political writings of the period,- 
 Cromwell was the sword, while Milton wished to be the tongue of independence. 
 Cromwell, who spoke much, but always badly, and had neither time nor leisure to 
 write, hailed with eagerness the vigorous, eloquent, and imaginative talent which 
 sought to place itself at his service." 
 
 The published works of Milton between the years 1643 and 1649 are not so 
 extensive as to account for the general occupation of his mind during that period ; 
 nor do we gather from his numerous biographers any information upon that point. 
 We may therefore conclude that his services were then required by the Parliament. 
 
 The destruction, at the time of the Restoration, of the greater portion of the 
 Official Documents of the Government during the period of the Civil War and the 
 Commonwealth, precludes us from ascertaining the precise period when Milton was 
 first employed by the Parliament. His pen could not have been at that time laid up ! 
 The Order Books of the Council of State prove that Oliver Cromwell gave him 
 the appointment of Latin Secretary, at a salary of nearly 300?. a year, in March 
 164;^ the period when his mind was employed in the composition of his answer 
 to the Icon JBasilike, followed almost immediately by his Defensio pro Populo 
 Anglicano, in refutation of the Defensio Regia of Salmasius. 
 
 Mr. Keightley, in his biography of the Poet, pp. 47-8, refers to the statement 
 made of Milton having received 1,OOOZ. 3 for that celebrated rejoinder, observing, 
 
 1 Memoirs of Celebrated Characters, by A. de 
 Lamartine. 2 vols. 1855. Milton. Vol. ii. p. 6. 
 
 2 The entry in the Order-Book is dated Mar.15. 
 
 3 " MILTON was rewarded with a tJtowand 
 pounds for this performance." "Life of Milton," 
 
 by Toland, p. 89. Toland asserts this as a fact ; 
 we may, therefore, presume that to have then 
 been the general opinion. The matter is not 
 touched upon by E. Phillips. Toland is the ear- 
 liest biographer who mentions it; and, appa- 
 rently, with authority. Dr. Johnson, in his life 
 of the Poet, adopts the same views. 
 
34 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 " Of this," lie writes, " there is no proof, neither is it very likely, as the Council, which was by no 
 means noted for liberality, probably looked upon it merely as a part of the duties of his office ; in fact, 
 he himself denies it. ' Tuque scito illas opimitates atque opes, quas mihi exprobras, non attigisse, neque 
 eo nomine, quo maxime accusas, dbolo factum ditiorem.' Defensio Secunda. They, however, gave him 
 what cost them nothing, their thanks. In the Council Book may be seen as follows : ' 1651 June IS. 
 Ordered that thanks be given to Mr. Milton, on the behalf e of the Commonwealth, for his good services done 
 in writing an answer to the booke of Salmasius, written against the proceedings of the ObwMmMoIft of 
 England.' This, however, is cancelled, as well as three lines following, in which a grant of money is 
 made to him : and then comes a regular, uncancelled entry in these words : ' The Councell takeing 
 notice of the manie good services performed by Mr. John Milton, thfir S< : cretariefor Forreigne Language*, 
 t<i this State and Commonwealth, particularlie for his booke in vindication of the Parliament and People 
 of England against the calumnies and invectives of Salmasius, liave thought fit to declare their resentment 
 and good acceptance of t)te same, and that tJie thanks of the Councell bee returned to Mr. Mylton, and 
 their sense represented in their behalf e.' " 
 
 Mr. Keightley has omitted the important part of the order following the first 
 vote of thanks: "And it is ordered that y" summ of- hundred poundes bee given 
 unto him as a reward for his good services of writeing in answer to Salmasius." 
 Perhaps he never saw the original. His notice of the transaction appears to have 
 been compiled from that given by Archdeacon Todd. 
 
 The six lines subjoined are from a letter of the late Robert Lemon, Esq., F.S.A., 
 to The Very Reverend the Lord Bishop of Winchester, dated from the State Paper 
 Office, May 1825, the period when Bishop Sumner was occupied in editing the DE 
 DOCTKINA CHRISTIANA, then just discovered. 
 
 "A blank space, in the original, is left between the words 'of and 'hundred,;' 
 and the word ' tenn' has been filled up by another hand. A debate appears to have 
 ensued on this, and the grant of money was cancelled. Then the whole of the 
 original entry of thanks was also cancelled; and two pages after, just before the 
 close of the business of the Council of State on that day, the formal and enlarged 
 vote of thanks was speedily entered." 
 
 We are much indebted to the present Mr. Lemon, of the State Paper Office, for 
 this communication. We make use of it, because the late Mr. Lemon was indefati- 
 gable in his researches for the Venerable Archdeacon Todd and Bishop Sumner. It 
 is here very evident that the late Mr. Lemon considered the sum voted to have been 
 " tenn" hundred pounds. We have examined the original, and find that the sum 
 named has been so carefully obliterated, as to render "it impossible to say for 
 certainty whether it be tenn, two, or one." We are inclined to think that so small a 
 sum as one hundred pounds would not have been offered to such a man as Milton; 
 more particularly for such service as he at that time specially, and previously, had 
 rendered to the government. 
 
 Toland mentions the thousand pounds as having been received by Mil ton, without 
 any remark ; and Lamartine, considering the authority of Toland to be a guarantee 
 for the fact, writes : " Salmasius had received one hundred pieces of gold from the 
 King of France for blackening the murderers of the King of England. Milton 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTOK 35 
 
 received from Cromwell one thousand pieces for justifying the act." Though deeply 
 admiring and upholding Milton for his patriotism, Lamartine remarks : " Every 
 phrase of Salmasius smelt of the lamp; every sentence of Milton perspired with 
 blood." 1 
 
 Since the preceding was set up in type, we have thought it would be more 
 satisfactory to present to our readers a faithful fac-simile of the several passages 
 referred to in the Order Book, preceding them with the entry, 1648-9, March 22, 
 appointing Milton as Secretary; and with that of January 8,1649-50, ordering him to 
 prepare an answer to Salmasius. Mr. Tupper, our very intelligent artist, has accord- 
 ingly, in plate A, executed them with the same ability as he has displayed in many 
 of the subsequent pages of fac-similes in the Illustrations of the Autograph of the 
 Poet. 
 
 We give the subjoined letter from Mr. Tupper, on transmitting a proof of the 
 fac-similes, in preference to any observations we can make upon the subject, except 
 stating, that the fac-simile No. 3* shews what Mr. Tupper considers would be the 
 original, had it not been marked over with the vieiv of obliterating it. It is there seen 
 that Mr. Tupper considers the sum to have been two hundred pounds. We are 
 inclined to the opinion of the late Mr. Lemon, because we do not think it would 
 have been reported and believed to have been ten hundred, had there not been some 
 grounds for such an opinion. One can hardly suppose that so small a sum as two 
 hundred pounds would have been offered to Milton for such special service. 
 
 " South Lambeth, Surrey. 30 June 1860. 
 "DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I have traced the lines which appear to me to have constituted 
 the writing in the obliterated portion of the cancelled Order in Council of 1 8 June 
 1651, and think it might form a not uninteresting addition to the plate of fac-simile 
 of that Order. 
 
 " I need scarcely say that this tracing is the result of most careful scrutiny ; and 
 I was extremely sorry to find, on subsequent comparison, that there were many 
 differences between my reading and that of Mr. W. D. Hamilton, as printed in his 
 recent work on the Milton State Papers. This, of course, induced another examina- 
 tion; but I Was unable to amend anything. And on submitting my reading to 
 Mr. Hamilton, he most generously and courteously admitted his belief in its correct- 
 ness ; remarking on the only really debateable point, viz., the word ' two' (two 
 hundred pounds), that I was the first person who had read it so : some having read 
 it ' one,' and others ' tenn.' But he believed I was right. Since this, I have again 
 examined the original with a still more powerful glass, and am further confirmed in 
 my opinion. 
 
 " Whilst on this subject, it might be noted that in the State Paper Office there 
 
 1 Memoirs of Celebrated Characters, by A. de Lamartine. 2 vols., 1854. Milton, Vol. ii., p. 12. 
 
36 KAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 are two sets of Books of Orders of the Council of State. One set is the rough, or 
 ' Draft' Order Books, in which the Orders appear to have been written at the moment 
 they were made. This set seems to be complete, and reaches from 1648-9, when the 
 Council was established, to 21 March, 1656. The other set of 'Fair' Order Books, 
 copied fairly from the former, is very imperfect, but commences at the same time as 
 the former, and extends to October, 1659. One hiatus in this set occurs from April 
 to December 1651: hence we have no fair copy of the Orders of 18 June in that 
 year; but even if we had, the one of which I have been speaking would not have 
 appeared, inasmuch as it was evidently cancelled during the seance of the Council, 
 and the subsequent Order, No. 5 on plate, substituted. 
 
 " As far as I have examined, the fair copies appear to have been made verbatim, 
 but the differences in spelling are numerous. Archdeacon Todd seems to have 
 printed from the fair copies, but is not very accurate. For the sake of uniformity, 
 and other reasons, I have taken all the fac-similes from the Drafts. 
 
 " I remain, dear sir, very truly yours, 
 
 "G. I. F. TUPPER. 
 
 The entries in the Book of Orders of the Council of State during the Usurpation, 
 prove that Milton was appointed to do other work than that which belonged to the 
 duties of "Secretary for Foreign Tongues." As early as March 26, 1649, he was 
 requested "to make some observations upon a paper lately printed, called "Old and 
 Neiv Chains" of which John Lilburne was the author. Again, on the 28th of the 
 same month, he was appointed "to make observations upon the complication of 
 interest which is now amongst the several designers against the peace of the 
 Commonwealth." Then again in May he was desired to " examine the Papers of 
 Pragmaticus" a periodical,-the "Mercurius Pragmaticus? -wMieh first appeared in 
 1607. On January 8, in the following year, he was requested to "confer with some 
 printers or stationers concerning the speedy printing of this booke, and gave an 
 accompt of what he had done therein to the Councell." The " booke" was one for 
 the " composing" of which, in the entry previous, of the same date, Mr. Thomas 
 Waring was rewarded with one hundred pounds; and contained "severall examina- 
 tions of the Bloody Massacre in Ireland." Whether Milton ever saw the said book 
 through the press, is not known ; nor is its existence recorded elsewhere than in the 
 Order Book, wherein, on the day referred to, it is also ordered that Milton " doe 
 prepare something in answer to the booke of Salmasius ; and when he hath done itt, 
 bring itt to the Councell." 
 
 That Milton was employed in the exercise of his pen, to aid the Commonwealth, 
 wherever it could be brought to bear, is very evident. It would appear from an 
 Order, February 2, 1650, that the "Publique Papers belonging to the Common- 
 wealth," then in the hands of Mr. Weckerlyn, the former Secretary, and others, be 
 " deli ver(ed) to Mr. Milton." 
 
S^~T^ ML / 
 
 iJftsLt */vl ,/rlMvn. tU(, 
 
 z - 
 
 tn 
 
 
 ' X """ 
 fcrv'La / 
 
 s^ffiL (d< n.t/ t-4/hi 
 
 / / 
 
 /* ^t/ t//-*^ * 
 
 ^Vtnji^+ko^ 
 
 + 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTOX. 
 
 June 22, 1650, Milton was appointed to go "To the Committee of the Annie," 
 and desire them to send to this Councell the Booke of Examinations taken about the 
 risings in Kent and Essex." He was further, on the 25th of the month, ordered to 
 "peruse the Examinations taken by the Army concerning the insurrections in 
 Essex; and that he doe take heads of the same, to the end the Councell may judge 
 what is to be taken into consideration." This was, no doubt, the employment of 
 Milton that was considered to have fitted him for his projected appointment of 
 "Adjutant-General in Sir William Waller's Army." That the Council highly 
 estimated the abilities of the Poet, is most certain ; for on the following day he was 
 ordered to translate the "Declaration of the Parliament against the Dutch" into 
 Latin. 
 
 Whether the sum originally proposed to be given to Milton was ten, two, or one, 
 is not of very great moment. Certain it is that Milton rejected the proffered special 
 payment. How it ever could have been stated otherwise, is astonishing, as the very 
 fact of cancelling the order at the time it was drafted, removes all doubt upon the 
 question. It must be borne in mind that Milton had been, in his official capacity, 
 specially requested 1 by the Council of State to write an answer to the work of Salma- 
 sius. It was not likely, therefore, that he would consent to receive payment for that 
 work. The alteration in the vote of thanks was no doubt made at his own insti- 
 gation, and probably on his own dictation. Whether Milton was in the private 
 employ of the Government previous to his appointment as Latin Secretary, is not 
 known. It has, we believe, been so stated. If so, he no doubt received some emolu- 
 ment for his services. The question naturally arises as to whether he,- for he was a 
 poor man, and working hard with his pupils as a means of living,- received any 
 consideration for the treatises written by him, and published before the appearance 
 of "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates," which was of so revolutionary a 
 tendency that it has been omitted in nearly every edition of his works. It is 
 worthy of notice that Milton afterwards saw reason to qualify the opinions therein 
 expressed; for in Chapter xvn., Book II., of his "Treatise of the Christian Doctrine," 
 there occurs an extraordinary remark, one totally at variance with his previous 
 views. It relates to the "Obedience towards Magistrates." Milton there affirms, 
 "That it may be the part of prudence to obey the commands even of a tyrant in 
 lawful things; or, more properly, to comply with the necessity of the times, for the 
 sake of public peace, as well as of personal safety, I am far from denying." On this 
 Bishop Sumner observes : " This is a remarkable passage, considering the prominent 
 part taken by the author, not only against the monarchy, but against the monarch 
 himself. It is evident that his experience of the miseries caused by the civil disturb- 
 
 1 His Nephew, Edward Phillips, when refer- 
 ring to this fact, as also that of Milton's answer 
 to the "Icon Basilike," states significantly that 
 
 his Uncle was "obliged" to answer the two 
 works. Memoir, 1694, p. xxxi. 
 
38 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 ances of those evil times had taught him that a regard to the general good might 
 sometimes render a temporary sacrifice of abstract rights not inconsistent with the 
 sincerest love of political or religious liberty." 
 
 Wonderfully great must have been the mental powers and resources of Milton. 
 Though blind for several years previous to his retiring from public life, he fulfilled 
 the duties of Latin Secretary with the same untiring zeal which characterized his 
 early life. " The Letters of State to most of the Sovereign Princes and Republics of 
 Europe during the Administration of the Commonwealth and the Protector Oliver 
 and Richard Cromwell," the production of Milton from 1649 to May 1659, 1 are 
 remarkable records of his political talent, composed as they were, for the most part, 
 when totally bereft of sight. 
 
 Not one man in ten thousand would have had the moral courage to bear up 
 against such an overwhelming affliction. Few could have exclaimed, as Milton so 
 submissively and hopefully did, in the well-known sonnet 2 to his beloved friend, 
 CYEIAK SKINNER,- a sonnet written after the first three years of his blindness: 
 
 " Yet I argue not 
 
 Against Heav'n's hand or will, nor bctte a jot 
 Of heart or hope." 
 
 It is generally believed, that, at the period of the Eestoration, Milton was reduced 
 almost to poverty ; and, also, that had it not been for the powerful influence of Sir 
 William Davenant, 3 one of the special favourites of Charles II, he would in all 
 probability have shared the fate of those who had taken a far less prominent part 
 against their sovereign. With the view of proving the pecuniary distress of the Poet 
 at that period, it is related 4 that 
 
 " In 1791 died Jonathan Hartop, of the village of Aldborough, near Borough-bridge in Yorkshire, 
 at the great age of 138. He is said to have lent Milton fifty pounds soon after the Restoration, which 
 the bard returned him with honour, though not without much difficulty, as his circumstances were 
 very low. Mr. Hartop would have declined receiving it ; but the pride of the poet was equal to his 
 genius, and he sent the money with an angry letter, which was found among the curious possessions 
 of that venerable old man. This curious anecdote of Milton had appeared in 'Tin' 
 
 1 They were, for the most part, composed 
 after 1652, when Milton was totally blind. 
 
 4 The sonnet is given in fac-simile in the 
 illustration of the Trinity College MS., towards 
 the close of this work. 
 
 3 "Milton is supposed to have had powerful 
 friends both in Council and Parliament, as Secre- 
 tary Morice, Sir Thomas Clarges, and Andrew 
 Marvell. But the principal instrument in obtain- 
 ing Milton's pardon is said to have been Sir 
 William Davenant, who, when he was taken 
 
 prisoner in 1650, had been saved by Milton's 
 interest ; and who now, in grateful return for so 
 signal an obligation, interceded for the life of 
 Milton. This story has been related by Richard- 
 son upon the authority of Pope, who received it 
 from Betterton, the protege of Davenant. Au- 
 brey, in his manuscript Life of Davenant, ascribes 
 his safety, without mention of Milton, to two 
 Aldermen of York." "Poetical Works of Mil- 
 ton," by Todd. Vol. i., pp. 101-2. 
 
 4 Easton's Human Longevity. 8vo. Salis- 
 bury. 1799. Pp. 241-2. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 39 
 
 Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertized of March 31, 1790 ; Mr. Hartop then being living, and the 
 letter described as extant." 1 
 
 It must, however, have been some years after the Eestoration when Milton 
 borrowed the money alluded to; because, if J. Hartop died in 1791,being one hundred 
 and thirty-eight years old, he would have been at that time only seven years of age ! 
 
 Upon Milton's then pecuniary position, we avail ourselves of what Mr. Keightley 
 has compiled from the various statements made by the biographers of the Poet. 
 
 " With respect to the worldly circumstances of this great man, little is known with certainty. 
 It is evident that during his travels, and after his return, the allowance made him by his father was 
 liberal. It was adequate, we may see, to the support of himself and his two nephews ; for it was not 
 likely that his sister paid him anything for them. He must also have considered himself able to 
 support a family without keeping school, when he married Miss Powell. He of course inherited the 
 bulk of his father's property ; but of the amount of it we are ignorant : all we know is that it included 
 the interest in his house in Bread-street. His losses were not inconsiderable. A sum of 2,000, 
 which he had invested in the Excise Office, was lost at the Eestoration, as the Government refused to 
 recognize the obligations of the Commonwealth. According to the account of his granddaughter, he 
 lost another sum of 2,000, by placing it in the hands of a money scrivener ; and he also lost, at the 
 Restoration, a property of 60 a year out of the lands of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, 
 which he very probably had purchased. His house in Bread-street was destroyed by the great fire. 
 The whole property which he left behind him, exclusive of his claim on the Powell family for his first 
 wife's fortune, and of his household goods, did not exceed 1,500, including the produce of his library, 
 a great part of which he is said to have disposed of before his death."* 
 
 The learned Biographer here states that the marriage of Milton with Miss Powell 
 made him an independent man : but he forgot that Milton never received the 1,OOOZ. 
 he was to have had with his wife. The Nuncupative Will Papers prove that. 
 
 There is a current report that Milton, on the first outbreak of popular feeling 
 against the Regicides, felt it necessary to conceal himself for a time, and have it given 
 out that he was dead ! We have read the majority of the lives of the Poet, and find 
 that this circumstance is occasionally noticed, but evidently without much credence, 
 by some of his biographers. 
 
 " His removal," relates his nephew, " was by the advice of those that wisht him well and had a 
 concern for his preservation, into a place of retirement and abscondence, till such time as the current 
 of affairs for the future should instruct him what farther course to take ; it was a friend's house in 
 Bartliolomew-Close, where he liv'd till the Act of Oblivion came forth ; which it pleased God prov'd as 
 favourable to him as could be hop'd or expected, through the intercession of some that stood his friends 
 both in Council and Parliament ; particularly in the House of Commons, Mr. Andrew Marvel, a 
 Member for Hull, acted vigorously in his behalf, and made a considerable party for him ; so that, 
 together with John Goodwin of Coleman-street, he was only so far excepted as not to bear any office 
 in the Commonwealth." 3 
 
 To the plain facts related by Phillips are the biographers of Milton mainly 
 indebted for their information ; but we suspect that few of them have ever read the 
 original. As is generally the case, they have contented themselves with the perusal 
 
 1 Poetical Works of Milton, by Todd. 6 vols. 
 1842. Vol. i., p. 161. 
 
 z Life of Milton, by Keightley, p. 75. 
 
 3 Letters of State, 1694, pp. xxxvii. and xxxviii. 
 
40 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 of what the most recent biographers of their time have written, and have produced 
 their memoirs from the facts their predecessors have collected together. There are 
 very few biographies that do not exhibit party feeling. The man to whose judgment 
 the acts of Milton should be referred, ought to be perfectly unbiassed, weighing, 
 as a judge, the evidence on all sides impartially. There is no period in English 
 history more imperfect, or more barren of truth, than that during the Rebellion. 
 Hence the difficulty of a just decision. In all the accounts of that eventful time, 
 Historians, according to their own particular views, omit the notice of, or pass 
 slightly over, facts that would materially affect their partizanship. 
 
 LAMARTINE, than whom no man, as an honest republican, is more respected, 
 appears to have been fully persuaded of the truth of the incident referred to ; and 
 accordingly we find it again recorded in his Memoir of the Poet, together with other 
 subsequent particulars, for the authority of which he unfortunately gives no reference. 
 
 " The restoration of Charles the Second," writes Lamartine, " surprised him in the midst of his 
 labours, rendered nugatory by the treason of the army, which first conquered, and then sold their 
 country. Charles was not by nature vindictive ; he was only thoughtless. He extended amnesty to 
 all, even to the regicides ; but his return called back the Royalists to Parliament ; and they, like all 
 partizans, were implacable. They outraged the natural gentleness of the young king, and demanded 
 from him heads and proscriptions. Milton, who had steeped, if not his hands, at least his pen, in the 
 blood of the late monarch, and the massacres of Ireland, more atrocious than those of September 
 1792, hastened to hide himself in the hope of being forgotten. He resigned liis office, and retired 
 into an obscure suburb of London, to allow time for the vengeance of his enemies to pass away. After 
 a short interval, to efface his name effectually from the remembrance of the Royalists, he gave out 
 that he was dead ; and while still in existence, superintended the ceremony of his own funeral. To 
 this subterfuge he was indebted for his life. He was not discovered until the first fury of reaction 
 had become satiated, and in some measure exhausted by indulgence. From his own windows he had 
 beheld the body of Cromwell dug up by the common executioner, paraded through the streets of 
 London, and exposed to the insults of the populace." 
 
 " Charles the Second heard of the retreat of Milton, and pretended to believe in the reality of his 
 death. He had no desire to stain the commencement of his reign with the execution of one of those 
 men destined to immortality, whose blood would cry for vengeance through future ages." 
 
 " He even offered to reinstate him in his office of Government Advocate, if he would devote his 
 talents to the cause of monarchs. His second wife intreated him to comply with this proposal. ' You 
 are a woman,' replied Milton, ' and your thoughts dwell on the domestic interests of our house : I 
 think only of posterity, and I will die consistently with my character.' By this time his affairs had 
 declined into poverty, approaching to indigence. His eyes, ever weak, had almost entirely lost their 
 light. 1 When he ventured out, he was supported by the arm of one of his daughters. Charles the 
 Second, one day when taking a ride, met him in St. James's Park, and inquired who was that hand- 
 some, blind old man. He was told it was Milton. He approached, and addressing the ancient 
 secretary of Cromwell in a tone of bitter irony, said, ' Heaven, sir, has inflicted this chastisement on 
 yon, for having participated in the murder of my father !' ' Sire,' replied the aged sufferer with 
 manly boldness, ' if the calamities which befal us here, are the punishment of our faults, or of the sins 
 of our parents, your own father must have been very culpable, for you yourself have endured much 
 misfortune.' The king passed on silently, and expressed no offence at the answer." 2 
 
 1 Lamartine here forgets that Milton was 
 totally bund at that period. 
 
 3 Memoirs of Celebrated Characters, by Al- 
 phonse de Lamartine. 2 vols. : 1854. J/ 
 Vol. ii., pp. 14-15. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 41 
 
 I HE PARDON OF MILTON, by KING CHARLES II. was one of those remark- 
 able and fortuitous acts that occasionally occur in the History of 
 Nations; an intervention, as it were, of special Providence. While 
 every effort of the Government was being made for the apprehension 
 and punishment of the Regicides, and even within a few months after 
 the revolutionary works of Milton 1 had been condemned to be " publicly burned by 
 the common hangman," 2 the heart of the King was softened towards their author. 
 But for that act of royal magnanimity, 3 JOHN MILTON, as a Poet, would have been 
 now only known as the author of a few juvenile and minor productions ! 
 
 On the retirement of Milton into private life, the design of his " immortal" 
 poem, PARADISE LOST, was resuscitated. " THEN," as that elegant and deeply read 
 Historian, HALLAM, most powerfully and most enthusiastically writes : 
 
 "THE REMEMBRANCE OF EARLY READING CAME OVER HIS DARK AND LONELY 
 PATH LIKE THE MOON EMERGING FROM THE CLOUDS. THEN IT WAS THAT THE MUSE 
 WAS TRULY HIS; NOT ONLY AS SHE POURED HER CREATIVE INSPIRATION INTO HIS 
 MIND, BUT AS THE DAUGHTER OF MEMORY, COMING WITH FRAGMENTS OF ANCIENT 
 MELODIES; THE VOICE OF EURIPIDES AND HOMER AND TASSO,- SOUNDS THAT HE HAD 
 LOVED IN YOUTH, AND TREASURED UP FOR THE SOLACE OF HIS AGE." 4 
 
 1 On the 12th of August a Royal Proclama- 
 tion appeared for the suppression of Milton's 
 Answer to Salmasius and to the Icon Basilike, 
 as also of a work by Goodwin, ordering the same 
 to be burned. The Proclamation recites : 
 " And whereas the said John Milton and John 
 Goodwin are both fled, or so obscure themselves 
 that no endeavours used for their apprehension 
 can take effect, whereby they might be brought 
 to legal tryal, and deservedly receive condign 
 punishment for their treasons and offences." 
 
 * " Likewise how wounderfully was Mr. John 
 Milton, who writ the seditious Antimonarchial 
 Book against the king, in answer to Learned 
 Salmasius, strucken blind soon after, and could 
 never since by any art, or skill, either recover 
 his sight, or preserve his Books from being 
 burned by the hands of the common Hang- 
 man." "The Traytor's Perspective Glass," by 
 J. T., Gent, 4to., 1662. 
 
 WINSTAJJLEY, a contemporary of Milton, and 
 author of "England's Worthies," 1660, and of 
 
 "TJie Lives of the English Poets" is much more 
 severe than the preceding author, J. T., by some 
 thought to be John Taylor the Water-Poet. 
 Winstanley devotes only a few lines to the life 
 of Milton, observing : " But his fame is gone out 
 like a Candle in a Snuff, and his Memory will 
 always stink, which might have ever lived in 
 honourable Repute, had he not been a notorious 
 Traytor, and most impiously and villanously be- 
 ly'd that blessed Martyr King Charles the First." 
 "Lives of the English Poets." 1687. 8vo.,p. 195. 
 
 3 The Return of Charles II. was at first 
 marked by many noble acts ; but, at a later 
 period, his feelings of gratitude, to those who 
 really had served him in his exile, were not much 
 overburdened. Yet withal, as Dr. Johnson 
 observes in the Life of Milton, the world has 
 had no other example of such lenity as that 
 shewn by the King towards the Poet. 
 
 1 Introduction to the Literature of Europe. 
 Vol. iv., chap. v. 
 
42 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OP 
 
 RE we proceed to the ELUCIDATION OF THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON, 
 we are led, consequent on our EAMBLINGS in the preceding pages, 
 to the consideration of the position of Scientific and Literary 
 Men and Artists in this country during the last hundred years. 
 
 It is now just about a century since OLIVER GOLDSMITH, 
 one of the popular writers and poets of his day, when struggling 
 under difficulties rarely exceeded in the life of his contemporaries, 
 issued anonymously, in 1759, the second production of his pen, "An Enquiry into 
 tlie Present State of Polite Learning." In that Essay he devotes the tenth chapter 
 to the subject "Of rewarding Genius in England." Those who read the works of 
 that eminent author without being aware that the one in question was almost the 
 first he had written, would naturally consider that the opinion of such an author 
 ought to be regarded with much respect. Goldsmith, however, was at that time just 
 emerging from the drudgery of his apprenticeship to Literature ; and seeing no 
 prospect of realizing a position among the distinguished men around him, he resolved 
 on returning to the Medical Profession, to which his first studies had been devoted. 
 He had been appointed, in 1758, a Physician to one of the Factories in India; and 
 in order to obtain the means for his equipment, he had recourse to publishing by 
 subscription the Essay above mentioned,- written under the feeling of disappointed 
 ambition. Accordingly he opens the chapter alluded to by deploringly stating : 
 
 " There is nothing authors are more apt to lament, than want of encouragement from the age. 
 Whatever their differences in other respects, they are all ready to unite in this complaint, and each 
 indirectly offers himself as an instance of the truth of his assertion. 
 
 " The beneficed divine, whose wants are only imaginary, expostulates as bitterly as the poorest 
 author. Should interest or good fortune advance the divine to a bishopric, or the poor son of Par- 
 nassus into that place which the other has resigned, both are authors no longer : the one goes to 
 prayers once a day, kneels upon cushions of velvet, and thanks gracious Heaven for having made the 
 circumstances of all mankind so extremely happy : the other battens on all the delicacies of life, 
 enjoys his wife and his easy chair, and sometimes, for the sake of conversation, deplores the luxury 
 of these degenerate days. 
 
 " All encouragements to merit are therefore misapplied, which make the author too rich to 
 continue his profession. There can be nothing more just than the old observation, that authors, like 
 running horses, should be fed, but not fattened. If we would continue them in our service, we should 
 reward them with a little money and a great deal of praise, still keeping their avarice subservient to 
 their ambition. Not that I think a writer incapable of filling an employment with dignity. I would 
 only insinuate, that when made a bishop or statesman, he will continue to please us as a writer no 
 longer ; as, to resume a former allusion, the running horse, when fattened, will still be fit for very 
 useful purposes, though unqualified for a courser. 
 
 " No nation gives greater encouragements to learning than we do ; yet at the same time none are 
 so injudicious in the application. We seem to confer them with the same view that statesmen have 
 been known to grant employments at court, rather as bribes to silence than incentives to emulation. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTOX. 43 
 
 " The poet's poverty is a standing topic of contempt. His wanting for bread is an unpardonable 
 offence. Perhaps of all mankind, an author in these times is used most hardly. We keep him poor, 
 and yet deride his poverty. Like angry parents who correct their children till they cry, and then 
 correct them for crying, we reproach him for living by his wit, and yet allow him no other means to 
 live." 
 
 After referring to the sad end of the Poet Collins, Goldsmith feelingly adds : 
 
 " It is enough that the age has already produced instances of men pressing foremost in the lists 
 of fame, and worthy of better times, schooled by continued adversity in an hatred of their kind, flying 
 from thought to drunkenness, yielding to the united pressure of labour, penury, and sorrow ; sinking 
 unheeded, without one friend to drop a tear on their unattended obsequies, and indebted to charity 
 for a grave. 
 
 " The author, when unpatronized by the Great, has naturally recourse to the bookseller. There 
 cannot be, perhaps, imagined a combination more prejudicial to taste than this. It is the interest of 
 the one to allow as little for writing, and of the other to write as much as possible ; accordingly, 
 tedious compilations and periodical magazines are the result of their joint endeavours. In these 
 circumstances the author bids adieu to fame, writes for bread, and for that only imagination is seldom 
 called in. He sits down to address the venal Muse with the most phlegmatic apathy ; and as we are 
 told of the Russian, courts Ms mistress by falling asleep in her lap. His reputation never spreads in 
 a wider circle than that of the trade, who generally value him, not for the fineness of his compositions 
 but the quantity he works off in a given time. 
 
 " A long habit of writing for bread thus turns the ambition of every author at last into avarice. 
 He finds that he has written many years, that the public are scarcely acquainted even with his name, 
 he despairs of applause, and turns to profit which invites him. He finds that money procures all 
 those advantages, that respect, and that ease, which he vainly expected from fame. Thus the man who, 
 under the protection of the Great, might have done honour to humanity, when only patronized by the 
 bookseller becomes a thing little superior to the fellow who works at the press." 
 
 Violent \vas the language of the disappointed author, written by him " in a 
 wretched, dirty room, in which there was but one chair." Yet, with all his sufferings, 
 Goldsmith thought better than to proceed to India. Whether his appeal had any 
 influence on improving his pecuniary condition, is not recorded, more than that soon 
 after the publication referred to, " he removed to very decent lodgings in Wine Office 
 Court, Fleet-street," where he wrote his far-famed " Vicar of Wakefield ;" and for 
 which, through the intervention of his neighbour, Dr. Johnson, he obtained from 
 Newberry, the bookseller, the sum of sixty pounds. But for that circumstance 
 Goldsmith would have been sent to prison, being then under arrest ! Thus was he 
 relieved from his difficulties by the very hands of those he had so recently abused. 
 The receipt of five hundred pounds from " honest" Tom Davies, the bookseller, a few 
 years after, for his "History of England," proved to Goldsmith that an author worthy 
 of employment, though perhaps "only patronized by the bookseller," could attain a 
 position in society, rather than become "a thing little superior to the fellow who 
 works at the press." 
 
 DRYDEN the Poet was another among many of the self-made unhappy men of 
 the day, who had not the prudence of reserving a portion of the produce arising from 
 the successful labours of their pens as a provision for old age; and accordingly, when 
 reduced almost to abject penury, we are not surprised at his using very much the 
 
 _ 
 
44 KAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 same reproachful language as Goldsmith, when in similar circumstances, emphatically 
 observing : " It will continue to be the ingratitude of mankind, that they who teach 
 wisdom by the surest means, shall generally live poor and unregarded ; as if they 
 were born only for the public, and had no interest in their o\vn well-being, but were 
 to be lighted up like tapers, and wasted themselves for the benefit of others." 
 
 Numerous as were the celebrated Men in this country during the eighteenth 
 century, there were few,- as compared with those of the preceding and present 
 centuries,-who could have claimed a right to some special recognition of their talent. 
 Now-a-days, the whole civilized world teems, as it were, with intellectual spirits. 
 England takes precedence of all other countries in every branch of Science, Literature, 
 and Art. Those pursuits are now adapted, not only to the intuitive and most 
 refined tastes; but to those whose minds and whose eyes are at first incapable of 
 appreciating the higher order, yet are soon enabled, by the progressively educational 
 examples placed before them, to distinguish the different degrees of perfection. 
 
 Never, in the history of mankind, was the "love of learning" so universal as now. 
 
 "MANY SHALL RUN TO AND FRO; AND KNOWLEDGE SHALL BE INCREASED." "Let us see," writes 
 DR. GUMMING, one of the most popular theologians of our day, " how literally descriptive these words 
 are of the present moment. 'Knowledge shall be increased.' A change has taken place amid the 
 masses of mankind, immense and unmistakeable. Never was the spread of knowledge so earnest a 
 pursuit ; never was the passion for it so ardent, enthusiastic, and universal. The folio that was of 
 old written for the few, is now expanded into tracts for the many. The Libraries of Ptolemy, or of 
 Alexandria, are now the circulating libraries in every neighbourhood. Systems of divinity and 
 learning that were once banked up in Universities, have now burst their embankments, and millions 
 slake their thirst where thousands sipped deliciously before. If ever in any age, it is in the present 
 that knowledge has become almost universal. Not many years ago, ' provincial' meant a man who 
 was barbarous in taste, deficient in learning. I venture to say that the provinces now contain as 
 enlightened people as the metropolis. ' Unpolite' literally means living out of the city ; and those 
 men were called impolite, or barbarous, or uncultivated, who were not citizens of no mean city. But 
 now the people outside of London are at least as polite as those that are within the walls. Encourage- 
 ment is now given to literature such as was never given before. I instance the enormous sums that 
 Scott, Byron, and others have received for, in one respect, evanescent and ephemeral, though brilliant, 
 productions. Compare with this the fact that Petrarch and Dante wrote their poems in exile ; that 
 Ariosto and Tasso lived in want, and one died in despair ; that Cervantes had to beg his bread ; that 
 Galileo had to confess that, after all, the sun went round the earth, in order to gratify the prejudices 
 of the Pope, and get bread, and escape imprisonment, and probably death. Milton sold his copyright 
 of Paradise Lost for five pounds. At present half the Bench of Bishops consist of the sons of petty 
 tradesmen and shopkeepers in England. The Lord Chief Justice at this moment is the son of a 
 Scottish parish minister. And you will find that our highest nobility, instead of looking down with 
 contempt and derision upon those who have won their way to the high and sunny levels of the world, 
 rejoice, and hail them as successful candidates and brothers. The broad sheet, at the present day, is 
 part of your breakfast table ; and so dissatisfied are men with the present supply of it every day, in 
 every town, that the House of Commons has passed a Bill for giving it, as they suppose, larger 
 circulation, and spreading it with still greater facility. The distant transactions of east, west, north, 
 south, are reflected day by day from the broad sheet. We have arrived, in this matter, at the 
 maximum of possible attainments : we cannot go beyond them. Schools also of a higher order are 
 springing up in every direction. A few years ago, if a man failed, and was unsuccessful as a shop- 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 45 
 
 keeper, he was pronounced good enough to be a schoolmaster. Now-a-days the schoolmaster occupies 
 a dignified position ; he is trained and educated for his office ; and I question if one schoolmaster 
 does not contribute as much to the well-being of the country as many a venerable and good bishop. 
 Knowledge is increasing in all directions : the schoolmaster and the press the latter an engine of 
 tremendous power are spreading far and wide that light which we do not fear but hail." 1 
 
 In an article 2 that appeared a few weeks since in the Literary Gazette, the writer 
 very forcibly remarks upon the subject under consideration : 
 
 " We contend that there is no want of respect towards literature in this country : we are not so 
 engrossed in the getting of wealth as to be indifferent to literary and artistic eminence. Would 
 Macaulay have been a lord, or Scott, Davy, Lawrence, Alison, and Bulwer Lytton, baronets, had they 
 not been distinguished in art, science, and literature ? Is he not frequently lifted far above his natural 
 position, and not rendered the happier for it ? Would it have added to the comfort of Burns if he 
 had every day ' dinnered wi' a lord'? Do we not habitually look for something like equality of social 
 condition in our intimates ; and this for our own comfort, and without much regard to their ability 
 or the want of it ? In short, cceteris paribus, do we not honour literary eminence as much as we can ? 
 The man who has written a volume of essays is not, therefore, a more desirable companion for the 
 great dignitary of the State, or the wealthy landed proprietor ; nor is the latter a more agreeable 
 companion for the litterateur. If there be any sympathy of feeling between them, they will associate ; 
 if not, companionship would be worse than useless. 
 
 " The complaint that literature is not respected, arises out of the mistake which we have exposed, 
 that there is a literary class, and that the purveyors of light literature are its members. A great deal 
 has been said of the way in which men of letters are honoured in Prance and Germany ; but there is 
 little or no reason for it. There is more reading in both those countries than in our own ; and 
 writers, therefore, are better paid. But as to social distinction, the case is very much as it is among 
 ourselves. Germany had a Humboldt ; France has a Cuvier ; England has a Macaulay. If Lamartine 
 were the head of a provisional government, Milton was a Secretary of State. 3 If Guizot, a Prime 
 Minister, has written history ; so did Fox. Both were statesmen before all things ; and if we wish to 
 make out claims for a literary class, as such, we shall assuredly fail. Those only deserve to be called 
 'literary men,' who, in their own day, give the world the fruits of careful study, as well as of original 
 genius. These do not complain of the treatment they meet with ; nor have they, for the most part, 
 reason to do so. They will represent the literature of the age when the age itself has passed away, 
 and will be embalmed in the grateful memories of future generations." 
 
 The Higher Branches of Intellectuality are the result of the progressive cultiva- 
 tion of the faculties graciously bestowed by the All- Wise Creator on the Human Race : 
 
 "All heart they live, all head, all ear, 
 All intellect, all sense" - 
 
 are words, in whatever sense they were used by Milton, which can be equally applied 
 to Man and Animals that have come within the influence of educational power. 
 
 The End, by the Rev. John Cumming, D.D. 
 1856. Pp. 133-5. 
 
 2 "The Literary Character." The Literary 
 Gazette, September 17, 1859. 
 
 3 The author of this article here commits a 
 mistake. Though there is no question that Mil- 
 ton virtually fulfilled the duties of Secretary of 
 State, in addition to those of Latin Secretary to 
 the Council, the latter was the only appointment 
 officially held by him. 
 
46 RAMBLIXGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Wonderfully marvellous are the nice distinctions between Intellect and Sctgaciti/,- 
 Reason and Instinct. 
 
 As in the several Species of Animals there are various degrees of excellence in 
 their nature, so with the Human Race. The Creator designed that Man should be 
 dependent, as in all the other works of the Creation, upon his fellow man, involving, 
 in the working of the whole, one system of perfection. Accordingly, as the various 
 portions of the Globe became inhabited by the human race, man in each portion 
 was, by Divine Providence, specially adapted to it. In the Aborigines of all nations 
 there have always been found some exhibiting a greater degree of perfection, 
 corporeally and mentally, than others. There will be seen, even among the most 
 unenlightened and savage of Men, of some of whom it might be remarked, " How 
 different that man is from all the others,-what noble bearing, and what an intellectual 
 countenance !" And on inquiry it will perhaps be found, that that very man has 
 some intuitive feeling of superiority over all his neighbours. Whence could such a 
 feeling have arisen, but from the design of the Creative Power in permitting it to be 
 specially distinguishable ? 
 
 Thus the Origin of the Pride of Man,-Man, the Pride of His Creator ! Unless 
 by the introduction of foreign blood, the different species of the human race have not 
 varied since the period of their first known existence. Civilization may alter their 
 habits, and education may improve their intellectual powers; yet, as far as regards 
 their variety, their nature is the same, however much it may appear to be altered. 
 
 " Blood" is as much discernible and traceable in Man as in the Horse, one of the 
 higher order of animals. The aboriginal Arab horse that existed in the earliest 
 days, remains in that country and other spots in the East, the same. Imported else- 
 where, it mixes its blood with all other breeds, constituting varieties of excellence 
 according to the nature of the animals with which it becomes associated. In a pair 
 of perfectly pure Arab Horses bred in this country, the difference that is perceptible 
 in their appearance arises only from the climate. Take the pair back to their native 
 land, and their stock will be as before. What can be more remarkable than the 
 purity of blood in the different and endless varieties of Dogs 1 What interesting 
 anecdotes might be related of Setters having been produced by Pointers, and vice 
 versa; the two varieties on either side not having had any connexion with each 
 other, a cross having perhaps taken place several generations before.-Breeding back ! 
 
 The distinctiveness exhibited in the races of men in different countries is so 
 complete, that, whatever changes may take place in their social condition, there will 
 always be found sufficient remaining of the original stock to mark their identity. 
 That the general character of a particular race becomes materially altered by its 
 intermixture with foreign blood, is most true; and nowhere is that more dis- 
 cernible than in England. If in this country we desire to seek examples of pure 
 Saxon blood, we must not expect to find them among the wealthier classes of the 
 community. We must visit the middle classes far deep in those parts of the land 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 47 
 
 where many families can trace their genealogies with much more correctness, 
 centuries earlier, than any recorded in the Heralds' College. So likewise with those 
 of Norman 1 descent, whence sprung what is termed the Aristocracy of the Country. 
 You will seek in vain for pure examples in the greater portion of the Koyal and 
 Noble Personages of England. Their blood has been so intermixed with that of 
 foreign nations, that very little trace of their original extraction is discernible. Their 
 very nature, as it were, has changed; and few there are of such families, that, without 
 their paraphernalia of external decoration, could be exhibited as presenting the noble 
 character for which the Norman was celebrated in all parts of the world. There is 
 no lack, however, of that blood even now-a-days. There are in the land of " the True 
 Old English Gentleman,"- some in wealthier positions of society, and many in very 
 humble life,- thousands, who, without having intermarried out of their own stock, can 
 trace the same features, the same dispositions, the same pursuits, the same diseases, 
 the same virtues, aye, and the same vices for centuries. In some one of each family 
 such characteristics will be found to have descended, thus perpetuating the general 
 character of the original stock. Many believe that the force of education and 
 example is such, as that any person, selected from parents,-however low in position, 
 and remarkable for their coarseness of body and general bearing,- if brought up with 
 all the delicacies and tutorial care that could be bestowed upon him, would entirely 
 lose the nature of his own parents, and would partake in every respect of all the 
 characteristics of a high-bred man. It is a great mistake. 
 
 " Naturam expelles fared, tamen usque recurret."-~H.O'R., Ep. i. 10. 
 
 It is also an absurdity to suppose that the offspring of those who have become 
 celebrated as warriors, statesmen, poets, authors, architects, etc., should be equally 
 distinguished. They would exhibit naturally but little of the same character, except 
 as intuitively derived from their after intercourse with their parents; though many 
 cases might be found in which the genius of the father has developed itself in the 
 son without the smallest educational influence or even presence of the former. Such 
 are the gifts of Nature, and as unfathomable to the mind of man as its spiritual 
 existence within his own body. 
 
 Inscrutable is the wisdom of the Almighty in all the details of the Creation. 
 That it has pleased God to bestow upon some men, in all countries, superiority over 
 their fellows, is a fact that cannot but be allowed ; and while raising men to such a 
 distinction, a re-creative power may be exercised whereby the constitution of the 
 being is altogether altered. 2 In the Government of the World, Man is destined to 
 
 1 Pure Norman descent is nowhere more con- 
 spicuous than in the Channel Islands. 
 
 2 We have often remarked that the character- 
 istic physiognomy of the Jew becomes more 
 
 softened, and his general bearing considerably 
 altered, after having embraced the Christian 
 religion. The subject is one worthy of the con- 
 sideration of Physiognomists and writers on 
 
 Ethnology. 
 
4-S K AMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 to take part according to the position allotted to him by the dispensation of Divine 
 Providence ; and the higher his position, the greater his responsibility. He was not 
 empowered to tyrannize over his fellow creatures, nor to consider himself as of a 
 distinct creation ; forgetting that a time would come when those whom he had looked 
 upon as of a quality inferior to his own, and below his notice, might be as much and 
 more exalted than himself. It is the absence of common PHILANTHROPY in the 
 hearts of many of those on whom Providence has lavishly bestowed the world's titles, 
 riches, and luxuries, that produces so much unhappiness in this transitory life. It 
 ever has been so, and will probably be so, as long as this dispensation continues. 
 That detestable and worldly purse-proud feeling exhibited by some of the empty- 
 headed wealthy landed proprietors, county families, and the richer men in all 
 occupations, whether as servants of the public, professional, or in business, is only 
 equalled by that most unhappy and most selfish Vanity which frequently takes root 
 in the minds of those to whom the Almighty has been more than ordinarily bountiful 
 in the expansion of their intellectual powers, as exhibited in the numerous branches 
 of Literature, Science, and Art. It is melancholy to observe with what contempt 
 some of those who have been more successful than others in obtaining the praise, 
 the titles, and the emoluments of the world, look down upon their fellow labourers 
 in the vineyard. If such Men could only be brought seriously to consider the 
 humble position that their God and Saviour took upon himself in order to point out 
 to them the folly and littleness of worldly pride, they would act somewhat differently 
 towards their less fortunate brethren. The trade of a Carpenter, emblematical of the 
 Creation of the Universe, was not considered beneath the dignity of the Divine 
 Builder of the Temple,- the Corner Stone of our Faith. As in the Productions of 
 Nature there are found many varieties of excellence, so are there gradations in the 
 Productions of Intellect,- gradations equally fitted to be appreciated and to be 
 respected. Let, therefore, none bow down their heads in the lowliness of their own 
 estimation, but let them be thankful that whatever little good the increase of intel- 
 lectuality allotted to them has enabled them to do, they are indebted solely to the 
 influence of that Holy Spirit, the working of which "passeth all understanding." 
 
 The Rewards and Honours that have been received by Men distinguished for 
 the beneficial use of their Genius and Intellect, are far more extended in this than in 
 any other country, though at the same time we cannot but join in the feeling that 
 a plain and untitled "Order of Merit" would be unmistakeably received as one of 
 the most gratifying distinctions that could be awarded to those who either for 
 pleasure or profit render themselves useful in the cultivation of the mind. 
 
 The Appendix at the close of this work will form, we hope, a not uninteresting 
 record of the Honours bestowed during the last two hundred years on Men remark- 
 able for their excellence in the use of their Intellectual Powers. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTOX. 
 
 49 
 
 THE JUVENILE AND OTHER POEMS OF MILTON. 
 
 AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT IN TRINITY COLLEGE LIBRARY, 
 
 CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 fig 
 
 HOMAS WARTON, B.D., Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford -Poet 
 Laureate,- author of "The History of English Poetry" and many 
 other learned works, may be said to be almost the only editor of 
 the Poetical Works of Milton, who has given anything like a 
 detailed account of this most peculiarly interesting Autographic 
 Memorial of the Poet. Nearly all the Milton biographers and 
 commentators make mention of it more or less. Very few of them 
 appear to have examined it with any degree of care, and many of them not to have 
 even seen it. 
 
 We must not, however, omit noticing that the very learned and Venerable 
 Archdeacon Todd, in his " Variorum" edition 1 of the Poetical Works of Milton, has, 
 at the close of the poems which occur in the Cambridge Manuscript, given, as Warton 
 did, a careful collation of the alterations and erasures made by the author. 
 
 Warton, at the end of his edition of the Poems of Milton, has many pages 
 devoted to " ORIGINAL VARIOUS READINGS," taken from that Autograph Memorial 
 which forms the basis of our present investigation, introducing it to his readers by 
 the subjoined prefatory remark respecting the accidental discovery of the manuscript: 
 
 " In the Library of Trinity College Cambridge, is a thin folio manuscript, marked MISCELL. R. ii. 
 49. It is splendidly bound, and to the inside of one of the covers is pasted a paper with this 
 inscription, 2 ' Membra haec eruditissimi et pene Divini Poetro olim misere disjecta et passim sparsa, 
 postea vero fortuito inventa, et in usum denuo collecta a CAROLO MASON ejusdem Collegii Socio, et 
 inter Miscellanea reposita, ea qua decuit, Religione conservare voluit THOMAS CLARKE, nuperrime 
 hujusce Collegii nunc vero Medii Temple Londini Socius, 1736.' 
 
 " Doctor Mason, above mentioned, who was also Woodwardian professor at Cambridge, found 
 
 1 The Poetical Works of Milton, with Notes 
 of Various Authors. To which are added Illus- 
 trations, and some Account of the Life and 
 Writings of Milton. By the Rev. Henry J. 
 Todd, M.A., F.A.S., Rector of Allhallows, Lom- 
 bard-street, etc. 7 vols. 8vo., 1809. 
 
 Unless noting any of the new biographical and 
 other particulars contained in the last edition of 
 " Todd' a Milton," 4 vols., 1842, our references will 
 be made to the edition here quoted. 
 
 " The words, an insertion at a later period, 
 stating that the sheets now forming the volume 
 
 were collected together by Dr. Mason, are within 
 parentheses. Warton has not given the inscrip- 
 tion with that accuracy we, as bibliographers, 
 desire to see. The subjoined is a correct tran- 
 script of the original as contained in the volume : 
 " Lib. Trin. Coll. Cantabr. Membra ha?c erudi- 
 tissimi et pcene Divini Poetse olim misere dis- 
 jecta et passim sparsa, postea vero fortuito In- 
 venta et in usum denuo collecta (a Carolo Mason 
 ejus col. Socio et inter miscellanea reposita, de- 
 inceps) ea qua decuit, Religione Servari voluit 
 Thomas Clarke, nuperrime hujusce Collegii nunc 
 vero Medii Templi Londini Socius, 1736." 
 
50 
 
 EAMBLINGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 these papers among other old and neglected Manuscripts belonging to Sir Henry Newton Puckering, 1 
 a considerable benefactor to the Library. Besides plans of PARADISK LUST, and sketches and subjects 
 for poetry, all in Milton's own hand, they contain entire copies of many of our author's smaller poems, 
 in the same hand, except in a few instances, exhibiting his first thoughts and expressions, and most 
 commonly his own corrections of them according to the present text. All these variations, but 
 imperfectly and incorrectly printed by Birch, are here given, with other notices, from a more minute 
 and careful examination of the manuscript." 
 
 On the recto of the first leaf of the Manuscript, otherwise blank, is written in an old 
 hand, " MILTON'S JUVENILE POEMS, &c., Liber. Trin. Coll. Cant., inter Miscel. ^^;" 
 
 " Except in a few cases," Warton considered the contents of the volume to be 
 in the autograph of Milton ; and accordingly, when referring to the variations in the 
 text of the several productions contained in it, notes those portions that are not in 
 the autograph of the Poet, coming to the conclusion that they are by the hands of 
 six different persons,- one man and Jive females,- as stated by Warton in the 
 "Original Various Readings," pp. 588-590, a conclusion hitherto uncontradicted. 
 
 The majority of those who profess their love for literature, care very little 
 whether the original poems of Milton are handed down in the autograph of the 
 author, or in those of his Amanuenses, male or female. They care little for the 
 preservation of such a volume, and look at it as they would at an ordinary curiosity. 
 Still there do exist not a few having the same enthusiastic feelings as ourselves, who 
 love to see the contents of such a volume as that under consideration copiously 
 recorded. 
 
 We have never despaired, nor do we despair, notwithstanding the more recent 
 and continued researches of Antiquarian and Literary Societies, of some portion of 
 the AUTOGRAPH WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE being discovered. The Original Manuscript 
 of his Plays was, no doubt, destroyed at the time of their being printed. Not so, we 
 think, all the Manuscripts of his Poems. They may still exist, as Milton's did, 
 unknown and unheeded, in the form of a COMMON-PLACE BOOK. May we live to see 
 it discovered ; and may we then be permitted to write another work on the " ELUCI- 
 DATION OF THE AUTOGRAPH OF SHAKESPEARE,"- and in doing so, not to forget our 
 family motto, " Ou Bien ou Rien" a motto we have endeavoured, in our present 
 researches, to keep in view ; and in our next amusement, THE AUTOGRAPH OF TASSO ! 
 
 1 SIR H. N. PUCKERING. " He had so great 
 an afiection for this college, in which he had 
 been educated, that in his eightieth year he 
 desired to be readmitted : and residing there a 
 whole summer, presented to the new library, 
 just then finished, his own collection of books, 
 amounting to nearly four thousand volumes. He 
 was the son of Sir Adam Newton, tutor to 
 Prince Henry ; and many papers written by 
 that Prince, or relating to him, are involved in 
 the collection. Sir Henry took the name of 
 Puckering in remembrance of his uncle Sir 
 
 Thomas Puckering of Warwickshire, a learned 
 and accomplished man, brother-in-law to Sir 
 Adam Newton, son of Lord Keeper Puckering, 
 a companion of the studies of Prince Henry. 
 Many of the books were presents to the Prince 
 from authors or editors. In Dr. Duport's HORJK 
 SUBSECIV.E, a poem is addressed to this preserver 
 of Milton's Manuscripts, 'Ad D. Henrlcum Puck- 
 eringum, aliag Newtonum, Eq/tit/'m /K//-.///-7///,,,. 
 Cantab., 1G76, 8vo., pp. 222-223." 7V,,,.< -/ 
 Milton lij Warton, p. 578, nnt<-. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 51 
 
 AUTOGRAPH POEMS. PAGES 1, 2, AND 3. 
 
 PLATE I. FAG-SIMILE OF PAGE I. 
 
 JIRCADES. " PART OF AN ENTERTAINMENT"-" presented to the Countess 
 Dowager of Derby at Harefield, by some noble persons of her family, 
 who appear on the scene in pastoral habit, moving towards the seat of 
 state with this song." 1 
 
 Our fac-simile, plate I., No. 1, forms the chief portion of the first 
 page of the Trinity College Manuscript. The page is in a sadly dilapidated state, 
 the lower part being so injured as to render a fac-simile of it unsatisfactory. Much 
 mutilated and repaired also is the second leaf, on the upper part of the recto of 
 Avhich Arcades closes, the rest of the page being blank. 
 
 It is there seen that when Milton commenced his Arcades, he had not ascer- 
 tained where the dramatic entertainment was to be performed, the name of the place 
 being left blank. It is also seen that Milton at first intitled his Arcades as "Part 
 of a Maske;" but after writing the first two lines, he appears to have changed his 
 plan. The alteration in the title was made at a subsequent time, the ink in which 
 it is written being much darker than that of the poem itself. This interesting circum- 
 stance is not noticed by Warton, Todd, or any of the learned editors of the Poems. 
 
 It has been generally asserted that Milton wrote his Arcades in 1632, after he 
 had left Cambridge. That this was not the case, is almost evident from the fact of 
 the Arcades, which commences on the first page of the Trinity College Manuscript, 
 being followed on pages 6 and 7 by the Letter and Sonnet on his attaining the age 
 of twenty- three, written on or before December 8th, 1631. Warton considers that 
 Arcades was composed at Horton ; 2 but he gives no date. So also Todd. 3 Keightley 
 assigns its composition to 1634, but without any observation as to his authority. 
 Masson adopts this chronology, grounding his opinion upon the order of the 
 poems as they occur in the editions of 1645 and 1673. The learned Masson, how- 
 ever, will find that there is no strict chronological plan adopted in the arrange- 
 
 1 The whole of the page is, with the exception 
 of the altered title, in a brown ink, as in our 
 fac-simile. 
 
 2 Poems by Milton. Ed. by Warton, 1791, 
 p. 98, note. 
 
 3 " Having taken the degree of M.A. in 1632, 
 he left the university, and retired to his father's 
 house in the country ; who had now quitted 
 
 business, and lived at an estate which he had 
 purchased at Horton near Colnebrook, in Buck- 
 inghamshire. Here he resided five years ; in 
 which time he not only, as he himself informs 
 us, read over the Greek and Latin authors, par- 
 ticularly the historians, but is also believed to 
 have written his Arcades, Comus, L'Allegro, II 
 I'eiiseroso, and Lijcidas." Poetical Works of Mil- 
 ton, by Todd, vol. i. p. 18. 
 
 7 2 
 
52 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 ment of the Poems in these or any subsequent edition : such points having been 
 overlooked. 
 
 We can hardly suppose that Milton, in a volume designed as the first repository 
 of his compositions, should have turned back and commenced his Arcades on p. 1 ; 
 and, adopting the design of the Procustian bed, should have taken care to curtail or 
 enlarge it, so as with the Ode on pages 4 and 5 exactly to occupy the five pages left 
 blank. This is a supposition too preposterous to be entertained; and therefore we 
 think we are justified in coming to the conclusion that the Arcades was written 
 before the Letter and Sonnet, and is to be dated anterior to December 8, 1631. 
 
 There is no authority as to the precise date when Arcades was represented at 
 Harefield. Keightley, 1 following others, states that Henry Lawes, the friend of 
 Milton, was at the time in the service of the Countess of Derby, and that he availed 
 himself of the assistance of his young friend Milton, then residing at Horton, a few 
 miles from Harefield. Now if Arcades, as is certainly shewn upon very fair argu- 
 ment, was written before or in 1631, it proves that the father of Milton was at that 
 time resident at Horton. Masson 2 thinks that the vacation of 1631 was the "Jirst'' 
 his son, the young Poet, spent there, but is doubtful as to the precise period when 
 the father of Milton retired to the place. 
 
 It may be interesting to notice that Milton dates the fifth of his published 
 Familiar Letters " From my Villa, Dec. 4, 1634." This letter is addressed to his old 
 Schoolmaster, ALEXANDER GILL. It is so characteristic that we do not hesitate here 
 to insert it. 
 
 " If yon had made me a present of a piece of plate, or any other valuable which excites the 
 admiration of mankind, I should not be ashamed in my turn to remunerate you, as far as my circum- 
 stances would permit. But since you, the day before yesterday, presented me with an elegant and 
 beautiful poem in Hendecasyllabic verse, which far exceeds the worth of gold, you have increased my 
 solicitude to discover in what manner I may requite the favour of so acceptable a gift. I had by me 
 at the time no compositions in a like style which I thought at all fit to come in competition with the 
 excellence of your performance. I send you therefore a composition which is not entirely my own, 
 but the production of a truly inspired bard ; from which I last week rendered this ode into Greek 
 heroic verse, as I was lying in bed before the day dawned, without any previous deliberation, but with 
 a certain impelling faculty, for which I know not how to account. By his help who does not less 
 surpass you in his subject than you do me in the execution, I have sent something which may serve 
 to restore the equilibrium between us. If you see reason to find fault with any particular passage, I 
 must inform you, that, from the time I left your school, this is the first and the last piece I have ever 
 composed in Greek, since, as yon know, I have attended more to Latin and to English composition. 
 He who at this time employs his labour and his time in writing Greek, is in danger of writing what 
 will never be read. Adieu, and expect to see me, God willing, at London on Monday, among the 
 booksellers. In the meantime, if you have interest enough with that Doctor who is the master of the 
 college, to promote my business, I beseech you to see him as soon as possible, and act as your friend- 
 ship for me may prompt. 
 
 " From my Villa, Dec. 4, 1634." 
 
 1 Life of Milton, by Keightley, 1859, p. 278. 
 
 2 Life of Milton by Masson. Vol. i., 1859, 
 p. 534, note. 
 
I. 
 
 * 
 
 <*!&?&- & *>, 
 ~ <*#&*+ 
 
 ***. 
 
 %'& jr *M<k4 **<& 
 
 ?*^**i^f- **#$ &-*44f / 
 
 ^- ^*4: JL.^1. k ^/^ fa 
 
 
 n- 4'<7J) 
 * '* 
 
 "4- ^- 
 
 -X 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 53 
 
 In a letter to his friend Carlo Deodati, in 1626, Milton writes of his then 
 residence "siiburbani nobilis umbra loci." In the original of the letter to Alexander 
 Gill, December 4, 1634, it is written "J nostro suburbano." The learned Masson 1 
 does not consider that the father of Milton had retired to Horton so early as 1626; 
 but that the suburban villa mentioned by Milton " was some other place which the old 
 gentleman may have had nearer London." From using, in 1634, the expression 
 "suburban" as characteristic of the locality of his then residence, without any 
 intimation of its having recently become the property of his family, and from other 
 facts, we are much inclined to think the father of the Poet may have resided at 
 Horton as early as 1626. 
 
 PAGES 4 AND 5. 
 
 ||N ODE. "AT A SOLEMN Music." This Ode appears to have been very 
 carefully considered by the Poet. He has on pages 4 and 5 made no 
 less than three copies of it, each with important variations, which are 
 given by Warton, Todd, and Keightley. The third copy, headed "At 
 a Solemn Musick," is written, though coarsely, with considerable care 
 
 in a smaller hand. 
 
 If we were to adopt the order of the Poems as they appeared when first 
 
 published in 1645, as the chronological order in which they were written, this Ode, 
 
 which takes precedence of the Sonnet on Shakespeare, dated 1630, must have been 
 
 written either in that or an anterior year. 
 
 PAGES 6 AND 7. 
 
 1ETTER AND SONNET. Two draughts of a letter written from Cam- 
 bridge to an intimate friend, enclosing the very interesting Sonnet 
 
 "ON HIS BEING ARRIVED AT THE AGE OF 23." 
 
 Warton but slightly mentions this letter in a note appended to the 
 Sonnet. The letter is printed in the Life of Milton by Masson, who 
 thus introduces it in chapter v., under "C/iurch and Government :" 
 
 " When Milton went to Cambridge, it was with the intention of entering the Church. Before 
 he had taken his Master's degree, however, this intention had been entirely, or all but entirely, aban- 
 doned. There exists an interesting letter of his, written about the very time when his determination 
 against the Church began to be taken ; and in this letter he describes the reasons of his hesitation at 
 some length. The letter, of which there are two drafts in Milton's handwriting, in the Library of 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, must have been written in December 1631, or in the early part of 1631-2 ; 
 
 1 Life of Milton, by Masson, vol. i., 1859, note, p. 525. 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 and it was clearly sent, or meant to be sent, to some friend at Cambridge, his senior in years, who 
 had been remonstrating with him on his aimless course of life at the University." 1 
 
 The Sonnet written by Milton on his twenty-third birthday, of which an Electro- 
 Block Fac-simile is given at p. 14, and again, in lithography, plate I., No. II., was 
 published for the first time in 1645. It occurs in the volume of his poems, of that 
 date, p. 49, as Sonnet VII. It has there, however, no heading 2 or note stating the 
 occasion of its composition. The letter wherein the Sonnet appears, Milton prefaces : 
 " Yet that you may see that I am something suspicious of myself, and do take notice of a certain 
 belatedness in me, I am the bolder to send you some of my nightward thoughts some while since, 
 because they come in not altogether unfitly, made up in a Petrarchian stanza, which I told you of." 
 
 PAGE 8. 
 DES. " ON TIME. To be set on a Clock-Case." 
 
 AND 
 
 "UPON THE CIRCUMCISION." 
 
 To the closing lines of the Ode "On Time:" 
 
 " When once our heav'nly-guided soul shall clime, 
 Then all his earthly grossness quit. 
 Attir'd with stars, we shall for ever sit, 
 
 Triumphing over Death, and chance, and thee, Time." 
 
 Warton 3 notes that " Milton could not help applying the most solemn and myste- 
 rious truths of religion on all subjects and occasions. He has here introduced 
 the beatick vision, and the investiture of the soul with a robe of stars, into an 
 inscription on a clock-case. Perhaps something more moral, more plain and intelli- 
 gible, would have been more proper. John Bunyan, if capable of rhyming, would 
 have written such an inscription for a clock-case. The latter part of these lines may 
 be thought wonderfully sublime ; but it is in the cant of the times. The Poet should 
 be distinguished from the Enthusiast." Warton could have had but little real poetry 
 in his soul, when he would desire to admit of no enthusiasm in the mind of a Poet. 
 The Venerable Archdeacon Todd very justly adds to this feeble criticism, " Yet still 
 
 1 The Life of John Milton : narrated in con- 
 nexion with the Political, Ecclesiastical, and 
 Literary History of his Time. By David Mas- 
 son, M.A., Professor of English Literature in 
 University College, London. Vol. i., 1608-1639. 
 Cambridge, 1859, pp. 289-90. 
 
 1 Masson states that the heading to the Son- 
 net occurs in the edition of 1645. Such is not 
 the case, either in that or the second edition 
 dated 1673. "Life of Milton," by Massou, p. 
 291, note. 
 
 ' Poems of Milton, by Warton, p. 295, note. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 55 
 
 I think Milton is here no enthusiast : the triumph which he mentions will certainly 
 be the triumph of every sincere Christian." 
 
 As we shall have occasion to refer to an annotated copy by Milton, of Britcm- 
 n ia's Pastorals, by Browne, we here notice the similarity of expression to the feelings 
 of Milton in the annexed two lines of that Poem, Book /., S. 4 : 
 
 " Her words, embalmed in so sweet a breath, 
 That made them triumph both on Time and Death." 
 
 PAGE 9. 
 
 lONNET VIII. " ON HIS DORE WHEN Y E CITTY EXPECTED AN ASSAULT," 
 or"AVHEX THE ASSAULT WAS INTENDED TO Y E CITTY, 1642." Date 
 subsequently erased. 
 
 It is evident, that, after the preceding Odes, Milton purposely left 
 pages 9 to 12 inclusive blank, intending most probably to fill them up with pieces 
 he had previously perhaps composed, but omitted to insert, not then having the 
 volume at hand. 
 
 The published Sonnets of Milton number twenty-three. Their numerical order 
 differs in some of the later editions. We note them as numbered by Warton and 
 Todd, those numbers being more in accordance with their order in the original MS., 
 and in the two editions of the Poems 1 of the Author published during his life, 1645 
 
 1 " POEMS or ME. JOHN MILTON, both English 
 and Latin, compos'd at several times. Printed 
 by his true Copies. The Songs were set in 
 Musick by Mr. Henry Lawes, Gentleman of the 
 Kings Chappel, and one of his Maiesties Private 
 Musick. 
 
 . Baccare frontem 
 
 Cingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro. 
 
 Virgil, Eclog. 7. 
 
 Printed and pnblish'd according to Order. 
 London, printed ly Ruth Emvorth for Humphrey 
 ^foseley, and are to le sold at tlie gigne of the 
 Princes Arms in S. Paul's Church-yard. 1645. 
 
 pp. 214. Small 8vo. 
 
 Prefixed is an oval portrait of Milton by Mar- 
 shall, with an inscription in Greek, intended by 
 the poet as a satire on the engraver. Following 
 the poems, which are preceded by an epistle 
 from the publisher, is the Masque of Comus, 
 
 with a distinct title, and dedicated by H. Lawes 
 'To the Right Honourable Lord Viscount 
 Bracly, Son and Heir apparent to the Earl of 
 Bridgewater, &c.' The poems end on rev. of 
 H 4, p. 120. Then follows ' The copy of a Letter 
 written by Sir Henry Wootton to the Author, 
 upon the following Poem.' The Latin poems 
 have a distinct title with fresh signatures and 
 repaging, and close the volume on the recto of 
 F 4, p. 87. 
 
 " POEMS, &c., Upon Several Occasions. By 
 Mr. John Milton : Both English and Latin, &c. 
 Composed at several times. With a small Trac- 
 tate of Education to Mr. Hartlib. 
 
 " London, printed for Tho. Bring at the Wliite 
 Lion next Chancery Lane End, in Fleet-street, 1673. 
 pp. 292. 8vo. 
 
 " After the title to this edition, the second of 
 the author's smaller poems, and the last pub- 
 
56 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 and 1673. 1 With the exception of the first Sonnet, "To the Nightingale," those 
 preceding No. VII. are in the Italian language. The second Sonnet is that "On his 
 having arrived at the Age of 23." In the first edition of the Poems only ten Sonnets 
 are printed ; therefore this and the two following complete that number. The last 
 four in that edition have no headings or notes specifying the subjects. Hitherto 
 there has not occurred in the Trinity College Manuscript any other writing but the 
 Autograph of Milton. On the upper part of page 9, however, we find a Sonnet in 
 a totally different hand, as seen in the subjoined fac-simile,- another speci- 
 
 lished in his lifetime, is, ' The Table of English 
 Poems,' followed by another of the Latin Poems, 
 and note of Errata. The English Poems then 
 begin on A, and finish on L 3, p. 165. The 
 Latin ones next commence with a separate title 
 on L 4, and re-paging. The Tribute to Educa- 
 tion and catalogue of Books printed for T. Dring 
 closing the volume on S 8." 
 
 1 The edition of 1673, printed only the year 
 before the death of Milton, contains many pieces 
 not in the edition of 1645. It was published by 
 Thomas Dring, and consequently the address 
 from the previous publisher is omitted, as also 
 the name of Henry Lawes on the title. It, like 
 the edition of 1645, bears no indication of having 
 been published under the direction of the author. 
 It has no dedication, or Address to the Reader ; 
 and furthermore, the dedication by Lawes, and 
 the letter of Sir Henry Wootton preceding the 
 COMUS, are omitted. 
 
 We subjoin a note of the omissions and addi- 
 tions in the edition of 1673. 
 Date to the Poem, p. 1, "On the Morning of 
 
 'Christ's Natirity," omitted. 
 Poem, "Amw cetatis 17 on the Death of a fair 
 
 Infant dying of a Cough," added. 
 Headings to Sonnets TIL, Tin., ix., and x., 
 omitted, as in the first edition. 
 ADDITIONAL SONNETS. 
 
 xi. " On the detraction which followed upon my 
 writing certain treatises." Heading omit- 
 ted. 
 
 xn. On the same. 
 
 xin. "To Mr. H. Lawes, on his Aires." 
 xrv. " On the religious memory of Mrs. Catherine 
 THOMSON, my Christian friend, deceased 
 16 Decemlr. 1646." 
 
 xvn. 
 xvin. 
 
 xix. 
 
 xv. "On tin' I'll' ' in 
 
 xvi. "On his BLINDNJ ss." No heading. 
 "To MB. LAWRENCE." No heading. 
 "To CYRIAC SKINNER." No heading. 
 The second Sonnet to Cyriac Skinner, 
 commencing, "Cyriack, this t/ii-rr i/.w/-x 
 day these eys ; though clean," is omitted. 
 "On his DECEASED WIFE." Heading 
 
 omitted. 
 Next follow "The Fifth Ode of HORACE" with the 
 
 Latin version. 
 Poem, "Ai/nti JKtiitix !!, :is u \'/irii/!,iu /-,Vi /v/V, 
 
 &c., in the Colledge," &c. 
 Lines " On the new forcers of Conscience under 
 
 the Long PARLIAMENT." 
 ARCADES. Nothing occurs between Sonnet x. 
 
 and Arcades in edition 1645. 
 LTCIDAS. 
 
 COMUS. This, in edition 1645, has a distinct 
 title, a dedication by Henry Lawes to 
 Viscount Bracly, and "The copy of a />//,/ 
 written ly Sir Ilmti-y Wootton to flu' .\tttlnn; 
 
 UIHIH till' fllllotl'illi/ I'nriil." 
 
 PSALMS i. to Tin. inclusive, dated At<:/it,it 1653. 
 PSALMS LXXX. to LXXXIX. inclusive, headed "J///V/ 
 1648, /. M. Nine of the Psalms done in In 
 Metre, wherein all but what /.- in n ////'/./// 
 Character, are the very words of the Tt-j:t,froin 
 the Original." 
 
 These conclude the English Poems in the edi- 
 tion of 1673 ; the Latin Poems being reprinted 
 page for page until p. 71, and the additional 
 Elegy on p. 71; as also the verses dated "Jan. 
 23, 1646," sent to JOHN Rous, Librarian of the 
 Bodleian Library, accompanied the copy of llie 
 first edition of his poems ; the " Tractate of Edu- 
 cation" closing the volume. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 57 
 
 men executed by the Electro Printing-Block Company without the aid of an 
 engraver. 
 
 4 
 
 Warton, p. 336, states that the Sonnet was composed "when the King's army 
 was arrived at Brentford, and had thrown the whole city into consternation." The 
 writing, Warton, p. 588, considers to be "in a female hand." It is, in our humble 
 opinion, very unlike the hand of a lady. It is in a round and not the ordinary 
 hand of the writer. It does not bear the character of having been written upon the 
 dictation of the author, but rather to be a copy of one dictated by Milton, and 
 which, after being read by him, underwent an autograph alteration in the title, and 
 the addition of the date 1642, subsequently erased, apparently by the author. 
 Warton considers it as one of the best of the Poet's Sonnets. 
 
 The date, 1642, occurring on the ninth page, while the thirteenth bears that of 
 1634, shews that the intermediate pages were purposely left blank by Milton; who, 
 though he may have originally intended to have filled those pages with other of his 
 early productions, afterwards devoted them to his Sonnets. 
 
 There is no other writing in the volume, of a character similar to that 
 employed in Sonnet VIIL, nor have we any idea by whom it was executed. 
 
58 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 SONNET IX. To A LADY. 
 
 |N the original, as seen in the subjoined fac-simile, executed by the 
 Electro Printing-Block Company, the Sonnet is without any inscrip- 
 tion. Such is also the case in the first and second editions of the 
 Poems of Milton, 1645 and 1673. 
 
 It is remarkable that Warton, who professed great accuracy in his " Original 
 Various Readings," when collating the text in his edition of the Poems with the 
 Trinity College Manuscript, should have given to this Sonnet a title that does not 
 exist in the original. Warton, p. 588, notes "Sonnet IX., fol. 9, Tit.-"To a Lady;" 
 while in the body of the work he alters it, "To a vertuous young Lady," an inscription 
 generally adopted in subsequent editions. The carelessness of learned men in such 
 minutioi is much to be regretted. Warton, well known as a bibliographer, ought to 
 have seen the importance of correctness upon such points. Had the leviathan 
 Johnson made such a mistake, we should not have observed upon it, as he did not 
 profess to be a " Literary Antiquary" or Bibliographer. 
 
 No editor of the Poetical Works of Milton, or any of his numerous biographers, 
 have assigned the Sonnet to the Lady to whom we venture to assert it was addressed. 
 
 EDWARD PHILLIPS, the Nephew of Milton, relates, 1 that after he had been deserted 
 by his wife, and after the publication of his Treatises on Divorce, his Uncle was 
 persuaded to take more pupils; and that accordingly "he laid out for a larger house, 
 and soon found it out; but in the interim, before he removed, there fell out a passage, 
 which though it altered not the whole course he was going to steer, yet it put a stop, 
 or rather an end, to a grand affair which was more than probably thought to be then 
 
 1 Letters of State written by John Milton. 1694. Life. Pp. xxv-vi. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 59 
 
 in agitation. It was indeed a design of marrying one of Mr. Davis s Daughters, a 
 very Handsome and Witty Gentlewoman, but averse, as it is said, to this motion." 
 
 In the preceding extract from the only authentic biography of the Poet, we 
 distinctly learn that the "grand affair in agitation" was the marriage of Milton 
 with a Miss Davis, to whom, since his wife had left him, he had become much 
 attached. Such was not, however, to be her destiny. She was well aware that the 
 Poet was then a married man. His Wife was the young and beautiful daughter of 
 a Royalist, who, under all the political troubles that surrounded him, was true to his 
 King. She had lived among the Cavaliers, and was ill suited to become united to 
 one whose "love of learning" made him a recluse, and whose political position could 
 not have been otherwise than most distasteful to her. She had not learnt that it was 
 the sacred duty of a woman to "leave father and mother ;" and that, when joined to 
 her husband, " they two shall be one flesh." 1 
 
 The "passage" that "fell out," so as to prevent the consummation of the "design" 
 of Milton, was the entire disapproval, by all parties, of the views he then publicly 
 advocated, for the avowed purpose of altering the laws of the country on Divorce. 
 He had calculated on obtaining a legal separation from his Wife, without which he 
 could not induce the lady of his then re-impassioned soul even to listen to his suit. 
 Great, therefore, was his disappointment on finding, that, not only were his recently 
 promulgated ideas on the subject of Divorce almost unanimously condemned, but 
 that the Lady of his Love was "averse" to the "design" contemplated. 
 
 Hence we venture to suggest that the "very handsome and witty gentlewoman" 
 to whom the Sonnet is addressed, was the fair Miss Davis. Our first thoughts, 
 therefore, turn to the period when the Sonnet was written. There is one preceding 
 it, on the same page, bearing date 1642; while to that under consideration, and to 
 another following it, there are no dates, though they are generally considered to have 
 been written in or about 1644. We may, therefore, presume that the Sonnet "To a 
 Lady" was composed about that period. The Sonnet is full of deep and personal 
 feeling. The Lady in question had rejected the proffered love of the Poet; and in 
 doing so, escaped the censure of her friends. She avoided the " broad way that 
 leadeth to destruction." Milton, most happily, had been averted from the sin he was 
 about to commit. His acknowledgment of his error is in these lines apparent ; and 
 his resignation of all claim to a return of affection from one to whom he could not 
 be legally united, was the only honourable course he could pursue. Therefore, while 
 yielding to the Law, the Poet blamed not the object of his proffered affection, but 
 claimed her forgiveness, as expressed in the following verse : 
 
 "No anger find in thee, but pitty and ruth:" 
 
 and exhorted her, that, as " Virgin ivise and pure" she should make " sure" that no 
 stain should deprive her of that blessed " hope that reaps not shame." 
 
 1 The Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians, Ch. v., v. 31. 
 
60 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 On referring to the fac-simile of the Sonnet, it is seen that in line seven, 
 wherein Milton had first written blooming- said, as a correction in the margin, the 
 word "prospering," which he afterwards erased, adding as an amendment, "growing 
 vertues,"-\ie did not run his pen through the word blooming. These minutice are 
 not of any special importance ; but they are very interesting as memorials of the 
 great attention the Poet bestowed on every line he wrote. 
 
 SONNET X. "To Y E LADY MARGAKET LEY." 
 
 ABTON, p. 537, considers that this Sonnet was "probably written about 
 1643, when Milton used generally to visit this Lady, the Daughter of 
 Sir James Ley, the Earl of Maryborough;" to whom it is supposed he 
 was much attached, it having been shewn that his affection was more 
 than that of a friend. 
 
 PAGES 10, 11, AND 12, ARE BLANK. 
 
 These were probably left blank to enable Milton to insert other pieces which 
 he had composed. 
 
 PAGES 13 TO 29. 
 PLATE H. FAC-SIMILE OF PAGE 13. 
 
 |OMUS. "A MASKE, 1634." Presented at Ludlow Castle, before the 
 Earl of Bridgwater, the President of Wales. It occupies nine leaves, 
 pages 13 to 29 inclusive. Between pages 22 and 23 is an insertion of 
 a piece of paper, in which Milton has written lines 673-705 inclusive, 
 noting on the margin of page 23 the place where the addition is to 
 come in. Some of the additional lines are written like prose, without any division 
 of the lines or punctuation. The later pages shew much correction ; and some of 
 them are very coarsely written, particularly page 27. The last piece, as originally 
 composed, on page 28, "The Dcemon sings or says" consisted of thirty -four lines. 
 It was afterwards recomposed, and most carefully written on page 29, where it 
 extends, as in the printed copy, to forty-eight lines. This circumstance is not men- 
 tioned by Warton, and consequently is passed over by all subsequent editors of Milton. 
 Our fac-simile gives the first page of the second and most popular of the 
 Dramatic Conceits 1 of the Poet. It is curious to notice that Milton, after the first 
 
 1 COMUS. The first and only early edition of 
 this Maske was published in 1637, under the 
 subjoined title. Copies are of great rarity ; one, 
 
 a very fine copy, having lately produced at a 
 sale 11, the largest price ever paid for it. 
 " A Maske presented at Ludlow Castle, 1034 : 
 
^7 ^o-Jk- 
 
 - 
 
 -^^ 
 
 4-ft k*\ fa 
 
 e*v\i?j* , 
 
 ffbi^^a^t^mt^- / 
 
 "a. **<? 
 
 *0 
 
 u , r '**? " **** ft>t*T*\\ 
 
 * ^ &*t**&-+k<iH*"*H v* 4Ji*Jy 
 
 *>&&/**. * **'tiJcA A -fa**? . I 
 
 f > Air t/*r-.pCwM f-c^/,W,T'k*> /T J r| *"l 
 
 . v* / , .A . . Ji * ,- M ^* ft y ^r ** .^ ^ . _/ >% .\ ... _.. ~i*_^ . ^ 
 
 tit 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 #** 
 
 ^iW^i&S? rt 
 
 
 Tf 1CETCA1TE.UTHH CAMBBUXiE. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 61 
 
 five lines, struck out the next fourteen, in which he had previously made many 
 alterations. The omission of almost all punctuation and the quaint orthography used 
 by the Poet, render the perusal of the original interesting, but occasionally difficult. 
 
 We do not attempt to follow the example of many authors, whose notices of the 
 productions of Milton are really nothing more than reviews of the labours of their 
 predecessors, varying only in the adaptation of the words ; while in many instances 
 the common honesty of acknowledging the author upon whose statement their views 
 are grounded, is disregarded. We are not aware of any additional information having 
 been discovered in connexion with the design of the celebrated Mask, Comus, and 
 therefore do not hesitate here to make use of what the learned Keightley has 
 composed on the subject: information to be found more or less combined in the 
 editorial labours of Warton, Symmons, Todd, Brydges, Mitford, Masson, and others. 
 
 " The success of the Arcades probably inspired Lawes and the Egerton family with ideas of a 
 bolder cast. The Earl of Bridgewater, head of that family, and son-in-law of the Countess of Derby, 
 had been appointed, in 1631, Lord President of Wales and the Marches ; but, from some cause or 
 other, he did not take up his official residence at Ludlow Castle, in Salop, till the autumn of 1634, 
 the year, as we have seen, in which the Arcades was presented. Warton tells us, from a MS., he 
 says, of Oldys', that ' on this occasion he was attended by a large concourse of the neighbouring 
 nobility and gentry. Among the rest came his children, in particular Lord Brackley, Mr. Thomas 
 Egerton, and Lady Alice. They had been on a visit at a house of their relations, the Egerton family, 
 in Herefordshire ; and in passing through Haywood forest were benighted, and the Lady Alice was 
 even lost for a short time. This accident, which in the end was attended with no bad consequences, 
 furnished the subject of a Mask for a Michaelmas festivity, and produced Comus. Lord Bridgewater 
 was appointed Lord President, May 12, 1633. When the perilous adventure in Haywood forest 
 happened, if true, cannot now be told : it must have been soon after. The Mask was acted at Michael- 
 mas, 1634.' We must confess that we certainly feel inclined to regard this tale of the Children in 
 the Wood, as somewhat apocryphal, and as being founded on Comus. At all events, it must have 
 occurred, not in 1633, but a short time before the representation of the Mask, in the prologue to 
 which it is said : 
 
 ' ...His fair offspring, nursed in princely lore, 
 
 Are coming to attend their father's state 
 
 And new-entrusted sceptre.' 
 
 This would seem to prove that it was their first visit to Ludlow ; and it is most probable that the 
 Mask had been prepared and learned by the young actors at Harefield, and was presented by them 
 on their arrival at Ludlow Castle. 
 
 " The origin of Comus would appear to have been as follows. There was a ' pleasant conceited 
 comedy,' by the unfortunate George Peele, named The Old Wives Tale, which Lawes probably had 
 read ; and it may have struck him that some of the incidents in it might be employed in the construe- 
 
 On Michaelmasse night, before the Right 
 Honourable John Earle of Bridgwater, Viscount 
 Brackly, Lord President of Wales, And one of 
 his Majesties most honorable Privie Coun- 
 sell. 
 "Eheu quid volui misero mild ! floribus austrum 
 
 Perditus" 
 
 " London, Printed for Humphrey Robinson, at 
 
 the signe of the Three Pidgeons in Paul's 
 Church-yard. 1637." 4to. : pp. 40. 
 
 The work is dedicated by H. Lawes, the Musi- 
 cian, and friend of Milton, to John Lord Brackly. 
 It bears no indication of having been published 
 under the special superintendence of the author. 
 It was, no doubt, issued by and for Henry Lawes, 
 who composed the music for it. 
 
62 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 tion of the Mask to be written by Milton, at his request, and to be presented by himself and his 
 young pupils at Ludlow. All, perhaps, that he proposed was, that, as the lady and her brothers were 
 passing through a wood on their way, she should be lost, and fall into the power of an enchanter, 
 from which she should be delivered by her brothers, and it may be by himself in the character of an 
 attendant spirit. For all the rest, he trusted to the genius of his poetic friend ; and well he might 
 trust to it ; for the noble poem that thence arose, must have amazed himself and every one that heard 
 or read it. As Hallam most justly observes, it ' was sufficient to convince any one of taste and 
 feeling, that a great poet had arisen in England, and one partly formed in a different school from his 
 contemporaries. ' 
 
 " If we allow ourselves to be guided by Warton and Todd, we shall detract considerably from 
 Milton's powers of invention ; for we shall find nearly all the incidents of Comw in The Old Wives 
 Tale. But, on reading the Play itself, we shall be surprised to see how trifling and how unconnected 
 these incidents are which he is accused of adopting. In fact, we almost doubt if Milton had read the 
 Play at all, or knew any more of its contents than what Lawes told him, who may not even have 
 mentioned it." 1 
 
 PAGE 30. 
 
 Originally left blank. It contains, however, some amended passages to Lycidas, 
 following on the next opposite page. 
 
 PAGES 31 TO 34. 
 PLATE III. FAC-SIMILE OF PAGE 31. 
 
 | YCIDAS. " Novemb. 1 637. In this Monodie the author bewails a lerned 
 friend unfortunately drowned in his passage from Chester, on the Irish 
 seas, 163 7." 
 
 The original occupies two leaves, pp. 31 to 34 inclusive. The lower 
 part of the second leaf is deficient, and would appear to have been torn 
 away abruptly by the Poet immediately after that beautiful line, the 165th of the 
 Poem: 
 
 " Weep no more, wofull shepherds, weep no more ; 
 
 For Lycidas y 
 
 Milton, however, finished the poem on the upper part of the next page, recom- 
 mencing with the line, " Weep no more" etc. It is curious here to notice that the 
 piece added to the leaf is of the same paper, having a paper-mark of the same kind, 
 a vase with the initial K. E. in the centre. Keightley thus records the untimely end 
 of the subject of the " Monodie." 
 
 " One of Milton's most intimate friends at Cambridge had been Mr. Edward King, son of Sir 
 John King, Secretary for Ireland under the reign of three successive monarchs. They belonged to 
 the same college, Christchurch, 1 and appear to have been engaged at the same time in the study of 
 divinity. In the beginning of August, 1637, King embarked at Chester, in a very crazy vessel, in 
 
 1 Life of Milton, by Keightley, 1859, pp. 2 79-81. * Christ College, not Christchurch, as here stated. 
 

 
 111. 
 
 \ I* V/JM^L. y/ /f^^ 
 -) <Wloir 0t > 
 
 * ' * ^ * ** ^ rn m i M^^ m^rj 
 
 **4+r #><- */>'& flfoS. WfkA 
 
 ^^%^-// ; "-9 AM> 
 
 
 / */ ^ Y^^" Aym/X/ w/ f 
 
 K&sS&ijlr- f 
 
 ^t^&wK^ 
 
 ***- 1 
 
 w 
 
 ,(^- 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 63 
 
 order to pass over to Ireland to visit Ms family and friends ; but while the ship was still close to the 
 English coast, it struck on a sunken rock, and all on board, it is said, perished. The fate of King, 
 who was only twenty-five years old, excited great grief among his literary friends, which was exhibited 
 in a manner usual at the time, by verses in his honour ; and in the following year there was published 
 at Cambridge, a thin quarto volume 1 containing three Greek, nineteen Latin, and thirteen English 
 poems, in honour of the deceased. An account of his life, etc., was prefixed ; probably from the pen 
 of H. More, the Platonist, who wrote one of the Greek poems. Among the English poems is Milton's 
 Jjycidas. It stands last in the volume, for which ingenious reasons have been assigned ; while it may 
 be, that, as it had to be transmitted from Horton, it did not arrive till after the other poems had been 
 printed. According to the Trinity MS. it was written in November, 1637." 2 
 
 It was the custom during the seventeenth century to record any remarkable 
 events in the country ,-such as the Progresses of Royalty, their Marriages, Victories, 
 Deaths of Distinguished Men, and other circumstances,-by the publication, at Oxford 
 and Cambridge, of the poetical effusions of the most eminent persons of the two 
 Universities, and which were printed at the University Press. They were composed, 
 for the most part, in Greek, Latin, and English; each contribution generally of a 
 dozen or more lines. These volumes are of very considerable interest, because they 
 frequently contain the earliest productions of the greater portion of the most distin- 
 guished Poets, Historians, Artists, and other of the celebrated men in this country 
 during that period. Accordingly, we find that Edward King, the college companion 
 of Milton, contributed a copy of Latin verses in the volume issued at Cambridge, 
 1631, on the Birth of the Princess Mary. So likewise did he contribute Latin verses 
 in several other volumes of a similar character issued in 1631, 1633, 1635, and 1637. 3 
 
 Milton was not the only poet of the day who contributed to the Elegies upon 
 his friend Edward King. We find the names of Joseph Beaumont and John Cleve- 
 land among other eminent men. No heading but that of "Lycidas" appeared to the 
 poem by " J. M.," the addition to the heading, as it appears in the subsequently 
 printed editions, "And by occasion foretells the ruin of our corrupted clergy, then in 
 their height," is not in the original manuscript. 
 
 Between the composing of Comus and Lycidas, was an interval of nearly four 
 years. Comus, in the original manuscript, ends on page 29, Lycidas commencing 
 on page 31, page 30 containing only a few amended passages to the opposite 
 first page of Lycidas. Very little is known of the occupation of Milton during 
 the intervening period. In 1635 he had been incorporated as Master of Arts, at 
 
 1 The Monody appeared as the last of the 
 contributions in English : " Obsequies to the 
 memorie of Mr.Edward King, Anno Dom. 1638:" 
 which are placed, with a distinct title and new 
 pagination, after the Latin Poems, of which the 
 following is the title : 
 
 "Justa Edwardo King naufrago, ab Amicis 
 mcerentibus, amoris et fivejav X"P' V - 
 
 " Si recte calculum ponas, ubique naufragium 
 est. Petr. Arb. 
 
 " Cantabrigue : Apud ThomamB^lck,8/Rogelum 
 DanieljCelebemirueAcademice typographos. 1638." 
 4to. ; pp. 72. 
 
 These Poems are occasionally found at the 
 close of the 1638 Cambridge Edition of the 
 Poems of Thomas Randolph. 
 
 2 Life of Milton, by T.Keightley. 1859. p. 289. 
 
 3 LifeofMilton,byD.Masson. 1859. pp.603-4. 
 
I5AMBLIXGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Oxford, according to the custom then prevailing. That he was at Horton in 1634, 
 is evident from the letter, December 4 of that year, to his old Tutor, Alexander Gill. 
 That letter stands No. V. in his published " Familiar Letters." The next letter, VI. , 
 is to his friend Carlo Deodati, dated from London, Sept. 7, 1637. Here then, in the 
 " Familiar Letters," is a period of above three years, during which time little or no 
 information is given by the biographers of the Poet as to his movements. The 
 learned Masson informs us 1 that the Mother of Milton was buried at Horton, April 3, 
 1637. At what period the Father of Milton left Horton, is not recorded. In 1643 2 
 he was living with his youngest son, at Eeading; but went, in the same year, to 
 reside with the Poet in Aldersgate-street, where he died in 1647. 
 
 It is very clear, that, when at Cambridge, Milton rebelled against the " Disci- 
 pline of the Church,"-not publicly, but sufficiently to shew to his friends the bent of 
 his inind at that early period of his life. His Muse was the mere pastime of his more 
 serious studies in the ecclesiastical history of his country and its consequences. 
 
 In addressing Carlo Deodati from London, September 7, 1637, Milton regrets, 
 that, owing to their mutual reluctance of writing, they hear so little from each other, 
 adding, 
 
 " It makes also for my favour that I know your method of studying to be so arranged that you 
 frequently take breath in the middle, visit your friends, write much, sometimes take a journey : my 
 genius, however, is such, that no delay, no rest, no care or thought almost of anything leads me aside 
 until I reach the end I am making for, and round off, as it were, some period of my studies." 
 
 On the 23rd of the same month, Milton again addresses his friend, who had 
 evidently urged him to open his mind as to what course of life he intended to pursue. 
 The desire of " fame" and " glory" reigned in the youthful soul of Milton ; but how 
 that desire was to be gratified and accomplished, was as yet withheld from him by 
 an overruling Providence. The letter to Deodati is one of pure affection. 
 
 " It is impossible for me," writes Milton, " not to love men like you. What besides God lias 
 resolved concerning me, I know not, but this at least : He has instilled into me, at all events, a 
 vehement love of the beautiful. Not with so much labour, as the fables have it, is Ceres said to have 
 sought her daughter Proserpine, as I am wont day and night to seek for this idea of the beautiful 
 (hanc TOV KO\OV ilfav*) through all the forms and faces of things (for many are the shapes of did m- 
 things), and to follow it leading me on as with certain assured traces. Whence it happens, that, 
 whoso, scorning what the vulgar opine in their depraved estimation of things, dares to feel and speak 
 and be that which the highest wisdom through every age has taught to be best, to that man I attach 
 myself forthwith by a real necessity, wherever I find him. And if, either by nature or by my fate, 
 I am so circumstanced that, by no effort and labour of mine, I can rise to such an honour and 
 elevation, yet that I should always worship and look up to those who have attained that glory, or 
 happily aspire to it, neither gods nor men, I think, have bidden nay." 
 
 " But now I know you wish to have your curiosity satisfied. You make many anxious inquiries 
 even as to what I am thinking of. Hearken, Theodotus, but let it be in your private ear, lest I blush : 
 and allow me for a little to speak big words to you ! You ask what I am thinking of ? So may the 
 good Deity help me, of Immortality ! But what am I doing ? I am plumimj mij ('///.- and meditating 
 flight ; but as yet our Pegasus raises himself on very tender pinions. Let us be lowly wise. 
 
 1 Life of Milton, by D. Masson. 1859. p. 595. * Life of Milton, by C.Symmons. 1810. pp. 244-5. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 65 
 
 " I will now tell you seriously what I am thinking of : of migrating into some Inn of the 
 Lawyers, wherever there is a pleasant and shady walk ; because there I shall have both a more 
 convenient habitation among some companions, if I wish to remain at home, and more suitable Itcml- 
 quartcrs if I choose to make excursions anywhere. Where I am now, as you know, I live obscurely, 
 and in a cramped manner." 1 
 
 Within two months after Milton had thus addressed his confidential friend, his 
 restless and aspiring spirit was called into action. He most probably then gave up the 
 idea of taking rooms in one of the Inns of Court. Had he ever lived there, that fact 
 would have been recorded by his Nephew; and the place itself would, in after times, 
 have become notorious as having been the residence of Milton; just as the staircase 
 in No. 1, Inner Temple Lane, leading to the chambers of Dr. Johnson on the first floor, 
 was inscribed with Johnson's name. This staircase, and the panelling of his room, were 
 preserved by the Benchers when the building was lately pulled down, and presented 
 by them to The Crystal Palace Company,-the site being now distinguished as 
 "Dr. Johnson's Buildings." 
 
 The sudden and melancholy death of his dear college companion, EDWARD KING, 
 awakened the polemical feelings the Poet had displayed, when at Cambridge, against 
 the regulations of the Church, into which his deceased friend had intended to enter. 
 In general, the Contributions to the Collections of University Poems were confined 
 to contemporaries at College. The Monody sent by Milton is the last of those in 
 English, it having been probably contributed by the Poet at the special request of 
 his friends at Cambridge, after the other portion of the volume was in type. 
 
 Up to this period, Milton had published nothing indicative of the position he 
 was about to take in the religious controversies of his country ; but in the Elegy to 
 the memory of his departed friend, Milton breaks forth in a strain of the severest 
 satire against the Clergy. What language can be more piquant than the subjoined 
 lines, 103 to 131 of the poem ? 
 
 " Next Camus, reverend sire, went footing slow, 
 His mantle hairy, and his bonnet sedge, 
 Inwrought with figures dim, and on the edge 
 Like to that sanguin flow'r inscrib'd with woe. 
 ' Ah ! Who hath reft (quoth he) my dearest pledge ?' 
 Last came, and last did go, 
 The pilot of the Galilean lake ; 
 Two massy keys he bore of metals twain, 
 (The golden opes, the iron shuts amain) 
 He shook his miter'd locks, and stern bespake : 
 ' How well could I have spar'd for thee, young swain, 
 Enow of such, as for their bellies sake, 
 
 1 This and the preceding extract from the 
 Letters of the Poet, are taken from the transla- 
 
 tion of Masson, vol. i. pp. 597-9. Masson dates 
 the first letter, Sept. 2, in lieu of Sept. 7. 
 
 9 
 
66 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Creep, and intrude, and climb into the fold ? 
 
 Of other care they little reckoning make, 
 
 Than how to scramble at the shearers feast, 
 
 And shove away the worthy bidden guest ; 
 
 Blind mouths ! that scarce themselves know how to hold 
 
 A sheep-hook, or have learn'd aught else the least 
 
 That to the faithful herdsman's art belongs ! 
 
 What recks it them \ What need they ? They are sped ; 
 
 And when they list, their lean and flashy songs 
 
 Grate on their scrannel pipes of wretched straw ; 
 
 The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed, 
 
 But swoln with wind, and the rank mist they draw, 
 
 Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread : 
 
 Besides what the grim wolf with privy paw 
 
 Daily devours apace, and nothing sed : 
 
 But that two-handed engin at the door 
 
 Stands ready to smite once, and smite no more.'" 
 
 The last two lines here given have been considered by some as prophetical of the 
 downfal of Archbishop Laud, who was then in the zenith of his power. It is more 
 than probable that the contributions on these occasions were not published under the 
 supervision of the authorities of the University. Had they been so, one can hardly 
 suppose the Syndics could have been so dull as not to see that the 10.9th line, " The 
 Pilot of the Galilean Lake" was intended for St. Peter,- an expression which, as 
 Dr. Symmons 1 observes, is "the most objectionable part of the composition." 
 
 Warton has always been esteemed a most careful editor. The few lines above 
 given from the text of the Poet, are taken from that in his edition. On comparing 
 the orthography and punctuation with that in the last, Mr. Keightley's edition, we 
 find no less than thirteen variations. The fact that in the space of a few lines there 
 are so many variations, seems to suggest the propriety of the hitherto published Text 
 of the Poet undergoing revision. Far better would it be to give, as far as possible, 
 the text with all its quaintness in orthography and frequent absence of all punctua- 
 tion, from the existing original Manuscript in Trinity College, Cambridge, and from 
 the first editions of his poetical productions, than a text which has been altered at 
 the caprice of every New Editor. 
 
 1 Life of Milton, by Charles Symmons. 1810. p. 109. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTOX. 
 
 67 
 
 PAGE 35. 
 
 PLATE IV. FAC-SIMILE OF PAGE 35. 
 
 VKADISE LOST. Here we have the Original Design of a Sacred 
 Drama, afterwards destined to become the sublime occupation 
 of the mind of Milton, when, bereft of sight, he had bid adieu to 
 the cares of public life, calmly awaiting the will of the Almighty 
 to relieve him from the forlorn position to which the loss of 
 Nature's most heavenly gift had reduced him. There is nothing 
 to shew, beyond the three varying outlines of the Drama, here 
 given in fac-simile, plate IV., from page 35, and the extended design on page 40, that 
 Milton proceeded further with his intended labours before 1660; when, soon after that 
 period, he may be supposed to have turned his thoughts to his long before cherished 
 scheme, converting the plan previously laid down for representation in the form of a 
 Drama, to that of an Epic Poem which, as a whole, is unsurpassed by the most 
 sublime of ancient or modern times. 
 
 In making the preceding observation touching the period when Milton actually 
 commenced the Poem with a view to its publication, we must not pass over the 
 information conveyed by E. Phillips, who states in the Memoir of his Uncle, that, 
 " 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 design'd for the very 
 beginning of the said Tragedy." 
 
 Subjoined are the lines. They occur in the opening of the fourth Book, lines 
 32 to 41, where Satan represents his own fallen state : 
 
 " thou ! that, with surpassing glory crown'd, 
 Look'st from thy sole dominion like the God 
 Of this new World ; at whose sight all the Stars 
 Hide their diminish'd heads ; to thee I call, 
 But with no friendly Voice, and add thy name, 
 
 Sun ! to tell thee how I hate thy Beams, 
 That bring to my Remembrance from what State 
 
 1 fell ; how glorious once above thy Sphere ; 
 'Till Pride, and worse Ambition, threw me down, 
 AVarring in Heav'n against Heav'n's matchless King." 
 
 Many of the greatest and most admired productions of Man are the successful 
 result of a passing thought committed at the moment to paper, in its crude state, for 
 
 9 2 
 
68 RAMBLING S IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 future working out; and however much the original plan may, when reconsidered, 
 undergo alteration, the first idea is most frequently adopted, and found to be the 
 best. 
 
 The three outlines of the Drama, as originally designed on page 35 in the 
 Trinity College Manuscript, appear to have been written by Milton on the spur of 
 the moment; and though ihejirst sketch received additions in the second and third, 
 as also afterwards on page 40 in the recapitulation of the design; it is remarkable 
 that in the Poem, when composed many years after, Milton fell back on his original 
 plan, then altering it from a five act Drama, or Tragedy, into an Epic Poem in Ten 
 Books, extending it to Twelve Books in the second edition issued in 1674; the 
 seventh book of the first edition there forming books seven and eight, and the tenth 
 book the eleventh and twelfth. 
 
 In the second outline, Moses is substituted for Michael; Moses in the third 
 taking a prominent part in the opening; while in the fourth, the subsequently recon- 
 sidered plan, at page 46, Gabriel is introduced in lieu of either. "The Persons," as 
 originally designed in the third sketch for Act 1, are not introduced in the first 
 three Books of the published Poem, other matter having been brought in as intro- 
 ductory to the chief subject of the Poem. Book IV. commences with Lucifer's 
 description of his own state previous to his fall, of which the ten lines referred to by 
 Phillips, form the twenty-second to the forty-first lines; the remaining portion of 
 that Book, as also Books V., VI., VII., and VIII., embrace the contents of Act 3. 
 At the close of the seventh Book, the " Chorus of Angels sing a hymne of the 
 creation," as designed to close the end of Act 1. "Adam and Eve fallen," as 
 intended to commence Act 4, is depicted in Book IX.; the remainder of the 
 design for Act 4, and the contents of Act 5, are embodied in Books X., XL, 
 and XII. 
 
 Though the learned DR. JOHNSON has not been over-abundant in his laudatory 
 feelings towards Milton, in reference to the general productions of his pen and the 
 moral conduct of his life, yet he does not in any way detract from the universal 
 praise awarded to Milton as a Poet. In his Memoir, after introducing the sketches 
 of the Poem in the Trinity College Manuscript, Johnson very justly observes : 
 
 " These are very imperfect rudiments of Paradise Lost ; but it is pleasant to see great works in 
 their seminal state, pregnant with latent possibilities of excellence ; nor could there be any more 
 delightful entertainment than to trace their gradual growth and expansion, and to observe how they 
 are sometimes suddenly advanced by accidental hints, and sometimes slowly improved by steady 
 meditation. 
 
 " Invention is almost the only literary labour which blindness cannot obstruct ; and therefore he 
 naturally solaced his solitude by the indulgence of his fancy, and the melody of his numbers. He 
 had done what he knew to be necessarily previous to poetical excellence; he had made himself 
 acquainted with seemly arts and affairs ; his comprehension was extended by various knowledge, and 
 his memory stored with intellectual treasures. He was skilful in many languages, and h;:d 1>\ reading 
 and composition attained the full mastery of his own. He would have wanted little help from books 
 had he retained the power of perusing them." 
 
IV. 
 
 /4. 3- {(+t<mj L. .... 
 
 n -*!m^5* ' 1 * ^" r * A 
 
 W JTETCAiFE.lITHO 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 69 
 
 " I am now," writes Johnson, " to examine Paradise Lost : a Poem which, considered with respect 
 to design, may claim the first place and with respect to performance, the second among the pro- 
 ductions of the human mind." 
 
 The learned Critic then devotes many pages to the consideration of the Poem. 
 The subjoined passages from such a pen cannot fail to interest all who desire to 
 know the opinion of so great a man as Johnson upon the poetical merits of Milton. 
 
 " After the scheme and fabrick of the poem, must be considered its component parts : the senti- 
 ments, and the diction. 
 
 " The sentiments, as expressive of manners, or appropriated to characters, are, for the greater 
 part, unexceptionably just. 
 
 " Splendid passages containing lessons of morality, or precepts of prudence, occur seldom. Such 
 is the original formation of this poem, that as it admits no human manners till the Fall, it can give 
 little assistance to human conduct. Its end is to raise the thoughts above sublunary cares or 
 pleasures. Yet the praise of that fortitude with which Abdiel maintained his singularity of virtue 
 against the scorn of multitudes, maybe accommodated to all times ; and Raphael's reproof of Adam's 
 curiosity after the planetary motions, with the answer returned by Adam, may be confidently opposed 
 to any rule of life which any poet has delivered. 
 
 " The thoughts which are occasionally called forth in the progress, are such as could only be 
 produced by an imagination in the highest degree fervid and active, to which materials were supplied 
 by incessant study and unlimited curiosity. The heat of Milton's mind might be said to sublimate 
 his learning, to throw off into his work the spirit of science unmingled with its grosser parts. 
 
 " He had considered creation in its whole extent, and his descriptions are therefore learned. He 
 had accustomed his imagination to unrestrained indulgence ; and his conceptions, therefore, were 
 extensive. The characteristick quality of his poem is sublimity. He sometimes descends to the 
 elegant ; but his element is the great. He can occasionally invest himself with grace ; but his natural 
 port is gigantick loftiness. He can please when pleasure is required ; but it is his peculiar power to 
 astonish. 
 
 " He seems to have been well acquainted with his own genius, and to know what it was that 
 Nature had bestowed upon him more bountifully than upon others, the power of displaying the vast, 
 illuminating the splendid, enforcing the awful, darkening the gloomy, and aggravating the dreadful : 
 he therefore chose a subject on which too much could not be said ; on which he might tire his fancy 
 without the censure of extravagance. 
 
 " The appearances of Nature, and the occurrences of life, did not satiate his appetite of greatness. 
 To paint things as they are, requires a minute attention, and employs the memory rather than the 
 fancy. Milton's delight was to sport in the wide regions of possibility ; reality was a scene too narrow 
 for his mind. He sent his faculties out upon discovery, into worlds where only imagination can 
 travel ; and delighted to form new modes of existence, and furnish sentiment and action to superior 
 beings ; to trace the counsels of hell, or accompany the choirs of heaven. 
 
 " But he could not be always in other worlds ; he must sometimes revisit earth, and tell of things 
 visible and known. When he cannot raise wonder by the sublimity of his mind, he gives delight by 
 its fertility. 
 
 " Whatever be his subject, he never fails to fill the imagination. But his images and descriptions 
 of the scenes or operations of Nature do not seem to be always copied from original form, nor to 
 have the freshness, raciness, and energy of immediate observation. He saw Nature, as Dryden 
 expresses it, through the spectacles of books; and on most occasions calls learning to his assistance." 
 
 " The defects and faults of Paradise Lost for faults and defects every work of man must have 
 it is the business of impartial criticism to discover. As, in displaying the excellence of Milton, I have 
 not made long quotations, because of selecting beauties there had been no end, I shall in the same 
 general manner mention that which seems to deserve censure ; for what Englishman can take delight 
 
70 RAMBLING S IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 in transcribing passages, which, if they lessen the reputation of Milton, diminish in some degree the 
 honour of our country ':" 
 
 " But, whatever be the advantage of rhyme, I cannot prevail on myself to wish that Milton had 
 been a rhymer ; for I cannot wish his work to be other than it is ; yet, like other heroes, he is to be 
 admired rather than imitated. He that thinks himself capable of astonishing, may write blank verse ; 
 but those who hope only to please, must condescend to rhyme. 
 
 " The highest praise of genius is original invention. Milton cannot be said to have contrived the 
 structure of an epick poem ; and therefore owes reverence to that vigour and amplitude of mind to 
 which all generations must be indebted for the art of poetical narration, for the texture of the fable, 
 the variation of incidents, the interposition of dialogue, and all the stratagems that surprise ami 
 enchain attention. But, of all the borrowers from Homer, Milton is perhaps the least indebted. He 
 was naturally a thinker for himself, confident of his own abilities, and disdainful of help or hindrance. 
 He did not refuse admission to the thoughts or images of his predecessors : but he did not seek them. 
 From his contemporaries he neither courted nor received support: there is in his writings nothing 
 by which the pride of other authors might be gratified, or favour gained ; no exchange of praise, nor 
 solicitation of support. His great works were performed under discountenance, and in blindness ; 
 but difficulties vanished at his touch. He was born for whatever is arduous ; and his work is not the 
 greatest of heroick poems, only because it is not the first." 
 
 10 cast the slightest doubt upon the statements of so learned a Historian 
 as MACAULAY, who has deservedly received the homage of all classes 
 of readers for his deep research, general accuracy, and eloquent lan- 
 guage, would be thought an act of such gross ignorance or impudence 
 in any humble author who so presumed, as would place him beyond the 
 pale of intellectual society. But it must be admitted that it frequently happens that 
 men so highly gifted as Macaulay are occasionally led away by their oratorical 
 powers to express themselves in language not quite in accordance with the truth 
 of the circumstances they desire to impress upon the minds of their readers. The 
 great Macaulay affords an instance of this in the third chapter 1 of his "History of 
 England" in writing upon the " Immorality of the Polite Literature of England," 
 while alluding to the verse of Waller, and also to that of " Cowley, distinguished as a 
 loyalist and as a man of letters, [who] raised his voice courageously against the 
 immorality which disgraced both letters and loyalty," where he observes : 
 
 "A mightier poet, tried at once by pain, danger, poverty, obloquy, and blind- 
 ness, meditated, undisturbed by the obscene tumult which raged att around him, a 
 song so sublime and so holy that it would not have misbecome the lifts of those 
 ethereal Virtues whom he saw, with that inner eye which no calamity could darken, 
 flinging down on the jasper pavement their croums of amaranth and gold." 
 
 The Noble, Historian, when he penned this exquisitely beautiful piece of eulogy, 
 must have forgotten that it was not until after the Kestoration,-and then only 
 
 1 The History of England, by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Vol. i., 1849, p. 399. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 71 
 
 for a short time was the Poet in actual danger,- that Milton commenced his poem, 
 Paradise Lost. Though reduced in circumstances, there is nothing to prove, that, 
 after the Eestoration was settled, Milton was in actual poverty, or that he suffered 
 from any other very severe bodily calamity than his blindness. It was at that period, 
 as the learned HALLAM so touchingly records, that 
 
 " The remembrance of early reading came over his dark and lonely path like the 
 moon emerging from the clouds. Then it was that the Muse was truly his ; not only 
 as she poured her creative inspiration into his mind, but as the Daughter of Memory, 
 coming with fragments of ancient melodies ; the voice of Euripides, and Homer, and 
 Tasso; sounds that he had loved in youth, and treasured up for the solace of his age" 
 
 10WEVER much we may admire the typographical execution of modern 
 editions of the standard works of this country, and take advantage of 
 any additional information obtained by the researches of the later 
 editors of the works of distinguished men; yet, as valuable records, few 
 of the modern editions can equal those which have been edited by 
 Authors selected by the Booksellers of the past and early part of the present century. 
 In those days, as no doubt with regard to some particular works at the present time, 
 the associated Booksellers, having a mutual interest in the success of a book, employed, 
 and paid most liberally, those whose abilities entitled them to have such editorial 
 labours entrusted to their care; but in these days, persons with high-sounding 
 titles often edit works, and write prefaces upon subjects of which they absolutely 
 know nothing, beyond what may be easily acquired by a few hours study of an 
 Encyclopaedia. 
 
 Consequently, in our present researches touching the particular period when 
 Milton is supposed to have conceived the idea of his Paradise Lost, we fall back to 
 the standard edition of the works of that Author, as edited by the late Venerable 
 Archdeacon Todd, combining the biographical and editorial labours of Toland, Birch, 
 and others. We are quite aware that the more dashing and faster Scholars of the 
 present period consider the Biography of Milton from the pen of Todd as " dull" and 
 " prosy ;" and that the text of Paradise Lost, in his edition, is too much " overladen" 
 with notes and parallel passages from other Poets. With regard to the former, it 
 will be found by those who desire to study the life of Milton, that Todd is an 
 authority that will seldom lead them into error; and as to the latter, that subsequent 
 editors have availed themselves of the choicest of his illustrations. In making these 
 observations we do not mean to cast any slight upon the editorial merits of the 
 later issues of the works of Milton. On the contrary, we have had occasion to 
 acknowledge how much the inquirer is indebted to the labours of Hawkins, 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Mitford, 1 Masson, and Keightley; as also to the Miltonian researches of Hunter, 2 
 Marsh, 3 and Hamilton. 4 
 
 On referring to Todd, we find that the Venerable Archdeacon commences his 
 "Inquiry into the Origin of Paradise Lost" by stating 5 that 
 
 " The earliest observation respecting the origin of Paradise Lost appears to have been made by 
 VOLTAIRE, in the year 1727. He was then studying in England, and had become so well acquainted 
 with our language as to publish an English Essay on epick poetry, in which are the following words : 
 'Milton, as he was travelling through Italy in his youth, saw at Florence a comedy called ADA MO, 
 written by one Andreini, 6 a player, and dedicated to Mary de Medicis, Queen of France. The subject 
 of the play was the Fall of Man : the actors, God, the Devils, the Angels, Adam, Eve, the Serpent, 
 Death, and the Seven Mortal Sins. That topick, so improper for a drama, but so suitable to the 
 absurd genius of the Italian stage, as it was at that time, was handled in a manner entirely conform- 
 able to the extravagance of the design. The scene opens with a Chorus of Angels ; and a Cherubim 
 thus speaks for the rest : 
 
 " ' A la lira del Ciel Iri sia 1' arco, 
 
 Corde le sfere sien, note le stelle, 
 
 Sien le pause e i sospir 1' aure novelle, 
 
 E '1 tempo i tempi a misurar non parco !' 
 
 Let the rainbow be the fiddlestick of the heavens ! Let the planets le the notes of our musick ! Let time 
 leat carefully the measure, and the winds make the sharps, etc. Thus the play begins, and every scene 
 rises above the last in profusion of impertinence ! 
 
 '" Milton pierced through the absurdity of that performance to the hidden majesty of the subject ; 
 which, being altogether unfit for the stage, yet might be, for the genius of Milton, and his only, the 
 foundation of an epick poem. 
 
 " ' He took from that ridiculous trifle the first hint of the noblest work which human imagination 
 has ever attempted ; and which he executed more than twenty years after.' " 
 
 1 MITFORD. We beh'eve that the learned and 
 lamented Rev. John Mitford never saw the 
 Trinity College Manuscript. Consequently, he 
 derived all his information respecting it from 
 the notices of his predecessors. 
 
 2 HUOTEB. Milton. A Sheaf of Gleanings 
 after his Biographers and Annotators. i. Gene- 
 alogical Investigation, n. Notes on some of his 
 Poems. Critical and Historical Tracts, No. III. 
 June, 1,850. 
 
 3 MARSH. Papers connected with the Affairs 
 of Milton and his Family. Edited by John 
 Fitchett Marsh, from the Original Documents 
 in his possession. Printed for the CheetUwm 
 Society. 1857. 4to. 
 
 ' HAMILTON. Original Papers illustrative of 
 the Life and Writings of John Milton, including 
 sixteen Letters of State written by him ; now 
 
 first published from MSS. in the State Paper 
 Office. With an Appendix of Documents relat- 
 ing to his Connection with the Powell Family. 
 Collected and edited, with the permission of the 
 Master of the Rolls, by W. Douglas Hamilton, 
 of H.M. State Paper Office, and University Col- 
 lege, London ; author of " Outlines of the Con- 
 stitutional History of England." J'/-//,/i .'/;./ the 
 Camden Society. M.DCCC.LIX. 
 
 6 The Poetical Works of Milton. Rev. Henry 
 J. Todd, etc. 1809. Vol. ii., pp. 210-11. 
 
 6 L'Adamo, Sacra Rapresentatione, da Gio- 
 vanni- Battista Andreini. Milano : Geron. Bor- 
 doni. 1613. 4to. 
 
 This is the first edition of the work ; and from 
 the celebrity it has obtained from the relation of 
 Voltaire, it is much sought for, and bears a high 
 price. The text is illustrated with engravings, 
 after the designs of Bocaccini. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTOX. 
 
 73 
 
 During the latter part of the fifteenth, and throughout the sixteenth and the 
 early part of the seventeenth centuries, the most popular productions of the press in 
 Italy were the KAPPRESENTATIONE SACRE; Sacred Dramas or Mysteries,- Histories, 
 etc., of which the Adamo of Andreini was an example. 
 
 Warburton, 1 as well as Johnson, ridiculed the preceding relation of Voltaire. 
 Mickle, an enthusiastic admirer of Milton, doubted the existence of the Adamo ; 
 while Hayley thought it probable that Milton obtained a copy of it when in Italy. 
 Milton went to Italy in 1638. The date of the Lycidas, as written on the first 
 page of the original manuscript, is November 1637. Though the poems consecrated 
 to the memory of Edward King did not appear until 1638, yet the volume may 
 have been.printed at the close of the preceding year, and the contribution of Milton 
 revised by him in that year. 
 
 There are no positive data from which we may determine what month in 1638 
 Milton journeyed to Italy. That he did not leave England until after the 13th of 
 April, 1638, is evident from a letter 2 written by Sir Henry Wootton upon the subject 
 of his Comus ; as in that letter Sir Henry Wootton gives advice to Milton upon the 
 subject of his then intended travels. But the fact of the original design of a drama on 
 the subject of Paradise Lost, commencing on page 34 in the Trinity College Manu- 
 script, immediately after the Lycidas, proves that the design of the Epic Poem was 
 not drawn until after November, 163 7; and the date, February 9,1645, to the Sonnet, 
 page 43 in the same volume, addressed to Henry Lawes, satisfactorily proves that the 
 drama was contemplated before that date. Milton returned to England in 1639; 3 
 but if he sketched that design in his Common-Place Book during the period of his 
 stay in Italy, Paradise Lost may be fairly presumed to have been designed or com- 
 menced twenty-eight years before it appeared, the first edition bearing the date 1668. 
 If he did not form his design before 1644, as would appear from the Manuscript, 
 Milton, in that case, added nothing to his volume from November 1637, to February 
 1645; and, consequently, the date of that design would be only twenty-three years 
 before Paradise Lost appeared. 
 
 With these data before us, as arrived at, without the smallest difficulty, from 
 the examination of the Trinity College Manuscript, we are quite at a loss to imagine 
 how so learned a literary investigator as Keightley could, with the volume before 
 him, open his "Introduction to Paradise Lost" by stating, "It is probable that 
 Milton early conceived the idea of writing an epic poem; but we have no means of 
 
 1 Works of Milton, by Todd. Vol. ii., pp. 
 212-13. 
 
 8 Works of Milton, by Todd. Vol. vi., pp. 
 179-186. 
 
 3 The autograph inscription, dated June 10, 
 
 1639, by Milton, in the Album of the family of 
 the Cardouins, at Geneva, proves the presence 
 of Milton at Geneva at that time. Mr. Hunter, 
 in "SHEAF OF GLEANINGS" concerning Milton, 
 p. 23, notices : " It would seem that he was on 
 his return to England, where he is said to have 
 arrived in the month of August, 1639." 
 
 10 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 ascertaining the exact time, as there is no hint of such a design in any thing he 
 wrote previous to his setting out on his travels." 1 
 
 The fact that no proof exists of a first idea of such a poem having been 
 conceived by Milton before he went to Italy, and the proof that it was conceived 
 either while there, or immediately on his return, do not warrant the assertion of 
 Mr. Keightley ,-"/< is impossible now to ascertain when he first conceived the idea of 
 making the Fall of Man the subject of a Poem." 2 Aubrey, in stating that Paradise 
 Lost was not commenced until even 1658, may be correct as to the fact of Milton 
 then only again taking up the subject of his intended Drama, and converting it into 
 the Poem as published. 
 
 In the first design of the Dramatis Personce,-aee fac-simile, plate IV.,-Milton 
 has recorded his original idea of " OTHER TRAGEDIES,- ADAM IN BANISHMEXT,-THE 
 FLOOD.-ABRAM IN EGYPT." Thus it is very evident he contemplated a series of 
 Sacred Dramas; with the view, no doubt, of shewing that such subjects could be 
 treated, and represented on the stage, in a manner very different from that in which 
 they are published or exhibited in Italy. 
 
 While, however, paying tribute to the editorial labours of Archdeacon Todd, we 
 desire to observe, that, it sometimes happens, when distinguished and most learned 
 men undertake the editing of any great work, they do not always condescend to 
 enter sufficiently into those details which their readers may perchance consider of 
 considerable interest ; or they are content to depend upon others for information on 
 points they do not esteem of sufficient importance to command their personal 
 attention. Whether the Venerable Archdeacon Todd devoted any time to the 
 examination of the Trinity College Manuscript, he does not state. He refers to it 
 frequently, in the same way as other editors of the poetical works of Milton have 
 done, taking for granted the faithful examination of the Manuscript by his prede- 
 
 cessors. 
 
 1 Life of Milton, by Keightley, p. 397. 
 
 * " As we have observed above, it is impossible 
 now to ascertain when he first conceived the 
 idea of making the Fall of Man the subject of a 
 poem. Aubrey tells us that he commenced 
 Paradise Lost in 1658 ; but he must have had 
 the subject in contemplation long before that 
 time. It is also uncertain whether he at first 
 intended it to be an epic poem or a tragedy. 
 Phillips tells us it was to have been the latter ; 
 and he mentions some verses of the commence- 
 ment of Satan's address to the Sun in the 
 fourth book of Paradise Lost, ' which,' he says, 
 ' several years before the poem was begun, were 
 shewn to him, and some others, as designed for 
 
 the very beginning of this tragedy.' This ac- 
 count, we think, may be correct in the main ; 
 for in the Cambridge Manuscript there are two 
 plans of a tragedy, or mystery, on the Fall of 
 Man, in the second and more perfect of whirh 
 'Lucifer appears after his overthrow, bemoans 
 himself, seeks revenge upon Man ;' and this, 
 though not the ' very beginning of this tragedy,' 
 is Lucifer's first appearance, and nothing could 
 be more appropriate than that address to the 
 Sun. It is probable however that the poet 
 changed his mind before he made any progress 
 in the drama, for if he had written any portion 
 of the dialogue, it is likely that he would, in his 
 usual manner, have preserved it." Life of Mil- 
 ton, by Keightley, pp. 399-400. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 75 
 
 Accordingly, after enumerating at the close of the Poem the three original 
 designs for the Tragedy or Mystery of Paradise Lost, as given accurately in 
 fac-simile, plate IV., Archdeacon Todd states, " The next sketch, as Dr. Johnson 
 has remarked, seems to have attained more maturity, and is entitled ADAM 
 UNPARADIZ'D." Had the venerable editor seen or considered the original manuscript, 
 he might have informed his readers, without quoting the authority of Dr. Johnson, 
 that, on page 40, after describing the scene of the " Chorus of Shepheards" in Sodom, 
 Milton has given on the same page a more lengthened programme of his intended 
 Tragedy, which closes with a note by the author, " Compare this with the former 
 draught." 
 
 The Tragedy of SAMSON AGONISTES was not published until 1671, it then 
 appearing as an addition to the first edition of Paradise Regained. It was no 
 doubt composed by Milton after that poem, the subject being allegorical of the unison 
 " of his own circumstances with those of Samson blind and among the Philistines." 
 
 Archdeacon Todd has also given in type, as "An Appendix to Samson Agonistes," 
 the contents of pages 36,37, 38,39, 40 and 41, of the Trinity College Manuscript; 
 but in doing so, he has affixed to the chief subjects therein stated, numerals from i. 
 to c., the numbers continuing through the "British Tragedy" outlined on pages 37 
 and 38. In the original there are no numerals to denote the heads of the acts or 
 scenes, except those to the design of the Tragedy not Tragedies, illustrative of a 
 portion of British History on pages 37 and 38, where the divisions are numbered by 
 Milton from 1 to 23 inclusive. Following the plan adopted by Archdeacon Todd, 
 the contents of the same pages, together with that of page 35, are reprinted almost 
 line for line in Mr. Keightley's edition of the Poems of Milton, there also forming an 
 appendix to Samson Agonistes. Mr. Keightley, however, leaves out all the valuable 
 information given by Todd ; and does not even record the remark made by Milton 
 at the close of this last outline of Paradise Lost, in reference to the designs of the 
 Poem, which he had previously outlined on p. 35. 
 
 ]EAELY all the Editions of Paradise Lost, published during the last 
 hundred years, contain very much the same information respecting the 
 poem ; the various Editors gleaning, each in their turn, more or less 
 from the labours of their predecessors. Yet, withal, the reader never 
 tires, scanning the contents over and over again, as the school-boy and 
 the old man does Eobinson Crusoe. There is indeed always something to awaken a 
 fresh interest in everything connected with the composition of a poem which has 
 reached almost every corner of the civilized world. 
 
 Never was a work written under similar and such remarkable circumstances as 
 the epic poem Paradise Lost. Its author had, by Divine Providence, been 
 permitted to survive the calamities which he had been mainly instrumental in 
 
 10-' 
 
76 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 bringing upon his country. With the noblest feeling of independence he sought to 
 relieve his countrymen from a thraldom which bid fair to crush their intellectual 
 energies. While seeking to remove the fetters that enchained the freedom of opinion 
 touching the Episcopacy and Government of the Church, Milton entered into an 
 arena of controversy, the extent of which he could not circumscribe. Placing his 
 utmost confidence in the MAN who appeared, according to his views, to be, as it were, 
 appointed to carry out the opinions he entertained, Milton gave him the full support 
 of his marvellously gifted mind. He acted with the purest motives. He believed 
 that the cause he had espoused was the right one, and in no instance did he betray 
 it The reward he met with at the hands of his Parasite was that of almost total 
 neglect. Cromwell had gained, chiefly by the powerful pen of Mil ton, the object he had 
 in view,- THE DEATH OF HIS KiNG,-Milton had become stone blind in the service 
 of Cromwell ; who, finding him then of comparatively little use, cast him off, reducing 
 his salary as Latin Secretary to almost half of its original amount ! It is, however, 
 stated by some of his Biographers, that, during the period of his retirement from the 
 duties of Latin Secretary until the Eestoration, he was daily provided with " a table" 
 at which he might dispense his hospitality to the many Foreigners and persons who 
 came to visit him,- a plum cake as a peace offering to an injured child ! But it 
 was not until a few years after the Restoration, that the chief poetical production 
 of his life was composed. He was then, comparatively, a happy man- he had outlived 
 the stormy period he had, unintentionally, himself assisted in creating. He lived 
 to acknowledge the clemency of his King, and from that hour wrote nothing that 
 could in any way justify an idea that he received ungraciously the tacit kindness 
 bestowed upon him. Though Royalty may have felt that Milton, struck with total 
 blindness, had been visited by a higher power with a calamity far more severe than 
 death ; yet there existed a strong party feeling against Milton; a party who could 
 not forget the results of his antecedents. It was during that period, that Milton 
 composed his Paradise Lost. Glad to avail himself of the services of his family or 
 daily visitors, the poem was completed, a few verses at a time, during a period of 
 several years, and, when published in 1667, appeared without any indication of 
 patronage. It was generally considered as the production of the over-wrought mind 
 of one whose name had fallen into disrepute ; no one appearing willing to become 
 the patron of the work of a man who by the mercy rather than the justice of his 
 Sovereign had escaped the punishment of a regicide. 
 
 Consequently, the Publication of Paradise Lost met with no great success. It 
 has been stated, that there was a great difficulty in getting it licensed, and conse- 
 quently in finding any publisher to undertake the sale of it. We have given, in the 
 ensuing pages, a detailed account of the many issues of the first impression during 
 the years 1667, 1668, and 1669, by different booksellers with altered title-pages; from 
 which we can come to no other conclusion than the foil owing : That, as the Agreement 
 by Milton for the sale of the copyright of his Poem to Simmons, bears date 27 April, 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 77 
 
 1667, it is more than probable that Simmons, the purchaser, not feeling quite certain 
 as to what effect the publication of a work by Milton might have upon his business as 
 a printer, withheld his own name from the title-page, employing one Peter Parker 
 ostensibly to print and sell the book. Simmons did not appear as the Printer until 
 
 1668, when, discovering that the work was getting into repute, and that his fears 
 were groundless, he had a new title-page printed, and issued copies of the work with 
 his own imprint, adding a few introductory pages, preceded by a short note, which 
 is subscribed with his name, " S. Simmons." 
 
 j|N the subject of the Sale of Paradise Lost, the subjoined passage from 
 the powerful pen of Dr. Johnson is particularly interesting : 
 
 " The slow sale and tardy reputation of this poem have been always mentioned 
 as evidences of neglected merit, and of the uncertainty of literary fame ; and enquiries 
 have been made, and conjectures offered, about the causes of its long obscurity and 
 late reception. But has the case been truly stated ? Have not lamentation and 
 wonder been lavished on an evil that was never felt ? 
 
 " That, in the reigns of Charles and James, the Paradise Lost received no publick acclamations, 
 is readily confessed. Wit and literature were on the side of the Court : and who that solicited favour 
 or fashion would venture to praise the defender of the regicides ? All that he himself could think his 
 due, from evil tongues in evil days, was that reverential silence which was generously preserved. But 
 it cannot be inferred that his poems was not read, or not, however unwillingly, admired. 
 
 " The sale, if it be considered, will justify the publick. Those who have no power to judge of 
 past times but by their own, should always doubt their conclusions. The call for books was not in 
 Milton's age what it is at present. To read was not then a general amusement ; neither traders, nor 
 often gentlemen, thought themselves disgraced by ignorance. The women had not then aspired to 
 literature, nor was every house supplied with a closet of knowledge. Those, indeed, who professed 
 learning, were not less learned than at any other time ; but of that middle race of students who read 
 for pleasure or accomplishment, and who buy the numerous products of modern typography, the 
 number was then comparatively small. To prove the paucity of readers, it may be sufficient to 
 remark, that the nation had been satisfied from 1623 to 1664, that is, forty-one years, with only two 
 editions of the works of Shakspeare, which probably did not together make one thousand copies. 
 
 " The sale of thirteen hundred copies in two years, in opposition to so much recent enmity, and 
 to a style of versification new to all, and disgusting to many, was an uncommon example of the preva- 
 lence of genius. The demand did not immediately increase ; for many more readers than were 
 supplied at first, the nation did not afford. Only three thousand were sold in eleven years ; for it 
 forced its way without assistance : its admirers did not dare to publish their opinion ; and the oppor- 
 tunities now given of attracting notice by advertisements, were then very few. The means of 
 proclaiming the publication of new books have been produced by that general literature which now 
 pervades the nation through all its ranks. 
 
 " But the reputation and price of the copy still advanced, till the Revolution put an end to the 
 secrecy of love, and Paradise Lost broke into open view with sufficient security of kind reception. 
 
 " Fancy can hardly forbear to conjecture with what temper Milton surveyed the silent progress 
 of his work, and marked its reputation stealing its way in a kind of subterraneous current through 
 fear and silence. I cannot but conceive him calm and confident, little disappointed, not at all dejected, 
 relying on his own merit with steady consciousness, and waiting without impatience the vicissitudes 
 of opinion, and the impartiality of a future generation." 
 
RAMBLIXGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Upon the same subject, the information collected by Archdeacon Todd is equally 
 interesting : 
 
 " In two years the sale gave the poet a right to his second payment, for which the receipt was 
 signed April 26, 1669. The second edition was not given till 1674 : it was printed in small octavo ; 
 and, by a judicious division of the seventh and tenth, contained twelve books. He lived not to receive 
 the payment stipulated for this impression. The third edition was published in 1678 ; and his widow, 
 to whom the copy was then to devolve, agreed with Simmons, the printer, to receive eight pounds for 
 her right, according to her receipt dated December 21, 1680. Simmons had already covenanted to 
 transfer the right, for twenty-five pounds, to Brabazon Aylmer, the bookseller ; and Aylmer sold to 
 Jacob Tonson half, August 17, 1683, and the other half, March 24, 1690, at a price considerably 
 advanced. 
 
 " Of the first edition, it has been observed by Dr. Johnson, that ' the call for books was not in 
 Milton's age what it is at present ; the nation had been satisfied from 1623 to 1664, that is, forty- 
 one years, with only two editions of the works of Shakspeare, which probably did not together make 
 one thousand copies. The sale of thirteen hundred copies in two years, in opposition to so much 
 recent enmity, and to a style of versification new to all and disgusting to many, was an uncommon 
 example of the prevalence of genius.' This remark will always be read with peculiar gratification, as 
 it exonerates our forefathers from the charge of being inattentive to the glorious blaze of a luminary, 
 before which so many stars ' dim their ineffectual light.' ' The demand,' as Dr. Johnson notices, ' did 
 not immediately increase ;' because ' many more readers than were supplied at first, the nation did 
 not afford. Only three thousand were sold in eleven years ; for it forced its way without assistance ; 
 its admirers did not dare to publish their opinion ; and the opportunities, now given, of attracting 
 notice by advertisements, were then very few. But the reputation and price of the copy still advanced, 
 till the Revolution put an end to the secrecy of love, and Paradise Lost broke into open view with 
 sufficient security of kind reception. Fancy can hardly forbear to conjecture with what temper 
 Milton surveyed the silent progress of his work, and marked its reputation stealing its way in a kind 
 of subterraneous current through fear and silence. I cannot but conceive him calm and confident, 
 little disappointed, not at all dejected, relying on his own merit with steady consciousness, and 
 waiting, without impatience, the vicissitudes of opinion, and the impartiality of a future generation.' 
 
 " Milton indeed may be considered as an illustrious example of patient merit. But his admirers 
 were not long silent. Witness the spirited verses of Barrow and Marvell, prefixed to the second 
 edition of the poem ; witness also the celebrated hexastich of Dryden, which accompanies the fourth 
 edition ; as well as the liberal acknowledgment of his obligations to Paradise Lost, made almost imme- 
 diately after the death of Milton in the preface to his State of Innocence : ' I cannot, without injury to 
 the deceased author of Paradise Lost, but acknowledge, that this poem has received its entire founda- 
 tion, part of the design, and many of the ornaments, from him. What I have borrowed will be so 
 easily discerned from my mean productions, that I shall not need to point the reader to the places ; 
 and truly I should be sorry, for my own sake, that any one should take the pains to compare them 
 together, tJie original being undoubtedly one of the greatest, most noble, and most sublime poems, which 
 either thin age or nation has produced.' "' 
 
 " Of the anecdote, related by Richardson, respecting the celebrity which Paradise Lost has been 
 supposed to owe to Denham, the accurate investigation of Mr. Malone has detected the improbability. 
 ' The elder Richardson,' says this acute and learned writer, ' speaking of the tardy reputation of 
 Paradise Lost, tells us, and the tale has been repeated in various Lives of Milton, that he was informed 
 by Sir George Hungerford, an ancient Member of Parliament, many years previous to 1734, that 
 Sir John Denham came into the House one morning with a sheet of Paradise Lost wet from the press, 
 in his hand; and, being asked what it was, he replied, 'Part of the noblest poem that ever wag written 
 
 1 Poetical Works of Milton, by Todd. Vol. i., pp. 109-11, 115-119. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 79 
 
 in any language or in any age.' However, the book remained unknown till it was produced, about two 
 years afterwards, by Lord Buckhurst on the following occasion. That nobleman, in company with 
 Mr. Fleetwood Shephard, who frequently told the story to Dr. Tancred Robinson, an eminent physician, 
 and Mr. Richardson's informer, looking over some books in Little Britain, met with Paradise Lost ; 
 and, being surprised with some passages in turning it over, bought it. The bookseller requested his 
 Lordship to speak in its favour, if he liked it ; for the impression lay on his liands as waste paper. 
 Lord Buckhurst, whom Richardson inaccurately calls the Earl of Dorset, for he did not succeed to 
 that title till some years afterwards, having read the poem, sent it to Dryden, who in a short time 
 returned it with this answer : ' This man cuts us all out, and tlie ancients too.' Much the same 
 character, adds Mr. Richardson, he gave of it to a north country gentleman, to whom I mentioned the 
 book, he being a great reader, but not in a right train, coming to town seldom, and keeping little 
 company. Dryden amazed him with speaking loftily of it. 'Why, Mr. Dryden,' says he, SirW. L. 
 told me the thing himself, ' 'tis not in rhyme.' l No;' replied Dryden, ' nor wmdd I have done my 
 Virgil in rhyme, if I was to begin it again.' How Sir John Denham should get into his hands one 
 of the sheets of Paradise Lost, while it was working off at the press, it is not very easy to conceive. 
 The proof-sheets of every book, as well as the finished sheets when worked off, previous to publication, 
 are subject to the inspection of no person but the author, or the persons to whom he may confide 
 them ; and there is no evidence or probability that any intimacy subsisted between Sir John Denham 
 and Milton. Here, then, is the first difficulty. The next is, that during a great part of the year 1667, 
 when Milton's poem probably was passing through the press, the knight was disordered in his 
 understanding : But a stronger objection remains behind ; for, on examination, it will be found that 
 Denham, who is said to have thus blazoned Paradise Lost in the House of Commons, was never in 
 Parliament. Let us, however, wave this objection, and suppose this eulogy to have been pronounced 
 in a full House of Commons in 1667 ; in which year Milton's great poem according to some of the 
 title-pages first appeared, whilst others have the dates of 1668 and 1669. So little effect had Denham's 
 commendation, that we find in two years aftenvards almost the whole impression lying on the book- 
 seller's hands as waste paper ; during which time Dryden, a poet himself, living among poets, and 
 personally acquainted with Milton, had never seen it ! And to crown all, by the original contract 
 between Milton and Simmons the printer, dated April 27, 1667, it was stipulated, that, whenever 
 thiiieen hundred books were sold, he should receive five pounds, in addition to the sum originally 
 paid on the sale of the copy ; and this second sum of five pounds was paid to him, as appears from 
 the receipt, on the 26th of April, 1669 ; so that, in two years after the original publication, we find 
 that, instead of almost the whole impression then lying on the bookseller's hands, thirteen hundred 
 out of fifteen hundred copies of this poem had been dispersed. Unless, therefore, almost every species 
 of incongruity and contradiction can authenticate a narrative, this anecdote must be rejected as wholly 
 unworthy of credit." 
 
 "Before I quit the subject of the first appearance of Paradise Lost," the Venerable Archdeacon 
 Todd remarks, " I must notice a communication, made to the publick not long since by a gentleman 
 possessing the original edition, of the following lines, apparently written by a female 1 on two leaves 
 prefixed to the title-page of his copy, and subscribed at the bottom with this singular remark : 
 'Dictated liy J. M.' The communicator observes, that the daughter of Milton officiated as his amanu- 
 ensis ; and that, from the remark already mentioned, there is some reason to attribute the lines to the 
 author of Paradise Lost. Different female hands, it may be added, appear in the manuscript of Milton, 
 
 1 It is much to be regretted that a fac-simile 
 of the writing of even one of the fifteen lines 
 was not given or sought for by Archdeacon 
 Todd. He, however, did not possess much 
 antiquarian feeling. Had he carefully examined 
 the writing, in the Trinity College Manuscript, of 
 
 those parts not in the autograph of Milton, he 
 would have at once seen the fallacy of supposing 
 that portion of the manuscript to be in the 
 autograph of "five females," as stated by "Warton, 
 and apparently acquiesced in by the learned 
 biographer. 
 
8 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 preserved in Trinity College, Cambridge. However, the bondage of rhyme will probably incline some 
 readers to doubt the authenticity of these lines ; while several striking sentiments and expressions, 
 and the frequent flow of the verses into each other, may perhaps occasion some also to think them 
 genuine, and that the great poet might have chosen, as an amusement, to employ once more the 
 'jingling sound of like endings.' Dr. Symmons, indeed, concedes that the testimony which has been 
 given, united with what is supplied by the verses themselves, will not suffer us to datibt of their lcini/ 
 tin' production of Milton. The subject also had been a favourite theme of Milton." 
 
 ON DAT-BREAK. 
 
 " ' Welcome, bright chorister, to our hemisphere ; 
 Thy glad approaches tell us Day is near. 
 See ! how his early dawn creeps o'er yon hill, 
 And with his grey-ey'd light begins to fill 
 The silent air, driving far from our sight 
 The starry regiment of frighted Night ; 
 Whose pale-fac'd regent, Cynthia, paler grows, 
 To see herself pursu'd by conquering foes ; 
 Yet daring stays behind, to guard the rear 
 Of her black armies whither without fear 
 They may retreat, till her alternate course 
 Bring her about again with rallied force. 
 Hark ! how the lion's terrour loud proclaims 
 The gladsome tidings of day's gentle beams, 
 And, long-kept silence breaking, rudely wakes 
 The feather' d train, which soon their concert makes, 
 And with unmeasur'd notes, unnumber'd lays, 
 Do joyfully salute the lightsome rays. 
 But hearken yonder, where the louder voice 
 Of some keen hunter's horn hath once or twice 
 Recheated out its blast, which seems to drill 
 Th' opposing air, and with its echo fill. 
 Thither let's hie ; and see, the toilsome hound, 
 Willing, pursues his labour, till he has found 
 Some hope of what he follows, then with fresht 
 And pleasing clamour tells it to the rest. 
 
 " ' O Thou, who sometimes by most sacred voice 
 Father of Light wert styl'd, let my free choice 
 (Though all my works be evil, seldom right,) 
 Shun loving darkness rather than the light. 
 Let thy essential brightness, with quick glance, 
 Dart through the foggy mist of ignorance 
 Into the darken'd intellect, and thence 
 Dispel whatever clouds o'erspread the sense ; 
 Till, with illuminated eyes, the mind 
 All the dark corners in itself can find, 
 And fill them all with radiant light, which may 
 Convert my gloomy night to sun-shine day. 
 Though dark, God ! if guarded by thy might 
 I see with intellectual eyes ; the night 
 To me a noontide blaze, illumin'd by 
 The glorious splendour of thy Majesty !'" 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 81 
 
 HE interest attached to the First printed edition of Paradise Lost 
 is so universal, that we hope the subjoined Bibliographical 
 Memoranda 1 of the nine issues of that impression, as well as of 
 the first two editions of Paradise Regained, will not be con- 
 sidered unworthy of being here recorded. 
 
 I. PARADISE 10ST. A POEM written in ten books by lohn Milton. Licensed and Entred 
 
 according to Order. 
 
 London printed, and are to lie sold by Peter Parker under Creed Church near Aldgate ; and 
 l>y Robert Boulter at tie Turks Head in Bislwpsgate-street ; and Matthias Walker, under St. Dun- 
 stons Church in Fleet-street, 4to. pp. 342. 1667. 
 
 No prefatory matter was published with this, the first issue of the first edition. The Poem 
 commences immediately after the title, and ends on reverse of V v 2. 
 
 II. Paradise lost, as before ; but the name of the author in a larger italic type. 
 
 Imprint tJie same. 4to. pp. 342. 1667. 
 
 For the information respecting the variation of the type in the title of this issue, and 
 
 also in that marked No. VI., we are indebted to Mr. John Bryant, well known, some years 
 
 since, as an industrious bookseller, but now as one of the Book- Cataloguers in our house of 
 
 business. 
 
 III. Paradise lost, a Poem in ten books. The Author J. M. Licensed and Entred according to 
 
 Order. 
 
 London Printed, 8fo., as before; but in this issue, printed has a capital P ; "near" is spelt 
 "neer," and the second and third "and" have a capital A. 4to. pp. 342. 1668. 
 
 In some copies of this issue are occasionally found the prefatory leaves printed by 
 Simmons ; but they were evidently not issued with the copies bearing the name of Peter 
 Parker in the imprint. In most copies of the first issue, 1667, the alterations in the imprint 
 here pointed out occur. 
 
 IV. Paradise lost. As before. 
 
 Imprint the same. 4to. pp. 342. 1668. 
 
 In a copy originally belonging to George Vertue, the historical engraver, having the above 
 imprint, and bearing date 1668, the type in the body of the title is larger. The copy 5 is 
 in its original binding, and is without any prefatory matter. On the title, Vertue has written, 
 after the Licence, " This being the first Edition he published." He had evidently never seen a 
 copy dated 1667. The fly-leaf of the copy bears an autograph note by Vertue, relating to the 
 portrait of Milton when twenty-one years of age, engraved by Vertue from the original, which 
 was in the possession of the third Wife of Milton, passing afterwards to Speaker Onslow. 
 
 V. Paradise lost. A Poem in ten books. The Author John Milton. 
 
 London, printed by S. Simmons, and to be sold by S. Thomson at tlie Bishops-Head in Dude 
 Lane, H. Mortlock at ihe Wliite Hart in Westminster Hall, M. Walker under St. Dunstans Church, 
 in Fleet street, and R. Boulter at the Turks-Head in Bishopsgate street. 4to. pp. 356. 1668. 
 
 This issue has a reprinted title and seven leaves of prefatory matter, comprising " The 
 
 1 These Memoranda are from my Bibliogra- 
 phical Account of the Printed Works of the 
 English Poets until the period of the Restora- 
 tion. S. LEIGH S. 
 
 2 It was sold in the Library of the late Lance- 
 lot Holland, Esq., of Beckenham, Kent, in 
 Wellington-street, July 1860. It produced 
 4Z. 6s. 
 
 11 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Argument," remarks on " The Verse," and a list of " Errata," preceded by the subjoined 
 address on the upper part of the first page of the preliminary matter. 
 
 " The Printer to the Reader. Courteous Reader, There was no Argument at first intended 
 to the Book, but for the satisfaction of many that have desired it, I have procur'd it, and 
 withall a reason of that which stumbled many others, why the Poem Rimes not. 8. Simmons." 
 
 In the British Museum copy of this issue, the alteration in the Address appears as noted 
 in No. VU. 
 
 VI. Paradise lost, as before, 1668 ; but before and after the name of the Author are stars in lieu, of 
 
 four lines of ornament, as in the preceding issue. 
 
 VII. Paradise lost. A Poem in ten Books. The Author John Milton. 
 
 London, Printed by S. Simmons, and are to be sold by T. Helder at tlie Angel in Little 
 Brittain, 4to. pp. 356. 1669. 
 
 This has the same prefatory matter as appeared in 1668, with the exception of the first 
 leaf, A 2, of the Argument being reprinted, and having an alteration in the Address from the 
 printer. The Address here abruptly leaves off after desired it, with " is procured." In some 
 copies dated 1668, this alteration in the address occurs. It is singular to notice that in the 
 British Museum copy of this issue, 1669, this alteration in th Address is not made. 
 
 VIII. Paradise lost, as before. 
 
 Imprint tlie same, except that the word Angel is in capitals, and after tlie word Brittain a 
 full stop ; though the British Museum copy of No. VII. IMS the full stop. 4to. pp. 356. 1669. 
 
 In this issue, the address to the Reader is omitted, and the whole of the preliminary 
 matter is reprinted. In some copies the first leaf of the preliminary matter only is reprinted, 
 as also the last two leaves of the Poem. 
 
 IX. Paradise lost, as before. In some copies the date, 1669, occurs beneath the imprint, in lieu of 
 
 at the end of the last line. 
 
 O 
 
 Paradise Lost. A Poem in Twelve Books. The Author John Milton. The Second Edition 
 
 Revised and Augmented by the saine Author. 
 London, Printed by S. Simmons next door to the Golden Lion in Aldersgate-street. 
 
 8vo. pp. 342. 1674. 
 
 Latin lines, " In Paradisum Amissam Summi Poetse Johannis Miltoni," subscribed " S. B. 
 
 M.D." Others "On Paradise Lost," by A. M. ; and " The Verse" occupying three leaves, 
 
 follow the title ; the Poem then commencing on B, and ending on Y 7, p. 333. On comparing 
 
 the title-pages of this and the following edition, variations will probably be found. 
 
 Paradise Lost, a Poem in Twelve Books. The Author John Milton. The Third Edition Revised and 
 
 augmented by the same Author. 
 London, Printed by S. Simmons next door to tlie Golden Lion ini Aldersgate-street. 
 
 8vo. pp. 340. 1678. 
 
 A portrait of the author precedes the title. On A 2 are commendatory verses in Latin, by 
 
 S. B., M.D., followed by others in English by A. M. Then " The Verse" and " The Argument." 
 
 The British Museum copy has a reprinted title bearing only the name of Jacob Tonson as 
 
 bookseller. 
 
 Paradise Lost. A Poem. In Twelve Books. The Author John Milton. The Fourth Edition, 
 
 Adorn'd with Sculptures. 
 
 London, Printed by Miles Flesher,for RMiard Benttij, at the Post Office m Russell-street, ,md 
 Jacob Tonson at the Judges-Head in Chancery Lane near Fleet-street. 
 
 fol. pp. 354 without the plates. 1G88. 
 
 A portrait of the author, by White, precedes the title. A leaf containing note of " The 
 Verse" follows the title, the poem commencing on B ; the twelfth book ends on Z 2, p. 343, 
 after which are three leaves occupied by the names of the "Nobility and Gentry That 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 encourag'd, by Subscription, the Printing this edition of Milton's Paradise Lost." An 
 engraving precedes each book. 
 
 This is the first folio edition. Others followed in 1692 and 1695. 
 PARADISE REGAIN'D. A Poem in IV. Books. To which is added Samson Agonistes. The 
 
 Author John Milton. 
 
 London, Printed by J. M. for Jolun Starkey at the Mitre in Fleetstreet, near Temple-Bar. 
 
 8vo. pp. 220. 1671. 
 
 First edition. The poem commences, without any prefatory matter, on B ; a leaf, with 
 " Licensed, July 2. 1670," preceding the title. On I, occurs another title, " Samson Agonistes, 
 a Dramatic Poem." with a motto from Aristotle's Poetics. Imprint as before. This piece 
 has fresh paging, and ends on P 3, p. 101, having on the reverse some "Omissa." This is 
 followed by a page of Errata in both Poems. 
 
 It is interesting here to notice that the initials of Milton occur in the imprint as the printer 
 of the volume. Such was frequently the case when a work was printed solely at the expense 
 of the author. 
 Paradise Regain'd, etc., as before. 
 
 London, Printed for John Starkey at the Mitre in Fleet-street, near Temple-liar. 
 
 8vo. pp. 136. 1680. 
 
 A leaf with "Licensed" on it precedes the title; the poems commencing, without any 
 prefatory matter, on A 3, p. 5, and ending on I 2, rev., p. 132 ; after which is a catalogue of 
 Books printed for John Starkey. " Samson Agonistes" has a separate title-page on E 4. 
 
 j]S at the present day, so it was in former times frequently the custom 
 for an author to be at the expense of printing his work, and to appoint 
 several booksellers as his agents to sell it. The very early editions of 
 the poems of Skelton, Poet-Laureat during the time of Henry VIII., 
 bear in the imprint the names of different publishers, namely, Wight, 
 Toy, Kytson, Wallye, Veale, etc., though in some cases the same impression bears the 
 names of only two of them. Similar variations in the publishers occur in the First 
 Edition of the Plays of Shakespeare and in many other works of that period. In 
 some cases the name of the author or his initials occur in the imprint, specifying 
 that the work was printed by or for him. An instance of the latter occurs in the 
 imprint to the first edition of Paradise Regain'd issued in 1671, "Printed by J. M. 
 for John Starkey." So again in the imprint to " The History of Britain" by Milton, 
 1670, "Printed by J. M.for James Allestry." 
 
 The first issue of copies of Paradise Lost, 1667, was without any prefatory 
 matter, either from Milton or the printer. The second issue, 1667, only differs in the 
 name of the author being in a larger type. The third issue, 1668, bears only the 
 initials of the author, J. M., on the title. The. fourth issue, 1668, varies only in the 
 title being printed in a larger type. The fifth issue, 1668, varies in the names of the 
 printer and publishers ; and has seven leaves of preliminary matter, comprising the 
 argument of the work, preceded by a short address from S. Simmons, whose name 
 there appears for the first time as the Printer of the volume. The sixth issue, 1668, 
 differs only in having stars before and after the name of Milton. The seventh issue, 
 1669, differs in the ornaments on the title, in the alteration of the address from the 
 
84: RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Printer, and in the reprint of the prefatory leaves. The eighth issue, 1669, differs 
 only in the imprint. The ninth issue, 1669, differs only in the date being at the 
 foot of the title. 
 
 We do not profess to have collated the various issues of the first edition page 
 by page ; and therefore are unable to confirm the statement, that some of the leaves 
 have been cancelled during the printing of the work, as related in the subjoined 
 note from memoranda made by Archdeacon Todd on the authority of Capel Lofft. 
 
 " Of this edition, some errata appear to have been corrected in some sheets while they were 
 passing through the press. I will mention an instance or two. Mr. Lofft observes, that the ioTtli 
 line of the fifth book ' begins a new paragraph in his copy of 1667, and that of 1669, and has no comma 
 after cloud : but in that of 1668 it continues unbroken, and has a comma after cloud.'' I have two 
 copies of 1668, one of which, in its original binding, begins a paragraph with this verse, and has no 
 comma after cloud. The other agrees with Mr. Lofft's statement. Again, the list of errata to my 
 copy of 1668 directs in to be substituted for with, in the penultimate line of the third book : In is 
 printed in both these copies of 1668. I have a copy of 1669, in which u-ith remains. 1 In the copies of 
 1668 and 1669 the number of this verse also differs. Several variations of this kind might be pointed 
 out. Perhaps some leaves were cancelled." 
 
 " A critical and careful collation," observes the accomplished Rev. John Mitford, 
 " of the copies of Paradise Lost, under these title-pages of different dates, will discover several varia- 
 tions in punctuation, orthography, and paging, and sometimes a change of words of one syllable. 
 These alterations were probably made in the course of the press- work, which may have been stopped 
 for new revised proofs, and to insert amendments occurring to the poet in the progress of the work 
 through the press. His blindness preventing his visual correction of the proof-sheets, might occasion 
 repeated readings to him, and some sheets may have been cancelled." 
 
 PAGES 36, 39, AND 40. 
 PLATES V., VI., AND VII. FAC-SIMILES OF PAGES 36, 39, AND 40. 
 
 fCRIPTURAL TRAGEDIES. Paradise Lost was originally intended 
 to have formed a Scriptural Drama, as seen by the three original plans 
 of Milton on page 35 in the Trinity College Manuscript, fac-similed in 
 the preceding Plate IV. The circumstance of the next pages in that 
 Manuscript being so immediately occupied by the designs of other 
 Dramas, induces us to think that Milton committed to paper, at about the same time, 
 his first designs of the several Works he had then in view. When occupied in filling 
 page 36, it is evident that, by mistake, he turned over an extra leaf of the volume, 
 continuing the subject of page 36 on page 39, leaving pages 37 and 38 blank, filling 
 them up afterwards. 
 
 It is seen that, at the close of page 39, the final syllable of the word shep- 
 herds was intended to have been as the connecting link for the commencement of 
 the next page ; but in turning over, and continuing the discourse, Milton has acci- 
 dentally omitted it, and has not afterwards corrected the error. 
 
 1 On examining the copies in the British Museum with regard to these errors, we find them just 
 the reverse : ivith appearing in the issue of 1668, and in in that of 1669. 
 
w 
 
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THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 85 
 
 PAGES 37 AND 38. 
 PLATES VIII. AND IX. FAC-SIMILES OF PAGES 37 AND 38. 
 
 IRITISH TEAJ." An outline of an intended Dramatical Illustration of 
 Early British History. It is arranged in thirty-three divisions or head- 
 ings, as seen in the fac-similes of the two pages. The marginal note on 
 the side refers to an amended passage in page 39, left side, as marked 
 " ivith." 
 
 That Milton contemplated the production of an Epic Poem illustrative of Early 
 British History, some time previous to his recording in his poetical repository the 
 first design of it,- evidently written about the same period as the design of Paradise 
 Lost on page 3 5,- is apparent from the subjoined lines in his poem addressed to 
 GIOVANNI BATTISTA MANSO, the friend of TOEQUATO TASSO. The poem was sent to 
 Manso when Milton left Naples, where he had been introduced to and received 
 special kindness from Manso, who died in 1645, aged 84. 
 
 " mihi si mea sors talem concedat amicum, 
 Phoebeeos decorasse viros qui tarn bene norit, 
 Siquando indigenas revocabo in Carolina reges, 
 Arturumque etiam sub terris bella moventem ! 
 Aut dicam invictae sociali fcedere mensse 
 Magnanimos heroas ; et, O modo spiritus adsit, 
 Fraiigam Saxonicas Britonum sub Marte phalanges ! 
 Tandem ubi non tacito permensus tempora vitas, 
 Annorumque satur, cineri sua jura relinquam, 
 Ille miM lecto madidis astaret ocellis, 
 Astanti sat erit si dicam, sim tibi curaa." ' 
 
 Thus translated by J. G. Strutt : 2 
 
 " that propitious fate to me would send, 
 So kind a patron and so true a friend ; 
 Should I in verse recal each British king, 
 And Arthur still new wars revolving sing ; 
 Or lead th' heroic knights to light again, 
 Around the social board, a dauntless train ; 
 And 0, if spirit to the task I feel, 
 Break the proud Saxon's crest with Briton's steel ! 
 Who when at last, my destin'd years o'erflown, 
 The grave I seek, not silent and unknown, 
 
 1 MANSUS. 
 inclusive. 
 
 Sylvarum Liber, lines 78 to 
 
 2 The Latin and Italian Poems of Milton, 
 translated into English Verse by Jacob George 
 Strutt: 8vo., 1816, p. 111. 
 
86 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Would my sad dying moments kindly cheer, 
 And o'er me drop the sympathetic tear, 
 To whom enough if breath'd this short request, 
 ' O let my name still live within thy breast.' " 
 
 The same idea, observes Warton, occurs in the "JEpitaphium Damonis" v. 162. 
 
 " King Arthur, after his death, was supposed to be carried into the subterraneous land of Faerie 
 or of Spirits, where he still reigned as a King, and whence he was to return into Britain, to renew the 
 Round Table, conquer all his old enemies, and reestablish his throne. He was, therefore, Hiiun 
 nwvens betta sub ferns, still meditating wars under the earth. The impulse of his" [Milton's] " attach- 
 ment to this subject was entirely suppressed : it produced his History of Britain. By the expression, 
 revocdbo in carmina, the poet means, that these antient Kings, which were once the themes of the 
 British Bards, should now again be celebrated in verse. 
 
 " Milton, in his CHURCH-GOVERNMENT, written 1641, says, that, after the example of Tasso, ' it 
 haply would be no rashness, from an equal diligence and inclination, to present the like offer in one 
 of our own ANCIENT STORIES.' " ' 
 
 The design of the British Tragedy was no doubt written soon after the return 
 of Milton from Italy. 
 
 " Ite domum impasti, domino jam non vacat, agni. 
 Ipse ego Dardanias Rutupina per aequora puppes 
 Dicam, et Pandrasidos regnum vetus Inogeniae, 
 Brennumque Arviragumque duces, priscumque Belinum, 
 Et tandem Armoricos Britonum sub lege colonos; 
 Turn gravidam Arturo, fatali fraude, logernen, 
 Mendaces vultus, assumptaque Gorlb'is anna, 
 Merlini dolus. mihi turn si vita supersit, 
 Tu procul annosa pendebis fistula pinu, 
 Multum oblita mihi ; aut patriis mutata Camoenis 
 Brittonicum strides, quid enina ? omnia non licet uni 
 Non sperasse uni licet omnia, mi satis ampla 
 Merces, et mihi grande decus (sim ignotus in aevum 
 Turn licet, externo penitusque inglorius orbi) 
 Si me flava comas legat Usa, et potor Alauni, 
 Verticibusque frequens Abra, et nemus omne Treantaa, 
 Et Thamesis meus ante omnes, et fusca metallis 
 Tamara, et extremis me discant Orcades undis." '' 
 
 Thus also translated by Strutt : 
 
 " Unpastur'd go, ye lambs, (affliction stern 
 Your shepherd now enthralls), to fold return. 
 I'll sing the leader of the Trojan host 
 On British seas, their towered Ilion lost; 
 
 1 Poems by Milton, with Notes by Warton. 
 1791, pp. 544-5, wtc. 
 
 3 EPITAPHIUM DAMONIS. Sylvarum Liber, lines 
 161 to 177 inclusive. 
 

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 "W MrTCAiFE LITKO 
 

 
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 7 
 
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THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 87 
 
 And fairest Inogen's divided reign, 
 Brennus, Arviragus, Belinus old, 
 
 And haughty Gallia's train 
 Bow'd to the yoke of Britain's warriors bold ; 
 And injur'd Gorlois' wife by spells deceiv'd, 
 Who Uther as her absent lord receiv'd. 
 Should life permit these toils, my aged reed 
 Thenceforth I'll hang neglected on some pine ; 
 Or my lov'd native melodies rehearse, 
 And fill with Britain's praise the sounding verse ; 
 Well pleas'd if here alone my notes succeed, 
 (For one can ne'er in all expect to shine 
 Nor all in one receive the destin'd meed,) 
 And let my fame live in no foreign clime, 
 
 Nor reach to future time, 
 So tawny Ouse for me her tresses bind, 
 And Alain's flood ; and dash'd in many a fall 
 Swift Humber's wave, and Trent's wood-crown'd shore, 
 And oh ! my native Thames, rever'd o'er all, 
 And Tamar's stream darken'd with dusky ore, 
 And Orkney's isles remote, where loud the wild waves roar." 
 
 PAGE 41. 
 PLATE X. FAC-SIMILE OF PAGE 41. 
 
 COTCH STOEIES, OR RATHER BRITTISH OF THE NORTH PARTS. This 
 occupies the upper part of the page, the remainder being additions to 
 page 40. 
 
 PAGE 42 BLANK. 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 SONNETS. 
 
 PAGE 43, ETC. 
 PLATE XI. 
 
 IONNET XIII. "To MY FRIEND MR. HENRY LA WES, FEB. 9, 1645." 
 This Sonnet 13, to his dear friend, Henry Lawes, is fac-similed No. 1, 
 in this plate. It is followed by a transcript of it, having, as will be seen 
 by comparison, several alterations. The inscription to the transcript is 
 not in the autograph of the Poet : it is in the hand of the same person 
 who was employed by the Poet to rewrite, at dictation, several of the sonnets he had 
 recomposed, and to make alterations in others. The ink used in the heading is of a 
 lighter colour, corresponding with that used by the Amanuensis of Milton. The page 
 closes with Sonnet 11, headed, "On the detraction uf h follow' d upon my writ in;/ 
 certain treatises." The word "detraction" has been crossed over by the pen of Milton. 
 
 PAGE 44 contains two copies of Sonnet 14, "On y e religious memorie of 
 Mrs. Catharine Thomson, my Christian friend, deceased 16 December 1646." The 
 inscription has had a line drawn through it by the pen of Milton, whose numerous 
 corrections in the first copy rendered the second necessary. 
 
 PAGES 45 and 46. These two pages are written on an inserted small leaf of a 
 quarto size. Page 45 contains another transcript of the Sonnet 13, to Henry 
 Lawes ; and also another of Sonnet 1 4, of which there are two in the autograph 
 of the Poet on the opposite page. On page 46 is a transcript of Sonnet 11 and also 
 of Sonnet 12, which latter commences page 47. 
 
 No. II. in this plate, gives the fac-simile of the transcript of Sonnet 1 1 on page 46, 
 and also the commencement of Sonnet 12. The writing of pages 45 and 46 is in the 
 hand of the Amanuensis by whom the inscription over the second transcript of the 
 Sonnet to Henry Lawes, page 43, was written. The original of Sonnet 1 1 is in the 
 autograph of Milton on page 43. That of Sonnet 12, on page 47, is also in Milton's 
 autograph. 
 
 The attention of our readers is now particularly requested to the heading which 
 occurs over the transcript of Sonnet 11 in this plate. In the first edition of the 
 Poems of Milton, issued in 1645, there only appear ten Sonnets. Here, then, we 
 have a plain direction that "These sonnets follow tf 10 in if printed looke." This 
 heading is in the same hand as was employed in that "To Mr. Hen. Lawes on 
 the pMishing of his Aires," over the second copy in the autograph of Milton of 
 Sonnet 13. The handwriting there employed, we believe to be the same hand at 
 different periods, and the only one, except in Sonnet 8, page 9, employed in the 
 volume. 
 
XI 
 
 T^yTW^^. 
 
 T 
 
 O 
 
 /W-A- f&4,f- 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ' I " 
 
 
 - - ~ : 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 89 
 
 That the heading to the transcript of Sonnet 11, on the top of page 46, is a 
 special direction, is clear. The question, therefore, arises, whether Milton had not 
 intended to have published a second and more perfect edition of his Minor Poems 
 at a much earlier period than 1673; and consequently, when employing his friend 
 or Amanuensis to rewrite some of his Sonnets, made fresh headings to others. It is, 
 however, curious to note, that, in the second edition of the Poems, in 1673, these 
 headings are either altered or omitted altogether. 
 
 The direction, "on y f forcers of conscience to come in heer," on the left side of 
 the erased title of Sonnet 15, is in the autograph of Milton; while that immediately 
 under, " turn over the leafe," is in the more careful smaller semi-cursive hand of the 
 Amanuensis used in the other sonnets. 
 
 PAGE 47, ETC. 
 PLATE XII. 
 
 [HE first Sonnet on page 47 is the original of Sonnet 12, here given in 
 fac-simile No. II. 
 
 " I WRIT A BOOKE OF LATE CALI/D TETRACHORDON." 
 
 The first three and other lines have been corrected by the Amanuensis 
 of Milton ; hence his transcript, on the opposite page, commencing, 
 " A booke was writ of late call'd Tetrachordon." 
 
 Of the cause of this very sarcastic Sonnet, the Venerable Archdeacon Todd notes : 
 
 " This elaborate discussion, unworthy in many respects of Milton, and in which much acuteness 
 of argument, and comprehension of reading, were idly thrown away, was received with contempt, or 
 rather ridicule, as we learn from Howel's Letters. A better proof that it was treated with neglect, is, 
 that it was attacked by two nameless and obscure writers only ; one of whom Milton calls, a Serving- 
 man turned Sollicitor ! Our author's divorce was on Platonick principles. He held, that disagree- 
 ment of mind was a better cause of separation than adultery or frigidity. Here was a fair opening 
 for the laughers. This and the following Sonnet were written soon after 1645. For this doctrine 
 Milton was summoned before the Lords. But they not approving his accusers, the presbyterian 
 clergy, or thinking the business too speculative, he was quickly dismissed. On this occasion Milton 
 commenced hostilities against the Presbyterians. He illustrates his own system in this line of Par. 
 Lost, book ix., 372 : 
 
 " ' Go, for thy stay, not/ree, absents thee more.' 
 
 Milton wished he had not written this work in English. This is observed by Mr. Bowie, who points 
 out the following proof, in the Defensio Secwnda : ' Vellem hoc tantum, sermone vernaculo me non 
 scripsissc : non enim in vernas lectores incidissem ; quibus solenne est sua bona ignorare, aliorum 
 mala irridere." Prose Works, ii., 331. This was one of Milton's books published in consequence of his 
 divorce [separation] from his first wife. TetracJwrdon signifies Expositions on the four chief places in 
 Scripture which mention marriage or nullities in marriage. T. Warton." 1 
 
 1 Poetical Works of Milton, edited by the Rev. H. Todd. Vol. vi., pp. 463-4. 
 
 12 
 
90 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 ONNET XV. follows Sonnet 12 on page 47. It is inscribed, 
 
 "ON Y E LORD GEN. FAIRFAX AT Y E SEIGE OF COLCHESTER." 
 
 The inscription has been subsequently erased by the pen of the 
 Amanuensis, who has noted at the side " turn over the leafe" referring 
 to the Sonnet that should come in. 
 
 " Nor would it be right to pass over the name of Fairfax, who united the utmost 
 fortitude with the utmost courage ; and the spotless innocence of whose life seemed 
 to point him out as the peculiar favourite of Heaven." 1 
 
 Such were the eulogistic feelings of Milton on the noblest of all the Parlia- 
 mentary Generals; one who had been driven to take part against his King by the 
 duplicity the Monarch had unhappily displayed in all his transactions with the 
 Army. The heart of Fairfax, however, can never be said to have been wholly 
 devoted to the cause of Cromwell. Fairfax was never prepared to proceed to 
 extremities against the life of Charles; and when that deed was consummated, he, 
 like many others, no longer served the Parliamentary Army with that zeal which 
 has been emblazoned in the almost prophetic verse of Milton : 
 
 " yet a nobler task awaits thy hand, 
 (For what can war, but endless war still breed ?) 
 Till Truth and Right from violence be freed." 
 
 Milton, who stood firm to the last, could not but deeply feel the return of 
 Fairfax to allegiance to his King. Consequently, in the edition of the Poems of 
 Milton, issued only the year before he died, he would not allow the Sonnet in praise 
 of Fairfax to be inserted. It was published for the first time in 1694, with four 
 others, at the close of the Memoir affixed to the " State Letters." 
 
 The direction on the left side of the Sonnet, "on y* forcers of conscience to come 
 in heer" is in the autograph of the Poet ; but not so the words " turn over the leafe" 
 as before stated. The erasures of the headings to the Sonnet are by the same hand, 
 and made, no doubt, at the same time as the erasure of the heading of the Cromwel- 
 lian Sonnet on the same page. 
 
 The first fac-simile in this Plate XII. is of SONNET 9, and of which we have 
 also given an FJectro-Block Fac-simile, p. 58, accompanied by an attempt to shew 
 that it was addressed to the "Fair Miss Davis" whom Milton was desirous to make 
 his wife in the event of his obtaining general assent to the views he had promulgated 
 on the subject of Divorce. 
 
 1 See close of extract from the " Second Defence," appended to the Sonnet to Cromwell. 
 
sn. 
 
 f-A / 
 
 Defter p-vi 
 
 /w ?r . s 
 
 
 TTKETC.U.TE. LITHE* CAKUUDUI 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 91 
 
 |ONNET XVI. "To THE LORD GENERAL CROMWELL 1652. ON THE 
 PROPOSALLS OF CERTAINE MINISTERS AT THE COMMITTEE FOR PRO- 
 PAGATION OF THE GOSPELL." It follows 15 on page 47. 
 
 // /- 
 
 7<m rf-K*. (fOffdL' 
 
 H^t/u>' t <J~n^t+ 
 
 *?e 
 
 <^y 
 
 Here the reader is presented with another specimen of an Electro-Block 
 Fac-simile. The Sonnet is in the same autograph as Sonnets 21, 22, and 23; 
 but it is executed in a larger and more free style. It is rather in a semi-cursive 
 hand, coarsely written; while the others are in a set cursive character, Sonnet 23 
 being most carefully executed with a fine pen. A little patient examination of the 
 writing in these sonnets, and, elsewhere, in the smaller cursive hand used by the 
 Amanuensis, will soon convince the observer of the identity of the autograph. 
 Warton, p. 5 8 9, considered the Sonnet 16 to be "in a female hand." We are at a loss 
 to discover upon what grounds the learned Warton could come to such a conclusion. 
 
 This Sonnet is numbered 1 6, and it is interesting to notice that the number has 
 been added, in the autograph of the Poet, at the close of Sonnet 15, and evidently 
 with the intention of writing the Sonnet 16 in the blank space he had left on 
 
92 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 the page. It would appear as if Sonnet 15 was the last written by the hand of Milton 
 in the volume. It must be a matter of conjecture whether the Cromwellian Sonnet 
 was written in the volume at the time of its composition, or whether it was added a 
 few years afterwards. Certain it is, that it underwent revision at the dictation of 
 the Poet, the partial erasure of the title being made at the same time and with the 
 same ink with which Sonnet 15 is written. 
 
 The omission of this Sonnet in the 1673 edition of the author's Poems evidently 
 arose from a sensitive feeling of delicacy on the part of Milton. He had experi- 
 enced the forgiveness of his King ; and though he may not have received any direct 
 favour, yet he could not but have felt, that, notwithstanding his unflinching deter- 
 mination to uphold the views he had taken, unexpected and undeserved clemency 
 had been shewn him. 
 
 The reduction of the Salary of Milton from 300l. a year to 150?. when deprived 
 of his sight by the overstrained use of his eyes in furthering the cause of Cromwell, 
 is of itself sufficient to shew the ingratitude of the Usurper. Under what pretence 
 of Economy could Cromwell justify such an act ? Was it his puritanical mode of 
 acknowledging the praises lavished upon him by Milton inl 654, in his "Second Defence 
 of the People of England?" Did not the loss of eyesight by his coadjutor, Milton, 
 fairly demand assistance to be afforded in his duties without reducing the pittance 
 he received? True it is, that Milton had in June 1650 1 rooms allotted to him at 
 Whitehall, with permission to decorate them, with some of the royal "hangings"; 
 but even this act of accommodation did not last long; as, in 1651, an order was 
 issued, "for his spedie removal out of his Lodgings in Whitehall" an order evidently 
 opposed by the Council of State, because the employment of Milton " necessitated 
 him to reside neer the Councell." 2 Milton, however, took the hint, and " soon after," 
 leaving his State Lodgings, went to "a pretty Garden house in Petty-France in 
 Westminster," where he remained "eight years, namely, from the year 1652, till 
 within a few weeks of the Restoration of King Charles the Second." 3 
 
 The order for the reduction of the salary of Milton to just half the amount he 
 had previously received is dated April 17th, 4 1655, at the very period that Milton 
 was fully experiencing the misery of total blindness. However much he may after- 
 wards have yielded his lofty spirit to submission under such an indignity, he was not 
 the man in the midst of the political struggles then going on around him,-struggles 
 in which he himself had taken so prominent a part,-to bear such public ingratitude 
 without at first inwardly feeling that his services merited other treatment. 
 
 Cromwell had gained his cause. His poor pen-man was blind and, officially, 
 almost useless. He was, therefore, rewarded with half pay during the remainder of 
 his life; a contract, the fulfilment of which could only be calculated on by the 
 
 i 
 
 Order of the Council Book. 
 
 State," 1694, p. xxxiii. 
 * Ib., 1651, June 11. 
 
 3 Memoir by Edward Phillips in " Letters of 
 
 4 Order of the Council Book, "1655, April 17." 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 93 
 
 continuance of the then tottering Commonwealth. Thus was the " man of the day," 
 by whose pen the ambitious designs of Cromwell were aided and vindicated, re warded. 
 No words, however, of reproach are recorded to have been used by Milton 
 against the Man to whom he had become, as it were, spell-bound. Mark here the 
 laudatory character given of Cromwell by Milton in his "Defensio Secunda," 1654. 1 
 
 " But, in speaking of such a man, who has merited so well of his country, I should do nothing if 
 I only exculpated him from crimes ; particularly since it not only so nearly concerns the country, but 
 even myself, who am so closely implicated in the same disgrace, to evince to all nations, and, as far 
 as I can, to all ages, the excellence of his character, and the splendour of his renown. Oliver Crom- 
 well was sprung from a line of illustrious ancestors, who were distinguished for the civil functions 
 which they sustained under the monarchy, and still more for the part which they took in restoring 
 and establishing true religion in this country. In the vigour and maturity of his life, which he passed 
 in retirement, he was conspicuous for nothing more than for the strictness of his religious habits, and 
 the innocence of his life ; and he had tacitly cherished in his breast that flame of piety which was 
 afterwards to stand him in so much stead on the greatest occasions, and in the most critical exigen- 
 cies. In the last parliament which was called by the King, he was elected to represent his native 
 town, when he soon became distinguished by the justness of his opinions, and the vigour and decision 
 of his councils. When the sword was drawn, he offered his services, and was appointed to a troop of 
 horse, whose numbers were soon increased by the pious and the good, who flocked from all quarters 
 to his standard ; and in a short time he almost surpassed the greatest generals in the magnitude and 
 the rapidity of his achievements. Nor is this surprising ; for he was a soldier disciplined to perfec- 
 tion in the knowledge of himself. He had either extinguished, or by habit had learned to subdue, the 
 whole host of vain hopes, fears, and passions, which infest the soul. He first acquired the govern- 
 ment of himself, and over himself acquired the most signal victories ; so that on the first day he took 
 the field against the external enemy, he was a veteran in arms, consummately practised in the toils 
 and exigencies of war. It is not possible for me in the narrow limits in which I circumscribe myself 
 on this occasion, to enumerate the many towns which he has taken, the many battles which he has 
 won. The whole surface of the British empire has been the scene of his exploits, and the theatre of 
 his triumphs ; which alone would furnish ample materials for a history, and want a copiousness of 
 narration not inferior to the magnitude and diversity of the transactions. This alone seems to be a 
 sufficient proof of his extraordinary and almost supernatural virtue, that by the vigour of his genius, 
 or the excellence of his discipline, adapted, not more to the necessities of war than to the precepts of 
 Christianity, the good and the brave were from all quarters attracted to his camp, not only as to the 
 best school of military talents, but of piety and virtue ; and that during the whole war, and the 
 occasional intervals of peace, amid so many vicissitudes of faction and of events, he retained and still 
 retains the obedience of his troops, not by largesses or indulgence, but by his sole authority and the 
 regularity of his pay. In this instance his fame may rival that of Cyrus, of Epaminondas, or any of 
 the great generals of antiquity. Hence he collected an army as numerous and as well equipped as 
 any one ever did in so short a time ; which was uniformly obedient to his orders, and dear to the 
 affections of the citizens ; which was formidable to the enemy in the field, but never cruel to those 
 who laid down their arms ; which committed no lawless ravages on the persons or the property of 
 the inhabitants ; who, when they compared their conduct with the turbulence, the intemperance, the 
 impiety, and the debauchery of the royalists, were wont to salute them as friends, and to consider them 
 as guests. They were a stay to the good, a terror -to the evil, and the warmest advocates for every 
 exertion of piety and virtue. Nor would it be right to pass over the name of FAIRFAX, who united 
 the utmost fortitude with the utmost courage ; and the spotless innocence of whose life seemed to 
 point him out as the peculiar favourite of Heaven." 
 
 1 Prose Works of Milton, by J. A. St. John. 5 vols. E. G. Bokn. Vol. i., pp. 285-6. 
 
94 
 
 R AMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 PAGE 48. 
 
 PLATE XIII. 
 
 [ONNET XVII. "To S R HENRY VANE THE YOUNGER." This maybe 
 considered as the last page in the volume, as originally made up, on 
 which there are any productions from the pen of Milton. The sonnet, 
 as also the one following, at first sight has the appearance of having 
 been written by a different hand from that used on the inserted leaf 
 pages 45 and 46; which writing, Warton, page 589, considered to be "a man's 
 hand." On a careful examination, the hand will be seen to be the same; the 
 difference being, that the writing on page 48 is in a more decidedly round, yet 
 remarkably free hand, so far as regards the flourish of the pen. The inscription has 
 been erased at the same period as the inscriptions over Sonnets 15 and 16 in the 
 page preceding. 
 
 Subjoined is the note upon the subject of this Sonnet, from the pen of the 
 Venerable Archdeacon Todd : 
 
 " Perhaps written about the time of the last [to Cromwell], having the same tendency. Sir Henry 
 Vane the younger was the chief of the independents, and therefore Milton's friend. He was the 
 contriver of the Solemn League and Covenant. He was an eccentrick character, in an age of eccen- 
 trick characters. In religion the most fantastick of all enthusiasts, and a weak writer, he \v;is a 
 judicious and sagacious politician. The warmth of his zeal never misled his publick measures. He 
 was a knight-errant in every thing but affairs of state. The sagacious Bishop Bui-net in vain attempted 
 to penetrate the darkness of his creed. He held, that the devils and the damned would be saved. 
 He believed himself the person delegated by God, to reign over the saints upon earth for a thousand 
 years. His principles founded a sect called the Vanists. On the whole, no single man ever 
 exhibited such a medley of fanaticism and dissimulation, solid abilities and visionary delusions, good 
 sense and madness. In the pamphlets of that age he is called Sir Humourous Vanity. He was 
 beheaded in 1662. On the scaffold, he compared Tower Hill to Mount Pisgah, where Moses went to 
 die, in full assurance of being immediately placed at the right hand of Christ. Milton alludes to tin- 
 execution of Vane and other regicides, after the Restoration, and in general to the sufferings of his 
 friends on that event, in a speech of the Chorus on Samson's degradation, Sams. Ayon., v. 687. See 
 also Ibid., v. 241. This Sonnet seems to have been written in behalf of the independents, against the 
 presbyterian hierarchy. T. Warton." 1 
 
 POEM "ON THE FORCERS OF CONSCIENCE." This poem is by Warton 
 and other editors of the Poems of Milton inscribed, "On the new 
 forcers of conscience under the Long Parliament;" an addition not in 
 the original, as seen in the fac-simile of the first four lines, No. II. in 
 this plate XIII. The line erased on the right is merely a direction " to 
 come in as directed on the leafe before." It is in the same peculiar cursive round 
 hand as Sonnet 1 7, which bears evidence of having been corrected at the dictation 
 of Milton. 
 
 1 Poetical Works of Milton, edited by the Rev. H. Todd. Vol. vi., p. 480. 
 
Mil. 
 
 . fail rhrt& ean Ja 
 
 ' 
 
 y 
 
 J 
 
 ^ / // i 
 
 otttvarv t>/?tf lf ormjunub 
 
 fit 
 
 t** 
 
 f!0rti> 
 
 Of fun or Moon or&am 
 Or 
 ra tnyfflSusfo ncmd {rrm 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 95 
 
 PAGE 49. 
 
 | ONNETS XXI. AND XXII. To CYRIACK SKINNER. The leaf on which 
 these two Sonnets are written, has been taken from another volume. 
 The paper is of the same quality and size as some of that used in the 
 latter portion of the Manuscript De Doctrinu Christiana, preserved 
 in the State Paper Office. Our fac-simile, No. II. in this plate XIII., 
 gives the whole of that most interesting Sonnet, addressed by the Poet ON His 
 BLINDNESS, to his much loved friend Cyriack Skinner. That the leaf formed part of 
 another volume, is evident from the fact that the first four lines of Sonnet 21, which 
 occupies the upper part of the page, are wanting, which were no doubt written on 
 the preceding page in the volume whence it was taken. 
 
 The person into whose hands the volume of these Juvenile and other Poems of 
 Milton had fallen, was doubtless desirous of adding that which would considerably 
 increase its value, and accordingly introduced the leaf, elsewhere obtained, containing 
 the Poet's own record of his total blindness. Peculiarly interesting is this addition, 
 as it contains on the ensuing page that remarkable and very beautiful Sonnet, 23, 
 
 "ON HIS DECEASED WIFE." 
 
 " Mee thought I saw my late espoused saint 
 
 brought to me like Alcestis from the grave 
 whom Joves great son to her glad husband gave 
 rescu'd from death by force though pale and faint. 
 
 Mine as whom washt from spot of childe-bed taint 
 purification in the old law did save 
 and such as yet once more I trust to have 
 full sight of her in heaven without restraint, 
 
 came vested all in white, pure as her minde : 
 her face was vaild, yet to my fancied sight 
 love, sweetness, goodness, in her person shin'd 
 
 soe cleare, as in no face with more delight. 
 But oh as to imbrace me she inclin'd, 
 I wak'd, she fled, and day brought back my night." 
 
 His second wife, to whom it is believed Milton was most affectionately attached, 
 died in child-bed, February 1658; soon after which event, it is supposed that this 
 Sonnet was written. 
 
 PAGES 51 TO 54 BLANK. 
 
 With the exception of leaf, pages 45 and 46; and leaf, pages 49 and 50, which 
 are of a smaller size, the whole of the paper in the volume is of the same make ; 
 the paper-mark being a vase with the initials " T. B." We note this, to shew that 
 the volume was formed when commenced, and not made up of loose sheets,- an 
 important point, as recording the order in which the various pieces were written. 
 
RAMBLIXGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 |N concluding our summary of the contents of the " Milton Manu- 
 script" preserved in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge, 
 we desire to offer our thanks to the Master and Fellows of that 
 Society for the liberal manner in which we have been allowed to 
 make use of the volume for the object of our pursuit. We desire 
 further to tender to the Eev. H. A. J. Monro, and to J. W. Clarke, 
 Esq., 1 our special acknowledgment for their kind communication 
 of information obtained by researches made, not only by themselves, but by many 
 of their friends,- Fellows of Trinity College. It is most gratifying to record such 
 kindness; and encouraging to those who may desire to consult the well-cared for yet 
 available Literary Treasures in the Public Libraries of that University. While thus 
 briefly alluding to these Treasures, we desire to direct the attention of the Historical 
 Inquirer to the almost unknown sources of information for the elucidation of one 
 of the most eventful periods of English History, which are now pent up in the 
 cupboards of Corpus Christi College. We allude to the mass of Original Letters 
 illustrative of the Reformation of the Church of this country during the reigns of 
 Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth, forming the collection bequeathed 
 to the College by Archbishop Parker; and of which a mere List was made by 
 Nasmith, and published at Cambridge in a quarto volume in 1777. 
 
 We are quite aware that the restrictions imposed by the stringent rules framed 
 by the founder for the protection of the Library, preclude anything more than an 
 ordinary examination of these Manuscripts, and are such as almost to debar the 
 zealous historian from attempting to gain information from them. The feeling, that, 
 when examining them, you are occupying the time of two of the Fellows of the 
 College, who are bound by the rules to be present, is of itself sufficient to deter 
 research. 2 We hope the pleasure of making known the more interesting contents 
 of that marvellous depository of the Autographic Memorials of the Great Theo- 
 logians of England, will fall to the task of some zealous Fellow of Corpus Christi 
 College, as he then will revel in his pursuit undisturbed by any of those feelings 
 generated by the restraints which are very properly, however much we may regret 
 and dislike them, placed upon the more than ordinary inspection of the MSS. The 
 future Cambridge Historical Society will deserve the thanks of the Historian by 
 fully recording the contents of those Treasures. 
 
 1 Mr. Clarke was then officiating as Librarian, 
 in the absence of the Rev. John Glover, to whom 
 subsequently we have had occasion to apply for 
 and receive information. 
 
 The penalty attending the loss of a specified 
 number of these MSS., viz., the forfeiture of the 
 whole of the books to Gonville and CViu< Col- 
 lege, is a sufficient justification for the I 
 observance of the founder's rules. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 VARIOUS SPECIMENS OF THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 BRITANNIA'S PASTORALS BY w. BROWNE. 1613-16. FOLIO. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH MANUSCRIPT NOTES. 
 
 PLATE XIV. No. I. SPECIMENS 1 TO 13. 
 
 HOSE who will take the trouble to look through the notes in the 
 variorum edition of the Poetical Works of Milton, collected by 
 the Venerable Archdeacon Todd, will find, more particularly in 
 Comus, Lycidas, Samson Agonistes, and Paradise Regained, 
 many references made to parallel passages and metaphors to be 
 _ met with in BROWNE'S PASTORALS, as well as in the works of Du 
 Bartas, Fletcher, Sylvester, Wither, and many others, of that class 
 of poets whose tastes were of a character similar and congenial to those of Milton. 
 HALLAM, J one of the most learned, truthful, and deeply read Historians this 
 country has produced, closes his remarks on the poetical genius of Milton by 
 observing that "he ivas a great collector of sweets from those wild floiuers." 
 
 The copy of the PASTORALS of BROWNE, which we here notice, was sold a few 
 years ago, in Fleet-street, by public auction; and it was, at the time, stated to be 
 illustrated with marginal notes in the autograph of Milton. That volume is now 
 before us. On the fly-leaf occurs the autograph signature and subjoined note by 
 W. FORD, a well known bookseller of Manchester during the early part of this 
 century. He states that 
 
 " The whole of the MS. notes are entirely in the Autograph of the celebrated John Milton, the 
 author of Paradise Lost, &c. ; and on reference it will be found that he had taken portions of this 
 
 1 Having been permitted to witness the con- 
 signment of the mortal remains of that most 
 popular and pleasing HISTORIAN, the Right 
 Honourable Thomas Babington, Lord Macau- 
 lay, among those of England's Intellectual 
 Heroes, in that much cherished spot, " THE 
 POETS' CORNER," WESTMINSTER ABBEY, we could 
 not but lament the absence of any monument to 
 the HISTORIAN HALLAJI, a man whose works are 
 most highly appreciated by those who read 
 history for the information it conveys. 
 
 While Macaulay will be read by the mass of 
 
 society for the general view he gives of English 
 History, and the fascination of his style ; Hallam 
 will be consulted for the soundness of his views, 
 and the philosophical development, without 
 any party bias, of the historical facts he has to 
 record. 
 
 Since penning the above, we rejoice to have 
 had the opportunity of adding our mite towards 
 a proposed Monument to the Memory of the late 
 Historian, to be placed in Westminster Abbey, 
 side by side with those of the departed learned 
 men of England. 
 
 13 
 
98 
 
 RAMBLLNGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 work as his model for his Paradise Regained. On comparison with some of his MSS. still existing, I 
 find such to be the case ; and which has been discovered by some former proprietor, who has written 
 in pencil on the top of page 2 of the work, 'All the notes are written Inj Milton the Poet.' The volume 
 was formerly sold in London, by a distant descendant of Milton, by the late Mr. Christie, and after- 
 wards went to Liverpool ; and ultimately I obtained the same from a friend who purchased the same 
 there. It has been rebound since. It was in the calf binding.' M. F." 
 
 The success that has of late years attended the " profession" of the Forger of 
 Literary and Antiquarian Relics, both abroad and at home, has had the effect of 
 making the most learned and acute in such matters occasionally sceptical as to the 
 genuineness of that of which they would not otherwise have entertained a doubt. But 
 it is still more astonishing that such learned men should permit, as they sometimes 
 do, a prejudice to arise in their minds upon a subject to which they have not 
 previously devoted their serious attention, and which they condemn, either openly, 
 or by a very significant shake of their heads ; while others, less bold, decline to 
 venture an opinion until they have discovered what may be the prevailing views 
 of their fellow critics. 
 
 When the copy of the Pastorals was about to be sold, there arose, as very 
 frequently is the case,- and sometimes, we fear, unfairly,- a doubt as to the genuine- 
 ness of the notes. Some said the volume 'did not bear the actual autograph 
 signature of the Poet,'-' there was no proof,'-' no note of any contemporary affirming 
 that the writing was by his friend John Milton.' In fact, the volume was pooh- 
 poohed. Not so, however, by everybody. 
 
 There was one WILLIAM PICKERING, the late lamented bookseller, whose keen 
 eye caused him to dissent from the general condemnation of the notes; but yet 
 somewhat diffident, after bidding many pounds for the volume, he allowed it to pass 
 into the hands of Mr. Waller, the well-known and industrious dealer in Autograph 
 Letters and Manuscripts. At our request, Mr. Waller immediately forwarded 2 the 
 volume to us. On returning it, we advised that it should be taken at once to be 
 compared with the writing in the Trinity College Manuscript. That, however, was 
 not done; and the volume consequently remained in the possession of Mr. Patrick, 
 who had purchased it from Mr. Waller, subject to an unfavourable impression. 
 
 1 Mr. Ford should have left the volume as it 
 was. The binder employed by him has, in 
 several instances, cut into the marginal notes : 
 sou fac-similes, Nos. 11 and 13. 
 
 1 We were at that period confined to our house 
 by illness. We had sent, however, a commission 
 to buy the book, being primarily quite satisfied 
 with the attestation of Mr. Ford. Our commis- 
 sion arrived too late ; the book having been sold. 
 It was either worth nothing more than a few 
 
 shillings, the usual value of a copy of the work ; or, 
 as having Annotations in the autograph of Mil- 
 ton, far more than forty pound*, which had been 
 given for the copy of Aralus now in the British 
 Museum. That volume, beyond a very few mar- 
 ginal references, has only on its title-page the 
 autograph signature of the Poet, as seen in plate 
 XIV., No. II. 
 
 Forty pounds for tJie Autograph Signature of 
 Milton ! 
 
 Fifteen pounds for tJte entire copyright of'Para- 
 di*e Lost !" 
 
4^ 
 
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 im 
 
 ^ *-,-v^ 
 
 rH* 
 
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 ^ JL ,,1* 
 
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 4 
 
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 s 
 
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 -^ 
 
 
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 4, -i i 
 
 
 5x 
 
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 -4 B 
 
 
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 V,* Cr 
 
 il ** ^ u ct 
 
 v >5 c /^ ^ U 
 
 ^9 ar 4 I f^-IX 
 

 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 99 
 
 When we came to examine the Trinity College Manuscript, we were so forcibly 
 reminded of the peculiar and general character of the notes in the Pastorals, that 
 we again sought an inspection of the volume, which was immediately, through the 
 intervention of that indefatigable bookseller, Mr. Lilly, placed in our hands by the 
 widow of the late Mr. Patrick. So confident are we of the whole of the marginal 
 observations being in the autograph of Milton, that we do not think it necessary to 
 refer to any of those minutice in the handwriting, with the view of substantiating 
 that opinion. While selecting the thirteen specimens from the notes, as given in 
 this plate XIV., we afford the reader the opportunity of judging for himself on 
 the genuineness of the Autograph ; and we have no doubt his verdict will be given 
 in its favour. There is, however, one special point in confirmation of our views, 
 which we desire to note, namely, that the same occasionally imperfect and frequently 
 quaint orthography found in the Trinity College Manuscript, occurs also in the 
 marginal notes to the Pastorals. It may be interesting also to notice that the 
 Greek e , as constantly used by Milton at one time, but very rarely after his return 
 from Italy in 1639, is adopted in all instances throughout the-notes in the Pastorals. 
 Those to whom a comparison in the change of handwriting at different periods is 
 interesting, will, on carefully going through the pages of fac-similes from the Trinity 
 College Manuscript, have great difficulty in discovering a single instance of the use 
 of the Greek e in any of the writing before the date of 1639; but to come to any 
 decision as to the date of the autograph of Milton from that circumstance, would 
 be very fallacious, as in the marginal notes in the copy of Euripides belonging to 
 Sir Henry Halford, commenced in 1634, the plain e and the Greek e frequently occur 
 in the same word. 
 
 As a passing observation, we note that the frequent writing of Greek Letters 
 may have caused Milton to adopt the round hand more generally than the cursive ; 
 the former exhibiting the letters written apart, as in the Greek Language. 
 
 E now proceed to quote the parallel passages to which the fac-similes 
 and notes refer. 
 
 "A simile of a Dove beset with 2 hawks and a ship with contrary 
 winds." Milton. 
 
 "As when to seeke her foode abroad doth roue 
 The Nundus of peace, the seely Doue, 
 Two sharpe set hawkes doe her on each side hem, 
 And shee knowes not which way to flye from them : 
 Or like a shippe that tossed to and fro 
 With winde and tyde ; the winde doth sternely blow, 
 And driues her to the Maine, the tyde comes sore 
 And hurles her backe againe towards the shore." Pastorals, Book I., p. 6. 
 
100 RAMBLIXGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 "They who drinke of Lethe never think of love or if world." Milton. 
 
 " O Charon, I am bound 
 
 More to thy kindenesse, then all else, that round 
 Come thronging to thy Boate : thou hast past ouer 
 The woful'st Maide that ere these shades did couer : 
 But prithee Ferriman direct my Spright 
 Where that blacke Riuer runnes that Lethe hight, 
 That I of it (as other Ghosts) may drinke, 
 And neuer of the world, or Loue, more thinke." Pastorals, B. I., p. 7. 
 
 "A handsome Sheepheard as ivell in mind as in body." Milton. 
 
 "Pemoml, young Remand, that full well could sing, 
 And tune his pipe at Paws-birth carolling: 
 Who for his nimble leaping, sweetest layes, 
 A Lawrell garland wore on Holi-dayes ; 
 In framing of whose hand Dame Nature swore 
 There neuer was his like, nor should be more." Pastorals, B. I., p. 13. 
 
 "The miserys of those y l marry for beauty!' Milton. 
 
 " Shee is not lou'd, that's lou'd not for her selfe. 
 How many Shepheards daughters, who in dutie, 
 To griping fathers haue inthral'd their beautie, 
 To waite vpon the Gout, to walke when pleases 
 Olde January halt. O that diseases 
 Should linke with youth ! She that hath such a mate 
 Is like two twinnes borne both incorporate : 
 Th' one lining, th' other dead : the liuing twinne 
 Must needes be slaine through noysomnesse of him 
 He carryeth with him : such are their estates, 
 Who meerely marry wealth and not their mates." Pastorals, B.I. , p. 34-35. 
 
 "Att are born to love." Milton. 
 
 " Beleene me, Maiden, vow no chastitie : 
 For maidens but imperfect creatures be." Pastorals, B. I., p. 30. 
 
 "Against love." Milton. 
 
 " Loue is a Syren that doth shipwracke youth." Pastorals, B. I., p. 36. 
 
 "Mans life compar'd to a river." Milton. 
 
 "As men from earth, to earth; from sea to sea 
 So Riuers runne : and that from whence both came 
 Takes what she gaue : Waues, Earth : but leaues a name. 
 As waters haue their course, and in their place 
 Succeeding streames well out, so is mans race : 
 The Name doth still suruiue, and cannot die, 
 Vntill the Channels stop, or Spring grow dry." Pastorals, B. I., p. 38. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 101 
 
 "A character of a lad poet." 
 
 "And as some ruder Swaine composing ryme, 
 Spends many a gray Goose quill vnto the handle, 
 Buries within his socket many a Candle ; 
 Blots Paper by the quire, and dryes vp Incke, 
 As Xerxes Armie did whole Riuers drinke, 
 Hoping thereby his name his worke should raise 
 That it should liue vntill the last of dayes." 
 
 "A steep high mountain." 
 
 "A mountaine had his foote, and gan to rise 
 In stately height to parlee with the Skies." 
 
 "True grief will admit of no comforter" 
 
 " Toy may haue company, but Griefe hath none : 
 Where pleasure neuer came, sports cannot please." 
 
 Milton. 
 
 Pastorals, B. I., p. 39. 
 Milton. 
 
 Pastorals, B. I., p. 47. 
 Milton. 
 
 Pastorals, B. I., p. 51. 
 
 " One so sweet, y* bees mistaken, gather honey from her instead offloivers." Milton. 
 
 " Enriching then the arbour downe she sate her ; 
 Where many a busie Bee came flying at her : 
 Thinking when she for ayre her brests discloses, 
 That there had growne some tnft of Damaske-Eoses." 
 
 Pastorals, B. I., p. 64. 
 
 " One grievously opprest & entreating pitty from whence pretty fancy is rais'd." 
 
 Milton. 
 " With plaints which might abate a Tyrants knife ; 
 
 She begges for pardon, and entreates for life, 
 
 The hollow caues resound her meanings neere it, 
 
 That heart was flint which did not grieue to heare it : 
 
 The high topt Firres which on that mountaine keepe, 
 
 Haue euer since that time been seene to weepe." Pastorals, B. I., pp. 66-7. 
 
 "A pretty thing." 
 
 " So from the mines of this mangled Creature 
 Arose so faire and so diuine a feature, 
 That Enuy for her heart would doate vpon her ; 
 Heauen could not chuse but be enamour'd on her : 
 Were I a Starre, and she a second SpJieare, 
 Ide leaue the other, and be fixed there." 
 
 Milton. 
 
 Pastorals, B. I., p. 67. 
 
 "Truth slighted ofy nobility, by reason of adulation." 
 
 " Seeking the place of Charities resort, 
 Vnware I hapned on a Princes Court ; 
 Where meeting G-reatnesse, I requir'd reliefe, 
 (0 happy vndelayed) she said in briefe, 
 To small efiect thine oratorie tends, 
 How can I Iceepe thee and so inanij friends ? 
 
 Milton. 
 
102 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 If of my houshold I should make thee one, 
 Farewell my seruant Adulation." 
 
 "Men strive to get fair M"" 
 
 " So whilome rode this Maide 
 On streames of worldly blisse, more rich arrayd, 
 With Earths delight, then thought could put in vre, 
 To glut the sences of an Epicure. 
 Whilst neighbring Kings vpon their frontires stood, 
 And offer'd for her dowre huge Seas of blood." 
 
 "A beautiful vergin undressing her sdf." 
 
 "And as a louely Mayden, pure and chaste, 
 With naked lu'rie necke, and gowne vnlac'd, 
 Within her chamber, when the day is fled, 
 Makes poor her garments to enrich her bed : 
 First, puts she off her lilly-silken gowne, 
 That shrikes for sorrow as she layes it downe ; 
 And with her armes graceth a Wast-coate fine, 
 Imbracing her as it would ne'er vntwine." 
 
 "Great men have not such rest as clowns." 
 
 " Not with disturbed thoughts ; the beds of Kings 
 Are neuer prest by them, sweet rest inrings 
 The tyred body of the swarty clowne, 
 And oftener lies on flocks then softest downe." 
 
 "Poor labour to feed y luxury oftf ricJi." 
 
 " There should they see another that commands 
 His Farmers Teame from furrowing his lands, 
 To bring him stones to raise his building vast, 
 The while his Tenants sowing time is past." 
 
 Pastorals, B. I., p. 76. 
 Milton. 
 
 Pastorals, B. I., p. 89. 
 
 Milton. 
 
 Pastorals, B. I., p. 106. 
 Milton. 
 
 Pastorals, B. II., p. 22. 
 
 Milton. 
 
 Pastorals, B. II., p. 22. 
 
 Milton. 
 
 "Poetts live for ever." 
 
 "It was inacted here, in after dayes 
 
 What wights should haue their temples crown'd with Hayes. 
 Learn'd Ariosio, holy Petrarchs quill, 
 And Tasso should ascend the Muses hill." Pastorals, B 
 
 "The excellency of the english poetts." 
 
 " There will she Anchor cast, to heare the songs 
 Of English Shepheards, whose all tunefull tongues 
 So pleas'd the Nayades, they did report 
 Their songs perfection in great Nereus Court." 
 
 II., p. 25. 
 Milton. 
 
 "Spencer." 
 "And Colin Clout began to tune his quill." 
 
 Pastorals, B. II., p. 26. 
 
 Milton. 
 Pastorals, B. II., p. 26. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 103 
 
 " Venus mourning over Adonis when he was dead." Milton. 
 
 "Venus by Adonis side 
 Crying kist, and kissing cryde, 
 Wrung her hands and tore her hayre 
 For Adonis dying there." Pastorals, B. II., p. 32. 
 
 " Good Poetts are envied yet in spite of envy get immortatt prayse." Milton. 
 
 " Yet to this Lad not wanted Enuies sting, 
 (' Hee's not worth ought, that's not worth enuying.') 
 Since many a,t his praise were seene to grutch. 
 For as a Miller in his boulting hutch 
 Driues out the pure meale neerly, (as he can) 
 And in his sifter leaues the courser bran : 
 So doth the canker of a Poets name 
 Let slip such lines as might inherit Fame." Pastorals, B. II., p. 33. 
 
 "Sir Philip sidney,-Draiton,-Johnson,-Daniell,~- 
 
 Brook,-Daveis, & Wither." Milton. 
 
 Milton here only notes the names of the several poets of whom Browne sings 
 in high praise in the verses opposite thereto. 
 
 " Very beautifutt." Milton. 
 
 " His armes a crosse, his sheep-hooke lay beside him : 
 Had Veniis pass'd this way, and chanc'd t'haue spide him, 
 With open brest, lockes on his shoulders spred, 
 She would haue sworne (had she not seene him dead ;) 
 It was Adonis ; or if e're there was 
 Held transmigration by Pith agorae, 
 Of soules, that certaine then, her lost-loues spirit 
 A fairer body neuer could inherit." Pastorals, B. II., p. 46. 
 
 These lines remind us of a romantic but not authenticated anecdote often told 
 of Milton, 1 "as having formed the first impulse of his journey to Italy, and as the 
 parent, too, of some of his Poetry." 
 
 " It is well known that, in the bloom of youth, and when he pursued his studies at Cambridge, 
 this poet [Milton] was extremely beautiful. Wandering one day, during the summer, far beyond 
 the precincts of the University, into the country, he became so heated and fatigued, that, reclining 
 himself at the foot of a tree to rest, he shortly fell asleep. Before he awoke, two ladies, who were 
 foreigners, passed by in a carriage. Agreeably astonished at the loveliness of his appearance, they 
 alighted, and having admired him, as they thought, unperceived, for some time, the youngest, who 
 was very handsome, drew a pencil from her pocket, and having written some lines upon a piece of 
 paper, put it with her trembling hand into his own. Immediately afterwards they proceeded on their 
 journey. Some of his acquaintance, who were in search of him, had observed this silent adventure, 
 but at too great a distance to discover that the highly-favoured party in it was our illustrious bard. 
 
 1 Poetical Works of Milton, by Tocld. 4to. edition, 1842. Vol. i., p. 19. 
 
104 
 
 RAMBLING S IN THE ELUCIDATION OP 
 
 Approaching nearer, they saw their friend, to whom, being awakened, they mentioned what had 
 happened. Milton opened the paper, and, with surprise, read these verses from Guarini, Mutlfii/nl xii., 
 
 ed. 1598: 
 
 " ' Occhi, stelle mortali, 
 Ministre de miei mali, 
 Se chiusi m' uecidete, 
 Aperte che farete ?' " 
 
 "Too much of one thing is good for nothing." Milton. 
 
 " There's no one season such delight can bring, 
 As Summer, Autumne, Winter, and the Spring. 
 Nor the best Flowre that doth on earth appeare 
 Could by it selfe content vs all the yeare. 
 The Salmons, and some more as well as they, 
 Now loue the freshet, and then lone the Sea." Pastorals, B. II., p. 77. 
 
 "Nothing but vertue sha\U\ obtain y e praises of his [muse"] Milton. 
 
 " My free-borne J/wse will not like Danae be 
 Wonne with base drosse to clip with slauery ; 
 Nor lend her choiser Balme to worthlesse men, 
 Whose names would dye but for some hired pen ; 
 No : if I praise Vertue shall draw me to it, 
 And not a base procurement make me doe it." Pastorals, B. II., p. 89. 
 
 " He delights in study more y* earthly enioyments." Milton. 
 
 " In this can I as oft as I will chuse 
 Hug sweet content by my retyred Muse, 
 And in a study finde as much to please 
 As others in the greatest Pallaces." Pastorals, B. II., p. 89. 
 
 " Vertue is y only nobility." Milton. 
 
 "Not from Nobilitie doth Vertue spring, 
 But Vertue makes fit Nobles for a King. 
 From highest nests are croaking Rauens borne 
 When sweetest Nightingales sit in the Thome." Pastorals, B. II., p. 91. 
 
 "Life and De"th." Milton. 
 
 " Death seuers many, but he couples few. 
 Life is a Flood that keepes vs from our blisse, 
 The Ferriman to waft vs thither, is 
 Death, and none else ; the sooner we get o're 
 Should we not thanke the Ferriman the more "i" Pastorals, B. II., p. 131. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 105 
 
 AEATI PHENOMENA. 1559, 4to. WITH MANUSCRIPT NOTES. 
 
 No. II. SPECIMENS 1 TO 9. 
 
 ilROM the title-page and margins of a copy of the "Phenomena" and 
 "Diosemeia" of Aratus. Paris edition, 1559, 4to. The main interest 
 of the volume consists of its bearing irrefragable proof of having 
 belonged to the Poet. It has also numerous manuscript notes in the 
 autograph of JOHN UPTON, the learned editor of Epictetus; from whose 
 possession it appears to have passed into that of James Bindley, an eminent 
 collector and amateur antiquarian, at the sale of whose library, in 1818, the volume 
 was sold for 8 8s. Part I., No. 540. Passing afterwards into the Heber Library, 
 it was, at the sale of the sixth portion of his collection in 1835, again sold, producing 
 4 19s.; and subsequently in 1850, into the library of the late John Poynder, Esq., 
 when it was purchased for the British Museum for 40 10s. 
 
 Subjoined is an enumeration of the pages in which the notes occur, whence 
 the fac -similes were taken. 
 
 No. 
 
 1. John Milton. Price and date. Fly-leaf be- 
 
 fore title. 
 
 2. On title at each side of vignette. 
 
 3. Page 1, 1. 5 of text ; line 5 of Phsenomena. 
 
 4. 11, 1. 12 74 
 
 5. 14, 1. 5 100 
 5* , 1. 12 107 
 
 No. 
 
 5** P. 14, 1. 17 of text; line 112of Phenomena. 
 6. 15, 1. 5 124 
 
 7. 
 
 17, 1. 8 
 
 38, 1. 1 
 
 9. 52, 1. 7 
 
 144 
 326 
 330 
 
 475 
 
 LYCIDAS, WITH MANUSCRIPT NOTES. 
 
 No. in. SPECIMENS 1 TO 5. 
 
 OEEECTIONS of the text in the British Museum copy of the "Obse- 
 quies to the Memorie of Mr. Edward King," wherein this celebrated 
 Monodie was first published. The corrections occur in the lines aa 
 noted below. 
 
 No. 1. Line 10, "he A knew" 
 
 2. 51, "your lord Lycidas" 
 
 3. 67, "as others doe" 
 
 4. 157, "under the humming tide" 
 
 Corrected, 
 
 " A well." 
 " Lov'd." 
 " use." 
 " whelming." 
 
 5. After line 176, " in the blest kingdom of Joy and Love" inserted. 
 
 14 
 
106 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 
 ALBUM OF CAMILLUS CARDOYN. 
 
 
 
 NO. rv. 
 
 
 
 |ffi l "]**j*fj|ERE is a complimentary inscription with the signature of Milton.writtcn 
 
 
 I ^Skri m J une 1 639, when at Geneva, in the ALBUM of CAMILLUS CARDOYX, 
 
 
 JBT *1 a Neapolitan Nobleman residing at Geneva, from 1608 
 
 to 1640. It 
 
 
 pUSrL'j contains complimentary Inscriptions, Verses, etc., in Hebrew, Grcrk, 
 
 
 Latin, German, French, and English, by some of the most 
 
 distinguished 
 
 
 Authors and Literary Men of the period. The following eminent 
 
 Englishmen 
 
 
 contributed inscriptions to the volume : 
 
 
 
 JOHN MILTON . . . Junii 10, 1639 
 
 Hen. Fitzwalter 
 
 . n. d. 
 
 
 Thomas Went worth, the unfortunate Lord 
 
 L. Rose .... 
 
 . 1613 
 
 
 Sb-afford . . . ... 1612 
 
 Thos. Wilson 
 
 . 1637 
 
 
 William Marshall .... 1614 
 
 Will. Paget 
 
 . 1631 
 
 
 Edw. Ironside n. d. 
 
 Will. Spencer 
 
 . 1633 
 
 
 Lord George Berkeley . . . n. d. 
 
 Ric. Holt 
 
 . 1637 
 
 
 Sir Ant. Weldon .... 1638 
 
 Gef. Nightingale . 
 
 . 1640 
 
 
 Robt. Harley 1619 
 
 W. Ducy 
 
 . 1639 
 
 
 Sir Ric. Baker, author of the " Chronicle 
 
 Jas. Croft .... 
 
 . 1631 
 
 
 of England" . . . '. 1640 
 
 Jas. Zouche 
 
 . 1606 
 
 
 John Junius, a Scotch Scliolar . 1610 
 
 Edw. Boneam 
 
 . 1635 
 
 
 John Smythe, probably Sir John . . n. d. 
 
 G. Turnbull 
 
 . 1631 
 
 
 Edmund Gybbon .... 1634 
 
 Thomas Tirrett . 
 
 . 1640 
 
 
 Henry Butler 1638 
 
 James Hamilton . 
 
 . 1639 
 
 
 Thomas KUligrew, the Dramatist . . 1638 
 
 Richard D'Ewes . 
 
 . 1639 
 
 
 Edw. Ayscongh 1639 
 
 W. Bishop . 
 
 . 1620 
 
 
 Edm. Batty n. d. 
 
 Edw. Ayscu 
 
 . 1615 
 
 
 Ric. Griffiths, of Hereford . . . 1616 
 
 Jas. Bromel 
 
 . 1614 
 
 
 Walter Strickland, of Yorkshire . . 1634 
 
 Thos. Gurry 
 
 . 1608 
 
 
 Roger Knight . . . . n. d. 
 
 Hen. Paulett 
 
 . n. d. 
 
 
 Griff. Maddock, Welchman . . . 1608 
 
 Humf. Tufton 
 
 . n. d. 
 
 
 W. Wingfield n. d. 
 
 John Rons .... 
 
 . n. d. 
 
 
 W. Armyn . . . . . n. d. 
 
 John Cooke 
 
 . n. d. 
 
 
 W. Crayford n. d. 
 
 W. Gresley 
 
 . 1631 
 
 
 Edw. Wray n. d. 
 
 J. Dormer .... 
 
 . 1636 
 
 
 Thos. Hungerford .... 1626 
 
 J. Amber .... 
 
 . 1614 
 
 
 Josue Hixton ..... 1635 
 
 J. Tracy 
 
 . 1638 
 
 
 Octavius Pullen 1635 
 
 T. Whitaker 
 
 . 1640 
 
 
 W. Bagot 1631 
 
 D. Bougeton 
 
 . 1639 
 
 
 James Hodgson 1633 
 
 H. Bludder . 
 
 . 1628 
 
 
 Gilbert Pykeringe . . . 1634 
 
 J. Sntton .... 
 
 . 1630 
 
 
 Sir And. Knyverton, Bt. . . . 1637 
 
 S. Thomson 
 
 . 1640 
 
 
 Sir F. Fane 1633 
 
 G. Courthop 
 
 . 1638 
 
 
 Spencer Compton .... 1618 
 
 R. Hampden 
 
 . n. d. 
 
 
 Thomas Warton 1610 
 
 Hen. Winwood 
 
 . 1637 
 
 
 The date at the foot of the inscription by Milton is not in the autograph of the Poet. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 107 
 
 j]HIS very interesting Autographic Memorial of distinguished Men of the 
 Seventeenth Century, was obtained at Geneva in 1834, for a few 
 shillings, by the son of the late Bishop of Sydney, the Right Reverend 
 George Broughton. 1 It was sold in Wellington-street, February 19, 
 1835, by auction, to the late eminent bookbinder, Charles Herring, for 
 25l. 4s. It subsequently passed into the hands of the then leviathan bookseller, 
 Thomas Thorpe ; and is now the property of the Rev. Charles Sumner of America. 
 A notice of the volume appeared in the "Boston Daily Evening Transcript" for 
 January 25th, 1860, stating that the Reverend Gentleman had recently obtained it 
 in Europe. We do not know to whom we are indebted for the fac-simile of that 
 portion bearing the autograph of Milton. It was received by post, accompanied by 
 the notice referred to ; a notice merely reiterating the names of some of the more 
 distinguished persons whose writing appears in it. 
 
 To the contributor, therefore, to our " Ramblings," we here take the opportunity 
 of offering our thanks. A voyage to America 2 would have been a most delightful 
 addition to our Pursuits, in the anticipation of discovering in our search some 
 Milton Manuscripts that may have found their resting place in the "Far West;" 
 either from having survived the wholesale destruction, at the time of the Restoration, 
 of many of the Official Documents of that period ; or from having been subsequently 
 dispersed in consequence of the barbarously careless manner in which those that had 
 been preserved were examined by the State Authorities on their removal from the 
 cellars of Somerset House, the store rooms in the Dock Yard at Deptford, and, no 
 doubt, many other places. It may be asked, what has become of the State Papers 
 that were many years ago at Dover 1 Were they entrusted to some high and 
 mightily ignorant official, who would have preferred seeing them cast over the pier, 
 or made a bonfire of, to soiling his delicate fingers by the accumulated dust of two 
 centuries ? Certain it is that many of those that were in the store rooms in Dept- 
 ford, were taken so little care of, that there is scarcely a collection of Autograph 
 Letters and Documents of the Period in this country, that does not abound in State 
 Papers purloined from that source. The catalogues of the sales of manuscripts by 
 auction during the last twenty years, confirm what is here stated. 
 
 When, on the occasion of the Members of the Archaeological Society of London 
 
 1 It was in 1834, when we met the late Bishop 
 of Sydney and his son at the house of our 
 mutual friend, Mr. Pulham, the enthusiastic col- 
 lector of the works of George Wither, the Boy 
 shewed to us the treasure he had procured ; and 
 as his Father thought he would rather have a 
 silver watch than the volume, we put it into our 
 pocket, and within a few weeks had the gratifi- 
 
 cation of handing to him something more than 
 would buy him the object desired. 
 
 8 If we mistake not, it would be the first 
 instance of an Englishman travelling Far West 
 in search of long lost historical information 
 relating to England. 
 
 14 2 
 
108 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 and Middlesex being permitted, the year before last, to visit the Interior of the 
 Tower of London, we saw in one of the upper chambers thousands of documents, 
 centuries old, put in sacks like so many potatoes, with their mouths open to shew 
 the quality of the contents, while hundreds were lying loose upon the ground, as 
 the debris of the Archives, which were then being removed to their new destination. 
 We were so perfectly astonished at what we saw, that we fear the very interesting 
 account of the Chamber orally given by the Reverend Antiquary, Thomas Hugo, was 
 entirely lost upon us. We could not help looking at some of the scattered debris ; 
 and we doubt not but that, had we been permitted an hour's recreation there, we 
 should have soon met with documents bearing the autograph signatures of the 
 prominent Statesmen of the early reigns of this country. We saw, however, enough 
 to convince us, that, whatever may have been the cause of the then appearance of 
 the Archives of the Tower, or whatever they were, their previous keeping could not 
 have been such as we had a right to expect from the salaried Officers of the State. 
 Certain it is, that there would not have been the least difficulty in any person, had 
 he been so inclined, filling his pockets with those documents; and that the eyes 
 of a dozen detectives could not have discovered the depredations that might have 
 been committed behind the pillars, and in the dark recesses of that chamber. 
 
 EURIPIDIS TRAGCEDLE, GR. ET LAT. BECKII. 2 TOM., 1602. 4to. 
 
 WITH MANUSCRIPT ANNOTATIONS. 
 PLATE XV. SPECIMENS 1 TO 30. 
 
 1HESE specimens are taken from the margins of the oft-quoted 1 copy in 
 Paul Stephens's edition of Euripides. They are all in the autograph 
 of Milton. 
 
 There is a peculiar charm in the possession of a volume bearing 
 autographic record of having passed through the hands of a man 
 whose name alone always imparts an interest to everything connected with it. The 
 mere autograph signature, and the date of its possession, are most interesting; but 
 doubly interesting is the association, when every page of it bears the impress of the 
 
 1 " The [copy of] Euripides was in the posses- 
 sion of Francis Hare, Bishop of Chichester, on 
 whose death, in 1740, it became the property of 
 John Whiston, a bookseller. From him it was 
 bought by Dr. Birch in 1754 ; after whose death 
 it became the property of Joseph Cradock, Esq., 
 of Gnmly in Leicestershire. When Dr. Johnson 
 wrote his life of Milton, in 1779, the book, by Mr. 
 
 ' Cradock's kindness,' was [placed] in his hands. 
 ' The margin,' he says, ' is sometimes noted ; 
 but I have found nothing remarkable.' Barnes, 
 however, had previously used it for his edition 
 of Euripides ; and Richard Paul Joddrell, in his 
 'Illustrations of Euripides,' in 1781, adopts one 
 or two of the manuscript readings, and accuses 
 Barnes of having availed himself of the book 
 
_'.* lr 5 *^^trL"2 i * u *4 I 
 
 1 -i B * M *A *_ ?3"~^ ** 
 
 i 
 
 f KTy.iN.-r 
 
 Wifl 
 
 fSwfc 
 
 .*T Ifc-S *-t 
 
 if'fi! 
 
 ^ 
 
 V 
 
 ^c 
 
 rl 
 
 Jrtfei 
 
 ^Krii^I 
 
 j 
 
 ^ _. -v 
 
 I%4iC% 
 
 w 
 
 m 
 
 *lib\ 
 
 ^^ IT \ 
 
 .^ . - f 3 l vJ 
 
 4-M 
 ^ 4^0 
 
 ^ l4^ 
 
 MJ^ 
 
 ?3tl i.1 4 
 ^ ^J 
 
 f%|I 
 
 ^.^^f^ 
 
 w.?r 
 
 ^%4 
 
 MM 
 
 01 
 
 K^i 
 
 l m.4 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 109 
 
 hand that has transferred on many of them explications of remarkable passages 
 that have attracted the particular notice of the reader. Added to all this, its 
 interest is enhanced when such a volume has a satisfactory pedigree, and is beyond 
 the carping of those who are always ready to exhibit their unmistakable feelings 
 when envying its possession. 
 
 On reading the particulars relating to the volume from the pen of the learned 
 Masson, as quoted in the note in the preceding page, we immediately addressed the 
 present Sir Henry Halford, and had the gratification of receiving an answer stating 
 that the book should be brought to London for our examination. Severe illness 
 prevented our having the pleasure of visiting Sir Henry Halford to inspect the 
 volume. He, however, most confidingly allowed our clever artist, Mr. G. J. F. Tupper, 
 to follow the minute instructions we had given him; the result of which has been 
 the plate containing the thirty fac-simile specimens of the marginal notes in the 
 Autograph of the Poet. 
 
 SPECIMEN 1. 
 
 The signature, price, and date, 1634, occur on the recto of the fly-leaf preceding 
 the title-page of vol. i. The price has been erased. 
 
 SPECIMEN 1*. 
 
 The name of Milton repeated, with the price, 12s. 6d., as was originally 
 written by Milton. This subsignature is not in the Autograph of the Poet. We 
 believe it to be in the same autograph as appears in the second portion of the " De 
 Doctrind Christiand," of which numerous fac-similes are given in subsequent plates. 
 The " D. S." at the corner are no doubt the autograph initials of DANIEL SKINNER, 
 into whose hands the volume may have passed at the death of Milton, though, 
 without more satisfactory evidence, such an opinion must be considered conjectural; 
 but there may be circumstances equally interesting, such as in the present case, 
 connecting the signature of Milton under the original, and the " D. S." with the 
 autograph of the posthumous work of Milton, his much laboured and very learned 
 Treatise on the Christian Doctrine. 
 
 Following the subsignature is the subjoined note in the autograph of the 
 learned Historian BIRCH : 
 
 " Liber hie olim fait celeberrimi Johannis Miltoni, cujus nomen ab ipso supra-scriptum est, 
 notseq. passim margini additse. Ex Bibliotheca Francisci Hare, Episcopi Cisestrensis transivit in 
 officinam Librarian! Johannis Whistoni, a quo emebam die 12 Aprilis 1754. THOS. BIKCH." 
 
 SPECIMENS 2 TO 30. 
 These shew the character of the writing of the marginal notes. They enable us 
 
 without acknowledgment. By Mr. Cradock, the 
 book was bequeathed to the late Sir Henry Hal- 
 ford ; and beyond this point I have not traced 
 
 it." "Life of Milton," by Masson, vol. i., 1859, 
 p. 531 note. 
 
110 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 to appreciate at its full value the pedantry of persons founding their judgment of an 
 autograph upon the formation of any particular letters. 
 
 Subjoined are the references to the pages from which the notes have been taken : 
 
 No. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 2. At foot of List of Tragedies. 
 
 3. Page 27. Hecuba . . line 283 
 
 4. 29. . . . 306 
 
 5. 31. . 326 
 
 6. 266. Orestes . . 1686 
 
 7. 314. PhcenissiB . . 527 
 
 8. 405. Medea. Latin version, line 53 
 
 9. ,,484. . . . 1201 
 
 10. 525. Hippolytus . Latin, 329 
 
 11. 552. , 657 
 
 12. 
 13. 
 
 J-" 
 
 14. 
 
 VOL. H. 
 
 *13. Supplices 
 11 15. ,i 
 
 30. 
 
 208 
 
 ,, 243 
 
 245 
 
 Latin, " 530 
 
 15. Page 31. 
 
 16. 42. 
 
 17. 
 18. 
 19. 
 20. 
 21. 
 22. 
 23. 
 24. 
 25. 
 26. 
 27. 
 28. 
 29. 
 
 69. 
 US. 
 122. 
 163. 
 175. 
 207. 
 232. 
 329. 
 
 442. 
 486. 
 584. 
 608. 
 
 30. 685. 
 
 Supplices . Latin, line 554 
 line 754 et seq., correcting Dram. 
 Personse of Dialogue. 
 Iphigenia in Aulide line 6 
 Lat. 69 
 11 1036 
 
 Tauris 189 
 
 11 11 n 423 
 
 Lat. ,,1040 
 Rhesus. First 5 of Lat. version 
 Troades . . line 817 
 
 Cyclops . 49 
 
 . 202 
 
 Heraclidae . . ,,821 
 
 Helena . . 1145 
 
 . . ,,1606 
 Ion ... 1360 
 
 lYCOPHKON. To our most indefatigable correspondent, Mr. Needham 
 of Kimbolton, we are indebted for the subjoined information respecting 
 another very interesting existing relic from the library of the Poet. 
 
 " It is said that the Earl of Charlemont is in possession of the copy 
 of LYCOPHRON which formerly belonged to Milton, and bears his auto- 
 graph. The volume may be considered as a companion to the Euripides of 
 Sir Henry Halford. Some time ago I made some inquiries as to the Lycophron, but 
 was not fortunate enough to meet with any reply to my letter. On looking at the 
 latest Peerage which I possess, that for 1857, 1 find that Lord Charlemont was then 
 eighty-two years of age, and that his heir presumptive, his brother, was only four 
 years younger. This may explain the omission to reply to my letter. I have more 
 recently pursued my inquiries ; and if they lead to anything satisfactory, you shall 
 hear of it. 
 
 " In reference to Lycophron, the following passage may be interesting to you. 
 I transcribe it from the Life of William Pitt by the late Lord Macaulay. This Life 
 first appeared in the recent edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and has just 
 been reprinted in a volume of ' Biographies' by Lord Macaulay. Edinburgh, A. & C. 
 Black, 1860, pp. 144." 
 
 * Printed 31 erroneously. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. Ill 
 
 " He [William Pitt] had set his heart on being intimately acquainted with all the extant poetry 
 of Greece, and was not satisfied till he had mastered Lycophron's Cassandra, the most obscure work 
 in the whole range of ancient literature. This strange rhapsody, the difficulties of which have 
 perplexed and repelled many excellent scholars, 'he read,' says his preceptor, 'with an ease, at first 
 sight, which, if I had not witnessed it, I should have thought beyond the compass of human intellect.' " 
 
 The volume was, in 1809, entrusted to Mr. Meen, when preparing a new 
 edition of Lycophron for the press. 
 
 MEL HELICONIUM, BY ROSSE. 1646, Svo. 
 PLATE XVI. No. I. 
 
 j]N Octave Stanza from the fly-leaf of what we believe to have been a 
 presentation copy to Milton, by ALEXANDER ROSSE, of his "Mel Heli- 
 conium, or Poeticatt Honey gathered out of the Weeds of Parnassus." 
 It is a small octavo volume, and was first published in 1642. Some 
 copies, afterwards issued, have the year 1643, and others 1646,- the last 
 figure in the date having been altered, as in the copy here referred to ; a practice 
 frequently adopted by the publishers in those days, when books lingered in their 
 sale for several years. 
 
 Alexander Rosse was Chaplain to King Charles I. ; and Henry Lawes, a most 
 intimate friend of Milton, was at the same period " Gentleman of the King's Chappel 
 and one of His Majesties Private Musick." By Lawes, the " SONGS" of Milton were 
 "set to musick," as stated in the title-page to the first edition of the Poems of Milton 
 issued in 1645. We have no other evidence to show that Milton was personally 
 intimate with Rosse ; but, inasmuch as the latter must have been well known to 
 Henry Lawes, we may fairly presume it not to have been unlikely that an inter- 
 change of literary civility took place between them by the mutual Gift of the works 
 of the two authors through the introduction of their common friend Lawes. The 
 probability is, that the fly leaf of the copy of the Mel Hdiconium, now wanting, 
 contained an autograph inscription from the author to Milton, still existing, perhaps, 
 in the portfolio of some Collector of Autograph Memorials. 
 
 The inscription to A. Rosse and the verses occur on the blank reverse of the 
 leaf following the dedication. The two lines as subjoined to the initials in our 
 fac-simile are from the lower margin of page 5, referring to the line therein : 
 
 "Dote not on beauty; beauty's but a flower" 
 
 Words more painfully and yet more forcibly attractive to the mind of Milton 
 could hardly have been penned. He had in 1643 married a very beautiful woman, 
 who soon after deserted him. It was not until July 1645 that she returned, a 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 reconciliation having been brought about, as it were, by stratagem. Her beauty 
 contributed not to his happiness. 
 
 The AUTOGRAPH of Milton in the Trinity College Manuscript, extending over 
 forty pages and written at intervals from 1630 to 1646 or even later, exhibits 
 throughout the same peculiar character. It is written in what may be styled, the 
 ordinary home hand of the Poet, without much care, sometimes in a larger and 
 sometimes in a smaller hand than usual, arising from the circumstances under which 
 the pen was called into operation, and oftentimes depending upon the quality of the 
 pen itself. 
 
 The inscription and verses taken from the blank page of the " Mel Heliconium" 
 exhibit the ordinary hand of Milton, but, under very unusual circumstances. The 
 paper on which they are written is of a remarkably hard and coarse texture, and the 
 hand is for want of space naturally cramped, and the Pen was much finer and harder 
 than that he was accustomed to use. Had Milton employed his ordinary larger 
 hand, he would not have been enabled to get in more than half of the words into the 
 one line as desired. Consequently, in thus cramping his hand, using evidently a 
 finer pen and writing on a hard paper, peculiarly rough, the autograph, owing to 
 the impression of the text on the other side not having been pressed out, assumes a 
 more delicate appearance. Milton was necessitated to use more than ordinary care 
 in his writing. Though we had not studied the autograph of Milton when we first 
 became acquainted with the volume, we never entertained any doubt of the authen- 
 ticity of the writing. True it is, that the initials, " J. M.," differ from those which 
 we should at first sight, and without the smallest hesitation, pronounce as the auto- 
 graph of the Poet; yet we look upon that as of very little importance. It is 
 pedantry to assert, that because a letter or two differs from those usually employed, 
 the same cannot be in the autograph of the party to whom it is assigned. We 
 cannot produce a better example of the fallacy of drawing such conclusions, than by 
 referring to the very differently formed " J. M." in plate VII., attached to the Sonnet 
 of the Poet addressed to his friend Henry Lawes, bearing date 1645. Again, in 
 plate XVIL, see the ornamented M in the third line of that very carefully written 
 poem inscribed to Dr. Rous; and then look at the ordinary M in the word Metra 
 at the close of the sixth line of the second specimen in the same plate. See also 
 the M in the first line of the third Stanza of. Arcades, plate I.; and another, of quite 
 a different form, in the word Monodie in the heading of Lycidas, plate III. ; so 
 also in the word Moses, plate IV. 
 
 The volume was sold a few years ago at a public sale, and again in 1858, when 
 it was purchased by Wilh'am Tite, Esq., M.P., in whose very fine collection of 
 interesting printed books and manuscripts it is now preserved. 
 
I .. 
 
 XVI 
 
 / 
 
 ii I 
 
 -m 
 
 flU- 
 
 jLv covWet 7 
 
 

 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 113 
 
 PETITION OF JOHN MILTON. 1650. 
 
 NOS. II. AND III. 
 
 | HE " COMPOSITION PAPERS" preserved in the State Paper Office form 
 a series of most valuable records. They contain many documents 
 relating to the Milton Family. On the margin of that of the "Petition 
 of John Milton"-" To the Honourable the Commissioners for Seques- 
 tration at Haberdashers' Hall," occurs an attestation in the Auto- 
 graph of the Poet, as given in specimen II., the signature following being that affixed 
 to the Petition. 
 
 ALBUM OF CHRISTOPHER ARNOLD. 
 
 1651. 
 
 No. IV. 
 
 |N the Manuscript Department of the British Museum is preserved the 
 "ALBUM AMICORUM of CHRISTOPHER ARNOLD, Professor of History at 
 Nuremberg." It contains Autograph Inscriptions collected in Ger- 
 many and the Low Countries, and also in England, during the years 
 1649-1672; including a sentence in Greek signed by the Poet Milton, 
 
 " JOANNES MILTONIUS," and dated "London, 19th November, 1651." 
 
 The volume, so states the British Museum " Threepenny Guide," was " pur- 
 chased, in 1850, out of the Bridgwater Fund," from the late Mr. Asher, the well- 
 known bookseller at Berlin. Among the more distinguished Englishmen who 
 contributed their autographic memorials to the volume of their learned friend, 
 Professor Arnold, were Archbishop Usher, John Selden, Sir William Petty, Jeremy 
 Collier, and many others. 
 
 MANUSCRIPT POEM TO DR. JOHN ROUS. 1647. 
 
 PLATE XVII. 
 
 the BODLEIAN LIBRARY, Oxford, are two volumes of very considerable 
 interest, exhibiting specimens of the Autograph of the Poet, written in 
 a style not usually adopted by him in the ordinary pursuits of his life. 
 One of these is a presentation copy to JOHN Rous 1 of the First 
 Edition of the Poems of Milton, accompanied with an appropriate 
 poem in Latin to Dr. Rous, in the autograph of the Poet ; being, it is said, the last 2 
 
 1 "Joiix ROUSE, or RUSSE, Master of Arts, 
 Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, was elected 
 chief librarian of the Bodleian, May 9, 1G20. 
 He died in April 1652, and was buried in the 
 chapel of his college. He succeeded to Thomas 
 
 James, the first that held this office from the 
 foundation." "Milton's Poems," by Warton, 
 note, pp. 562-3. 
 
 2 " In the beginning of the following year, 
 
 15 
 
114 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Latin poem composed by him. It was first published in the second edition of the 
 Poems, 1673, and is there dated " Jan. 23, 1646." The other volume comprises a 
 collection of the Prose Tracts by Milton, with an autograph inscription to Dr. Rous, 
 to whom they were also presented by the author. 
 
 There are and have been at all times many whose delight, while pursuing their 
 literary, scientific, and other studies, is to record in their Common-Place Books what 
 is either of interest to themselves, or what they consider may be equally so to their 
 descendants ; adopting most frequently a much more careful and uniform style of 
 writing than what they are accustomed to use in their ordinary avocations. With 
 others, their writing never varies in style ; the only difference being, that it becomes 
 more feeble or irregular at the decline of life. 
 
 The fac-similes 1 in plate XVII. give a most faithful representation of a portion 
 of the Latin Poem, from the Autograph of Milton, affixed to the presentation copy 
 of the first edition of his Poems in 1645. If we can judge by what is here repre- 
 sented, Milton must have been well skilled in the use of the beautiful "Secretary 
 Hand" then practised ; a hand much resembling the style of the Italian semi-cursive 
 text, as seen more particularly in the writing of the prose part at the close of the 
 poem. That Milton bestowed considerable pains in the transcript of this Latin 
 Poem, is evident, though at the same time it is clear that his hand had then become 
 feeble. It is remarkable, that, in this specimen of the autograph of Milton, all the 
 &'s, fs, and ^'s, are looped; many of them having been filled in during the process 
 of writing, while others shew that they had been afterwards carefully filled in. 
 
 It may not be uninteresting here to introduce to the notice of the reader the 
 writing of the Renowned Youth, PRINCE HENKY, the eldest son of James I.; to 
 whose Memory as a most accomplished Prince, the Poets of England assembled on 
 Mount Parnassus to pour forth their strains, and with their unanimous song pro- 
 claimed the virtues and talents of their departed Prince to all parts of the, world. 
 
 In the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge, are preserved the Copy Books 
 used by the Prince while learning the Art of Penmanship,- an accomplishment 
 considered at that period as most essential in the education of the higher classes. 
 In those Copy Books are beautiful specimens of the Handwriting of the Prince, of 
 which we here give several in fac-simile, executed by the processes of the Electro- 
 
 January 23, 1646-7, Milton wrote his last Latin 
 poem, the irregular ode sent to John Rouse, the 
 Keeper of the Bodleian Library at Oxford, in a 
 copy of his poems." "Life of Milton" by 
 Keightley, p. 42. 
 
 1 Dr. Symmons, in his life of the Poet, pp. 
 275-82, refers to the volume, accompanying his 
 remarks by what he calls in his preface, p. 24, 
 " a, most curious fac-simile of Milton's handvrit- 
 
 hi/j," with which he is enabled to gratify the 
 curiosity of his readers, through the kindness of 
 the Reverend M. Matthews, Fellow of Jesus 
 College, Oxford. The plate gives the inscrip- 
 tion and the first "Stroplm." The only apology 
 we can make for such an //'//>/ sit. ;i /</<- 
 simile, is that we presume the Reverend Ama- 
 teur Artist was not permitted to make a tracing 
 of it, but was obliged to content himself with 
 having the writing placed before him. 
 

 te ^^J 
 
 I 
 
 1^ ^ 
 
 ^V S *r 
 
 .<& 
 
 ^ ^ ^ o v8 
 
 ^tv! 1 
 
 r?v,\j N> "VT 5^ ^J Q *^ 
 
 |J M I i, fl V 
 
 
 
 ^t|4EN1tlt!!f^ 
 
 C ^Sc^C^K-^ C^* ' Ci ^-^>-^v J*^* r^ii. *vJ5*Ss 
 
 "N 
 
 I'fi 
 
 * 
 
115 
 A O. c ct e-fA a i.K.L m n p -p a v tf.t *f ( r u u ' w x \- z, .&.' / 
 
 k ffl IZMJlUf 3 ft/" /-/T fU0 
 
 ^,' _7 ~s U 
 
 .4aaaa.a.f.f.tPDui>p0a o \)0\>\>\\)oi)po\>voo 
 
 "I ffi m irt.flt . m m m. in m mm a. a. a. t a, e I o o in % n, a. i> o nn 
 
 A, f ***** * * */ / f f'f f-t g b kbobtiffs l> bo 
 _-/ - 
 
 ^/VLtt aw/an lentwtidjismo potent (lM omm Lade, rumtu&tus scn'v&rwji frit 
 J " J ,-r 
 
 > T f- 
 
 ttrurmn litemnnn. saentuitn wuecutus. t,ftmni fJc iT&nrutn c%pu> 
 J & i 
 
 jcr 
 oer 
 
 L/>eus omnipotens tvtp mi hi ' vecwrc 
 110 d ' <uorr mernffris t>0piill 
 
 
 T^rT O 
 JrL<t. JIUE sir ate -, 
 
 ferpeta? tHtbt^ -fvto 'tettvrt* n>f<!) 
 
 CT. fifiut , offeauen tiuimfJ t 
 
 15 2 
 
11(5 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Printing-Block Company. Their introduction into the present work, is intended 
 to shew a very remarkable similarity in the Italian style of the writing then taught, 
 to that used by the Poet Milton in the Poem inscribed to his friend John Eous. 
 
 In comparing the writing, we must bear in mind that the Poet, when using a 
 style of handwriting of which he had made himself master when a boy, was, at the 
 period of inditing the poem, nearly forty years of age, while Prince Henry was a 
 mere boy. In the formation of the letters, the first specimen shews that the Tyro 
 was taught to elongate and thicken their commencement and ending, as in the 
 letters yi I, s, and p. It is further seen, that in all the specimens given, that plan 
 has been used by the youthful Prince. On reference now to the fac-similes in the 
 plate under notice, of the Autograph of Milton, the same peculiar character in the 
 formation of the letters is exhibited. The comparison is most interesting; and we 
 very much question whether the most practised Palseologist would,- had the writing 
 of the first two lines of the second specimen in plate XVII. been intermixed with 
 the large writing of Prince Henry ,-been able to distinguish the one from the other. 
 The same peculiarity in the formation of the letters exists in the autograph of many 
 of the most eminent men of that period. The writing of the POET TASSO exhibits 
 the same character. We desire, however, here to observe, that, while there may be 
 a remarkable similarity in handwriting, there will generally exist some peculiarity in 
 it, by which, on careful study, we are able to distinguish the one from the other, 
 though the most careful and most practised will sometimes commit mistakes. 
 
 It is a very common practice for persons who are in the habit of recording 
 matters in their Common-Place Books, or writing on the margins of printed books, 
 to occupy themselves, when again so employed thereon, by going over any letters or 
 words previously written, that may appear defective, or not quite clear. Conse- 
 quently, in such an occasional use of the pen, extended over any length of time, the 
 writing would- a hundred to one-puzzle and mislead the judgment of the most 
 learned Palaeographist. Even the writer himself, if put upon his oath as to a 
 document being in his autograph, would be so astonished at the different formation 
 of many of the same letters, when pointed out to him for examination, that, by a 
 little cross-questioning and subtle argument, he might, and probably would, be 
 led to doubt its being so. 1 
 
 The subject of Autography in its various phases, by the same hand, is one of 
 considerable importance to the student in palaeography. A work specially devoted 
 to that branch of it, accompanied with authenticated fac-similcs of the different 
 styles of writing used by the same persons, is a great desideratum. The mere 
 
 1 In our "Bibliographical Account of the Works 
 of Hie English Poets," a work extending over 
 three thousand folio pages, chiefly in our auto- 
 graph during the last thirty years, there are 
 
 several hundred pages that we can scarcely be- 
 lieve could have been written by us. They are 
 carefully executed in a round hand, a style very 
 seldom used in our ordinary avocations. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 117 
 
 autographs of the Kings and Queens of England would form interesting examples. 
 Edward VI., Queen Elizabeth, Charles L, and many others of an earlier and later 
 date, varied their writing at different periods and under peculiar circumstances. 
 The change in the autograph of Charles I. is a remarkable instance ; while that of 
 Charles II. always exhibits the same character. 
 
 We conclude our observations connected with the autograph of the Ode, by 
 inserting Cowper's translation of it, extracted from Pickering's Aldine Edition of the 
 works of that Poet. Though the poem, in Latin, is to be found among the collected 
 poems of Milton in many editions of his works, we think the translation of it by 
 William Cowper may not be here out of place. 
 
 " On a lost Volume of my Poems, which he desired me to replace, that he 
 might add them to my other Works deposited in the Library. 
 
 " This Ode is rendered without rhyme, that it might more adequately represent the original, 
 which, as Milton himself informs us, is of no certain measure. It may possibly for this reason disap- 
 point the reader, though it cost the writer more labour than the translation of any other piece in the 
 whole collection. 
 
 STEOPHE. 
 
 " My twofold book ! single in show, 
 
 But double in contents, 
 Neat, but not curiously adorn'd, 
 
 Which, in his early youth, 
 A poet gave, no lofty one in truth, 
 Although an earnest wooer of the Muse 
 Say while in cool Ausonian shades 
 
 Or British wilds he roam'd, 
 Striking by turns his native lyre, 
 
 By turns the Daunian lute, 
 And stepp'd almost in air 
 
 ANTISTROPHE. 
 
 " Say, little book, what furtive hand 
 Thee from thy fellow books convey'd, 
 What time, at the repeated suit 
 
 Of my most learned friend, 
 I sent thee forth, an honour 'd traveller, 
 From our great city to the source of Thames, 
 
 Cffirulean Sire ! 
 Where rise the fountains, and the raptures ring, 
 
 Of the Aonian Choir, 
 Durable as yonder spheres, 
 And through the endless lapse of years 
 Secure to be admired ? 
 
 STROPHE II. 
 
 " Now what god, or demigod, 
 For Britain's ancient genius moved, 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 (If our afflicted land 
 Have expiated at length the guilty sloth 
 
 Of her degenerate sons) 
 Shall terminate our impious feuds, 
 And discipline with hallow'd voice recall ? 
 Recall the Muses too, 
 Driven from their ancient seats 
 In Albion, and well nigh from Albion's shore, 
 And with keen Phosbean shafts 
 Piercing the unseemly birds, 
 
 Whose talons menace us, 
 Shall drive the harpy race from Helicon afar ? 
 
 ANTISTROPHE. 
 
 " But thon, my book, though thou hast stray'd, 
 
 Whether by treachery lost, 
 Or indolent neglect, thy bearer's fault, 
 
 From all thy kindred books, 
 To some dark cell or cave forlorn, 
 Where thou endurest, perhaps, 
 The chafing of some hard untutor'd hand, 
 
 Be comforted 
 For lo ! again the splendid hope appears 
 
 That thou mayst yet escape 
 The gulfs of Lethe, and on oary wings 
 Mount to the everlasting courts of Jove ! 
 
 STROPHE III. 
 
 " Since Rouse desires thee, and complains 
 That, though by promise his, 
 Thou yet appear'st not in thy place 
 Among the literary noble stores 
 
 Given to his care, 
 
 But, absent, leavest his numbers incomplete. 
 He, therefore, guardian vigilant 
 Of that unperishing wealth, 
 Calls thee to the interior shrine, his charge, 
 Where he intends a richer treasure far 
 Than Ion kept (Ion, Erectheus' son 
 Illustrious, of the fair Creiisa born) 
 In the resplendent temple of his god, 
 Tripods of gold, and Delphic gifts divine. 
 
 ANTISTROPHE. 
 " Haste, then, to the pleasant groves, 
 
 The Muses' favourite haunt ; 
 Resume thy station in Apollo's dome, 
 
 Dearer to him 
 Than Delos, or the fork'd Parnassian hill ! 
 
 Exulting go, 
 Since now a splendid lot is also thine, 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 119 
 
 And thou art sought by my propitious friend ; 
 
 For there thou shalt be read 
 
 With authors of exalted note, 
 The ancient, glorious lights of Greece and Borne. 
 
 EPODE. 
 
 "Ye, then, my works, no longer vain, 
 
 And worthless deem'd by me ! 
 Whate'er this sterile genius has -produced, 
 Expect, at last, the rage of envy spent, 
 
 An unmolested, happy home, 
 Gift of kind Hermes, and my watchful friend, 
 Where never flippant tongue profane 
 
 Shall entrance find, 
 And whence the coarse unletter'd multitude 
 
 Shall babble far remote. 
 Perhaps some future distant age, 
 Less tinged with prejudice, and better taught, 
 Shall furnish minds of power 
 To judge more equally. 
 Then, malice silenced in the tomb, 
 Cooler heads and sounder hearts, 
 Thanks to Rouse, if aught of praise 
 I merit, shall with candour weigh the claim." 
 
 the volume of the Polemical and other Treatises by Milton, during the 
 years 1641 to 1646 inclusive, is a list of its contents, together with a 
 complimentary inscription, in the autograph of Milton, to his Friend, 
 Dr. John Eous, to whom it was sent. In respect to the first volume, 
 Warton 1 states, that 
 
 " Milton, at Rouse's request, had given his little Volume of Poems, printed in 1G45, to the 
 Bodleian Library. But the book being lost, Rouse requested his friend Milton to send another copy. 
 In 1G46, another copy was sent by the Author, neatly but plainly bound, munditie nitens, non oporosn, 
 in which this ode to Rouse, in Milton's own handwriting, on one sheet of paper, is inserted between 
 the Latin and English Poems." 
 
 After enumerating the contents of the second volume, the learned Warton adds : 
 
 "About the year 1720, these two volumes, with other small books, were hastily, perhaps con- 
 temptuously, thrown aside as duplicates, 2 either real or pretended ; and Mr. Nathaniel Crynes, an 
 esquire beadle, and a diligent collector of scarce English books, was permitted, on the promise of 
 some future valuable bequests to the library, to pick out of the heap what he pleased. But he, having 
 luckily many more grains of party prejudice than of taste, could not think anything worth having 
 that bore the name of the Republican Milton ; and therefore these two curiosities, which would be 
 
 1 Milton's Poems, by Warton, note, pp. 564-5. 
 
 2 Here is a remarkable instance of the expedi- 
 ency of not delegating such a power as that of 
 
 selecting for sale the Duplicate Volumes of a 
 Public, or indeed any Library, without their 
 being most carefully examined by a competent 
 person. 
 
120 BABBLINGS IX THE ELUCIDATIOX OF 
 
 invaluable in a modern auction, were fortunately suffered to remain in the library, and were soon 
 afterwards honourably restored to their original places." 
 
 The subjoined fac-simile, another remarkable example of the admirable employ- 
 ment of the invention of the Electro-Printing-Block Company, in the same page with 
 type, gives the inscription by Milton in the volume containing his Polemical Tracts, to 
 the list of which he has added the copy of his Poems as having been separately sent. 
 
THE AUTOGBAPH OF MILTON. 121 
 
 The fac-similc in the preceding page affords a good specimen of the ordinary 
 round hand of the Poet; and it may be observed, not as anything very remarkable, 
 that, in these few lines, Milton has not once made use of the Greek e ; but that he 
 has, as in Italian writing is frequently the case, connected the loop of the e with the 
 succeeding letter,-see the en in the word " Oxonien" in the second line,-a style then 
 more frequently used in Italy than in England. 
 
 TEINITY COLLEGE LIBEAEY, DUBLIN. 
 
 E are much indebted to Mr. Beedham of Kimbolton, for the subjoined 
 fac-simile of an inscription in the autograph of the Poet, affixed to a 
 volume in Trinity College Library, Dublin, containing a presentation 
 copy of his treatise, " Of Eeformation touching Church Discipline in 
 
 England." 
 
 J{ ci 
 
 The inscription having been written close to the margin on the right hand side, 
 a portion of it has been " barbarously cut away" in the binding, many letters at the 
 close of each line of the Inscription are consequently wanting. 
 
 16 
 
122 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IN" THE ELUCIDATION OP 
 
 LETTER TO CARLO DATI. 1G47. 
 
 IURING the progress of our work, \ve have given seven specimens of 
 fac-similes executed by the very interesting processes of the Electro- 
 Printing-Block Company. Subjoined is another specimen, comprising 
 the commencement and ending of an autograph letter from Milton to 
 his dear friend Carlo Dati, dated from London, 1G47. It is 
 admirable example of the ordinary cursive hand of the Poet. 
 
 an 
 
 S- ( P- 
 
 
 The original of this letter was sold by Mr. Evans, in 1833, with the Collection 
 of Autograph Letters formed by John Anderdon, Esq., No. 369 in the second day's 
 sale. It was purchased by Mr. Pickering for 14. The lot following, 370, con- 
 sisted of 
 
 "Milton's Family Papers, viz., Bond for the sum of 40L, Richard Hayley to John Milton, 1674. 
 Mary Milton's Release to Eliz. Milton, Widow of the Poet, and receipt of 100Z. her share of the estate 
 of J. Milton, 1674. Anne Milton's Release, 1674. Release from Abs. and Deborah Clarke, of Dublin, 
 to the same, 1675. Agreement for the lease of a house at Namptwich, Ric. Mynshull to Eliz. Mill on, 
 1680. Bond from Eliz. Milton and Sam. Acton, to Randle Timmis, 1713. Lease of a house in 
 Brindley, Eliz. Milton to John Darlington, 1720. Sale of the Lease of a house in Brindley, J. Dar- 
 lington to Eliz. Milton, 1725. Copy of the Will of Eliz. Milton, 1727." 
 
 These Documents produced only 4, and were also purchased by Mr. Pickering. 
 It may be well here to note, in tracing the papers from one collection to another, 
 that, at the sale by Mr. Sotheby, in 1 825, of the Library of James Boswell, Esq., the 
 second son of the Biographer of Johnson, they formed two lots, viz., 
 
 3125. " Office Copy of the Will of Elizabeth Milton, the Poet's Widow, dated August 27th, Probate 
 granted 10th October, 1727 ; by which her death in that year is established, and not in 1729, 
 as erroneously stated by Warton and others. Five other Legal Papers relating to the 
 Estate of Elizabeth Milton or her Husband ; two of them with her signature." 
 
 Purchased by Mr. Thorpe for 20 : 9 : 6. 
 
E AMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 3126. " Three Receipts or Releases bearing the Signatures of the Poet's Daughters, Anne Milton, 
 Mary Milton, and Deborah Clarke and her Husband, on receiving 100 each from their Step 
 Mother Elizabeth Milton, as their Portion of the Estate of their Father. One of the attesting 
 Witnesses is Richard Milton ; and the Money is to be vested in Rent Charges or Annuities 
 for their respective benefit, with the approbation of Christopher Milton, the Poet's brother, 
 and Richard Powell, their maternal Uncle." Purchased by Hr. Thoiyefor 18 : 7 : 6. 
 
 From Mr. Thorpe, the purchaser of both lots, they were probably obtained by 
 Mr. Auderdon. It may be curious here to record a very remarkable circumstance, 
 so far as relates to their estimated value at different times and under different 
 circumstances. Mr. Thorpe, in 1 825, purchases the Documents for 38:17:0. They 
 are then sold to Mr. Anderdon at, no doubt, a considerable advance; at the sale 
 of whose collection, in 1833, the Documents produced only 4! And at the 
 same sale, an autograph letter from Milton to Carlo Dati was sold for l 4. Both 
 lots were then purchased by Mr. Pickering. In 1835 the Letter and the Documents 
 appear in a Catalogue of his Stock, having been " bound in olive morocco," priced 
 at 63 ! They are now, 1860, in the possession of John Fitchett Marsh, Esq., who 
 has published them, with other interesting " Papers connected with the Affairs of 
 Milton and his Family," forming a portion of the first volume of the "Cheetham 
 Miscellanies," printed for the Cheetham Society, 1851. 
 
124 THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 AUTOGEAPH SIGNATUEES OF MILTON 
 
 APPENDED TO 
 
 DOCUMENTS, OR IN PRINTED BOOKS. 
 
 PLATE XVIII. No. I. 
 SPECIMEN 1. 
 
 IGNATUBE, as Bachelor of Arts, in the Graduation Book at Christ 
 College, Cambridge, dated January 162f. 
 
 SPECIMEN 2. 
 
 In the fourth portion of the Bibliotheca Heberiana, sold in 
 December 1834, occurred a volume, of which the subjoined 
 description appeared in the sale catalogue. 
 " 1527. Dante 1' Amoroso Convivio, 1529. Rime et Prose di Giovanni della Casa, 1563. Sonetti di 
 
 Benedetto Varchi, 1555. In one volume, small octavo. 
 
 " This volume belonged to Milton. At the commencement he has written the contents of the 
 book, and on the first page of the Giovanni della Casa, is 'Jo. Milton, pre. Wd. 1629.' The corrections 
 of the text, and the marks at particular passages, many of which are imitated in his poems, shew that 
 he had read the Sonnets of Casa with great attention ; and at the end, in his own handwriting, is 
 ' Segue un altro Sonetto di M. Giovan. della Casa che si trova nell" Editione di Venetia, 1623.' " 
 
 It was purchased by the late Mr. Herring, the eminent bookbinder, for 25 : 4 ; 
 and, through the kindness of its present proprietor, Mr. Arthur Eoberts, is, -while- 
 writing these lines, before us. It is of much Miltonian interest; but, like many 
 other volumes, is not correctly described. 
 
 The last two works bear much internal evidence of having been read by the 
 Poet. On the title-page of the "Rime et Prose, etc., di G. della Casa" occurs the 
 autograph signature with date, etc., as given in fac-simile Specimen 2. On folios 2, 
 5, 11, 20, of the Detta Casa, and pages 9, 181, 215, 216, 224, 278, 288, of the 
 Sonnets and Eclogues of Varchi, are slight marginal corrections or elucidations of 
 the text; while those Sonnets, in either of the works, that have attracted the 
 attention of Milton, are marked by his pen. 
 
 The two works were subsequently bound by their next possessor, as is clear by 
 the notes on the margins having been cut when under the hands of the binder. The 
 "Amoroso Convivio di Dante" was then added, the then possessor writing, in a very 
 cursive hand, the "contents of the volume"; beneath which another subsequent 
 proprietor has noted, "This is Milton's handwriting ; his name is before the Rime" 
 
r 
 
 i 
 
 <^ 
 
 n 
 
 u 
 
 ^ 0(0 
 
 - 4 
 
 J* * f\ 
 
 A l/l 
 
 <x \ i! 
 
 * 
 
 t- 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 1 '2 5 
 
 etc. "This book once belonged to Milton; and many passages from Casa and 
 Varchi, that are marked, are imitated in Milton's poetical performances." The 
 manuscript note and manuscript additional Sonnet on folio 28 of the "Rime" are not 
 in the autograph of Milton. It does not bear the smallest similarity to any writing 
 that we have as yet met with, which could be assigned to the hand of Milton. The 
 volume appears to have been purchased by Mr. Heber in "April 1809." It has 
 inside a plate with the arms and name "Roberti Smyth Baronetti." 
 
 SPECIMEN 3. 
 Another signature from the Graduation Book at Cambridge, dated July 1632. 
 
 SPECIMEN 4. 
 Autograph Signature from the title of a copy of " Heraclidis Pontici, etc., Alle- 
 
 
 gorise in Homeri Fabulas de Diis. Gr. etLat. Gesnero interprete. 4to. 
 
 The volume is in the Library of Lord Rolle at Stevenstone. For the tracing of the 
 
 fac-simile, we are indebted to Mr. John Macray of the Taylor Institution, Oxford. 
 
 SPECIMEN 5. 
 
 Autograph Signature to a receipt, of which the subjoined is a copy from the 
 original in the possession of Mr. Ives, to whom we are indebted for the permission 
 to make the fac-simile. 
 
 " The 16th day of fiebruary, 1649. 
 
 " Received then more of Robert Waroupp Esq. one of the ffeoffees in trust of Rodolph 
 Waroupp late of English esq. deceased by the hands of John Foster the summe of five pounds 
 of lawf'ull english money in pt of payment of fifty pounds principall debt & the interest due by 
 bonds by the sayd Rodolph waroupp & others unto me John Milton Esq., I say received by 
 mee. 
 
 "JOHN MILTON." 
 
 SPECIMENS 6, 7, 8, AND 9. 
 
 jlHE autograph of Milton here given, presents one of the very few 
 existing specimens,- though evidently written when the Poet was 
 almost blind,- of that peculiar and carefully executed round hand 
 as exhibited in our fac-similes, plate XVII., from the autograph poem 
 to Dr. Ecus. One remarkable peculiarity in that writing, is in the 
 formation of the b, I, d, and other ascending letters, which have long and curved 
 tops, sometimes looped. On comparing the letter Z in the word Milton in the 
 signature given, with the same letter in plate XVII., the like peculiar formation 
 of it is observable. Here the letter t is not in the style usually found in the 
 secretary's hand with the cross, as in the word " tot idem" in the first line of the 
 No. II. in the plate referred to. The t is made with the ordinary cross, as in the 
 poetical portion of the extract from the poem, as given plate XVII. 
 
126 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 To Mr. Becdham 1 of Kimbolton we are indebted for the fac-simile and notice of 
 the book from which they are taken. As the communication from that gentleman 
 is an abridgment of that given by the Rev. Joseph Hunter 2 some years since, we 
 think it due to the latter to give his interesting note of the volume. 
 
 " There exists a copy of Fitz-Herbert's ' Natura Breviitm,' the edition of 1584, in the title-page of 
 which is written, in Milton's beautiful handwriting, 
 
 l jolies Milton me possidtit.' 
 
 And on a fly-leaf at the beginning, in the same hand, 
 
 >"\f*j~^ t 4 - 
 ' Det Cristm studiis vela secunda meis.' 
 
 But this is not all, for a little lower on the same page we find, in another hand, ' Det' etc., as before. 
 We can hardly doubt that this was written by the father, with whose handwriting I am not acquainted. 
 
 " It is remarkable that this copy of Fitz-Herbert appears to have been in the possession of 
 another poet of the time, these words appearing on a later fly-leaf, ' John Marston owneth this book.' 
 
 " This interesting volume is still in its original binding of dark brown calf, with an ornament 
 impressed in the centre. The handwriting of Milton authenticates itself; but the volume has a satis- 
 factory pedigree. In 1830 it was the property of the Eev. Dr. Stedman, son of the Rev. Mr. Stedman, 
 Vicar of St. Chad's, Shrewsbury, to whom it had been presented as a curiosity by Joshua Eddowes, 
 a bookseller and printer of that town, who was born in 1724; and who informed Mr. Stedman that 
 it came to him out of books which had belonged to Mrs. Milton, the poet's widow, who died, in 1727, 
 at Nantwich, where Mr. Eddowes had relations living at the time of her death." 
 
 Indisputable Pedigrees of Literary Relics, Antiquities, and Works of Art, add 
 much to their value and interest. We recollect, when, many years ago, visiting the 
 Collection of Egyptian Antiquities formed by the very remarkable Traveller and 
 Amateur Dealer, the late Joseph Sams 3 of Darlington, we were shewn what, if 
 genuine, was of considerable value. The enthusiastic traveller minutely detailed all 
 the circumstances under which a large Scarabaeus in gold, in his collection, was 
 discovered, accompanying them with his own asseverations as to the correctness of 
 all he stated. His amazement, however, was very great on our strongly recom- 
 mending him to go back to the country whence the object came, and to obtain a 
 satisfactory document as to the truth of what he related. The Scarabseus in gold 
 referred to, is, we believe, considered to be a modern fabrication. 
 
 1 We regret, that, at page 110 the name of 
 this gentleman should have been erroneously 
 spelt .Needham. So likewise in respect to the 
 name of the Rev. H. A. J. Munro, in lieu of 
 Monro, page 96. 
 
 MILTON. A Sheaf of Gleanings after his 
 
 Biographers and Annotators, by Joseph Hunter. 
 1850, 8vo., pp. 22-23. 
 
 3 Mr. Sams was one of the most remarkable 
 men in his day, so far as his connexion with the 
 Memorials of Ancient Egypt. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 127 
 
 DOCUMENTS WITH THE SIGNATURE OF THE POET 
 AFTER THE DATE OF HIS BLINDNESS. 
 
 In the hands 
 of Moyes Pitt. 
 
 No. II. 
 
 HAT Milton continued the use of his pen after he had become 
 quite blind, is evident from the remarkable statement of Aubrey, 
 who has recorded, 
 
 " I heard that after he was blind, that he was writing in the heads [of] 
 a [Latin] Dictionary. 1 Vidua affirmat. She gave all his 
 papers (among which this Dictionary imperfect) to his 
 nephew, that he brought up." 
 
 In alluding to the " Latin Dictionary" commenced by Milton, Dr. Johnson writes : 
 
 " To collect a dictionary, seems a work of all others least practicable in a state of blindness, 
 because it depends upon perpetual and minute inspection and collation. Nor would Milton probably 
 have begun it after he had lost his eyes [eyesight] ; but having had it always before him, he 
 continued it, says Phillips, almost to his dying day ; but Hie papers were so discomposed and deficient, 
 Hint tlifij could not lie fitted for the press." Johnson adds : " The compilers of the Latin Dictionary, 
 printed at Cambridge, had the use of those collections in three folios, but what was their fate after- 
 wards is not known." 
 
 The editor, "H.," of the Works of the English Poets, published in 1790, adds 
 in a note to the above, that, 
 
 " The Cambridge Dictionary, published in 4to., 1693, is no other than a copy, with some small 
 additions, of that of Dr. Adam Littleton in 1685, by sundry persons, of whom, though their names 
 are concealed, there is great reason to conjecture that Milton's nephew, Edward Phillips, is one ; for 
 it is expressly said by Wood, 'Fasti,' vol. i., p. 226, that Milton's ' Thesaurus' 1 came to his hands ; and 
 it is asserted in the preface thereto, that the editors thereof had the use of three large folios in manu- 
 script, collected and digested into alphabetical order by Mr. John Milton. 
 
 " It has been remarked, that the additions, together with the preface above mentioned, and a 
 
 1 DR. ADAM LITTLETON, Latin Dictionary. 4th 
 edition. 4to., 1715. The following passage 
 occurs in the "Preface to the English Reader" 
 of the above work : 
 
 " Thirdly, we had by us, and made use of, a 
 Manuscript Collection in three LARGE FOLIOS 
 digested into an Alphabetical Order, which the 
 Learned MR. JOHN MILTON had made out of 
 Tully, Livy, Csesar, Sallust, Quintus Curtius, 
 Justin, Plautus, Terence, Lucretius, Virgil, 
 Horace, Ovid, Manilius, Celsus, Columella, Varro, 
 Cato, Palladius ; in short, out of all the best and 
 
 purest ROMAN Authors. In using the assist- 
 ances mention'd, we did not take every, nay 
 scarce any word, any signification or construc- 
 tion of a word, upon trust ; but the way we took 
 to make these great Men's Labours useful to us 
 was this : They seldom omit naming not only 
 the Author, but the place in him, whence they 
 fetch their Authorities. This is known to be 
 STEPHEN'S Method, and the same may be seen 
 in ME. MILTON'S Manuscript, by the curious or 
 doubtful." 
 
128 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 large part of the title of the ' Cambridge Dictionary,' have been incorporated and printed with the 
 subsequent editions of ' Littleton's Dictionary,' till that of 1735. Vid. '7<V./<//-. /,',//.,' J'.iSS, in note. 
 So that for aught that appears to the contrary, Phillips was the last possessor of Milton's MS. H." 
 
 "H.," the editor, appears to have overlooked the information afforded by 
 Aubrey, of the Manuscript being " in the hands of Moyses Pitt." 
 
 SPECIMEN 1. 
 
 j|ROM a Document in the STOWE [now] ASHBURNHAM COLLECTION OF 
 MANUSCRIPTS, namely, a Warrant under the Sign Manual of the Pro- 
 tector, Oliver Cromwell, dated "January 1, 1654," directing the pay- 
 ment of Salaries due to certain Officers of the Parliament and others, 
 with the original Autographs of the Receivers." 
 We are indebted for the tracing of the signature to our much valued friend, 
 Mr.' William James Smith, to whose care for many years, as Librarian to the Duke 
 of Buckingham, the Stowe Collection of Manuscripts was committed. 
 
 In the same number of the "Notes and Queries" in which the subjoined notice 
 of specimens 2 and 3 appeared, was also the following from Mr. Smith, upon the 
 subject of the present signature, which we are inclined to think is in the autograph 
 of the Poet : 
 
 " I will not enter into the question of the date of Milton's blindness. I am aware that his 
 biographers do not agree as to the exact period of his total loss of sight : some have placed it as early 
 as the close of the year 1652. In this uncertainty, I have always entertained some degree of doubt 
 whether this signature were really that of Milton himself, or written by another person under his 
 autlurrity. The character of the capital letter M differs materially from the fac-similes which have 
 been given in some editions of his works." 
 
 SPECIMENS 2 AND 3. 
 
 JR. GEORGE OFFOR, the well-known collector of Early English Bibles, 
 has in his possession a copy of the New Testament, in which occurs, in 
 two instances, the name of John Milton as here given, and of which 
 the following notice was communicated by him to the editor of the 
 "Notes and Queries" a few years since. 
 
 " Some years ago, examining a Bible I had purchased, on the back of the title-page to the New 
 Testament, to my great surprise there appeared the autograph of ' John Milton.' It is in a bold italic 
 hand. The Bible is of the present translation, small 4to. ; imprinted at London by Robert Barker, 
 1614. The writing ink bears the tint of age, certainly about the middle of the seventeenth century. 
 Above the name of Milton is the autograph of ' Robert Colecraft.' Query, Was he connected 
 with Milton ? Bound with the Bible is a Concordance, 1615 ; and on the reverse of the title is 
 ' Robert Colecraft,' and, in a very small hand, ' John Milton.' This is under a calculation showing 
 how many barleycorns would reach round the earth. The Milton State Papers are in the library of 
 the Society of Antiquaries. I must take my old Bible, and get permission to compare the hand- 
 writing. Was any other John Milton known about this time ? It would afford me pleasure to shew 
 it to any collector of autographs, and hear his opinion of it. GEORGE OFFOR." 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 129 
 
 The second specimen has all the appearance of having been written by a man 
 at an advanced period of his life, and when blind. But as there were others of 
 the name of John Milton, the signatures may not be those of the Poet, though at the 
 same time we think that the writer, more particularly of Specimen 2, was no other 
 than John Milton, the author of Paradise Lost. 
 
 SPECIMEN 4. 
 
 | HE Signature and Seal of the Poet as attached to a Conveyance from 
 "John Milton of the City of Westminster" of a Bond for 400, given 
 by the Commissioners of Excise 1 to Cyriack Skinner, of Lincoln's Inn, 
 Gentleman. Dated 7 May, 1660. 
 
 The original document was sold in Wellington-street, August 
 1858, in the collection of Autograph Letters and Manuscripts formed by the late 
 Samuel Weller Singer, Esq., a man distinguished for his literary attainments. It 
 was purchased, as an autographic record, by R. Monckton Milnes, Esq., M.P., for 19. 
 Mr. Singer never entertained the smallest doubt of the signature being in the 
 AUTOGRAPH OF THE POET; an opinion which he was apparently justified in main- 
 taining, the signature being appended to an official document made under seal, and 
 witnessed by the Officers of the Excise. The moment we saw the signature, the 
 writing in two of the fac-similes given in Bishop Sumner's edition of the Treatise 
 on Christian Doctrine came to our mind. There we found the same peculiarly 
 formed M in the large text, and also one of a smaller size in the beautiful sonnet 
 composed by Milton on the death of his second wife ; see the first line in the last 
 specimen given in plate XIII. 
 
 " M ee thought I saio my late espoused wife." 
 
 We acknowledge that we were then completely puzzled, and, without reflection, 
 came hastily to the totally incorrect conclusion, that the MANUSCRIPT of the Treatise 
 on Christian Doctrine was in the AUTOGRAPH OF THE POET. Consequently, we 
 allowed the Document to be sold as bearing the AUTOGRAPH SIGNATURE OF MILTON; 
 adducing, as it were, the Manuscript in the State Paper Office in support of our 
 opinion ; and thus, we fear, misleading Mr. Monckton Milnes. 
 
 Subsequent investigation, however, since the decease of Mr. Singer, of the 
 Autograph of Milton, has convinced us of the erroneousness of the opinion we then 
 entertained; an error which our readers will more clearly see when we come to 
 notice the same peculiar style of writing in the " De Doctrind Cliristianu." 
 
 1 Milton had paid "2,000 into the Excise 
 Office ; but neglecting to recal it in time, could 
 never after get it out, with all the power and in- 
 
 terest he had in the Great ones of those times." 
 "Letters of State," 1694, p. xliii, therein alluding 
 to his having died, as stated, worth 1,500. 
 
 
 17 
 
130 
 
 RAHBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 LETTER TO PRESIDENT BRADSHAW. 1G52. 
 DICTATED BY MILTON. 
 
 PRESERVED IN HER MAJESTY'S STATE PAPER OFFICE. 
 
 No. III. 1 
 
 SPECIMENS 1 AND 2. 
 
 ]HE commencement and ending of a letter from the Poet to PRESI- 
 DENT BRADSHAW. It is written by the same hand as the signature, 
 John Milton, affixed to it. It does not require a moment's considera- 
 tion to determine that the letter has been written by some official, or 
 clerk, or by a friend of the Poet. It is a proof that Milton, though he 
 may not have been quite blind at that time, employed persons to write his letters 
 for him, and to sign his name, as in the subjoined letter to Bradshaw,-a letter 
 of considerable interest. The object of it was the introduction of ANDREW M.\it- 
 VELL, the young friend of the Poet, to the notice of the President of the Council, 
 recommending him as a man " of singular desert for the State to make use 
 of." It is very interesting to notice, that, while urging the suit of Marvell as well 
 fitted, in the event of the death of his assistant Secretaiy, Mr. Weckherlyn,- who, we 
 must presume, was at that time almost incapacitated to perform his duties,- to 
 succeed him, Milton complains, in consequence of his blindness, of his own unfitness 
 to hold conferences with Ambassadors ; at the same time paying Marvell a high 
 compliment by connecting his name with the learned Ascham. 
 
 "Mr LORD, 
 
 " But that it would be an interruption to y e publick, wherein yo r studies are perpe- 
 tually imployd, I should now & then venture to supply this my enforced absence w 01 a line or two, 
 though it were" ["were it" obliterated, and "though it were" written above a caret] "my oni'ly 
 busines, <fc that would be noe slight one, to make my" ["due" written above a caret] "acknowledg- 
 ments of yo* many favours ; which I both doe at this time & ever shall ; & have this farder w ch I 
 thought my parte to let you know of, that there will be w" 1 you tomorrow, upon some occasion of 
 busines, a Gentleman whose name is Mr. Marvile ; a man whom, both by report & y" converse I have 
 had with him, of singular desert for y e State to make use of; who alsoe offers himsclfe if y cre be any 
 imployment for him. His father was y e minister of Hull & he hath spent foure yeares abroad in 
 Holland, France, Italy, & Spaine, to very good purpose, as I beleeve, and y e gaineing of those 4 
 languages ; besides he is a scholler, and well read in y e Latin and Greeke authors, & noe doubt of an 
 approved Conversation, for he corn's now lately out of y e house of y c Lord Fairefax who was generall, 
 where he was intrusted to give some instructions in y c languages to y" Lady his Daughter. If upon 
 
 1 Numbered wrongly IIII. in the plate. 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OP 
 
 131 
 
 y e death of Mr. Wakerley 1 y" Councell shall thinke y* I shall need any assistant in y e performance of 
 my place (though for my p l I find noe encumberance of that w ch belongs to me, except it be in point 
 of attendance at Conferences w h Ambassadors, w ch I must confesse, in my Condition I am not fit for) 
 it would be hard for them to find a Man soe fit every way for y l purpose as this gentleman, one who 
 I beleeve in a short time would be able to doe them as good service as Mr. Ascan. 2 This my Lord 
 I write sinceerely without any other end then to performe my dutey to y e Publick in helping them to 
 an able servant ; laying aside those Jealosies & that emulation w ch mine owne condition might suggest 
 to me by bringing in such a coadjutor ; and remaino, 
 
 " My Lord yo r most obliged & faithfull servant, 
 " Feb. f 21, 1652. JOHN MILTON. 
 
 " For y e Hono ble y e Lord Bradshaw." 
 
 Then follows the seal of Milton, with his device of the two-headed eagle. 
 
 AVe do not desire to disparage the meritorious researches of our fellow labourers; 
 but on comparing the reprint of the above letter in the " Papers relating to Milton?* 
 by W. Douglas Hamilton of H.M. State Paper Office, we observe that the abbrevia- 
 tions in the original have not been accurately followed. It is most important, in 
 giving transcripts of such documents, that these minutiae should be strictly attended 
 to ; but in the present day the more youthful aspirants for Literary and Antiqua- 
 rian Fame enter the field with great zeal, but occasionally with rather too much 
 self-complacency. While doing so, therefore, they are sometimes induced to pass 
 over, somewhat slightingly, the researches and the learning of their more venerable 
 predecessors. We are all apt to do it,- even those who cannot claim inexperience. 
 Some are apt to think that the Modern System, by which the boy of tender age 
 astonishes his parents by reading off-hand, in English, a chapter from the Greek 
 Testament, can be adopted in other studies than those of the languages. They 
 desire to arrive at perfection, forgetting that, by so superficial a progress, they are 
 for the most part ignorant of the common rudiments of the subject. But it is the 
 order of the day. The March of Intellect has become more and more impetuous. 
 We plead guilty of occasionally endeavouring to shew ourselves very learned on 
 certain matters, and we get thoroughly plucked. Then we find we must revert to 
 the good old system as taught in the Eton and Westminster Grammars,- thoroughly 
 to learn and understand the groundwork of the subject, ere we venture to hope 
 that the result of our studies, whether in Literature or Art, will ever be worth the 
 perusal of our readers. 
 
 1 WECKHERLYN, " the Secretary Assistant for 
 the business of Foreign Affairs." "He had 
 been before employed as Secretary for Foreign 
 Affairs, from the first establishment of the Joint 
 Committee of both Kingdoms in Feb. 1643-4. 
 What his salary was, has not been ascertained. 
 This gentleman, who was of German extraction, 
 Granger says, was Latin Secretary to King 
 
 Charles I." Note to p. 69 of " The Life of 
 Milton," by Todd. Works, edition 1842, vol. i. 
 
 ' ASCAX. Anthony Ascham, sent by com- 
 mand as Ambassador to Philip IV. of Spain. 
 
 3 Issued by the Camden Society, 1859. 
 
 17 
 
 7 - 
 
132 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 1HE Original of the letter to Bradshaw was, at the time of writing his 
 Memoir of the Poet, considered by the learned Keightley to be auto- 
 graph ; l and accordingly, at page 50, he uses it as an argument that 
 Milton could not have been totally blind in the early part of 1653. 
 
 Such mistakes are often made. A very remarkable instance of a 
 somewhat similar circumstance of mistaking the identity of handwriting, or rather of 
 not having attentively examined it, occurred in respect to a long letter from MARTIN 
 LUTHER to the EMPEROR CHARLES V., dated from Wittemberg, 1520. It was sold, 
 February 1833, in the Collection of Autograph Letters formed by John Anderdon, 
 Esq. It was stated in the sale catalogue as being " ENTIRELY IN HIS OWN HAND," 
 and was consequently purchased by Messrs. Longman for Dr. Butler, Bishop of 
 Lichfield, for 29. After the decease of Bishop Butler, his collections were 
 purchased by Messrs. Payne & Foss. The Books were sold by auction in 1840; 
 but the Manuscripts and Early Specimens of Typography were retained by those 
 gentlemen, who, after having printed, in 1841, a catalogue of the Collection, sold 
 them entire to the British Museum. The celebrated letter stated to be in the 
 autograph of Luther, accompanied the Collection; and was soon afterwards exhibited 
 in one of the Show Cases in the Manuscript Department of the British Museum, as 
 one of the most interesting treasures in our National Library. Seeing it there, we 
 called the attention of the late Mr. Holmes, the then Second Officer in the Manuscript 
 Department, to it ; and after some little controversial arguments, we believe we 
 proved to him that it was not in the autograph of Luther, but in that very beautiful 
 and minute handwriting of the dear friend and coadjutor of Luther, MELANCHTHON. 
 It is in the same style of writing as the letter from Melanchthon to his friend 
 Wolfgang Fabricius, written about 1523; of which letter the commencement and 
 ending are given in plate XXV. of our work on the "Unpublished Documents, 
 Marginal Notes and Memoranda, in the Autograph of Philip Melanchthon and 
 Martin Luther," published in 1840. We were much rejoiced to find, that, soon 
 afterwards, the letter was removed from the Show Case. The circumstance here 
 detailed proves how easily persons, even those distinguished for their palaaographio 
 knowledge, are misled in their judgment when founded on the authority of others. 
 That Luther, of whom Melanchthon has recorded " optime literas pinxit,"* excelled 
 in the use of his pen, is beyond all doubt; but none of the writings adjudged to be 
 the autograph of Luther, exhibit the same peculiar character as the letter under 
 consideration, though Luther occasionally wrote in a very round and small cursive 
 hand. Luther never took a very active part as the "Pen of the Reformation," 
 
 1 In the page of " Corrections" the error is 
 noticed, having been pointed out by Mr. Car- 
 ruthers, of Inverness, a friend of the biographer. 
 
 " Principia Typographica, by S. Leigh Sotheby. 
 3 vols., small folio, 1858. Vol. iii., p. 158. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 133 
 
 a doubly significant title, afterwards generously and nobly conferred upon Melan- 
 chthon by Luther and his followers. It was very natural that Luther, overwhelmed 
 with correspondence, should procure the aid of his friend Melanchthon in writing 
 letters for him. It may, however, be that Luther first forwarded the letter in his 
 autograph to the Emperor ; and that the letter in the British Museum is the dupli- 
 cate, also sent to the Emperor, it being the custom in those tempestuously political 
 days of religious controversy, to send important letters in duplicate by different 
 channels. 
 
 j]N the "Notes and Queries," No. 123, May 8, 1858, is a communication 
 from Mr. CLARENCE HOPPER on the subject of " MILTON'S BLINDNESS," 
 wherein he brings forward the letter quoted, from the Poet to Presi- 
 dent Bradshaw, as a proof of Milton not having been blind at that 
 period, February 1652. Of course Mr. Hopper considered the letter 
 to be in the autograph of the Poet,- an opinion which a very superficial examination 
 of the handwriting of Milton would have convinced him was untenable. In that 
 communication Mr. Hopper, while endeavouring to shew that Milton was not blind 
 in 1652, states : 
 
 " Some time since I had the pleasure of discovering the Hartlib correspondence, consisting of 
 some thousands of letters, treatises, and other curious MSS. ; and although my examination was" but 
 very cursory, I saw enough to convince myself of the probability of its being a mine for researches, 
 especially for hitherto unknown particulars touching Milton and his contemporaries, which would 
 amply repay the zealous inquirer into history. As one of the above-named letters, viz., from the 
 Rev. Mr. Durie to Samuel Hartlib, dated Zurich, Nov. 18, 1654, refers to Milton and his blindness, I 
 may be excused in giving the extract : 
 
 " ' I wish that Mr. Milton may recover his sight ; and I would not have him to despaire of it, 
 because I was told y' an old man of threescore and odd years, blind in the territorie of Sclaphausen, 
 was cured by an oculist, an husbandman in those parts, who took a cataract from his eyes, w ch had 
 covered them so long time, and now he sees perfectly againe. I pray you remember my service to 
 him, and tell him that Vlack hath sent copies of his Defensw Secunda into these parts ; but in many 
 places vitiously printed, w ch wrongs the sense, and y' none of the London print were brought to the 
 Mart of Frankfort. Many here are well pleased that hee hath handled Moms rough ; but some think 
 that Morus is wronged. I cannot make any certain judgment of w' is said of him, but perhaps at 
 Geneva I may learn something more exactly. However it doth not much concerne mee to be curious 
 therein, only, by the by, I may listen after the things w ch are so much contradictorily debated amongst 
 some here ; but truly I believe where there is so much smoke there must bee some fire.' 
 
 " Another letter from Durie to Hartlib, under date of June 5, 1652, also mentions the author of 
 Paradise Lost : ' Mr. Bouchart, one of the ministers of the French church, coming through Holland, 
 did lodge with Salmasius at Leiden, tells me that Salmasius is making readie an answer to 
 Mr. Milton. I pray salute Mr. Milton from me, and let him know this.' " 
 
 There being no allusion, in this last letter, to the blindness of the Poet, 
 Mr. Hopper came to the conclusion that the "misfortune overtook the Poet in 
 1654." 
 
134 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OP 
 
 MAJOR JOHN MILTON 
 
 OF THE CITY OF LONDON TRAINED BANDS. 1660. 
 
 No. IV. 1 SPECIMENS 1 AND 2. 
 
 ILTON is a very uncommon name; but there happened, we believe, 
 to be several John Miltons during the last two centuries. In the 
 
 "Chronicles of a, City Church," 2 by the Rev. Thomas 
 Murray, 3 the Reverend Author notes, p. 82, "It maybe important 
 to collectors of autographs of illustrious persons, to learn that a 
 certain John Milton, who wrote a fine, intellectual hand, was a 
 contemporary of the great author of Paradise Lost, an inhabitant 
 of St. Dunstan's in the East, and probably a Captain of the City Trained Bands." 
 On application to the Reverend Clergyman, who has been lately elected a Member 
 of " The Royal Antiquarian Society of London," we were immediately permitted to 
 inspect the Registers of the Church, from which it is very evident that the John 
 Milton in question was an active member of the parish. His name occurs with that 
 of many other Parishioners, as early as May 1642. In March 30, 1650, he signs 
 himself as Major John Milton; so likewise on April 23, 1660, the last entry bearing 
 his name in the Register. 
 
 There is certainly a little similarity in the autograph signature of this Major 
 Milton to that of the Poet; but no greater than what might be expected to be found 
 in the writing of the same name, the more so as Major Milton was a man of some 
 education,- at least, if we may judge at all by his autograph. We admit, however, 
 that judgment founded only upon such evidence is not very conclusive. His auto- 
 graph signature is in most instances very carefully executed, as may be inferred 
 from the specimen selected. 
 
 Bishop Sumner, when engaged upon his translation of the "De Doctrind 
 Ch rist ia nd" mentions that the subjoined memorandum was taken from a pocket- 
 book of one of the Republicans : 
 
 " Paid to Jn Milton, one of Cap* Whin's troope, what was spend by him while hee was prisoner 
 in Holt Castle, and y e ransoming of himselfe from out of prison. April 16, 1647, x 11)." 
 
 This may have been the John Milton of St. Dunstan's in the East referred to. 
 
 1 Numbered wrongly III. in the plate. 
 
 * Chronicles of a City Church ; being an 
 Account of the Parish Church of St. Dunstan's 
 in the East, in the City of London : with Short 
 Biographical Notices of Eminent Persons con- 
 nected with the Church and Parish. By the 
 
 Rev. Thomas Boyles Murray, M.A., Rector of 
 the Parish, and Prebendary of St. Paul's. Pub- 
 lished by Smith & Elder, Cornhill, London. 
 
 1859. o 
 
 3 While correcting this sheet, we lament to 
 see the death of this respected clergyman 
 recorded in " The Times," Sept. 29, 1860. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 135 
 
 THE DEED OF ASSIGNMENT OF PARADISE LOST 
 TO SAMUEL SIMMONS FOR 5, 
 
 APRIL 27, ICG 7. 
 
 PLATE XIX. No. I. SPECIMENS 1 AND 2. 
 
 HE commencement and ending of the "ORIGINAL ARTICLES OF 
 AGREEMENT, dated 27 April, 1667, between JOHN MILTON, Gent, 
 and SAMUEL SiMMONS, 1 Printer, for the sale of THE COPYRIGHT 
 OF A POEM ENTITLED PARADISE LOST," are here given, 
 
 " In consideration of five pounds to him now paid by the said Samuel 
 Symmons, his executors and assignees, all that Booke, Copy, or Manuscript 
 of a Poem intituled Paradise Lost, or by whatsoever other title or name the 
 same is or shall be called or distinguished, now lately licensed to be printed, together wi th the full 
 benefitt, profit, and advantage thereof, or w oh shall or may arise thereby. And the said John Milton 
 for him, his ex rs and adm rs , doth covenant w th the said Sam" Symons his ex and ass" that he and 
 they shall at all times hereafter have hold and enjoy the same and all impressions thereof accord- 
 ingly, without the lett or hindrance of him the said John Milton, his ex or as", or any person or 
 persons by his or their consent or privity, and that he the said John Milton, his ex or adm or any 
 other by his or their meanes or consent, shall not print or cause to be printed, or sell dispose or 
 publish the said book or manuscript, or any other book or manuscript of the same tenor or subject, 
 without the consent of the said Sam" Symons, his ex or as"." 
 
 The agreement then goes on to state, that, after the sale of thirteen hundred 
 copies of the work, Milton was to receive another sum of 5. 
 
 In 1831, the Document, after passing through the hands of many persons, as 
 we shall shortly notice, became the property of SAMUEL ROGERS, the Poet, by whom 
 it was presented, in 1852, to our National Library. It is now exhibited as one of 
 the most interesting autographic relics in the Manuscript Department of the British 
 Museum. 
 
 When sold by Public Auction, and when in the possession of Mr. Pickering, we 
 are not aware that there was the smallest doubt of the signature of the Poet being his 
 autograph. Had anybody ventured at that time in the smallest degree to impugn 
 the genuineness of the signature, he would have been at once set down by those 
 against whose judgment there would then have been no appeal, as totally ignorant 
 and incapable of forming any opinion upon the subject. On such points we are not 
 always so correct as we presume to think we are. The late Mr. Pickering felt so 
 
 1 SIMMONS. The name of the printer in the document is spelt " Si/mons." In that dated 
 21 December, 1680, " Symands" 
 
136 
 
 HANDLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 perfectly satisfied as to the Deed's bearing the genuine Sign Manual of the Poet, 
 even as late as 1851, that he had the whole of the Document executed in fac-simile, 
 as an illustration in his octavo edition of the Poetical Works of Milton, edited by 
 the late Rev. John Mitford, published in that year. 
 
 With all due deference to the experience of the late Mr. Pickering, a question 
 arises, whether either Mr. Pickering or the Rev. John Mitford had ever had the 
 opportunity of comparing the signature in that document with any other signature 
 of the Poet which was known at that period to exist. The probability is, neither the 
 one nor the other had seen the autograph volume in the Trinity College Library. 
 The document when in the possession of the Poet Rogers was exhibited by him as 
 one of the "Lions" of his house. It was hung up, as some of his visitors may remember, 
 in the little ante-room adjoining the drawing-room. For many years one of the 
 greatest enjoyments of the Poet Rogers was the taking his friends round his rooms 
 and describing to them, in his well-remembered measured language, the marvellous 
 beauty of some of his choicest Greek vases, and the contents of the cabinet of his 
 charming collection of minute objects and of Egyptian art. So likewise with his 
 Pictures, and more particularly the exquisite Drawings of that favourite modern 
 artist, STOTHARD. Seldom, however, did any of the friends of Mr. Rogers leave his 
 drawing-room, without having seen the AUTOGRAPH of MILTON, and hearing the 
 story of its having cost the Poetjifty pounds. 1 It was to the astonishment of some, 
 that he so generously transferred his treasure to the British Museum. Now-a-days, 
 it is rather hazardous to record opinions entertained previous to a question becoming 
 mooted as to the genuineness of documents. Not that in the present case there is 
 the smallest doubt of the authenticity of the document itself. It is simply a 
 question as to whether the SIGNATURE is AUTOGRAPH. 
 
 For some years past, our attention has been drawn occasionally to the subject 
 of handwriting. The last time we saw the document hanging up in the library at 
 St. James's-street, we perfectly recollect making some remark to the effect that the 
 signature appeared to be very carefully written, more particularly, as we then 
 thought, for a man totally blind ; but a blind man can write, and write well, as we 
 shall in an ensuing plate clearly shew ! We afterwards suspected that Mr. Rogers 
 was not over-pleased with our observation,- a thought quite inadvertently expressed, 
 as at that time we had never seen any other autograph signature of the Poet. We 
 did not again see the document until it was placed in the show division of the 
 
 1 The little Pet Banker-Poet had always a 
 stock of Anecdotes adapted to every class of 
 his visitors. Many may remember his habit of 
 sending for his hat and umbrella, to shew the 
 means he took, by having his name inscribed 
 in full on them, to prevent persons taking them 
 
 away by mistake. His habit of punctuality, his 
 employment of Sir Francis Chantrey at a guinea 
 a week, when a journeyman carpenter, together 
 with innumerable anecdotes of an amusing 
 nature always ready for the entertainment of 
 his friends. 
 
xvnr 
 
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 ******# 
 
 2. 
 
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 m Lt <f~ 
 
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 ^f fat-nia 
 
 ^^^30^9. 
 
 ^-nCfrn/nt 
 A- 
 
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 n- 
 
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 in 
 
 ^T<^ 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 137 
 
 Manuscript Department of the British Museum. That was long before we took any 
 special interest in the writing of Milton; but as the Album 1 containing the indis- 
 putable autograph of the Poet had been in our possession some years previously, we 
 again carefully looked at the signature, and left it with a feeling, that the mere fact 
 of the legal document having the signature of Milton, was not altogether proof of 
 such signature being autograph. 
 
 THE MILTON RECEIPTS FOE PARADISE LOST. 
 
 No. II. SPECIMENS 1 AND 2. No. III. 
 
 L T R present pursuit was, as we have stated in the Introduction to 
 this volume, mainly undertaken in consequence of our having 
 been accidentally led to the investigation, whether a certain 
 receipt for money paid to the Poet for the Copyright of Para- 
 dise Lost, was, as had been stated, in the Autograph of the 
 Poet. 
 
 In the " Gentleman s Magazine" for July 1822, appeared a fac-simile of a docu- 
 ment bearing the name of John Milton, purporting to be a receipt for the second 
 payment of 5 for the copyright of Paradise Lost. It was stated to have been 
 taken from the original in the possession of Sir Thomas Gery Cullum. It was 
 accompanied by a fac-simile of another document, dated 21 December, 1680, signed 
 by Elizabeth Milton, the widow of the Poet, for the sum of 8, in full payment of 
 all her interest in the copyright of that Poem. 
 
 At the sale, June 1859, of the Collection of Manuscript and Autograph Letters 
 formed by the late leviathan collector, DAWSON TURNER, Esq., appeared what was of 
 course considered to be the identical documents referred to in the " Gentleman's 
 Magazine." We had on several occasions been shewn by Mr. Dawson Turner 
 the documents in question ; but always entertained considerable doubt as to their 
 genuineness. It ill became us, however, to cast a slur upon what so eminent a 
 collector possessed; the more so as Mr. Dawson Turner never asked our opinion 
 respecting them. He knew perfectly well by what means they formed a part of his 
 collection ; but accidentally omitted to record their being fac-similes. 
 
 The Documents, however, created a great interest at the sale; and so little 
 doubt at the time was publicly entertained regarding them, that they produced the 
 enormous sum of 43 : 1 : 0, having been purchased by Mr. Skeet, the bookseller, on 
 commission for some Collector in America. Previous, however, to their being sent 
 abroad, Mr. Skeet kindly favoured us with a photograph of each document, of which 
 we have given, in plate No. III., that of the receipt from Elizabeth Milton, together 
 
 1 We allude to the Album of Camillus Cardoyn previously described, pp. 10G-8. 
 
 18 
 
138 
 
 RAMBLINGS 
 
 THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 with a fac-simile 1 of the receipt by Milton from the "Gentleman's Magazine" for 
 July 1822, the photograph fac-simile of that document not being perfect. 
 
 On comparing those two fac-similes of the Milton receipt here given, so many 
 variations occur, as at once to prove that the "Dawson Turner Receipt" was copied 
 from the "Outturn Document." The variations in themselves are trifling, but are quite 
 sufficient to prove the point in question. If, however, the fac-simile, No. 1, from 
 the "Gentleman's Magazine," is correct, that given No. 2 may be termed rather a 
 copy than a fac-simile. Fac-similes should be what they profess to be, otherwise 
 they are of no more value than a mere transcript for the purpose of future reference. 
 
 We do not think it necessary to enter into any argument to show that the 
 character of the writing in this document differs from any that we have seen 
 purporting to be in the autograph of Milton; because, although it may be shown 
 that a man totally blind may be able to write in a continuous line, yet the correction 
 by way of interlineation of the words " to be paid " in the Milton Receipt, almost 
 proves that it could not have been written by one who had entirely lost his sight. 
 Daily experience, however, teaches us not to predicate the impossibility of anything ! 
 
 A few days after the sale of the Documents, having occasion to address 
 Sir Frederick Madden on the subject of the known Milton Autographs, that gentle- 
 man wrote, "I did not bid for the receipt of Milton at Mr. D. Turner's sales, as I am 
 quite satisfied that it could not be Autograph." Coupling this opinion with the fact 
 of the discovery that the signature to the Singer Document dated 1660 was not in 
 the Autograph of Milton, but had evidently been signed by some person by ivay of 
 procuration, we were led to examine the Milton Documents in the British Museum, 
 as also the celebrated volume of the Juvenile Poems of the Poet preserved in the 
 Library of Trinity College, Cambridge. The question, however, of the genuineness 
 of the "Milton Receipts" soon became the subject of public discussion. We then 
 had the pleasure of forwarding,- Sept. 8, 1859,- the fac-simile in the "Gentleman's 
 Magazine" and the Photograph to a distinguished member of the Literary World. 
 In doing so, we stated, "that either the one given in the 'Gentleman's Magazine was 
 incorrectly drawn, or that the one sold must be a copy of it." 
 
 Consequently, in " The Athenceum" for the following week, Sept. 17, appeared 
 the subjoined article, as also another that followed on Oct. 1. 
 
 " The recent sale of an autograph receipt, by John Milton, for 5, on account of Paradise Lost, 
 has raised a question as to the genuineness of the Milton autographs. There are two sets of autograph 
 
 1 Fac-similes of Documents from fac-similes 
 are not desirable ; but as we did not wish to 
 trouble Lady Cnllum by asking the favour of 
 being allowed to take fac-similes from the origi- 
 nals in her possession, more particularly after 
 the unpleasant circumstances that had occurred 
 on the subject of the sale of the Documents in 
 
 the Dawson Turner Collection, we have given 
 the fac-simile of the receipt by Milton, from 
 that which appeared in the catalogue of the 
 collection sold in June 1859 ; presuming that it 
 is correct ; which, even if it is not quite accu- 
 rate, answers, on the points referred to, the pur- 
 pose required. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 139 
 
 receipts in existence one set in the possession of Lady Cullum : a receipt for 5, signed with the 
 name of Milton, April 26, 1669, a receipt for 8, signed by his widow, December 21, 1680, a 
 final discharge, drawn up in legal form, signed by the widow, April 29, 1681. A second set is that 
 which occurred the other day in the sale of Mr. Dawson Turner's collection, consisting of a receipt 
 for 5, signed by the name of Milton, April 26, 1669, and a receipt for 8, signed by his widow, 
 December 21, 1680. So far as they go, these two sets of documents coincide in date, and, we may 
 add, in wording. Both cannot be originals. If Lady Cullum's autographs are genuine, Mr. Dawson 
 Turner's were copies. How came the two sets into existence ? We are able to state a fact, which, 
 taken in connexion with the discovery of a pretended receipt by Milton among the Dawson Turner 
 manuscripts, almost involves of necessity another fact. Many years ago the Milton manuscripts 
 were lent by Sir Thomas Cullum to Mr. Turner, who kept them for some time in his hands, and, 
 ultimately, restored them to their owner. It is impossible to doubt that Mr. Dawson Turner 
 restored the originals which he had borrowed. It is all but impossible to doubt that he took 
 advantage of their temporary possession to make copies for his private satisfaction and, of course, 
 with no idea that these copies would ever be mistaken for the originals. Were not these copies 
 disposed of the other day by Messrs. Puttick & Simpson ?" Aihenceum, Sept. 17. 
 
 " The value of the receipts for money on account of Paradise Lost is a separate question from 
 that of their genuineness. A discharge, signed by Milton himself, on account of Paradise Lost, 
 would be a most precious document, of the greatest literary and biographical interest, which a 
 private collector would be proud to possess, and which the nation, were it ever for sale, should 
 secure for its great library at any reasonable cost. A receipt, signed for Milton by another and 
 unknown hand, has no interest, save as confirming the fact of a sale and a discharge a fact not 
 standing in need of confirmation. None of these receipts are beyond doubt in Milton's autograph. 
 He was blind at the time. A comparison of the handwriting of Milton, as seen in the Cambridge 
 MSS., seems to us to prove that they were written by some one not his wife empowered by him 
 to sign. Who was this person ?" Atlienceum, Oct. 1. 
 
 On the perusal of the latter paragraph we addressed to the Editor of 
 " The AthencBum" the subjoined letter, having previously expressed our views upon 
 the subject : 
 
 " The Woodlands, Norwood, October 6th, 1859. 
 
 " My attention being called to a paragraph in the Athencsum of last week upon the subject of 
 certain receipts of the Poet Milton for monies received by him on account of Paradise Lost, permit 
 me to notice, that I believe there will be not much difficulty in eventually ascertaining by whom 
 these receipts were, doubtless by procuration, signed. The Poet was at that period perfectly blind, 
 though at the same time he might have been quite able to sign his name, as any blind person 
 accustomed previously to the exercise of his pen might with facility do. 
 
 " The receipt which was lately sold for an exorbitant sum, at the sale of the collection of 
 autograph letters formed by the late Mr. Dawson Turner, was, I believe, never shown by that 
 gentleman as the genuine autograph of Milton. 
 
 " On comparing it with the fac-simile of the original document, then in the possession of 
 Sir Thomas Grey Cullum, engraved in the Gentleman's Magazine for July 1822, it is very evident, 
 from minute yet important variations, that the Dawson Turner receipt was a copy of the original 
 there fac-similed. 
 
 " I should not have trespassed upon your columns upon this subject, had I not been engaged 
 for several months past in preparing a brochure upon the general autograph of Milton ; in the 
 illustration of which I have been permitted to make, among others, fac-similes of seven pages of that 
 most interesting volume containing the Juvenile Poems, in the autograph of the Poet, preserved in 
 the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge. 
 
 " I herewith have the pleasure of forwarding to you one of the fac-similes from that volume. 
 
 IS 2 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 It is a portion of the Poet's original design of Paradise Lost, written about thirty years before the 
 work was published. You will there see that the writing was that of one whose mind was more 
 attentive to the subject than to his pen ; consequently, the specimen does not display any of that 
 excellence in penmanship which is found in other existing documents, proving that Milton, as Latin 
 Secretary to Oliver Cromwell, was not unskilled in the execution of what was very essential to his 
 public position ' a good hand.' 
 
 " S. LEIGH SOTHEBY." 
 
 We never doubted the genuineness of the Milton Document in the possession 
 of Lady Cullum. The point we desired to shew was, that it was not in the 
 autograph of the Poet. We were therefore not a little astonished to find, from the 
 subjoined paragraph in The Athenceum, February 11, 1860, that a decision had been 
 come to, founded on facts "fixed on a solid base," that the Milton Eeceipt is in the 
 autograph of the Poet !-" Lady Cullum's autographs are established as genuine." 
 The documents themselves are certainly genuine :-but that purporting to be signed 
 by Milton is not in his autograph. The others are fac-similes made under the 
 direction of Mr. Dawson Turner, probably by one of his accomplished Daughters, 
 of whose skill in making fac-similes we have a well executed example, in our 
 Melanchthon Collection, of a letter of the Great Reformer. 
 
 " After an inquiry, carried on with the most honourable and amiable desire to do what is right 
 under circumstances of some difficulty, the curious question of the Milton autographs has been set at 
 rest. Lady Cullum's autographs are established as genuine Dawson Turner's as copies. The sale 
 by Messrs. Puttick & Simpson is cancelled the copies are returned and the facts, as regards 
 these Milton Papers, are fixed on a solid base." 
 
 That the signature "John Milton" to the Singer Document is in the same hand 
 as that employed in the De Doctrind Christiana is, we consider, quite clear. 
 Consequently, it proves, that, in 1660, the Poet, being then totally blind, was 
 permitted, notwithstanding the insertion of the preliminary official words, " Witness 
 my hand and seal," to sign by PROCURATION. 
 
 At first sight, without the means of comparing, we were led to think that the 
 receipt bearing the name of the Poet was in the handwriting of the Amanuensis 
 employed by Milton in his De Doctrind Christiand. The reader is referred to 
 No. 1 5 of the specimens taken from that volume, the fac-simile being of an entire 
 page, the 552nd, of that portion of the manuscript which was written by the Amanu- 
 ensis who was employed on the whole of the latter part of the volume, the difference 
 in the writing of that and a few others, being, that they were evidently written at a 
 later period and in a much more cursive hand, such as we may presume was then 
 the more ordinary hand of the party employed. There is naturally a little difference 
 in appearance when the writing is in Latin; but at the same time we do not feel 
 warranted in maintaining our previously conceived opinion that the Milton Receipt 
 dated April 26, 1669, is in the same handwriting as page 552 in the De Doctrind 
 Christiand. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 141 
 
 FAC-SIMILES OF AUTOGEAPH SIGNATUKES 
 WRITTEN WHEN BLINDFOLDED. 
 
 PLATE XIX*. 
 
 E are much indebted to the many distinguished Antiquarians, 
 Literary Men, and kind Friends, who have so promptly favoured 
 us with the examples of their writing when blindfolded, here 
 given in fae-simile. It was a novel idea of ours ; and we plead 
 guilty to having designed it, not only for the purpose avowed, but 
 also of adding interesting materials to our specially illustrated 
 copy of the present work, by a collection of the Autograph 
 Signatures of Men and Friends distinguished in all Branches of Intellectuality. We 
 desire further here to note, that we shall be most thankful to receive any additional 
 signatures so executed ; and on application will immediately forward a sheet of 
 paper, as we previously did to all to whom we applied, containing the subjoined letter: 
 " In my ' Rumblings in the Elucidation of the Autograph of Milton,' a work 
 upon which I am now engaged, I am desirous of shewing that any body, totally 
 blind, is still capable of signing his name, and indeed of writing in one continuous 
 line ; though, unless he has something placed under his little finger to guide him, 
 the line of writing might not be correctly horizontal. In illustration of this point, 
 many kind friends have forwarded to me their usual signature written when closely 
 blindfolded. May I venture to ask you to allow some friend to blindfold you, and 
 to write your usual signature at the foot of this letter, thus affording an additional 
 instance of what I am desirous of confirming 1" 
 
 i]N finding the Signatures we were desirous of inserting too numerous for 
 plate XIX., we have availed ourselves of the opportunity of again 
 exemplifying on the ensuing page the very interesting processes of the 
 Electro-Printing Block Company, by which the fac-similes of any similar 
 or engraved productions can be at pleasure reduced. The examples 
 give four reductions of the original. Our confined space allows not of our giving 
 examples of enlargement, which is made with as much facility as the reduction, 
 depending merely on the size of the apparatus used. 
 
XIX* 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTOX. 
 
 142 
 
 JOHANNIS MILTONI ANGLI 
 DE DOCTRINA CHEISTIANA 
 
 LIBRI DUO POSTHUMI. 
 
 OME DAY I SHALL ADDRESS A WORK TO POSTERITY, WHICH WILL 
 PERPETUATE MY NAME, AT LEAST IN THE LAND IN WHICH 1 
 WAS BORN." 
 
 While quoting the preceding passage from a letter by Milton, 
 LAMARTiNE, 1 the Historian, adds, 
 
 "ALL GREAT MINDS THUS ANTICIPATE THEIR FUTURE GLORY." 
 
 " GLORY," writes Lord Camden in his argument against the common-law right 
 to Literary Property, " is the reward of science ; and those who deserve it, scorn all 
 meaner views. I speak not of the scribblers for bread, who teaze the press with 
 their wretched productions ; fourteen years are too long a privilege for their perish- 
 able trash. It was not for gain that Bacon, Newton, Milton, Locke, instructed and 
 delighted the world. When the bookseller offered Milton 5 for his Paradise Lost, 
 he did not reject it, and commit his poem to the flames, nor did he accept the 
 miserable pittance as the reward of his labour. He knew that the real price of his 
 work was immortality, and that posterity would pay it." 
 
 In the letter, of which two drafts in the autograph of Milton are preserved in 
 the Trinity College Manuscript, occurs the subjoined passage, tending to shew that 
 the mind of Milton was impressed at that early period of his life, with forebodings 
 of his future career. He had been accused, while at Cambridge, of leading a compa- 
 ratively inactive life, he not having then selected any future professional occupation. 
 In answer to his accusers, while defending his " solitariness," he adds : " And though 
 this were enough, yet there is another act, if not of pure, yet of refined nature, no 
 less applicable to persuade prolonged obscurity,- a desire of honour and repute and 
 immortal fame, seated in the breast of every true scholar ; which all make haste to 
 
 1 " In a letter to a confidential friend, he thus 
 expresses himself : ' Some day I shall address a 
 work to posterity, which will perpetuate my 
 name, at least in the land in which I was born.' 
 All great minds thus anticipate their future 
 
 glory : this feeling, which the vulgar mistake 
 for pride, is in fact the inwardly-speaking con- 
 science of their genius." " Memoirs of Cele- 
 brated Characters" by Alphonse de Lamartine. 
 2 vols., 1854 [Milton] ; vol. ii., p. 5. 
 
E. AMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OP 
 
 by the readiest ways of publishing and divulging conceived merits,-as well those 
 that shall, as those that never shall, obtain it." 
 
 The result of this longing after immortality and its appreciation by posterity, 
 is thus well characterized by Winstanley, a contemporary, but by no means an 
 admirer, of Milton, in his "Lives of the most Famous English Poets :" " Now, though 
 it is the desire of all writers to purchase to themselves immortal fame, yet is their 
 fate far different:- some deserve fame, and have it; others neither have it, nor 
 deserve it ; some have it, not deserving ; and others, though deserving, yet totally 
 miss it, or have it not equal to their deserts." 1 
 
 The ambition of obtaining a name and transmitting it to posterity, is traceable 
 in the earliest record of the human race; for we read in Gen. xi. 4, that, in the time 
 of Noah, the people journeying from the East said, " Let us build us a city and a 
 tower whose top may reach unto Heaven ; and let us make us a name." The poets 
 of antiquity were animated with the same love of fame. Ovid, Horace, Lucau, and 
 Martial, all predicated of their writings that they would be immortal ; and 
 posterity has indorsed their prognostications. The Poet Milton has obtained the 
 immortality for which he aspired, but not from The Work he fondly hoped would 
 have perpetuated his "name, at least in the land in which he was born." The 
 way in which posterity has appreciated his Treatise ".De Doctrind Christiana," 
 as well as his "Paradise Regained,' '-a work which Milton greatly preferred to 
 his "Paradise Lost,"- shews how fallacious was his judgment of their respective 
 merits. 
 
 In the preliminary observations to the translation of the former work, Bishop 
 Sumner very forcibly remarks : " It must be acknowledged that the disqualifi- 
 cations for such a work as the present, were neither few nor unimportant. They 
 were partly owing to the unhappy circumstances of the period at which he lived, and 
 partly to that peculiar disposition of mind which led him to view every surrender of 
 individual opinion, whether in morals or politics, as an infringement on the rights of 
 natural liberty. In his time power was abused under pretence of religion, in a degree 
 to which, happily for genuine Christianity, the ecclesiastical annals can scarcely 
 afford a parallel ; and the universal prevalence of an intolerant spirit, from which his 
 own connexions, as well as himself, had suffered severely, disposed him to look with 
 an unfavourable eye, not only upon the corruptions, but on the doctrine itself and 
 discipline of the church." 
 
 Numerous instances might be recorded of men arriving at the highest possible 
 position in the professions they have embraced ; and yet who consider that their 
 talents ought to have been employed in some other direction. Accordingly we 
 find recorded of Statesmen who have been well skilled in Literature, Art, and 
 
 1 Epistle to the Reader, p. vi. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 143 
 
 Science, as well as in the Sports of the Field. Great Warriors and Authors have 
 also become Great Statesmen. Remarkable instances of the perversity and vanity 
 of the mind of man, which have led him to contend against the ways and means 
 assigned by Providence to him in his calling, might be adduced in illustration of 
 this subject. 
 
 To the Muse was the earliest attachment of Milton. " The excellency of the 
 English Poetts" was engraved on his heart-" Poetts live for ever"-" Good Poetts 
 are envied, yet in spite of envy get immortal glory." Such are the prophetic words 
 that Milton has written on one of the pages of his much loved and often quoted 
 work, Britannia's Pastorals by the Poet Browne. 1 His fame as a Poet, however, 
 was destined to be deferred. Though on his return from the Continent in 1639 he 
 recorded in his poetical repository the outlines of several of his intended productions, 
 including that of his Paradise Lost, yet a few Sonnets and some minor Poems are 
 the only pieces that can justify the idea, that, after Milton had entered the Arena of 
 the Polemical and Political affairs of his country, he still devoted his mind to his 
 much loved Muse. 
 
 It was not until some time after he had retired from the duties of public life, 
 that his innate love of poetry was rekindled. " The remembrance of early reading," 
 as that learned Historian Hallam beautifully writes, "came over his dark and 
 lonely path like the moon emerging from the clouds. Then it ivas the Muse was 
 truli/ his." The interval, however, of leisure during the period of his active duties as 
 Latin Secretary, and when his pen was not employed in the cause of upholding the 
 Commonwealth, must have been partially devoted to the study of the Scriptures, 
 preparatory to his committing to paper the result of his long-cherished ideas upon 
 the Principles of the Doctrine of the Christian Religion. It is far beyond our 
 powers to venture an opinion upon the merits of that work; a work which Milton 
 consigned, as it were, to Providence, in the full belief that the religious views he had 
 with so much zeal and perseverance held for many years, would be ultimately 
 adopted by posterity. His inspired poem, Paradise Lost, was the relaxation of his 
 then peaceful mind; not the laboured produce of a crest-fallen spirit, lamenting 
 the judgment passed upon his political views. Milton must have been prepared to 
 receive the contumely of his enemies rather than their pity. While he looked to 
 the future for a more enlightened and considerate view of his past political character, 
 he indulged the hope that his name might not only ultimately rank with the most 
 favoured of his much loved Muse, but be remembered as a firm supporter of the 
 Protestant Faith, even by those who conscientiously differed from him upon certain 
 points of religion. 
 
 When at College, Milton had entertained opinions at variance with those of 
 the authorities on the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church. He was destined to 
 
 1 Britannia's Pastorals, by W. Browne. See plate XIV. 
 
144 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 take an active part against the then administration of the religion and politics of his 
 country. He unflinchingly expressed his views. The learned Symmons states, that, 
 
 jjX Milton's return from the continent, he found, as he informs us, the clamour loud, 
 and general against the bishops; some complaining of their tyranny, and some 
 protesting against the existence of the mitred hierarchy itself. It was now 
 beginning to be safe to talk : but, the Parliament not being yet convened, the public 
 indignation was forced still to wait, during a short interval, before it could diffuse 
 itself from the press. When this rapid propagator of opinions and best guardian of 
 truth was at last liberated, the prelatical party was assailed on all sides with argument and learning, 
 with virulence and reproach. Our author, as I believe, was on this occasion the leader of the attack ; 
 the first who became the organ of his own and of the popular resentment against the rulers of the 
 church. His beloved tutor, Young, had been one of the victims of the primate's intolerance ; and 
 the new polemic entered on his career with the blended feeling of public and of private wrong, with 
 the zeal of a sanguine, and with the emotion of an injured, man. 
 
 "His two books ' Of Reformation touching Church Government in England,' addressed to a friend, 
 discover earnestness and integrity ; and are the produce of a forcible and acute, a comprehensive 
 and richly stored mind. 'And here withal,' he says, 'I invoke the Immortal Deity, revealer and 
 judge of secrets, that wherever I have in this book, plainly and roundly (though worthily and truly) 
 laid open the faults and blemishes of fathers, martyrs, or Christian emperors, or have inveighed 
 against error and superstition with vehement expressions, I have done it neither out of malice, nor 
 list to speak evil, nor any vain glory ; but of mere necessity to vindicate the spotless truth from 
 an ignominious bondage.' The reformation in our Church had not proceeded, as he thought, to the 
 proper extent ; and the suspension of its progress he attributes principally to its prelates, ' who, 
 though they had renounced the Pope, yet hugged the popedom, and shared the authority among 
 themselves.' He gives a minute history of the Church of England from its birth ; and, explaining 
 the causes of what he deemed to be its imperfect separation from that of Rome, and its halting at a 
 distance behind the other reformed churches, he pays no great respect to the venerable names of our 
 early reformers, who attested the purity of their motives with their blood. Though excellent, they 
 were still indeed fallible men ; and, admitting that their example or their doctrine could be employed 
 as the shield of error, every true Christian would join with our author in exclaiming, ' More tolerable 
 it were for the Church of God that all these names (of Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, etc.) were utterly 
 abolished, like the brazen serpent, than that men's fond opinions should thus idolize them, and the 
 heavenly truth be thus captivated." 1 
 
 It is remarkable that DE. JOHNSON, in his memoir of the Poet, should have 
 made no mention whatever of Milton having devoted much of his time to a Trent i*' 
 of Christian Theology,- a, fact recorded long before Johnson was called upon to write 
 his biographical notice of the Poet. In that memoir he writes of Milton, that, 
 
 HIS theological opinions are said to have been first Calvinistical ; and afterwards, perhaps 
 when he began to hate the Presbyterians, to have tended towards Arminianism. In 
 the mixed questions of theology and government, he never thinks that he can recede far 
 enough from popery or prelacy; but what Baudius says of Erasmus seems applicable 
 to him, magis habuit quodfugeret, quam quod <vy /''/< /<. He had determined rather 
 what to condemn than what to approve. He has not associated himself with any 
 
 denomination of Protestants : we know rather what he was not than what he was. He was not of 
 
 the church of Rome ; he was not of the church of England. 
 
 1 The Life of John Milton, by Charles Symmons, D.D., of Jesus College, Oxford. 8vo., 1810, 
 pp. 226-8. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 145 
 
 " To be of no church is dangerous. Religion, of which the rewards are distant, and which is 
 animated only by Faith and Hope, will glide by degrees out of the mind, unless it be invigorated, 
 and reimpressed by external ordinances, by stated calls to worship, and the salutary influence of 
 example. Milton, who appears to have had full conviction of the truth of Christianity, and to have 
 regarded the Holy Scriptures with the profoundest veneration, to have been untainted by any heretical 
 peculiarity of opinion, and to have lived in a confirmed belief of the immediate and occasional agency 
 of Providence, yet grew old without any visible worship. In the distribution of his hours, there was 
 no hour of prayer, either solitary or with his household; omitting publick prayers, he omitted all. 
 
 " Of this omission the reason has been sought, upon a supposition which ought never to be 
 made, that men live with their own approbation, and justify their conduct to themselves. Prayer 
 certainly was not thought superfluous by him, who represents our first parents as praying 
 acceptably in the state of innocence, and efficaciously after their fall. That he lived without prayer 
 can hardly be affirmed; his studies and meditations were an habitual prayer. The neglect of it in 
 his family was probably a fault for which he condemned himself, and which he intended to correct ; 
 but that death, as too often happens, intercepted his reformation." 
 
 JMONGr the thousands of devotional volumes published yearly in this 
 country, there are not many that excel in Christian spirit the 
 "Prayers and Meditations" composed by the learned Dr. Johnson, of 
 which Murphy 1 justly observes, 
 
 " We have before us the very heart of the man, with all his inward conscious- 
 ness. And yet, neither in the open paths of life, nor in his secret recesses, has any one vice been 
 discovered. We see him reviewing every year of his life, and severely censuring himself for not 
 keeping resolutions, which morbid melancholy, and other bodily infirmities, rendered impracticable. 
 We see him, for every little defect, imposing on himself voluntary penance; going through the day 
 with only one cup of tea without milk ; and to the last, amidst paroxysms and remissions of illness, 
 forming plans of study and resolutions to amend his life. Many of his scruples may be called weak- 
 nesses ; but they are the weaknesses of a good, a pious, and most excellent man." 
 
 The "Prayers and Meditations" of Johnson were composed at various periods 
 of his life, commencing as early as 1738 ; the last bearing date December 5, 1784, 
 eight days only before his death. Many of these Prayers exhibit a degree of fervour 
 seldom surpassed in the holy exercises of our Divines. They are, however, mostly 
 of a personal character, corresponding much with his " Meditations," which consist 
 chiefly of resolutions of amendment in his daily duties, many of which were 
 forgotten and re-resolved in his succeeding devotions. 
 
 The Eev. George Strahan, Vicar of Islington, under whose care the selection 
 was published, was, we believe, a relation of Dr. Johnson. Had his Reverend Kins- 
 man confined himself to the issuing of the Prayers,- prayers which were as applic- 
 able to those of the age of their author, or to those suffering under similar bodily 
 infirmities, as to himself,-they would have formed a very appropriate book for 
 Family use. The " Meditations" are interesting as shewing the daily habits of such 
 a man as Johnson; but they do not in any way add to the preconceived estimation 
 
 1 Essay on Dr. Johnson, by Arthur Murphy, p. 136. Lond., 1/92. 8vo. 
 
 19 
 
146 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 with which one is desirous to see his character invested. Such memorials are very 
 well for the family of the departed to preserve; but, in our humble opinion, they 
 are totally unfit for publication. They add nothing to our respect for the Memory 
 of a Great Author. The Pocket-Book Memoranda of the most eminent men are not 
 made by them, at least very seldom, with any idea of their being printed for the 
 amusement of a class of readers who are not content with a faithful memoir of a 
 great man, even from the pen of a distinguished biographer. Now-a-days nothing 
 suffices to create an interest with such pampered readers, but private letters, mid- 
 night conversations, and all sorts of absurd trash 1 frequently published under the 
 title of "Reminiscences." Far be it from us, however, to depreciate that class of litera- 
 ture; for there are few who have not found it a relief to take up the "Table Talk" 
 of the Learned Antiquarian Selden; to dip into a volume of the "Anecdotes of 
 Nichols" and other works of a similar kind. They are the Storehouses of Informa- 
 tion of Past Centuries. While they delight and feed the imagination, they sow the 
 seeds of a succession of intellectual harvests ; the solace of life at that period when 
 the body becoming enfeebled, gains, by so charmingly seductive a stimulus to the 
 mind, a pleasurable increase of physical power. 
 
 It would have been well for the Memory of Milton had his "Treatise of 
 Christian Doctrine" been discovered previous to that period when Johnson,- afflicted 
 with bodily infirmities, such as of themselves were enough to overwhelm his mind 
 with dismal thoughts tending to affect his previously biassed feelings,- undertook, as 
 the Biographer of the Age, to convey to the world a fair and unprejudiced Memoir 
 of the Life, and a faithful criticism on the polemical, political, and poetical produc- 
 tions of Milton. 
 
 Whatever may have been the tendency of the religious feelings of Milton in the 
 earlier portion of his public career, there are certainly no passages in his " Treat!*- 
 of Christian Doctrine" of a similar character to those found in the published 
 
 1 JOHNSON. Surely the memory of Dr. John- 
 son is not enhanced by our being told, that, in 
 1760, he resolved "to consult the resolves on 
 Tetty's coffin," " to drink less strong liquors," 
 " to keep a journal ;" 1761, " to regulate my 
 sleep as to length and choice of hours ;" 1762, 
 to " return to my studies," " rise early," 
 "live temperately; " 1764, " to put my rooms 
 in order," " to reject or expel sensual images 
 and idle thoughts," " I will renew my reso- 
 lutions made at Tetty's death," " I prayed for 
 Tett ;" 1765, " at Church to pray for Tetty and 
 the rest;" 1771, "no plan of study has been 
 pursued or formed," "I have neither attempted 
 nor formed any scheme of life by which I may 
 do good, and please God," "I have gone volun- 
 
 tarily to church on the week days but few times 
 in my life. I think to mend ;" 1772, April 18, 
 " I hope to read the whole Bible once a year, as 
 long as I live," "yesterday I fasted, as I have 
 always or commonly done since the death of 
 Tetty," "I cannot now fast as formerly ;"- 
 1779, "part of the Life of Dryden and the Life 
 of Milton have been written ; but my mind has 
 neither been improved nor enlarged. I have 
 read little, almost nothing. And I am not con- 
 scious that I have gained any good, or quitted 
 any evil habit ;" Sunday, March 17, 1782, "I 
 made punch for myself and my servants, by 
 which, in the night, I thought both my breast 
 and imagination disordered." "Prayers and 
 Meditations." 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 147 
 
 " Meditations" of Johnson, touching his habitual prayers for the dead, and ceremonial 
 fastings,- exercises that do not elevate the character of that Great Lexicographer. 
 Had Johnson been permitted to read the laborious and marvellously composed 
 " System of Divinity" from the deep-read and well-stored theological mind of the 
 Poet, he would probably have formed a very different opinion of the religious views 
 of that man whose character as a Christian was committed to his laboured and 
 occasionally bilious pen to pourtray. When men are specially employed to criticize 
 the works and weigh the acts of their fellow creatures, they ought not to take pen 
 in hand when suffering under bodily pain. 
 
 |T is not for us to venture to give any opinion upon the merits of 
 the Great Theological Work by Milton here under consideration. 
 It is sufficient for us to record, that, under good advice, it 
 was deemed worthy, on its discovery, to be, at the command of 
 His MAJESTY GEORGE IV., translated by so distinguished a 
 theologian and scholar as the Eev. Charles E. Sumner, M.A., at 
 that time Librarian and Historiographer to His Majesty, and 
 
 Prebendary of Canterbury, now the Right Eeverend the Lord Bishop of Winchester. 
 
 Consequently, we think that the interesting Introduction by the Author, preceded by 
 
 an extract from the Preface of the learned translator, will not be considered here out 
 
 of place. 
 
 " It must be acknowledged that the disqualifications of Milton for such a work as the present, 
 were neither few nor unimportant. They were owing partly to the unhappy circumstances of the 
 period at which he lived, and partly to that peculiar disposition of mind which led him to view every 
 surrender of individual opinion, whether in morals or politics, as an infringement on the rights of 
 natural liberty. In his time power was abused, under pretence of religion, in a degree to which, 
 happily for genuine Christianity, the ecclesiastical annals can scarcely afford a parallel ; and the 
 universal prevalence of an intolerant spirit, from which his own connexions as well as himself had 
 suffered severely, disposed him to look with an unfavourable eye, not only upon the corruptions, but 
 on the doctrine itself and discipline of the church. His father had been disinherited for embracing 
 the Protestant faith. He himself had been brought up under a Puritan who was subsequently 
 obliged to leave England on account of his religious opinions, Thomas Young of Essex, one of the 
 six answerers of Hall's Humble Remonstrance. Hence there is some foundation for the remark of 
 Hayley. that Milton ' wrote with the indignant enthusiasm of a man resenting the injuries of those 
 who are most entitled to his love and veneration. The ardour of his affections conspired with 
 the warmth of his fancy to inspire him with that puritanical zeal which blazes so intensely in his 
 controversial productions.' Thus it was that, like Clarke, though on different grounds, he was 
 biassed against the authority of the church, and predisposed by the political constitution of his mind 
 to such unbounded freedom as can hardly consist, as has been truly said, with any established system 
 of faith whatever. His love of Christian liberty began, indeed, to manifest itself at a very early 
 period of his life, for though destined to the church from his childhood, he refused to enter it from a 
 religious scruple, thinking that 'he who took orders must subscribe slave.' " 
 
148 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 "JOHN MILTON, 
 
 TO ALL THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST, 
 
 AND TO ALL 
 
 WHO PROFESS THE CHRISTIAN FAITH THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, 
 PEACE, AND THE RECOGNITION OF THE TRUTH, 
 
 AND ETERNAL SALVATION 
 IN GOD THE FATHER, AND IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 | INGE the commencement of the last century, when religion began to be restored from 
 the corruptions of more than thirteen hundred years to something of its original 
 purity, many treatises of theology have been published, conducted according to 
 sounder principles, wherein the chief heads of Christian doctrine are set forth some- 
 times briefly, sometimes in a more enlarged and methodical order. I think myself 
 obliged, therefore, to declare in the first instance why, if any works have already 
 appeared as perfect as the nature of the subject will admit, I have not remained contented with them 
 or, if all my predecessors have treated it unsuccessfully, why their failure has not deterred me 
 from attempting an undertaking of a similar kind. 
 
 "If I were to say that I had devoted myself to the study of the Christian religion bt'rntisr. 
 nothing else can so effectually rescue the lives and minds of men from those two detestable curses, 
 slavery and superstition, I should seem to have acted rather from a regard to my highest earthly 
 comforts, than from a religious motive. 
 
 " But since it is only to the individual faith of each that the Deity has opened the way of eternal 
 salvation, and as he requires that he who would be saved should have a personal belief of his own, 
 I resolved not to repose on the faith or judgment of others in matters relating to God ; but on the 
 one hand, having taken the grounds of my faith from divine revelation alone, and on the other, 
 having neglected nothing which depended on my own industry, I thought fit to scrutinize and 
 ascertain for myself the several points of my religious belief, by the most careful perusal and 
 meditation of the Holy Scriptures themselves. 
 
 " If, therefore, I mention what has proved beneficial in my own practice, it is in the hope that 
 others, who have a similar wish of improving themselves, may be thereby invited to pursue the same 
 method. I entered upon an assiduous course of study in my youth, beginning with the books of the 
 Old and New Testament in their original languages, and going diligently through a few of the 
 shorter systems of divines, in imitation of whom I was in the habit of classing under certain heads 
 whatever passages of Scripture occurred for extraction, to be made use of hereafter as occasion might 
 require. At length I resorted with increased confidence to some of the more copious theological 
 treatises, and to the examination of the arguments advanced by the conflicting parties respecting 
 certain disputed points of faith. But, to speak the truth with freedom as well as candour, I was 
 concerned to discover in many instances adverse reasonings either evaded by wretched shifts, 
 or attempted to be refuted, rather speciously than with solidity, by an affected display of formal 
 sophisms, or by a constant recourse to the quibbles of the grammarians ; while what was most 
 pertinaciously espoused as the true doctrine, seemed often defended, with more vehemence than 
 strength of argument, by misconstructions of Scripture, or by the hasty deduction of erroneous 
 inferences. Owing to these causes, the truth was sometimes as strenuously opposed as if it had been 
 an error or a heresy -while errors and heresies were substituted for the truth, and valued rather 
 from deference to custom and the spirit of party than from the authority of Scripture. 
 
 " According to my judgment, therefore, neither my creed nor my hope of salvation could be 
 safely trusted to such guides; and yet it appeared highly requisite to possess some methodical 
 tractate of Christian doctrine, or at least to attempt such a disquisition as might be useful in 
 establishing my faith or assisting my memory. I deemed it therefore safest and most advisable to 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 149 
 
 compile for myself, by my own labour and study, some original treatise which should be always at 
 hand, derived solely from the word of God itself, and executed with all possible fidelity, seeing that 
 I could have no wish to practise any imposition on myself in such a matter. 
 
 " After a diligent perseverance in this plan for several years, I perceived that the strongholds 
 of the reformed religion were sufficiently fortified, as far as it was in danger from the Papists, but 
 neglected in many other quarters ; neither competently strengthened with works of defence, nor 
 adequately provided with champions. It was also evident to me, that, in religion as in other things, 
 the offers of God were all directed, not to an indolent credulity, but to constant diligence, and to an 
 unwearied search after truth ; and that more than I was aware of still remained, which required to 
 be more rigidly examined by the rule of Scripture, and reformed after a more accurate model. I so 
 far satisfied myself in the prosecution of this plan as at length to trust that I had discovered, with 
 regard to religion, what was matter of belief, and what only matter of opinion. It was also a great 
 solace to me to have compiled, by God's assistance, a precious aid for my faith or rather to have 
 laid up for myself a treasure which would be a provision for my future life, and would remove from 
 my mind all grounds for hesitation, as often as it behoved me to render an account of the principles 
 of my belief. 
 
 " If I communicate the result of my inquiries to the world at large ; if, as God is my witness, 
 it be with a friendly and benignant feeling towards mankind, that I readily give as wide a circulation 
 as possible to what I esteem my best and richest possession, I hope to meet with a candid reception 
 from all parties, and that none at least will take unjust offence, even though many things should be 
 brought to light which will at once be seen to differ from certain received opinions. I earnestly 
 beseech all lovers of truth, not to cry out that the Church is thrown into confusion by that freedom 
 of discussion and inquiry which is granted to the schools, and ought certainly to be refused to no 
 believer, since we are ordered to prove all things, and since the daily progress of the light of truth 
 is productive far less of disturbance to the Church, than of illumination and edification. Nor do I 
 see how the Church can be more disturbed by the investigation of truth, than were the Gentiles by 
 the first promulgation of the gospel ; since so far from recommending or imposing anything on my 
 own authority, it is my particular advice that every one should suspend his opinion on whatever 
 points he may not feel himself fully satisfied, till the evidence of Scripture prevail, and persuade his 
 reason into assent and faith. Concealment is not my object ; it is to the learned that I address 
 myself, or if it be thought that the learned are not the best umpires and judges of such things, 
 I should at least wish to submit my opinions to men of a mature and manly understanding, 
 possessing a thorough knowledge of the doctrines of the gospel ; on whose judgments I should rely 
 with far more confidence, than on those of novices in these matters. And whereas the greater part 
 of those who have written most largely on these subjects have been wont to fill whole pages with 
 explanations of their own opinions, thrusting into the margin the texts in support of their doctrine 
 with a summary reference to the chapter and verse, I have chosen, on the contrary, to fill my 
 pages even to redundance with quotations from Scripture, that so as little space as possible might 
 be left for my own words, even when they arise from the context of revelation itself. 
 
 " It has also been my object to make it appear from the opinions I shall be found to have 
 advanced, whether new or old, of how much consequence to the Christian religion is the liberty not 
 only of winnowing and sifting every doctrine, but also of thinking and even writing respecting it, 
 according to our individual faith and persuasion ; an inference which will be stronger in proportion 
 to the weight and importance of those opinions, or rather in proportion to the authority of Scripture, 
 on the abundant testimony of which they rest. Without this liberty there is neither religion nor 
 gospel force alone prevails, by which it is disgraceful for the Christian religion to be supported. 
 Without this liberty we are still enslaved, not indeed, as formerly, under the divine law, but, what 
 is worst of all, under the law of man, or to speak more truly, under a barbarous tyranny. But I do 
 not expect from candid and judicious readers a conduct so unworthy of them, that, like certain 
 unjust and foolish men, they should stamp with the invidious name of heretic or heresy whatever 
 
150 
 
 1IAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 appears to them to differ from the received opinions, without trying the doctrine by a comparison 
 with Scripture testimonies. According to their notions, to have branded any one at random with 
 this opprobrious mark, is to have refuted him without any trouble, by a single word. By the 
 simple imputation of the name of heretic, they think that they have dispatched their man at one 
 blow. To men of this kind I answer, that in the time of the Apostles, ere the New Testament was 
 written, whenever the charge of heresy was applied as a term of reproach, that alone was considered 
 as heresy which was at variance with their doctrine orally delivered, and that those only were 
 looked upon as heretics, who, according to Rom. rvi., 17, 18, catted divisions and offences cai^ninj /<> 
 
 tJte doctrine of the apostles serving not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belli/. By parity of 
 
 reasoning therefore, since the compilation of the New Testament, I maintain that nothing but what 
 is in contradiction to it can properly be called heresy. 
 
 " For my own part, I adhere to the Holy Scriptures alone I follow no other heresy or sect. 
 I had not even read any of the works of heretics, so called, when the mistakes of those who are 
 reckoned for orthodox, and their incautious handling of Scripture, first taught me to agree with 
 their opponents whenever those opponents agreed with Scripture. If this be heresy, I confess with 
 St. Paul, Acts xxiv., 14, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of rny fathers, 
 believing all things which are written in the law and the propJiets to which I ADD, WHATEVER is WRITTEN 
 IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. ANY OTHER JUDGES OR CHIEF INTERPRETERS OF THE CHRISTIAN BELIEF, 
 TOGETHER WITH ALL IMPLICIT FAITH, AS IT IS CALLED, I, IN COMMON WITH THE WHOLE PROTESTANT CHURCH, 
 EEFUSE TO EECOGNIZE. 
 
 " For the rest, brethren, cultivate truth with brotherly love. Judge of my present undertaking 
 according to the admonishing of the Spirit of God and neither adopt my sentiments, nor reject 
 them, unless every doubt has been removed from your belief by the clear testimony of revelation. 
 Finally, live in the faith of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Farewell." 
 
 Who that reads this Introduction from the pen of Milton, can fail to be struck 
 with the total absence of that remarkably acrimonious spirit of controversy which 
 characterizes most of his other prose Avritings; or, with the extreme candour with 
 which he appeals to the reason and judgment of his reader, and beseeches him to 
 approach the subject with a teachable spirit,- like the good Bereans of old,- to 
 search the Scriptures whether these things are so, and to believe and practise 
 nothing that they do not teach. Such also is the language the Church of England 
 addresses, in her Articles, to those who are in communion with her, a Church which, 
 in his polemical Treatises, Milton had laboured to malign. The work itself, notwith- 
 standing the high patronage under which it was brought before the public, and 
 the able Translation of Bishop Sumner, which makes it accessible to the English 
 reader, has not been duly appreciated ; nor has, we believe, the system of divinity 
 which it promulgates, been adopted by any Sect of Christians. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 151 
 
 HE Review of THE TREATISE OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE in the 
 "Edinburgh Revieiv," August 1825, forms the first of the series 
 of Essays written by the late RIGHT HONOURABLE THOMAS 
 BABINGTON, LORD MACAULAY. 
 
 " The book itself," quaintly observes the Historian, " will not 
 add much to the fame of Milton." Macaulay, however, takes up 
 the weaker points of the work. He reviews the "heterodox 
 doctrines" of Milton in respect to the subject of Polygamy and the Observance of the 
 Sabbath, with much severity. How far Macaulay was competent to decide on the 
 merits of a theological work of so much learning, we do not ourselves attempt to 
 give an opinion. We do not think the Venerable Bishop Sumner agreed with the 
 off-hand manner in which the noble Historian dismissed all further notice of the 
 work by observing : " The men of our time are not to be converted or perverted by 
 quartos. A few more days, and this Essay will follow the 'Defensio Populi' to the 
 dust and silence of the upper shelf. The name of its author, and the remarkable 
 circumstances attending its publication, will secure to it a certain degree of attention. 
 For a month or two it will occupy a few minutes of chat in every drawing-room, and 
 a few columns in every magazine ; and it will then, to borrow the elegant language 
 of the playbills, be withdrawn, to make room for the forthcoming novelties." 
 
 Macaulay, however, did not even give the subject of the work afeiv columns in 
 the Edinburgh Review, but merely made it the medium of an " ESSAY ON MILTON," 
 for which his powerful pen was much better fitted than to discuss the arguments of a 
 theological discourse. " We intend," writes Macaulay, "to take advantage of the late 
 interesting discovery, 1 and, while this memorial of a great and good man is still in 
 the hands of all, to say something of his moral and intellectual qualities. Nor, we 
 are convinced, will the severest of our readers blame us, if, on an occasion like the 
 present, we turn for a short time from the topics of the day, to commemorate, in all 
 love and reverence, the genius and virtues of John Milton, the poet, the statesman, 
 the philosopher, the glory of English Literature, the champion and the martyr of 
 English Liberty." 
 
 While venerating the name of Milton, it appears strange that Macaulay should 
 have ventured to condemn a work which the author himself had predicted " would 
 perpetuate his name to posterity." Macaulay was no great theologian. He admired 
 Milton as a public man, and justifies the part he took in the Great Rebellion. 
 Though disapproving of " the execution of Charles," and " of the conduct of the 
 Regicides," the Historian adds, "That [the conduct] of Milton appears to us in a 
 
 1 Alluding to the manner in which the original manuscript of the Treatise had been discovered 
 in the State Paper Office. 
 
KA.MUIJNGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 very different light. The deed was done. It could not be undone. The evil was 
 incurred ; and the object was to render it as small as possible." The learned 
 Macaulay here forgot that the powerful pen of Milton had been employed as a fire- 
 brand to inflame the spirit of rebellion. Hence Milton had as much to answer 
 for as any one of the Regicides. Indeed, more so. Some of them were compelled 
 by their master, Cromwell, to sign the wan-ant for the execution of their king. The 
 writings of Milton were, to a certain extent, voluntary. So also was his Justification 
 of the Decapitation of the, unhappily, Hen-pecked Monarch. The denial, by Milton, 
 of his having ever received any remuneration at the hand of Cromwell, or from the 
 State, for that piece of special pleading, justifies the opinion, that the task of excul- 
 pating his master was self-imposed, though under the semblance of a command ! 
 
 The learned Macaulay, after reviewing the characters of the Puritans, the Inde- 
 pendents, and the Royalists, sums up the political character of Milton by stating 
 
 " He was not a Puritan. He was not a Freethinker. He was not a Royalist. In his character 
 the noblest qualities of every party were combined in harmonious union. From the Parliament and 
 from the Court, from the conventicle and from the gothic cloister, from the gloomy and sepulchral 
 circles of the Roundheads, and from the Christmas revel of the hospitable Cavalier, his nature 
 selected and drew to itself whatever was great and good, while it rejected all the base and pernicious 
 ingredients by which those finer elements were defiled. Like the Puritans, he lived 
 
 'As ever in his great task-master's eye.' 
 
 Like them, he kept his mind continually fixed on an Almighty Judge and an eternal reward. 
 And hence he acquired their contempt of external circumstances, their fortitude, their tranquillity, 
 their inflexible resolution. But not the coolest sceptic or the most profane scoffer was more 
 perfectly free from the contagion of their frantic delusions, their savage manners, their ludicrous 
 jargon, their scorn of science, and their aversion to pleasure. Hating tyranny with a perfect hatred, 
 he had nevertheless all the estimable and ornamental qualities which were almost entirely 
 monopolised by the party of the tyrant. There was none who had a stronger sense of the value of 
 Literature, a finer relish for every elegant amusement, or a more chivalrous delicacy of honour and 
 love. Though his opinions were democratic, his tastes and his associations were such as harmonise 
 best with monarchy and aristocracy. He was under the influence of all the feelings by which the 
 gallant Cavaliers were misled. But of those feelings he was the master and not the slave." 
 
 In vindicating the character of Milton from much apparent inconsistency in his 
 political life, Macaulay considers that this very inconsistency entitles him to great 
 praise, " because it shews how many private tastes and feelings he sacrificed in order 
 to do what he considered his duty to mankind. It is the very struggle of the noble 
 Othello." The learned Historian closes his powerfully written " Essay on Milton" 
 with the subjoined,- language not more beautiful or more eulogistic than deserved : 
 
 E must conclude. And yet we can scarcely tear ourselves away from the subject. 
 The days immediately following the publication of this relic of Milton appear to be 
 peculiarly set apart, and consecrated to his memory. And we shall scarcely be 
 censured if, on this his festival, we be found lingering near his shrine, how 
 worthless soever may be the offering which we bring to it. While this book lies 
 on our table, we seem to be contemporaries of the writer. We are transported 
 
 a hundred and fifty years back. We can almost fancy that we are visiting him in his small lodging; 
 
 that we see him sitting at the old organ beneath the faded green hangings ; that we can catch the 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 153 
 
 quick twinkle of his eyes, rolling in vain to find the day ; that we are reading in the lines of his 
 noble countenance the proud and mournful history of his glory and his affliction. We image to 
 ourselves the breathless silence in which we should listen to his slightest word, the passionate 
 veneration with which we should kneel to kiss his hand and weep upon it, the earnestness with 
 which we should endeavour to console him, if indeed such a spirit could need consolation, for the 
 neglect of an age unworthy of his talents and his virtues, the eagerness with which we should 
 contest with his daughters, or with his Quaker friend Elwood, the privilege of reading Homer to him, 
 or of taking down the immortal accents which flowed from his lips. 
 
 " These are perhaps foolish feelings. Yet we cannot be ashamed of them ; nor shall we be 
 sorry if what we have written shall in any degree excite them in other minds. We are not much in 
 the habit of idolising either the living or the dead. And we think that there is no more certain 
 indication of a weak and ill-regulated intellect than that propensity which, for want of a better name, 
 we will venture to christen Boswellism. But there are a few characters which have stood the 
 closest scrutiny and the severest tests, which have been tried in the furnace and have proved pure, 
 which have been weighed in the balance and have not been found wanting, which have been 
 declared sterling by the general consent of mankind, and which are visibly stamped with the image 
 and superscription of the Most High. These great men we trust that we know how to prize ; and 
 of these was Milton. The sight of his books, the sound of his name, are pleasant to us. His 
 thoughts resemble those celestial fruits and flowers which the Virgin Martyr of Massinger sent down 
 from the gardens of Paradise to the earth, and which were distinguished from the productions of 
 other soils, not only by superior bloom and sweetness, but by miraculous efficacy to invigorate and to 
 heal. They are powerful, not only to delight, but to elevate and purify. Nor do we envy the man 
 who can study either the life or the writings of the great poet and patriot, without aspiring to 
 emulate, not indeed the sublime works with which his genius has enriched our literature, but the 
 zeal with which he laboured for the public good, the fortitude with which he endured every private 
 calamity, the lofty disdain with which he looked down on temptations and dangers, the deadly hatred 
 which he bore to bigots and tyrants, and the faith which he so sternly kept with his country and 
 with his fame." 
 
 20 
 
154 
 
 BAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 THE AUTOGRAPH OF THE "DE DOCTRINA CHRISTIANA" 
 
 CONSIDERED. 
 
 HILE making researches at the State Paper Office, Mr. Lemon did 
 us the favour of placing in our hands the correspondence of his 
 Father with Bishop Sumner and the late Archdeacon Todd, that 
 took place on the discovery of the Manuscript,-during the period 
 it was undergoing translation, and also subsequent to its publi- 
 cation,- together with statements connected therewith. 
 
 The correspondence with Archdeacon Todd bears princi- 
 pally upon the Powell Family Documents, and the Entries in the Order-Book of the 
 Council of State in the State Paper Office, minute details of which, and accurate 
 copies of the documents, were forwarded by the late Mr. Lemon, with the view of 
 affording information for the new edition of the Life of Milton, on which Archdeacon 
 Todd was then engaged. 
 
 It would have been but justice to the late Mr. Lemon, had Archdeacon Todd 
 printed all those documents in the careful and strict chronological order in which 
 they were communicated to him. Had he done so, Mr. W. Douglas Hamilton would 
 have been spared the observation, in the preface to his valuable contribution to the 
 Catnden Society, 1 that "He" [Dr. Todd] " was only acquainted with a tithe of the 
 materials here collected, so that his conclusions were not always correct." 
 
 "MILTON'S POSTHUMOUS WOKK." 
 
 RHIS valuable Manuscript is presumed to be the long lost posthumous 
 Theological Work of Milton. It was discovered in the latter part of 
 the year 1823, by Mr. Lemon, Sen., Deputy Keeper of His Majesty's 
 State Papers; and was found by him at the bottom of one of the 
 Presses in the Old State Paper Office, in the middle Treasury Gallery. 
 It was wrapped in two or three sheets of printed paper, apparently Proof Sheets; 
 and the outside cover was a piece of torn, dirty brown paper, on which was written, 
 'To Mr. Skinner, Merck*.' This direction appears completely to identify this 
 important Document with that mentioned in Dr. Symmons's Edition of Milton's 
 Prose Works, 1806, vol. vii., p. 500: 'An Answer to a Libel on himself, and a 
 System of Theology, called, according to Wood, ' Idea Theologies,' are compositions 
 
 Original Papers relating to Milton in the State Paper Office. 1859. 
 
THE AUTOGEAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 155 
 
 of Milton which have been lost. The last was at one time in the hands of Cyriae 
 Skinner; but what became of it afterwards has not been traced. 
 
 "January 1824. 
 
 ROB T LEMON, Deputy Keeper of State Papers." 
 
 " The undersigned Gentlemen, Clerks in His Majesty's State Paper Office, attest 
 the correctness of the above description, the state in which the Manuscript 
 was found, and the direction on the outside wrapper. 
 
 " CHARLES LECHMERE, 
 " January 1824. ROB T . LEMON, JUN E ." 
 
 At the same period that a copy of the preceding document was transmitted to 
 Bishop Sumner by the late Mr. Lemon, he forwarded a more lengthened "Account 
 of the recently discovered Posthumous Work of John Milton"; the whole of which is 
 given, though disjoined, by Bishop Sumner in the "Preliminary Observations" to his 
 Translation of the Work. In that account Mr. Lemon writes : 
 
 " It" the manuscript, " was found at the bottom of one of the presses at the end of the room 
 (together with a great number of original letters, informations, examinations, and other documents 
 relative to the Popish Plots in 1677 and 1678, and to the Eye House Plot in 1683) wrapped up in 
 two or three sheets of printed paper ; in which was also a complete and corrected copy of the whole 
 of the Latin letters 1 to Foreign Princes and States, written by Milton during the period in which 
 
 1 It is due to the diligent and careful research 
 of the late Mr. Lemon to mention that the copies 
 of the STATE LETTERS were most thoroughly 
 examined and collated by him soon after their 
 discovery, as shewn in the subjoined letter : 
 
 " State Paper Office, 1827. 
 
 " MY LORD, I have the honour to inform your 
 Lordship that I have finished the collation of 
 the printed edition of Milton's Letters with the 
 Manuscript Collection in this Office, and now 
 beg leave to submit the following observations 
 to your Lordship's consideration, as some of the 
 results which may be drawn from the collation. 
 " In the MS. collection are to be found four- 
 teen letters which do not appear in the printed 
 book, viz. : 
 
 " 4 to the King of France, 
 1 to the King of Sweden, 
 
 1 to the King of Spain, 
 
 2 to Cardinal Mazarin, 
 1 to the Duke of Savoy, 
 
 4 to the Great Duke of Tuscany, and 
 1 from the Protector to all Kings, Princes, 
 States, &c., professing the Protestant 
 Eeligion. 
 14 
 
 " In the printed book [Leipsic Edition, 1690], 
 thirteen Letters and Papers occur, which are 
 not introduced in the MS. collection. These 
 consist of: 
 
 " 2 Letters to the City of Hamburg, 
 
 to the Queen of Sweden, 
 to the King of Denmark, 
 to the G. Duke of Tusc y , 
 to the Doge of Venice, 
 to the Spanish Legate. 
 
 " The papers consist of the Answer of the 
 Council of State to the Danish Ministers ; Eeply 
 of the Co. of State to the Ans r of the Danish 
 Ministers ; Account of the Losses which the 
 E. I. C. have sustained from the D. J. E. ; Ac- 
 count of the particular Damages sustained by 
 the E. I. C. Making altogether, between the 
 two collections, a discrepancy of twenty-three 
 Letters in the papers above mentioned. 
 
 " From this great variance, it may be conjec- 
 tured that the compilers of the two Collections 
 derived their materials from different sources; 
 and the internal evidence of the Letters will 
 confirm this supposition ; for though the MS. 
 
 20 2 
 
156 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 he held the office of Latin Secretary to the Council of State, and the whole was enclosed in a sheet 
 of torn, dirty brown paper, on which was written, ' To Mr. Skinner, Merchant.' " 
 
 As the chief object of our research is the elucidation of the autograph in which 
 the volume is written, we quote only that portion of the statement of Mr. Lemon 
 which bears upon the subject : 
 
 " The manuscript," writes Mr. Lemon, " consists of 735 pages, closely written on small quarto 
 letter paper. The first Part, as far as the fifteenth chapter of the first Book, is in a small beautiful 
 Italian hand, and is evidently a fair corrected copy, prepared for the press, without interlineations 
 of any kind, which is supposed, from the similarity of character, to have been written by MAKY, the 
 second daughter of Milton, who is reported to have possessed extraordinary literary attainments, con- 
 sidering the period in which she lived. The remainder of the manuscript is in an entirely different hand, 
 being a small, strong character, much resembling the writing of E. PHILLIPS, one of Milton's nephews. 
 This part of the manuscript is interspersed with very numerous interlineations and corrections, 
 and in several places with small pieces of writing pasted in, which corrections are in two distinct 
 handwritings, different from the body of the manuscript, but the greater part of them are decidedly 
 written by the same person who transcribed the first part of the volume. It is, therefore, 
 conjectured that the latter part of the manuscript is a copy transcribed by E. PUIM.IPS, and finally 
 revised and corrected by MARY and DEBOEAH MILTON from the dictation of their father, as a great 
 number of the interlineations bear a strong resemblance to the ascertained handwriting of DEBORAH, 
 the youngest daughter of Milton, in the manuscripts deposited in Trinity College, Cambridge, who 
 is stated by Wood (Fasti Oxon., Part. 1, 1635, col. 683) to have been trained up by her father in 
 Latin and Greek and made by him his amanuensis." 
 
 In this account of the Manuscript by Mr. Lemon, dated "January 1824," he 
 appears to have followed the opinion of Wood, that it was CYRIAC SKINNER to whom 
 Milton had entrusted the Documents just brought to light. 
 
 In the "Preliminary Observations" to his translation of the "De Doctrind 
 Christiand," Bishop Sumner does not appear to have formed any opinion of his own 
 as to the identification of the Autograph of the Manuscript with that of any of the 
 persons who were connected with, or in the confidence of Milton. The learned 
 
 collection has evidently been prepared for the 
 press in a hurried and slovenly manner, and 
 abounding in verbal and literal errors, yet 
 many of the variations are of that nature as to 
 be impossible to have arisen from mere negli- 
 gence or indolence. The titles of the persons 
 and states to whom the Letters are addressed, 
 as well as the ordinary conclusions of the Let- 
 ters, are generally set forth in the printed book, 
 and never in the MS. ; and frequently the names 
 of persons in the capacities of ambassadors, 
 agents, merchants, etc., are mentioned in the 
 former, and not in the latter, and vice versa. 
 Several dates to the Letters, which are omitted 
 in the printed book, are fortunately supplied in 
 the MS. 
 
 " I beg to assure your Lordship that the col- 
 lation has been made with great exactness ; 
 and every variation, however trivial, distinctly 
 noticed. Many of the alterations your Lordship 
 will find very unimportant, being merely some 
 words contracted in one copy, and put at full 
 length in the other, as they indifferently occur 
 in both collections. 
 
 " Hoping your Lordship will not deem these 
 observations obtrusive or impertinent, I beg to 
 subscribe myself, 
 
 " My Lord, your Lordship's 
 
 " Most obedient servant, 
 
 " ROBERT LEMON." 
 " To the Right Rev. 
 
 "The Lord Bishop of Winchester." 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 157 
 
 Bishop has merely embodied the opinion of the late Mr. Lemon nearly word for 
 word, as seen in the subjoined extract from the "Preliminary Observations": 
 
 JIHE manuscript itself," states Bishop Sumner, "consists of 735 pages, closely written 
 on small quarto letter paper. The first part, as far as the fifteenth chapter of the 
 first book, is in a small and beautiful Italian hand ; being evidently a corrected copy, 
 prepared for the press, without interlineations of any kind. This portion of the 
 volume, however, affords a proof that even the most careful transcription seldom fails 
 to diminish the accuracy of a text ; for although it is evident that extraordinary 
 pains have been employed to secure its legibility and correctness, the mistakes which are found in 
 this part of the manuscript, especially in the references to the quotations, are in proportion of 
 fourteen to one as compared with those in the remaining three-fifths of the work. The character is 
 evidently that of a female hand, and it is the opinion of Mr. Lemon, whose knowledge of the hand- 
 writings of that time is so extensive that the greatest deference is due to his judgment, that Mary, 
 the second daughter of Milton, was employed as amanuensis in this part of the volume. In 
 corroboration of this conjecture, it may be remarked that some of the mistakes above alluded to are 
 of a nature to induce a suspicion that the transcriber was merely a copyist, or, at most, only 
 imperfectly acquainted with the learned languages. For instance, in p. 19, 1. 17 of the Latin 
 volume, the following quotation occurs : Heb. iv. 13, omnia, sunt nuda, et db intimo patentia oculis 
 ejiw, where in the manuscript the word patientia is substituted for patentia. This might have been 
 supposed an accidental oversight, occasioned by the haste of the writer ; but on turning to the Latin 
 Bible of Junius and Tremellius, which Milton generally uses in his quotations, it will be found that 
 the same error occurs in the edition printed at Geneva, 1630, but not in that printed at London, 
 1593. This not only seems to fix the precise edition of the Bible from which the texts were copied, 
 but, considering that the mistake is such as could hardly fail to be corrected by the most careless 
 transcriber, provided he understood the sentence, affords a strong presumption that the writer 
 possessed a very moderate degree of scholarship. On the other hand, a great proportion of the 
 errors are precisely such as lead to the supposition that the amanuensis, though no scholar, was to a 
 certain degree acquainted with the language verbally ; inasmuch as they generally consist, not of 
 false combinations of letters, but of the substitution of one word for another of nearly similar sound 
 or structure. Of this kind are glories for gratice, corrueiUem for cor autem, nos for non, in jus for ejiis, 
 re for rex, imminuitur for innuitur, in quam for inquam, iniquam for inquam, assimulatus for assimilatus, 
 alienee tuae for alienatas, ccelorun for ccecorum, decere for doeere, explorentur for explerentur, examinatis 
 for exanimat^, juraverunt for jejunarunt, errare for ware, etc., etc. Faults of this description, 
 especially considering that very few occur of a different class, and taken in connexion with the 
 opinion of Mr. Lemon stated above, will perhaps remind the reader of a charge, which, as Mr. Todd 
 notices, has been brought against the paternal conduct of Milton. 'I mean his teaching his 
 children to read and pronounce Greek and several other languages, without understanding any but 
 English. 1 This at least is certain, that the transcriber of this part of the manuscript was much 
 employed in Milton's service ; for the handwriting is the same as appears in the fair copy of the 
 Latin letters, discovered, as has been mentioned, in the press which contained the present treatise. 
 
 " The remainder of the manuscript is in an entirely different hand, being a strong upright 
 character, supposed by Mr. Lemon to be the handwriting of Edward Philipps, the nephew of Milton. 
 This part of the volume is interspersed with numerous interlineations and corrections, and in several 
 places with small slips of writing pasted in the margin. These corrections are in two distinct hand- 
 writings, different from the body of the manuscript, but the greater part of them undoubtedly 
 written by the same person who transcribed the first part of the volume. Hence it is probable that 
 the latter part of the MS. is a copy transcribed by Philipps, and finally revised and corrected by 
 Mary and Deborah Milton from the dictation of their father, as many of the alterations bear a strong 
 resemblance to the reputed handwriting of Deborah, the youngest daughter of Milton, in the 
 
158 
 
 BAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 manuscripts preserved in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge ; who is stated by Wood, J '".-// 
 Oxonienses, Part I, 1635, col. 483, to have been 'trained up by her father in Latin and Greek, and 
 made by him his amanuensis.'" 
 
 It is a question whether any learned man, having to copy out two hundred 
 pages of close and almost illegible writing in a language of which even he was 
 master, might not be guilty, in the plodding and very unusual labour assigned to 
 him, of committing many more blunders than those adduced by the Venerable and 
 learned Bishop Sumner. 
 
 Daniel Skinner, the copyist, was a " Trinity Man." How far his having boon 
 so is a guarantee for his classical attainments, is quite another point. Had Daniel 
 Skinner attested that his copy had been carefully read over with the original, and 
 was a correct transcript, we could then only consider that his Collegiate Education 
 had not, so far as his Latin was concerned, been successful, or that the accuracy of 
 his comparison was questionable. 
 
 Our artist, Mr. G. J. F. Tupper, very truly observes, when forwarding to us the 
 fac-similes he had made from the original MS. : " With respect to the mistakes, I do 
 not think Bishop Sumner's conclusion very sound; for you and I know well enough, 
 that, when a man sets to the plodding work of copying, the storehouse of his brain 
 is shut up, and his mental capacity is rather a bar than an assistance to his work. 
 In other words, a Scholar is less likely than a mere penman to transcribe correctly." 
 
 JHAT some of the Sonnets in the Trinity College Manuscript are in the 
 same hand as was employed in writing the latter part of the "De 
 Doctrind Christiand," will be clearly shewn in the examination of our 
 fac-similes. There is not, however, as yet one particle of evidence as 
 to any of those Sonnets having been written by DEBOKAH, the youngest 
 daughter of Milton, as has been so generally stated and believed. 
 
 Without here entering into any arguments to prove that Deborah did not 
 contribute the exercise of her pen to the Trinity College Manuscript, it is sufficient 
 to remark, that she was not Ixyrn until May 1 652, and that none of the Sonnets and 
 other writing in that volume are of a later date than a very f&iv years after tlmt 
 period ; the date given to the last Sonnet, No. 23, " On his deceased Wife," being 
 in, or shortly after 1658, Milton having in February of that year lost his second 
 wife, to whose memory it was written. So that, even taking the latest possible date,- 
 the last writing in the volume,- Deborah must, if her pen was employed, have bcm 
 a perfect mistress in the art of caligraphy when six years old ! 
 
 It was not until after the issue of the Translation of De Doctrind 
 Christiand, that Bishop Sumner became aware that it was not Cyriac Skinner to 
 whom Milton had entrusted the Manuscript and other Documents, but to Danx'l 
 Skinner ; though Bishop Sumner had some doubt 1 as to whether the Daniel Skinner, 
 
 1 De Doctrina Christiana. Preliminary Observations, p. xiv. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 159 
 
 mentioned in the register of Trinity College, Cambridge, Oct. 2, 1674, might not be 
 the Skinner referred to by Mr. Perwich in his letter written from Paris, March 15, 
 1677, to Mr. Bridgman, Secretary to Sir Joseph Williamson. 1 
 
 In November 1 825, the late Mr. Lemon appears to have entirely altered his 
 opinion as to the identity of the handwriting of the Manuscript. In his letters to 
 Bishop Sumner of the 8th and 1 7th of that year, he seems to have fully satisfied his 
 mind, that the careful transcript of the first portion of the De Doctrinu Christiana 
 and the whole of the copies of the State Letters, were in the autograph of Daniel 
 Skinner. 
 
 It is very evident that the information conveyed by the late Mr. Lemon to 
 Bishop Sumner of the discoveries he had made in respect to the handwriting of 
 the first portion of the Manuscript not being in the autograph of either of the 
 daughters of the Poet, arrived many months after the publication of the Translation, 
 the dedication of that work bearing date 1825. Had the work passed through 
 another edition, there can be no doubt but the Bishop of Winchester would have 
 most gladly availed himself of the opportunity, not only of stating, that, in forming 
 his opinion of the autograph in the original Manuscript, his views were alone 
 founded on the judgment of the late Mr. Lemon, but of making known the circum- 
 stances that had caused the alteration of the former judgment of Mr. Lemon. 
 
 That these Manuscripts should have been preserved from destruction during 
 that unhappy period of English History, is perhaps not less remarkable than that 
 Milton himself should have survived the general proscription of Cromwell's adhe- 
 rents. 
 
 AUBREY states, that Milton entrusted the MSS. of several of his unpublished 
 works to a " Mr. Skinner, a merchant's son, in Mark Lane," whom Wood, without 
 any authority, assumes to have been Cyriac, though Aubrey does not so describe him, 
 but introduces another " Mr. Skinner, of the Jerker's Office, up two pair of stairs, at 
 the Custom House." This was, no doubt, the person to whom Milton entrusted his 
 MSS., and who, on his going to Holland in 1676, gave them to Elscvier for 
 publication, owing to the English Government, on the Eestoration, being extremely 
 jealous of everything proceeding from the pen of the great defender of the Common- 
 wealth,- so much so that even Paradise Lost was scarcely allowed to appear in print. 2 
 
 One of those Manuscripts comprised the carefully executed copies of the STATE 
 LETTERS written by Milton while he was Latin Secretary to the Commonwealth, of 
 which a surreptitious edition appearing in 1676, created some alarm. "Suspicion," 
 writes Mr. Hamilton, 3 " fell on Daniel Skinner as the author of their publication, and 
 he was called upon to give an account of what he knew of the matter." Accordingly, 
 
 1 De Doctrina Christiana. Preliminary Ob- 
 servations, p. xi. 
 
 2 Papers relating to Milton in the State Paper 
 Office. 1859. Pp. 29-30. 3 Ib., pp. 30-2. 
 
160 
 
 RAMBLINGS IS THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 he made an attestation, 1 "dated Oct. 18, 1676," that, long after he had committal 
 " the true and perfect copy of the ' State Letters' to Elsevier, of Amsterdam, for the 
 purpose of being printed, a bookseller of the name of Pitts brought to him some 
 papers of Milton ;" and therefore, to the said Pitts, Skinner attributed the issue of the 
 "State Letters" in 1676. In consequence of that document, the original of which 
 is in the State Paper Office, Sir Joseph Williamson, then Secretary, appears to have 
 put himself in communication with Daniel Elsevier, who, in reply to his inquiries, 
 writes on the 20th of December 1676, that, 
 
 " D y a environ un an qne je suis convenu avec Monsieur Skinner, d'imprimer les lettres de 
 Milton, et tin autre manuscript en Theologie ; mais, ayant receu les dits manuscripts, et y ayant trouve 
 des choses que je jugeois estre plus propres d'estre supprimez que divulgez, j'ay pris resolution de 
 n'imprimer n'y 1'un n'y 1'antre." 
 
 On the 19th of February, 1677, Elsevier wrote to Daniel Skinner, senior, at the 
 same time forwarding a Prospectus, which he had previously issued, of the intended 
 edition of the "State Letters;" and acknowledging that the original manuscript of 
 those and of the work on Theology were still in his hands; that he had determined 
 not to print them; and that the son of Mr. Skinner would deliver them up to 
 Sir Joseph Williamson, though in the letter of November 20 in the previous year, 
 Elsevier stated that Daniel Skinner, jun., was delighted that he, Elsevier, had not 
 commenced the printing of the " Letters," and that he would buy up, or call in, the 
 prospectuses issued, adding, " qu'il avoit pris uneferme resolution d'user en sorte des 
 dits manuscripts qu'ils ne paroitroient jamais." 
 
 Daniel Skinner had previously written a long letter to Mr. Secretary Pepys, 
 dated from Rotterdam, Nov. 19, 1676, detailing all the particulars concerning the 
 said MSS., and stating his willingness " to dispose of them where his honour peases, 
 either into the hands of my Lord Jenkyns, or into his mm for better satisfaction." 
 Notwithstanding this, however, the MSS. remained in the hands of Daniel Skinner, 
 who, on the receipt, at Paris, of a letter from Dr. Barrow, the head of his College, 
 dated Feb. 13, 167f, ordering his return to Cambridge, and cautioning him, on 
 pain of expulsion from his College, if he published "any writing mischievous 
 of y e Church or State," informed Mr. Perwich, the bearer of it, that he had left the 
 MSS. in Holland; and that, notwithstanding the College summons he had received, 
 he intended to pass the summer in Italy. 
 
 The precise date when Daniel Skinner returned to England is not clearly 
 ascertained; but as on May 23, 1679, he succeeded to a senior fellowship in his 
 College [Trinity, Cambridge], we may presume, that, before that period, he had 
 deposited the said Manuscript in the State Paper Office; where they no doubt 
 remained unheeded until discovered by the late Robert Lemon, Esq., Deputy Keeper 
 of His Majesty's State Papers. 
 
 1 THE ATTESTATION OF D. SKINNER. Of that document in the State Paper Office, we have given 
 a fac-simile in full, Plate XXTTL, No. I. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 161 
 
 SPECIMENS OF THE WRITING IN THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT 
 
 OF 
 
 THE TREATISE OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. 
 
 PLATES XX. TO XXII. 
 
 HE Manuscript has been executed at various times, and on a 
 variety of paper differing in size and quality ; the latter circum- 
 stance occasionally affects the character of the writing. 
 
 Pages 1 to 182 inclusive, are in a thin Italian cursive hand; 
 all on quarto paper of the same size and of the same quality. The 
 same hand continues, but on paper of a smaller size, from 1 83 to 
 196, and occasionally in other parts of the volume. Pages 308* 
 and 571 to 574 inclusive are entirely in the same hand; as are also many of the 
 marginal notes and additions inserted on slips of paper at pages 206, 247, 353, 362, 
 391, 411, 472, and 718. 
 
 It is very evident, that, previous to the volume being entrusted by Milton to 
 Daniel Skinner, the latter part was thoroughly revised, Milton taking for granted 
 that the first portion had been carefully copied. The work was, no doubt, written 
 out by the then young Amanuensis, from the rough manuscript as dictated by 
 Milton. The writer, it is certain, had become well skilled in the Secretary hand 
 of the period. It is evident that he occasionally amused himself by displaying the 
 freedom and perfection of his penmanship, making use of a great variety of styles. 
 It is written with particular care, more as a task, and not in his ordinary writing. 
 When called upon, on reading over his transcript to Milton, to make additions, he 
 then, perhaps, used not so good a pen, and being also cramped for room, he inserted 
 the additions chiefly on the margins, which gave them a different character from the 
 original writing. 
 
 The first portion of the volume was no doubt found to be so full of corrections 
 and additions, that it was thought better to make a clear copy of it. Mr. Daniel 
 Skinner, to whom that part of the labour was entrusted, appears to have gone over 
 the remainder of the manuscript with the view of preparing it for the press, as is 
 shewn by the end of each chapter being specially noted by him as the Reviser. 
 
 After page 196 commences the hand in which the previous portion of the 
 volume had been originally written. It is evidently the writing, as we have stated, 
 of a student, and displays such an infinite variety of styles, that we are not at 
 
 21 
 
162 RAMBLINGS IX THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 all astonished that persons should at first sight not believe the whole to have been 
 written by one person, whose handwriting continues, with the exception of the 
 pages previously named, as also pages 549, 550-1-2, to the close of the volume, 
 page 735. 
 
 The writing of pages 549, 550-1-2, is of an ordinary cursive hand. Tiny 
 were written, evidently, at a different period ; probably at a later time, when 
 the usual hand of the person who wrote the other part was not so free, and the 
 character of the writing is, therefore, a little altered. That such was the case, is 
 clear, from the circumstance of those four leaves being on a different paper from that 
 previously and subsequently employed. 
 
 When first we examined the volume, we could not believe that the thick and 
 bad writing of some of the marginal notes could possibly have been by the same 
 hand as had been employed throughout the latter portion of the work. Yet, when 
 we afterwards carefully examined the writing of all the notes, and found the coarser 
 and more careless hand intermixed with the smaller and smallest round and semi- 
 cursive writing, we could come to no other conclusion than that the same hand was 
 employed throughout, but under various circumstances, and at different times. 
 
 PLATE XX. SPECIMEN 1. 
 
 jlHIS gives a whole page, 183. It is in the autograph of Daniel Skinner, 
 in which the first portion of the work, as far as page 196, has been 
 transcribed. The whole of that portion is executed in a lighter 
 coloured ink than the other part of the manuscript. 
 
 SPECIMEN 2. 
 
 The whole of page 197 is here given. It is in the hand of the Amanuensis, 
 who was employed at different times. Here the writing commences with an orna- 
 mental and large round hand, the next three lines being in the careful Secretary 
 hand. Then conies the larger hand followed by the smaller, very delicately and care- 
 fully written, having in the third line an insertion, "Et Christus," in a thick, coarse 
 style, as used in some of the marginal notes. See specimen 3 in the next plate. 
 
 SPECIMEN 2*. 
 
 The Autograph Signature and record of Daniel Skinner, as entered in the 
 Graduation Book of Trinity College, Cambridge, May 23, 1679, when he became a 
 Senior Fellow of that College. 
 
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THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 163 
 
 PLATE XXI. SPECIMENS 3 TO 10 
 
 | XHIBIT the various styles in which the marginal additions are 
 written. The peculiar thick and coarse hand, specimen 3, is at once 
 seen to be the same as that of the insertion of the words "Et 
 Chrislus," in specimen 2 in the preceding plate. 
 
 Specimen 4 is remarkable as exemplifying, except the large text, 
 every other style of writing; while the other specimens, 6 and 10, shew the same 
 cursive hand in different states of penmanship. 
 
 PLATE XXII. SPECIMEN 11. 
 
 AGE 319 is written with the lines far apart, and in a remarkably 
 flourishing style, of which specimen 1 1 gives the first five lines. 
 
 SPECIMEN 12. 
 
 Two lines in this peculiar, large text, from the centre of page 376. 
 Here we desire particular attention to the formation of the capital M in the word 
 Ministri. The M, similarly formed, occurs in many other portions of the volume. 
 It is, beyond all question, identical with that of the signature of the Poet as attached 
 to the Singer Document bearing date 1660. Of that signature we have given a 
 notice, p. 129, and a fac-simile, plate XVIIL, No. II., specimen 4, and again in 
 plate XXIIL, No. V., specimen 1. It is not, however, that the identity of the writing 
 is seen in the letter M. The autograph of the whole name is precisely the same as 
 is frequently found intermixed with the various styles of writing in the latter portion 
 of the De Doctrind Christiana,, of which a more satisfactory specimen, in confirma- 
 tion of the identity of the writings, could not be given than in the specimen 12 
 under consideration, from page 376. 
 
 The date, " 7th May, 1660," is in the same handwriting; but not so, we think, 
 the words " witness my hand and seale this." 
 
 SPECIMEN 13. 
 
 From the text of p. 401. Here we have the partly cursive hand as used in 
 specimen 10, and the coarser style as in the marginal note, p. 198, specimen 3. 
 
 SPECIMEN 14. 
 
 The whole of p. 426 is written in this beautiful and most careful style, some 
 parts being exceedingly minute, forcibly shewing the well-skilled caligraphy of the 
 
 Amanuensis. 
 
 SPECIMEN 15. 
 
 We have previously stated that pp. 549-552 inclusive have been apparently 
 rewritten and inserted at a later period than the writing of the remainder of the 
 volume. We have also stated that the writing bears evidence of having been executed 
 
164 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 more in the ordinary hand of the writer. That the hand is the same, may be at 
 once seen in the peculiar formation of the capital R in the finer writing in the 
 second line of specimen 1 4 and elsewhere ; while the partially erased insertion after 
 the fourth line of p. 552, specimen 15, proves that the writer was still capable of 
 using his pen in the minute hand. Daniel Skinner, however, to whom Milton had 
 entrusted the work, not feeling satisfied with the clearness of the interlineary note, 
 recopied it in the margin, as seen in the fae-simile of the page. 
 
 PLATE XXIII. SPECIMEN 1. 
 
 ERE is a fac-simile of the Attestation of Daniel Skinner particularly 
 mentioned at p. 1 60, in connexion with the publication of the " State 
 Letters" of Milton, written during the period of his duties as Latin 
 Secretary. The fac-simile is here given to prove the identity of the 
 writing with that of the first portion of the DC Doctrind Christiand. 
 
 SPECIMEN 2. 
 
 Here we have the commencement and ending of the letter written by DANIEL 
 ELSEVIER, also referred to page 160, in connexion with the same " State Letters." It 
 is interesting as a specimen of the Autograph of a man so distinguished in the 
 Annals of the Literature of the Seventeenth Century. 
 
 SPECIMEN 3. 
 
 At page 160 we have noted that Dr. Barrow, the Master of Trinity College, 
 Cambridge, wrote to Daniel Skinner, Feb. 13, 167f; on which day he addressed 
 his friend " Mr. George Seignior, at Ely House, in Holborne, London." Both these 
 letters are among the "Domestic Papers" in the State Paper Office. They are 
 printed in "Papers relating to Milton," edited, 1859, by Mr. W. Douglas Hamilton, 
 pp. 40-1. The commencement and ending of the second letter are here merely 
 given as a specimen of the autograph of the learned theologian Dr. Barrow. 
 
 Nos. IV. AND V. SPECIMENS 1 TO 5. 
 
 The specimens in No. V. are taken from pp. 228, 283, 363, 364, and 631. 
 They are merely given to shew the identity of the writing of the latter portion of 
 the De Doctrind Christiana with that of the signature, No. IV., from the Singer 
 Document, of which we have given a detailed account at page 1 29. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 
 
 165 
 
 P to the penning of the ensuing observations, February 14, 1860, 
 we have not had the opportunity of examining any writing in 
 the autograph 1 either of Edward or John Phillips, or of Daniel 
 Skinner, 2 or of Elwood the Quaker ; all of whom had more or 
 less immediate intercourse with Milton to a late period of 
 his life, when wholly dependent upon the assistance of others 
 in recording the productions of his marvellously active miiid. 
 Nor have we been gratified with what we have been anticipating with so much 
 delight since the period we were first permitted to make use of the Trinity College 
 Manuscript. We here allude to the examination of the ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT of the 
 FIRST BOOK of PARADISE LOST, from which the FIRST EDITION is said to have been 
 printed. That Manuscript, together with many other papers of considerable literary 
 interest, is now in the possession of William Baker, Esq., of Bayfordbury near 
 Hertford ; but in consequence of a domestic calamity in the family of Mr. Baker, we 
 were then prevented from paying our anticipated visit to that gentleman, through 
 the very kind introduction of our friend, the Rev. W. L. Lawson, of Queynton 
 Rectory, Window, Bucks. 
 
 HILE waiting, therefore, for the opportunity of visiting Bayford- 
 bury, to examine the said Manuscript of Paradise Lost, we 
 proceed with an attempt to investigate, what cannot fail to be 
 interesting,-not in the actual Elucidation of the Autograph of 
 the Poet,-but in ascertaining, if possible, in whose hand the 
 latter part of the De Doctrind Christiand is executed, as well as 
 other writings in the same hand ; hitherto supposed by some to 
 
 be that of DEBORAH, the youngest daughter, and by others, of EDWARD PHILLIPS, 
 
 the eldest nephew of the Poet. 
 
 Before, however, we proceed to enter upon the subject of the handwriting, it 
 
 may not be uninteresting to relate the particulars touching the loss sustained by the 
 
 Poet in being deprived of his sight. 
 
 1 Since then we have had the good fortune to 
 purchase a copy of the 1665 edition of Baker's 
 "Chronicle of the Kings of England." It had 
 been presented to the then Bishop of London, 
 and has on the fly-leaf an inscription in the 
 Autograph of Edward Phillips. The edition 
 
 was considerably enlarged by him, and is the 
 first that bears Ms name as Editor. A fac-simile 
 of the inscription is given in plate XXIV., No. 1. 
 
 * The specimens of his attested Autograph, 
 as given in plate XXIV., have been taken since. 
 
16G 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 THE BLINDNESS OF MILTON. 
 
 N the AUTOBIOGRAPHY 1 of the Poet,- occasioned by the severity of 
 the personal attacks of his political opponents against his private 
 character, commencing even with the malicious reports that had 
 been most unwarrantably circulated as to his conduct when at 
 College,- Milton has so charmingly alluded to the cause of the 
 truly melancholy affliction of his total blindness, that it really 
 appears a matter of supererogation to enter into that point, 
 except for the purpose of ascertaining, as near as possible, the period when he was 
 necessitated to lay down his most active pen, transferring its future employment to 
 the hands of others, under the guidance of a mind that became more and more 
 stored with intellectuality when deprived of the use of that organ by which all 
 external objects are, as in Nature, conveyed to the mind. 
 
 It is generally considered that a Blind Man is happy and contented. That 
 must, however, depend in a great measure upon the circumstances under which he 
 lost his sight. Those who have been subjected to such an affliction from their 
 birth, are, as they grow up, generally the happiest and most contented of all human 
 beings. 
 
 Though believing in a special providence, we can hardly bring the mind to view 
 a man born blind as having been so born by the will of his Creator. Otherwise, all 
 defects in nature, and her occasional monstrosities, must be referred to and looked 
 upon as the result of a special providence, and for a specific end. How far such an 
 opinion is justified is a grave point. St. John, chap, i., verse 3, records, " All things 
 were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." 
 This passage, however, may be regarded as retrospective. 
 
 Very different, however, may be the feelings of those who have become blind 
 from accident, or by the early decay of visual power, consequent on the overstraining 
 of its natural strength. They cannot help feeling occasionally during the remainder 
 of their lives, that, however much they may be blessed with peaceful and contented 
 minds, they have been deprived of one of the greatest blessings of life by an accident 
 that might have been avoided, or that their affliction had been the result of their own 
 imprudence. 
 
 MILTON has in his poetical productions so sublimely recorded his own feelings 
 of happiness under his affliction of total blindness, that, notwithstanding some slight 
 conflicting evidence to the contrary, it is hardly right to question his title to have 
 been considered, in the usual acceptation of the words, "a happy and contented 
 man." 
 
 1 See pp. 26-31 ante. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 167 
 
 ONDERFULLY marvellous and inscrutable is the Providence of the 
 Almighty in changing the feelings of the Heart of Man. Specially 
 may the case of Milton be attributed to the Influence of the Holy 
 Spirit. The mind is most forcibly impressed with this idea on reading 
 the life of the Poet when commencing his studies as a Boy ; tracing 
 his pursuits until he entered into Public Life; viewing the part he took for so many 
 years in the Political Drama of his day ; looking at the unhappy state of his 
 Domestic Life ; weighing his position when he found that the labours of his heart 
 and of his overstrained pen had produced nothing but Rebellion and Blood ; a scene 
 so soon to be followed by the restoration of his exiled King, against which act, even 
 up to the last moment of hope, the energies of his mind had been concentrated ; 
 reflecting on his providential deliverance from that Death which others far less 
 guilty had suffered ; remembering the magnanimity of his King in considering the 
 affliction under which he was suffering, as a sufficient Punishment for his past 
 offences ; viewing him in his peaceful retirement, when occupying his mind in the 
 fulfilment of one of his earliest Desires ere he forsook his Muse; rejoicing in his 
 being permitted to complete that, his imperishable Poem, Paradise Lost, which 
 had he not been so mercifully spared, would have remained only in the form as 
 originally suggested to the mind of the Poet forty years before,- a Monument of the 
 Instability of Human Nature. 
 
 All these circumstances cause the mind to view the Actions of Man as guided by 
 the power of an inscrutable Providence. Not only was Milton permitted to pour 
 out in one continuous stream, from his marvellously overflowing poetic mind, his 
 loved design, but to add, what he himself more highly esteemed, his PARADISE 
 REGAINED. 2 Then, like the stem of the time-beaten oak deprived of all its branches, 
 yielding to the decay of nature, did the Poet Milton close his life in the full 
 expectation and belief that the part he had been destined to take in his mortal 
 career would be mercifully judged by his Creator. 
 
 Milton is stated to have died on Sunday the 8th of November, 1674. His 
 death was so easy, that the time of his expiration was unperceived by the attendants 
 in his room. He was buried next his father, in the chancel of St. Giles's, Cripple- 
 gate, on the 12th. His name is entered in the register of that parish as "John 
 Melton, gentleman." In " The Obituary of Richard Smyth, Secondary of the Poultry 
 Compter, London, 1627 to 1674; edited by Sir Henry Ellis, K.H., for the Camdeu 
 Society, 1849, No. XLIV.," the death of the Poet is recorded as having taken place 
 seven days earlier. The entry, p. 104, is, "Novem. 15, 3 John Milton died at Bun- 
 
 1 See fac-similes of the Original Design of the 
 Poem, plate IV. 
 
 2 All Authors and Artists believe their last 
 productions to be superior to their earlier works, 
 though the world generally judges otherwise. 
 
 3 Peignot, in his "Dictionnaire, Sfc.,des L/'/v.x 
 condamncf auFou,"vo\. i., p. 320, when writing on 
 the Defence by Milton, notes that the Poet died 
 "aBnmnhil,leI5 Novemlre,\674<." Peignot con- 
 sidered that Milton received 1000 for that work. 
 
168 
 
 BAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 It ill near Morefields in Criplegate parish, Hind some time before he died." Aubrey, 
 "Letters," III., 449, records that "he died of the goute struck in the 9 or 10 
 November, 1674, as appears by his 'Apothecaries' Books.' Johnson says about the 
 10th of November; and Mr. Hayley on the 15th." 
 
 | HAT Milton was in the habit of employing a Friend or Amanuensis 
 before he was blind, is proved by the fact of one of his Sonnets, 
 No. VIII. in the Trinity College Manuscript, having been corrected by 
 himself, as seen in the alteration in the heading to that Sonnet, 
 of which an Electro-Block fac-simile is given, page 57. 
 The person by whom the transcript of Sonnets 11, 12, and others in the same 
 volume, were executed, appears first to have made corrections at the dictation of the 
 author; and then, as in the case of Sonnets 11 and 12, to have rewritten them more 
 carefully for the press, as shewn in the edition of 1673; except that, in some 
 instances, the headings of the Sonnets are altered, or altogether omitted. 
 
 The Learned Historian, and one of the Biographers of Milton, Dr. Birch, has 
 recorded, 1 that, when visiting Mrs. Foster, grandaughter to the poet, in January 
 1749-50, she shewed him "her grandmother's Bible in octavo, 2 printed by Young 
 in 1636, on a blank leaf of which Milton has entered, with his own hands, the 
 births of his children." The last entry is that of his youngest daughter, Deborah, 
 dated May 2, 1652. Below these entries was noted, in the autograph of his wife, 
 "/ am the book of Mary Milton." 
 
 If the entry, May 2, 1652, is in the autograph of the Poet, then it is very 
 certain he was at that time not totally blind. Had the entry not been in the auto- 
 graph of the Poet, it is most likely Dr. Birch would have so stated. 
 
 Edward Phillips, in his Memoir, 1694, pp. xxxiii-iv, states, when alluding to the 
 second marriage of his Uncle, 
 
 " This, his Second Marriage [November 1656], was about Two or Three years after his being 
 wholly depriv'd of Sight, which was just going, about the time of his Answering Salmasius; 
 whereupon his Adversaries gladly take occasion of imputing his blindness as a judgment upon him 
 for his Answering the King's Book, etc., whereas it is most certainly known, that his Sight, what 
 with his continual Study, his being subject to the Head-ake, and his perpetual tampering with 
 Physick to preserve it, had been decaying for above a dozen years before, and the sight of one 
 for a long time clearly lost." 
 
 Toland, one of the earliest of his biographers, records : 
 
 " He had become utterly blind two or three years before his second marriage, having lost the 
 use of his left eye in 1651, and, according to his biographers, that of the other in 1654 ; but I am 
 inclined to suppose that he experienced the misfortune of total darkness before the latter date ; for 
 
 1 MILTON. A Sheaf of Gleanings after his 
 Biographers and Commentators. By Joseph 
 Hunter. 1850, 8vo., p. 34. 
 
 2 We have no trace as to whom the copy of 
 the Bible now belongs to. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 169 
 
 in Thurloe's State Papers there is the following passage in a letter from the Hague, dated 20 Junii, 
 1653 : ' Vous avez en Angleterre un aveuyle nomine Milton, qui a le renom d'avoir bien escrit.'" 
 
 In a letter, 1 dated December 13, 1652, "To KICHARD HETH," one of his former 
 pupils, Milton writes : 
 
 " Tour future communications may, if you please, be in our own language, lest (though you are 
 no mean proficient in Latin composition) the labour of writing should make each of us more averse 
 to write ; and that we may freely disclose every sensation of our hearts without being impeded by 
 the shackles of a foreign language." 
 
 If the expression in the words, " the labour of writing" here means the exercise 
 of the pen, it is clear that Milton was, though almost blind, still able to write. In 
 the next of the "Familiar Letters," No. XIV., dated July 6, 1654, "To HENRY 
 OLDENBURGH, Aulic Counsellor of the Senate of Bremen," the Poet remarks : 
 
 " If my health, and the deprivation of my sight, which is more grievous than all the infirmities 
 of age, or of the cries of those impostors, will permit, I shall readily be led to engage in other 
 undertakings, though I know not whether they can be more noble or more useful ; for what can be 
 more noble or more useful than to vindicate the liberty of man ?" 
 
 In the Letter, No. XV., dated from "Westminster, Sept. 28, 1654," "To LEO- 
 NARD PHILARAS, the Athenian," it is evidently seen by the subjoined extract, 
 that Milton had not at that period abandoned all hope of recovering the use of his 
 right eye : 
 
 jlHOUGH I was known to you only by my writings, and we were removed to such a 
 distance from each other, you most courteously addressed me by letter; and when you 
 unexpectedly came to London, and saw me who could no longer see, my affliction, 
 which causes none to regard me with greater admiration, and perhaps many even 
 with contempt, excited your tenderest sympathy and concern. 
 
 " You would not suffer me to abandon the hope of recovering my sight ; and 
 informed me that you had an intimate friend at Paris, Doctor Thevenot, who was particularly 
 celebrated in disorders of the eyes, whom you would consult about mine, if I would enable you to 
 lay before him the causes and symptoms of the complaint. I will do what you desire, lest I should 
 seem to reject that aid which perhaps may be offered me by Heaven. It is now, I think, about ten 
 years since I perceived my vision to grow weak and dull; and at the same time I was troubled with pain 
 in my kidneys and bowels, accompanied with flatulency. In the morning, if I began to read, as was 
 my custom, my eyes instantly ached intensely, but were refreshed after a little corporeal exercise. 
 The candle which I looked at, seemed as it were encircled with a rainbow. Not long after, the sight 
 in the left part of the left eye (which I lost some years before the other) became quite obscured ; and 
 prevented me from discerning any object on that side. The sight in my other eye has now been 
 gradually and sensibly vanishing away for about three years ; some months before it had entirely 
 perished, though I stood motionless, everything which I looked at seemed in motion to and fro. 
 A stiff cloudy vapour seemed to have settled on my forehead and temples, which usually occasions a 
 sort of somnolent pressure upon my eyes, and particularly from dinner till the evening. So that 
 I often reccollect what is said of the poet Phineas in the Argonauiics : 
 
 ' A stupor deep his cloudy temples bound, 
 And when he walk'd he seem'd as whirling round, 
 Or in a feeble trance he speechless lay.' 
 
 1 Familiar Letters, No. XIII. 
 
170 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 I ought not to omit that while I had any sight left, as soon as I lay down on my bed and turned on 
 either side, a flood of light used to gush from my closed eyelids. Then, as my sight became daily 
 more impaired, the colours became more faint, and were emitted with a certain inward crackling 
 sound ; but at present, every species of illumination being, as it were, extinguished, there is 
 diffused around me nothing but darkness, or darkness mingled and streaked with an ashy brown. 
 Yet the darkness in which I am perpetually immersed, seems always, both by night and dav, to 
 approach nearer to white than black ; and when the eye is rolling in its socket, it admits a little 
 particle of light, as through a chink. And though your physician may kindle a small ray of hope, 
 yet I make up my mind to the malady as quite incurable ; and I often reflect, that, as the wise man 
 admonishes, days of darkness are destined to each of us, the darkness which I experience, less 
 oppressive than that of the tomb, is, owing to the singular goodness of the Deity, passed amid the 
 pursuits of literature and the cheering salutations of friendship, But if, as is written, ' Man sliall not 
 live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God,' why may not any 
 one acquiesce in the privation of his sight, when God has so amply furnished his mind and his 
 conscience with eyes ? While he so tenderly provides for me, while he so graciously leads me by the 
 hand, and conducts me on the way, I will, since it is his pleasure, rather rejoice than repine at being 
 blind. And, my dear Philaras, whatever may be the event, I wish you adieu with no less courage 
 and composure than if I had the eyes of a lynx." 
 
 Lamartine gives the subjoined very interesting extract of a letter from Milton 
 to a friend, a foreigner, in which, as in the preceding letter, the Poet again alludes 
 to the employment of his youthful Amanuensis. The letter is not among those 
 published in the " Familiar Letters," nor does Lamartine state whence he obtained 
 his copy of it. 
 
 " They charge me with poverty, because I have never desired to become rich dishonestly ; tliry 
 accuse me of blindness, because I have lost my eyes in the service of liberty; they tax me with 
 cowardice, and while I had the use of my eyes and my sword I never feared the boldest amongst 
 them ; finally, I am upbraided with deformity, while no one was more handsome in the age of 
 beauty. I do not even complain of my want of sight ; in the night with which I am surrounded, 
 the light of the Divine presence shines with a more brilliant lustre. God looks down upon me with 
 more tenderness and compassion, because I can now see none but Himself. Misfortune should 
 protect me from insult and render me sacred, not because I am deprived of the light of heaven, but 
 because I am under the shadow of the Divine wings which have enveloped me with this darkness. 
 To that alone I attribute the assiduous kindness of my friends, their consoling attentions, their 
 frequent, cordial visits, and their respectful complaisance." "My devotion to my country," he 
 again writes in another letter to the same friend, " has scarcely rewarded me, and yet that sweet 
 name of country charms me still. Adieu ! I pray you to excuse the inaccurate Latin of this letter. 
 The child to whom I am compelled to dictate it, is ignorant of that language, and I spell every syllable 
 over to him, that you may be enabled to read my inmost soul." 1 
 
 Inasmuch as all the information conveyed by the learned biographers of Milton 
 in their own more dilated and elegant language, has been founded upon what has 
 been given in the preceding authorities, it appears quite needless to quote their 
 views in support of any statements here mentioned, derived from the original 
 sources, on the cause and period of the blindness of the Poet, concerning which more 
 particulars are not likely ever to be obtained. 
 
 1 Memoirs of Celebrated Characters, by Alphonse de Lamartine. 2 vols., 1854. IL'Huii, vol. ii., 
 p. 16. 
 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 171 
 
 THE AMANUENSES OF MILTON CONSIDERED. 
 
 HERE is something peculiarly touching in the idea of the 
 youngest daughter of Milton employing her pen in writing, at 
 the dictation of her father, then totally bereft of sight, the 
 immortal lines of his PARADISE LOST. We can imagine with 
 what enthusiasm and reverential awe she would inscribe those 
 Heaven-born conceptions which have perpetuated his name 
 amongst England's Sublimest Poets. The supposed fact has 
 been chronicled by his Biographers, and sculptured and pencilled by eminent 
 Artists. But, alas ! like many other fallacies, it derives its origin more from the 
 imagination than from reality. 
 
 Painful, therefore, as must be the duty of dissipating an illusion so universally 
 believed, we proceed to examine upon what authority the generally allowed fact is 
 based. We discover, first, that it has no other foundation than the hearsay testi- 
 mony of the antiquarian author, AuBREY, 1 who, mentioning the marriage, in his 
 biographical Memoranda of the Poet, states : 
 
 at Shotorer, 
 
 " He maried his first wife Powell, of Fost-Hill in Oxonsliire. She was a zealous Roy- 
 alist, and went wliout her husband's consent to her mother in the King's quarters. She went from 
 him to her mothers at in y e King's quarters, neer Oxford.] She dyed A D" 1 " 
 
 " A" D ni [sic] by whom he had 4 children. Hath two daughters living ; Deborah was 
 
 Ms amanuensis : he taught her Latin, and to reade Greeke, ' and Hebrew, qu. erased ' to him. when 
 
 he lost his eie sight, w oh was A D" 1 " 
 
 Such is the scanty information conveyed by Aubrey in the very loosely written 
 biographical Memoranda relating to the Poet, in respect to his youngest daughter 
 having been his AMANUENSIS. Had Aubrey merely recorded that the youngest 
 Daughter of Milton had been able, at an early period of her life, to be of some 
 assistance to her father in the employment of her pen, such a fact might have been 
 thoroughly understood. But when he states that "Deborah was his Amanuensis," 
 
 1 These Memoranda by Aubrey are the earliest 
 on record, save those of far more value and 
 importance in the autobiography of Milton, 
 embodied in his Second Defence of the People 
 of England, first printed in 1652. The Memo- 
 randa are in the autograph of Aubrey, and are 
 preserved in the Ashmolean Library at Oxford. 
 
 Antiquarian Authors in those days were not 
 
 very particularly accurate in all the minutiffi 
 they desired to record. Nowhere else is it 
 stated that the Wife of Milton left him without 
 his consent. She lengthened her visit to her 
 parents far beyond the time named by him. 
 That circumstance first caused the breach ; cool- 
 ness followed, and the separation ensued. 
 
 22 2 
 
172 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 one can have no alternative but to receive the expression in the fulness of its 
 meaning ; namely, that to her alone was confided the occupation of writing at the 
 dictation of her Father. 
 
 In the extract from Aubrey it is seen that no dates are inserted, and that even 
 the Christian name of the first wife of the Poet is not mentioned. Aubrey was 
 wrong in stating that only two of the Daughters of Milton survived the Poet. A 
 few lines after we find that Aubrey relates that, 
 
 c. at 4 o'clock mant, 
 
 " He was an early riser, yea, after lie lost his sight. He had a man [to] read to him. The first 
 thing he read was the Hebrew Bible, and that was at 4 li. mane ^ h [gic]. -\- . . then he contemplated. 
 At 7 his man 1 came to him again, and then read to him and wrote till dinner ; the writing was as much 
 as the reading. His 2 d daughter, Deborah, could read to him Latin, Ital. and French and Greeke." 
 
 In this extract we learn that " his man" came to him daily, and that he was as 
 much occupied in writing as in reading. Aubrey here gives no dates ; but as he 
 mentions Deborah Milton, we must presume he considered she was still with her 
 Father, though her occupation as Amanuensis had been superseded by the employ- 
 ment of a man in that capacity. Had this man been any friend of the Poet, we 
 have a right to presume Aubrey would not have styled him " a man." 
 
 After having recorded these and a few other trifling memoranda, Aubrey begins 
 again with other notices, first entering the date of the birth of the Poet, which in his 
 previous Memoranda he had omitted, evidently from his want of knowledge on that 
 point. Following that, he adds, as if from the information of the Nephew of Milton, 
 
 " From Mr. E. Phillips : ' His invention was much more free and easie in the equinoxes than in 
 the solstices ; as he more particularly found in writing his Paradisi: Lost. Mr. Edw. Phillips (his 
 nephew and then amanuensis) hath, erased.' All the time of writing his Paradise Lost, his veine 
 began at the Autumnall Equinoctiall, and ceased at the Vernall, or thereabouts (I believe about May), 
 this was 4 or 5 yeares of his doeing it. He began about 2 yeares before the K. came in, and finished 
 about 3 years after the K.'s restanracion." 
 
 "In the 2nd or 3rd, erased" [4th] booke of Paradise Lost, there are about 6 verses of Satan's 
 exclamation to the sun, w ch Mr. E. Phi. remembers about 15 or 16 yeares before ever his Poem was 
 thought of; w"" verses were intended for the beginning of a tragcedie, w ch he had designed, but was 
 diverted from it by other besinesse." 
 
 Here it is seen that Aubrey had considered that Edward Phillips was Amanu- 
 ensis to his Uncle during the period of the composition of Paradise Lost. 
 
 E. Phillips, in the Memoir of his Uncle published in 1694, makes no mention 
 whatever of either of the Daughters of the Poet having been employed as his 
 Amanuensis, nor of himself having been so. He is quite silent on that point. 
 
 While we take leave to allude to the occasional inaccuracies of Aubrey in his 
 very few notes, we have been equally observant of those made by E. Phillips ; see 
 p. 24. In addition to the inaccuracies of the latter, we notice that he records 
 
 1 That Milton had a professional Amanuensis 
 before he was really blind, is evident from the 
 statement of Edward Phillips, Memoir, 1694, 
 
 p. xxxiv. that "he wrote by his .A wn< /<>.<;., 
 his Two Answers to Alexander More, the first 
 edition of First Defence appearing in 1651." 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 173 
 
 the birth of his Uncle as taking place in 1606 in lieu of 1608; and that he died in 
 November 1673 instead of 1674. It is, however, a question whether ten sons or 
 ten nephews in a hundred, would, in a piece of off-hand biography, not commit 
 errors of a similar nature ; and, in respect to the Memoranda made by Aubrey, it 
 must be borne in mind that they were probably intended only as materials for a 
 more extended Memoir of Milton at a future time. As such only are they deserving 
 of being referred to as of authority. 
 
 In mentioning Paradise Lost, E. Phillips records, p. xxxvi. : 
 
 " There is another very remarkable Passage in the Composure of this Poem, which I have a 
 particular occasion to remember ; for whereas I had the perusal of it from the very beginning ; for 
 some years as I went from time to time to visit him, in a Parcel of Ten, Twenty, or Thirty Verses at 
 a time, which being Written by whatever hand came next, might possibly want Correction as to the 
 Orthography and Pointing ; having as the Summer came on, not been shewed any for a considerable 
 while, and desiring the reason thereof, was answered, That his Vein never happily flow'd, but from 
 the Autumnal Equinoctial to the Vernal, and that whatever he attempted was never to his satisfaction, 
 though he courted his fancy never so much ; so that in all the years he was about this Poem, he may 
 be said to have spent but half his time therein." 1 
 
 In the Picture Gallery of this year, 1860, at The Crystal Palace, Sydenham, 
 there is a painting, by Henry Anelay, representing a Soldier writing at the dictation 
 of Milton. On inquiring of the Artist what authority he had for his design, he 
 informs us that he took the idea from the preceding fact recorded by E. Phillips. It 
 is a veiy clever and admirably painted Memorial of the Poet. 
 
 The fact of Milton having stated, in a letter 2 to PETER HEINBACH, dated 
 "August 15, 1666," that the cause of the many errors in his Paradise Lost, was owing 
 to the total ignorance of the boy by whom it was written, is no proof whatever that 
 the Poet was at that period without the means of obtaining, or that he had not, an 
 Amanuensis on whom he could rely. It may have happened that his Amanuensis 
 was at that time absent; and that, as Milton was desirous of sending the letter to 
 his friend, he was glad to avail himself of the first he could obtain to write it for 
 him. The dictation of a letter in Latin, " not the words, but the letters, one by one, 
 of which they were composed," must have been so irksome to Milton, that we cannot 
 suppose that the boy mentioned by him was the only person who aided him in what 
 was one of the few consolations of his declining years. 
 
 1 We know not from what edition of the 
 Memoir, Mr. Keightley has copied, p. 7'3, this 
 extract. His differs in the wording, in many 
 instances, from that in the edition of 1694. In 
 giving a quotation from any work, the original, 
 in all respects, should, we think, be strictly 
 adhered to, if the extract is to be considered 
 
 hereafter as an authority. We do not mean to 
 infer that Mr. Keightley has done more than 
 to modernize and alter a few words, to make, in 
 his opinion, the meaning of the original clearer. 
 
 2 Familiar Letters, No. XXXI. 
 
174 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 HE DAUGHTERS OF MILTOX. Most painful -would be the task of 
 entering into a minute investigation as to the truth of Milton 
 having acted unnaturally to his Daughters, or of his Daughters 
 having treated their Father with neglect. Milton is not the first 
 most learned man, who, from having been almost entirely 
 absorbed by his studies, has been accused of utterly neglecting 
 the education of his children. He had indulged the hope, when 
 marrying his first wife, that he would have possessed in her a suitable companion. 
 He found, however, as thousands of others have done before and after him, that, 
 under the seductive charms of outward beauty, there was an absence of all capability 
 to receive and communicate that intellectual enjoyment which he fondly anticipated 
 would form much of their mutual happiness. Great was his disappointment. He 
 had married the daughter of a Royalist,- one whose opinions were totally opposite to 
 his own. She was, no doubt, influenced in her consent to the marriage, by the fame 
 and personal appearance of Milton, who was at that time stated to have been 
 remarkably handsome. She soon discovered that she had married one in whose 
 pursuits she had neither the inclination nor the ability to participate. She therefore, 
 within a few weeks after her union with the Poet, obtained his consent to pay a 
 visit to her parents; and it is more than probable, that, had she not heard of his 
 attachment to another Lady, whom he was in hopes, by an alteration in the law of 
 Divorce, to marry, she would never have rejoined him. 
 
 The circumstances of the reunion of Milton with his wife, in 1645, after a 
 separation of two years, have been already amply detailed; see pp. 20-1. What- 
 ever may be the opinion of some of his biographers, there is no evidence 1 to prove, 
 that, after Milton had received back his wife, he had cause to repent of an act which 
 could not but be hailed by his friends as one worthy of his noble nature. He was 
 not, however, destined long to participate in the mutual comforts of his then happy 
 state. His Wife died in 1652, leaving him three infant children. 
 
 Thus was Mil ton,- then Latin Secretary to the Council of State,- whose pen had 
 for some time previously been instrumental in promoting and encouraging the Acts 
 of the Usurper Cromwell, left, in the midst of his laborious official duties, with the 
 care of an infant family. He was at that time nearly approaching to total blind- 
 ness; and, domestically, in an almost helpless state. Unlike the Great Reformer, 
 the " Mild" MELANCHTHON, 2 Milton was not of a temperament likely to be found 
 
 1 We understand, however, that, with some 
 family resident in Berkshire, exist some Auto- 
 graph Letters of Milton to his wife, Letters 
 not of a very affectionate nature. 
 
 2 MELANCUTHON. " Neither Melanchthon's at- 
 tachment to literature, nor his multifarious 
 engagements in public, seduced him from the 
 cultivation of domestic feelings and the discharge 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 175 
 
 dictating one of his " Letters of State" while employed in tending his children and 
 rocking the cradle of an infant daughter. 
 
 In those days there were no schools for the special education of the daughters 
 of those whom misfortune had reduced from a wealthy position in society, to qualify 
 them, at a comparatively early age, to take the charge of infant children. Conse- 
 quently Milton, feeling his utter state of domestic misery, wisely sought and 
 obtained the affections of one to whom he might confide the charge of his children, 
 and find solace to himself. Accordingly, in 1656, November 12, he married a second 
 time. He was not, however, destined long to experience the happiness he had anti- 
 cipated, as within a very short time, February 165, his Wife died in childbed, the 
 infant surviving the mother only a few hours. 
 
 At the period of the third 1 marriage of Milton, his three Daughters were con- 
 secutively of the ages of seventeen, fifteen, and eleven. They were then, no doubt, 
 all of sufficient age to make themselves useful in the domestic arrangements of the 
 house, and at the same time to be able to supply the constant wants of their almost 
 helpless Father. It was, therefore, perfectly natural in Milton, in his blind state, 
 to endeavour to bring them up so that their instruction should be in some way 
 available to his particular necessities. Accordingly, in lieu of allowing them to be 
 first taught the rudiments of education, Milton, thoroughly versed in many Lan- 
 guages, had them taught to read and pronounce Hebrew, Latin, and other tongues. 
 Milton, therefore, made his Daughters 
 
 " serviceable to him in that very particular in which he most wanted their Service, and supplied 
 his want of Eye-sight by their Eyes and Tongue ; for though he had daily about him one or other to 
 Read to him, some persons of Man's Estate, who of their own accord greedily catch'd at the oppor- 
 tunity of being his Readers, that they might as well reap the benefit of what they Read to him, as 
 oblige him by the benefit of their reading ; others of younger years sent by their Parents to the same 
 end, yet excusing only the Eldest Daughter by reason of her bodily Infirmity, and difficult utterance 
 of Speech, (which to say truth I doubt was the Principal cause of excusing her) the other two were 
 Condemn'd to the performance of Reading, and exactly pronouncing of all the Languages of what 
 
 of parental duties." " The habits of studious 
 men have sometimes been represented as tend- 
 ing to disqualify them for the familiar inter- 
 course of domestic or social life." " Melan- 
 chthon may be appealed to" as a pleasing illus- 
 tration to the contrary. "A Frenchman one 
 day found him holding a book in one hand, and 
 rocking his child's cradle with the other. Upon 
 his manifesting considerable surprise, Melan- 
 chthon took occasion, from the incident, to con- 
 verse with his visitor on the duties of parents, 
 and on the regard of heaven for little children, 
 in such a pious and affectionate manner, that his 
 astonishment was quickly transferred into admi- 
 ration." 
 
 Gathered from the contemporary biographer 
 of the Reformer, and personal friend, CAMERA- 
 RIDS, the above anecdote is related, with many 
 others equally interesting, in " The Life of Philip 
 MelamhtJtan," by F. A. Cox, A.M., of Hackney. 
 8vo., 1815, pp. 152-3. 
 
 1 There is no record as to whether Milton 
 married his third wife in 1663 or 1664. Aubrey, 
 Phillips, and Toland, the earliest of his biogra- 
 phers, make no mention of the year. The many 
 documents relative to the Nuncupative Will of 
 Milton, and other family matters, do not men- 
 tion the date. 
 
176 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 ever Book he should at one time or other think fit to peruse. Viz. the Hebrew (and I think the Syriac) 
 the Greek, the Latin, the Italian, Spanish and French. All which sorts of Books to be confined to 
 Read, without understanding one word, must needs be a Tryal of Patience, almost beyond endurance ; 
 yet it was endured by both for a long time, yet the irksomeness of this imployment could not be 
 always concealed, but broke out more and more into expressions of uneasiness ; so that at length they 
 were all (even the eldest also) sent out to learn some Curious and Ingenious sorts of Manufacture, 
 that are proper for Women to learn, particularly Imbroideries in Gold or Silver. It had been happy 
 indeed if the Daughters of such a Person had been made in some measure Inheritrixes of their 
 Father's Learning ; but since Fate otherwise decreed, the greatest honour that can be ascribed to this 
 now living (and so would have been to the others had they lived) is to be Daughter to a man of his 
 extraordinary Character." 1 
 
 INNE MILTON. It is seen by the preceding, that ANNE, 2 the eldest 
 Daughter, was incapacitated by affliction to perform the task allotted 
 to her, and was consequently excused. That she had not been taught 
 to write is clearly proved,- unless from any illness she was incapaci- 
 tated,- by the subjoined, which represents her marl? to the Eelease 
 for her portion of her Father's Estate,- dated, February 24, 1674. 
 
 In editing the " Papers connected with the Affairs of Milton and his Fainily," 
 in the first volume of the " Chetham Miscellanies" Mr. Marsh notes, p. 1 8, that 
 " the words, ' Signum Anne Milton,' are in Richard Milton's handwriting"; prefacing 
 the note that Richard, who was one of the Witnesses to the deed, was probably a 
 Son of Christopher Milton. 
 
 Memoir in " State Letters," 1694, pp. xli-ii. 
 
 * ANNE, the Eldest Daughter of Milton, was 
 born the 29th of July, 1646. Nature had at her 
 birth not completed its task. She was afflicted 
 with much infirmity from the deformities of her 
 body, and her speech was defective. She mar- 
 ried an architect or master builder, and died 
 
 in childbed with her first infant, who did not 
 survive its birth. 
 
 3 From the plate of Miltonian Fac-Similes in 
 the volume issued by the u Chetham Society," 
 1851. Our copy is another specimen by the 
 Electro-Printing-Block Company, as are the 
 other copies of the fac-siruiles of the Autograph 
 Signatures, Mary and Deborah, following. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 177 
 
 ARY MILTON. The subjoined fac-simile of the autograph signature of 
 MARY, 1 from the deed of her " Release for the portion of her Father's 
 Estate," dated February 22, 1674, proves that she was able to write; 
 and consequently, the charge against her Father, of never having had 
 her taught to do so, ought not to be taken to the full extent of its 
 She may have taught herself to write. Certain it is, judging from this 
 specimen, that her handwriting was of a very ordinary character; and it is a remark- 
 
 meaning. 
 
 able circumstance, that, in writing her name, she has spelt it wrong, inserting in the 
 word " Milton," two I's in lieu of one. It may be, however, hardly fair to judge of 
 the handwriting, more particularly of a female, when employed in executing a deed. 
 The formalities and other attending circumstances would probably confuse her, and 
 affect her writing. 
 
 Though it has never been affirmed that Mary, the second daughter, acted as 
 Amanuensis to her Father, her writing tends to shew that she was not very capable 
 of discharging such a duty. 
 
 flEBORAH MILTON. It frequently occurs that the youngest child in a 
 family becomes the most favoured. Such is stated to have been the 
 case, on the part of her Father, in respect to his youngest Daughter, 
 DEBORAH. Consequently, much interest in the circumstances con- 
 nected with her life, has been displayed by the numerous biographers 
 The account given of her by Mr. Marsh, 2 is so concise and interesting 
 that we have not hesitated to subjoin it, considering that the little memoir itself 
 will be of far more interest to the reader, than a bare statement of the facts therein 
 related : 
 
 of the Poet. 
 
 1 MARY MILTON, the Second Daughter, was 
 born October 25, 1648. We may hope that the 
 reports of her ill conduct to her Father are no 
 more than exaggerations of the strong language 
 usually adopted in legal documents. She died 
 unmarried. 
 
 ' Papers connected with Milton and his 
 Family. Edited by John Fitehett Marsh, from 
 the Original Documents in his possession. Chet- 
 ham Society, 1851, vol. xxiv. 
 
 23 
 
RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 lEBORAH was the youngest daughter of the Poet, and was born on the 3rd of 
 
 1652. She was Milton's favorite child, and acted as his Amanuensis, having 
 learned to read and pronounce with great exactness the Italian, Spanish, French, 
 Greek, Latin, and Hebrew languages, though she understood none of them. She 
 appears to have been, of the three, the one least destitute of affection for her 
 father; but even she was no exception to the charge, so pathetically alleged HL 
 his children by the afflicted parent, that they ' were careless of him being blind, and made nothing of 
 deserting him.' She left his house three or four years before his death, and went to Ireland, as 
 companion to a lady of the name of Merian. Her husband, Abraham Clarke, is stated by several of 
 Milton's biographers to have been a weaver in Spitalfields ; and Richardson adds that she married, 
 not only without her father's consent, but even his knowledge. It is, however, clear from her 
 description as ' Deborah Milton' in the testamentary cause, that her marriage was subsequent to her 
 father's death : and indeed the pleadings in which that description occurs, and the release here 
 printed, together fix the date of her marriage as between the 5th of December, 1674, and the 27th of 
 March, 1675. The release further shews that her husband, at the time of the marriage, was resident 
 in Dublin; and from a letter of Vertue, in the British Museum, printed in Ivirney's 'Life of Miltmi,' 
 they appear to have remained in Ireland for some time afterwards. Deborah Clarke was visited by 
 Addison, who was much struck with her resemblance to the Poet, and made her a liberal present. 
 She spoke with tenderness of her father, and exhibited much emotion at the sight of a portrait of 
 him. Queen Caroline sent her fifty guineas; and her case was brought before the public in Mist's 
 Weekly Journal, on the 29th of April, 1727. She died on the 27th of August following, in the same 
 year which the papers here printed enable us to fix as the date of the death of her stepmother, and 
 probably within a few days from that event. Of her ten children, two only had issue, vizt. Caleb and 
 Elizabeth. Caleb Clarke went out to Madras : he appears to have been Parish Clerk at Fort St. 
 George from 1717 to 1719, (during the Governorship of the Hon. Galston Addison, the elder brother 
 of the Editor of the Spectator,) and was buried there on the 26th of October in the latter year. He 
 had three children born at Madras, Abraham, Mary, and Isaac. Mary died in infancy; Abraham 
 married Anna Clarke in the year 1725 ; and the baptism of lu's daughter Mary is registered in 1727. 
 With her all notices of this family cease, nothing further being known either of her or of her father 
 or uncle ; and it has been supposed that they migrated to some other part of India. Sir James 
 Mackintosh, while he resided in India, took pains to ascertain whether any further trace of the family 
 existed ; but without success. Elizabeth, the remaining child of Deborah Clarke, married Thomas 
 Foster, also a Spitalfields weaver. She kept a little chandler's shop at Holloway, and afterwards in 
 Cock Lane, near Shoreditch Church. In this mean position she was discovered, and brought forward 
 to public notice by the active benevolence of two of her grandfather's biographers, Dr. Birch and 
 Bishop Newton. Public sympathy was excited ; and Gomus was acted for her benefit on the 5th of 
 April, 1750. Dr. Johnson wrote the Prologue. Bishop Newton contributed largely; and Tonson, 
 the bookseller, subscribed 20. But it was ascertained by Todd that the whole proceeds only 
 amounted to 147 : 14 : 6 ; out of which 80 had to be deducted for expenses. She had seven 
 children, who all died in infancy : and, with their mother, who died on the 9th of May, 1 754, in all 
 probability the descendants of Milton became extinct." 
 
 From the same source as that from which the previous fac-similes were 
 obtained, is subjoined the signature of Deborah Milton, then the Wife of Abraham 
 Clarke, whose signature is also given. The document is to the same purport, and 
 bears the same date as the others. 
 
 The date of the deed to which these signatures are attached, shews that it was 
 signed by Deborah at the age of twenty-three ; we have here, therefore, a specimen 
 of her handwriting at that age. There is nothing in the character of the writing to 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 179 
 
 warrant a disbelief of her having been able occasionally to assist as Amanuensis 
 to her Father. It is curious, however, also to notice the singular circumstance of 
 her having, in the first instance, spelt her married name wrong, and having after- 
 wards corrected it. Her Christian name is also spelt wrong,- the a in the final 
 syllable being in the signature written as o. It is hardly fair, however, to judge by 
 the above, of what her handwriting may have been when assisting her Father, if she 
 ever did. 
 
 Deborah was born in 1652, and was only twenty-two years old when her Father 
 died. At the period of his composing, from first to last, his Paradise Lost, she could 
 not have been more than from eleven to fifteen years old, the first edition of that 
 poem appearing in 1667. At that age, however, she might have been fully capable, 
 had she been taught early to write, of aiding her Father; but it is not likely, that, 
 had Deborah been employed as stated, Edward Phillips would have omitted to 
 notice that fact. In the concluding part of the passage, p. 176, quoted from this 
 memoir, there is nothing to justify the belief of one Daughter having received more 
 advantages in her education than the others, or that one was more talented than 
 the others. He writes of all the three daughters in the same category, concluding 
 his remarks by observing, " It had been happy indeed if the Daughters of such a 
 Person had been made in some measure Inheritrixes of their Father's Learning." 
 Edward Phillips also states that he was in the habit of constantly visiting his 
 Uncle, more particularly during the period of the composition of Paradise Lost. 
 The Nephew, therefore, had ample opportunity of knowing and judging of the 
 capabilities of his Cousins. There is no trace of any unkindness in his narrative. 
 He was, and had been, an Author for many years, and therefore could not but lament 
 that they had been so incapable of affording their Father any assistance in his 
 pursuits. 
 
 Dr. Johnson appears to have been very incredulous upon the subject, so univer- 
 sally believed, of Milton having been assisted by his Daughters as his Amanuenses. 
 Johnson observes, 
 
 " That, in his intellectual hour, Milton called for his daughter to ' secure what came,' may be 
 questioned ; for unluckily it happens to be known, that his daughters were never taught to write ; nor 
 
180 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OP 
 
 would he have been obliged, as is universally confessed, to have employed any casual visitor in disbur- 
 dening his memory, if his daughter could have performed the office." 
 
 Again, when commenting on the relation of Eichardson, that Milton " would 
 sometimes lie awake whole nights, but not a verse could he make ; and on a sudden 
 his poetical faculty would rush upon him with an impetus or cestrum, and his 
 daughter was immediately called to secure what came. At other times he would 
 dictate perhaps forty lines in a breath, and then reduce them to half the number." 
 Johnson adds : 
 
 " In the scene of misery which this mode of intellectual labour sets before our eyes, it is hard to 
 determine whether the daughters or the father are most to be lamented. A language not understood 
 can never be so read as to give pleasure, and, very seldom, so as to convey meaning. If few men 
 would have had resolution to write books with such embarrassments, few b'kewise would have wanted 
 ability to find some better expedient." In again mentioning the Daughters of the Poet, Johnson 
 writes of Deborah : " This is the Daughter of whom publick mention has been made. She could 
 repeat the first lines of Homer, the Metamorphoses, and some of Euripides, by having often read 
 them. Yet here incredulity is ready to make a stand. Many repetitions are necessary to fix in the 
 memory lines not understood ; and why should Milton wish or want to hear them so often ? These 
 lines were at the beginning of the poems. Of a book written in a language not understood, the 
 beginning raises no more attention than the end ; and as those that understand it, know commonly 
 the beginning best, its rehearsal will seldom be necessary. It is not likely that Milton required 
 any passage to be so much repeated, as that his daughter could learn it ; nor likely that he desired 
 the initial lines to be read at all ; nor that the daughter, weary of the drudgery of pronouncing 
 unideal sounds, would voluntarily commit them to memory." 
 
 In the preceding passages it is clearly seen that Johnson was much inclined to 
 consider the anecdotes related of the Daughters of Milton having assisted their 
 Father, as rather mythical. 
 
 | ERY little appears to have been recorded in respect to the part ELIZA- 
 BETH, the third Wife of Milton, took in the education of his Daughters. 
 That she made a most faithful and a most affectionate Wife to the Poet, 
 is generally believed. She was, however, placed, on her marriage, in a 
 most painful situation. She entered on her duties with the onerous 
 charge of three girls, all of that age when the control, by a stranger taking the 
 management of the domestic arrangement of their Father's house, hitherto confided 
 to their charge, would naturally be most unwillingly submitted to by them. In two- 
 thirds of the cases where a widower, having a family by his former wife, marries 
 again, discord and jealousy will be found to prevail. Hence, no doubt, have arisen 
 the melancholy details related of the conduct of the Daughters of Milton towards 
 their Father, and, vice versd, the unkindness of their Father to them. If all the little 
 quarrels and disagreements in the families of many of the most distinguished men 
 were placed on record, how sad would be the relation of them ! One can thoroughly 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 181 
 
 understand how easily the feelings of such an excitable man as Milton were disor- 
 dered by the disagreement of his Wife and Children, between whom there could have 
 been no natural, or, at first, any mutual affection. Such an affection between Step- 
 Daughters of their age, and a Step-Mother so suddenly introduced into a family, 
 could only have been brought about by time and mutual forbearance. As to any 
 evidence in legal documents upon such points, when family disagreements take 
 place, they should be considered as little more than the language of the Lawyer in 
 making good his case. The documents connected with the "Nuncupative Will" of 
 Milton strongly exemplify this point. 
 
 It was during the period of the composition of Paradise Lost, that Milton 
 married his third Wife. She is said to have been one who was " still young and 
 handsome, who became the soul of his house, and the mother of his children. She 
 loved him, too, despite his poverty and blindness." Such is the language conveyed 
 by the Historian Lamartine j 1 language far more agreeable to the feelings than an 
 assumption of the very reverse, merely on the authority of a few angry words 
 recorded in legal documents, at a time when the minds of all parties were excited 
 beyond the natural feelings of the heart. 
 
 Lamartine appears to have entertained no respect for the opinions of those 
 biographers of Milton who have taken pleasure in magnifying and distorting the 
 little unhappy differences that may have been related. In the subjoined extract he 
 pictures to the minds of his readers a charming scene of the happiness and mutual 
 aid afforded by all the members of the family to the necessities of Milton : 
 
 " His last wife, Elizabeth. Minshall, and his three daughters were constantly with him, copying, 
 repeating, and correcting the cantos of his great poem, as his genius progressively inspired them. 
 He composed verses during the night, and repeated them at early dawn, before the noise of the city, 
 awakening in the streets, called back his thoughts to things terrestrial. While he listened to the 
 sound of his daughters' pens as they traced the paper, it seemed to him as if he was dictating the 
 daily testament of his genius, and depositing in a safe sanctuary the treasure which he had hitherto 
 carried in his imagination. During the remainder of the day, he read Scripture, poetry, and history ; 
 or, conducted by one of his daughters, sauntered in the solitary fields of the neighbourhood, to breathe 
 the pure air, or to feel, at least, upon his eyelids the rays of that sun which he no longer recognized 
 but through its heat." 3 
 
 Though Deborah was of the tender age of about eleven, when her Father began 
 to dictate for publication his Poem of Paradise Lost, there is no reason why she 
 may not have been employed in assisting in the writing out of that Poem. She 
 may not have been well skilled in the use of her pen ; yet, for the purpose required, 
 her assistance may, with that of others, have been valuable to her father. Many of 
 the extracts in the present work have been copied out for the printer by the Son of 
 the Author, a boy just past ten years of age, as also by his sisters, a few years older; 
 thus entitling them, on so slight a warranty, to be called the Amanuenses of their 
 
 1 Memoirs of Celebrated Characters, by Alphonse de Lamartine. 2 vols., 1854. Milton, vol. ii. 
 p. 16. 2 Ib., p. 17. 
 
182 RAMBLING S IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 Father. It is not necessary that an Author should be blind ere he procures assist- 
 ance in his labours by the employment of an Amanuensis. 
 
 In having entered into an investigation in respect to the Daughters of Milton 
 having been, as so generally believed, of great assistance to their Father when under 
 the affliction of his blindness, it has been the object of the Author not to desire to 
 injure their memory by depriving them of an honour hitherto accorded them, but 
 rather to place them in the more natural position which their ages and talents entitle 
 them to hold as the Daughters of one of the most interesting and remarkable men 
 this country has produced. 
 
 It is a melancholy fact, by no means of rare occurrence, that the Widows and 
 Orphans of men distinguished for their popular talents, or eminent in literature, 
 science, or art, are often left totally unprovided for, their state of wretchedness and 
 destitution being aggravated by the cold indifference of their quondam friends ; from 
 a few of whom, however, possessing a little Christian feeling, they may obtain some 
 trifling pecuniary aid ; but from the greater number, only inexpensive pity and cold 
 neglect ! They more frequently find out, when too late, the heartlessness and 
 selfishness of those who may have been indebted to their husbands for promoting 
 their interests, and from whom they were justified in expecting assistance and 
 respect. 
 
 The Government of England, at the present period, most nobly does its best 
 to succour the needy relatives of those who have done honour to their country. 
 Yet many are the instances that are unhappily passed over through some unknown 
 cause. The list of those whose Intellectual Services have been acknowledged 
 during the last two hundred years, forms, we hope, as an Appendix to our pursuit, 
 an interesting record, and reflects credit on our National Character. 
 
 Lamartine, Poet as well as Historian, must have been aroused by some feelings 
 of a kindred nature to these here expressed, when he wrote so touching an account 
 as the subjoined, of what befel the Widow and Daughters of that Man, by the 
 influence of whose energetic pen was swayed the destiny of this country during a 
 most momentous period of its history. The career of Milton was guided by the 
 hand of Providence for some most special purpose. The Reformation of the Church 
 of England in 1688, is by many supposed, and not without considerable justice, to 
 have been one of the first beneficial results of the Religious and Political Views of 
 Milton. We are at liberty to admire the character of the Poet in the highest 
 degree, as regards the unflinching zeal and honesty with which he upheld his 
 position, without at all adopting his extreme opinions. We may, however, fairly 
 presume that the subjoined passage, written at a late period of his life, would not 
 have been penned, had he not consciously felt, that, during some portion of his 
 public career, he had imprudently overstepped the limits of his rightful demands in 
 the cause of religious and political freedom. 
 
 "That it may be the part of prudence to obey the commands even of a tyrant 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 183 
 
 in lawful tilings, or, more properly, to comply with the necessity of the times for 
 the sake of public peace, as well as of personal safety, I am far from denying." 1 
 
 "Milton's widow," writes Lamartine, "languished in obscurity and poverty, and died neglected 
 a few years after him. His daughters married poor artisans of the suburb in which they had resided 
 with their father. Two of these tradesmen were weavers. The children of the poet laboured at the 
 employment of their husbands. Thirty years after their father's death, when Paradise Lost, long 
 unheard of, had become famous, when Milton's countrymen, by one of those revolutions in opinion 
 which exhumes books or men, had disinterred the poem, and crowned the author, like Inez of 
 Portugal, after his death, some few, from curiosity, sought out the descendants of one to whom they 
 rendered this tardy and unavailing compliment. Deborah, his favourite daughter, was still living, in 
 the house of the weaver of Spitalfields, who had married her. The portrait of Milton, crowned with 
 laurel, was presented to her : ' 0, my father ! my beloved father !' she exclaimed, recognizing and 
 embracing the resemblance ; ' why can you not issue from the tomb to see your glory, so long 
 delayed, reflected back in the joyful countenance of your beloved child !'" 
 
 DWAED AND JOHN PHILLIPS, the Nephews of Milton. The 
 desire of educating the two children of his beloved Sister, induced 
 Milton, soon after his return from the Continent in 1639, to 
 relinquish his intention of entering into one of the learned Pro- 
 fessions, for which his talents preeminently qualified him. 
 
 It is not surprising that some of the biographers of the Poet 
 should assume that he was afterwards assisted by the two young 
 men to whose education he had most specially devoted his attention. Such assist- 
 ance, it might naturally have been expected, they would have desired to render. 
 How far they did so, is a matter for our present consideration. 
 
 When Aubrey, in his Memoranda, makes mention of the " writing of Paradise 
 Lost," he distinctly states that Edward Phillips ivas then the Amanuensis of his 
 Uncle ; see p. 1 72. The learned Mitford, 3 when alluding, in his elegantly composed 
 Life of the Poet, to the approach of his blindness in 1652, relates that his Nephew 
 Edward " was supposed to have greatly assisted him in the affairs of Secretary." 
 
 In the " Preliminary Observations" to the English Version of the De Doctrind 
 Christiana, p. xvii., the Very Reverend Translator, Bishop Sumner, states that the 
 latter part of the original Manuscript of that work was " supposed by Mr. Lemon to 
 be the handwriting of Edivard Philipps, the Nephew of Milton." 
 
 If the reader will refer to the statement made by the late Mr. Lemon, as printed 
 p. 156, it will there be seen that Mr. Lemon, in alluding to that portion of the 
 Manuscript, says that it is in "a small strong character, much resembling the 
 
 1 A Treatise on Christian Doctrine, by John 
 Milton. Translated by Charles R. Sumner, etc. 
 
 1825. 4to., p. 704 
 
 3 Memoirs of Celebrated Characters, vol. ii., 
 pp. 29-30. __ 
 
 3 Life of Milton, by the Rev. John Mitford. 
 Poetical Works of Milton, 1851, vol. i., pp.xciv-v. 
 
184 KAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 u-riling of E. Phillips." Consequently, it may be assumed that Mr. Lemon had 
 obtained some knowledge of the autograph of E. Phillips, otherwise he would 
 scarcely have ventured such an opinion. It is, therefore, to be regretted that 
 Mr. Lemon did not record the authority upon which such opinion was founded. 
 
 Without searching farther into the almost innumerable biographies of the Poet, 
 in order to shew that such an opinion has been generally entertained, we proceed to 
 a brief investigation as to the probability of Edward Phillips having so assisted his 
 Uncle in any other way than as many of his occasional visitors and friends may 
 have done. 
 
 JDWARD PHILLIPS left his Uncle in 1646. He was then quite a 
 young man. There is no record of his avocations from that time until 
 March 1648, when he entered Magdalen Hall, Oxford, where he 
 remained until 1651. 
 
 Brought up under the careful superintendence of Milton, he 
 appears intuitively to have imbibed his " love of learning," becoming also, like his 
 Uncle, a poet at an early period of his life. History, however, was the chief attrac- 
 tion of his literary pursuits. He was too young, when under tuition, to have 
 entered into the merits of the polemical and political controversies in which his 
 Uncle was engaged. He had proceeded to Oxford, the then most loyal of all cities 
 in England, at the very moment when the pen of the Poet had assisted Cromwell 
 in the consummation of an Act,- the Death of his lawful but ill-guided King,- an act 
 to be adjudged only by the Disposer of All. 
 
 Edward Phillips became a Royalist; consequently, it can hardly be supposed 
 that he aided his Uncle in his duties as Latin Secretary. He retired from Oxford 
 in 1653; and in that year he made his deb&t as a Poet in a copy of complimentary 
 verses affixed to the "First Book of Ayres and Dialogues" by Henry Lawes, pub- 
 lished in the same year. It must be remembered, that, though the beloved friend of 
 Milton, Henry Lawes was a Royalist. It cannot, therefore, be a matter of surprise 
 that kindred feelings should have arisen between the old and the young Royalist. 
 
 In 1656, Edward Phillips edited the Poetical Works of William Drummond of 
 Hawthornden, having then embraced literature as a profession, and editing several 
 other works; but it was not until 1660 that his much-loved labours in History 
 appeared in an enlarged edition of Sir Richard Baker's "Chronicle of England." 
 
 William Godwin, the biographer of the two Nephews of Milton, has so carefully 
 compiled an account 1 of the editorial labours of Edward Phillips on the several 
 editions of the " Chronicle," that, in lieu of condensing his information, we think it 
 of sufficient interest, and but justice, to give it entire : 
 
 1 Lives of Edward and John Phillips, Nephews and Pupils of Milton. 1815. 4to., pp. 114-121. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 185 
 
 jjDWARD PHILIPS had been employed as the editor of Baker, previously to the 
 Restoration of Charles the Second. This book, so continually referred to by our 
 ancestors for more than seventy years, was carried down by its original author no 
 lower than to the death of James the First. It was first printed in 1641 ; the writer 
 in his peroration professing an expectation ' to resume his style, when the storm, which 
 he saw overcast the days of the successor, and which he hoped would be but a short 
 fit, was past, and fair weather returned;' but he died in 1645 ; and the second edition, published in 
 1653, is merely a reprint of the first. In the course of the next five or six years a third edition was 
 called for ; and Edward Philips was now engaged by the booksellers to carry on the work, from the 
 period at which Sir Richard Baker had quitted it. 
 
 " The third edition, the first in which Edward Philips was concerned, was printed in a very 
 critical period, bearing the date of 1660, and having for the most part probably passed the press 
 before the commencement of that year. It was therefore impossible that the continuator should 
 unreservedly take part with the exiled family. This, if it would have been safe for the writer, would 
 at least not have answered the purpose of the bookseller, who we may be sure would not have been 
 content to reduce so valuable a property as Baker's Chronicle then was, into a book that was to be 
 under proscription with all but a few mutinous and malcontent royalists. People were very far from 
 anticipating, at the time the book was put to the press, or even at the period of its publication, that 
 the Restoration of the Stuart family was so near at hand. This is sufficiently evident from Edward 
 Philips's Preface to his Continuation, when he speaks of Charles the Second in the highest terms, 
 calling him ' a great and illustrious prince,' and ascribing to him ' native generosity of soul, valour 
 and prudence in scenes of personal action, and that fortitude in suffering with constant equanimity, 
 which no lesse beseems an heroic spirit than that of doing bravely,' yet adds, ' Of the misfortunes 
 that attend this prince, I am easily induc'd to think he undergoes not any greater then this, That he 
 is chiefly accompanied, and for the most part abetted by a generation of men, who suffer themselves 
 to be carried, upon every little gust of hope, unto such a heighth of empty confidence, as leads them 
 inevitably to their own confusion.' 
 
 " The love indeed of the author to the family of Stuart is eminently shown, upon every occasion 
 where it could gracefully be introduced. His account of the trial and death of Charles the First is 
 animated and pathetic ; and when he introduces his hero upon the scaffold, he observes, ' The king 
 was nothing daunted at the sight of the block or the axe, nor to behold his executioner, who was 
 more possessed with fear than he, and therefore disguized with a vizard.' 
 
 " The character with which Edward Philips dismisses the royal sufferer, is still more evidently 
 stamped with a spirit of kindness. ' And thus you have exactly, though in brief, described the life, 
 the for the most part troublesome reign, and the untimely and deplorable death, of this once great 
 and powerful monarch. A prince he was, not ill beloved of his subjects whilst alive ; and although 
 by some his memory is branded with the name of Tyrant, yet by others it receives the style of Saint 
 and Martyr : nor could I ever perceive by the general suffrage of people, but that he is accounted to 
 have been a pious man, and good king, though some miscarriages might happen in his reign, through 
 his overmuch lenity, and trusting too much to some about him, who sought their own interests more 
 than the public good. 
 
 " It was natural, however, writing under a government that seemed to be sufficiently established 
 and firm, and just after the close of the prosperous and splendid administration of Cromwel, that the 
 continuator of Baker should not perpetually show a bias to one party, but should hold a sort of even 
 march between the royalists and their adversaries; and this proceeding seems to have been 
 sufficiently in accord with the candid and equable temper of Edward Philips. Accordingly, in 
 summing up the character of the memorable Protector, the author seems sufficiently disposed to look 
 on the favourable side. 
 
 " ' His character,' says Edward Philips, ' hath been at large delivered by others, and truly by 
 some not altogether without flattery, though much might be sayd in his praise : but to comprehend 
 
 24 
 
186 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 him in short, it is sufficiently known to the world, that he was a man of singular courage and 
 undaunted resolution, and that attended with a most prosperous stream of fortune. Nor can it 
 be denied that he had much of generosity, and many noble things in his nature. As for his policy 
 and sagacity of parts, what better instance then his life, so recent in memory ? How did he raise 
 himself by a gradual progress to the highest pitch of honour, and had doubtless obtain'd the supreme 
 title, had he remain'd among the living never so little longer ? How did he fit himself with the 
 choicest instruments, and the ablest ministers of state, and often times mould and form men to his 
 own purpose ? How did he make use of all parties and interests, carrying on his own affairs by 
 them ? What powerful influence had he upon the forein states and kingdoms, so interweaving his 
 own interests among them, that he was ever on the most successful side, or at least made that side 
 the most prosperous which he adhered unto.' 
 
 " From somewhat of the same cause which rendered Edward Philips thus liberal in his estimate 
 of Cromwel, he was also led occasionally to insert trifling circumstances and tales unfavourable to the 
 royal party, which in the editions printed subsequently to the Restoration were carefully suppressed. 
 
 " In the mean time he proves his predilection for the royal party by the very title he lias given 
 to his continuation, which he calls ' A Continuation of the Chronicle of England, to the End of the 
 Year 1658 : Being a Full Narrative of the Affairs of England, Scotland and Ireland ; more especially 
 relating unto the Transactions of Charles, Crowned King of the Scots at Scone, on the First Day of 
 January 1650 [1651].' Nor is it quite insignificant to observe, that the title is further ornamented 
 with a vignette of a regal coronet, and the initials, C. B., on each side of this coronet. For the style 
 here adopted, the writer apologises somewhat lamely in the last sentence of the book. ' Moreover, 
 since this volume is that which contains the lives of the Kings of England, I knew not better how 
 with decorum to continue it, then by couching the transactions of the latest fore-going years under 
 the name of a person, if not a king, yet at least lineally descended of the race of English kings, as 
 being eldest son of the last King of Great Britain ; himself also having been crowned by the estates 
 of Scotland.' 
 
 " From a further anxiety to leave on the minds of his readers a favourable impression respecting 
 ' this Illustrious Unfortunate,' as he calls him, Edward Philips winds up his story with a ' character, 
 once delivered of him (a more proper then which there could not have been given any, as proceediiit,' 
 from him who profest to have known him from his tender years) by an honourable person at his 
 death : Certainly, sayd this lord, I that have been a counsellour to him, and have lived long with 
 him, and in a time when discovery is easily enough made, for he was young (he was about fifteen or 
 sixteen years of age) those years I was with him [ought to be considered a credible evidence of his 
 dispositions] ; and truly I never saw greater hopes of vertue in any young person, then in liim ; great 
 judgment, great understanding, strong apprehension, much honour in his nature, and truly a very 
 perfect Englishman in his inclinations. Nor have there been wanting,' adds the Continuator, 
 ' several others, who upon their own knowledge, have been high in commendation both of him, and 
 his brother, the duke of York.' 
 
 " The account given in this continuation, of the imprisonment and death of the Marquis of 
 Montrose, particularly deserves to be referred to. This pathetic tale is by no historian more skil- 
 fully and impressively told, than by Edward Philips. Indeed, the general character of his compo- 
 sition in this work, is the most censurable carelessness and slovenliness ; and the printing is not less 
 shamefully defective, than a great part of the writing ; but, where the author feels himself animated 
 by a particular interest in the subject, his narrative there has every grace, that a just understanding, 
 susceptible feelings, an amiable temper, and an unaffected mode of expression can bestow upon it. 
 
 " Such was the Continuation of Sir Bichard Baker's Chronicle, as published by Edward Philips 
 during the reign of the Commonwealth. The last incidents mentioned in this narrative are the 
 captivity of Sir George Booth, and the conferences of Cardinal Mazarine and Don Lewis de Haro in 
 the Island of Pheasants, both occurring in the month of August 1659 ; and little did the writer 
 suspect, that, in so very short a time from his closing his work, the personage whom he so modestly, 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 187 
 
 yet forwardly praises, would be placed on the throne of England, with no other restrictions than his 
 own frail promises and declarations. 
 
 " Another edition of Baker was called for in 1664 ; and Edward Philips was again employed in 
 preparing it for the press. ' The secrecy of love,' as Dr. Johnson might with more propriety have 
 said on this occasion, 'was put an end to by this revolution ;' and it is in a very different style that 
 the continuator now treats of the glories of King Charles the Second. 
 
 " The edition carries in the title-page the year 1665, and it appears to have been licensed for the 
 press on the sixteenth of December, 1664. The author professes to have included in it, 'many 
 material affairs of state, never before published ; and likewise the most remarkable occurrences 
 relating to King Charles the Second's most wonderful Bestauration, by the prudent conduct of 
 George duke of Albemarle, captain general of all his majesties armies ; as they were extracted out 
 of his excellencies own papers, and the journals and memorials of those imployed in the most 
 important and secret transactions of that time. 
 
 " This edition first bears the name of Edward Philips, signed to the epistle to the reader. The 
 former continuation is imputed to him on the authority of Wood : nor would it be difficult, from the 
 manner of thinking and the language, to prove that he was the true author. 
 
 " In the book, as published in 1665, the reign of Charles the First is entirely rewritten. The 
 former copy was by no means without a sufficient leaning toward the royal cause ; and the present 
 copy is far from exhibiting the intemperate sallies of a furious partisan ; but many remarks are 
 occasionally interspersed, calculated to gratify the favourers of the Stuarts ; while some parts of the 
 story are compressed, and others dilated, accordingly as they might be thought to reflect honour on 
 the king and his friends, or deemed to be less or more interesting now, than they were to the readers 
 of our Chronicles under the ascendancy of the republic. The trial of the Earl of Strafford has 
 occupied a very particular portion of our author's care. 
 
 " But however temperate Edward Philips may be in the general strain even of his improved 
 narrative, he now and then breaks out into a tenour of writing that might not be unworthy of the 
 most furious zealot. ........ 
 
 " Of the Restoration, Philips speaks in his Preface in the following terms, borrowed from the 
 Coronation Sermon of Morley, bishop of Worcester : ' It was a generous, glorious, and heroical 
 design, whereby its author at once redeemed his country both from slavery and oppression, by 
 restoring the King to his People and the People to their King.' " 
 
 HERE is no period in English History of more general interest 
 than that from the commencement of the Reign of Charles I. to 
 the Restoration; and yet forsooth, it has never met, at the 
 hands of any Historian, not even excepting those of Edward 
 Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, that due attention it merits. The 
 Histories of Hume, Goldsmith, and others, are mere abridg- 
 ments, written, for the most part, to express their own political 
 views. So likewise are the marvellously digested labours of the great Historians, 
 Alison and Macaulay. 
 
 To those who desire to be correctly informed of the minute particulars con- 
 nected with any of the more important Events during the unhappy period of the 
 Rebellion, or of the persons who took a prominent part in those transactions, 
 Macaulay, with his charming and beautiful language, or any of the English Historians 
 
 24 : 
 
188 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OP 
 
 of the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries, will afford no light. They will find the 
 Characters of Charles I., Oliver Cromwell, and the chiefs on either side depicted 
 in such fascinating language as almost to dissipate the previously conceived opinions 
 of their readers. This may be of no importance to the generality of the public, 
 who in many cases make themselves acquainted with the historical opinions of 
 such elegant writers, more as a matter of fashion than of real interest or study. Not 
 to have read Macaulay, would, in the eyes of the fashionable world, be a perfect 
 dereliction of duty ! 
 
 Let any inquiring reader have occasion to search out the exact period of an 
 event during the reign of Charles I.,- the names of all the parties who took part in 
 that event,- he will find to his vexation, that the works we have mentioned will not 
 give him the information he desires. He must fall back on one of the few existing 
 histories published at the Time, and to such minute particulars as are chronologically 
 arranged in Baker's "Chronicle" edited and enlarged from the Death of Charles I. 
 to the Restoration, by Edward Phillips, the Nephew of Milton, one who lived and 
 wrote at the period. 
 
 In these times it would appear as if it was absolutely necessary to blend fiction 
 with history, and to form them into a Novel with some highly-coloured and exciting 
 love-story, in order to obtain for them even a reading. Accordingly, the Fashionable 
 Libraries have been favoured lately with an Historical Novel under the title of " The 
 Ironsides; a Tale of the English Commonwealth." However much we may delight 
 in the perusal of the Historical Novels from the pen of Sir Walter Scott, we must 
 confess, that, unless the youthful reader is well versed in English History, he will 
 have his mind so impressed with interesting and highly wrought narratives, that, 
 when at a later period he has occasion to study the history of his country, he can 
 with difficulty remove the feelings those fictions have created. 
 
 The "Literary Gazette" for June 30 of this year, closes its Review of " The 
 Ironsides" by observing : " We had marked some passages for quotation, but shall 
 give only one specimen of a speech of Cromwell's, which reads as if it had been 
 made after a dinner in the London Tavern, with the reporter of ' The Times' in the 
 gallery." The Author, presuming on his knowledge of the heart of the Protector, 
 amusingly records, as part of the Usurper's post prandium Oration,- 
 
 " ' I am not ashamed to acknoivledge the fact, that my feelings towards the 
 King underwent considerable modification when I became personally acquainted 
 with him, after the war had been brought to an honourable conclusion. He 
 appeared to me to be a man of great parts, understanding, and earnest convictions, 
 who had been misled by false friends rather than instigated by any innate perver- 
 sity of disposition; and of the kindness of his heart I had soon personal and 
 irresistible evidence, and so I began to consider whether, under all the circumstances 
 of the case, it would not be best to retain him in the kingly office, under safe 
 guarantees, rather than risk the advantages we have already gained by aiming at a 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 189 
 
 more thorough change in our political constitution. Such, gentlemen, were the changes 
 in my own feelings, and in those of many present, and I believe I may add, of the 
 great majority of the army.'" Vol. ii., pp. 30-31. 
 
 In the " Continuation" of the " Chronicle" by Phillips, there is an occasional 
 display of very strong political feeling; though at the same time he sometimes 
 endeavours to exculpate the actors in many of the sad events of the period of the 
 Eebellion. It is very remarkable that Phillips has most studiously avoided mention 
 even of the name of Milton, or any allusion to those political and polemical writings 
 which emanated from the pen of his Uncle,- works that had so powerful an influ- 
 ence upon many of the important events of the period. 
 
 Godwin, whose political views are well known to have been strongly republican, 
 while deprecating the occasional fulsome eulogistic language used by the youthful 
 royalist historian, has given him great credit for the delicacy of feeling with which 
 he has recorded acts which had been defended and upheld by Milton. 
 
 PRESENTATION Copy of the last edition, bearing date 1665, has 
 lately come most opportunely into the possession of the Author. It is 
 one of peculiar interest as having on the fly-leaf an inscription in 
 the AUTOGRAPH of Edward Phillips, to the Bishop of London, to 
 whom the volume, richly bound in old red morocco, was sent. 
 The reader is referred to the fac-simile of that inscription, plate XXIV., No. 1 ; 
 as also to the fac-simile given in the same plate, No. 2, taken from a few pages of 
 the Autograph of Edward Phillips in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. Beneath 
 these are fac-similes of what are believed to be the autograph signatures 1 of his 
 brother, John Phillips. 
 
 ilOHN PHILLIPS, the younger Nephew, also intuitively a poet and 
 author, was, however, of a totally different character from his brother. 
 Godwin, who appears to have searched everywhere for information, 
 states, 2 
 
 " We know little of the situation John Philips occupied in early life, or whether 
 he applied himself to any particular profession. In Milton's office of Latin Secretary, it is probable 
 
 1 The one is taken from the upper part of the 
 title-page of a copy, in our possession, of " A 
 Discourse of Sacriledge, wherein is briefly 
 shewn, 1, The Just Collation; 2, the Unjust 
 Ablation of the Riches and Honours of the 
 Clergie. 1641 ; 4to.' The other is from the 
 original, occurring at the foot of the dedication 
 of a copy of Gainsford's " Glory of England." 
 
 1618 ; 4to. The date is evidently 1660. For 
 this we are indebted to Mr. T. Palmer, Book- 
 seller, of Paternoster-row. They are the only 
 specimens of the autograph of John Phillips that 
 we have met with. 
 
 8 Lives of Edward and John Phillips, by 
 William Godwin. 1815, 4to., p. 19. 
 
190 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 that he would stand in need of clerks to assist him, and it is not unlikely that at least the younger 
 of his nephews served at that time in such a capacity. 
 
 " Edward Philips relates of his brother's performance, that ' the task of answering the anony- 
 mous Apology was committed to him by Milton, but with such exact emendations before it went to 
 the press, that it might very well have passed for his uncle's work, but that he was willing the 
 person that took the pains to prepare it for his examination and polishment, should have the 
 name and credit of being the author.' " 
 
 The Apology 1 mentioned appeared in 1652. The deputed author, John Phillips, 
 is stated to have, at that period, wholly sided with the opinions of his Uncle ; and 
 therefore it may be fairly presumed that he had previously aided him in other of 
 his political controversies. John Phillips, however, turned Royalist about 1658, 
 and then abused the conduct of his Uncle as violently as he had previously 
 supported it, calling " Iconoclastcs," Milton's answer to the "Eikon Basilikc," " an 
 impudent and blasphemous libel." 2 
 
 It is, therefore, only in reference to the probability of the younger Nephew of 
 Milton having, in common with others, aided his Uncle in the capacity of an occa- 
 sional Amanuensis, that his name is here mentioned. No specimen of his autograph 
 has as yet been found, which might hereafter be useful in the elucidation of any 
 manuscript of a work of Milton's in an unknown autograph. That the younger 
 Nephew had rendered no aid to his Uncle in writing out any of his Paradise Lost, 
 or Regained, is most certain, as before those periods he had become a Eenegade. 
 He was a man of bad moral character. He forsook his wife and children; yet 
 withal " he was an extraordinary man." 3 
 
 UNDREW MARVELL was one of the most intimate and most faithful 
 friends of Milton from an early period. In 1657 he was appointed as 
 Assistant Secretary to Milton. He also may have occasionally aided 
 the Poet with the use of his pen, when his professional Amanuensis 
 was away. It is with the view of future reference that his known 
 autograph appears in the present work. The specimen in plate XXIV., No. V., is 
 taken from an original letter in a collection of Autograph Letters preserved in the 
 Library of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of London,- a collection most erro- 
 neously called " The MiUon State Papers." 
 
 1 Responsio ad Apologiam pro Rege et Po- 
 pulo Anglicano. Lond., 1652, 12mo. 
 
 1 Lives of Edward and John Phillips, by God- 
 win. 1815, 4to., p. 174. 
 
 8 In the biography of E. and J. Phillips, by 
 
 Godwin, the reader will find full particulars of 
 the Literary and Political pursuits of the 
 younger Nephew. He was a prolific writer. 
 His first poetical composition appeared, with 
 that of his brother's, among the commendatory 
 verses to " The First Book of Ayres and Dia- 
 logues" by Lawes, in 1G53. 
 
II 
 
 ff/ &'*(. fntt ftt-rt 
 ?vtrt w. 
 
 XXIV 
 
 
 Ill 
 
 &t&fonCje-. f 
 
 
 lit 3 .WaHmjiltoB .^ . 
 
 1860 
 

 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 191 
 
 |HOMAS ELLWOOD, the QUAKER, was one of the most remarkable 
 men of his day. Equally remarkable is his Autobiography. 1 Ellwood 
 has been usually termed the "friend of Milton." He was born in 
 1639. He was twenty years of age when he became acquainted with 
 the Poet; which occurred in 1662, when the latter was residing in 
 Je win-street. The style in which Ellwood is characterized by the majority of the 
 biographers of Milton, clearly shews that few of the learned compilers had ever 
 read his " Autobiography." It is now before us, as also the more detailed Life of 
 Milton by Dr. Symmons, Avhose narration of the intercourse between the young 
 Quaker and the Poet is admirably depicted. 
 
 Though Ellwood is not stated to have been, even for a short time, the Amanu- 
 ensis of Milton, yet it naturally suggests itself to the mind, that, during the short 
 period of his daily intercourse with the Poet, he may have occasionally assisted in 
 that capacity. Accordingly, Ave think it will be interesting to quote all the infor- 
 mation recorded in the Autobiography, of his connexion with the Poet. At pp. 130- 
 136, Ellwood, who had been suffering by confinement consequent on severe illness, 
 relieved only by his study of the contents of his father's library, states : 
 
 |FTER I was well enough to go abroad, with respect to my own Health, and the 
 Safety of others, I went up (in the beginning of the Twelfth Month, 1661,) to my 
 Friend Isaac Penington's at Ghalfont, and abode there some time : for the Airing 
 my self more fully : that I might be more fit for Conversation. 
 
 " I mentioned before, that when I was a Boy, I had made some good Progress 
 in Learning ; and lost it all again before I came to be a Man : Nor was I rightly 
 sensible of my Loss therein, until I came amongst the Quakers. But then I both saw my Loss, and 
 lamented it ; and applyed my self with utmost Diligence, at all leasure Times to recover it : so false 
 I found that Charge to be, which in those Times was cast, as a Reproach upon the Quakers, That 
 they despised and decried all Humane Learning ; because they deemed it to be essentially necessary 
 to a Gospel-Ministry, which was one of the Controversies of those Times. 
 
 "But though I toiled hard, and spared no Pains, to regain what once I had been Master of; 
 yet I found it a matter of so great Difficulty, that I was ready to say as the Noble Eunuch to Philip 
 in another Case : 'How can I, unless I had some Man to guide me ? ' 
 
 " This I had formerly complained of to my especial Friend Isaac Pennington ; but now more 
 earnestly : which put him upon considering, and contriving a Means for my Assistance. 
 
 " He had an intimate Acquaintance with Dr. Paget, a Physician of Note in London ; and he with 
 John Milton, a Gentleman of Great Note for Learning, throughout the Learned World, for the 
 accurate Pieces he had Written, on various Subjects and Occasions. 
 
 " This Person, having filled a Publick Station, in the former Times ; lived now a private and 
 
 1 " The History of the Life of Thomas Ellwood, 
 eta. Written by his own Hand," etc. 8vo., 1714. 
 We have not been successful in obtaining any 
 other specimen of his autograph than the sub- 
 joined signature taken from "Armistead's Mis- 
 
 cellanies." 1851. 
 
192 
 
 RAMBLIXGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 retired Life in London : and having wholly lost his Sight, kept always a Man to read to him ; which 
 usually was the Son of some Gentleman of his Acquaintance, whom, in kindness, he took to Improve 
 in his Learning. 
 
 " Thus, by the Mediation of my Friend Isaac Penington with Dr. Paget, and of Dr. Paget with 
 John Milton, was I admitted to come to him ; not as a Servant to him (which at that time he needed 
 not) nor to be in the House with him : but only to have the Liberty of Coming to his House, at 
 certain Hours, when I would, and to read to him what BOOKS he should appoint me ; which was all 
 the Favour I desired. 
 
 " But this being a Matter, which would require some time to bring it about : I, in the mean 
 while returned to my Father's House in Oxfordshire. 
 
 " I had before received Direction, by Letters from my Eldest Sister (written by my Father's 
 Command) to put off what Cattle he had left about his House, and to Discharge his Servants ; which 
 I had done at the time called Michaelmas before. So that all that "Winter, when I was at Home, I 
 lived like an Hermit all alone ; having a pretty large House, and no body in it but my self, a Nights 
 especially : But an elderly Woman (whose Father had been an old Servant to the Family) came 
 every Morning, and made my Bed ; and did what else I had occasion for her to do ; till I fell 111 of 
 the Small Pox, and then I had her with me, and the Nurse. But now, understanding by Letter 
 from my Sister, that my Father did not intend to return to settle there ; I made off those Provi- 
 sions which were in the House (that they might not be spoiled when I was gone :) and because 
 they were what I should have spent, if I had tarried there, I took the Money made of them to my 
 self, for my support at London, if the Project succeeded for my Going thither. 
 
 " This done, I committed the Care of the House to a Tenant of my Father's, who lived in the 
 Town ; and taking my leave of Crowell, went up to my sure Friend Isaac Penington again. Where 
 understanding that the Mediation used for my Admittance to John Milton, had succeeded so well, 
 that I might come when I would ; I hastened to London : and in the first place went to wait upon him. 
 
 " He received me courteously ; as well for the sake of Dr. Paget, who introduced me : as of 
 Isaac Penington, who recommeiided me ; to both whom he bore a good Respect. And having 
 inquired divers things of me, with respect to my former Progression in Learning ; he dismist me, to 
 provide my self of such Accommodations, as might be most suitable to my future studies. 
 
 " I went therefore and took my self a Lodging as near to his House (which was then in Jewen- 
 street) as conveniently as I could : and from thenceforward went every Day in the Afternoon (except 
 on the First Days of the Week) and sitting by him in his Dining- Room, read to him in such Books 
 in the Latin Tongue, as he pleased to hear me read. 
 
 " At my first sitting to read to him, observing that I used the English Pronunciation, he told 
 me, If I would have the Benefit of the Latin Tongue (not only to read and understand Latin Authors, lid) 
 to Converse with Foreigners, either abroad or at home, I must learn ihe Foreign Pronunciation. To this 
 I consenting, he instructed me how to sound the Vowels ; so different from the common Pronunci- 
 ation used by the English (who speak Anglice their Latin) that (with some few other variations in 
 sounding some consonants, in particular Case ; as G. before E. or I. like Oh., Sc. before I. like Sh. 
 &c.) the Latin thus spoken, seemed as different from that which was delivered as the English 
 generally speak it, as if it was another Language. 
 
 " I had before, during my retired Life at my Father's, by unwearied Diligence and Industry, so 
 far recovered the Rules of Grammar (in which I had once been very ready) that I could both read a 
 Latin Author, and after a sort hammer out his meaning. But this Change of Pronunciation proved 
 a New Difficulty to me. It was now harder to me to read, than it was before to understand when 
 
 read. But 
 
 ' Labor omnia vincit 
 
 Improbus' 
 
 Incessant Pains 
 The End obtains. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 193 
 
 " And so did I. Which made my reading the more acceptable to my Master. He, on the other 
 hand, perceiving with what earnest Desire I pursued Learning ; gave me not only all the Encourage- 
 ment, but all the Help he could. For, having a curious Ear, he. understood by my Tone, when I 
 understood what I read, and when I did not : and accordingly would stop me, Examine me, and 
 open the most difficult Passages to me. 
 
 " Thus went I on, for about six weeks time, reading to him in the Afternoons, and exercising 
 my self, with my own Books, in my Chamber, in the Forenoons : I was sensible of an Improvement. 
 
 " But, alas ! I had fixed my studies in a wrong place. London and I could never agree for 
 health : my Lungs (as I suppose) were too tender to bear the Sulphurous Air of that City. So 
 that I soon began to droop ; and in less than two Months time, I was fain to leave both my 
 Studies and the City ; and return into the Country to preserve Life : and much ado I had to get 
 thither." 
 
 Ellwood next informs his readers, that, on his recovery, he resumed his studies 
 at London, where he was most kindly received by his old Master, Milton, and 
 restored to the same post he had previously filled. This was, however, of short 
 duration, owing to his having been taken into custody, by a party of soldiers, at a 
 Meeting of Quakers held at the Bull and Mouth by Aldersgate, on the 26th of 
 August, 1662. He was, with others, sent to Bridewell, and thence to Newgate, 
 from whence, after much suffering, he was released. 
 
 " Being now at liberty," Ellwood writes, p. 200, " I visited more generally my Friends that 
 were still in Prison ; and more particularly my Friend and Benefactor, William Penington, at his 
 house ; and then went to wait upon my Master Milton. With whom yet I could not propose to enter 
 upon my intermitted Studies, until I had been in Buckinghamshire, to visit my worthy Friends 
 Isaac Pennington, and his virtuous Wife ; with other Friends in that Country." 
 
 During his few days stay with his friends, they proposed to him, in conse- 
 quence of the loss of the tutor to their children, that he should take the vacant 
 situation ; which he did, but not without much regret, as the arrangement altogether 
 prevented his continuing his studies under Milton. Misfortune, however, soon 
 again overtook him. On the 1st of May, 1665, while attending the funeral of a 
 friend in the neighbourhood, a disturbance arose from its having been reported that 
 a Quaker was about to be buried. The result was, that Ellwood and others were 
 apprehended, and sent to Alesbury prison. That period now brings us to the last 
 intercourse Ellwood had with Milton. He states, pp. 233-4 : 
 
 " Some little time before I went to Alesbury Prison, I was desired by my quondam Master Milton 
 to take an House for him, in the Neighbourhood where I dwelt, that he might get out of the City, 
 for the Safety of himself and his Family, the Pestilence then growing hot in London. I took a pretty 
 Box for him in Giles- Chaljont, a Mile from me ; of which I gave him notice : and intended to have 
 waited on him, and seen him well settled in it ; but was prevented by that Imprisonment. 
 
 " But now being released, and returned Home, I soon made a Visit to him, to welcome him into 
 the Country. 
 
 " After some common Discourses had passed between us, he called for a Manuscript of his ; 
 which being brought he delivered to me, bidding me take it home with me, and read it at my Leisure : 
 and when I had so done, return it to him, with my Judgment thereupon. 
 
 " When I came home, and had set my self to read it, I found it was that excellent POEM, which 
 he entituled PARADISE LOST. After I had, with the best Attention, read it through, I made liim 
 another Visit, and returned him his Book, with due Acknowledgement of the Favour he had done me, 
 
 25 
 
194 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 in Communicating it to me. He asked me how I liked it, and what I thought of it ; which I modestly, 
 bat freely told him : and after some further Discourse about it, I pleasantly said to him, Thou hast 
 said much here of Paradise lost; but what hast thou to say of jl'.i/v,//.-, i\nn,d'f He made me no 
 Answer, but sate some time in a Muse ; then brake of that Discourse, and fell upon another 
 Subject. 
 
 "After the Sickness was over, and the City well cleansed and become safely habitable airain, he 
 returned thither. And when afterwards I went to wait on him there (which I seldom failed of iloinir. 
 whenever my Occasions drew me to London) he showed me his Second POEM, called PARADISE 
 REGAINED; and in a pleasant Tone said to me, This is mving to you ; for you put if i,itn ,,,,/ II ad, 
 lij the Question you put to me at Chalfont, which before I hud not thoiyht of. But from this Digression 
 I return to the Family I then lived in." 
 
 It is seen by the preceding extracts from the Autobiography of Ell wood, that 
 there is no reason whatever for supposing that he at any time acted as Amanuensis 
 to Milton; though, like many of those who were intimate with the Poet, he may 
 have occasionally, and more particularly during the first period of their acquaint- 
 ance, have acted in that capacity. EUwood continued to live with the Peniugtons 
 for many years, and married in 1669. As he does not again mention Milton, 
 the probability is, that, on the return of the Poet to London, little intercourse 
 took place between them, except in the occasional visits Ell wood paid to his old 
 Master. 
 
 INGULAELY remarkable are the last four lines of Paradise Regained: 
 
 " Thus they the Son of God our Saviour meek 
 Sung Victor, and from Heavenly Feast refresh'd' 
 Brought on his way with joy; he unobservd 
 Home to his Mother's house private return'd." 
 
 We acknowledge our total incapacity of criticizing the diction of the Great Poet, 
 Milton ; but we venture an opinion, that, had any other mind than his composed 
 the above lines, as the conclusion of a poem 1 on such a subject, they would have 
 not remained long unnoticed for their very peculiar manner of delineating the 
 return of our Blessed Saviour, after "The Temptation in the Wilderness," to his 
 earthly mother, ere he entered upon these predestined duties, for the fulfilment 
 of which alone,- THE SALVATION OF MAN,- he left the glories of his Heavenly 
 Kingdom, embracing Humanity in the humble position of the Son of a Carpenter. 
 
 "Of Paradise Regained," observes 2 Dr. Johnson, "the general judgement seems 
 
 1 Milton appears to have closed his Poem, 
 Paradise Regained, ere its subject may be said 
 to have commenced. The Poet sublimely de- 
 scribes the Victory of our Blessed Saviour 
 over the Temptations of Satan, paving, as it 
 
 were, the road to the Gates of Heaven ; but the 
 Poet leaves to his Reader the realization of 
 "Paradise 
 
 2 Life of Milton, by Johnson. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 195 
 
 now to be right, that it is in many parts elegant, and everywhere instructive. It 
 was not to be supposed that the writer of Paradise Lost could ever write without 
 great effusions of fancy, and exalted precepts of wisdom. The basis of Paradise 
 Regained is narrow ; a dialogue without action can never please like an union of 
 the narrative and dramatic powers. Had this poem been written, not by Milton, 
 but by some imitator, it would have claimed and received universal praise." What 
 a noble admission on the part of the Great Critic, JOHNSON ! 
 
 ANDREW MARVELL being one of the most constant friends of Milton, 
 and acting as Assistant-Secretary to the Poet when he became bereft 
 of his sight, it is natural to suppose that he might have occasionally 
 acted as his Amanuensis. In plate XXIV., No. 5, we have given in 
 fac-simile the commencement and ending of a letter 1 from Andrew 
 Marvell. It is there seen that the handwriting is of a totally different character 
 from any that we have met with among the papers connected with Milton. 
 
 1 It forms one in the collection of Letters 
 and Papers usually, but erroneously, called " THE 
 MILTON STATE PAPERS," respecting which the 
 subjoined note occurs in " The BibllograpJier's 
 Manual" by Lowndes : " These State Papers 
 were probably collected by Milton with a view 
 to render them subservient to some particular 
 or general history of his times." The Papers 
 do not contain any internal evidence of having 
 belonged to the Poet ! 
 
 As a Member of the Royal Society of Anti- 
 quaries of London, we find, on searching the 
 original Minutes of the Society, the subjoined 
 note of the Documents referred to : 
 
 " Mr. Ames, from Mr. John Nickolls, pre- 
 sented the Society with a large Folio bound 
 with guards, being letters of several Persons to 
 Oliver Cromwell, and were formerly the collec- 
 tion of John Milton, who left them to Mr 
 
 Wyatt of London, merchant, with whom our 
 deceased Member, Mr. John Nickolls, Junior, 
 served his time, and at his master's decease his 
 Mrs. gave them to him. Now they being 
 printed in Folio 1 743, with this Title : Original 
 Letters and Papers of State addressed to Oliver 
 
 Cromwell ; concerning the affairs of Great Britain. 
 From, the year 1649 to 1658. Found among tlie 
 political collection of Mr. John Milton. Now first 
 publislied from tJie originals By John Nickolls, 
 Junr., Member of the Society of Antiquaries, 
 London. His Father gave with the originals a 
 note in these words, viz. : 
 
 " ' In consideration of the esteem my Son had 
 for the Society of Antiquaries of London, of 
 which he was member, I do give this manu- 
 script collection of Letters of Oliver Cromwell, 
 to be by them preserved for publick use. 
 
 ' JOHN NICKOLLS. 
 " ' London, 15th Jan. 1746.' " 
 
 " The above is a faithful extract from fol. 113 
 of Vol. V. of the Minutes of the Society of Anti- 
 quaries, Thursday, 15th Jan. 1746. 
 
 " C. KNIGHT WATSON, Secretary. 
 "Oct. 2,1860." 
 
 As an Encouragement to others to bestow 
 similar Collections to the Society, the Council 
 could not have done better than to have printed 
 the contents of the volume, a volume given to 
 be "preserved for pubUck use." 
 
 25* 
 
196 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 THE LICENSED MANUSCRIPT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FIKST BOOK OF PARADISE LOST. 
 
 PLATE XXV. Nos. 1, 2, AND 3. 
 
 T is remarkable that Bishop Newton is the only biographer of the 
 Poet who records the existence of the very interesting Manu- 
 script in the possession of William Baker, 1 Esq., of Bayfordbury, 
 Hertfordshire. In his Memoir of the Poet, prefixed to the 
 variorum edition of Paradise Lost, 1761, p. Ivii., he states that 
 not only was the original 2 contract for the sale of the copyright 
 of that Poem, April 27, 1667, in the possession of Tonson, the 
 bookseller, but " likewise the manuscript of the first book copied fair for the press, 
 with the Imprimatur by Thomas Tomkyns, Chaplain to the Archbislwp of Canter- 
 bury ; so that though Milton was forced to make use of different hands to write his 
 verses from time to time, as he had occasion, yet we may suppose that the copy 
 for the press was written all, or at least each book, by the same hand." 
 
 It appears extraordinary, that subsequent editors and biographers of the Poet,- 
 men distinguished in literature for their indefatigable industry and research,- should 
 not have sought out the present location of the said Manuscript. It was quite 
 by accident, as stated, p. 165, that we became acquainted with it. We had 
 anticipated and hoped that it would turn out to be in the same handwriting as 
 that employed by the Amanuensis of Milton in the latter portion of the Treatise 
 De Doctrind Christiana, and in the copies of some of the Sonnets in the Trinity 
 College Manuscript. 
 
 Through the kindness of Mr. Baker, we have been permitted to have the first, 
 and a portion of another page taken in fac-simile,-Nos. 1 and 2 in the present 
 plate. In these pages the reader will see, that, though at first sight there is a 
 similarity in the style of the hand to that of the smaller cursive hand in specimen 2, 
 plate XX., and specimen 2, plate XXII., from the De Doctrind Christiana-^. 
 similarity, such as frequently exists in the peculiar secretary hand of the period,- 
 yet the difference between the two hands is such, as to leave no doubt of the fair 
 copy of the First Book of Paradise Lost, forming the now Baker Manuscript, 
 
 1 Sir William Baker, the father of the late 
 William Baker, the Member for Hertford, and 
 grandfather of the present William Baker, 
 married Mary the eldest daughter of Jacob 
 
 Tonson, jun., the nephew of Jacob Tonson, sen. 
 
 2 That presented by Samuel Rogers, the Poet, 
 to the British Museum. 
 
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THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 197 
 
 having been written by another person. It is also stated by Bishop Newton, no 
 doubt on the authority of Tonson, that it was the fair copy made for the press ; 
 the Bishop afterwards observing, that the remaining books were probably copied for 
 the press by the same hand. It may be interesting to notice that the Manuscript 
 of the First Book under consideration, is evidently in the same state as it was when 
 sent to be licensed. It is written on seventeen leaves, small 4to., independent of 
 the outer leaf containing on the reverse the subjoined inscription : 
 
 "Imprimatur 
 
 " Tho. Tomkyns iP m in Christo Patri ac Domino Dno Gilberto 
 divind Providentid Archiepiscopo Cantuariensi d sacris domesticis. 
 
 "Richard Royston. 
 
 "Int.p Geo. Tokefeilde Cl. 
 
 The leaves are merely stitched; and it has never had any kind of binding, the 
 first and last leaves, half a folio sheet, forming the covering. The Book ends on 
 the recto of the last leaf but one, but without any indication of there being a further 
 portion ; though the note of its being only the first Book occurs as the running-title 
 on the top of each leaf. The circumstance of the last three pages being blank, induces 
 us to believe that no more than the first Book was at that time sent to be licensed. 
 The licence, as given in fac-simile No. 3, is written on the reverse of the outer 
 leaf. The first portion is probably in the autograph of Thomas Tomkyns, Chaplain 
 to the Archbishop of Canterbury. It bears no date ; but, as Gilbert Sheldon suc- 
 ceeded Archbishop Juxon, who died June 20, 1663, the Licence must have been 
 granted after that date, and before 1678: Archbishop Sheldon having died in 1677. 
 That it was granted before April 27, 16 77, is most certain, as the Deed of Agreement 
 for its sale mentions "All that Booke, Copy, Manuscript of a Poem intituled Para- 
 dise Lost" and " noiv lately licensed to be printed." We had hoped to have found 
 some entry of the imprimatur in the Register at Lambeth Palace; but our researches 
 in that quarter, through Mr. John Bohn, with the kind permission of the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury, and his Secretary, Mr. Felix Knyvett, have not met with any 
 success. It appears that the applications for the Licences to print were not at that 
 period preserved. Through the kindness of our friend, Mr. Henry Foss, the Master 
 of the Honourable Stationers' Company, we find the subjoined entry relating to the 
 copyright of Paradise Lost : 
 
 "August 20, 1667. 
 "Mr. Sam. Symons. 
 
 "Entered for his Copie under the hands of Mr. Thomas Tomkyns'] <, 
 and Mr. Warden Royston, 1 a Booke or Copie Intituled fvi. 
 Paradise lost, A Poem in Tenne bookes by I. M." 
 
 led > 
 
 1 Richard Royston was then Warden ; it 
 being probably necessary, as at the present 
 
 time, that such entries should be made under 
 the hand of the Warden. 
 
198 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE KMTIDATIOX OF 
 
 HEN the great epic," writes Dr. Symmons in his Life of the Poet, 
 p. 521, "was completely prepared for the press, its birth was on the 
 point of being intercepted by the malignity, or rather perhaps by 
 the perverse sagacity of the licenser; whose quick nostril distin- 
 guished the scent of treason in that well-known simile of the sun in 
 
 the first book 
 
 'As when the sun new-risen 
 
 Looks through the horizontal misty air, 
 Shorn of his beams ; or, from behind the moon, 
 In dim eclipse disastrous twilight sheds 
 On half the nations, and ivithfear of change 
 Perplexes monardis.' 
 
 "The office of licenser, which had been abolished during the usurpation of 
 Cromwell, had now been restored, for a limited time, by an Act of Parliament 
 passed in 1662. By this Act, the press, with reference to its different productions, 
 was placed under the dominion of the Judges, some of the Officers of the State, and 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury. Poetry falling within the province of the latter, the 
 fate of Paradise Lost was committed to the judgment of the Eeverend Thomas 
 Tomkyns, one of the chaplains of Archbishop Sheldon." 
 
 In the Appendix to the Life of Milton by Birch, prefixed to the first volume of 
 the Prose Works of Milton, published in 2 vols., folio, by Millar, 1738, occurs as "xv" 
 of the Testimonies in support of the Icon Basilike being the genuine production of 
 King Charles I., a statement that Mr. Royston informed Sir William Dugdale " that 
 about the beginning of October 1648, he was sent by the King to prepare all tlu'ngs 
 ready for the printing of some Papers ; which he purposed shortly after to convey 
 unto him ; and which was this very copy brought to him on the 23d December next 
 following by Mr. Edward Symmons ; in the printing whereof Mr. Eoyston made such 
 speed that it was finished before the 30 of January, on which his Majesty's Life was 
 taken away." 
 
 Eichard Eoyston was at that time the Eoyal Printer. He had served Charles I. 
 in that capacity, and was continued in that office during the Eeigns of Charles II. 
 and James II. He was buried at Christ Church, Newgate-street, his epitaph being 
 "Eichard Eoyston, 1 Printer to 3 Kings, died 1686, in his 86th year." Our kind 
 and venerable friend, Mr. Nichols, informs us, that "He gave some plate to the 
 Stationers' Company. He had a patent granted him for the printing of the Works 
 
 1 Many interesting particulars of Royston are 
 related in "THE LITERARY ANECDOTES," one of 
 the most charming works of the present period. 
 It is a work essentially requisite in the library 
 of all who desire to acquaint themselves with 
 
 the Literary History and Authors of the past 
 and present centuries. It was commenced in 
 1812, by John Nichols; and continued and com- 
 pleted in the present year, 1860, by his son, 
 John Bowyer Nichols, F.S.A., etc. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OP MILTON. 199 
 
 of King Charles I. He Avas connected with the Chiswell Family. The Roystons 
 and Chiswells were Booksellers, leading men in an occupation worthy of the highest 
 respect when taken up with a feeling to promote the interests of literature, 
 beyond the mere desire of amassing wealth by the indiscriminate use of type, ink, 
 and paper." 
 
 | HE question that now arises, is, whether the Manuscript was really that 
 from which the first edition of that portion of the work was printed. In 
 the fac-simile from the first page, it is seen, that the Amanuensis had 
 in the first instance written the first letter of each line in the small 
 character, and that afterwards he altered each letter to a capital. 
 That peculiarity pervades the first three pages, though in the fourth page, the 
 copyist occasionally forgot his fresh instructions. The fact of the orthography 
 differing constantly throughout, and there being no indication for the use of italics, 
 so frequent in the printed text of the first edition, induces us, with the additional 
 fact of the manuscript not having been at all soiled, to think that another transcript 
 was made for the printer, and that the present manuscript was preserved intact as 
 the document authorizing the printing of the work, by Sheldon, Abp. of Canterbury. 
 There is most certainly a degree of mystery connected with the printing and 
 publication of Paradise Lost, which has been hitherto unaccounted for. The diffi- 
 culty in obtaining the license for its printing had been got over ; and yet we find 
 that Samuel Simmons, a printer, who had purchased the copyright, substituted the 
 name of another printer, Peter Parker, on the title-page ; whose name also appears 
 in the imprint on the titles to the copies issued in 1667, and in part during 1668, in 
 which latter year S. Simmons suddenly comes forth, acknowledging himself as the 
 printer of the work. It has been shown, pp. 81-2, that there were no less than nine 
 title-pages, all varying, used in the different issues of the first edition of the work. 
 Why was it, that, in the title wherein the name of Simmons first appears as the 
 Printer, the notice "Licensed and entered according to order" is omitted ? Did 
 Simmons fear to allow his name, in the first instance, to appear as the printer of a 
 work bearing the name of John Milton, who, though not politically persecuted at 
 that period, had still very many enemies 1 Such was probably the case ; but 
 when he found that the Poem was not condemned, and that, notwithstanding the 
 prejudice against the author, the work successfully took ground, he no longer hesi- 
 tated, but issued the remaining copies in 1668, under his own name as the printer. 
 Simmons subsequently sold the copyright to Brabazon Aylmer, the bookseller, for 
 twenty-five pounds, so that, after all, Simmons cannot be said to have realized a large 
 sum by his original purchase. The copyright was afterwards bought of Aylmer by 
 Jacob Tonson at a considerable advance ; at which time, Tonson, no doubt, became the 
 possessor of the licensed manuscript copy of the First Book of the Poem and the 
 original articles of agreement between Samuel Simmons and the Poet. 
 
200 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 lINCE penning the preceding, we have accidentally become 
 acquainted with some rather interesting information respecting 
 the Assignment by Milton of the copyright of his Paradise Lost 
 to S. Simmons in 1667; consequent on our finding, when on a 
 visit to William Baker, of Bayfordbury, Hertfordshire, Esq., that 
 it had evidently formed part and parcel of some " Tonson 
 Papers," in the possession of his family, inherited by his great 
 grandfather, Sir William Baker of Bayfordbury, who married Mary, the eldest 
 daughter of Jacob Tonson, junior. 
 
 Bishop Newton, in his Memoir of the Poet prefixed to the variorum edition of 
 Paradise Lost, 1761, 4to., p. Ivii, states, as we have previously noticed, that the Docu- 
 ment was then in the possession of JACOB TONSON. In the " Bibliographical Account 
 of Milton's Poetical Works," which appeared in " The Retrospective Review" vol. xiv., 
 1 826, pp. 282-305, it is stated, p. 29 4, that " the copyright contract of the Poet with the 
 bookseller Symmons, who purchased the manuscript poem, is now in the possession of 
 Mr. Pickering, who, we believe, obtained it through the representatives of the 
 Tonson family. As this classical and interesting relic has for a century and a half 
 eluded the research of the biographers and bibliographers, we insert it, correctly 
 copied from the original." 
 
 The author of the article in the Eeview evidently had intercourse with the late 
 Mr. Pickering, as shown by his having been permitted to make a transcript of the 
 document. It is, therefore, singular that, when alluding to it, he should have stated 
 that he " believed" -" it was obtained through the representatives of the Tonson Family," 
 as, on enquiry of Mr. Pickering, he would have at once learned that such was not the 
 fact. Mysteriousness is a habit frequently adopted when there is really not the 
 least occasion for it. The simple question is this : If Mr. Pickering purchased 
 the document at a public sale, how could he be said to have " obtained it through the 
 representatives of the Tonson Family." In the " Advertisement " to vol. i. of the 
 Poetical Works of Milton, edited by the Eevercnd John Mitford, 1851, the publisher, 
 Mr. Pickering, notes, in referring to the Deed of Assignment, that " It was once in 
 the possession of the Publisher of this Edition, and was sold by him for one hundred 
 guineas." A fac-simile of the document, engraved by Swaine, accompanied that 
 edition. 
 
 It has been clearly shown, on the authority of Bishop Newton, that in 1 761 the 
 document was in the possession of the Tonson Family, together with the manuscript 
 of the first book of Paradise Lost. 
 
 In Willis's Current Notes for July 1857, is an interesting article on the Kit Cat 
 Club and the collection of Portraits of its Members. The article thus closes, p. 51 : 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 201 
 
 " Jacob Tonson, the third bookseller of the name, served the office of High Sheriff for the 
 county of Surrey in 1750 ; and in 1759 paid the customary fine for being excused to serve as Sheriff 
 of London and Middlesex. He conducted his business with great liberality in the same shop which had 
 been so many years possessed by his father and great uncle, opposite Catherine Street, in the Strand ; 
 but some years before his death moved to a new house he had built on the other side, now No. 345, 
 near Catherine Street, where he died without issue, March 31, 1767. The house was then Mr. Hod- 
 soil's, the banker, and here remained a large depositary of Pope's and other letters, the correspond- 
 ence of the Tonsons, to which latterly no particular attention being paid, the whole disappeared, 
 and was destroyed, it was said, by the servants." 
 
 If we mistake not, the younger Tonson had a large share in the partnership 
 of the banking establishment of Mr. Hodsoll, and subsequently of Messrs. Hodsoll 
 and Stirling, the business being conducted in the house in the Strand built by Tonson 
 on his removal from the old house nearly opposite, called " Shakespeare's Head" 
 afterwards occupied by Andrew Miller, the publisher, and at his death by Thomas 
 Cadell, his apprentice. It has been since rebuilt, it being No. 141, three doors from 
 the house in which the sales by auction of Libraries, Collections of Prints, Coins, 
 Antiquities, etc. were carried on by Messrs. Leigh & Sotheby, from 1805 until the 
 removal of the business by the late Samuel Sotheby in 1819 to Wellington Street, 
 Strand, a business which had been commenced in 1744 by SAMUEL BAKEK, a Book- 
 seller. 1 
 
 1 SAMUEL BAKER was for many years distin- 
 guished as an eminent bookseller of the early part 
 of the eighteenth century. The Sale of Libraries 
 by Public Auction commenced as early as 1676, 
 with that of Dr. Seaman, by William Cooper, 
 bookseller, who was afterwards joined by Ed- 
 ward Millington. They were succeeded by the 
 Ballards, Samuel Paterson, and Samuel Baker ; 
 the latter making his debut as an Auctioneer of 
 Books in the sale of the Library of Thomas 
 Pellet, in the Great Boom over Exeter Change, 
 Jwnuary 1744; the room afterwards used for 
 the Exhibition of Wild Beasts ! At that period, 
 as at the present, Libraries were sometimes sold 
 by the Auctioneers of Pictures, Furniture, and 
 such like, viz. : Gerard, Christie, Cock, Lang- 
 ford, etc. Samuel Baker, however, was the first 
 Bookseller who turned his more immediate atten- 
 tion to the Sale of Libraries ; and though he con- 
 tinued occasionally to publish Catalogues of his 
 own stock of Books, as a Trading Bookseller and 
 Publisher, his object was to found a business as 
 the Leading Auctioneer of Books. 
 
 Mr. Baker was, for those days, a wealthy and 
 independent man ; spending, during the latter 
 years of his life, the greater portion of his time 
 
 in journeying, on an old favourite horse, to and 
 from his residence at Woodford Bridge, near 
 Chigwell, in Essex, in which part he possessed 
 two other small estates. He left the general 
 management of his business to his assistant, 
 Mr. George Leigh, the youngest son of Dr. 
 Egerton Leigh, Archdeacon of Salop and Canon 
 of Hereford; who, having a large family of 
 boys, placed the youngest one, George, as a 
 youth, under the care of Mr. Baker ; by whom he 
 was afterwards taken into Partnership. Baker 
 and Leigh, while continuing and carrying on 
 their business as Booksellers, established them- 
 selves as Book Auctioneers. Mr. Samuel Baker 
 then brought into the business his nephew, 
 Mr. John Sotheby ; to whom, on his death, in 
 1778, he bequeathed all his property. The firm, 
 previously carried on by Baker, Leigh, and 
 Sotheby, was continued by Leigh and Sotheby ; 
 and subsequently by Leigh, Sotheby, and Son, 
 Mr. Samuel Sotheby, the eldest son, who had 
 been brought up in the business. 
 
 Owing to unhappy family circumstances, the 
 firm was dissolved in 1804, Mr. George Leigh 
 and Mr. Samuel Sotheby removing to 145, 
 Strand ; while Mr. John Sotheby remained in 
 
 26 
 
202 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 HE Document under consideration may at one time have been among 
 the " Tonson Papers" mentioned by the author of the article quoted 
 from " Willis's Notes and Queries." We can quite understand how- 
 such manuscripts, having been deposited and remaining for more 
 than half a century in the cellars of a banking house, or in any house 
 
 the old house, York-street, Covent Garden. 
 Mr. Sotheby, senior, had not been brought up 
 as a man of business. He was a man of consi- 
 derable taste and elegant deportment. He 
 painted well, engraved well, and carved well. 
 Imbued with a feeling of being the fallen Repre- 
 sentative of the Eldest Branch of the Sotheby 
 Family, one of the oldest families in the East 
 Riding of Yorkshire, near Pocklington, where 
 they were settled in the early part of the fifteenth 
 century; the beautiful church of that place 
 having been built by John Sotheby about 1450. 
 His monumental cross, erected on the occasion, 
 has been lately restored by us, and placed at 
 the entrance of the churchyard, and a copy of it 
 in the Monumental Court of the Crystal Palace 
 at Sydenham. 
 
 Mr. Sotheby attended too little to the means 
 of supporting the position in which he had been 
 placed by the property bequeathed to him by his 
 Uncle, Samuel Baker ; and consequently on his 
 death, within three years of his being in business 
 by himself, little of the Baker Property remained. 
 
 Messrs. Leigh and Sotheby having firmly 
 established themselves in the Strand, as The 
 First Auctioneers for the disposal of Libraries, 
 gave up their business as Booksellers and Pub- 
 lishers. 
 
 Of Mr. George Leigh, who died in 1816, that 
 eccentric but clever bookseller, William Gardi- 
 ner, of Pall Mall, has remarked in one of his 
 Catalogues, while criticizing that portion of 
 the "Bibliomania" allotted to the Auction Room : 
 "Even the keystone of the arch, the Auc- 
 tioneer, is forgotten ; an omission, like the name 
 in an epitaph, inexcusable, particularly as Mr. 
 Leigh was not made 'by one of Nature's journey- 
 men.' Nay, I think he would even tempt a 
 pencil of taste. However, I won't suffer him to 
 be out of print ; and so I'll e'en try my rough 
 charcoal on his effiyies. Mr. Leigh, to the birth, 
 person, and manners of a gentleman, adds, in 
 the autumn of life, the cheerfulness, the bloom, 
 
 and the gentle, friendly warmth of spring ; and 
 during a space of forty years devoted to the 
 service of the publick, has attended to its inter- 
 ests, whatever might be the magnitude, with 
 the utmost vigilance, impartiality, and success ; 
 and, in a profession accompanied by much 
 trouble, perplexity, confusion, and uncertainty, 
 has spared neither his person nor purse to in- 
 troduce regularity, method, and precision ; and 
 has preserved a character not only unstained 
 and unsuspected, but highly honourable. His 
 discharge of duty during the hour of sale can- 
 not be too highly praised, whether for a grace- 
 fulness of delivery, that adds interest to such a 
 correct enunciation of his articles as each of 
 their Authors would approve ; or for that polished 
 suavity with which he moderates the occasional 
 asperity of contending parties ; whether he 
 checks with a Ion mot the Doctor's [the learned 
 Dr. Gosset] rarely unchristian want of bene- 
 volence to an unfortunate classick, or \\iili 
 irresistible politeness induces Dom. Atticus 
 [Richard Heber] to indulge the room with a 
 slight glance of the contested prize ; whether 
 he reinvigorates the declining powers of the 
 combatants with the effluvia of his ' spirit-stir- 
 ring horn' [silver snuff-box], or crowns glorious 
 victory with a triumphant laurel of brown rap- 
 pee. The battle ended, a gentlemanly attention 
 to the wounds of every unfortunate hero, from 
 whatever cause they arise, furnishes a rude 
 index to a few, and only a few, of the virtues 
 and accomplishments of Mr. Leigh." 
 
 It was not until the recent possession, 
 through the kindness of our venerable friend, 
 Mr. John Bowyer Nichols, of a copy of his 
 Father's and his own very interesting and valu- 
 able "Literary Anecdotes and Illustrations of tin' 
 Eighteenth Century," that we became acquainted 
 with the preceding testimonial from the pen of 
 so severe a critic as that extraordinary book- 
 seller, Gardiner, in praise of our Godfather and 
 Predecessor, Mr. George Leigh. 
 
THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 203 
 
 of business, where there was nobody who had any interest to preserve them, would 
 get neglected, no claim having been probably made by the representatives of the 
 Family to whom they belonged, arising perhaps from their ignorance of such property 
 being there. We can readily conceive, how a Partner or Head Clerk in such a 
 house, possessing a taste for literature, or being a collector, or having friends who 
 were collectors of Autograph Letters, w y ould in his spare hours occasionally amuse 
 himself and them in looking over such papers, how such papers might then be 
 placed on one side, and, from time to time, get purloined and ultimately disappear 
 altogether, only to re-appear occasionally in the Portfolios of Collectors and in 
 Public Museums, wherein they may have found a resting-place after having passed 
 through several persons' hands, no questions having arisen as to whence they were 
 obtained, or by whose authority they were sold. These cases, we fear, are of 
 frequent occurrence, owing in many instances to such property having been perhaps 
 confided by the owner to some friends for literary purposes, or to some bailee 
 for safe keeping, without any indication of the name of the person to whom such 
 property belonged. We have purposely repeated the words such property, because it 
 is property of a very peculiar character,- valuable property of considerable historical 
 and literary interest. 
 
 In exemplification of the above remarks, we may state, 1 that, in the year 1824, 
 a person in the possession of some of the " Tonson Papers" decamped from his 
 lodgings at the house of a Tailor in Clifford Street, Bond Street, leaving his landlord 
 minus his rent. Whether on his departure he left to his landlord "Some Manuscripts" 
 as any kind of security, we do not know ; but the Knight of the Scissors finding these 
 Manuscripts in the apartment of his Lodger betook himself to turn them into cash ; 
 and accordingly he or his man called on a neighbour, one Septimus Prowett, a Book- 
 seller, then of some note in Bond Street, and offered to sell to him " some Manuscript 
 Papers, comprising the Agreement for the Sale by Milton of the copyright of Paradise 
 Lost to S. Simmons ;-the Agreement for the Sale of the Translation of Virgil by 
 Dryden ;-and some other papers, for the Spectator and Tatler, with the signatures of 
 Steele, Addison, etc." The Tailor told the Bookseller Prowett, that "the Papers had 
 been given to him to sell, and the proceeds were to pay a Lodging score." Mr. Prowett, 
 who was at that time engaged in preparing for publication his magnificent edition of 
 Paradise Lost, illustrated with the Series of Engravings after the designs of Martin, 
 offered for the whole the sum of 25, which was accepted. Of the Agreement 
 for the Sale of Paradise Lost Mr. Prowett had a fac-simile engraved by J. Messenger, 
 with the view of presenting an impression to each of the Subscribers to that edition. 
 Misfortunes, however, during the year 182 4,- a year so calamitous to the mercantile 
 interest-overwhelmed him, and thus deprived him of the pleasure of making his 
 intended gift to the Subscribers for "Martin's Milton." Being desirous, however, of 
 
 1 For this information we are indebted to Mr. Septimus Prowett and to Mr. John Bryant, formerly 
 well known as booksellers. 
 
204 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN THE ELUCIDATION OF 
 
 turning his recently purchased Manuscripts to a profitable account, he sent them all 
 in 1825 to the Auction Room of Mr. Southgate, where they were sold, February 28th, 
 1826, and on reference to the Sale Catalogues of that date, we find that the Manu- 
 scripts were entered as subjoined : 
 
 118 Assignment of the History of England, 20 March, 1706, signed, Lau Echard, Temple Stanyan; 
 
 and Assignment of Abra Mule, 1 Jan., signed, Joseph Trap. Bought by Mr. Upcott for 4s. 
 
 119 Assignment of Spectators, 5 July, 1721, signed, E. Budgell, Jacob Tomon. 
 
 Bought by Mr. Rogers, Gs. 
 
 120 Assignment of Spectators, 10 Nov., 1712, signed, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele. 
 
 Bought by Mr. Rogers, 2?. 4s. 
 
 121 Assignment of Spectators, signed, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Samuel Buckle//. 
 
 Bought by Mr. Mathews, 21. 4s. 
 
 122 Assignment of Spectators, signed, Joseph Addison, Thomas Tickell. Paid per Cash. \l. 5s. 
 
 123 Assignment of Virgil, 15 June, 1694, signed, JOHN DUYDEN, William Congnri: 
 
 Bought by Mr. Pickering, 31. 15s. 
 
 124 Agreement for the Sale of " Tlie Paradise Lost " to Samuel Symonds, 27 April, 1667, signed, 
 
 JOHN MILTON. Bought by Mr. Pickering, 451. 3s. 
 
 It was after the possession of the last two papers by Mr. Pickering, that they 
 became the property of Sir Thomas Lawrence, who we presume was the person 
 alluded to by Mr. Pickering as having paid one hundred guineas for the Milton 
 Document alone. On the decease of Sir Thomas Lawrence, the two Documents 
 were sold by Mr. Christie, June 1836, with the Remaining Part of his Collection of 
 Modern Drawings, catalogued : 
 
 444 Dryden's Assignment of his Virgil to Tonson, an. 1694 the original deed on parchment, with 
 
 his seal and signature, and the signature of Congreve as witness. 
 
 445 The Original Assignment, on paper, made by Milton of his Paradise Lost, to Samuel Symons, 
 
 April 27, 1667, with the signature and seal of the poet. 
 
 The one was purchased by Mr. Henry Rogers, the brother of Samuel Rogers, the 
 Poet ; the other by Mr. Glyn, a Bookseller and Dealer in Autograph Letters. In the 
 late Mr. Dawson Turner's copy of the Sale Catalogues of the Collections of Sir Thomas 
 Lawrence, now in our possession, occurs the subjoined note in reference to the two 
 Documents : 
 
 " Both these were in the possession of Mr. Fra. Mackie, 1 who, in July 1825, oifered them to me 
 (see my correspondence). He then stated, that Mr. Septimus Prowett, who afterwards bought 
 Milton's Assignment, had offered him 30 for it. I declined the purchase ; and on Prowett's failure, 
 which happened soon after, I suppose it fell into Sir T. Lawrence's hands. After his sale, though 
 bought by Glyn, it became the property of Mr. Meigh ; on the sale of whose books and autographs 
 by Evans in Feb. 1831, it was bought by Pickering for 50Z. 8s., and by him sold to Mr. Rogers, in 
 whose collection it was in Nov. 1831. D. T." 
 
 1 If Mr. Mackie was the tailor in whose house 
 the Manuscripts were left, it is very evident 
 that he did not sell them to Mr. Prowett with- 
 
 out having previously tried elsewhere. We 
 believe that the late Mr. Murray of Bond-street 
 offered the same sum for them as Mr. Prowett. 
 
 HERE OUR "RAMBLINGS" ARE BROUGHT TO A CONCLUSION. 
 
 November 1860. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES 
 
 OF 
 
 EMINENT PERSONS 
 
 WHO HAVE RECEIVED 
 
 HONOURS FROM THE SOVEREIGNS OF ENGLAND 
 
 FOR THEIR ATTAINMENTS 
 
 IN 
 
 LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, 
 
 DURING THE PERIOD l66O TO 1 86 1. 
 
 26 
 
|T has been often said, and we believe with perfect 
 truth, that the history of an individual, in however 
 humble a position his lot may have been cast, would 
 present points of interest not only to the philanthro- 
 pist and philosopher, but to the most cursory of 
 ordinary readers. It is instructive to trace, on even the most limited 
 scale, the influence of circumstances on the man and his fortunes ; 
 and how much of his success is due to opportunity, and how much to 
 the talent which turns it to account. And the interest of the 
 inquiry is of course enhanced in proportion to the prominence 
 achieved by the individual in the great drama of life. 
 
 With the view of affording materials for such an investigation, 
 and of shewing, that, since the time of Milton, the Crown, in the 
 distribution of its honours, has not been unmindful of the claims of 
 Men of Genius, we have, in the following pages, given brief Biogra- 
 phical Notices of Men who, during the last two hundred years, have 
 distinguished themselves in Literature, in Science, and in Art; and 
 who have, principally as a reward for their scientific attainments, 
 obtained honorary distinctions from the Sovereigns of England. This 
 limitation has excluded from our Notices many of the Legal, Medical, 
 Military, and Naval Professions, they having received the honour of 
 Knighthood rather on account of their official position than for any 
 scientific discovery in their several pursuits. 
 
 We have endeavoured to give the dates and places of their 
 birth, and of the successive steps by which they rose to eminence; 
 the period when the honours were conferred, a short reference to 
 their principal Literary, Artistic, or Scientific achievements, and the 
 date when each closed his mortal career. 
 
 In acquitting ourselves of this task, we claim no higher merit 
 than industry and care in the collection of our materials, and in 
 testing, by corroborative evidence, the authenticity of the sources 
 from which they are derived. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF EMINENT PERSONS 
 
 WHO HAVE RECEIVED 
 
 HONOUKS FROM THE SOVEREIGNS OF ENGLAND FOR THEIR 
 ATTAINMENTS IN LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, 
 
 DURING THE PERIOD 1660 TO 1861. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM ADAMS. 
 
 HIS celebrated Oculist became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 
 London, in 1807, and devoted himself principally to diseases of the eye. In 
 1812 he published " Observations on Ectropium, or Eversion of the Eye- 
 lids," and was appointed Oculist to the Eye Infirmary at Exeter. He 
 professed to have discovered a new method of treating the eye in ophthalmia, 
 which recommended him to the notice of Lord Palmerston, then Secretary 
 at War, who created a new place for him, " Ophthalmic Surgeon to the 
 Army," with a salary of 1,500 per ann. He held the offices of Oculist 
 Extraordinary to the Prince Regent (who conferred upon him the honour of knighthood in 1814) 
 and Oculist in Ordinary to the Dukes of Kent and Sussex. By royal license he took the name of 
 Rawson in 1825. He died in 1827. 
 
 LIEUT.-COL. SIR JAMES EDWARD ALEXANDER, KNT., K.C.L.S. 
 
 This enterprising military officer, who is the son of the late Edward Alexander, Esq., of Powis, 
 Clackmannanshire, a descendant of the Earls of Stirling, has served in almost all parts of the globe. 
 He was employed on an expedition of discovery in the interior of Africa, and for his services 
 received the honour of knighthood in 1838. He has also received several war-medals ; and in 
 1858 was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 14th Foot, which regiment he commanded 
 at the siege and capture of Sebastopol. He is a Knight Commander of the Lion and Sun, and of 
 St. John of Jerusalem, and has received the order of the Medjidie. He is the author of several 
 volumes of Travels, Translations from the Persian, " Passages in the Life of a Soldier," etc. In this 
 latter work, published in 1857, he strongly advocates the formation of rifle corps as the surest 
 protection against invasion ; a suggestion which he has lived to see practically carried into effect. 
 
 . 27 
 
210 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 SIR ARCHIBALD ALISON, BART., D.C.L., F.R.S.E. 
 
 This celebrated Historian, who was born at Kenley in Shropshire, in 1792, is the son of the 
 Rev. Archibald Alison, Prebendary of Sarum, and author of " Essays on the Nature and Principles 
 of Taste." He studied at Edinburgh University, and was admitted an Advocate at the Scottish bar 
 in 1814. In 1834 he was appointed by Sir R. Peel Sheriff of Lanarkshire. He was elected Lord 
 Rector of Marischal College, Aberdeen, in 1845, and of the University of Glasgow in 1851. In 1852 
 he was created a Baronet; in 1853 the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law was conferred 
 upon him at Oxford ; and the Royal Society of Edinburgh have elected him a Fellow of their body. 
 The work upon which his literary fame is founded, is the " History of Europe from the Commence- 
 ment of the French Revolution in 1789, to the Restoration of the Bourbons in 1815," which has 
 passed through many editions, and been translated into most of the European and some of the 
 Eastern languages. Of this work Sir Archibald published a continuation in 1852, intitled " History 
 of Europe from the Fall of Napoleon to the Accession of Louis Napoleon in 1852 ; and in 1800 he 
 published an edition of the entire work. Sir Archibald is also the author of several other works. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM ALLAN, KNT., R.A., P.R.S.A. 
 
 This successful Painter was born at Edinburgh in 1782. He was educated at the High School ; 
 but, the study of the classics not being congenial to his taste, he was taken from thence, and bound 
 apprentice to a Coach-builder, who employed hitn in painting Armorial Bearings. His master 
 discovering his skill in this branch of art, by his influence obtained his admission into the Trustees' 
 Academy, where he was fellow pupil with Wilkie. When his term expired, he proceeded to London, 
 and became a Student of the Royal Academy ; and in 1805 exhibited his first picture, " Gipsy Boy 
 and Ass," at that Institution ; but this not attracting public attention, he determined on travelling 
 abroad, and took up his residence at St. Petersburgh, where he remained nearly ten years, making 
 occasional excursions into Turkey, Tartary, etc., for the purpose of gathering materials for his art. 
 On his return to Scotland, in 1814, he exhibited his " Circassian Captives," which, at the suggestion 
 of Sir Walter Scott, was purchased by means of a subscription raised by a hundred gentlemen at ten 
 guineas each, the Earl of Wemyss being the successful competitor for the prize. In consequence of an 
 ophthalmic disease, he was compelled for a year or two to discontinue painting. During this interval 
 he visited Italy, Asia Minor, and Greece. On resuming his pencil, his " Slave Market at Constanti- 
 nople," and other pictures of a like kind, shewed that he had profited by his travels. In 1825 he 
 was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, and an Academician in 1835. In 1838 he was 
 elected President of the Royal Academy of Scotland ; in 1841, on the death of Wilkie, he was 
 appointed Her Majesty's Limner for Scotland ; and in 1842 received the honour of Knighthood. 
 He died Feb. 23, 1850. 
 
 SIR RICHARD ARKWRIGHT, KNT. 
 
 Born at Preston in Derbyshire in 1732. He was originally a barber, which occupation he quitted 
 about 1760, and became an itinerant dealer in hair. In 1769 he obtained his first patent for 
 spinning by rollers. This machine was originally worked by horse-power ; but in 1771 water-power 
 was substituted at Cromford, which has been styled " the nursing-place of the factory opulence and 
 power of Great Britain." In 1775 he obtained a second patent for various improvements in his 
 first invention, from which, notwithstanding the numerous infringements of his patent, he amassed a 
 fortune little short of half a million of money, which was more than doubled by his son. When 
 upwards of fifty years of age, it is recorded that he endeavoured to retrieve the deficiencies of his 
 early education by devoting one hour a day to grammar, and another to writing and orthography. 
 He was knighted in 1786, as High Sheriff of Derbyshire, on presenting an address of congratulation 
 to George III. on the failure of the attempt made on his life by Margaret Nicholson. Sir Richard 
 died in 1792. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 211 
 
 SIR WILLIAM GEORGE ARMSTRONG, KNT., F.R.S., M. INST. C. E. 
 
 This successful civil engineer has acquired for himself a world-wide reputation for his " improve- 
 ments in ordnance," which he patented in 1857. He was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne, on Nov. 26, 
 1810. Though originally intended for the legal profession, he shewed so decided a taste for 
 mathematical studies that this intention was relinquished, and he entered the profession of a civil 
 engineer. In early life he became a partner in the Howick Works, near his native town, where 
 he brought to perfection his celebrated gun, which, after many successful experiments, the Govern- 
 ment have adopted, and have employed him not only to manufacture a large number at his own 
 works, but have given him the superintendence of the establishment at Woolwich, under the title of 
 Engineer to the War Department for Rifled Cannon. The long range of his gun, extending to nearly 
 six miles, and its unerring accuracy of aim, have been most satisfactorily tested in the recent Chinese 
 war, and have fully justified the Government in their preference for that arm. He received the 
 honour of knighthood for his invention, in 1859. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 
 1846, and is a Member of the Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers of London. 
 
 REAR-ADMIRAL SIR GEORGE BACK, KNT., D.C.L., F.R.S. 
 
 This distinguished Arctic Navigator was born at Stockport in Cheshire, November 6, 1796. He 
 entered the Navy as Midshipman on board the Arethusa in 1808. In 1818 he was selected to 
 accompany Captains Beechey and Buchan, and Lieut, (afterwards Sir John) Franklin on the first 
 modern voyage of discovery beyond Spitzbergen. In 1819 he again joined Franklin in his land 
 expedition from Hudson's Bay to the Copper-Mine River. In 1821 he obtained his lieutenancy ; 
 and, on his return in 1825, was promoted to the rank of Commander, and was associated with 
 Captain Franklin in his attempt to discover a North- West Passage in 1825-7. In 1833 he was 
 appointed to the command of an expedition in search of Captain Ross. On his return in 1835 he 
 obtained his post rank, and in 1836 was appointed to the command of the Terror, in which he 
 proceeded on another Arctic Expedition. Of this voyage he has given a most interesting account 
 in his " Narrative of an Expedition in H.M. Ship Terror, undertaken with a view to Geographical 
 Discovery on the Arctic Shores, in 1836-7." In 1837 he received the Gold Medal of the Geographical 
 Society ; and was knighted in 1838. In 1847 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society. The 
 University of Oxford conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.C.L. in 1854. He attained the 
 rank of Rear- Admiral in 1857. He is a member of several foreign societies, and has also received 
 the gold medal of the Paris Geographical Society. 
 
 SIR GEORGE BAKER, BART., M.D., F.R.S., F.S.A. 
 
 This Physician was born in 1722. He received an University education, and graduated in 
 Medicine in 1756. He commenced practice at Stamford, but afterwards removed to London, where 
 he acquired a great reputation, and was appointed Physician in Ordinary to King George III. and 
 Physician to the Queen. In 1776 he was created a baronet; and in 1797 was elected President of 
 the College of Physicians. He was also a Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies. He stood 
 so high in the literary world that Gray dedicated to him his " Elegy written in a Country Church- 
 yard." He is the Author of numerous medical tracts, which are written principally in chaste and 
 elegant Latin. He died June 15th, 1809. 
 
 RIGHT HON. SIR JOSEPH BANKS, BART., K.C.B., P.R.S., F.S.A., EDIN., M.I.R.A. 
 
 This eminent Naturalist was born in Argyll-street, Westminster, on Feb. 13, 1743; but a 
 different locality as well as other dates are assigned to his nativity. At nine years of age he was 
 sent to Harrow, whence, at thirteen, he was removed to Eton ; and at eighteen he entered as a 
 
212 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Gentleman Commoner at Christ Church, Oxford. His love of Botany shewed itself while he was at 
 Eton, and he prosecuted the science with ardour in the University, where he applied himself to the 
 study of other branches of Natural History. No lectures on Botany being then given at Oxford, he 
 obtained permission to engage a lecturer, whose salary was to be defrayed from the fees of the students. 
 He left Oxford in 1763, having had an honorary degree conferred upon him. In 1766 he was elected 
 Fellow of the Royal Society ; and in the summer of that year sailed to Newfoundland for the 
 purpose of collecting plants. He accompanied Captain Cook on his voyage of discovery in 1768, 
 having been appointed Naturalist to the expedition in conjunction with Dr. Solander. On Mr. Banks' 
 return, in 1771, he was admitted, by the express desire of His Majesty, to a private interview. In 
 1772 he made a voyage to Iceland, where he purchased a large collection of books, which he 
 presented to the British Museum in the following year ; and added another collection to it in 1783. 
 In 1778 Mr. Banks was elected President of the Royal Society, an honour which he enjoyed for 
 forty-one years. He was created a baronet in 1781. In 1795 he received the decoration of the Order 
 of the Bath, and in 1797 was sworn of His Majesty's Privy Council. In 1802 he was chosen a 
 Member of the National Institute of France. He was, in 1816, admitted an Honorary Member of 
 the Royal College of Surgeons, and was also a member of most of the learned societies in his own 
 country, Europe, and America. He is the author of some papers in the " Philosophical Transactions" 
 and " Archseologia," and of an " Essay on the Causes of Mildew." Sir Joseph died in 18'20. 
 
 SIR JOHN BARROW, BART., LL.D., F.R.S., F.L.S., P.R.G.S., 
 
 Born at Dragleybeck, near Ulverstone in Lancashire, in 1764. He was educated at the Town 
 Bank Grammar School. In 1792 he accompanied Lord Macartney on his Embassy to China, of 
 which he published an account in his " Travels in China." He was appointed by Lord Melville, in 
 1804, second Secretary to the Admiralty, an office which he held for forty years, with the exception 
 of the short period the Whigs were in power in 1806. In 1805 he was elected a Fellow of the 
 Royal Society. In 1830 he took a leading part in the formation of the Geographical Society, of 
 which, some years after, he was chosen President. He was also a Fellow of the Linnaean Society. 
 He was created a baronet in 1835. In 1845 he retired from the Admiralty, and enjoyed the pension 
 of 1,000 per ann., which had been awarded to him in 1806 for his public services. As an author, 
 his most elaborate work was published in 1818, under the title of "An Historical Account of Voyairrs 
 into the Arctic Regions." He was a contributor to the " Quarterly Review" and " Encyclopaedia 
 Britannica," and author of several Biographies and other works. He died Nov. 23, 1848. 
 
 SIR CHARLES BARRY, KNT., R.A., F.R.S., 
 
 Architect of the Houses of Parliament, was born in Westminster in May 1795. His education 
 was obtained in private schools : first at Homerton in South Lambeth, and afterwards at Aspley in 
 Bedfordshire. On his return to London he determined to become an architect, and was bound 
 apprentice to Messrs. Middleton & Bailey of Lambeth. In 1817 he went to Italy, where the beauty 
 and expressive power of his drawings attracted the attention of a wealthy Englishman about to visit 
 Egypt, who offered to pay all his expenses if he would accompany him, and afford him the benefit of 
 his pencil. This offer he accepted ; and after a considerable stay there, he returned to Rome. He 
 then travelled in Greece ; and on his return to England he became the successful competitor for 
 several public buildings, among which may be mentioned the Grammar School of King Edward VI. 
 at Birmingham. The Travellers' Club, the College of Surgeons, and the Reform Club, were among his 
 first works in London ; and in 1834 his design for the New Palace at Westminster was selected as 
 the best. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1840, and an Academician in 1842 ; 
 and in 1849 a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was also a Member of the Royal Institute of British 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 213 
 
 Architects, of the Pontifical Academy of St. Luke at Rome, of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts at 
 St. Petersburgh, and of the Royal Academies of Fine Arts at Berlin, Stockholm, and Brussels. He 
 received the order of knighthood in 1852. He died May 12, 1860. A Memoir is announced by one 
 of his sons. 
 
 HENRY EARTH, M.D., C.B., D.C.L., F.R.G.S., F.R.A.S. 
 
 This celebrated scholar, traveller, and author, was born at Hamburg, 18th April, 1821. He 
 commenced his studies in his native city, and afterwards prosecuted them at Berlin, where the 
 natural sciences, and the history of antiquity in its bearings on the development of modern nations, 
 principally engaged his attention. He graduated at Berlin in 1844, on which occasion he wrote a 
 remarkable thesis on the commerce of ancient Corinth. In 1845 he visited London for the purpose 
 of studying Arabic ; and in the same year commenced those exploratory expeditions which have since 
 so greatly increased our knowledge of African geography. In 1846 he crossed into Arabia, Syria, and 
 Asia Minor ; and in 1847 he travelled through Greece. He returned to Berlin in 1848, where he 
 delivered lectures on African geography and the history of the Greek colonies. In the same year 
 he published his " Exploratory Expedition to the Coasts of the Mediterranean in 1845, 1846, 1847." 
 In 1849 he was associated with Mr. Richardson in the expedition to Central Africa, fitted out by the 
 British Government ; and upon the death of Mr. Richardson, in 1851, he was authorized by Her 
 Majesty's Government to carry out the objects of the expedition. These travels occupied four years, 
 during which he travelled twelve thousand miles. The narrative of his journey he first published in 
 Germany in 1855, under the title of " Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa," and 
 afterwards in England in 1857. This work, which obtained for him, in 1858, the distinction of an 
 honorary civil Companion of the Bath, is one of the most important contributions to modern geogra- 
 phical science ; and the researches it records have placed Dr. Barth among the most illustrious 
 of the geographical explorers of our time. The Royal Geographical Society elected him a Fellow, 
 and awarded to him their Victoria medal ; and the University of Oxford conferred upon him the 
 honorary degree of D.C.L. in 1856. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. 
 
 REAR-ADMIRAL SIR FRANCIS BEAUFORT, K.C.B., F.R.S., F.G.S., F.R.A.S., ETC. 
 
 This distinguished officer was the son of Dr. Beaufort, Rector of Navan and Vicar of Collon, in 
 Ireland. He entered the navy in 1787, as a volunteer on board the Colossus, and became mid- 
 shipman in 1790. In 1796 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. In 1800 he was engaged 
 in a dashing affair with a Spanish polacre (San Josef) carrying fourteen brass guns ; and for his 
 determined bravery was rewarded with a Commander's commission. He obtained his post rank in 
 1810, and flag rank in 1846. For several subsequent years he was employed by the Lords of the 
 Admiralty in constructing a variety of charts, of which may be enumerated, one of the Archipelago, 
 three of the Black Sea (including the coast of Asia), and seven of Karamania. He was appointed 
 hydrographer to the Admiralty in 1832 ; and was nominated commissioner, in 1836, for inquiring 
 into the laws respecting pilots ; and in 1845 for inquiring into the state of the harbours, etc., of the 
 United Kingdom. He was appointed a civil K.C.B. in 1848 ; and was elected a Fellow of the Royal 
 Society in 1814 : he was also a Fellow of the Geological and Astronomical Societies ; and a Corre- 
 sponding Member of the Institute of France. He died 17th Dec. 1857. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM BEECHEY, KNT., R.A. 
 
 This distinguished portrait painter was born at Burford, in Oxfordshire, in 1753. He was 
 originally articled to a conveyancer ; but having a taste for painting, he obtained admission to the 
 Royal Academy, as a student, in 1772; of which he was elected an Associate in 1793, and in the 
 same year was appointed Portrait Painter to the Queen. His great picture is that of King George 
 
214 APPENDIX. 
 
 the Third at a Review, attended by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York. In 1793 he was 
 elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, and an Academician in 1798, in which year he received 
 the honour of knighthood. Sir William died in 1839. 
 
 CAPT. SIR EDWARD BELCHER, K.C.B., F.R.S. 
 
 This scientific naval officer and hydrographer was born in 1799. He entered the navy as a 
 first-class volunteer in 1812, and was soon after appointed a midshipman. In 1829 he was raised 
 to the rank of Commander. In 1841 he performed a series of brilliant services in China, for which 
 he obtained his post rank. He was appointed a Companion of the Bath in 1841, and was knighted 
 in 1843. He commanded the expedition in search of Sir John Franklin from 1852 to 1854 ; of which 
 he has published an interesting account under the title of " The Last of the Arctic Voyages." Sir 
 Edward is also the author of several works of professional interest and great practical value. 
 
 SIR CHARLES BELL, K.H., M.D., F.R.S. L. & E., F.L.S., F.G.S. 
 
 This celebrated operative surgeon was born in Edinburgh in 1774. He was educated in the 
 High School. In 1804 he removed to London, and in 1807 published his valuable work on Operative 
 Surgery. In 1811 he distinguished himself as a lecturer on anatomy and surgery at the Hunters' 
 Academy, Windmill-street ; and in 1814 was appointed Surgeon to the Middlesex Hospital. The 
 honour of a civil knight of Hanover was conferred upon him by William IV. in 1831. In 1821 
 his first paper on the "Nervous System" was read before the Royal Society, and attracted universal 
 attention. In 1824 he was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Surgery in the College of Surgeons, 
 London ; and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1826. When the London University (now 
 University College) was established, he accepted the chair of Physiology ; which, however, he soon 
 resigned, and pursued his private professional practice. In 1836 the Professorship of Surgery in the 
 University of Edinburgh being offered to him, he accepted it, and quitted London. He was author 
 of works on Anatomy and Surgical Operations, and celebrated for his discoveries in connexion with 
 the nervous system. He died in 1842 ; and his bust has been placed by the Council in the grand 
 staircase of the Royal College of Surgeons. 
 
 BRIGADIER-GENERAL SIR SAMUEL BENTHAM, KNT. 
 
 This naval architect was the youngest brother of the celebrated political economist, Jeremy 
 Bentham. He was born in 1756, and at the early age of six was sent to Westminster, where he 
 evinced so strong a predilection for ship-building that his father relinquished all idea of training him 
 for a liberal profession, and bound him apprentice, at the age of fourteen, to the Master Shipwright 
 of Woolwich Dockyard. Young Bentham, perceiving that practical manipulation was no less essential 
 than theoretical knowledge, worked sedulously at the dockside every day until breakfast time, 
 devoting the rest of the day to scientific acquirements. From Woolwich he was, with his master, 
 removed to Chatham ; and on the expiration of his apprenticeship, he spent some time in the other 
 royal dockyards, and at the Naval College at Portsmouth. At the recommendation of Lord Howe, 
 then First Lord of the Admiralty, he visited the several ports in the north of Europe, for the 
 purpose of acquainting himself with their different practices in the art of naval construction. On 
 arriving at St. Petersburgh he was introduced by our ambassador, Sir J. Harris, to Prince Potemkin, 
 who induced him to enter the Russian service with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and he was soon 
 after appointed to the command of the flotilla at Cherson ; and the Empress Catherine presented 
 him with a gold-hilted sword and the cross of the Order of St. George, for the naval victories 
 he there obtained over the Turks ; and which honour he was, by command of King George III., in 
 1789, entitled to accept and wear in this country. After his return to England he patented, in 1791, 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 215 
 
 his machinery for- planing and making mouldings. This was followed by a variety of other patents 
 tending materially to diminish hand labour. In 1796, at the desire of the Government, he relinquished 
 the service of Russia, with its honours and riches in expectancy, and was appointed to a new office, 
 created for him, under the title of Inspector General of Naval Works. The block-machinery erected 
 at Portsmouth, for which Sir I. M. Brunei has the credit, was invented by Sir Samuel ; as was also 
 the steam-dredging machine, to the invention of which a claim has been advanced for Mr. Rennie. 
 To him we are indebted for a great reform in the dockyards, not only by improving their efficiency, 
 but by curtailing their expenditure. He was sent out to Russia to build ships for the British navy : 
 but this mission was rendered abortive by the opposition of the Emperor Alexander. On his return to 
 England, his former office was abolished, and he became associated with the Navy Board under the 
 title of Civil Architect and Engineer of the Navy. In 1812 he submitted to the Navy- Board a plan 
 for a new dockyard at Sheerness ; but this, like many other of his plans, met with a successful 
 opposition, and he shortly after received an official intimation that the office he held was abolished ; 
 and he retired into private life without any remuneration for his long and valuable services, and 
 was compelled, in 1814, to take up his residence in France for the economical education of his 
 children. He died April 30, 1831. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM BETHAM, E1\T., F.S.A. 
 
 This celebrated antiquary was born at Stradbroke, in Suffolk, in 1779. He was originally bonnd 
 apprentice to a printer. But his early bias for antiquarian pursuits, which he inherited from his 
 father, made him quit the printing office, and devote his talents to literature ; his first employment 
 being the revision of the third and fourth volumes of Camden's " Britannia." In 1805 he went to 
 Dublin as clerk to Sir Charles Fortescue, Ulster King of Arms ; and in a few years became his 
 deputy, and in 1820 his successor. In 1812 he was appointed Genealogist of the Order of St. Patrick, 
 and received the honour of knighthood. He was also appointed Deputy Keeper of Records at 
 Dublin ; an appointment which placed under his control a great number of records, of which he 
 availed himself by forming an immense collection of historical and genealogical references extending 
 to several hundred volumes. He was also a diligent collector of old manuscripts connected with 
 Irish history and antiquities, which was purchased by the Irish Academy in 1851 ; of which, in 
 1825, he had been elected a member, and subsequently its foreign secretary ; an office he resigned 
 in 1840 in consequence of the Council refusing admission into their " Transactions," of some of his 
 philological speculations. His first antiquarian publication, " Irish Antiquarian Researches, or 
 Illustrations of Irish History," contains many of his peculiar views on the connexion of the Celtic 
 races with several of the most remarkable nations of antiquity, and which are developed in " The 
 Gael and Cimbri ; or an Inquiry into the Origin and History of the Irish, Scots, Britons, and Gauls ; 
 and of the Caledonians, Picts, Welch, Cornish, and Bretons," published in 1834; and which he 
 subsequently, in 1842, more fully enlarged upon in his " Etruria Celtica, Etruscan Literature and 
 Antiquities investigated ; or the Language of that People compared and identified with Iberno-Celtic, 
 and both shewn to be Phoenician." In 1825 Sir William was elected a Fellow of the Society of 
 Antiquaries. In 1834 he published a very able and learned Treatise on " The Origin and History 
 of the Constitution of England, and of the early Parliaments of Ireland." He was also the author of 
 several other works. Sir William died in Dublin, October 23, 1853. 
 
 SIR HENRY ROWLEY BISHOP, Kur. 
 
 This celebrated composer was born in London in 1780. He received his musical education 
 under Signer Bianchi. For sixteen or seventeen years he composed almost exclusively for Drury 
 Lane and Covent Garden theatres, commencing with " The Circassian Bride" in 1809, and is said to 
 have produced upwards of seventy operas, ballets, and musical entertainments. In 1820 he visited 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Dublin, and was honoured with the freedom of the city as an acknowledgment of his musical genius 
 He was knighted in 1842. He was one of the first directors of the Philharmonic Society, and Con- 
 ductor of the Concerts of Ancient Music, and Professor of Harmony in the Royal Academy of 
 Music. In 1846 he was elected Professor of Music at Oxford University. He was also Reid 
 Professor of Music at Edinburgh. He died in 1855, leaving his family totally unprovided for. 
 
 SIR RICHARD BLACKMORE, KNT., M.D. 
 
 This Physician was born at Corsham in Wiltshire about 1650. After receiving the rudiments 
 of his education at a country school he was removed to Westminster, and in 1668 was entered at 
 St. Edmund's Hall, Oxford, where he took his A.M. degree in 1676. He remained at the university 
 thirteen years ; he then became a schoolmaster, and afterwards travelled on the Continent, and took 
 an M.D. degree at Padua. On his return to England he commenced practice in London, where he 
 soon attained eminence in his profession, and was elected Fellow of the College of Physicians in 
 1687 ; and Censor in 1716. His great medical skill and adherence to the House of Hanover obtained 
 for him the appointment of Physician in ordinary to William III. (by whom he was knighted in 
 1697) ; and he afterwards held the same office under Queen Anne. His first literary production 
 was " Prince Arthur," an epic poem in ten books ; which was adversely criticised by the poets of the 
 day. " Creation ; or a Philosophical Poem demonstrating the Existence and Providence of a God," 
 which was more fortunate, went through four editions. He was the author of many other poems 
 and medical works. He died in 1729. 
 
 SIR GILBERT BLANE, BAET., M.D., F.R.S. L. & E. 
 
 Born at Ayr in 1749. He was originally intended for the Church, but preferring Physic, he 
 studied under Dr. Cullen, at Edinburgh (where he was patronised by Dr. Robertson the historian), and 
 finished his education in London. Through the recommendation of Dr. Cullen he was introduced to 
 Lord Rodney, (then in command of the West India Station,) by whose influence, onaccount of his 
 services, he was appointed Physician to the Fleet, in 1 779. On the joint application to the Admiralty 
 of all the officers on the West India Station, he was rewarded by a pension from the Crown. About 
 1786 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, who appointed him, in 1788, to deliver the 
 Croonian Lecture. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Societies of Edinburgh and Gottingen, and a 
 member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburgh. In 1 785 he was elected Physician 
 to St. Thomas's Hospital ; and in 1795 he was placed at the head of the Navy Medical Board. He 
 was a Fellow of the College of Physicians, created a Baronet in 1812, and in the same year 
 appointed Physician in ordinary to the Prince Regent. In 1826 he was elected a Member of the 
 Institute of France. In 1830 he was appointed First Physician to King William IV., in which 
 year he founded his gold medals. He was the author of " Observations on the Diseases of Seamen," 
 and numerous Tracts published under the title of Select Dissertations on several subjects in 
 Medical Science. He died in 1834. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM BLIZARD, KNT., F.R.S., F.H.S., 
 
 A surgeon of great eminence, was born in 1748 at Barnes Elms, Surrey. He was apprenticed to a 
 surgeon and apothecary at Mortlake. On the expiration of his apprenticeship, during which he had 
 devoted himself to self-improvement in his profession and botany, he repaired to London, and became 
 assistant to a surgeon there, and attended hospital practice at the London Hospital, and the Lectures 
 of Wm. and John Hunter and Mr. Pott ; at whose recommendation he was elected Surgeon to the 
 Magdalen Hospital. He was admitted a Member of the College of Surgeons in 1777; and 
 in 1780 he was elected Surgeon to the London Hospital. About this time, in conjunction with Dr. 
 

 APPENDIX. 217 
 
 Maclaurin, lie gave lectures on anatomy in Thames-street, then in Mark Lane, and afterwards at the 
 London Hospital. In 1787 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society. He took an active part in 
 procuring for the Old Corporation the new Charter, under which it was styled the Royal College of 
 Surgeons in London. In 1 796 he was elected on the Court, and appointed Professor of Anatomy and 
 Surgery in 1808, 1809, 1810, and 1815, in conjunction with Sir Everard Home ; and Honorary Pro- 
 fessor in 1811 and several following years, in conjunction with the same eminent Surgeon ; and in 
 1810 he was nominated on the Court of Examiners. He was Master of the College in 1814, and 
 President in 1823 ; and delivered the Hunterian Oration in 1815, 1823, and 1828. When the Govern- 
 ment presented the great Hunterian Collection to the College, Mr. Blizard also presented to it his 
 collection of about nine hundred preserved specimens in Anatomy and Pathology. In 1803 he 
 received the honour of knighthood on presenting an address from the College to George III. In 
 1819 he founded the Hunterian Society. He was also the founder of the Samaritan Society, and 
 was one of the founders and for many years Vice-President of the London Institution ; and was 
 one of the first Fellows of the Horticultural Society. He was Consulting-Surgeon to the Deaf and 
 Dumb, the Marine, the Clergy Orphan, and the London Orphan Asylums. His contributions to 
 medical literature are few and not very important. In 1834, being then in his ninety-third year, 
 Mr. Lawrence successfully removed a cataract from his eyes ; but during the following year his 
 strength failed him, and he died August 28, 1835, having attended the Court of Examiners at the 
 College on the preceding Friday. 
 
 SIR HENRY BLOUNT, KNT., 
 
 Born in December, 1602. Educated at St. Alban's School, whence in 1616 he removed to Trinity 
 College, Oxford, and was afterwards admitted of Gray's Inn. He is the author of " A Voyage 
 into the Levant, being a Brief Relation of a Journey lately performed from England, by the 
 way of Venice, into Dalmatia, Sclavonia, Bosnia, Hungary, Macedonia, Thessaly, Thrace, Rhodes, 
 and Egypt unto Grand Cairo," &c. This work obtained for him the appellation of " the great 
 traveller ;" it went through three editions from 1636 to 1638, and was translated into French and 
 Dutch. It was the means of his introduction to Charles I., who appointed him one of his Gentlemen 
 Pensioners, and conferred upon him the honour of knighthood in 1638. He died in 1682. 
 
 SIR ALEXANDER BOSWELL, BAET., 
 
 A literary antiquary of no small erudition. He was the son of the friend and biographer of 
 Dr. Johnson, and was born in 1775. In 1812 he published a fac-simile of the black letter original of 
 a disputation held between John Knox and Quentin Kennedy at May bole in 1562, a valuable 
 contribution to our stock of historical literature. This, and several reprints of early English Poetry, 
 proceeded from the press which he established at his own residence, Auchenlech. In 1821 he was 
 honoured with a Baronetcy of Great Britain. He inherited all his father's Tory spirit, and was the 
 author of some attacks in the Beacon and Sentinel newspapers on the character of J. Stuart, Esq., 
 which led to a duel between them, on March 26, 1822, in which he was mortally wounded, and died 
 the following day. 
 
 SIR FRANCIS BOURGEOIS, KNT., R.A. 
 
 This Landscape Painter, born in London in 1756, was originally intended for the army ; but his 
 predilection for the pencil overcame his martial ardour, and while attending the riding school of Mr. 
 Angelo he took more delight in drawing horses in their various attitudes than in making himself 
 acquainted with their tactical evolutions. Some of these juvenile essays were shewn to Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds and Gainsborough, and, having elicited their warm commendation, he determined at once 
 
 28 
 
218 APPENDIX. 
 
 to apply himself to the cultivation of an art more congenial to his taste, and became the pupil of 
 Loutherbourg. Before the age of twenty he had acquired no mean reputation by his landscape and 
 sea pieces. In 1776 he travelled through the Low Countries, France and Italy, and studied with 
 indefatigable zeal the works of the celebrated Masters in those countries. The Prince Primate, 
 brother to the unfortunate Stanislaus Augustus King of Poland, came over to this country, and was 
 so captivated with the works of our artist that he endeavoured to persuade him, but in vain, to go to 
 Poland. In 1791 he was appointed painter to Stanislaus, who conferred upon him the honour of 
 knighthood of the Order of Merit, which King George III confirmed. In 1792 he was elected a 
 Royal Academician: and in 1794 was appointed Landscape Painter to his Majesty. On the death 
 of Mr. Noel Desenfans, he became possessed of that interesting collection of pictures which he 
 bequeathed to Dulwich College. He died in 1811. 
 
 SIR JOHN BOWRING, Kur., LL.D. 
 
 This political and commercial writer and celebrated linguist was born at Exeter in 1792, and 
 became in early life the pupil of Jeremy Bentham, whose doctrines he advocated in the " Westminster 
 Review," of which he was editor. The University of Groningen conferred on him tlic degree of 
 LL.D. His comprehensive views of commerce led to his employment under various Governments, 
 commencing with that of Earl Grey, as a Commercial Commissioner to other countries. In that 
 capacity he visited France, Italy, the states of the Zollverein and the Levant ; and drew up several 
 Reports which were published by the Government as Blue Books from 1834 to 1840. In 1849 he 
 was appointed British Consul at Hong Kong ; of which settlement, in 1854, he was promoted to the 
 Governorship, and received the honour of knighthood. In 1856 occurred the affair of the . ! 
 in which Sir John acted so prominent a part, and which led to hostilities terminating in the capture 
 of Canton. He is the author of " The Kingdom and People of Siam," and translations of poems, 
 songs, &c., from the Russian, Icelandic, Spanish, and nine other languages. 
 
 SIR DAVID BREWSTER, M.D., K.H., F.R.S.L. AND E., M.R.I.A., F.G.S., F.R.A.S., 
 
 Was born at Jedburgh in Scotland, in December 1781. He was educated for the Scottish Church, 
 of which he waa a Licentiate. In 1800 the University of Edinburgh conferred upon him the 
 honorary degree of M.A., and in 1807 the University of Aberdeen, that of D.C.L. In 1808 he 
 undertook the editorship of the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, and in the following year he was elected 
 Fellow of the Edinburgh Royal Society, of which he became the Secretary. In 1815 he received 
 the Copley Medal of the Royal Society for his discoveries hi Optical Science, and was soon 
 after, in the same year, elected Fellow of that body ; from whom, in 1819, he also received the 
 Rumford gold and silver medals for his discoveries on the polarization of light. In 1831 he 
 proposed the meeting at York, which led to the formation of the British Society for the Advance- 
 ment of Science. In 1831 he was appointed K.H., and in 1832 was knighted by William IV. He 
 is a Corresponding Member of the Institute of France and of the Royal Academies of Russia, Prussia, 
 Sweden, and Denmark ; and is also Principal of the University of Edinburgh. He is the discoverer 
 of the Kaleidoscope, on which he has written a Treatise, and the author of a variety of Treatises on 
 the Polarization of Light, &c. 
 
 SIR BENJAMIN COLLINS BRODIE, BART., F.R.C.S., M.R.C.S.E., P.R.S., D.C.L. 
 
 This distinguished Surgeon was born in 1783, at Winterslow in Wiltshire. He received his 
 professional education at Mr. Wilson's celebrated anatomical school in Windmill Street, and under 
 Sir Everard Home at St. George's Hospital. In 1805 he was admitted a Member of the Royal 
 College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and of London in 1806. After having delivered Lectures on 
 
APPENDIX. 219 
 
 Surgery, in conjunction with Mr. Wilson, and on Anatomy, he was in 1808 appointed Assistant- 
 Surgeon of St. George's Hospital, and full Surgeon in 1822. In 1810 he was elected a Fellow of 
 the Royal Society, and President in 1858 ; and in 1811 received their Copley Medal for his Croonian 
 Lecture upon the Influence of the Brain on the Action of the Heart, and on the Generation of 
 Animal Heat, which has been published in the Philosophical Transactions. In 1819 he was 
 appointed Professor of Anatomy and Surgery to the College of Surgeons, and again in 1823, and 
 President of the College in 1844. A new office was created for him in order that he might attend 
 King George IV. in his last illness, viz., Surgeon to the Person, and he visited him daily till his 
 death. In 1832, on the death of Sir Everard Home, he was appointed Serjeant Surgeon to William 
 IV., an appointment continued to him under her present Majesty ; besides which he holds the office 
 of first Surgeon in Ordinary to Prince Albert. In 1834 he was created a Baronet. In 1837 he 
 delivered the Hunterian Oration, and in 1843 was elected a Fellow of the College of Surgeons, and 
 member of the Council. In 1850 the honorary degree of D.C.L. was conferred upon him at Oxford. 
 He is a foreign correspondent of the National Institute of Paris, and a member of numerous learned 
 societies in Europe and America. He is author of Lectures on Pathology and Surgery, and many 
 other works. In January 1861 he submitted to an operation for cataract, which was successfully 
 performed. 
 
 SIR THOMAS BROWNE, KNT., M.D. 
 
 A celebrated English Physician. Born in London, Oct. 19, 1605. He was educated at Winchester; 
 and in 1623 he entered as a gentleman commoner at Pembroke College, Oxford, and graduated 
 Jan. 31, 1626-7. Subsequently, after taking his Master's degree, he commenced practice in physic in 
 Oxfordshire ; but he soon relinquished his practice there, and travelled in France and Italy, staying 
 at Montpelier and Padua, the celebrated schools of physic ; and returning home through Holland, 
 he obtained a Doctor's degree at Leyden about 1634. In 1636 he settled at Norwich, where his 
 practice became very extensive. In 1637 he was incorporated M.D. at Oxford. He was elected 
 honorary Fellow of the College of Physicians June 26, 1665 ; and was knighted by Charles II. at 
 Norwich in 1671. He was the author of the celebrated Treatise, " Religio Medici," surreptitiously 
 published in 1642, and which by 1685 had passed through eight editions. He was also the 
 author of a " Treatise on Vulgar Errors," " Pseudodoxia Epidemica," and " Hydriotaphia," besides 
 several other Treatises. He died at Norwich Oct. 19, 1682. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM BROWNE, KNT., M.D. 
 
 This eminent Physician was born in 1692. He was educated at St. Peter's College, Cambridge, 
 where he took his M.D. degree. On quitting the University he settled at Lynn, and obtained an 
 extensive practice. About 1750 he removed to London, and soon afterwards received the honour of 
 knighthood ; and subsequently became President of the Royal College of Physicians, and in that 
 capacity rendered himself so notorious by his opposition to the claims of the Licentiates, that he was 
 personated on the stage by Foote in a piece called "The Devil upon Two Sticks." So im- 
 perturbable was the doctor's good nature, that, having witnessed and heartily enjoyed the perform- 
 ance, he sent to Foote his own muff, in order that the apparent identity might be more perfect. He 
 was the author of Translations in Imitation of several Odes of Horace, an Harveian Oration, and a 
 great number of lively pieces which he published under the title of Opuscula Varia. He has shown 
 his love for this kind of writing by directing in his will three gold medals, of the value of five 
 guineas each, to be given annually for the best Greek Ode in imitation of Sappho ; the best Latin 
 Ode in imitation of Horace ; and the best Greek and Latin Epigrams, after the model of the 
 Anthologia and Martial, to be contended for by Undergraduates of the University of Cambridge. 
 He also founded a Scholarship in the College in which he had been educated. He died 
 10th March, 1774. 
 
 28 2 
 
220 APPENDIX. 
 
 SIR ISAMBARD MARK BRUNEL, KNT., V.P.R.S. 
 
 This celebrated Engineer was born at Hacqueville in Normandy in 1769. He had the credit of 
 being the inventor of the Block Machinery in Plymouth Dockyard ; an invention, however, which 
 has been claimed for Sir Samuel Bentham ; but, to whomsoever it belongs, it has not been turned to 
 any profitable account. He was the engineer of the Thames Tunnel. The Royal Society elected him 
 a Fellow of their body in 1814, and a Vice-President in 1832. He was a Corresponding Member of 
 the Institute of France ; a Vice-President of the Institution of Civil Engineers ; and a Chevalier of 
 the Legion of Honour. He was knighted in 1841. Died in 1849. 
 
 SIR SAMUEL EGERTON BRYDGES, BART., F.S.A., 
 
 An eminent genealogist, biographer, and poet; he was born at Wootton in Kent, in 1762 ; and 
 was descended on his mother's side from the noble family of Bridge water. In 1780 he was removed 
 from a public school to Queen's College, Cambridge; and in 1782 was entered of the Middle 
 Temple ; and in the following year quitted the University, of which he had become heartily tired, 
 and gave himself up to the luxurious enjoyment of his favourite poets, Spenser, Shakespeare, and 
 Milton. In 1785 he published anonymously several sonnets and other small poems, the effusions of 
 his muse during the three previous years. In 1787 he was called to the bar; but he made no 
 progress in a profession which he utterly abhorred, and devoted himself to the study of antiquities, 
 topography, and genealogy, which resulted in the publication of a periodical work on antiquities in 
 conjunction with his friend, Mr. Shaw, the historian of Staffordshire, his contemporary at Colk'ire. 
 This work was followed by " Topographical Miscellanies," of which he had the sole conduct. At 
 the taunt of a classical friend he relinquished the crabbed style and unscholarlike language of the 
 black letter books, and betook himself to novel writing. The copy of his first production, " Mary de 
 Clifford," was written and supplied to the printer de die in diem. It was published in 1792, and was 
 eminently successful. The same success attended his "Arthur Fitzalbini," published in 1798; but 
 his next novel, " Le Forester," in 1802, was less fortunate. In 1800 he published the first volume of 
 a new edition of Phillips' "Theatrum Poetamm." Besides these works, he published, among innny 
 others, an edition of " Collins' Peerage," with large additions, in nine vols. 8vo. Under his editor- 
 ship, assisted by the poetical antiquaries, Park, Haslewood, and others, appeared the " Censura 
 Literaria," ten vols., 1805-9 ; the " British Bibliographer," four vols., 1810-14 ; and the " Restituta," 
 four vols., 1814-16. In 1812 he was elected M.P. for Maidstone ; and in 1815 was created a baronet, 
 a distinction well deserved by his laborious investigation of the honours and titles of others. In 
 1807 he was elected a Knight Grand Commander of the Equestrian Secular and Chapteral Order of 
 St. Joachim, one of the most ancient orders of knighthood in Europe. In his beautiful seat of Lee 
 Priory, in Kent, he established a printing press, from which have issued many curious and 
 interesting works for private circulation. He died in 1837, at Campagne Gros Jean, near Geneva, 
 where he had lived for many years a perfect recluse, and a most unhappy man ; the latter part of his 
 life having been embittered by the decision of the House of Lords against his claim to the Barony of 
 Chandos of Sudeley. To the day of his death he prided himself on being connected by blood with 
 more families of noble descent than any person in England, not even excepting the Royal Family ; 
 and to his signature he always added, " Per legem terras Baron Chandos of Sudeley." 
 
 RIGHT HON. SIR HENRY LYTTON EARLE BULWER, KNT., G.C.B. 
 
 This Diplomatist and Author was born in 1805. In 1827 he entered the diplomatic service, 
 and in 1830 was returned to Parliament as representative of Wilton. In 1843 he was Minister 
 Plenipotentiary at Madrid, and for his firm conduct there Her Majesty conferred on him the Grand 
 Cross of the Bath. He has also filled several diplomatic offices, and is at present our Ambassador 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 2-21 
 
 at the Ottoman Porte. Among his literary productions may be mentioned " France, Social and 
 Literary," "The Monarchy of the Middle Classes," &c. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM BURNETT, K.C.B., K.C.H., M.D., F.R.C.P., F.E.C.S.I., F.R.S., 
 
 Was educated at St. Andrew's, where he took his M.D. degree. He was admitted an Assistant 
 Surgeon in the Royal Navy in 1795; Surgeon in 1799; and Hospital Surgeon in 1804. In 1810 
 he was appointed Physician and Inspector of Hospitals to the Mediterranean Fleet; Medical 
 Commissioner of the Navy in 1822 ; and Director General of the Medical Department of the Navy 
 in 1832 ; from which office he retired in 1855, with a pension of 1,000 per ann. In 1825 he was 
 admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians, and a Fellow in 1836. In 1833 he was elected a 
 Fellow of the Royal Society. He was at the battles of St. Vincent, the Nile, Ferrol, and Trafalgar ; 
 for which services he received the silver " Naval Medal" with four clasps ; and was appointed 
 K.C.H. in 1831, and K.C.B. in 1850 ; he also held the appointment of Physician in Ordinary to 
 William IV. He was the author of several works : " On Mediterranean Fever," " On the Fever at 
 Chatham," etc., and of various papers in the journals of the day. He died Feb. 16, 1861. 
 
 SIR AUGUSTUS WALL CALLCOTT, KXT., R.A. 
 
 This eminent Landscape Painter was born at Kensington in 1779. He was originally a 
 chorister in Westminster Abbey ; but cultivated at the same time the sister art of painting, to 
 which, influenced by the success of a portrait he had painted under the tuition of Hoffner in 1799, 
 he ultimately gave the preference. He however soon found that portrait painting was not his forte, 
 and from 1803 devoted himself exclusively to landscape painting, in which branch of the art he was 
 for many years a large contributor to the Exhibitions of the Royal Academy. He was elected an 
 Associate of the Royal Academy in 1807, and a Member in 1810. His diploma picture was a 
 beautiful painting, intitled " Morning." He was knighted by her present Majesty in 1837 ; and on 
 the death of Mr. Leguier, was appointed Conservator of the Royal Pictures. In 1840 he exhibited 
 a picture of " Milton dictating to his Daughters ;" on the fallacy of the subject of the painting we 
 have already observed in p. 171, and its execution is equally defective. He died Nov. 25, 1844. 
 
 SIR ANTHONY CARLISLE, KNT., F.R.S., F.S.A., F.L.S., 
 
 A Surgeon of great reputation, was born near Durham in 1768. Having finished his preliminary 
 professional education at York, he proceeded to London and attended the lectures of the Hunters, 
 Dr. Baillie, and Mr. Cruikshank : he was at the same time pupil of Mr. Watson, Surgeon to the 
 Westminster Hospital, on whose death in 1793 he was appointed his successor. He was admitted a 
 Member of the College of Surgeons in 1792, and was elected on the court in 1816. He was 
 appointed Professor of Surgery and Anatomy in 1818, and delivered the Hunterian Oration in 
 1820, and again in 1826 ; and filled the office of President in 1828. He was appointed Surgeon 
 Extraordinary to the Prince Regent, who conferred upon him the honour of knighthood in 1820, 
 shortly after his accession to the throne. In 1808 he was appointed Professor of Anatomy to the 
 Royal Academy an office he held for sixteen years. In 1804 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal 
 Society. To the Philosophical Transactions of that and several subsequent years he contributed 
 many interesting papers, and in 1804 delivered the Croonian Lecture on "Muscular Motion." 
 Sir Anthony also contributed many papers on various subjects to the medical publications, of which 
 the most original was one on Galvanic Electricity, showing that water might be decomposed by the 
 galvanic battery. In 1817 he published a work intitled " Essay on the Disorders of Old Age, and 
 the Means of Prolonging Human Life," of which a second edition was published in the following 
 year. Sir Anthony died on Nov. 2, 1840. 
 
222 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 EDWIN CHADWICK, C.B. 
 
 This social economist was born near Manchester in 1800. He was called to the bar in 1830 ; he 
 was one of the earliest advocates of the repeal of taxes on knowledge, on which he wrote an article in 
 the " Westminster Review" in 1831 ; and entered the public service in 1832. In 1828 he published 
 an essay in the "London Review," on the administration of public charity, which led to his appoint- 
 ment as an Assistant Commissioner, and afterwards one of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the 
 means of improving the administration of the Poor Laws. His recommendations were in great 
 measure adopted, and resulted in the establishment of the Poor-Law Unions in England and Ireland, 
 and local Boards of Health. In 1834, when the permanent Poor-Law Commission was established, 
 he was appointed Secretary to the Board. While holding this office he was associated with Dr. 
 Arnold, Dr. Southwood Smith, and Dr. Kay to inquire into the physical causes of fever in London, 
 and how they might be removed by sanitary measures. This inquiry was afterwards extended to 
 the whole of England. In 1839 he was appointed on the Constabulary Force Commission ; and in 
 1848 a Commissioner of the General Board of Health ; and was in the same year honoured with a 
 Civil Companionship of the Bath. On the reconstruction of the Board of Health in 1854 he retired, 
 with a pension well deserved by his long and laborious services in the promotion of sanitary 
 measures. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM CHAMBERS, KNT., R.A., F.R.S., F.S.A. 
 
 This architect, descended from the Scottish family of Chalmers, Barons of Tartas in France, 
 was born at Stockholm about 1726. He received his education at a school at Rippon in Yorkshire. 
 He acquired his knowledge of architecture during his sojourn in Italy, from the study of the 
 works of Michael Angelo and other Italian architects, and, during a residence in Paris, of the 
 French architects Claude Berrault, etc. Through the influence of Lord Bute he was appointed 
 drawing master to the Prince of Wales, afterwards George III., by whom, after his accession, 
 he was, in 1765, appointed Royal Architect. In this year he published an account of his improve- 
 ments in the gardens at Kew, principally in the Chinese style ; of which his finished drawings, 
 presented to the King of Sweden in 1771, obtained for him the order of the Polar Star. The 
 title of knighthood which he thus acquired, he received the royal permission to adopt in England. 
 In 1768 he was admitted a member of the Royal Academy, of which he afterwards became the 
 treasurer. He was also elected Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies, Member of the 
 Royal Academy of Arts at Florence, and of the Royal Academy of Architecture at Paris. The 
 works on which his celebrity as an architect is founded, are Somerset House, and the staircases of 
 Lords Bessborough and Gower, and of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies. He died on 
 March 8, 1796. 
 
 SIR FRANCIS CHANTREY, K.H., R.A., D.C.L., M.A.CAMB., F.R.S.L. AND E., 
 
 F.S.A., M.G.S., M.R.S.L. 
 
 This eminent sculptor was born at Norton, near Sheffield, in 1781. He was bound apprentice 
 to a carver at Sheffield, whose service he left before the end of his term, making compensation for 
 the period he had to serve ; and repaired to London, where he attended the school of the Royal 
 Academy, but was not regularly admitted as a student. At one period of his early life he was 
 employed as a journeyman carver, at a guinea a week, by Samuel Rogers, Esq., the poet, who used 
 to show a sideboard carved by him, placed in that room where he- was afterwards received as an 
 honoured guest, and one of- the greatest sculptors of his day. Finding that carving afforded little 
 scope for his love of art, he tried his fortune as a painter in crayons ; and issued an advertisement at 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 2-23 
 
 Sheffield, in 180'2, proposing to take portraits ; and in 1804 announced that he had commenced taking 
 "models from the life." In the same year he sent for exhibition, in the Royal Academy, a " Portrait 
 of D. Wale, Esq. ;" and in 1805 he exhibited three busts. In 1811 ho fairly commenced his career of 
 fame and fortune, having in that year's exhibition sis busts ; of which that of J. B. Smith, Esq., was 
 one of the best. He was chosen an Associate in 1816, and an Academician in 1818 ; in which year 
 he was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1817 he produced the exquisite group, " The 
 Sleeping Children," for a monument to be erected in Lichfleld cathedral. He was knighted in 1835 ; 
 and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have conferred upon him their honorary degrees of 
 D.C.L. and M.A. respectively. He died Nov. 25, 1841. 
 
 SIR JAMES CLARK, BAET., M.A., M.D., L.R.C.P. LOND., F.R.S., 
 
 Was born at Cullen in Banffshire in 1788. He was educated at a school in Fordyce, whence he 
 went to Aberdeen and took his M.A. degree. He then proceeded to Edinburgh, where he took 
 his M.D. degree. Having gone abroad, he settled at Rome, and practised as a physician for 
 several years. He visited the principal medical schools of Italy, France, and Germany, collecting 
 materials for a work which he published in 1820, intitled " Medical Notes on the Climate, Diseases, 
 Hospitals, and Medical Schools in France, Italy, and Switzerland." He returned to London in 1826, 
 and was admitted a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians in 1826 ; and in the same 
 year he was appointed Physician to St. George's Infirmary. In 1829 he published his work, " On 
 the Sanative Influence of Climate." In 1832 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, and in 
 1835 was appointed Physician to the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria ; upon whose 
 accession he was appointed Physician in Ordinary to Her Majesty, and subsequently to H.R.H. 
 Prince Albert. In 1838 he was created a baronet. His " Treatise on Pulmonary Consumption and 
 Scrofulous Diseases " has obtained for him a considerable reputation for his new views of treating 
 those complaints. 
 
 SIR CHARLES MANSFIELD CLARKE, BAET., D.C.L., M.D., F.R.S. 
 
 This distinguished ornament of the medical profession was born in London in 1782. He was 
 educated at St. Paul's School ; but at an early age turning his attention to medical pursuits, he left 
 that school and attended St. George's Hospital. Having finished his preliminary studies in anatomy 
 and midwifery, he was admitted a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1807, and spent the 
 first two years of his professional life as Assistant Surgeon of the Hertfordshire Militia, and was 
 subsequently appointed Surgeon in the 3rd Foot Guards. His military career was, however, at 
 the advice of his brother, soon relinquished, and he devoted his whole attention to the diseases of 
 women and children, and more particularly to the practice of midwifery, on which subjects, in 
 connection with his brother, he commenced a course of lectures in 1804, and continued them to the 
 year 1821, when he also resigned the office of Surgeon to Queen Charlotte's Lying-in Hospital, an 
 appointment he had held for many years. In 1825 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. 
 Having obtained the degree of M.D. from Lambeth in 1827, he became a Licentiate of the College 
 of Physicians, and on the accession of King William IV was appointed Physician to Queen Adelaide. 
 In 1831 he was created a Baronet, and in 1836 was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of 
 Physicians. The honorary degree of M.A. was conferred upon him by the University of Cambridge 
 in 1842, and that of D.C.L. by Oxford in 1845. He was the author of " Observations on the Diseases 
 of Women," in two parts, published respectively in 1814 and 1821. Having given up practice, he 
 spent the latter years of his life in the country, where he died Sept. 7th, 1857 ; to the deep regret, 
 not less of his numerous friends, than of the medical profession, of which he was a most talented and 
 successful member. 
 
- 
 
 224 APPENDIX. 
 
 HENRY COLE, C.B., 
 
 The indefatigable promoter of the Great Exhibition of 1851 ; he was born at Bath in 1808. He 
 entered the public service in 1822, and became an Assistant Keeper of the Public Records. His 
 pamphlets on Record Reform led to the establishment of the General Record Office and the present 
 system. He obtained one of the four prizes of 100 offered by the Treasury for suggestions for 
 carrying out Mr. Rowland Hill's penny postage plan. He originated the series of " Art Manufac- 
 tures," and the exhibitions of the Society of Arts, of which the first was intended to have been held in 
 1851 ; but the scheme being adopted by Prince Albert, it was expanded into the Great International 
 Exhibition of that year. He was one of the executive Committee of Management ; and at the termi- 
 nation of his labours was rewarded with a Companionship of the Bath, and a handsome sum of 
 money. He was invited to undertake the superintendence and reform of the Schools of Design, 
 which led to the establishment of the Government Department of Science and Art, of which he was 
 appointed Senior Secretary, and afterwards Inspector General. He held the office of Brit'sh 
 Commissioner for the Universal Exhibition at Paris in 1855. He has successfully organized the 
 South Kensington Museum, of which he is Superintendent, as well as Secretary of the Science and 
 Art Department under the Committee of Council of Education. Whilst he was Assistant Keeper of 
 the Public Records, he published "Henry the Eighth's Scheme of Bishoprics," and "Miscellaneous 
 Records of the Exchequer." He is also the author of several Guide Books to the National Gallery,etc. 
 
 SIR ASTLET PASTON COOPER, BART., K.G.C.H., V.P.R.S, D.C.L. 
 
 This eminent surgeon was born at Brooke, in Norfolk, on the 2ord of August, 1768. His choice 
 of a profession was determined by an accident which happened to a boy in his presence, who had 
 fallen down in front of a cart, the wheel of which passed over his thigh and lacerated the femoral 
 artery. There being no surgeon near, young Cooper bound his handkerchief sufficiently tight over 
 the upper part of the thigh to stop the circulation in the artery until one arrived. In 1784 he 
 was placed under Mr. Cline, surgeon to St. Thomas's Hospital ; to the influence of whose example 
 Sir Astley attributed much of his success in after life. In 1787 he was made Demonstrator of 
 Anatomy at St. Thomas's ; and in 1791 he was admitted a Member of the Corporation of Surgeons, 
 and in the same year was associated with Mr. Cline in his lectures on Anatomy and Surgery. 
 In 1793 he lectured on Surgery alone, which was the first course on that subject independent 
 of Anatomy. In 1794, and again in 1795, he was appointed Professor of Anatomy to the Corporation 
 of Surgeons, and Professor of Anatomy and Surgery to the College in 1811 in conjunction with 
 Mr. Abernethy. In 1798 he published his first literary production, intitled "Medical Records and 
 Researches." His income up to this time does not appear to have kept pace with his reputation ; for, 
 as he tells us, it was in the first year only bl. 5s. ; the second, 261. ; the third, 64?. ; the fourth, 961. ; 
 the fifth, 100Z. ; the sixth, 200Z. ; the seventh, 400Z. ; and the eighth, 610Z. In 1800 he was appointed 
 to succeed his uncle as Surgeon at Guy's. In this and the following year he read two papers before 
 the Royal Society, on the effects produced by the destruction of the membrana tympani, with an 
 account of an operation for the removal of a particular species of deafness. For these papers, the 
 Royal Society awarded to him the Copley medal for 1802, and in 1805 elected him a Fellow of 
 their body, and a Vice-President in 1830. In the same year he took an active part in the 
 formation of the Medico-Chirurgical Society. In 1804 he published the first part of his great work 
 on Hernia, and the second part in 1807. This work, by which he lost WOOL, on account of the 
 expensive manner in which it was got up, added greatly to his increasing reputation ; and in a few 
 years after (1813) his income attained the amount of 21,OOOZ., probably the largest ever received 
 by a medical practitioner. In 1813 he was appointed Professor of Comparative Anatomy to the 
 College of Surgeons, and again in 1815 in conjunction with Mr. Abernethy. In 1820 he 
 was called in to remove a steatomatous tumour from the head of King George IV., by whom, 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 225 
 
 on August 31, 1821, lie was created a baronet. In 1822 he was elected one of the Court of 
 Examiners of the College of Surgeons ; and in the same year he brought out his work on 
 "Dislocations and Fractures." In 1827 he was elected President of the College, which honour 
 was again conferred upon him in 1836. In 1827, in consequence of ill health, he relinquished 
 his practice for a time, and resigned his lectureship at St. Thomas's. In 1828 he resumed 
 his practice, and was appointed Serjeant- Surgeon to the King. In 1830 he was elected a Vice- 
 President of the Royal Society ; and in 1832, a Member of the Royal Institute of France ; and 
 shortly after, a Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences. On the installation of 
 the Duke of Wellington at Oxford, in 1834, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law 
 from that University. In 1836 he was appointed K.G.C.H.. Civil. In 1837 he visited Edinburgh, 
 where he received the freedom of the city, the degree of Doctor of Laws, and was honoured by a 
 public dinner given by the College of Surgeons. In 1840 he was seized with attacks of giddiness, 
 which, increasing, terminated his life on February 12, 1841. He was interred, by his own desire, 
 under the chapel of Guy's Hospital ; and a colossal statue, by Bailey, has been erected to his memory 
 in St. Paul's Cathedral. He has founded a prize of 300 to be adjudged every third year 
 by the Physicians and Surgeons of Guy's Hospital to the writer of the best original Essay on any 
 given subject in Anatomy, Physiology, or Surgery. 
 
 SIR PHILIP CRAMPTON, Km., M.D., F.R.C.S.I., D.C.L., F.R.S., M.R.I.A. 
 
 This successful physician was born in 1779. He took his degree of M.D. at Glasgow in 1800, 
 and was admitted a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, and was thrice its President. 
 In 1812 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. As a man of science he paid particular 
 attention to zoology and comparative anatomy, regarding them as subservient to the one great end, 
 the preservation of human life. He was created a baronet in 1839. He was appointed Surgeon- 
 General to the Forces in Ireland, by the Duke of Richmond, on the death of Mr. Stewart ; and 
 subsequently Surgeon in Ordinary to her Majesty. He was Consultant to the majority of the 
 Dublin hospitals ; and took an active part in the foundation of the Royal Zoological Society of 
 Ireland, for which, he obtained a grant of the ground in Phoenix Park. He was the author of an 
 " Essay on the Entropion, or Inversion of the Eyelids," published in 1805. He died June 10, 1858. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM CUBITT, KNT., F.R.S., M.R.I.A., F.R.A.S. 
 
 This celebrated engineer was born in Norfolk in 1785. He was apprenticed to a joiner, and 
 obtained celebrity as a maker of agricultural implements. In 1807 he invented the self-regulating 
 windmill sails ; and his engagements rapidly increasing, in 1826 he removed to London. There 
 is scarcely a port, dock, or canal, in the construction of which he was not employed or consulted as 
 engineer. The South-Eastern and the Great Northern railways were constructed under his superin- 
 tendence ; and one of his last public works was the construction of the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, 
 for which he was knighted in 1851. He was elected F.R.S. in 1830. 
 
 SIR JOHN GRAHAM DALTELL, BAKT., V.P.S.A.S. 
 
 An accomplished Scottish antiquarian, was the second son of Sir Robert Dalyell, Bart., and was 
 born in 1777. He was admitted a member of the Faculty of Advocates in 1797. His profes- 
 sion of a barrister he soon relinquished for that of an historian and antiquarian, and in 1798 
 he published his first work, " Fragments of Scottish History," which was rapidly followed by 
 several others, illustrative of the antiquities and history of Scotland. He was President of the 
 Society for Promoting useful arts in Scotland, and Vice-President of the Society of Antiquaries of 
 Scotland. He was knighted by patent in 1836, and succeeded to the family title on the death of his 
 elder brother. He died on June 7th, 1851. 
 
226 APPENDIX. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM DAVENANT, KNT. 
 
 This popular writer was born at Oxford, in Feb. 1605. He was entered at Lincoln College, 
 but it does not appear that he took a degree. On the death of Ben Jonson, in 1637, he was 
 appointed poet laureate, and was knighted by Charles I. while he was serving with the Royalist f'onvs 
 at the siege of Gloucester, as Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance. In 1651 he was taken prisoner 
 at sea, and only escaped being tried for his life by the intercession amdng others of Milton and 
 Whitelocke. He wrote several dramatic pieces, masques, and operas, which were performed at a 
 theatre he had opened in the Tennis-court, in Little Lincoln's Inn Fields. An epic poem, called Gon- 
 dibert, which he dedicated to Hobbes, he did not live to complete. The only work 1 for which he is 
 now remembered, is an alteration of the "Tempest," in which he was assisted by Dryden ; of which 
 Sonthey remarks, " that it is marvellous that two men of such great and indubitable talent should 
 have combined to debase and vulgarise, and pollute such a poem ; but, to the scandal of the English 
 stage, it is their Tempest and not Shakespeare's which is to this day represented." He died on 
 April 7th, 1668, and was buried in "Westminster Abbey. 
 
 SIR JOHN FRANCIS DAVIS, BAET., K.C.B., F.R.S., 
 
 Was born in London in 1795. In 1816 he accompanied our ambassador, Lord Amherst, to China, 
 and subsequently succeeded Lord Napier, as Chief Superintendent at Canton. On his return 
 to England, after a residence of more than twenty years in China, he published, in 1836, " The Chinese ; 
 a General Description of China and its Inhabitants." This work was succeeded, in 1841, by 
 " Sketches in China," with observations on the war between that country and Great Britain. In 
 the same year Mr. Davis was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Hong Kong, which 
 office he held until 1847. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1822, created a baronet 
 in 1845, and a civil Knight Grand Cross of the Bath in 1854. He is the author of " Chinese 
 Maxims," and several other works relating to China, some of which have been translated into French 
 and German. 
 
 SIR HUMPHREY DAVY, BAET., P.R.S. 
 
 One of the most eminent modern chemists, was born at Penzance, in Cornwall, in 1778. 
 Though originally intended for the medical profession, he devoted himself to the study of chemistry, 
 and obtained so much celebrity from a work he published, while superintendent of a Pneumatic 
 Institution at Bristol, intitled " Chemical and Philosophical Researches," that he was immediately 
 afterwards elected Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution. In 1802 he became Professor 
 to the Board of Agriculture. He was knighted in 1812, and created a baronet in 1818. He \vas 
 elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1803, and its President in 1820 ; and an honorary member of 
 the College of Surgeons in 1823. The invention of the Safety Lamp and the discovery of the metallic 
 bases of the alkalies and earths have obtained for him an imperishable name. He died at Geneva 
 on May 28, 1829. 
 
 SIR HENRY THOMAS DE LA BECHE, KNT., F.R.S., F.G.S. 
 
 This eminent geologist was born near London in 1796. He was educated at the Military school 
 at Great Marlow, and entered the army in 1814. In 1817 he was elected Fellow of the Geological 
 Society, of which he afterwards became Secretary, and in 1847 President. In 1819 he was elected 
 Fellow of the Royal Society, and was knighted in 1842 ; and in 1853 he was elected a corresponding 
 member of the Academy of Sciences of Paris. In 1831 he published his "Geological Manual," 
 which has gone through several editions, and been translated into French and German. In the 
 same year he projected a plan for making a Geological Map of England, which resulted in his 
 
APPENDIX. 227 
 
 being appointed by the Government Director of the Ordnance Geological Survey of Great Britain. 
 Whilst engaged in this work he made a large collection of minerals and geological specimens, which 
 formed the nucleus of the Museum of Practical Geology in Jermyn Street. In 1851 courses of 
 lectures were delivered in this institution under the name of the Government School of Mines, 
 which have been carried on with increasing usefulness under his successor, Sir Roderick Murchison. 
 He was the author of several papers on Geology, which have appeared in the Transactions of the 
 Geological Society. He died April llth, 1855. 
 
 SIR JOHN DENHAM, K.B., F.R.S., 
 
 Was born at Dublin in 1615. In 1631 he entered as a gentleman commoner in Trinity College, 
 Oxford, and graduated in Arts in 1634. He became a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's 
 Inn, and might have succeeded at the bar had he not given himself up to gaming. In 1641 he gained 
 great celebrity by his tragedy of "The Sophy," and in 1643 still more by his "Cooper's Hill," 
 which is almost the only one of his poems now read. In 1647 he performed many secret and 
 important services for Charles I., when prisoner in the hands of the army, which being discovered, 
 he was obliged to retire to France. In 1652 he returned to England, and at the Restoration of 
 Charles II. was appointed Surveyor-General of his Majesty's buildings, and created Knight of the 
 Bath, and was elected by the first Council a Member of the Royal Society in 1663. He died in 
 March, 1688. 
 
 SIR NICOLAS DORIGNT, KNT. 
 
 This distinguished engraver and designer was born at Paris in 1657. He was educated as an 
 advocate, but his taste induced him to follow the arts as a profession, and he accordingly went to 
 Rome and placed himself under the tuition of his brother, a painter and engraver, and was one 
 of the first French historical engravers of his time. While at Rome he became acquainted with 
 some English gentlemen, who persuaded him to visit England to engrave the Cartoons of Raffaelle, 
 a task he commenced in 1712, and completed in 1719, when he presented two complete sets to 
 George I., who gave him a purse of 100 guineas, and knighted him in the following year. He was 
 elected a member of the French Academy of Painting in 1725. He died at Paris in 1746. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM DRUMMOND, KNT., F.R.S. 
 
 The date of the birth of this distinguished scholar is not known. His first work, " A Review 
 of the Governments of Sparta and Athens," probably a juvenile performance, was published in 1794. 
 At the close of 1795 he was returned to Parliament for St. Mawes. In 1801 he was appointed 
 Ambassador to the Ottoman Porte, and was honoured with the Order of the Crescent, which was 
 confirmed to him by license in 1805. In 1824-26 he published his ablest work " Origines, or 
 Remarks on the Origin of Several Empires, States, and Cities." He was the author of several 
 archffiological and philological dissertations. He died on March 29th, 1828. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM DUGDALE, KNT. 
 
 This eminent antiquary was born at Shustoke, in Warwickshire, in 1605. He received the 
 rudiments of his education in the Free School at Coventry, and completed it under his father. In 
 1638, through the recommendation of Sir Christopher Hatton and Sir Henry Spelman he was 
 created by the Earl of Arundel, then Earl Marshal, a pursuivant at arms extraordinary, by the 
 name of Blanche Lyon ; and in 1639-40 Rouge Croix pursuivant in ordinary. In 1641 he 
 superintended the making of exact drawings of all the monuments in Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, 
 
 29 2 
 
228 APPENDIX. 
 
 and in many other cathedrals and parish churches of England. In 1642 the degree of M.A. was 
 conferred npon him at Oxford ; and in 1644 he was promoted to the office of Chester Herald. 
 In conjunction with Dodsworth he published the first vol. of " Monasticon Anglicanum," (a work 
 npon which they had been engaged for many years) at their own expense, the booksellers declining 
 to incur the risk. A second volume was published in 1661, and the third in 1673. Upon the 
 Restoration of Charles II. Dugdale was advanced to the office of Norroy King of Arms ; and in 1677 
 he was created Garter King of Arms, and the day after received the honour of knighthood. He 
 published other antiquarian works of great research and authority, too numerous for mention in 
 this place. He died Feb. 10th, 1686. 
 
 SIR CHARLES LOCK EASTLAKE, P.R.A., F.R.S., D.C.L., 
 
 Was born at Plymouth about 1793. He commenced his education at the grammar schools of 
 Plymouth and Plympton, and for a short time at the Charter House, which he quitted at a compara- 
 tively early age. He studied at the Royal Academy under Fuseli, and availed himself of the advice 
 and experience of his townsman Haydon. After completing his studies he visited Paris, for the pur- 
 pose of studying the great works Napoleon had collected at the Louvre, but was prevented from 
 pursuing his design by the renewal of the war on the escape of the ex-Emperor from Elba, when he 
 returned to England, and established himself as a portrait painter at Plymouth. While the Bellero- 
 phon lay off that port, with Napoleon on board, as the ex-Emperor walked the deck, Eastlake, from a 
 small boat, made sketches of him, and produced a full length portrait, the most faithful likeness of him 
 at that period. In 1817-18 he visited Italy, Greece, and Sicily, and then settled for some time in 
 Rome. He exhibited his first pictures in 1823, was admitted an Associate in 1827, and in 1830 was 
 elected a Royal Academician. Among the pictures he contributed to the Exhibition, his " Christ 
 weeping over Jerusalem" is the most important. He was elected President in 1850, and received 
 the honour of knighthood. In 1841 he was appointed Secretary to the Royal Commission of Fine 
 Arts, an office he still retains ; and in 1843, Keeper of the National Gallery, which he resigned in 
 1847, and in 1855 was appointed to the new office of Director, with a salary of 1000 per annum. 
 He is also Art Adviser of her Majesty and Prince Albert. In 1838 he was elected Fellow of the 
 Royal Society, and in 1853 received the honorary degree of D.C.L. from the University of 
 Oxford. In 1855 he was created Knight of the Legion of Honour. His contributions to literature are 
 numerous and learned, of which we may notice his "Materials for a History of Oil Painting," and scat- 
 tered essays which he has collected under the title of " Contributions to the Literature of the Fine Arts." 
 
 SIR HENRY ELLIS, K.H., B.C.L., F.R.S., HON. M.R.I.A., 
 
 Was born in London in 1777. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, whence he pro- 
 ceeded to St. John's College, Oxford, where he graduated, and was soon afterwards appointed one 
 of the Assistant Librarians of the British Museum, and in 1827 Principal Librarian, which office he 
 resigned in 1856. He was elected, in 1807, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries ; and in 1811 a 
 Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1832 he was created a Civil Knight of the Royal Hanoverian 
 Guelphic Order ; and was knighted in 1833. He is the author of several works on our national 
 antiquities, and one of the Commissioners for preparing and publishing the records of the kingdom, 
 and in this capacity he wrote the general introduction to " Domesday Book." He was also a 
 contributor to the new edition of Dugdale's Monasticon, commenced in 1817. His papers in the 
 Archseologia are numerous, and he has contributed largely to the knowledge of our national antiquities. 
 
 SIR GEORGE ENT, KNT., M.D., F.R.S., P.R.C.P., 
 
 An eminent physician, was born at Sandwich, in Kent, in 1604. He was educated at Sidney 
 Sussex College, Cambridge, where he took his B.A. degree in 1626, and having afterwards travelled 
 into foreign countries he obtained the degree of M.D. at Padua in 1636. After his return to 
 
APPENDIX. 229 
 
 England he rose into great practice, and was nominated by Charles II. a member of the first council 
 of the Royal Society in the Charter of Incorporation in 1662. On his election as President of the 
 College of Physicians in 1665, he delivered an inaugural address before his Majesty, who was so 
 much interested by it that he knighted him upon the spot ; this is the only instance of such an 
 honour having been conferred in the hall of the College. He was the author of several works on 
 Respiration and the Circulation of the Blood, which were collected together in an 8vo volume, and 
 published at Leyden in 1687. He died October 13, 1689. 
 
 SIR CHARLES FELLOWS, EOT., 
 
 An enterprising traveller, was born at Nottingham in 1799. In 1838 he commenced his tour in Asia 
 Minor, which led to the discovery of the ruins of the ancient city of Xanthus, and subsequently to 
 the transportation to this country of the marbles and casts which are now deposited in the Lycian 
 Saloon of the British Museum. In 1845 he received the honour of knighthood for his discoveries in 
 Lycia, and his services in the removal of the Xanthian marbles. He has published an account of 
 his " Travels and Researches in Asia Minor, particularly in the Province of Lycia." He died on 
 November 8, 1860. 
 
 SIR JOHN FORBES, KOT., M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.S., D.C.L. 
 
 This physician was born at Cuttlebrae, in Banffshire, in 1787. He studied first at theMarischal 
 College, Aberdeen, and graduated as M.D. at Edinburgh in 1817. He commenced practice at 
 Penzance ; he then removed to Chichester, and subsequently to London. His first work, which 
 obtained for him a professional reputation was his translation of Laennec, which has gone through 
 several editions. This was followed by a treatise on the Use of the Stethoscope, with a translation 
 of Avenbrugger. He was one of the founders of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, 
 now merged in the British Medical Association. On coming to London he was appointed Physician 
 in Ordinary to Her Majesty's Household, and Physician Extraordinary to Prince Albert. He was 
 elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1829 ; and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, 
 in 1844 ; and the University of Oxford have conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.C.L. He 
 was knighted in 1853. Besides his medical writings Sir John has contributed to literature many 
 works of a lighter and more popular kind, such as "A Physician's Holyday, or a Month in Switzer- 
 land," &c. 
 
 SIR CHARLES FOX, KST., C.E. 
 
 This civil engineer was born at Derby in 1810. He was originally intended for the medical 
 profession, but his taste for engineering led him to prefer that science. His greatest work was the 
 construction of the building for the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, the drawings for which occupied 
 him eighteen hours a day for seven weeks. For his success in this undertaking he was knighted 
 in 1851. He also constructed, in conjunction with his indefatigable but unfortunate partner, the 
 late Mr. Henderson, the real workman in the undertaking, the Crystal Palace at Sydenham. He has 
 executed many railway and other engineering works. Fortune has not smiled on his labours so 
 benignly as she has on those of others of his class. 
 
 REAR ADMIRAL SIR JOHN FRANKLIN, K.C.H., D.C.L. 
 
 This enterprising and ill-fated Arctic navigator was born at Spilsby, in Lincolnshire. At the 
 age of 14 he was entered as a midshipman on board the Polyphemus. In 1818, on the recommen- 
 dation of Sir Joseph Banks, he was appointed to the command of the Trent, which with the 
 Dorothea sailed from Spitzbergen, with the object of navigating through the supposed Polar Sea. In 
 1819 he had the command of the first overland expedition for the purpose of tracing the coast line 
 
230 APPENDIX. 
 
 of the North American continent. For his services on this occasion he was promoted to the rank of 
 Captain ; and in 1823 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1825 he proceeded on his 
 second land exploration, and for his services in this expedition he received the honour of knighthood 
 in 1829 as commander of the Northern Land Expedition, and the University of Oxford conferred 
 npon him the honorary degree of D.C.L. In 1836 he was appointed K.C.H. Civil. The French 
 Geographical Society rewarded him with their gold medal, and he was elected a Corresponding 
 Member of the Institute of France. He was, at his own request, appointed by Lord Glenelg 
 Governor of Van Diemen's Land, an office he held for seven years. He was afterwards appointed 
 to the command of the ill-fated expedition for the discovery of the North West Passage, originated 
 by Sir John Barrow, and left England in the Erebus, accompanied by Captain Crozier in the Terror, 
 in May, 1845. His unhappy fate has been placed beyond doubt by the recent discoveries of Captains 
 Belcher and M'Clintock, which enable us to fix the untimely end of this first discoverer of a North- 
 West Passage on June 11, 1847. 
 
 SIR SAMUEL GARTH, KNT., 
 
 A physician and poet, was born of a good family in Yorkshire. He was a member of Peterhouse, 
 Cambridge, where he took the degree of M.D. in 1691, and was, in 1693, admitted a member of the 
 College of Physicians, London. He was knighted on the accession of George I. in 1714. He was 
 the author of " The Dispensary," a poem written against the apothecaries, which went through 
 six editions in as many years. He died January 18, 1718. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM GELL, KNT., 
 
 Was born in 1777. He was entered of Jesus College, Cambridge, graduated in 1798, and took his 
 Master's degree in 1804. He subsequently migrated to, and became a Fellow of Emanuel College. 
 In 1814, on the Princess of Wales leaving England, she appointed him one of her Chamberlains, and 
 he attended her at Naples and Rome, as appears from his evidence before the House of Lords on the 
 Queen's trial in 1820. He was knighted in 1814, on his return from a mission to the Ionian Islands. 
 His first work was published in 1804, intitled " The Topography of Troy and its Vicinity." This was 
 followed by several others, of which his " Pompeiana, or Observations upon the Topography, Edifices, 
 and Ornaments of Pompeii" attracted most attention. Of this work a second series was published 
 in 1835. He died at Naples, February 4, 1836. 
 
 SIR JOHN WATSON GORDON, KNT., R.A., P.R.S.A. . 
 
 This distinguished portrait painter was born in Edinburgh about 1790. He received his 
 professional education in the Trustees' Academy, and devoted himself exclusively to portrait painting. 
 It is said of him that while Raeburn painted the poetic phase of Scottish physiognomy to 
 perfection, Gordon was no less successful in painting its prosaic. He assisted in establishing the 
 Scottish Academy, to which during his whole career he was a constant contributor. He first 
 exhibited in the Royal Academy in 1827, of which he was elected an Associate in 1841. In 1850, 
 on the death of Sir W. Allan, he was elected President of the Scottish Academy, and in the 
 same year her Majesty appointed him to the office of Limner to the Queen in Scotland, and 
 conferred upon him the honour of knighthood, and the Royal Academy of London elected him 
 an Academician. 
 
 SIR GEORGE GREY, K.C.B., 
 
 Was born at Lisburn, in Ireland, in 1812. He was educated for the Army at the Royal Military 
 College, Sandhurst, and obtained the rank of Captain. In 1837, he was employed by Government 
 to make a journey of discovery in Australia, and a second in 1838, of which he published an 
 
APPENDIX. 231 
 
 account under the title of " Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North West and Western 
 Australia." He was successively appointed Governor of South Australia and New Zealand ; of 
 the latter in 1846. In 1848 he was created a Knight Commander of the Bath. In 1854 he was 
 appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Cape of Good Hope, from which post he 
 was recalled, but in which he was afterwards reinstated, on the remonstrance of several of the leading 
 colonists, and still holds. Besides his " Journals," he has also published a work on " Polynesian 
 Mythology." 
 
 SIR HENRY HALFORD, BART., G.C.H., M.D., F.R.S., F.S.A. 
 
 This distinguished physician was born in 1766, and was the son of Dr. Vaughan, Physician to 
 the Infirmary at Leicester. He received his scholastic education at Rugby, where he was entered 
 in 1774; from thence he proceeded to Christ Church, Oxford, and took his Bachelor's degree in 
 1787, his Master's in 1789, his M.B. degree in 1790, his M.D. in 1794, and afterwards studied at 
 Edinburgh. In 1 794 he was elected Fellow of the College of Physicians, and delivered the Harveian 
 Orations in 1800 and 1835. Having early in life married a daughter of Lord St. John, he soon 
 attained to considerable practice among the higher classes, and was appointed one of the physicians to 
 George III., an office which he held under George IV., William IV., and her present Majesty. In 
 1809 he was created a Baronet. In 1813 he attended the Prince Regent to the vaults of St. 
 George's Chapel, Windsor, to examine the contents of the coffin of Charles I., of which he has 
 published an account. In 1814 he became possessed of a large fortune by the death of the widow 
 of his mother's cousin, Sir Charles Halford, when by a private Act of Parliament he changed his 
 name from Vaughan to Halford. In 1820 Sir Henry was appointed President of the College of 
 Physicians (an office he held for more than twenty years), and in 1825 delivered the Oration on the 
 removal of that body to their new building in Pall Mall East. In 1826 he was appointed by 
 George IV. Knight Commander of the Guelphic Order, and in 1830, by William IV., a Knight 
 Grand Cross. His urbanity of manners and devotion to the interests of the college have left a 
 grateful recollection of him among the members of that corporation. His contributions to the 
 literature of his profession principally consist of Latin Orations delivered before the College, which 
 are characterised by a purity of style above the average of such productions, and Essays on various 
 medical subjects, all displaying the elegant scholar and observant physician. Sir Henry was a 
 Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies. He died March 9, 1 844. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. SIR WILLIAM HAMILTON. 
 
 This celebrated diplomatist and enterprising explorer of ancient arts was born in Scotland in 
 1 730. He was appointed Ambassador at Naples in 1 764, an appointment which he retained till 
 1800. His records of the volcanic phenomena of the neighbourhood of Naples and the eruptions of 
 Vesuvius from 1766 to 1771 are detailed in his great work, the " Campi Phlegrsei," in 2 vols. folio, 
 which forms a noble monument of his enterprise and research. To this work he published a 
 Supplement in 1779, containing representations of the great eruption of Vesuvius in August of that 
 year. He took much interest in the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii and the for- 
 mation of the Museum of Portici ; and his collection of Greek and Etruscan vases and marbles, 
 purchased by the Government in 1772, now forms a valuable addition to the British Museum. He 
 was made a Knight of the Bath in 1771, and a Privy Councillor in 1791. He died April 6th, 1803. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM SNOW HARRIS, Ksr., F.R.S., 
 
 Was born at Plymouth in 1791. He is a Member of the College of Surgeons ; but is principally 
 celebrated for his discoveries in meteorology and electricity ; in consequence of which he has been 
 

 232 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 employed for the last twenty-five years in applying his general principles to the ships of the Royal 
 Navy, which has resulted in their perfect immunity from the dangers of lightning. He is also 
 the inventor of a new steering compass. He has* received the Copley medal of the Royal Society, 
 of which he was elected a Fellow in 1831. In 1845 the Emperor of Russia presented to him a 
 vase ; and in 1847 his scientific services were rewarded with the honour of knighthood. He is 
 the author of several papers on electricity and magnetism, which have been published in the 
 Philosophical Transactions. 
 
 SIR JOHN HAWKINS, KNT., 
 
 Was born in London in 1719. He was articled to an attorney and solicitor, and acquired a 
 good professional business, from which he retired on marrying a lady of fortune. In 1 749 he had 
 the honour of being appointed one of the nine members of Dr. Johnson's Club. In 1761 he was 
 appointed one of the Middlesex magistrates and became chairman of the quarter sessions. He was 
 knighted in 1772 for his spirited exertions in repressing the Brentford and Spitaltields riots in 1768-9. 
 Of the productions of his pen the chief is his " History of the Science and Practice of Music," which 
 was published in 1776 ; and in 1787 he published a complete edition of Dr. Johnson's works, with a 
 memoir. The valuable musical library which he had accumulated while pursuing his historical 
 inquiries he presented to the British Museum. Sir John died May 21, 1789. 
 
 SIR GEORGE HAYTER, KNT. 
 
 This " Court Painter in ordinary" was born in London in 1792. Having finished his studies in 
 the Royal Academy, he visited Italy, where he passed some years. On his return, his works exhibited 
 so much delicacy of finish and poetical expression, that he was appointed Painter of Miniatures 
 and Portraits to the late Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold ; and in 1837 Portrait and Historical 
 Painter to the Queen ; and Her Majesty's Principal Painter in Ordinary, in 1841, and teacher of 
 drawing to the Royal Princesses. He was knighted in 1842. He is a member of many of the 
 foreign Academies, and in 1829 was made Knight of the Lion and Sun, of Persia. His finest pic- 
 tures are, " The Trial of Lord William Russell," and " The Queen taking the Coronation Oath." He 
 is the author of the Appendix to the " Hortus Ericseus Woburnensis," on the Classification of Colours. 
 
 MAJOR SIR FRANCIS BOND HEAD, BART., K.C.H. 
 
 This author was born in 1793 at the Hermitage, near Rochester. Having chosen arms as 
 his profession he became Captain of Engineers in 1825, and attained the rank of Major in the 
 army in 1828. In 1825 he accepted a proposal from a mining association to superintend the working 
 of the gold and silver mines of the provinces of Rio de la Plata. Returning to London in 1826 he 
 published his " Rough Notes of a Journey across the Pampas," which was very successful. In 1835 
 he was appointed Lieut.-Governor of Canada. In 1837 an insurrection broke out, which he speedily 
 suppressed by the colonial militia alone ; but differences arising between him and the English 
 ministry as to the measures to be adopted, he resigned. His pleasant " Bubbles from the Brunnen 
 of Nassau" has obtained for him a considerable reputation as an author, and for his literary labours 
 he enjoys a pension of 100 a-year. He was knighted in 1831, made K.C.H. in 1835, and a 
 baronet in 1838. 
 
 SIR THOMAS HERBERT, BAET., 
 
 Was born at York about 1606. In 1621 he was admitted of Jesus College, Oxford, whence he 
 migrated to Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1626 he accompanied Sir Dodmore Cotton, ambassador 
 from Charles I. to the Shah of Persia, and returned to England after four years' absence. In 1634 
 he published his " Some Yeares Travels into Africa and Asia the Great," which he revised and 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 233 
 
 augmented in 1638. This work gives the best account of Persia anterior to that of Chardin, and 
 was translated into Dutch and French. He was one of the commissioners appointed by the 
 Parliament to receive the King from the Scots at Newcastle ; and though opposed in politics and 
 religion to Charles, yet his respectful behaviour won the regard of his royal prisoner, and he attended 
 him to the last, and in 1678 published " Threnodea Carolina," an historical account of the last two 
 years of Charles I. After the Eestoration he was created a Baronet. He died at York in 1682. 
 
 SIR JOHN FREDERICK WILLIAM HERSCHEL, BART., M.A., K.H., F.R.S. L. AND E., 
 
 D.C.L., P.R.A.S., F.G.S. 
 
 A celebrated Mathematician and Astronomer, born at Slough, near Windsor, in 1 790. He was educated 
 at St. John's College, Cambridge, and was Senior Wrangler and Senior Smith's Prizeman in 1813. 
 In the same year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. His observations on the multiple 
 stars obtained for him the gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1826, and in 1836 he 
 again obtained their gold medal for his Catalogue of Nebulae. In 1831 he was made a Civil Knight 
 of Hanover, and was knighted in the same year. In 1 833 he proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope 
 to make a survey of the southern heavens, which he completed in little more than four years, 
 entirely at his own expense. On his return in 1838 he was received with every public honour 
 and created a Baronet. In the following year the honorary degree of D.C.L. was conferred upon 
 him at Oxford, and in 1842 he was elected Lord Rector of Marischal College, Aberdeen. In 1848 
 the Astronomical Society voted him a testimonial for his work on the Southern Hemisphere, and 
 elected him their President. In 1850 he was appointed Master of the Mint, which office he was 
 obliged to resign in 1855, in consequence of ill health. In the same year he was elected one of 
 the eight foreign associates of the French Institute. His astronomical and other publications, 
 which have obtained for him a world-wide reputation, are too numerous to be mentioned here. 
 
 SIR ROWLAND HILL, K.C.B., 
 
 The Originator of the penny postage system. He was born at Kidderminster in 1795. For several 
 years he assisted his father in the mathematical department of a seminary he conducted near Birming- 
 ham ; from which, in 1833, the bad state of his health obliged him to retire ; and he subsequently 
 received the appointment of Secretary to the South Australian Commission. Having devoted 
 considerable attention to the errors and abuses of our postal system, in 1837 he published a pamphlet 
 on post-office reform, which attracted much public attention ; and in 1838 a committee of the House 
 of Commoift recommended the adoption of his proposal, which, in 1840, he had the gratification of 
 seeing carried out in the establishment of a uniform rate, for inland postage, at first, of 4tZ., but which 
 was subsequently reduced to Id. In 1846, the country, to shew their appreciation of the merit of his 
 system, presented him with a money testimonial of 13,000 ; and the Government appointed him 
 permanent Secretary of the Post Office in the same year, and sole Secretary on the retirement of 
 Colonel Maberly in 1854. He was made a Knight Commander of the Bath in 1860. 
 
 SIR HENRY HOLLAND, BAKT., M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.S., F.G.S. 
 
 This distinguished Physician and Author was born at Knutsford, in Cheshire, in 1788. He 
 graduated at Edinburgh in 1811, and afterwards practised as a physician in London, where he soon 
 gained a high reputation. In 1840 he was appointed Physician in Ordinary to Prince Albert, and 
 in 1852 Physician in Ordinary to Her Majesty, and in the following year was created a Baronet. 
 He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1815, and of the College of Physicians in 
 1828. As an author he is well known for a standard professional treatise, intitled " MSdical Notes 
 and Reflections." He is also a contributor to the Philosophical Transactions. 
 
 30 
 
234 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 SIR EVERAED HOME, BART., P.R.C.S., V.P.R.S., F.S.A., 
 
 An eminent Surgeon, born at Greenlaw Castle, Berwickshire, in 1756. At an early age he com- 
 menced his studies in surgery under the celebrated John Hunter, who was his brother-in-law. He 
 was admitted a Member of the College of Surgeons in 1779, and elected a Governor in 1802; 
 became Master in 1813, and President in 1821, and for many subsequent years. In 1809 he was 
 appointed Sergeant-Surgeon to George III; and in 1813 the Prince Regent raised him to the 
 dignity of a baronet, and also conferred upon him the appointment of Sergeant- Surgeon, which was 
 continued to him by William IV. He delivered the Hunterian Oration in 1814 and 1822. He was 
 Surgeon to St. George's and Chelsea Hospitals, and Honorary Professor of Anatomy and Surgery 
 to the College of Surgeons. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1787, and a Vice- 
 President in 1814. His contributions to surgical literature are numerous and of high repute, among 
 which may be mentioned his " Lectures on Comparative Anatomy," in two vols., 4to. He died 
 Aug. 31, 1832. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM JACKSON HOOKER, K.H.C., V.P.L.S., F.R.S., D.C.L., F.S.A., F.G.S. 
 
 This learned Botanist was born at Norwich in 1 785, and deservedly ranks amongst the most 
 distinguished cultivators of systematic botany of the present century. For many years he was 
 Professor of Botany in the University of Glasgow, whence he was promoted to the Directorship of 
 the Royal Gardens of Kew, in which, under his management, have been erected the large conser- 
 vatory and other new houses, and the museum of the useful products of the vegetable kingdom. 
 He has published a popular guide to the treasures of these gardens, which will greatly tend to 
 diffuse a knowledge of the natural history of the vegetable kingdom among the people. In 1836 he 
 was made a Civil Knight of Hanover, and for many years has been one of the Vice-Presidents of the 
 Linnsean Society, and in 1812 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is also a Fellow of 
 the Antiquarian and Geological Societies. In 1845 the University of Oxford conferred upon him the 
 honorary degree of D.C.L. ; and in 1855 he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour. He is 
 also an honorary member of many foreign scientific societies. He is the author of several works on 
 botany, among which may be mentioned his Flora Scotica and English Flora. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM JONES, KNT., 
 
 An accomplished Oriental Scholar and lawyer, was born in London in 1746. At seven he was 
 sent to Harrow, and at seventeen he entered University College, Oxford. He selected the law as a 
 profession, and was called to the bar in 1774. In 1783 he was appointed a Judge in the Supreme 
 Court of Judicature at Calcutta, and received the honour of knighthood. In 1783 he established the 
 Asiatic Society, which held its first sitting at Calcutta in Jan. 1784. He was a proficient in eight 
 languages, English, French, Italian, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Persian, and Sanscrit ; and, with the 
 assistance of a dictionary, was able to read eight more, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Runic, 
 Hebrew, Bengali, Hindu, and Turkish ; besides twelve others less perfectly. His " Essay on the 
 Law of Bailments" is considered a model of its kind. His works, which extend to six quarto 
 volumes, were published by his widow in 1799. He died April 27, 1794. 
 
 SIR ROBERT KANE, KNT., M.D., F.R.C.P.I., F.R.S., M.R.I.A., 
 
 A physician of high repute, born in Dublin in 1810. Soon after the completion of his medical 
 education, he was appointed Professor of Chemistry to Apothecaries' Hall, Dublin, and elected a 
 Member of' the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Dublin, and a Corresponding Member of the Societies 
 of Pharmacy and of Medical Chemistry of Paris. In 1830 he obtained the prize offered by Dr. Graves 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 235 
 
 for the best essay on the pathological condition of the fluids in typhus fever. In 1832 he took 
 his M.D. degree at Trinity College, Dublin ; and in the same year projected the " Dublin Journal 
 of Medical Science." In 1832 he was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, and was placed 
 on the Council in 1841 ; and in the same year was elected a Fellow of the Irish College of Physi- 
 cians, and appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy to the Royal Dublin Society, which he resigned 
 in 1847 ; and received from the Royal Irish Academy the Cunningham gold medal, for some useful 
 chemical discoveries. He was knighted by the Lord Lieutenant in 1846 ; and in the same year was 
 formed, at his recommendation, the Museum of Irish Industry. He was appointed President of 
 Queen's College, Cork : and delivered his inaugural address on Nov. 7, 1849. He was also in this 
 year elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, who conferred upon him the Royal Medal. The second 
 edition of his " Elements of Chemistry," which he published in 1844, is probably the most useful 
 work of its kind. He is the author of several other works. 
 
 SIR JAMES PHILLIPS KAY-SHUTTLEWORTH, BAET., LL.D., 
 
 Was born in 1804. He received his education in Scotch and Foreign universities, and took his 
 degree of Doctor of Laws. When the Committee of the Privy Council on Education was nomi- 
 nated, Dr. Kay was appointed its Secretary ; from which he retired in 1850, and was honoured with 
 a baronetcy. Although retired from official service, he continues to take an active part in all educa- 
 tional movements, on which his fame has been established. In 1842 he married the representative 
 of the ancient family of Shuttleworth, whose name he has assumed by royal license. 
 
 SIR GODFREY KNELLER, BART. 
 
 A celebrated Painter, was born at Liibeck, in 1648. He received his first instruction in the art 
 from Rembrandt ; and afterwards became a pupil of Ferdinand Bol. He then visited Rome and 
 Venice, where he acquired considerable reputation from several portraits he had painted of noble 
 families, and some historical paintings. He subsequently went to Hamburg, and lastly to London, 
 where he was patronised by the Duke of Monmouth, by whom he was introduced to Charles II., 
 whose portrait he painted several times. He was state painter to Charles II., James II., William III., 
 Queen Anne, and George I. ; and by the latter he was created a baronet, in 1715. The Emperor 
 Leopold made him a Knight of the Roman Empire. The beauties of the Court of William III., 
 painted by order of the Queen, are very inferior to Sir Peter Lely's " Beauties of the Court of 
 Charles II." Sir Godfrey died in 1726. 
 
 SIR EDWIN LANDSEER, KNT., R.A., 
 
 The unequalled Animal Painter, was born in 1803. His father directed his education, and taught 
 him to sketch the animals they met with in their rambles on Hampstead Heath. His first work was 
 exhibited in 1817; and in 1819, when only sixteen, his "Fighting Dogs" attracted general notice, 
 and was purchased by Sir George Beaumont. In 1826 he was elected Associate of the Royal 
 Academy, and Royal Academician in 1831, and was knighted in 1850. For the Copyright of "The 
 Highland Drovers," the first of his paintings engraved, he received only 200 guineas ; but for 
 " Peace," and " War," which were bought by Mr. Vernon for 1,200 guineas, Mr. Graves paid him 
 3,000 guineas. At the Exposition Universelle, in 1855, a " large gold medal" was awarded to him, 
 being the only English artist to whom a medal of that class was given. Sir Edwin's works are so 
 popular in this country, and so familiar to every lover of the art, that it is quite unnecessary to enu- 
 merate them. 
 
 30 2 
 
236 APPENDIX. 
 
 SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE, KOT., P.R.A. 
 
 This most successful Portrait Painter was born at Bristol, in 1769. His father, after many 
 vicissitudes in life, became landlord of the Black Bear, at Devizes, an inn at that time much frequented 
 by the rich and fashionable on their way to Bath. It was here that young Lawrence shewed his 
 predilection for an art in which he afterwards attained such eminence. In 1775, when only six years 
 old, he took the portraits in profile of Mr. (afterwards Lord) Kenyon and his lady, who were staying 
 at the inn : the likenesses are said to have been accurate, and the execution easy and spirited. About 
 this time he was sent to a respectable school kept by Mr. Jones, from which he was removed, when 
 only eight years of age, and this was all the regular education he received. In 1 782 his father settled 
 at Bath, and placed him tinder Mr. Prince Hoare, a crayon painter of much taste, from whom he 
 acquired that grace and elegance which qualified him to be so pre-eminently the painter of female 
 beauty. At thirteen he received from the Society of Arts the great silver pallet and a present of five 
 guineas, for a copy, in crayons, of the " Transfiguration." In 1787 he came to London, and was soon 
 after introduced to Sir Joshua Reynolds. In this year he first exhibited at Somerset House, where 
 seven of his pictures, all female portraits, were admitted. In 1791 he was elected a Supplemental 
 Associate of the Royal Academy, being under twenty-four, the earliest age at which associates can be 
 admitted. He was elected R.A. in 1791, and in the following year, on the death of Sir J. Reynolds, 
 was appointed Portrait Painter to George III. In 1815 he received the honour of knighthood. At 
 the command of the Prince Regent he painted the Portraits of the Princes, Statesmen, and cele- 
 brated Generals who visited London after the Peace. In 1820, on the death of Mr. West, he was 
 elected President of the Royal Academy. He died January 7, 1830. 
 
 SIR PETER LELY, KXT., 
 
 A successful painter of female beauty, was born at Soest, in Westphalia, in 1617. He was a pupil 
 of Peter Grebber, of Haarlem. He came over to this country, and was appointed state painter to 
 Charles II. He is celebrated for his series of the Beauties of the Court of Charles II., preserved at 
 Hampton Court, among whom he found ample scope for his immodest pencil. Of his historical 
 pictures, " Susannah and the Elders," at Burlington House, is one of his best. He equally excelled 
 as a crayon painter. He died in 1680. 
 
 SIR JOHN LESLIE, K.H., 
 
 A celebrated Mathematician and Natural Philosopher, was born at Largo, in Fifeshire, in 1766. 
 In 1779 he was sent to St. Andrew's, and after studying there for six sessions, he removed to 
 Edinburgh in 1783-4, where he attended the classes of several of the professors for three years. In 
 1790 he repaired to London, and commenced writing for the periodicals; he contributed many 
 articles to the "Monthly Review," and translated Buifon's "Natural History of Birds," which 
 appeared in nine vols., in 1793. In 1805 he was elected Professor of Mathematics in the University of 
 Edinburgh, and occupied that chair for fourteen years, when he was promoted to the chair of Natural 
 Philosophy, on the death of Professor Playfair in 1819. He was the inventor of the Diiferontial 
 Thermometer, and author of an "Essay on the Nature and Propagation of Heat," for which work 
 the Royal Society awarded him the Rumford Medal. He was a corresponding Member of the Roy:il 
 Institute of France. Besides his numerous mathematical works, he was a contributor to the " Edin- 
 burgh Philosophical Transactions," " Enclycopsedia Britannica," " Edinburgh Review," and " Nichol- 
 son's Philosophical Journal." He was made a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order in 1832, and 
 died on Nov. 3, in the same year. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 237 
 
 SIR CHARLES LYELL, KNT., D.C.L., P.G.S. 
 
 This distinguished Geologist was born at Kinnordy, in Forfarshire, in 1797. He was educated 
 at Midhurst, in Sussex, whence he removed to Exeter College, Oxford, where he graduated as A.B. in 
 1819, and A.M. in 1821. He was afterwards called to the bar; but preferring geology to the law, he gave 
 himself up entirely to the study of the former, and in 1832, on the opening of King's College, was 
 appointed Professor of Geology. He was one of the early Members of the Geological Society, and in 
 1836 was elected its President ; an honour which was conferred upon him a second time in 1850-1. 
 He was knighted in 1848 ; and in 1855 the University of Oxford conferred upon him the honorary 
 degree of D.C.L. The works on which his high reputation rests, are " Principles of Geology," 
 " Elements of Geology," and " Travels in North America." He is one of the most active members 
 of the British Association. 
 
 THE RT. HON. SIR EDWARD GEORGE EARLE LYTTON BULWER LYTTON, BART. 
 
 A celebrated Poet and Novelist, was born in 1805. In 1820, while only fifteen years old, he published 
 his first work " Ismael, an Oriental Tale." He was admitted a fellow-commoner of Trinity-Hall, 
 Cambridge, and obtained the Chancellor's Medal for his Poem on " Sculpture." He took his B.A. 
 degree in 1826, and his Master's was conferred upon him in 1835. In 1827 appeared his first novel, 
 " Falkland," which was followed, in 1828, by " Pelham," and stamped his fame. In 1831 he was 
 returned to Parliament for St. Ives. In 1835 he published a pamphlet, " The Crisis," which ran 
 rapidly through more than twenty editions, and won for him a Baronetcy. In 1844 he succeeded, 
 by his mother's death, to the estates of Knebsworth, and by royal licence added Lytton to his own 
 surname. In 1856 he was elected Lord Rector of Glasgow University, and in 1858, when Lord 
 Derby's second administration was formed, he was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies. 
 His novels and other writings are so numerous and so generally read, that it is unnecessary to par- 
 ticularize them ; the fashionable, the romantic, the sentimental, and the domestic, are written with 
 equal felicity. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. THOMAS BABINGTON LORD MACAULAY. 
 
 This Essayist, Poet, and Historian was born at Rothley Temple, Leicestershire, in 1800. He 
 was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1819 he gained the Chancellor's Medal for his 
 poem, "Pompeii"; and in 1821 he gained the like honour for another poem, "Evening," and 
 obtained the Craven Scholarship. In 1822 he took his B.A. degree, and obtained a Fellowship in the 
 same year. In 1825 he contributed to the " Edinburgh Review" his article on Milton, from which we 
 have extracted, in pp. 152-3, its splendid conclusion. This was followed in the ensuing twenty years 
 by a series of brilliant essays, which have illustrated the pages of that far-famed periodical. He was 
 called to the bar by the Society of Lincoln's Inn in 1826, and was soon after appointed by the Whigs 
 a Commissioner of Bankruptcy. He obtained a seat in Parliament for the borough of Calne in 1830, 
 and was appointed Secretary to the Board of Control for India. In 1832 he was returned to the 
 first reformed Parliament as member for Leeds. He resigned his seat in 1834, on being appointed 
 a Member of the Supreme Council of Calcutta. In 1839 he accepted the office of Secretary at War, 
 taking his seat as member for Edinburgh in 1840. In 1846 he was appointed Paymaster of the 
 Forces, with a seat in the Cabinet, which office he held till 1847, when he lost his election for 
 Edinburgh, and retired from Parliament. In 1842 he published his " Lays of Ancient Rome," and 
 in 1849 appeared the first two volumes of his " History of England"; and in the same year he was 
 elected Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow, and became a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn. In 
 1850 he was appointed to the honorary office of Professor of Ancient History in the Royal Academy, 
 
238 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 and in 1853 he received the Prussian Order of Merit. In 1852 the citizens of Edinburgh re-elected 
 him as their representative ; but his health compelled him to resign his seat in 1850. He was 
 created a peer in 1857, an honour he did not live long to enjoy, for he died on December 28, 1859. 
 
 SIR ROBERT JOHN LE MESURIER MACLURE, KNT., CAPT. R.N., 
 
 An enterprising Arctic Navigator, was born in Wexford, in Ireland, in 1807. He was educated at 
 Eton, whence he proceeded to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst ; but preferring the naval 
 profession to the military, he obtained, through the influence of his godfather, General Le Mesurier, 
 the appointment of a midshipman on board the Victory. In 1836 he volunteered to join the Arctic 
 expedition under Captain Back, and on his return in 1837 he was promoted to the rank of 
 lieutenant. In 1848 he again volunteered to accompany Sir James Ross in his expedition in search 
 of Sir John Franklin, and was then made first lieutenant ; and obtained the rank of commander on 
 his return in 1849. In 1850 he was appointed to the Investigator, to accompany Captain Collinson 
 (the senior officer) in the Enterprise, on a second voyage in search of Sir John Franklin. The two 
 ships separated in a gale, and never met again. Captain Maclure continued his voyage, and on 
 the 30th September, in an exploring party, after his ship had been frozen in, he discovered the 
 north-west passage ; and in July 1851, the Investigator being again afloat, and after escaping many 
 dangers, he discovered a second north-west passage. In 1852 the ice did not break up, and 
 provisions becoming scarce, he determined in 1853 to endeavour to return to England. This was 
 accomplished by the opportune arrival of Captain Kennett, in the Resolute, at Melville Island in the 
 spring of 1853, who carried off part of the crew ; but Captain Maclure, with a few, remained with 
 the Investigator in the vain hope that the ice might break up and liberate her. This not happening, 
 he returned to England in 1853 with the expedition under Captain Sir Edward Belcher. In 1855 
 he received the honour of knighthood, and a reward of 5,000. 
 
 SIR FRANCIS LEOPOLD M'CLINTOCK, CAFT. R.N. 
 
 This celebrated Arctic Navigator was born at Dundalk, in Ireland, in 1819. In 1831 he entered 
 the navy as a midshipman, and obtained his lieutenancy in 1845. In 1848, when the Enterprise 
 and Investigator were despatched by government in search for Sir John Franklin, McClintock was 
 appointed lieutenant on board the former ship, and distinguished himself by his extraordinary 
 journeys on foot overland, and the great additions he made to geographical knowledge. In 1853 
 he commanded the Intrepid, one of the four ships forming Sir E. Belcher's searching expedition. 
 In 1857 he was appointed to the command of the Fox, and with this steam yacht of but 177 tons, 
 and with a crew of only twenty-four, he succeeded in the object of his search, and has made his 
 name rank among the first and greatest of our arctic heroes. Of this voyage and its results he has 
 published a most interesting account in his " Narrative of the Discovery of the Fate of Sir John 
 Franklin and his Companions." In 1860 Her Majesty conferred upon him the honour of knighthood; 
 and on January 19th, of the same year, he was presented with the freedom of the city of London in 
 a snuff-box of British oak of the value of fifty guineas. 
 
 SIR JAMES M'GRIGOR, BART., K.C.B., K.C.T.S., M.D.ED., F.R.S.L. & E., LL.D., 
 F.R.C.P.L. & E., F.R.C.S.E. & L. 
 
 An Army Medical Officer of great repute, was born at Cromdale, Strathspey, Invernessshire, in 1771. 
 He was educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, where he took his M.A. degree. From Aberdeen 
 he proceeded to Edinburgh and graduated as M.D. ; whence he came to London, and attended the 
 
APPENDIX. 239 
 
 lectures of Mr. Wilson, of Windmill Street. In 1793 he entered the army as surgeon of the 
 88th regiment ; he was promoted to the rank of deputy inspector-general in 1805 ; inspector- 
 general in 1809 ; and director-general in 1815, when he received the honour of knighthood. He was 
 created a baronet in 1831, and a K.C.B. in 1851 ; the war medal, with five clasps, was also conferred 
 upon him for his services in Egypt, Badajos, Vittoria, the Pyrenees, and Toulouse. He was appointed 
 Physician Extraordinary to the Queen, on her accession to the throne, an office he had held under 
 George IV. and William IV. He was elected Lord Rector of Marischal College, Aberdeen, in 1822, 
 and again in 1823, when the election was contested by Mr. Joseph Hume, M.P. In 1825 the 
 university of Edinburgh conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. He was a 
 Fellow of the Royal Society, and of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Edinburgh ; 
 and an honorary fellow of the various medical societies of Scotland, Ireland, and America. He is 
 also a Knight Commander of the Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword, the decorations of 
 which he is permitted to wear ; he has also received the Order of the Crescent from the Sultan for 
 liis services in Egypt. He died April 3, 1858. The character of this distinguished army medical 
 officer is thus summed up by the Duke of Wellington in one of his despatches ; " I consider him one 
 of the most industrious, able, and successful public servants I have ever met with." 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH, KNT. 
 
 This distinguished Scholar and Statesman was born at Aldourie, in Morayshire, on Oct. 24, 1765. 
 He was educated at a school in Fortrose, and at King's College, Aberdeen, where he graduated as 
 M.A. in 1784, and then removed to Edinburgh and took his M.D. degree in 1787. He repaired 
 to London with the intention of commencing practice as a Physician ; but politics and literature being 
 more congenial to his taste, he relinquished that idea and became a political writer in the " Oracle" 
 newspaper; and in 1791 published his " Vindicia3 Gallicse," which obtained the applause of even 
 Burke himself, and the friendship of Fox ; and on the formation of the " Association of the Friends 
 of the People," he was nnanimously appointed the Secretary. He was called to the bar in 1 795, by the 
 Society of Lincoln's Inn, who granted him the use of their Hall for the delivery of a course of Lectures 
 " On the Law of Nations and Nature," of which the success was triumphant. He greatly distin- 
 guished himself as an advocate, especially as the Counsel of Peltier, who was tried for a libel against 
 Napoleon Buonaparte ; his speech on that occasion being charactised by Lord Ellenborough as " the 
 most eloquent he had ever heard in Westminster Hall." In 1803 he was appointed Recorder of 
 Bombay, and received the honour of knighthood. After seven years' residence in India he returned 
 to England, and in 1813 was elected Member of Parliament for the County of Nairn. In 1818 he 
 accepted the office of Professor of Law and General Politics in the East India College at Haileybury. 
 In 1822 he was elected Lord Rector of Glasgow, in preference to Sir Walter Scott ; and in the 
 following year, a Vice-President of the Royal Society of Literature ; and in July, 1826, he became one 
 of the Council for conducting the affairs of the London University. Soon after his return from India, 
 he commenced an extensive historical work on the affairs of England subsequent to the Revolution, 
 which he did not live to complete. He died May 22, 1832. 
 
 SIR JOHN MACNEILL, KNT., F.R.S., F.R.A.S., M.R.I.A., 
 
 A Civil Engineer, was born at Mount Pleasant, near Dundalk, in Ireland. He was educated as a 
 military engineer, but afterwards adopted the civil branch of the profession. In 1838 he was elected 
 Fellow of the Royal Society of London. He constructed " Tables for Facilitating the Calculation of 
 Earthwork in Railway Cuttings," by which he has acquired considerable reputation. He was the 
 Chief Engineer on the Dublin and Drogheda Railway, on the opening of which, in 1844, he received 
 
240 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 the honour of knighthood from the Lord Lieutenant. In 1842 he was appointed Professor of Civil 
 Engineering in Trinity College, Dublin, an office which he at present holds. 
 
 SIR FREDERICK MADDEN, K.H., F.R.S., 
 
 An eminent Antiquarian Writer, was born at Portsmouth, in 1801. In 1825 he assisted Mr. 
 Roscoe in the compilation of the " The Catalogue of Manuscripts at Holkham." In 1826 he was 
 appointed to an office in the British Museum, and assisted in the compilation of a classed catalogue 
 of the printed books in that National Library. In 1828 he was made assistant keeper of the MSS., 
 and in 1837 he was promoted to the head of the department. In 1832 he was elected a Fellow of the 
 Royal Society ; in the same year he received the honour of the Civil Order of the Gnelphic Knights of 
 Hanover, and was knighted in 1833 ; and in 1834 he was appointed one of the Gentlemen of the 
 King's Privy Chamber. TTia numerous literary labours are principally editorial, bearing chiefly on 
 English history and the earlier progress of its language and literature. 
 
 SIR JOHN MARSHAM, KNT., 
 
 A learned Author, the son of an alderman, was born in the parish of St. Bartholomew in 1602. He 
 was educated in Westminster school, and at St. John's College, Oxford, where lie graduated. Having 
 devoted himself to the study of the law, he obtained the appointment of one of the Six Clerks ; an 
 office of which he was deprived when the contentions arose between the King and the Parliament. 
 On the Restoration he was elected member for the city of Rochester, and reinstated in the Six 
 Clerks' office. He was knighted by Charles II., and soon after created a baronet. In his literary 
 pursuits he particularly directed his attention to the disentangling of the perplexed statements of 
 early writers concerning ancient dynasties and events. The result of his studies he published in a 
 folio volume, in 1672, intitled " Canon Chronicus ^Egyptiacus, Ebraicus, Groecus." He has written 
 other works on kindred subjects, but which have not appeared in print. He died in 1685. 
 
 SIR SAMUEL RUSH MEYRICK, K.H., LL.D., F.S.A. 
 
 This celebrated Antiquary was born in 1783. He was educated at Queen's College, Oxford, 
 where he took his A.B. degree. He was admitted an Advocate in the Ecclesiastical Courts in 1811. 
 In 1810 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries ; and in 1814 he published, in con- 
 junction with Capt. Hamilton, a work on the " Costume of the Original Inhabitants of the British 
 Islands." His great work on arms and armour was published in 1824. In 1826 he assisted in the 
 arrangement of the collection of arms and armour in the Tower ; and in 1 828 he was appointed by 
 George IV. to arrange the collection at Windsor. For these services he received the honour of K.H. 
 from William IV. in 1832. In 1834, when High Sheriff of Herefordshire, he revived a procession of 
 the javelin-men in Armour, and with mediaeval pageantry. The suite of apartments at his residence, 
 Goodrich Court, was arranged especially for the display of his collection of armour, and terminated 
 with a chamber in which was represented a grand tournament. Sir Samuel was also author of many 
 other works and papers on ancient armour and furniture, etc. He died on April 2, 1848. 
 
 SIR THOMAS LIVINGSTONE MITCHELL, KNT., D.C.L., F.R.S., F.G.S. 
 
 A most successful Explorer of the Australian continent, was born in 1792, at Craig End, Stir- 
 lingshire. He entered the army in 1808, and served on the staff till the termination of the Penin- 
 sular war, when he had attained the rank of major. From the surveys of the great battle-fields 
 in the Peninsula, which he was sent back to make, he constructed maps unsurpassed for accuracy 
 

 APPENDIX. 
 
 241 
 
 and skilful execution. In 1827 he published " Outlines of a System of Surveying for Geographical 
 and Military Purposes," and received the appointment of Deputy Surveyor- General of New South 
 Wales, and subsequently that of Surveyor-General, an office which he retained till his death. In 
 1838 he published his account of " Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia," 
 performed in the years 1831-2, 1835, and 1836. In 1839 he received the honour of knighthood, and 
 the University of Oxford conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.C.L. He was also elected a 
 Fellow of the Royal and Geographical Societies. In 1848 he published his " Journal of an Expedition 
 into the Interior of Tropical Australia," which he had undertaken, in the years 1845-6, and was 
 obliged to relinquish from want of water and pasture. In 1854 he was promoted to the rank of 
 colonel. Sir Thomas died at his residence, near Sydney, on Oct. 5, 1855, and was honoured with a 
 public funeral. 
 
 SIR THOMAS CHARLES MORGAN, KNT., M.D. 
 
 Born about 1783. He was educated in succession at Eton, the Charterhouse, and St. Peter's 
 College, Cambridge. He took his M.B. degree in 1804, and his M.D. in 1809. He commenced 
 practice in London, and was admitted a Fellow of the College of Physicians. He was knighted in 
 Ireland in 1811. In 1812, being then a widower, he married Miss Owenson, whose writings as 
 Lady Morgan have imparted a lustre to the name. Sir Thomas soon after this marriage relinquished 
 his professional practice and applied his talents to literature, and became a contributor to the " New 
 Monthly," and other periodicals. In 1818 he published " Sketches of the Philosophy of Life," and 
 the " Philosophy of Morals," both of which were translated into French and Italian. He also added 
 to Lady Morgan's "France," "Four Appendices on the State of Law, Finance, Medicine, and Political 
 Opinion in France." In 1831 he was appointed by the whigs one of the Commissioners of Irish 
 Fisheries. He died August 28th, 1843. 
 
 SIR SAMUEL MORLAND, BART., 
 
 Was the son of Rev. T. Morland, of Sulhampstead-Bannister, near Reading, and was born about 
 1625. He was educated at Winchester and Cambridge, but never took a degree. He accompanied 
 Whitelocke on the famous embassy to the Queen of Sweden ; and on his return became assistant to 
 Thnrloe, the Secretary of Oliver Cromwell. He is said to have been privy to the plot formed in 
 1659 for the capture of Charles II., usually known as Sir Richard Willis's plot, of which he found 
 means to apprise the king. In May, 1660, he visited Charles, at Breda, in Holland, who knighted 
 him and soon afterwards created him a baronet. On the Restoration Charles made him his Master 
 of Mechanics, and presented him with a medal, as a "badge of his signal loyalty," and shortly after 
 appointed him gentleman of his privy chamber. In 1666 he wrote a work on the quadrature of 
 curvilinear spaces, which was never published ; and about the same time he invented his arithmetical 
 machine, by which the four fundamental rules of arithmetic might be readily and accurately worked. 
 He also invented a Perpetual Almanac, and the Speaking Trumpet. If not the inventor, he greatly 
 improved the fire engine, and devoted much of his study to water engines, pumps, &c., which he 
 carried to a high state of perfection. He was also the author of several tracts on a variety of subjects. 
 The latter years of his life were embittered by poverty and blindness. He died Dec. 30, 1695. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM MORICE, KNT. 
 
 He was born at Exeter in 1602, and was educated at Exeter College, Oxford, where he took his A.B. 
 degree. He was elected a Member for Devonshire in 1645, an honour unsolicited on his part, and 
 was knighted by Charles II., on his restoration. He was author of a work on the Lord's Supper, 
 which evinces his almost universal reading and profound learning. He died at Warrington, in Devon- 
 shire, in 1676. 
 
242 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 SIR RICHARD MORRISON, KM., 
 
 An Architect of some repute in Ireland, was born about the year 1767. He became the pupil of a 
 Dublin architect and obtained a Government appointment in the Ordnance, which he was obliged to 
 relinquish in consequence of reductions in that establishment. He then resumed his practice as an 
 architect, and erected a great number of buildings. He was knighted during the Vice-royalty of Kurl 
 de Grey, and was President of the Irish Institute of Architects. He died Oct. 31, 18 1'.'. 
 
 SIR RODERICK IMPEY MURCHISON, KNT., K.G.C.Si. S., M.A., D.C.L., 
 F.R.S., V.P.G.S., F.R.G.S., F.L.S., ETC. 
 
 Celebrated Geologist, born at Tarradale in Ross-shire, in 1792. He was educated at Durham 
 Grammar School and at the Military College, Marlow, where he remained till 1805, when he received 
 a commission in the oGth Foot, and carried the colours of his regiment at the battle of Vimiera. He 
 quitted the army in 1815, and after some years of foreign travel, he devoted himself to science, and 
 undertook extensive geological tours through the greater portion of Europe, during a period of thirty- 
 five years, which have resulted in the greatest advantage to the science of Geology. His first great 
 work, completed after seven years of hard labour, was the " Silurian System," which is of high repute 
 among Geologists, and obtained for him the Copley Medal. In 1825 he was elected a Fellow of the 
 Geological Society, and of the Royal Society in 1826 ; of the former he discharged the duties of 
 Secretary for five years and was elected President in 1831, 1832, 1842, and 1843. He was not only 
 one of the founders of the Geographical Society, but has always been on its council, and has presided 
 over it for seven years. The Universities of Cambridge and Durham have conferred upon him the 
 honorary degree of M.A. He is also a Member of most of the Foreign Societies. He was knighted in 
 1846. From the Emperor Nicholas he received, in 1845, the decoration of the Second Class of 
 St. Anne, and the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Stanislaus, for his Geological Survey of the 
 Russian Empire, which orders he is now permitted to wear. In 1855 Sir Roderick became Director 
 General of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, including the Direction of the Government School 
 of Mines. A condensed view of all his labours in clearing away the obscurities in which the order 
 and relations of the oldest rocks was involved, is given in the last edition (1859) of his " Siluria." 
 
 LIEUT. GEN. SIR WILLIAM FRANCIS PATRICK NAPIER, K.C.B. 
 
 This celebrated Military Historian was born in 1785, at Castletown, in Ireland. He entered the 
 army as ensign in 1800, obtained a lieutenancy in 1801, a company in 1804, and his majority in 
 1811. He became lieutenant- colonel in 1813, colonel in 1830, major-general in 1841, and lieutenant- 
 general in 1851. He served at the siege of Copenhagen in 1807, and in Sir John Moore's campaign 
 in Spain in 1808-9 ; and was present at most of the engagements in the Peninsular War. He received 
 the gold medal with two clasps for his services in the battles of Salamanca, the Nivelle, and the Nive ; 
 and the silver medal with three clasps for Busaco, Fuentes de Onoro, and Orthes. He was appointed 
 Lieutenant-Governor of the Island of Guernsey in 1842, and was created a Knight Commander of the 
 Order of the Bath in 1848. He commenced his career as an author in 1828, by the publication of 
 the "History of the War in the Peninsula and the South of France, from 1807 to 1814." The 
 volumes of this work came out in succession, the sixth and last being published in 1840. This history 
 has passed through several editions, and is now a standard work. He also published an account of 
 his brother's " Administration of Scinde," and other works. 
 
 SIR ISAAC NEWTON, KNT., M.A., P.R.S., 
 
 Was born at Woolsthorpe, in the parish of Colsterworth, in Lincolnshire, on Dec. 25, 1642, O.S. At 
 the age of twelve he was sent to the grammar-school at Grantham ; from whence he entered of 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 243 
 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1660, and was admitted subsizer in 1661 and scholar in 1664. In 
 1665 he took the degree of B.A., and about the same time stood for a law fellowship in his college, 
 which was given to his competitor (with whom he was declared of equal merit) as being the senior. 
 In 1667 he was elected one of the junior Fellows of his college and took his M.A. degree, and became 
 a senior Fellow in 1668. In 1669 he was appointed Lucasian Professor, and in the same year, at the 
 request of the Royal Society, he presented them with one of the two reflecting Telescopes he 
 had made, and which still remains in the library of that Society, of which he was elected a Fellow on 
 Jan. 11, 1669, and President in 1703, an honour continued to him till his death. In 1675 Newton 
 obtained of Charles II. a dispensation from taking orders, that he might retain his fellowship; 
 and so poor was he at this time, that the Royal Society remitted, at his request, the weekly 
 payment of Is. In 1688 Newton was elected one of the Members for the University in the Conven- 
 tion Parliament. In 1695 he was appointed Warden of the Mint, and Master in 1699, when he 
 vacated the Lucasian chair. In 1699 he was chosen Associate of the Academy of Sciences at Paris. 
 In 1705 he was knighted by Queen Anne, and in the same year, in a contest for the representation 
 of the University, he lost his election, and never afterwards sat in parliament. His discoveries on the 
 unequal refrangibility of light were made about 1664, and the " Principia," on which his reputation 
 as the greatest discoverer in physical science is founded, appeared in May 1687, at the expense of the 
 Royal Society. He died on March 20, 1726-7. 
 
 SIR GEORGE NICHOLLS, K.C.B., 
 
 The Originator and Superintendent of the present system of Poor Law Administration in England 
 and Ireland, was born at St. Kevern, in Cornwall, in 1781. He was educated at Helstone Grammar 
 School, and at Newton Abbot, Devonshire, and entered the naval service of the East India Company 
 at fifteen. In 1809 he commanded a ship, and quitted the service in 1815. In 1834 he was appointed 
 one of the Commissioners under the Poor Law Amendment Act. In 1838 the legislature passed 
 "An Act for the more effectual Relief of the Poor in Ireland," founded upon information supplied by 
 him ; and the working of the new system was entrusted to him and four assistant-commissioners. 
 After a few years Mr. Nicholls returned to his position in the administration of the English Poor Law ; 
 and npon the new organisation of the Poor Law Board accepted the office of Secretary. In 1848 he 
 was made C.B., and upon his retirement from office in 1851. had the honour conferred upon him of 
 Knight Commander of the Bath. His several works on the History of the English, Scotch, and Irish 
 Poor Law respectively, exhibit the whole course of legislation on this important branch of social 
 economy. 
 
 SIR NICHOLAS HARRIS NICOLAS, K.H., F.S.A., 
 
 Was born in 1799. He entered the Navy, and attained the rank of Lieutenant in 1815. His employ- 
 ment in the service having ceased at the close of the war, he applied himself to antiquarian literature, 
 in which his first production was " The Life of William Davison, Secretary of State, and Privy Coun- 
 cillor to Queen Elizabeth." He then entered himself of the Middle Temple, and was called to the 
 bar in 1825. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and a Member of the Council, 
 and became a frequent contributor to the " Archseologia." Of the numerous works of which he was 
 the editor or author, the most useful is his " Notitia Historica," which he afterwards remodelled for 
 " Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaadia," under the title of " The Chronology of History ; containing Tables, 
 Calculations, and Statements, indispensable for ascertaining the Dates of Historical Events, and of 
 Public and Private Documents, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time," (1835). He also 
 published the statutes of various Orders of Knighthood, for which, in 1831, he was made a Knight 
 of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, and in 1832 Chancellor of the Ionian Order of St. Michael and 
 St. George. He died on Aug. 3, 1848. 
 
 31 
 
244 APPENDIX. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM BROOKE O'SCHAUGHNESSY, K.C.B., F.R.S., 
 
 Born at Limerick in 1809, and educated at Edinburgh University, where he graduated in Medi- 
 cine. At the age of twenty-one he entered the East India Service as Assistant Surgeon, and in 1833 
 received a civil appointment. He was afterwards appointed Professor of Chemistry in the Medical 
 College at Calcutta, and Chemical Examiner to the Government. To him the Government of India 
 is indebted for the means of communication, by the electric telegraph, between Calcutta, Agra, 
 Bombay, and Madras, a distance of 4,000 miles ; which, considering the local difficulties he had to 
 surmount, and perhaps not the least was the sudden and simultaneous training of 300 persons, to be 
 employed in the different offices connected with the working department, have no parallel in any 
 other country. He commenced laying down the line in Nov. 1853, and in Feb. 1856, the extent of 
 the telegraphic lines had reached 4,000 miles, at an average cost of 50 a mile. In 1856 he returned 
 to England, and was made a Knight Commander of the Bath for his most important services, which 
 have not been surpassed by any public enterprise of modern times. 
 
 SIR FRANCIS PALGRAVE, KNT. 
 
 The surname of this Antiquary was originally Cohen. He was born in London, in 1788. In 1827 
 he was called to the bar by the Society of the Inner Temple. He edited the " Parliamentary Writs," 
 Tinder the direction of the Commissioners of Public Records, published in 1827-34. In 1831 he was 
 elected Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Society of Antiquaries. In 1832 he was made a Knight 
 of the Guelphic Order for his services in connection with the constitutional and parliamentary history 
 of England, and was knighted. In the same year he published his "Rise and Progress of the English 
 Commonwealth ; Anglo-Saxon Period, containing the Policy and the Institutions arising out of the 
 Laws and Usages which prevailed before the Conquest," two vols., 4to. In 1833 he was appointed 
 one of the Commissioners to inquire into the existing state of the Municipal Corporations of England 
 and Wales. The Commissioners issued a general report, upon which the Municipal Reform Act was 
 founded. From this report Sir Francis Palgrave dissented, and published an unavailing Protest. 
 He was soon after appointed Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, an office which he now holds. 
 
 REAR ADMIRAL SIR WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY, KNT., D.C.L., 
 
 Was born in 1790 at Bath ; in the grammar school of which city he was educated. Preferring the 
 navy to the medical profession, for which he was originally intended, in June, 1803, he was 
 appointed a first-class volunteer on board the Ville de Paris. In 1806 he was made a midshipman, 
 and a lieutenant in 1810. In 1818 he was appointed to the command of the Alexander, under the 
 orders of Captain Ross in the Isabella, for the discovery of a north-west passage. Both vessels 
 returned in the same year without having effected their object, much to the disappointment of Lieu- 
 tenant Parry. In 1819 he was appointed to the command of a second expedition in the Hecla with 
 the Griper under his orders. On September 4 they penetrated within the Arctic Circle, and became 
 entitled to the reward of 5000. On his return in November 1820 he was promoted to the rank of 
 commander, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1821 and 1824 Captain Parry had 
 the command of two other arctic expeditions, which were unsuccessful. During his absence from 
 England on the former of these he was promoted to the rank of post-captain, and in 1823 was 
 appointed Acting Hydrographer to the Admiralty. In 1825 he was made Hydrographer to the 
 Admiralty, the duties of which office he performed till 1826, when he was again appointed to the 
 command of the Hecla, and sailed from the Thames in April 1827. In this voyage he attained the 
 latitude of 82 45', the nearest point to the North Pole ever reached. Being unable to proceed 
 farther he returned, and arrived in London in September of the same year, when he resumed his 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 245 
 
 duties as hydrographer, which he was obliged by ill health to resign. In 1822 he received the 
 honour of knighthood, and had the degree of D.C.L. conferred upon him by the University of Oxford. 
 In 1837 he was appointed to organize the Packet Service between Liverpool and Ireland, and Comp- 
 troller of Steam Machinery for the Royal Navy. He then retired from active service, and was 
 appointed Captain-Superintendent of the Royal Clarence Yard, and of the Naval Hospital at Haslar. 
 In 1852 he attained the rank of Rear Admiral of the White, and in 1853 was appointed Lieutenant- 
 Governor of Greenwich Hospital, an oiSce which he held till his death, on July 7, 1855. 
 
 LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR CHARLES WILLIAM PASLET, R.E., K.C.B., D.C.L., 
 
 Entered the army as Second Lieutenant in the Artillery in 1797, and in the following year exchanged 
 into the Engineers. He became first lieutenant in 1799, and captain in 1805. From 1806 to 1809 
 he was engaged in active service at Gaeta, Maida, Copenhagen, Corunna, Walcheren, Flushing 
 (where he was wounded), and in the Peninsula. He obtained the rank of Brevet Major in 1812, 
 Brevet Lieutenant- Colonel in 1813, Lieutenant-Colonel in 1814, Major-General in 1841, Lieutenant- 
 General in 1851, and Colonel-Commandant of the Royal Engineers in 1853. The University of 
 Oxford conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.C.L., in 1844, and he was created a Knight 
 Commander of the Bath in 1845. He has received the silver war medal with two clasps for the 
 battles of Maida and Corunna, and the Peninsular medal. He is now Inspector General of Railways. 
 He is the author of numerous works on military and scientific subjects. 
 
 SIR JOSEPH PAXTON, M.P., F.L.S., ETC., 
 
 Was born at Milton Bryant, near Woburn, Bedfordshire, in 1803, and was educated at Woburn 
 Grammar School. Sir Joseph is one of the many remarkable "self-made men" of this country. 
 From the humble position of an ordinary gardener at Chatsworth, he obtained by his manifest abilities, 
 not only the patronage but the friendship of the late Duke of Devonshire, who lived to see his 
 protege honoured and received by royalty with a cordiality of feeling such as is rarely exhibited 
 towards a commoner in any country. The late Duke of Devonshire has most nobly recorded, we 
 believe, in his autobiography, words to the effect : That on all occasions he had foimd the advice of 
 Paxton that of a true friend. Dame Fortune has hitherto not allowed a cloud to cast a shadow over 
 Paxton, one of her deservedly most favoured children. Brought up in the conservatories at Chats- 
 worth, his suggestion, at a moment of difficulty, respecting the style of building for the National 
 Exhibition of 1851, was most fortunate for the public and happy in its design. It was the most 
 natural for a man who eschewed bricks and mortar. It met with universal approbation and obtained 
 for him the honour of knighthood ; and in 1854 he was elected M.P. for Coventry. The Crystal 
 Palace the eighth wonder of the world at Sydenham, would never have been built had it not been 
 for the exertions of Mr. Francis Fuller and those who came forward to purchase, at the suggestion of 
 Mr. Leech, the building of the Exhibition of 1851. Here again did Sir Joseph Paxton shew his 
 master mind ; and however many may be the faults committed in the erection of The Crystal Palace, 
 it stands alone as one of the most marvellous buildings of the age. His great design of a conserva- 
 tory roadway round London, cleansed by monster fountains, remains to be accomplished. Grant 
 Sir Joseph Paxton a few millions, and there ends the difficulty ! ! 
 
 SIR SAMUEL MORTON PETO, BART., 
 
 The constructor of many of the greatest engineering works of the present century, was born at 
 Woking, in 1809. He acquired a practical knowledge of a builder's business during the seven years 
 he served in the several departments of his uncle's establishment. In 1830, on the death of his 
 uncle, Mr. Henry Peto, he succeeded to a moiety of his uncle's very large business, his partner being 
 Mr. Grissell (also a nephew). This partnership was dissolved in 1845 ; and he has since constructed 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 a large portion of the railway works in England and a vast railway in Canada, as well as the Norwe- 
 gian Grand Trunk Railway and the Royal Danish line. Upon the opening of the latter in 1854 he 
 received from the hands of the King of Denmark the Order of the Dnnebrog. At the close of 1854 
 he undertook gratuitously the construction of the Balaclava Rail way in the Crimea, originated by the 
 Duke of Newcastle, and in consequence relinquished his seat for Norwich, which he had held since 
 1847. In appreciation of this patriotic service he was created a baronet. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM PETTY, KOT., M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.S., P.R.I.A., 
 
 Born at Rumsey, in Hampshire, and educated at the grammar-school there. In 1649 he was 
 elected, on the recommendation of the Parliament, to a Fellowship at Brazen-nose College, Oxford, 
 made void by the ejection of the Royalists, and at the same time received the honorary degree nt 
 M.D. In 1650 he was appointed to the Anatomical Professorship in that University ; and in tin- 
 following year succeeded Dr. Knight in the Professorship of Music at Gresham College. In 1652 he 
 was appointed Physician to the Army in Ireland, and subsequently became Secretary to Henry 
 Cromwell and the three following Viceroys of that country. In 1655 he was elected Fellow of the 
 College of Physicians of London. In 1661 he was appointed a Commissioner of the Court of Claims, 
 in Ireland, by Charles II., who conferred upon him the honour of knighthood. On the institution of 
 the Royal Society, he was nominated on the Council. In 1666 he published his " Verbum Sapienti ;" 
 and in 1684 he established a Philosophical Society at Dublin, in imitation of the Royal Society, of 
 which he was elected President. His "Political Arithmetic " was the first work on Politico! 
 Economy which appeared in this country. From him have sprung the noble family of Lansdoune. 
 He died on Dec. 16, 1687, having acquired a very large fortune by his talents. 
 
 DR. LYON PLAYFAIR, C.B., Pii.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., F.C.S. 
 
 He was born in Bengal in 1819. He was educated at St. Andrew's, and in 1834 entered himself 
 as a pupil in chemistry under Professor Graham in Glasgow University. In 1835 he went out to India, 
 and on his return resumed his studies under Professor Graham, who was then Professor of Chemist ry 
 in University College, London. In 1838 he was attracted to Giessen by the fame of Liebig, and took 
 the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in that University. On his return to England he published, a 
 translation of Liebig's " Reports on the Progress of Organic Chemistry." In 1843 he accepted tin- 
 post of Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution of Manchester. While he held this office ho 
 was placed on the Commission for Investigating the State of Health of the large Towns of England. 
 He was subsequently appointed Chemist to the Museum of Economic Geology. In 1848 he was 
 elected Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1851 he was appointed Special Commissioner to communi- 
 cate with Local Committees on the Arrangements preliminary to the opening of the Great Exhibition. 
 For his services in connection with the Great Exhibition he was made a Companion of the Bath, and 
 received the appointment of Gentlemen Usher in the Prince Consort's Household. In 1853 he was 
 appointed joint Secretary of the Government Department of Science and Art, and in 1855 sole 
 Secretary. In 1858 he was elected Professor of Chemistry in the University of Edinburgh, which 
 office he now holds. 
 
 * 
 
 SIR ROBERT KER PORTER, K.C.H., 
 
 Was born at Durham about 1775. When nine or ten years of age he was spending the evening -with 
 the celebrated Flora Macdonald, who seeing him intently gazing on a battle-piece of '45, explained to 
 him all its details, and from that time he was incessantly sketching battles. About 1790 his mot her 
 introduced him to Mr. Benjamin West, R. A., who procured for him his admission as a student into the 
 
APPENDIX. 247 
 
 Royal Academy. In 1792 he received a commission to paint "Moses" and "Aaron," for Shoreditch 
 Church. His most extraordinary productions were his battle-pieces, of which the " Storming of 
 Seringapatam," an immense picture, 120 feet long, he is said to have been only six weeks in painting, 
 and yet the execution was in no part neglected. This picture was destroyed by fire in a friend's 
 warehouse. In 1804 he went to Russia, and was appointed Historical Painter to the Emperor, and 
 in 1811 he married a Russian Princess, who survived him. In 1813 he published " An Account of 
 the Russian Campaign," and was knighted by the Prince Regent in the same year. From 1817 to 
 1820 he travelled in Asia, an account of which he published under the title of " Travels in Georgia, 
 Persia, Armenia, Ancient Babylon, etc.," in 1821-2. In 1836 Sir Robert was created Knight Com- 
 mander of the Hanoverian Order by William IV. In 1841 he made his last visit to St. Petersburgh, 
 on his return from Venezuela, where he had filled the office of British Consul. On the 3rd of May, 
 1842, he was struck with apoplexy, and expired on the following morning. 
 
 SIR UVEDALE PRICE, BAET., 
 
 Was born in 1 747, of an ancient Welsh family settled at Foxley, in Herefordshire. He was educated 
 at Oxford. The work on which his reputation mainly rests was " An Essay on the Picturesque, as 
 compared with the Sublime and Beautiful ;" and on the " Use of Studying Pictures for the Purpose 
 of Improving Real Landscape," published in 1794, which went through three editions. He was also 
 the author of several works on Landscape Gardening, and in 1827 he published " An Essay on the 
 Modern Pronunciation of the Greek and Latin Languages." In 1828 he was created a Baronet ; and 
 in the following year, on Sep. 11, he died at his residence, at Foxley. 
 
 SIR JOHN PRINGLE, BART., M.D., P.R.S., 
 
 Born in Roxburghshire in 1707. After having received his early classical education under a private 
 tutor, he entered the University of St. Andrew's and kept the ordinary number of terms there. In 
 1727 he removed to Edinburgh to qualify himself for the medical profession ; but he left that 
 university in the following year and proceeded to Leyden, where he took the degree of Doctor of 
 Physic in 1730. Thence he proceeded to Paris where he completed his medical studies, and then 
 settled in Edinburgh as a physician. In 1734 he was appointed Professor of Moral Philosophy in 
 that university. In 1742 he was nominated Physician to the Earl of Stair, at that time Commander 
 of the Allied Armies of England and Austria ; and was afterwards appointed by the Duke of Cum- 
 berland Physician General to His Majesty's Forces in the Low Countries, whereupon he resigned 
 his Professorship. In 1752 he published his Treatise "On the Diseases of the Army," which passed 
 through seven editions, and was translated into the French, German, and Italian languages. In 
 1745 he was recalled from Flanders, and accompanied the Duke of Cumberland in suppressing the 
 Scotch Rebellion; and in the same year was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1750 he 
 obtained the Copley Medal ; and in 1753 was elected on the Council. In this year he relinquished 
 his appointment in the army, and was admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians. In 1761, 
 soon after the accession of George III., he was appointed Physician to the Queen's Household, and 
 in 1763 Physician Extraordinary to Her Majesty; and in the same year was chosen a Member of 
 the Academy of Sciences at Haarlem, and a Fellow of the College of Physicians, London. In 1766 
 he was elected a Member of the Royal Society of Sciences at Gottingen, and created a Baronet by 
 George III. In 1772 he was elected President of the Royal Society, and in 1774 was appointed 
 Physician Extraordinary to His Majesty. In 1776 he became a member of several foreign societies. 
 In 1778 he succeeded Linnaeus as Foreign Member of the Academy of Sciences at Paris, and was 
 also elected Foreign Member of the Academy of Sciences and Belles Lettres at Naples ; and in 1781 
 a Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, Edinburgh. In 1778 he resigned the Presidency of 
 
248 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 the Royal Society, in consequence of its having been proposed to him by some members, whose 
 hostility against Franklin, on the breaking out of the American Revolution, was carried to an absurd 
 extent, to advocate the substitution of knobs instead of points on electric conductors as recommended 
 by Franklin, and among the number was their patron George III. Sir John hinted that the laws of 
 nature were unalterable at royal pleasure ; whereupon it was intimated to him that a President of 
 the Royal Society entertaining such an opinion ought to resign, which he accordingly did. In 
 1781 Sir John removed to Edinburgh, and presented to the College of Physicians there three 
 manuscript volumes in folio, on condition that they should not be printed. In the same year he 
 returned to London, where he died on January 18, 1782. 
 
 SIR HENRY RAEBURN, KNT., R.A., F.R.S.E., 
 
 A Portrait Painter, of great eminence in his time, born at Stockbridge, near Edinburgh, in 1756. 
 He was originally apprenticed to a goldsmith, and during the period of his apprenticeship was so 
 successful in painting miniatures, that he obtained considerable reputation by them, and usually 
 finished two a week. His master, wishing to promote his success as a miniature painter, cancelled 
 his indentures, receiving, as an equivalent for the period he had to serve, a part of the young painter's 
 earnings. After this agreement terminated, he discontinued miniature painting and took portraits 
 in oil, and gained a very extensive practice. About 1780 he repaired to London, and was much 
 noticed by Sir Joshua Reynolds, by whose advice he visited Italy, where he remained two years, 
 carefully studying the works of the great Masters. In 1787 he returned to Edinburgh, where he 
 soon became the chief portrait painter, and was made a member of the Royal Society of that city. In 
 1812 he was elected an Associate, and in 1815 a Member of the Royal Academy. In 1822 he received 
 the honour of knighthood from George IV., at Hopetown House, and in the following year was 
 appointed Portrait Painter to his Majesty for Scotland. He was a Member of the Imperial Academy 
 of Florence, and of the South Carolina and New York Academies. He died on July 8, 1823. 
 
 SIR THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES, KNT., 
 
 Was born at sea, off Jamaica, in 1781. At fourteen, after having been at school only two years, he 
 obtained a Clerkship in the India- House, and so improved his education by private study, that his 
 abilities obtained for him, in 1805, the Assistant-Secretaryship of Pulo Penang. In 1806 he was 
 appointed principal Secretary and Registrar ; and in 1811 Lieutenant-General of Java, the expedition 
 against which had been planned by him. In 1816 he returned to England, and prepared for the press 
 his "History of Java," which appeared in 2 vols. in 1817. In the same year he was knighted, and 
 obtained the appointment to the Residency of Bencoolen. After Java had been resigned to the 
 Dutch he was, in 1819, appointed to the goveinment of Singapore, which had been placed under 
 British protection by his advice. In 1824 he returned to England, from ill health. His collection in 
 Natural History he gave to the Zoological Museum in Bruton Street, of which, in conjunction with 
 Sir H. Davy, he formed the plan, and established. He died on July 5, 1826. 
 
 LIEUT.-COL. SIR HENRY CRESWICKE RAWLINSON, K.C.B., F.R.S., 
 
 Born at Chadlington in Oxfordshire, in 1810. He entered the East India Company's Military 
 Service in 1826, and rose to the rank of Major in 1836, and Lieut.-Col. in 1850. On Jan. 1, 1833, he 
 transmitted to the Secretary of the Asiatic Society a specimen of liis copy and reading of the Behistun 
 inscription in Kurdistan, in the cuneiform character ; and in 1839 he sent a precis of the whole 
 inscription, which was published in 1846, and the Babylonian version in 1851. In 1843 he was 
 appointed political Resident at Baghdad, where he studied the inscriptions of Nineveh. In 1844 he 
 received the commission of Consul there, and Consul-General in 1851. He was elected a Fellow of 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 249 
 
 the Royal Society in 1850, and in the same year received from the University of Oxford the honorary 
 degree of D.C.L. In 1850 he was appointed a Crown Director of the East India Company, and 
 created a K.C.B. In 1858 he was elected M.P. for Reigate, but shortly after resigned his seat on 
 accepting the office of a Member of the Council of India. In 1859 he was appointed Her Majesty's 
 Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of the Shah, and was granted the 
 rank of Major-General in Persia. Besides his numerous papers in the Journals of the Asiatic and 
 Geographical Societies, he published, in 1852, " Outline of the History of Assyria, &c. ;" and in 1855, 
 "Memorandum on the Publication of the Cuneiform Inscriptions." 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL SIR WILLIAM REID, K.C.B., F.R.S., 
 
 Was born, in 1791, at Kinglassie in Fifeshire. He was educated in the Royal Military Academy at 
 Woolwich, and entered the army as Lieutenant of Royal Engineers in 1809. He served under the 
 Duke of Wellington in the Peninsula, and after the peace under General Lambert in America, and 
 again under the Duke in Belgium. In 1816, having attained the rank of Captain, he served in the 
 expedition against Algiers. For some time afterwards he was Adjutant of the corps of Sappers and 
 Miners, and attended the lectures of the Professors of the Royal Institution ; from whose lectures 
 he derived that knowledge which afterwards distinguished him as a man of science. In 1839 he 
 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1838 he had attained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, 
 and was appointed Governor of Bermuda, and in 1846 Governor of the Windward Islands. In 
 1849 he was appointed Governor of Woolwich ; and in 1850 he directed the officers of Engineers 
 and the Sappers and Miners in their operations at the Great Exhibition, and was appointed Chairman 
 of the Executive Committee on the resignation of Mr. R. Stephenson. For his unremitting atten- 
 tion to the duties of this office until the close of the Exhibition, he received the honour of K.C.B. 
 In 1815 he was appointed Governor of Malta ; and in 1856 attained the rank of Major-General. To 
 this scientific officer we are indebted for " An Attempt to Develope the Law of Storms by means of 
 Facts arranged according to Place and Time," which was published in 1838, and was followed, in 
 1849, by another work on " The Progress of the Development of the Law of Storms, and of the 
 Variable Winds," etc. He died Oct. 31st, 1858. A monument has been erected to his memory at 
 Bermuda, of which island he was Governor from 1839 to 1846. 
 
 SIR JOHN RENNIE, KNT., F.R.S., 
 
 Is the second son of Mr. John Rennie, the eminent civil engineer and manufacturer of machinery. 
 Having entered into partnership with his elder brother, George, they completed the unfinished 
 great undertakings of their father, and, among others, the New London Bridge. They also executed 
 on their own account numerous engineering works in this country and abroad. In 1845 this part- 
 nership was dissolved, and Sir John has since practised as an architect. In 1823 he was elected a 
 Fellow of the Royal Society, and received the honour of knighthood from William IV on the opening 
 of London Bridge, an honour which engineers, by a tacit understanding among themselves, generally 
 decline to accept. 
 
 SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS, P.R.A., D.C.L., F.S.A., 
 
 The Founder of the British School of Painting, was born at Plympton, in Devonshire, on July 
 16, 1723. In 1741 he was placed under Hudson, as his preceptor in the art of painting, by whom, 
 through jealousy, he was dismissed in 1743. In 1749 he visited Rome for the first time, where he 
 spent three years, returning to England in 1752. In 1760 was formed the design of exhibiting the 
 works of British artists, which resulted in the foundation of the Royal Academy in 1768. To this 
 exhibition, opened at a large room belonging to the Society of Arts in the Strand, Sir Joshua sent 
 
 __ 
 
250 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 four of his pictures ; and to the second, in 1761, at Spring Gardens, he sent five. Ho was clc.-ed 
 President of the Royal Academy on ite institution in 1768, having, it is said, stipulated for the 
 honour of knighthood, which he obtained in that year. His " Discourses" on art, which were volun- 
 teered by him on his election, continue to be the best body of critical instruction the artist possesses. 
 From the opening of the Royal Academy to 1790, inclusive, he sent no less than two hundred and 
 fifty-four pictures. In 1773 he was created a Doctor of Civil Law at Oxford, having been pre- 
 viously admitted a member of the Antiquarian and Dilettanti Societies. In 17*:! lie published 
 Mason's translation of Du Fresnoy's Art of Painting, with notes by himself. In 1784 he suceerded 
 Ramsay as king's painter. In 1790 he resigned the Presidency of the Royal Academy, and on 
 February 23, 1792, he expired. At his funeral, his pall was supported by three Dukes, two .Mar- 
 quesses, and five other noblemen. He was buried by the side of Sir Christopher Wren, in St. Paul's, 
 where a statue has been raised to his memory by Flaxman. 
 
 SIR JOHN RICHARDSON, KXT., M.D.,F.R.S.,F.L.S. 
 
 This Arctic Traveller was born at Dumfries in 1787. Ho was educated in the Grammar School 
 of his native town, and in 1801 was admitted of the University of Edinburgh, where he st udied for the 
 medical profession. In 1807 he entered the navy as an assistant-surgeon, without having taken his M.D. 
 degree, but which he took in 1816. In 1819 he accompanied Capt. Franklin as surgeon and naturalist 
 on his first Arctic Expedition ; and again in 1825, and returned in 1827. In 1829 he commenced 
 the publication of the "Fauna Boreali- Americana, or, the Zoology of the Northern Parts of British 
 America, containing Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History collected on the late Northern 
 Land Expedition, under the command of Sir John Franklin," which was completed in 1837. In 1838 
 he was appointed Physician to the Fleet. In 1840 he was promoted to an Inspectorship of Hospitals, 
 and received the honour of knighthood in 1846 : as part of his official duty, he had the superin- 
 tendence of the museum at Haslar Hospital. In 1848, the Government having determined to send 
 out three expeditions in search of Sir John Franklin, who had left England in 1845 and had not. 
 since been heard of, Sir John Richardson had the command of that which was to search the coasts 
 between the Mackenzie and Coppermine rivers, and the shores of Victoria Land and Wollaston 
 Land, opposite Cape Krusenstern. This search he was, after undergoing many hardships, obliged 
 to relinquish ; and he returned to England in 1849. In 1851 he published an account of this expe- 
 dition, "Arctic Searching Expedition," etc., in 2 vols. 8vo. Sir John retired from service as a naval 
 medical officer in 1855. He has contributed to the natural history of the works published detailing 
 the Arctic voyages of the several navigators. 
 
 REAR-ADMIRAL SIR JOHN ROSS, KNT., F.R.S.,F.L.S. 
 
 An Arctic Navigator, born at Balsarroch in Wigtownshire. He entered the navy as a first 
 class volunteer in 1786. He was in the merchant service for some years ; and in 1799 was appointed 
 a Midshipman, and a Lieutenant in 1805. He obtained a pension of 98 per annum, in 1808, for 
 wounds received in cutting out a Spanish vessel under the batteries of Bilboa in 1806 ; increased in 
 1815 to 150. In 1812 he attained the rank of Commander. In 1818 he was appointed to the 
 command of the " Isabella," accompanied by Lieutenant Parry in the "Alexander," on a voyage for 
 discovery of the north-west passage. They returned in November 1818, without having effected the 
 object of their voyage, much to the disappointment of Lieutenant Parry, who did not coincide in 
 Lieutenant Ross's opinion that there was no outlet from the Lancaster Sound. In December of the 
 name year he was raised to the rank of Post-Captain. In 1827 Captain Ross submitted to the 
 Admiralty the plan of another voyage of discovery to the Arctic Seas, which was declined. But 
 after some delay Mr. Booth (now Sir Felix) equipped a steam-ship at his own expense, and gave the 
 command of it to Captain Ross, who with his nephew, Commander James Clark Ross, as second in 
 
APPENDIX. 251 
 
 command, left the Thames in 1829. He expected to find a north-west passage through Prince 
 Eegent Inlet ; but from the 8th of October, 1829, till September 1831, they were, with the exception 
 of some short intervals, frozen up in that Inlet, and on the 29th of May they finally abandoned the 
 ship. They struggled on till August 1833, when the ice broke, and they were enabled to set sail in 
 the boats, and were picked up by the " Isabella" of Hull (the ship which Captain Ross had formerly 
 commanded when in the merchant service), and arrived at that port on the 13th of September. On 
 the 24th of December, 1834, Captain Ross received the honour of knighthood, together with the 
 Companionship of the Bath. In 1839 Sir John was appointed Consul at Stockholm, an appoint- 
 ment which he held till 1845. In 1850 he went out in search of Sir John Franklin, but was unsuc- 
 cessful. He attained his rank of Rear- Admiral in 1851. Sir John was the author of " A Voyage of 
 Discovery," published in 1819, in 2 vols. 8vo. He died August 30, 1856. 
 
 REAR-ADMIRAL SIR JAMES CLARK ROSS, KNT., F.R.S.,D.C.L.,F.L.S.,F.R.A.S,&F.Gr.S. 
 
 This Naval Officer is the nephew of the above, Admiral Sir John Ross. He was born in London 
 in 1800. He entered the navy in 1812 as a first-class volunteer. He accompanied his uncle as an Ad- 
 miralty midshipman in his first voyage in search of a north-west passage. From 1819 to 1825 he sailed 
 under the command of Captain Parry in his three voyages for the same purpose, and was, in 1822, pro- 
 moted to the rank of Lieutenant. In 1827 he again accompanied Captain Parry in his attempt to reach 
 the north pole. On his return to England in 1827 he was raised to the rank of Commander. From 
 1829 to 1833 he again served under his uncle in his second Arctic voyage, during which he dis- 
 covered the northern magnetic pole, and was rewarded in 1834 by Post rank. In 1839 he was 
 appointed to the command of the " Erebus," accompanied by Captain Crosier in the " Terror," on a 
 voyage to the Antarctic Seas, for the purpose of pursuing magnetic investigations as to the lines of 
 variation, dip, and intensity ; and also the position of the southern magnetic pole or poles. Both 
 ships returned in 1843, having lost only four men during the voyage, three by accident, and one 
 by illness. They reached within 157 miles of the south pole. In addition to the discoveries made 
 during this voyage in geography, geology, zoology, and botany, a vast continent was discovered, bordered 
 with ice, 150 feet high, named Victoria Land ; and an active volcano, 12,000 feet high, in the region 
 of perpetual snow, which they named Mount Erebus. He was knighted in 1844, and received the 
 honorary degree of D.C.L. from the University of Oxford. In 1848 Sir James was appointed to 
 the " Enterprise," on a voyage to Baffin's Bay, in an unsuccessful attempt to discover Sir John 
 Franklin. For his services the Admiralty awarded him the good service pension, which he held 
 until his promotion to the rank of Rear-Admiral in 1856. In 1823 he was elected a Fellow of the 
 Linneean Society, and in 1828 a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is also a Fellow of the Royal 
 Astronomical and Geographical Societies, and a Corresponding Member of several foreign societies. 
 In 1841 he was presented with the founder's gold medal of the London Geographical Society, 
 and in 1842 with the gold medal of the Geographical Society of Paris. In 1847 he published, 
 in 2 vols. 8vo, an account of his voyage in the southern and Antarctic regions. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM CHARLES ROSS, KKT., R.A., 
 
 Was born in London, in 1794. His father and mother were both artists, and under their instruction 
 he made so much progress that he was admitted a student of the Royal Academy when only ten 
 years of age. In his thirteenth year he gained a silver palette, at the Society of Arts, for a copy in 
 chalk of his uncle Smith's engraving of " The Death of Wat Tyler ;" and in each of the four following 
 years he received other prizes from the same Society. In 1817 he obtained the Society's gold 
 medal, and the silver medal of the Royal Academy. He commenced his career as a portrait and 
 historical painter; but feeling the difficulty of attaining eminence in the higher departments of art, he 
 determined to apply himself to miniature painting, in which branch he has been most successful. He 
 
252 APPENDIX. 
 
 was appointed Miniature Painter to Her Majesty in 1837 ; in 1838 he was elected an Associate of 
 the Royal Academy, and a Royal Academician in Feb. 1842 ; and was knighted in June of that yr:ir. 
 Though devoted to miniature painting, he did not wholly disregard historic painting ; for, in the 
 competition for the decoration of the Houses of Parliament, Sir William sent in his cartoon of " The 
 Angel Raphael discoursing with Adam," and obtained one of the additional premiums of 100. He 
 died Jan. 20, 1860. 
 
 
 
 SIR DANIEL KBYTE SANDFORD, KNT., D.C.L., 
 
 Professor of Greek in Glasgow University, and one of the representatives in Parliament of thai city, 
 was the son of Dr. Daniel Sandford, a bishop of the Scotch Episcopal Church. He was educated at 
 the High School, Edinburgh, where he distinguished himself; and in 1817 entered as a com- 
 moner of Christ Church, Oxford, where he gained, in 1821, the Chancellor's prize for an 1 
 on the Study of Modern History. He took his A.M. degree, as a grand compounder, in !?:>->, and 
 D.C.L. in 1833. He had but just attained his majority when he was elected to the Greek Professor- 
 ship in the University of Glasgow. In 1830 he was knighted in consideration of his literary 
 eminence. After an unsuccessful contest for Glasgow, during the excitement of the Reform Bill, he was 
 returned to Parliament for Paisley ; but was soon obliged, by ill health, to resign his seat. Many of 
 his lectures on Greek literature were published as articles in the " Edinburgh Review," and he remo- 
 delled some of the elementary books on that language. He died of typhus fever, on Feb. 9, 1838. 
 
 SIR ROBT. HERMANN SCHOMBURGK, KM., 
 
 Was born in Thnringia in 1804. He early devoted himself to the study of Geography and Natural 
 History. In 1831 he was sent out to explore Cenegada, one of the Virgin Islands ; and in 1835 he 
 was engaged by the Geographical Society of London to explore the interior of Guiana. During this 
 exploratory journey, in making his way up the Berbice river, in 1837, he discovered the Victoria 
 Regia Water Lily, the most magnificent aquatic plant known to exist. On his return to England, in 
 1839, he received the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society. In 1840 he was sent out by 
 Government to make a' survey of British Guiana, and was knighted on his return. He shortly after 
 published an interesting account of the country, under the title of " A Description of British Guiana." 
 In 1847 he published a "History of Barbadoes," a very valuable work. In 1848 Sir Robert was 
 appointed British Consul to the Republic of St. Domingo, a post which he still holds. His reputation 
 has extended throughout Europe, and has obtained for him the following honours : Knight of the 
 Prussian Order of the Red Eagle, in 1840 ; of the Saxon Order of Merit, in 1845 ; and a Chevalier 
 of the Legion of Honour, in 1847. He was elected Doctor of Philosophy by the University of 
 Konigsberg ; and an honorary member of several of the leai-ned societies of Europe and America. 
 
 SIR WALTER SCOTT, BAET. 
 
 This celebrated Novelist and Poet was born in Edinburgh in 1771. Before he was two years old 
 he became lame of his right leg ; and it was not until he had attained his eighth year that he was 
 deemed strong enough to be sent to the High School. In 1784 he entered the University ; and in 1 7!'2 
 was called to the bar. His first literary achievement was the Translation of Burger's " Leonora," 
 and the "Wild Huntsman," in 1796. In Dec. 1799 he was appointed Sheriff of Selkirkshire, and 
 in 1806 one of the principal Clerks of the Court of Session. Before he determined to make literature 
 " a staff not a crutch," he followed up his first appeal to the public by his " William and Helen ;" 
 and in 1799 he translated Gothe's " Gotz of Berlichingen." This was followed by his " Border 
 Minstrelsy"; a work which introduced him to Mr. Ballamine, in whose commercial speculations 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 253 
 
 he became ultimately involved. In 1805 he commenced his career as the most popular poet of the 
 day, by the publication of " The Lay of the Last Minstrel"; followed, in 1808, by " Marmion"; " The 
 Lady of the Lake" in 1809 ; and "Don Roderick" in 1811. His other poetical works appeared in rapid 
 succession. In 1814 he published anonymously " Waverley." The rapidity with which that novel 
 rose in public estimation induced him to proceed in this field of literature, in which he has obtained 
 immortal fame. In 1826 occurred the commercial crisis which attended the firms of Messrs. Constable 
 & Co. and Messrs. Ballantine & Co. ; in the latter of which he was proved to be a partner, and his 
 liabilities amounted to 147,000. From this responsibility he did not flinch; and he said to his 
 creditors, " Gentlemen, Time and I against any two. Let me take this good ally into my company, 
 and I believe I shall be able to pay you every farthing." His debts, which were materially dimi- 
 nished during his hie by his literary labours, have been since entirely liquidated by the profits of the 
 collected editions of his works, an object which he sacrificed himself to obtain. The consciousness 
 of honourable and manly endurance, and the devoted love of his children, smoothed his passage to 
 the grave ; and after fourteen days of total insensibility, he expired at Abbotsford, on Sept. 21, 
 1832. There are few more striking examples of the truth of the remark, that " man proposes, but 
 God disposes," than that of Sir Walter Scott. By his own exertions he was raised to affluence. He 
 purchased and built Abbotsford in the vain hope of founding a family residence ; but his wealth 
 vanished from his grasp, and he was obliged to exchange his noble mansion with " all its auld nick- 
 nackets," for a humble lodging ; and his fond desire of handing down to posterity his name and 
 baronetcy has been dissipated by the death of all his own children, and of his grandson, Walter 
 Scott Lockhart. 
 
 SIR CHARLES SCUDAMORE, 
 
 M.D., F.R.S., 
 
 Was born in 1779, at Wye, in Kent. He studied medicine in the University of Glasgow, where he 
 took his M.D. degree. He devoted his attention principally to the treatment and cure of the gout, 
 upon which he has written several Treatises, the most successful being " A Treatise on the Nature 
 and Cure of the Gout and Gravel, with Observations on Rheumatism," and has passed through four 
 editions. In 1824 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society ; and was knighted, in 1829, by the 
 Duke of Northumberland, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He died Aug. 4, 1849. 
 
 SIR ROBERT SEPPINGS, KNT., F.R.S., 
 
 A distinguished Naval Architect, was born in 1768. He received his education as a shipwright 
 under Sir John Henslow, and continued in the service of the Dockyards for a period of nearly fifty 
 years. He was the author of numerous and important improvements in naval architecture, the prin- 
 cipal of which, the system of diagonal bracing and trussing, he devised while Master Shipwright of 
 Chatham Dockyard. These improvements were universally adopted in the Navy, and their merit 
 acknowledged by his appointment as Surveyor-General of that department, and the award of the Copley 
 Medal of the Royal Society, of which he was elected a Fellow, Nov. 10, 1814. While Master-Shipwright 
 Assistant in Plymouth Dockyard, he invented an improved block for supporting vessels, by which 
 their keels and lower timbers were more easily repaired ; for this he received from the Admiralty 
 the reward of 1000, and the gold medal of the Royal Society in 1804. The most valuable of all 
 his reforms in Naval Architecture was the substitution of round for flat sterns. For these and other 
 improvements, which have tended greatly to economise labour and expenditure, he received the marked 
 approbation of both Houses of Parliament. Foreign Nations also acknowledged the value of his 
 improvements. The Emperor Alexander of Russia and the Kings of Denmark and Holland presented 
 him with memorials of their appreciation of his merits. Sir R. Seppings was an honorary Member 
 of the Cambridge University Philosophical Society, and a corresponding Member of the Philosophical 
 Society of Rotterdam. He was prevented by illness from receiving the honorary degree of D.C.L. 
 
254 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 intended to have been conferred upon him by the University of Oxford in 1836. The honour of a 
 knight-banneret was conferred upon him in 1819, on board the Royal George yacht under sail, and 
 the royal standard flying. He died April 25, 1840. 
 
 SIR MARTIN ARCHER SHEE, KNT., P.R.A. 
 
 This fashionable Portrait Painter was born in 1770, at Dublin. At an early age, by his own 
 desire, he was entered as a student of the Dublin Society, and before he was twelvu years old he 
 carried off the three chief prizes for figure, landscape, and flower drawing; and at the ago of sixtivn 
 he is said to have found ample occupation as a portrait painter. In 1788 he came to London, and 
 was entered a student of the Royal Academy, and in the following year became an exhibitioner. In 
 1798 he was elected an Associate, and in 1800 a Royal Academician. His presentation picture was 
 a Belisarius. In 1805 he appeared before the public in the character of a poet, in a work intith-d, 
 " Rhymes on Art," described by himself as " a Poem on Painting, in which, more particularly, the 
 Early Progress of the Student is Attempted to be Illustrated and Encouraged." He also wrote a 
 Tragedy, " Alasco," in wlu'ch John Kemble was to have sustained the principal character ; but it was 
 not allowed by Colman, the licenser of plays, to be performed. He also wrote a novel, which has 
 not added much to his reputation. In 1830 he succeeded Sir Thomas Lawrence in the President's 
 Chair of the Royal Academy, which he obtained by a large majority over his competitor, Wilkie ; and 
 soon afterwards received the honour of knighthood. He died Aug. 13, 1850. 
 
 SIR EDWARD SHERBURNE, KNT., 
 
 Born in London in 1618. He succeeded his father, in 1641, in the Clerkship of His Majesty's Ord- 
 nance. Being a Roman Catholic and staunch Royalist, he was ejected from the office by a wan-ant 
 of the House of Lords in the following year. He then actively engaged in the service of the king, 
 who appointed him Commissary General of the Royal Artillery. He attended the King at Oxford, 
 where he took his A.M. degree in 1642. On the Restoration he obtained his old situation in the 
 Ordnance, and was knighted in 1682. He was author of poetical translations of the " Medea" and 
 " Troades" of Seneca, and of Manilius : to the latter work is added an " Appendix," containing lives 
 of scientific men, Ins contemporaries, giving valuable information respecting them, not to be met with 
 elsewhere. He died in poverty on Nov. 4, 1702. 
 
 SIR ROBERT SIBBALD, KNT., M.D., 
 
 A Physician and Botanist, born near Leslie, in Fifeshire, about 1643. He was appointed Physician 
 and Geographer to Charles II., by whom he was knighted. The College of Physicians at Edinburgh 
 was founded by his exertions, and he was its first President. He was the author of numerous works, 
 among which we may notice " Scotia Illustrata," and " The Liberty and Independence of the Kingdom 
 and Church of Scotland." He died in 1712. 
 
 SIR GEORGE SIMPSON, KNT., 
 
 Was born at Lochbroom, Ross-shire, about 1 796. In early youth he was sent out to America, and 
 by his tact effected a coalition between the chartered Hudson's Bay Company and the unchartm d 
 North- West Company of Canada, between which Companies a troublous contest was then raging; 
 and was soon after appointed Governor of the Hudson Bay Company's territories,- an office which 
 he now holds. In 1836 he was instructed by the Directors of the Company to make arrangements 
 for the equipment of an expedition to connect the discoveries of Captains Ross and Back. This he 
 executed with such zeal and forethought, that the expedition was entirely successful, under the 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 255 
 
 conduct of his nephew, the late Thos. Simpson, noted in Arctic discovery, who traced the Arctic coast 
 of America from the mouth of the Mackenzie River to Point Barrow, and from the mouth of the 
 Copper Mine River to the Gulf of Boothia. In consideration of the Governor's services, Her 
 Majesty, in 1841, conferred upon him the honour of knighthood. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. SIR JOHN SINCLAIR, BART., 
 
 Was born at Thnrso Castle, in the County of Caithness, in 1754. He was admitted a Member of the 
 Faculty of Advocates in Scotland in 1755, and was called to the English bar in 1782. In 1780 he 
 was returned to Parliament for Caithness, and sat in several successive parliaments for his native 
 county and other places. He was created a Baronet in 1786, and in 1810 was made a Privy Coun- 
 cillor. He was a member of several learned societies, and distinguished for his numerous writings, 
 among which may be mentioned his " Statistical Account of Scotland," a work displaying an almost 
 incredible amount of labour and research. By his exertions was formed the Board of Agriculture, in 
 1793, of which he was the first President. He died on Dec. 21, 1835. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM HENRY SLEEMAN, K.C.B., 
 
 Born at Stratton, Corn-wall, in 1788. In 1808 he entered the East India Company's Service as a 
 Cadet. During a lengthened period of nearly fifty years he employed his energies in the extinction 
 of the atrocious systems of Thuggee and Dacoity, and in various commissions under successive 
 Governors-General, which he performed with signal success, and obtained for him the honour of a 
 Knight Commander of the Bath, at the special request of Lord Dalhousie, in 1856. He was the 
 author of two works on Political Economy, a " Diary in Oucle," and " Rambles and Recollections of 
 an Indian Officer," the latter of which gives a most faithful picture of the religious, moral, and social 
 condition of the natives of that country. He died at sea, on his return to England, on Feb. 10, 1856. 
 
 SIR HANS SLOANE, BART., P.R.S., P.R.C.P. 
 
 This eminent Physician was born at Killelagh, in Ireland, April 16, 1660. Having entered the 
 Medical Profession, he came over to England, and studied Chemistry under the celebrated Stahl, 
 and Botany in the Apothecaries' Garden at Chelsea, the ground of which he (on subsequently pur- 
 chasing the manor) gave to the Company. In 1683 he set out for Paris, where he attended the anato- 
 mical lectures of Duverney, and those on Botany by Tournefort. In 1685 he was elected Fellow of 
 the Ro} T al Society, and Secretary in 1693 : the duties of this office he discharged gratuitously for a 
 period of twenty years; and on the decease of Sir Isaac Newton in 1727 he was elected President, 
 an honour he retained for fourteen years. In April 1687 he was elected a Fellow of the College of 
 Physicians ; and in the same year accepted the appointment of Physician to the Duke of Albemarle, 
 who was going out as Governor of Jamaica. In that and the neighbouring islands he made an 
 immense collection of plants, and returned to England in 1689. In 1694 he was chosen one of the 
 Physicians of Christ's Hospital ; the salary for this office (which he held for thirty years), although 
 he regularly received, he returned immediately to the Hospital. He attended Queen Anne in her 
 last illness, and was created a Baronet in 1716, on the accession of George I., being the first Physician 
 upon whom that honour was conferred. He was at the same time made Physician-General to the 
 Army, an appointment which he resigned on being constituted Physician in Ordinary to George II. 
 In 1719 he was elected President of the College of Physicians, an office which he held for sixteen 
 years ; and took an active part in establishing the Dispensary initiated by the College for providing 
 the poor with medical attendance and physic gratuitously. The plan of the Foundling Hospital 
 originated with him. The whole of his Collection of Medals, Natural History, Books, Manuscripts, &c. 
 he bequeathed to the Public, on condition that a sum of 20,000 (not one fourth of its value) should 
 
256 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 bo paid to his executors. This sum was voted by Parliament, and hence commenced the formation of 
 the British Museum. His first work "A Catalogue of the Native Plants of Jamaica," was published 
 in 1696. He died at Chelsea, Jan. 11, 1753. 
 
 SIR ROBERT SMIRKE, KNT., R.A., 
 
 A celebrated Architect, was born in 1780. He acquired the rudiments of art under his father, 
 who, before the time of Wilkie, was one of the most distinguished English genre painters. In his 
 travels in Italy, Sicily, Greece, and Germany, he directed his attention to the remains of ancient ;n-t ; 
 and shortly after his return in 1805, the results of his investigations appeared in Donaldson's 
 " Antiquities of Athens," and other works. In 1806 he published " Specimens of Continental Archi- 
 tecture," in folio. His first public building was Covent Garden Theatre, commenced in 1808, in the 
 Doric order. In 1811 he erected the Royal Mint, also in the Doric order. A still more important 
 work (the Post Office) was entrusted to him, which he commenced in 1823 and completed in 1829, 
 the porticoes of which are of the Ionic order. The College of Physicians, several of the Club Houses, 
 King's College, the Library of the Inner Temple, and the Restoration of York Minster after the fire 
 in 1829, were from his designs, and completed under his superintendence. His great work is the 
 British Museum, commenced in 1823, but not completed till 1847. This extensive pile of building is 
 in the Ionic order, and is the largest and most imposing Grecian structure in the metropolis ; and us 
 originally constructed inclosed an open quadrangle, which has since been almost entirely occupied by 
 the New Reading Room recently completed. He was elected a Member of the Royal Academy in 
 1810, and was for some years Treasurer of that Institution. He was one of the Architects of the 
 Board of Works, till the abolition of the office in 1831, when he was knighted. His advancing years 
 and declining health have induced him to resign his professional duties. 
 
 SIR JAMES EDWARD SMITH, KNT., M.D., 
 
 The Founder of the Linnroan Society, was born at Norwich in 1759. In 1781 he commenced the study 
 of Medicine at Edinburgh, and in 1782 obtained Dr. Hope's gold medal for the best botanical collec- 
 tion. On his return to London he heard from Sir J. Banks that the whole of the collection of books, 
 manuscripts, and natural history of Linnaeus had been offered to him for 1000 guineas, which he had 
 declined. Of this collection he determined to become the purchaser, and by the assistance of his father 
 he was enabled to buy it. Two years after this collection had passed into his hands he travelled on 
 the continent and took his degree of M.D. at Leyden. In 1788, with the co-operation of Sir J. Banks 
 and others, he founded the Linnrean Society, and was its first President. In 1792 he was employed to 
 instruct Queen Charlotte and the Princesses in Botany. In 1814 he received the honour of knight- 
 hood from the Prince Regent, on the presentation of a copy of the "Transactions" of the Linnaean 
 Society, as the Institutor and President of the Society. Of his works, which are very voluminous, 
 a full list is given in the " Memoir of his Life and Correspondence," published by his widow. His 
 " English Botany," in 36 vols., with 2592 coloured figures by Mr. Sowerby, is his most extensive 
 work. Sir James died on March 17, 1828. 
 
 SIR JOHN SOANE, KNT., R.A., F.R.S., 
 
 Was the son of a bricklayer or small builder, and born at Reading in 1752. At an early age he 
 entered the office of Mr. Dance, the architect, as an attendant or errand boy, but was afterwards 
 placed on the footing of a pupil. He subsequently entered the office of Mr. Holland, another architect 
 of eminence, where he designed a triumphal bridge, which obtained for him the gold medal, and, at 
 the recommendation of Sir W. Chambers, the travelling studentship of the Royal Academy. While 
 

 APPENDIX. 257 
 
 in Italy, from 1777 to 1780, he became acquainted with Mr. Thomas Pitt, afterwards Lord Camelford, 
 to whom he is said to have been mainly indebted for his appointment as Architect of the Bank of 
 England. Upon obtaining this lucrative office he married Miss Smith, the niece of a wealthy 
 builder, Mr. George Wyatt, at whose death he became possessed of a large fortune in right of his 
 wife. In 1 791 he was appointed Clerk of the Works to St. James's Palace ; Architect to the Woods 
 and Forests in 1795 ; and Surveyor to Chelsea Hospital in 1807. In 1806 he was appointed Professor 
 of Architecture at the Royal Academy. In 1828 he published a folio volume of " Public and Private 
 Buildings," intended by him to be a record of his long professional career. In 1831 he received the 
 honour of knighthood, having refused a baronetcy, not wishing that honour to descend upon his only 
 surviving son, with whom he had been at variance for several years. In 1833 he obtained an Act of 
 Parliament vesting his Museum, Library, &c. (valued at 50,000) in trustees, for the nse of the 
 public after his death, which took place at his house in Lincoln's Inn Fields, Jan. 20, 1837. 
 
 SIR JAMES SOUTH, KNT., F.R.S.L. AND E., HON. M.R.I.A., M.R.C.S., F.L.S., F.R.A.S. 
 
 This celebrated Astronomer is the son of a dispensing druggist in Southwark. In 1809 he was 
 admitted a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, and commenced practice in Blackman-street ; 
 which he soon gave up, and removed to Campden Hill, Kensington, where he built his celebrated 
 Observatory. He was one of the founders of the Astronomical Society in 1820, of which he has filled 
 the Presidential Chair. He was knighted in 1830, and enjoys a pension of 300 per annum on the 
 Civil List, for his discoveries in Astronomical Science. The account of his astronomical observations 
 while residing in Blackman-street, where he compiled, in conjunction with Sir J. Herschel, a cata- 
 logue of three hundred and eighty double stars, has been published in the " Philosophical Transac- 
 tions for 1825." In 1821 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society ; he is also a Fellow of several 
 other societies, both British and Foreign. 
 
 SIR RICHARD STEELE, KNT., 
 
 The originator of the Periodical Essays, was born in Dublin about 1676. He was educated at the 
 Charterhouse, from whence he proceeded to Merton College, Oxford, which he left without taking 
 his degree, and entered the army. In 1709, in conjunction with Swift, he commenced " The Tatler"; 
 and in March 1710-11, upon discontinuing that periodical, he brought out "The Spectator," in 
 concert with Addison ; which was followed by " The Guardian" and other similar publications. He 
 also wrote several successful comedies. In 1713 he was elected member for Stockbridge, and 
 commenced " The Crisis"; for an article in which he was, on March 12, 1713-14, expelled the House. 
 In 1715, on presenting an address from the lieutenancy of Middlesex to George I., he was knighted, 
 and was soon after appointed Surveyor of the Royal Stables at Hampton Court. He died 
 Sept. 21, 1729. 
 
 RIGHT HON. SIR JAMES STEPHEN, K.C.B., 
 
 Was born in 1789. He was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1812. He 
 had been previously, in 1811, called to the bar by the Society of Lincoln's Inn. Under the Mel- 
 bourne Administration, in 1833, he was appointed Under Secretary in the Colonial Department, 
 an office which he resigned in 1847, when he was made K.C.B., Civil Division, knighted, and 
 nominated a Member of the Board of Council for Trade and Foreign Plantations. In 1838 he com- 
 menced writing for the " Edinburgh Review"; and a collection of his articles in that journal appeared 
 in 1849 in a separate volume, intitled "Essays in Ecclesiastical Biography." In 1849 he was 
 appointed Regius Professor of Modern History in the University of Cambridge, and has since 
 
258 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 published two volumes of Lectures on the History of France. He also held the Professorship of 
 Modern History at Haileybury College for some years before the breaking up of that institution. 
 He died at Coblentz on Sept, 12, 1860. 
 
 SIB ROWLAND MACDONALD STEPHENSON, KNT., 
 
 Born in London in 1808. He was educated at Harrow, and entered upon his profession of a Civil 
 Engineer in 1830, and became Secretary to the Association established in 1835 for securing steam 
 communication with India, and Managing Director of the East Indian Railway Company in 1845. 
 For his public services in these capacities he received the honour of knighthood in 1856. He 
 is the author of the article " Railways" in Weale's Series. 
 
 SIR JOHN ANDREW STEVENSON, KNT., Mus. D., 
 
 A distinguished Composer, was born in Dublin in 1761, and received his musical instruction 
 under Dr. Woodward of Christ Church, from 1771 to 1778. In 1783 he became a Choral Vicar 
 of the Cathedral of St. Patrick, and after some delay was also admitted to the Chapter of Christ 
 Church. In 1779 he composed some of the airs for O'Keefe's farce of "Dead Alive." His 
 anthems, which were performed by the choirs of both cathedrals, stamped him as a successful 
 author in the sublimest scale of musical creations. The honorary degree of Doctor of Music was 
 conferred upon him by the University of Dublin ; and in 1802 he was knighted by the Earl of 
 Hardwicke, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. From 1800 to 1816 he was engaged in adapting the 
 Irish airs to Moore's Melodies. He also published some Psalms and Cathedral Anthems. The last 
 and greatest of his musical productions was his Oratorio of the Thanksgiving performed at the 
 Dublin Cathedral. He died Sep. 14, 1833. A subscription was entered into shortly after his death 
 for the erection of a monument to him in Christ Church Cathedral. 
 
 SIR JOHN STODDART, KNT., D.C.L. 
 
 This learned Linguist and accomplished Writer was born at Salisbury in 1773, and received his 
 early education in the grammar school of that city. He was entered at Christ Church, Oxford, in 
 1790, and graduated in Arts in 1794, and in Civil Law in 1798, and took his Doctor's degree in 1801. 
 In the latter year he was admitted a Member of the College of Advocates, and in 1803 was appointed 
 King's Advocate and Admiralty Advocate in Malta, an office he held for four years, when he returned 
 to London and resumed his practice at Doctors' Commons. In 1812 he became political editor of 
 the Times, and obtained the sobriquet of Dr. Slop. In 1816 his connexion with that journal ceased ; 
 and in 1817 he brought out a paper in opposition to it, " The New Times," which was unsuccessful. 
 In 1826 he was appointed Chief Justice and Judge of the Admiralty Court of Malta, and received the 
 honour of knighthood. He wrote an " Introduction to General History," and other works, and 
 commenced, but did not live to complete, a great Etymological work intitled " Glossology." He 
 died on Feb. 16, 1856. 
 
 SIR ROBERT STRANGE, KNT., 
 
 A celebrated Engraver, born at Pomona, one of the Orkneys, on July 14, 1721. At first 
 he was destined for the law, a study he soon relinquished, and entered the Navy. He subsequently 
 became an adherent of the Pretender, and narrowly escaped capture and execution. In 1 751 he settled 
 in London, having previously studied under Le Bas in Paris, and obtained great reputation as ;m 
 historical engraver, of which class he is considered to be the first in the English school. In 1 787 he was 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 259 
 
 knighted. He executed above fifty plates from pictures of the most celebrated foreign Masters. His 
 only engraving from the painting of an English artist is West's " Apotheosis of the King's Children." 
 He died on July 5, 1792. 
 
 REAR-ADMIRAL SIR WILLIAM SYMONDS, KNT., C.B. F.R.S., 
 
 Was bom in 1782. He entered the Navy at an early age, and was engaged in active service on the 
 Coasts of France and Spain, and in the West Indies. But his fame rests on his skill as a Naval Archi- 
 tect, in which character he procured the removal of all the restrictions with respect to tonnage and 
 dimensions that had previously trammelled his predecessors. He was allowed to construct a 
 corvette, the Columbine, according to his own plans, and was appointed to the command of her in 
 1826 ; and so great was the success which attended his experimental cruises in the following twelve 
 months, that, as a reward, he was raised to post rank in 1827. In 1831, by the munificence of the 
 late Duke of Portland, he was enabled to build, as an improvement upon the Columbine, a ten-gun 
 brig, the Pantaloon ; the triumph of which vessel led to the construction, under his superintendence, 
 of the Vernon, 50 ; Vestal, 26 ; Snake, 16 ; and other ships. In 1832 he succeeded Sir R. Seppings 
 as Surveyor of the Navy. Of the 180 vessels built during the sixteen years he held that office, it was 
 remarked in 1849, two years after his retirement, that not one had foundered. The honour of 
 knighthood was conferred upon him in 1836. In 1830 he received the thanks of the Admiralty for 
 his " Sailing Directions for the Adriatic Sea ; " and again in 1837 for " the valuable Qualities of his 
 several Ships, and for Improvements introduced by him into the Navy." In 1835 he was elected a 
 Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1848 Sir Robert was nominated a Commander of the Bath, Civil 
 Division, and became a Rear- Admiral on the retired list in 1854. He died on March 30, 1856. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE, BART., 
 
 An eminent Statesman and Author, born in London in 1628. He was educated successively at Pens- 
 hurst and Bishop- Stortford schools, and was afterwards entered at Emanuel College, Cambridge. In 
 1665 he was created a baronet on receiving an official commission to be resident at Brussels. He 
 is distinguished for having negotiated with consummate skill the triple league between England, 
 Holland, and Sweden, at the latter end of 1665, and the treaty of marriage of the Prince of Orange 
 with the Lady Mary, daughter of the Duke of York. He was author of " Observations upon the 
 United Provinces of the Netherlands"; Essays on various subjects, intitled "Miscellanies"; and an 
 " Introduction to the History of England," etc. He died at Sheen, in January 1699. 
 
 SIR JAMES EMERSON TENNENT, KNT., LL.D., 
 
 Was born at Belfast in 1804. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and was called to the 
 bar by the Society of Lincoln's Inn in 1831, but never practised. His first work, "Travels in 
 Greece in 1825," as well as his two following, were published in his own surname of Emerson. But 
 in 1831, having married the heiress of William Tennent, Esq., who succeeded to the family estates 
 on the death of her father in the following year, he assumed the additional name of Tennent. In 
 1832 he was returned to Parliament for Belfast. In 1841 he was appointed Secretary to the India 
 Board ; and in 1845 he accepted the office of Civil Secretary to the Colonial Government of Ceylon, 
 and received the honour of knighthood. He returned to England at the end of 1850, and in 1852 
 was appointed to the Secretaryship of the Poor Law Board ; and from November of that year he 
 has been one of the joint Secretaries of the Board of Trade. During his parliamentary and official 
 
260 APPENDIX. 
 
 life, from 1841 to the present time, he has continued his labours as an author, and has published 
 several works, the result of knowledge acquired in the discharge of his duties at Ceylon and on the 
 Board of Trade. 
 
 SIR JAMES THORNHILL, KNT., F.R.S., 
 
 Was born in Dorsetshire in 1676. This almost self-taught Artist was appointed by Queen Anne to 
 paint the history of St. Paul in the dome of St. Paul's cathedral, and the allegorical figures on the 
 ceiling at Hampton Court Palace representing the Queen and her Consort. But his great work is 
 the painting in the Refectory and Saloon of Greenwich Hospital. He sat in parliament for Dorset- 
 shire for several years. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1723. In 1720 he was 
 knighted, on being appointed Historical Painter to George I. ; of which office he was deprived by 
 George II. in 1731. This greatly affected his health, and hastened his death, which took place on 
 May 4, 1734. 
 
 SIR JOHN VANBRUGH, KNT. 
 
 The birth of this Dramatic Poet and Architect is supposed to have been in 1666. He was 
 originally an officer in the army, from which he retired, and became a writer of several plays of 
 variable success and exceptionable morality. His first play, " The Relapse," was brought out in 
 1697. Of his architectural talent, Blenheim Palace and St. John's church, Westminster, are 
 examples. In 1703 he was appointed, by the Earl of Carlisle (Earl Marshal), Clarencieux King of 
 Arms, He was knighted in 1714 ; and died on March 26, 1726. 
 
 SIR BALDWIN WAKE WALKER, BAET., K.C.B. 
 
 This Naval Officer was born in 1803. He was present at the capture of St. Jean d'Acre in 1840, 
 where he distinguished himself, and received the honour of K.C.B. He became a Rear-Admiral of 
 the Blue in the British service in 1858. He is also an admiral in the Turkish service. He succeeded 
 Sir William Symonds as Surveyor and Comptroller of the Navy in 1847. When he entered upon 
 this office, our navy, with the exception of a few paddle-wheel steamers, was composed of sailing 
 ships ; but under his auspices the screw has been introduced into the service, with which most of 
 our ships of war are now supplied. For his important services during the Russian war, and in this 
 reconstruction of our navy, he was rewarded with a baronetcy in 1856. Being desirous of active 
 service afloat, he resigned his office in 1860, and was appointed to the command of the Cape of Good 
 Hope station. His retiring pension has been fixed by the Lords of the Admiralty at a fraction 
 below 700 per annum. He has received the cross of the Legion of Honour, and is a knight of 
 several foreign orders. 
 
 SIR RICHARD WESTMACOTT, KNT., R.A., D.C.L. 
 
 This Sculptor was born in London in 1775. His education commenced in the studio of his 
 father, who had obtained some eminence in his day. In 1 793 he went to Rome, and had the benefit 
 of Canova's instruction. In 1794 he obtained the first prize for sculpture in the Academy of 
 Florence, of which he was elected a member in the following year, when he also obtained the 
 Pope's medal. The most popular of his works is the statue of " Psyche," which he executed for 
 the Duke of Bedford. Among those in alto and bas-relief may be mentioned the pediment of the 
 British Museum. A considerable portion of his time has been employed in executing public monu- 
 mental statues of warriors and statesmen for erection in Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's, and in 
 
APPENDIX. 261 
 
 places of public resort. In 1805 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, and R.A. in 
 1816. In 1827 he succeeded Flaxman as Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy ; which 
 office he held until his death, on Sept. 1, 1856. He was knighted by her present Majesty in 1837, 
 and the University of Oxford has conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.C.L. 
 
 SIR DAVID WILKIE, KNT., R.A., 
 
 Was born at Cults, in Fifeshire, in 1785. At the age of seven he was sent to the parish school of 
 Pitlessie, where his slate and paper were soon converted to other purposes than figures and penman- 
 ship. He became the portrait painter of the school, and was usually surrounded by a group of boys 
 and girls waiting to have their likenesses taken in turn. From this school he was removed to Kettle 
 and Cupar in succession. But in none did he make any proficiency in the ordinary departments of 
 education, his thoughts and time being entirely devoted to his favourite pursuit : his father therefore 
 obtained his admission into the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh, at which time he was fourteen years 
 of age. Here he remained five years, and obtained a ten-guinea prize. He then returned to Cults, 
 and there designed his "Fair of Pitlessie," of which the grouping and incidents were original, but 
 the characters were taken from living persons, principally during the service at the parish church, 
 when in a dozing state. After having taken the portraits of most of those in Fife, who were ambitious 
 of seeing their likenesses on canvas, he determined to establish himself in London, and repaired 
 there in 1805, and entered the Royal Academy as a probationer and a student at the end of the 
 year. His merits were now brought into notice, and the Earl of Mansfield commissioned him to 
 paint " The Village Politicians," which was placed in the Exhibition, and obtained universal admi- 
 ration. His fame was at once established, and his other great works followed in rapid succession. In 
 1809 he was made an Associate of the Royal Academy ; and in 1811 he was elected a Royal Acade- 
 mician, being then only twenty-six years of age. In 1812 he made an exhibition of his pictures, 
 twenty-nine in number ; which, although it added to his reputation, was a failure as a profitable 
 speculation. In 1813 he exhibited his picture of " Blindman's Buff," painted for the Prince Regent. 
 In 1821 he produced his masterpiece, " The Chelsea Pensioners," for the Duke of Wellington, for 
 which he received twelve hundred guineas. In 1823 he was appointed Limner to the King in 
 Scotland. In 1824 he made a protracted visit to the Continent to recruit his health ; and at Rome 
 a public dinner was given to him, presided over by the Duke of Hamilton. He returned to England 
 in 1828. On the death of Sir Thomas Lawrence, in 1830, Wilkie was appointed Painter in Ordinary 
 to His Majesty, and became a candidate, with Mr. Shee, for the Presidentship of the Royal 
 Academy ; in which contest he was unsuccessful, having obtained only one vote. In 1836 he was 
 knighted by William IV. In 1840 Sir David set out on his tour to the East ; and upon his home- 
 ward voyage, having been for three months unwell, he expired off Gibraltar on June 1, 1841, and on 
 the evening of the same day his body was committed to the deep. A monument is erected to his 
 memory in the inner hall of the National Gallery, the result of subscriptions at a public dinner 
 presided over by Sir Robert Peel. 
 
 SIR CHARLES WILKINS, KNT., K.C.H., 
 
 Was born in 1749, at Frome, in Somersetshire. Having obtained a Writership, he proceeded to Cal- 
 cutta in 1 770, and in the course of a few years acquired considerable knowledge of Arabic and Persian, 
 as well as of some of the spoken languages of India. He aided the efforts of the Governor- General 
 Hastings in improving the education of the Company's servants, by the establishment of a printing- 
 office, in the manufacture of the types for which he was obliged to discharge the duties of metallurgist, 
 engraver, and founder, and to superintend the use of them as printer. His labours in promoting 
 the study of the native languages obtained for him the appellation of "The Father of Sanscrit 
 
262 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Literature." In 1784, in conjunction with Sir William Jones, he aided in establishing the Literary 
 Society of Calcutta. His translation of the Bhagvatgita, one of the episodes of the .Mahal .harata, the 
 great national poem of the Hindoos, was printed at the expense of the Company. In 1786, from 
 failing health, he returned to England, aud soon afterwards began to arrange the materials for a 
 Sanscrit Grammar, which lie had brought with him from India, and formed with his own hands a 
 set of punches of the Devanagari characters, and made the matrices and moulds from which he cast 
 a fount of types. Unfortunately, a fire broke out in his house when he had completed about twenty 
 I of his grammar, which destroyed or rendered useless nil his types; and it was not until isut; 
 that he was enabled to resume his labours; and in about two years he completed the grammar, the 
 greatest of his works. In 1801 he was appointed Librarian to the East India Company ; and in 1805 
 Visitor and Examiner of the Students in the Oriental Department at Hailevlmrv and Addiscombe, 
 which offices he held until his death on May 13, 1836. In 1833 the honour of Knight Bachelor and 
 Knight Commander of the Guelphic Order was conferred upon him by George IV. He received, in 
 1825, the gold medal of the Royal Society of Literature, and was a Member of the Royal Institute of 
 Paris, and many other learned Societies 
 
 SIR JOHN GARDNER WILKINSON, KNT., F.R.S., D.C.L., F.R.G.S. 
 
 This celebrated Traveller and Archaeologist was born in 1798. He was educated at Harrow, 
 whence he proceeded to Exeter College, Oxford. He afterwards went to Egypt, where he remained 
 twelve vears, devoting himself to the study of the antiquities of that country. He resided a 
 considerable time in a tomb at Thebes, and made accurate surveys of the district, and drawings of 
 the stupendous architectural monuments. The works he has published, of which we may particularize 
 that on the Ancient Egyptians, sufficiently attest the care and skill with which his investigations were 
 conducted. In 1840 he received the honour of knighthood for his labours in literature and archae- 
 ology. In 1834 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society; and the University of Oxford have 
 conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.C.L. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical 
 Society, and a member of most of the leading literary and scientific societies of Europe. 
 
 SIR NATHANIEL WILLIAM WRAXALL, BART., 
 
 Was born at Bristol in 1751. After having received his education in his native city, he entered the 
 Civil Service of the East India Company, and proceeded to Bombay in 1769. In 1771 he accompa- 
 nied the expeditions against Guzerat and Baroche as Judge Advocate and Paymaster. In 1772 he 
 quitted India and landed at Lisbon, from whence he proceeded on his continental travels, and visited 
 the principal parts of Europe and Lapland. During this period, in 1774-5, he was employed in a 
 confidential mission from the Queen of Denmark to her brother George III., who presented him with 
 1000 guineas for his services. In 1775 he published his first work, " Cursory Remarks made in a 
 Tour through some of the Northern Parts of Europe, &c." which went through several editions. In 
 1780 he was returned to Parliament, and became an adherent of Pitt. In 181o he was created a 
 baronet. In 1815 he published " Historical Memoirs of my Own Time :" an indictment for libel was 
 brought against him for an accusation in this work against the character of Count Woronzow, the 
 Russian Ambassador, and he was sentenced to pay a fine of 500 and to suffer six months imprison- 
 ment. His publications are numerous and interesting, but not always to be relied upon. He died 
 Nov. 7, 1831. 
 
 SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN, KNT., P.R.S. 
 
 This great Architect was born at East Knoyle, in Wiltshire, on Oct. 20, 1632. He entered as a 
 Gentleman Commoner at Wadham College, Oxford, in 1646, graduated in Arts in 1650, and was 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 263 
 
 elected Fellow of his College in 1653. In 1057 he was chosen Professor of Astronomy in Greshani 
 College. On the Restoration he was appointed Savilian Professor at Oxford; and on July 15, 1662, 
 he had the gratification of witnessing the incorporation of the Royal Society by a charter which he 
 had been instrumental in obtaining. In 1663 he commenced the Theatre at Oxford, and completed 
 it in 1668. In 1669 he was appointed Surveyor-General of the Royal Works, and in 1672 
 presented to the King his design for St. Paul's Cathedral ; which, although approved by his Majesty, 
 was objected to by the Commissioners, and Wren was, with regret, obliged to adapt his plan to their 
 views. The first stone was laid June 21, 1675 ; and the building was completed in thirty-five years, at 
 the small cost of 736,000. Wren was knighted Nov. 20, 1673. In 1680 he was elected President of 
 the Royal Society, to whose "Transactions" he contributed many papers on the exact sciences, 
 principally on Astronomy. He died at Hampton Court, on Feb. 25, 1723. 
 
 SIR JEFFRY WYATVILLE, KNT., R.A., 
 
 Was born in 1766, at Burton-upon-Trent, and was educated at the free-school of that town. His 
 early predilections were for the sea, and he made two attempts to enter that service ; the first at the 
 age of twelve, and the other two years afterwards, but was on both occasions brought back. Foiled 
 in these and other attempts to enter the Naval Service, he repaired to London, where his uncle, 
 Samuel Wyatt, an architect and builder of some repute, took him into his office for seven years. At 
 the expiration of this period he served a second apprenticeship with another uncle, James, from whom 
 he imbibed his preference for Gothic and Old English Architecture, and obtained an introduction to 
 his future royal patron, the Prince of Wales. In 1799 he entered into partnership with Mr. Armstrong, 
 an extensive government contractor. Although this engagement was very lucrative, it was a bar to 
 his admission into the Royal Academy for more than twenty years, not being admitted an Associate 
 until 1822, and R.A. in 1824. In 1824 he was unexpectedly summoned to Windsor by George IV., 
 and employed to remodel Windsor Castle, on which he commenced at once. In the same year his 
 Majesty laid the first stone of " King George IV. 's Gateway," and Wyatt obtained the King's 
 authority for the addition of " ville" to his name, to distinguish himself from other architects of his 
 own name. In- 1828 he was knighted, on his Majesty's taking possession of the private apartments. 
 The completion of the alterations of the Castle, at a cost of 700,000, occupied the remainder of 
 his life, which terminated on Feb. 18, 1840. His executors published by his directions the series of 
 designs of the exterior of Windsor Castle, in 2vols., folio, in 1841, which is one of the most complete 
 illustrations of the exterior of any edifice ever given to the public. 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 A BOOK PRINTED WITHOUT AN INDEX 
 
 IS LIKE UNTO 
 
 A WATCH WITHOUT HANDS. 
 
 ADAMS, Sir William. Biographical Notice 209 
 ALCUINUS, Flaccus. Esteemed by Charle- 
 magne as a man of letters - 1 
 ALEXANDER, Sir Edward. Biographical 
 
 Notice - - - 209 
 
 ALISON, Sir Archibald. Biographical 
 
 Notice - - 210 
 
 ALLAN, Sir William Biographical Notice ib. 
 AMANUENSES (The) of Milton considered 171-95 
 
 ANDEBDON, John. The "Milton Family 
 Papers," purchased of Mr. Thorpe, and 
 again sold by Mr. Anderdon - - 122-3 
 
 ANDKEINI, Giovanni-Battista Note of 
 
 L'Adamo, Sacra Representatione - 72 
 Milton probably had a copy when in 
 Italy, 1638 - 73 
 
 Conceived the idea of " Paradise Lost" 
 from the Adamo - 73 
 
 ANELAT, Henry. Picture in The Crystal 
 Palace Gallery, 1860, representing Mil- 
 ton dictating to a Soldier - - 173 
 
 ANTIQUARIES of London, Society of. 
 Fac-simile of Letter from Andrew 
 Marvell, preserved in "The Milton Slate 
 Papers" in that library, plate xxiv - 190 
 Particulars respecting " The Milton 
 Papers" - - 195 
 
 ARATI Phtenomena. Copy of, with Auto- 
 graph Notes by Milton - - 105 
 Fac-simile of the Notes therein, plate 
 xiv .... . 97 
 
 ARCADES. Fac-simile of Page I from the 
 
 Trinity College Manuscript, plate I - 51 
 Date of its Composition according to 
 the views of Warton, Todd, Keightley, 
 and Masson - - 51-2 
 
 ARCH.SOLOGICAL Society of London and 
 Middlesex The Meeting at the Tower 
 of London - 108 
 
 ARCHIVES OF THE COUNTRY Put up in 
 
 Sacks at the Tower - - 107 
 
 ARKWRIGHT, Sir Richard Biographical 
 
 Notice - - - 210 
 
 ARMSTRONG, Sir William. Biographical 
 
 Notice - - 211 
 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded 142 
 
 ARNOLD, Christopher His Album Ami- 
 corum in the British Museum, with sig- 
 nature of Milton, 1651 - - - 113 
 
 ASHBURNHAM (SlOWE) COLLECTION OF 
 
 MANUSCRIPTS. Contains an Official 
 Document, dated 1654, bearing the 
 Signature of Milton, with fac-simile, 
 plate xviii - 128 
 
 ATHEN^UM (The) JOURNAL OF LITERA- 
 TURE. Articles on The Milton Receipts 
 for Paradise Lost sold in the Dawson 
 Turner Collection - 139-40 
 
 AUBREY, John. On the Date of the Com- 
 mencement of Paradise Lost - - 74 
 Considered Cyriac Skinner to have been 
 the person to whom Milton entrusted 
 his Manuscripts of the De Doctrind 
 Christiana and State Letters - - 159 
 
 34 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Extracts from his Biographical Memo- 
 randa of Milton, in the Ashmolean 
 Museum at Oxford, relating to the Blind- 
 ness and Amanuenses of the Poet 171-2 
 On the Date of the Death of Milton - 168 
 AUTOGRAPHY ; a work with the fac-similes 
 of the several styles used by distin- 
 guished persons at various periods of 
 their lives ----- 116-7 
 
 BACK, Sir George. Biographical Notice - 211 
 
 BAKER, Sir George. Biographical Notice ib. 
 
 BAKER, Sir Richard. A Presentation Copy 
 of his Chronicle, edited by C. Phillips, 
 with Autograph Inscription to the 
 Bishop of London - 165-89 
 
 His Chronicle, the best history of the 
 times - 188 
 
 BAKER, Samuel, Bookseller and Book- 
 Auctioneer. Founder of the house of 
 Baker, Leigh, & Sotheby; Particulars 
 respecting him and the Firm - - 201-2 
 
 BAKER, William, of Bayfordbury, Herts. 
 Possessor of the Fair Copy of the 
 Manuscript of the First Book of Paradise 
 Lost, as sent to be licensed - 165 
 
 BANDINEL, Rev. Dr. Bulkeley. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix 141 
 
 BANKS, Sir Joseph. Biographical Notice 211 
 
 BARROW, Rev. Dr. Isaac. Fac-simile of his 
 
 Autograph, plate xxiii - - 164 
 
 BARROW, Sir John. Biographical Notice - 212 
 
 BARRY, Sir Charles. Biographical Notice ib. 
 
 EARTH, Henry, C.B. Biographical Notice 213 
 
 BATTAM, Thomas, junr., F.S.A. Auto- 
 graph Signature when blindfolded - 142 
 
 BEAUFORT, Sir Francis. Biographical 
 
 Notice - - 213 
 
 BEECHEY, Sir William. Biographical 
 
 Notice - - ib. 
 
 BEEDHAH. Typographical Error in his 
 
 name - - - 110 
 
 Information respecting Milton's copy 
 of Lycophron - - 110-11 
 
 Information respecting an inscription 
 on the autograph of Milton in the 
 Library of Trinity College, Dublin - 121 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* - - - - 141 
 
 BELCHER, Sir Edward. Biographical 
 
 Notice - - 214 
 
 BELL, Sir Charles. Biographical Notice - ib. 
 BENTHAM, Sir Samuel. Biographical 
 
 Notice ------ ib. 
 
 BETHAM, Sir Wm. Biographical Notice 
 BINDLEY, James. Former possessor of the 
 copy of the Arati Phenomena, with 
 Autograph Notes by Milton - - 105 
 BIRCH, Samuel, F.S.A. Autograph Signa- 
 ture when blindfolded, plate xix* - 141 
 BIRCH, Dr. Thomas. Former possessor of 
 the copy ofeck's Euripides, with Auto- 
 graph Notes by Milton - - 108 
 BISHOP, Sir Henry. Biographical Notice 215 
 BLACKMORE, Sir Richard. Biographical 
 
 Notice - - ib. 
 
 BLANE, Sir Gilbert. Biographical Notice 216 
 BLIZARD, Sir William. Biographical Notice ib. 
 BLOOD in Man. Its Influence on the Dif- 
 ferent Races of Man and Animals - 46-7 
 BLOUNT, Sir H. Biographical Notice - 217 
 BODLEIAN LIBRARY, Oxford. Copy of 
 
 the First Edition of Venus and Adonis 5 
 Copy of the First Edition of the Poems 
 of Milton, with autograph inscription 
 to Dr. Rous - - 113-9 
 
 Fac-simile of a portion of the same, 
 plate xvii - - 1 1 3 
 
 Fac-simile of Inscription in the volume 
 of Milton's Polemical Treatises - 120 
 
 BOHN, Henry G. His edition of Milton's 
 
 Prose Works, edited by J. A. St. John 18 
 BOHN, John. Researches at Lambeth 
 Palace respecting the licence of Arch- 
 bishop Sheldon for the printing of 
 Paradise Lost - - 197 
 
 BOSWELL, Sir A. Biographical Notice - 217 
 BOSWELL, James. Some " Milton family 
 
 Papers" sold with his library in 1825 122-3 
 BoxFiELD,Beriah,M.P.,F.S.A. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 BOURGEOIS, Sir F. Biographical Notice - 217 
 BOWRINO, Sir J. Biographical Notice - 218 
 BRADSHAW, President Letter from Milton, 
 dated 1652, preserved in Her Majesty's 
 State Paper Office -130-1 
 
 BHEWSTEB, Sir D. Biographical Notice - 218 
 BRITANNIA'S PASTORALS, see BROWNE. 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 BRITISH HISTORY. Milton's intended 
 
 Epic Poem - - 85-7 
 
 BRITISH MUSEUM. Copy of the Arati 
 Phenomena, with Autograph Notes by 
 Milton - - 105 
 
 Copy of his Monodie to the memory of 
 Edward King, with Autograph Notes 150 
 Inscription with Autograph of Milton, 
 1681, in the Album of Christopher 
 Arnold - - 113 
 
 Error in describing a letter from Martin. 
 Luther as autograph - 132 
 
 Possesses the Deed of Assignment of 
 "Paradise Lost" to S. Simmons - 135 
 BRITISH TRAGEDIES. Fac-similes of Pages 
 37 and 38 from the Trinity College 
 Manuscript, plates viii and ix - - 85 
 BRODIE, Sir Benj. Biographical Notice - 218 
 BROTTGHTON, George, Bishop of Sydney. 
 The Album of Camillus Cardoyn, 
 purchased at Geneva by his son - 107 
 
 BROWNE, Sir T. Biographical Notice - 219 
 BROWNE, Sir W. Biographical Notice - 219 
 BROWNE, William, Poet. Extract from his 
 
 " Britannia's Pastorals " - - 55 
 
 Copy of the "Pastorals," with Notes 
 in the autograph of Milton described 97-104 
 Fac-similes of the Manuscript Notes, 
 plate xiv - 97 
 
 Extracts from the work, with parallel 
 passages from the MS. Notes - 99-103 
 BRUNEL, Sir I. M. Biographical Notice - 220 
 BRYANT, John. Information respecting the 
 source whence the original assignment 
 of " Paradise Lost" was obtained - 203 
 BRYDGES, Sir Egerton. Opinion of the 
 
 Biography of Milton by E. Phillips - 22-3 
 Biographical Notice - - 220 
 
 BULWER, Sir H. Biographical Notice - 220 
 BURGUNDY, Philip, Duke of. The great 
 
 patron of literature, science, and art - 2 
 BURNETT, Sir W. Biographical Notice - 221 
 
 CALLCOTT, Sir A. Biographical Notice - 221 
 CAMBRIDGE. Suppression of the Players 
 
 within five miles of the University - 9 
 Comedy represented there by desire of 
 the Queen Elizabeth, 1594 - - 10 
 
 CORPUS CHHISTI COLLEGE LIBRARY 
 contains the collection of Manuscripts 
 and Books formed by Archbishop Parker 96 
 TRINITY COLLEGE LIBRARY. The 
 volume containing the juvenile and 
 other poems of Milton in his autograph 
 described - - 49-95 
 
 Fac-similes of Pages 1, 13, 31-35, 36, 
 39, 40, 43, etc., plates i to xxii inclu- 
 sive - - 51 
 Among Sir Henry Puckering's Books 
 many from the Library of Prince Henry 50 
 Fac-similes of the Handwriting of 
 Prince Henry from his " Copy Books" 
 preserved in the Library - - 115 
 Autograph Signatures of Milton in the 
 Graduation Book at Christ College - 124-5 
 Fac-similes of signatures dated 1628-9 
 and 1632, plate xviii - 124 
 CAMDEN, Lord. " Glory is the Reward of 
 
 Science" - 142 
 
 CARDOUIN FAMILY, The Album of the. 
 Inscription therein in the autograph of 
 Milton, dated 1639 - 73 
 
 Fac-simile of the same, plate xiv 79 
 
 Note of the contents of the Album - 106 
 CARLISLE, Sir A. Biographical Notice - 221 
 CHADWICK, Edwin. Biographical Notice 222 
 CHAMBERS, Sir Wm. Biographical Notice 222 
 CHANTREY, Sir Francis. Employed when 
 a journeyman carpenter by the Poet 
 Rogers at a guinea a week - 136 
 
 Biographical Notice - - 222 
 
 CHARLEMAGNE, or Charles I., King of 
 
 France. His respect for men of letters 1 
 CHARLES L, King of England. History of 
 
 his reign, not yet faithfully written - 187-8 
 CHARLES II., King of England. Anecdote 
 of his Interview with the Poet after 
 the Restoration - 40 
 
 CHAUCER, Geoffrey. Received at Court - 4 
 CLARK, Sir James. Biographical Notice - 223 
 CLARKE, Sir C. M. Biographical Notice - 223 
 CLARKE, Abraham, the Husband of Deborah, 
 the youngest daughter of Milton. 
 Fac-simile of his Autograph Signature 
 to a Deed, Feb. 22, 1674 - - 179 
 
 CLARKE, J. W., of Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge. The acknowledgment of the 
 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Author for aid received in the progress 
 
 of this work - - 96 
 
 CHEETHAM SOCIETY. Notice of "Papers 
 connected with the affairs of Milton and 
 his Family," Transactions, vol. i, 1851 123 
 
 COLE, Henry. Biographical Notice - - 224 
 
 COLEBIDGE, Samuel Taylor. Quotation 
 
 from his praise of poetry - -4 
 
 COLLIES, J. Payne, F.S.A. Annals of the 
 
 Stage, p. 7, note, ib. - 8 
 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xis* - 141 
 
 COLLINS, William, the Poet. His sad end 43 
 
 COMUS. Fac-simile of the first page of the 
 Autograph in Trinity College Library, 
 Cambridge, plate ii - - 60 
 
 The origin of the "Maske" described by 
 Mr. Keightley from the works of others 61 
 Note of the Original Edition, 1637 - ib. 
 
 COOPER, Sir A. P. Biographical Notice - 22-1 
 
 COUNCIL OF STATE. Order Books in State 
 Paper Office recording the appointment 
 of the Poet by Cromwell as Latin 
 Secretary 
 
 COWFEB, William, the Poet. Translation 
 of the Latin Ode addressed to Dr. 
 Rous in the presentation copy by Mil- 
 ton of the first edition of his poems 117-9 
 
 Cox, Rev. Henry Octavius. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 
 CKADOCK, Joseph. Former Possessor of 
 the copy of Beck's Euripides, with 
 Autograph Notes by Milton - - 108 
 
 CBAMPTON, Sir P. Biographical Notice - 225 
 
 CHOMPTON, Thomas. 111 rewarded as the 
 
 Inventor of the Mule Spindle - - 2 
 
 CROMWELL, Oliver. His want of generosity 
 
 and gratitude to Milton - - 32 
 
 The devotedness of the Poet to the 
 Cause of Cromwell - - - 33 
 
 Fac-simile of Sonnet XVI from the 
 Trinity College Manuscript by the 
 Electro Printing Block Company - 91 
 His ingratitude to Milton - - - 92 
 Eulogy of Milton on Cromwell - - 93 
 
 CRYSTAL PALACE at Sydenham (The). 
 The Staircase and Panelling of the 
 Room occupied by Dr. Johnson in 
 Inner Temple Lane, there preserved - 65 
 
 CUBITT, Sir William. Biographical Notice 225 
 CULLUM, Sir Thomas Gery. Possessor of 
 the original Receipt given by Milton to 
 S. Simmons for the sale of Paradise 
 Lost in 1667, and of that by his 
 widow in 1680 for her interest therein 137 
 GUMMING, Rev. John. View of the uni- 
 versal "Love of Learning" and in- 
 crease of every branch of science in 
 the present century - - 44-5 
 
 DALYELL, Sir John. Biographical Notice 225 
 DANIEL, Samuel, Poet. Appointment at 
 
 Court - - - 5 
 
 DATI, Carlo. Extract from a letter from 
 
 Milton to him on his future course of life 16 
 Fac-simile of the commencement and 
 ending of autograph letter from Milton 
 to Dati - - 122 
 
 DAVENANT, Sir William, Poet. Appoint- 
 ment at Court - - - 5 
 Friend of Milton - - 1 1 
 His influence in saving Milton at the 
 Restoration - - 38 
 Biographical Notice - - 226 
 DAVIES, Sir John, Poet. Appointment at 
 
 Court - - 5 
 
 DAVIES, Thomas, Bookseller. Purchase of 
 
 Goldsmith's History of Englandfor 500 43 
 DAYIS, Sir John F Biographical Notice - 226 
 DAYIS, Miss. The design of Milton to 
 
 make her his wife - - 21 
 
 Sonnet IX evidently intended to be 
 addressed by the Poet to her on his 
 giving up all hope of being married to 
 her - - 58-60 
 
 DAVY, Sir Humphrey Biographical Notice 226 
 DEKKEK, Thomas. One of a Company of 
 
 Players - - 5 
 
 DE LA BECHE, Sir H. Biographical Notice 226 
 DENHAM, Sir John. Biographical Notice - 227 
 DEPTFOBD. Great neglect of the Historical 
 Documents of the Country there depo- 
 sited for many years - 107 
 D'IsRAELi, Isaac. Quotation from "The 
 
 Literary Character" - 1 
 
 Estimate of the literary qualities of 
 James I. - - - 4 
 
INDEX OP CONTENTS. 
 
 DIXON, W. Hepworth, F.S.A. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 
 DOCTKINA CHRISTIAN A(DE) by MILTON 142a-64 
 Bishop Sumner's view of its merit - 142b 
 The work not alluded to by Johnson in 
 his biography of the Poet, though re- 
 corded among the pursuits of the Poet 144 
 The Author's Preface to the Work 148-50 
 The Review of the Work by Lord 
 Macaulay as a vehicle for his Essay on 
 Milton - - 151-3 
 
 THE AUTOGRAPH of the De Doctrind 
 Christiana considered and illustrated 
 with fac-similes, plates xx,xxi, and xxii 154-64 
 The discovery by Mr. Lemon of the 
 Manuscript of the Work in the State 
 Paper Office, and his opinion respect- 
 ing it - - 154-7 
 
 DORIGNY, Sir N. Biographical Notice - 227 
 
 DOVER. Supposed destruction there of the 
 
 Historical Documents of the Country 107 
 
 DRAMA (Early) in England - - 71 
 
 Performances on Sundays - - 9 
 
 DKUMMOND, Sir Wm. Biographical Notice 227 
 
 DRYDEN, John, Poet. His ill-success in 
 
 life - - 44 
 
 Anecdote respecting his view of the 
 merits of Paradise Lost - - 78-9 
 
 DUBLIN. Fac-simile of Autograph In- 
 scription in a presentation copy of 
 Milton's "Treatise on Church Disci- 
 pline" in Trinity College Library - 121 
 
 DUGDALE, Sir Wm. Biographical Notice 227 
 
 Du MOULIN, Peter. His celebrated work 
 on the murder of King Charles re- 
 ferred to 25 
 
 EASTLAKE, Sir Chas. Biographical Notice 228 
 ELLWOOD, Thomas. Extracts from his 
 Autobiography of all his intercourse 
 with Milton; also a facsimile of his 
 autograph signature - - 191-4 
 
 ELECTRO PRINTING BLOCK COMPANY. 
 Fac-simile of the Autograph Sonnet by 
 Milton on his twenty-third year, from 
 the Trinity College Manuscript - - 14 
 Note of the Inventions worked by the 
 Company, and their application to 
 works of art, etc. - - 15 
 
 Fac-similes of Sonnets VIII and IX by 
 the Processes of the Company - - 57-8 
 Fac-simile of Sonnet XVI to Cromwell 91 
 Fac-similes of the Handwriting of the 
 renowned Prince Henry, from his 
 "Copy Books," preserved in Trinity 
 College Library, Cambridge - - 115 
 Fac-simile of Autograph Inscription by 
 Milton in a volume of his Polemical 
 Treatises presented to Dr. Rous - 120 
 
 Fac-simile of commencement and end- 
 ing of autograph letter from Milton to 
 Carlo Dati - 122 
 
 Fac-similes of Autograph Signatures 
 when blindfolded, with four specimens 
 of the processes of reduction of the 
 same - 142 
 
 ELIZABETH, Queen of England. Distin- 
 guished for her literary abilities - 4 
 Edict against the Players - - 5 
 Grant to John Perkyns - - 8 
 Desires to uphold the "Art and 
 Facultie" of Players, and desires 
 Comedies to be performed at Cambridge 9 
 Annuls her protection to the Players 
 except by license - - 10 
 
 ELLIS, Sir Henry, F.S.A., etc. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 Fac-simile of his Autograph, plate xxiii 164 
 Biographical Notice - - 228 
 
 ELSEVIER, Daniel. His connection with 
 the publication of an edition of the 
 Letters of State by Milton - 160 
 
 ENT, Sir George. Biographical Notice - 228 
 
 EPITAPHIUM DAMONIS. Lines 161 to 177 
 
 on British History - - 86-7 
 
 EURIPIDIS TRAGCEDI.S:, 1602. Copy with 
 
 Notes in the autograph of Milton - 108-10 
 Fac-similes of the Notes, plate xv - 108 
 
 EYTON, J. Walter King, F.S.A. Auto- 
 graph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* - 141 
 
 FAIRFAX, General Lord. Fac-simile of 
 Sonnet XV, from the Trinity College 
 Manuscript, plate xii - 90 
 
 His allegiance to his King - ib. 
 
 FAMILY HERALD Periodical (The). Quo- 
 tation from Article on Poetry, the 
 Poet, and the Poetic Principle - - 3 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 FELLOWS, Sir Chas Biographical Notice 229 
 FELLOWES, Rev Robert. His Translation 
 of the Autobiography of the Poet from 
 Bohn's edition of the Prose Works 25-31 
 FORBES, Sir John. Biographical Notice - 229 
 FOBD, M., Bookseller of Manchester. Note 
 as the former possessor of the copy of 
 the "Britannia's Pastorals" by Browne, 
 with Manuscript Notes in the auto- 
 graph of Milton - - 97-8 
 FOBGERIES. Literary and Antiquarian - 98 
 Foss, Henry. Autograph Signature when 
 
 blindfolded, plate six* - - 141 
 
 His permission as " Master of the 
 Honourable Stationers' Company" to 
 copy entry relating to the printing 
 of Paradise Lost - - 197 
 
 FOSTER, John. Autograph Signature when 
 
 blindfolded, plate xix* - - - 141 
 Fox, Sir Charles. Biographical Notice - 229 
 FRANKLIN, Sir John. Biographical Notice 229 
 FRENCH, Gilbert. His Life and Times of 
 
 T. Crompton - - 2 
 
 FULLER, Francis. Autograph Signature 
 
 when blindfolded, plate xix* - - 141 
 
 GARDINER, William, the eccentric Book- 
 seller. His character of George Leigh, 
 of the firm of Leigh & Sotheby - 202 
 
 GARTH, Sir Samuel. Biographical Notice 230 
 
 GEI.L, Sir William. Biographical Notice 230 
 
 GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE (The). Copy of 
 the fac-simile of the receipt by Milton 
 for the sale of Paradise Lost, from 
 number for July 1822 - 137 
 
 GEORGE IV of England. Commanded the 
 De Doctrind Christiana of Milton to 
 be translated by Bishop Sumner - 147 
 
 GILL, Alexander. Schoolmaster to Milton; 
 
 Letter from the Poet, 1634 52 
 
 GODWIN, William. His Political Opinions 
 in the Lives of Edward and John 
 Phillips - - 23 
 
 Extracts from his Memoir of Edward 
 Phillips - 185-7 
 
 GOLDSMITH, Oliver. Extracts from his 
 "Inquiry into the Present State of 
 Polite Learning" - - 42-3 
 
 Assistance received through Dr. John- 
 son when reduced to poverty - - 43 
 His History of England purchased by 
 Tom Davies, the Bookseller, for 500 43 
 GORDON, Sir Jno. W. Biographical Notice 230 
 GRAY, Dr. John Edward. Autograph Sig- 
 nature when blindfolded, plate xix* - 141 
 GREY, Sir George. Biographical Notice - 230 
 GROVE, George, Secretary to The Crystal 
 Palace Company. Autograph Signa- 
 ture when blindfolded, plate xix* - 141 
 
 HALFORD, Sir Henry. Present Possessor 
 of the copy of Beck's Euripides, with 
 Autograph Notes by Milton - 109 
 
 Biographical Notice - 231 
 
 HALL, Joseph, Bishop of Norwich. Note 
 
 on Milton's Treatise of Divorce - 18 
 
 HALL, Samuel Carter, F.S.A. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 
 HALLAM, Henry. Lines on the Muse of 
 
 Milton 41 
 
 Eulogistic Lines on the Muse of Milton 70 
 Opinion on William Browne as a Poet 97 
 Proposed Monument to him in West- 
 minster Abbey 97 
 
 HALLIWELL, James Orchard, F.H.S., F.S.A. 
 Reference to his Folio Edition of 
 Shakespeare - - 6 
 
 HAMILTON, Sir Wm. Biographical Notice 231 
 
 HAMILTON, William Douglas. His errone- 
 ous transcript of passages from the 
 Order Book of the Council of State 
 respecting the amount entered to be 
 paid to Milton for his Answer to Sal- 
 masius - - 35 
 
 Original Papers from the State Paper 
 Office 72 
 
 His want of minute accuracy in copy- 
 ing the letter from Milton to President 
 Bradshaw - 131 
 
 His observation on the researches of 
 Archdeacon Todd in connection with 
 the Milton Documents in the State 
 Paper Office - 154 
 
 HARE, Francis, Bishop of Chichester. 
 Former Possessor of the copy of Beck's 
 Euripides, with Autograph Notes by 
 Milton - 108 
 
 HARRIS, Sir Wm. S. Biographical Notice 231 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 HAKTLIB, Samuel. Quotation from the 
 letter of Milton to Hartlib upon the 
 merits of dramatic authors - 10 
 
 HAKTOB, Jonathan. Lent the Poet, soon 
 
 after the Restoration, the sum of 50 38-9 
 HARTSHORNE,Rev. Charles Henry, F.S.A. 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* - 141 
 
 HAWKINS, Sir John. Biographical Notice 232 
 HAWKINS, B. Waterhouse. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 HAWKINS, Dr. View of the Biography of 
 
 Milton by E. Phillips 24 
 
 HAYLEY, William. On the Date of the 
 
 Death of Milton - 168 
 
 HAYTEK, Sir George. Biographical Notice 232 
 HEAD, Sir F. B. Biographical Notice - 232 
 HEBEK, Richard. Former Possessor of the 
 copy of the Arati Phenomena, with 
 Autograph Notes by Milton - - 105 
 Copy of the Amoroso Comivio by 
 Dante, 1529, in his collection, Part IV, 
 No. 1527, with autograph signature of 
 Milton, dated 1629 - 124 
 
 Fac-simile of the same, plate xviii - ib. 
 HENRY, Prince, son of James I. Many 
 volumes from his library bequeathed 
 to Trinity College, Cambridge, by Sir 
 Henry Puckering - - 50 
 
 HERBERT, Sir Thos. Biographical Notice 232 
 HERRING, Charles, Bookbinder. Pur- 
 chaser of the Cardoyn Album - - 107 
 Purchaser of the Amoroso Convivio of 
 Dante, with autograph signature of 
 Milton - - 124 
 
 HERSCHEL, Sir J. F. Biographical Notice 233 
 HEYWOOD, Thomas. One of a Company 
 
 of Players - 5 
 
 HILL, Sir Rowland. Biographical Notice 233 
 HOLLAND, Sir Henry. Biographical No- 
 tice 233 
 HOLLAND, Lancelot. His copy of the 
 fourth issue of the first edition of 
 Paradise Lost - - 81 
 HOME, Sir Everard. Biographical Notice 234 
 HOOKER, Sir Wm. J. Biographical Notice 234 
 HOPPER, Clarence. Considered the letter 
 of Milton to President Bradshaw, 1684, 
 to be autograph - - 133 
 
 His opinion as to the date of the 
 blindness of the Poet - 133 
 
 HOWARD, Earl of Surrey. Honoured as a 
 
 Poet - 4 
 
 HUGO, Rev. Thomas, F.S.A. Cicerone 
 over the Tower of London at the 
 meeting of the Archaeological Society 
 of London and Middlesex - - 108 
 
 HUNTER, Rev. Joseph, F.S.A. On the 
 various modes of spelling the name of 
 Shakespeare - - 6 
 
 Sheaf of (Miltonic) Gleanings - - 72 
 Note of the Album of the Cardouin 
 Family - - 73 
 
 Observations upon the Autograph 
 Signatures and Notes in a copy of 
 the Natura Brevium of Fitz-Herbert - 126 
 
 INTELLECTUALITY. The special gift of 
 the Creator, distributed more or less 
 among mankind - - 45-6 
 
 INTERLUDES and Plays - - 7 
 
 IRONSIDES (The) ; a Tale of the English 
 Commonwealth. A modern novel of 
 singular conceit reviewed by the 
 Literary Gazette - - 188-9 
 
 IVES, Mr. Possessor of a Receipt from 
 
 Milton, 1649, with autograph signature 125 
 
 JAMES I., King of England. Distinguished 
 
 as a poet and literary man - 4 
 
 His "Amicable" Letter to Shakespeare 6 
 
 JOHNSON, Dr. Samuel. His illiberal view 
 of the position of Milton in his scho- 
 lastic duties - - 16 
 Believed that the Poet received 1,000 
 for his Answer to Salmasius - - 33 
 Assistance rendered by him to Oliver 
 Goldsmith 43 
 The Staircase and Panelling of his 
 Room in Inner Temple Lane, now in the 
 Crystal Palace at Sydenham - - 65 
 Opinion on the merits of Paradise 
 Lost - - 68-70 
 On the Sale of Paradise Lost - - 77 
 Loan to him of Milton's copy of Beck's 
 Euripides - 108 
 View of the Theological Opinions of 
 Milton - 144-5 
 His Prayers and Meditations - - 145-7 
 On the Date of the Death of Milton - 168 
 Ridicules the idea of the Daughters of 
 
INDEX OF CONTEXTS. 
 
 Milton having assisted their father in 
 the capacity of his Amanuenses - 1 79-80 
 JONES, Sir William. Biographical Notice 234 
 JONES, J. Winter, F.S.A. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xis.* 141 
 JOXSOK, Ben, Poet Public Neglect of him 5 
 
 K AXE, Sir Robert. Biographical Notice - 234 
 
 KAT-SHCTTLEWORTH, Sir James Philips. 
 
 Biographical Notice - 235 
 
 KEIOHTLET, Thomas. In his Biography of 
 the Poet does not give very accurately 
 the extracts from the Order Book of 
 the Council of State respecting the 
 payment of monies to the Poet for his 
 Answer to Salmasius - - - 34 
 
 Summary of the pecuniary position of 
 the Poet before and after the Restora- 
 tion - - 39 
 Origin of the Mask Comus described 
 from the works of others - - - 61 
 Origin of the Monodie Lycidas re- 
 corded - - - 62-3 
 On the Date when Paradise Lotl was 
 commenced - - 73-4 
 Mistaken Opinion of the Autograph 
 of Milton's Letter to President Brad- 
 shaw, 1654 - - 132 
 
 KHKLLER, Sir G. Biographical Notice - 235 
 
 KING, Edward. His death the occasion of 
 the Monodie Lycidas, from the pen of 
 his friend Milton - - - 63 
 
 Note of the first appearance of the 
 Monodie - - 63 
 
 KINGSLET, the Rev. Charles. Erroneously 
 quotes the Act of Elizabeth respect- 
 ing the " Players " - - 10 
 
 KNIGHT, Charles. Autograph Signature 
 
 when blindfolded, plate xix* - - 141 
 
 LAVARIINE, Alphonse de. Considered 
 Milton to have been divorced from his 
 Wife - 18 
 Considered that Milton received 1000 
 for his Answer to Salmasius - - 34 
 His belief in the report of the death of 
 Milton on the Restoration - 40 
 Anecdote of his interview with King 
 Charles II. 40 
 
 "All great minds anticipate their 
 future glory" - 142a 
 
 View of the melancholy position of the 
 Widow of Milton - - 183 
 
 His introduction of the author to Mr. 
 Baker, of Bayfordbury - - 165 
 
 LANDSEER, Sir Edwin. Biographical Notice 235 
 
 LAUD, Archbishop of Canterbury. Lines 
 in Lycidas supposed to foretel his 
 downfall 66 
 
 LA WES, Henry. A friend of Milton - 13 
 
 In the service of the Countess of 
 Derby when Arcades was performed - 52 
 Fac-similes of Sonnet from Milton, 
 from page 43 of the Trinity College 
 Manuscript, plate xi - 88 
 
 LAWREXCE, SirThos. Biographical Notice 236 
 
 LA^VSOS, Rev. W. L. Autograph Signa- 
 ture when blindfolded, plate six* - 141 
 
 LECHMERE, Charles. His attestation to 
 the account by Mr. Lemon of his dis- 
 covery of the Manuscript of the De 
 DoctrinA Christiana in the State Paper 
 Office - - 154-5 
 
 LEEK, Sir Francis. His Company of 
 
 Players - - 7 
 
 LEICESTER, Earl of. His Company of 
 
 Players - - 8-9 
 
 LEIGH, George, of the house of Leigh & 
 Sotheby. His Character, by Gardiner, 
 of Pall Mall - - 202 
 
 LELT, Sir Peter. Biographical Notice - 236 
 
 LEMON, Mark. Autograph Signature when 
 
 blindfolded, plate xix* - - 141 
 
 LEXON, Robert, F.S.A. His view of the sum 
 of money ordered by the Council of State 
 to be paid to Milton for his Answer to 
 Salmasius - - - 34 
 
 Assistance rendered by him to Arch- 
 deacon Todd and Bishop Sumner in 
 their Miltonian labours - - - 34 
 His discovery of the original manuscript 
 of the work in the State Paper Office 154-7 
 List of the Letters of State discovered 
 at the same time - ... 155 
 His belief that the Manuscript of the 
 De Doctrina Christiana was the joint 
 autograph of E. Phillips and the 
 daughters of Milton - - 15G 
 
 Discovered his error after the publica- 
 
INDEX OF CONTEXTS. 
 
 tion of the translation by Bishop Sum- 
 ner, and found the manuscript and 
 copies of State Letters to be in the 
 autograph of Daniel Skinner - - 159 
 
 LEMOK, Robert, jun., F.S.A. His aid to 
 the author in investigating the auto- 
 graph of the De Doctrind Christiana - 154 
 His attestation to the account of the 
 discovery of the manuscript of the 
 De Doctrin'i Christiana - - 154-5 
 
 LEO X., Pope. Patron of Literature and 
 
 Art - 2 
 
 LESLIE, Sir John. Biographical Xotice - 236 
 
 LETTERS OF STATE, 1694. Written by 
 
 Milton - - 18 
 
 Poems therein - - 19 
 
 Introduction written by E. Phillips - tJ. 
 Mr. St. John considers the work to 
 have appeared under the care of Toland 19 
 Extract from the Biography of the 
 Poet by E. Phillips touching his mar- 
 riage - - 20-1 
 
 LITERATURE, Science, and Art. Faculties 
 specially bestowed on men in their 
 various gradations for the cultivation 
 of their fellow-labourers - - - 48 
 Men so gifted frequently despise the 
 want of it in others - - ii. 
 
 LITERARY GAZETTE (The). Extract rela- 
 tive to the encouragement given to 
 men of Literature, Science, and Art - 45 
 
 LOFFT, Capel. On the Errata of the First 
 
 Edition of Paradise Lost - - - 84 
 
 LUTHER, Martin. His violence in the Re- 
 formation of the Church - - - 33 
 Letter from him to the Emperor Charles 
 V. erroneously stated at the British 
 Museum to be autograph - - - 132 
 His skill in caligraphy - - ib. 
 
 LTCIDAS. Fac-simile of the First Page of 
 the Monodie from Trinity College Manu- 
 script, plate iii - - 62 
 Origin of the Monodie recorded - 62-3 
 Satirical Lines against the Clergy 
 presumed to be prophetical of the 
 downfall of Archbishop Laud - - 65 
 Copy in British Museum, with Auto- 
 graph Notes by Milton - - - 105 
 Fac- similes of the Autograph Notes, 
 plate xiv ------ 97 
 
 LYCOPHRON. Milton's Copy presumed to 
 be in the possession of the Earl of 
 Charlemont - - 110 
 
 LYDGATE, John. Honoured as a Poet - 4 
 LTELL, Sir Charles. Biographical Notice 237 
 LYTTLETOK, Dr. Adam His use of the 
 Manuscript Dictionary of the Latin 
 Language compiled by Milton - - 127 
 LYTTON, Sir E. L. B. Biographical Notice 237 
 
 MACAUIAT, Lord. Eulogistic Lines on 
 
 Milton - - 70 
 
 Buried in "Westminster Abbey - - 97 
 His review of The Treatise of Christian 
 Doctrine, by Milton, and his Essay on 
 Milton - - 151-3 
 
 Biographical Notice - 237 
 
 M'DowALt, Walter. Autograph Signa- 
 ture when blindfolded, plate xix* - 141 
 MACLTTRE, Sir R. J. Biographical Notice 238 
 M'CLIXTOCK, Sir F Biographical Notice 238 
 M'GRIGOR, Sir James. Biographical Notice 238 
 MACKINTOSH, Sir Jas. Biographical Notice 239 
 MACSEIL, Sir John. Biographical Notice 239 
 MADDEN, Sir Frederick, F.S.A., etc. His 
 opinion of The 3Iilton Receipts for 
 Paradise Lost, sold in the Dawson 
 Collection - 138 
 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* ----- 141 
 Biographical Notice - 240 
 
 MAGUIBE, Thomas. Autograph Signature 
 
 when blindfolded, plate xix* - - 141 
 MAJOR, R. H., F.S.A. Autograph Signa- 
 ture when blindfolded, plate xix* - 141 
 MALONB, Edmund. Note on his Copy of 
 
 the first edition of "Venus and Adonis" 5 
 MARLOWE, Thomas. One of a Company 
 
 of Players 5 
 
 MARSH, John Fitchett. Opinion on the 
 various Biographies of Milton - 
 Papers connected with the affairs of 
 Milton and his Family - - - 72 
 Particulars of the said Papers - 122-3 
 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* - 141 
 
 Memoir of Deborah, the youngest 
 Daughter of Milton - - - 1 78 
 
 MARSHAM, Sir John. Biographical Notice 240 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 MAEVELL, Andrew. Letter from Milton 
 recommending him to President Brad- 
 shaw for employment - - 130-1 
 
 Fac-simile of his autograph, plate xxiv 190 
 
 MART, Queen. Her Proceedings against 
 
 the Players - -7 
 
 MASSOX, David. His Life of the Poet 23 
 
 MASSY, R. Tuthill, M.D. Autograph Sig- 
 nature when blindfolded, plate six* - 141 
 
 MELANCHTHON, Philip. His penchant for 
 
 varying the orthography of his name - 6 
 The Pen of the Reformation - 33 
 
 The Amanuensis of Luther in the case 
 of a letter to the Emperor Charles V. 132 
 His Skill in Caligraphy - - ib. 
 
 MEVKICK, Sir S. R. Biographical Notice 240 
 
 MILNES, Richard Monckton. Present Pos- 
 sessor of an Excise Document bearing 
 the Signature of Milton, dated 1660 - 129 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* - - - 141 
 
 MILTON, John, the Father of the Poet 
 The date of his leaving Horton not 
 recorded - - - 63 
 
 MILTON, Mrs., the Mother of the Poet. 
 
 Buried at Horton, April 3, 1634 64 
 
 MILTON. His first ideas for " Paradise 
 Lost" taken from the Representations 
 of " Sacred Mysteries " in Italy - 7 
 
 On writing " Comus," did not have a 
 high opinion of Dramatic Authors - 10-11 
 His respect for the observance of Sun- 
 day, and his occupation on Sundays - 11 
 His juvenile Poems, first published in 
 1645 - 12 
 
 The Preface by the Publisher of them 12-13 
 His early sentiments when at College 
 on Religion - - 13 
 
 His love of learning and retirement 13-14 
 Sonnet on his Twenty-third Birthday 14 
 His future course of life, in a letter to 
 Carlo Diodati - 1 6 
 
 Undertakes the Education of the two 
 Sons of Mrs. Phillips, his Sister - 16 
 
 Journey to Italy, 1638 - 16 
 
 Ungenerous View of Dr. Johnson on 
 the occupation of Milton as a Tutor - il>. 
 Received a few Pupils in 1647, when he 
 removed to Holborn - 1 7 
 
 Issued, in 1641, Treatises on the Doc- 
 
 trine and Discipline of the Church 17 
 Married Mary Powell in 1643 - - ib. 
 Poems in the Letters of State, 1694 - 19 
 Design for appointing the Poet Adju- 
 tant-General in Sir William Waller's 
 Army, a fact doubted by Archdeacon 
 Todd 21 
 
 Autobiography of the Poet from his 
 Second Defence of the People of Eng- 
 land, 1654 - 25 
 His Devotedness to the Cause of 
 Cromwell - 33 
 His Receipt of 1,000 for the Answer 
 to Salmasius, believed by Toland and 
 Johnson - 33 
 Employed by the Council of State to 
 do other work than what belonged to 
 the Duties of Latin Secretary - - 35-7 
 Project of making Milton Adjutant- 
 General in Sir William Waller's 
 Army - - 37 
 Believed to have been saved at the 
 Restoration by the Influence of Sir 
 William Davenant - 38 
 Received a Loan of 50 from Jonathan 
 Hartob soon after the Restoration - 38-9 
 His Pecuniary Position before and 
 after the Restoration 39 
 The Concealment of the Poet on the 
 Restoration, and report of his death - 39 
 Lamartine's belief of the statement 40 
 Anecdote of his Interview with King 
 Charles II. ib. 
 His Pardon by Charles II. viewed 41 
 His Political Works ordered to be 
 burned by the common hangman - ib. 
 The juvenile and other poems in the 
 Autograph of the Poet preserved in the 
 Library of Trinity College, Cambridge, 
 described - - 49-95 
 The first, second, and third editions of 
 the Poems of the author enumerated, 
 with the variations of their contents - 55-6 
 Fac-similes of Sonnets VIII and IX 
 by the Processes of the Electro Print- 
 ing Block Company - 57-8 
 On being obliged to resign all idea of 
 marriage with Miss Davis, the Poet 
 addresses Sonnet IX to her, though he 
 does not so inscribe it - - 58-60 
 The desire of the Poet for "fame" and 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 I 
 
 I'AUE 
 
 "ylory" recorded in a letter to his 
 friend, Carlo Diodati - 64 
 
 Altered his views of " migrating into 
 some Inn of the Lawyers " - 65 
 
 Orthography and punctuation in all 
 the editions of the poems of Milton, ac- 
 cording to the views of the various editors 66 
 The quaintness of language and al- 
 most total want of punctuation in the 
 Trinity College Manuscript - - ib. 
 The first ten lines of Book IV of 
 "Paradise Lost," stated by E. Phillips 
 to have been written many years before 
 the poem was proceeded with - - G7 
 The various editions of the Poetical 
 Works of Milton - 71 
 
 Journey of the Poet to Italy in 1638, 
 and return in 1639 - - - 73 
 
 Conceived the idea of writing " Para- 
 dise Lost " while in Italy - - ib. 
 Autograph Inscription in the Album of 
 the Cardouin Family - ib. 
 Lines on British History from the 
 Silvarum Liber - - - 85-6 
 Salary reduced in 1655 from 300 a 
 year to 150 - - 92 
 Fac-similes of the Autograph Notes in 
 his copy of the Britannia's Pastorals 
 by Broivne, plate xiv - 97 
 The Copy of the Pastoral described 97-104 
 His Copy of the Arati Phenomena 
 described - 105 
 Fac-similes of his Autograph Notes 
 therein, plate xiv - - 97 
 Fac-simile of Autograph Corrections 
 to his Monodie, Lycidas, to the Memorie 
 of Edward King, plate xiv - ib. 
 Fac-simile of Autograph Inscription in 
 a Copy of the Mel Heliconium by Rosse, 
 plate xvi - - - 1 1 1 
 Fac-simile of Attestation to Petition in 
 the State Paper Office, plate xvi - ib. 
 Fac-simile of Signature, 1651, to an in- 
 scription in the Album of Christopher 
 Arnold in the British Museum, plate 
 xvi ... . ft 
 
 Fac-simile of Autograph Inscription in 
 a copy of the Poet's Treatise on Church 
 Discipline, in Trinity College, Dublin 121 
 Fac-simile of Autograph Letter to 
 Carlo Dati - - -122 
 
 Fac-similes of the known Autograph 
 Signatures on the titles of various 
 printed books ; and all of the Signa- 
 tures, affixed to documents after his 
 blindness, presumed to have been au- 
 tograph, plate xviii - - 124 
 Notes and Observations on those Sig- 
 natures, and upon the Documents, 
 accompanied with illustrations - 124-42 
 The Manuscript of his Latin Diction- 
 ary - - 127 
 The First Idea of the Author of this 
 work respecting the Autograph of the 
 Treatise De Doctrind Christiana - 129 
 Letter recommending Andrew Marvell 
 to President Bradshaw for employ- 
 ment - - 130-1 
 The Period of the Blindness of the 
 Poet argued by Mr. Clarence Hopper 133 
 Sale of the Copyright of "Paradise 
 Lost" to Samuel Simmons - 135 
 Fac-similes of the commencement of 
 the Deed and Signature, plate xix - 134 
 Receipts for the Sale of " Paradise 
 Lost" - 137-40 
 Fac-similes of the same, plate xix - 134 
 DE DOCTBINA CHRISTIANA. The 
 work briefly considered, with the opinion 
 of Macaulay thereon, and the Preface 
 of the Author - 142a-53 
 The Autograph of the Work considered, 
 and accompanied with Fac-similes, 
 plates xx, xxi, and xxii - 154-64 
 His " desire of honour, and repute, 
 and immortal fame " - - 142a-2b 
 His early attachment to Poetry - - 143 
 His Views when at College on the 
 Doctrines of the Church - 143-4 
 LETTERS OF STATE. A Surreptitious 
 Edition, published abroad in 1676, 
 supposed to have been edited by 
 Daniel Skinner - 159 
 The fair copies in the Autograph of 
 D. Skinner discovered by Mr. Lemon 
 in the State Paper Office - - 160 
 Fac-simile of the Attestation of D. 
 Skinner respecting them, plate xxiii - 164 
 THE BLINDNESS or THE POET con- 
 sidered - 167-70 
 His Death, November 8, 1674, and 
 Burial - - 167-8 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 
 Employed an Amanuensis occasionally 
 before he was blind - - 168 
 
 Entry of the Birth of his Children on 
 the fly-leaf of his Wife's Bible - - 168 
 According to Phillips, totally blind on 
 his second marriage, November 1656 ib. 
 According to Toland, totally blind two 
 or three years before that event; Lost 
 left eye in 1651, and right one in 
 1654 - - 168-9 
 
 Sanguine as to the recovery of his 
 sight, Sept. 1654 - 169-70 
 
 Extract from a Letter from Milton 
 (published by Lamartine in 1854 for 
 the first time) relating to his blindness 1 70 
 THE AMANUENSES or THE POET CON- 
 SIDEBED - - 171-95 
 
 THE DAUOHTEBS OF THE POET - 174-80 
 His First Wife died, 1652 - 174 
 
 MILTON, Mary, First Wife of the Poet. 
 
 Married, 1643 - 17 
 
 Left her Husband soon after - - ib. 
 Reunited to her Husband, 1645; Had 
 four children Anne, bom July 29, 
 1646; Mary, October 25, 1648; a son, 
 March 16, 1650; and Deborah, May 
 1652 ib. 
 
 Account of her Marriage and her leav- 
 ing her Husband, as also the reconcili- 
 ation as described by E. Phillips - 20-1 
 MILTON, Catharine. Second Wife of the 
 
 Poet. Married, Nov. 12,1656 - - 175 
 Died in Childbed, Feb. 1658 - 95-175 
 Sonnet by Milton " On his Deceased 
 Wife" - 95 
 
 Fac-simile from the Trinity College 
 Manuscript of a Portion of it, plate xiii 95 
 MILTON, Elizabeth, Third Wife of the 
 Poet. Fac-simile of the Receipt given 
 by her for the last payment, in 1686, 
 of 5 for the sale of the copyright of 
 "Paradise Lost" - - 134 
 
 Her Affection for the Poet, and her 
 difficult position with his three daugh- 
 ters - - 180-1 
 Her Melancholy Position after the 
 Death of Milton, stated by Lamartine 183 
 MILTON, Anne, Eldest Daughter of the 
 
 Poet. Born July 26, 1646 - 176 
 
 Fac-simile of her "Mark" as Witness 
 
 to a Deed, Feb. 24, 1674 - - ib. 
 
 MILTON, Mary, Second Daughter of the 
 
 Poet. Born Oct. 25, 1648 - 177 
 
 Believed by Mr. Lemon to have assisted 
 in the revising and correcting the 
 manuscript of the De Doctrind Chris- 
 tiand - 156 
 
 Fac-simile of her Autograph Signa- 
 ture to a Deed, Feb. 22, 1674 - - 177 
 MILTON, Deborah, Youngest Daughter of 
 the Poet. Born, May 1652; died 
 May 9, 1754 - - 178 
 
 Believed by Mr. Lemon to have assisted 
 in the revising and correcting of the 
 De Doctrind Christiana - - 156 
 
 Her age proves that not to have been so 158 
 Fac-simile of her Autograph Signature 
 to a Deed, Feb. 22, 1674 - - 178 
 
 Stated by Aubrey to have been her 
 father's amanuensis - 171-2 
 
 Fac-simile of her Autograph Signa- 
 ture to a Deed, Feb. 22, 1674 - 179 
 Brief Memoir of her Life, by J. Fitchett 
 Marsh, Esq. - 178 
 MILTON FAMILY DOCUMENTS in the Pos- 
 session of John Fitchett Marsh, Esq. 122-3 
 MILTON, John. Major of the City of Lon- 
 don Trained Bands, 1660 - - 134 
 An Active Parishioner of St. Dunstan's 
 in the East - - ib. 
 MITCHELL, Sir T. L Biographical Notice 240 
 MITFOBD, Rev. John His Biography of 
 the Poet, compiled from the researches 
 of others - 72 
 Probability of his never having seen any 
 genuine Autograph of Milton - - 136 
 Supposes that E. Phillips assisted Mil- 
 ton in his duties of Foreign Secretary 183 
 MOBE, Sir Thomas. Honoured as a poet - 4 
 MOBGAN, Sir T. C. Biographical Notice - 241 
 MOBICE, Sir Wm. Biographical Notice - 241 
 MOBLAND, Sir S. Biographical Notice - 241 
 MOSELY, Humphry. His address on Pub- 
 lishing the First Edition of Milton's 
 Poems, 1645 12-13 
 MUNBO, Rev. H. A. J., of Trinity College, 
 Camb. Name incorrectly spelt while 
 bearing testimony of aid received by the 
 Author in the progress of this work - 96 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* - 1 1 1 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 MTJRCHISON, Sir R. Biographical Notice 242 
 MURRAY, John. Autograph Signature 
 
 when blindfolded - 142 
 
 MURRAY, Rev. Thomas Boyles, F.S.A. 
 Author of the " Chronicles of a City 
 Church" - - - 133 
 
 NAPIER, Sir W. F. P. Biographical Notice 242 
 NAPOLF.ON I., Emperor of France. Patron 
 
 of Literature, Science and Art - - 2 
 NAPOLEON III Ditto do. do. - 2 
 
 NEVILLE, Thomas. Vice-Chancellor of the 
 University of Camhridge, solicits, 1594, 
 the Loan of the Royal Robes, to be 
 used by the Players - 10 
 
 NEWTON, Sir Isaac. Biographical Notice 242 
 NICHOLS, John. His Literary Anecdotes, 
 
 a work affording intellectual enjoyment 146 
 
 I 
 
 NICHOLS, John Bowyer, F.S.A. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 Communication respecting Richard 
 Royston, Royal Printer to Charles I. 
 and II. - 198-9 
 
 NICHOLS, John Gough, F.S.A Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded - 142 
 
 NICHOLLS, Sir Geo. Biographical Notice 243 
 NICOLAS, Sir N. H. Biographical Notice 243 
 NOTES AND QUERIES. A Literary and An- 
 tiquarian Publication - 123 
 
 OCCLEVE, or HOCCLEVE, Thomas. Ho- 
 noured as a Poet - - 4 
 
 OFFOR, George. Copy of an edition of the 
 Bible, with the name of Milton on the 
 title-page - 128 
 
 O'ScHAUGHNESST, Sir William Brooke. 
 
 Biographical Notice - 244 
 
 OWEN, Professor Richard, F.R.S., etc. Au- 
 tograph Signature when blindfolded - 142 
 
 PALQRATE, Sir F. Biographical Notice - 244 
 PANIZZI, Antonio. Autograph Signature 
 
 when blindfolded - - 142 
 
 PARADISE LOST. Fac-similes of the origi- 
 nal Designs for the Poem, from the 
 Trinity College Manuscript, plate iv. - 67 
 
 First Ten Lines of Book IV, stated by 
 E. Phillips to have been written many 
 years before - - 67 
 
 Opinion of Dr. Johnson of the merit 
 of Paradise Lost - - 68 
 
 Inquiry by Archdeacon Todd into the 
 origin of the Poem - - - 72 
 
 The Sale of the Poem, reviewed by Dr. 
 Johnson and Archdeacon Todd - 77-9 
 
 Note of the issues of the first four edi- 
 tions of the Poem - - 81-3 
 Summary of the Variations in the Title 
 Pages of nine issues of \hefirst edition 
 of the Poem - 83-4 
 Errata in the First Edition, noticed by 
 Capel Lofft 84 
 Variations in the Title Pages of the 
 First Edition, noticed by the Rev. John 
 Mitford - - 84 
 Assignment of the Copyright by Mil- 
 ton to Samuel Simmons - 135-7 
 Fac-similes of the Receipt of the second 
 and third Payments for the sale thereof, 
 plate xix - 134 
 Fac-simile of Two Pages of the Manu- 
 script of the First Book sent to be li- 
 censed, with fac-simile also of the " Im- 
 primatur," plate xxv - 196 
 Description and account of the Manu- 
 script - 196-204 
 Copy of the Entry of the Poem in the 
 Register of the Stationers' Company - 197 
 The Original Contract for the Sale of 
 the Poem to Symmons, formerly in the 
 possession of the Tonsons, subsequently 
 surreptitiously passing to Mr. Mackie 
 and to Mr. Prowett, thence to Mr. Picker- 
 ing, Sir Thomas Lawrence, and Samuel 
 Rogers the Poet. It is now in the 
 British Museum - - 200-4 
 
 PARADISE REGAINED. Note of the First 
 
 Five Editions - - 83 
 
 Remarkable lines at the close of the 
 Poem - - 194 
 
 The opinion of Dr. Johnson on the me- 
 rits of the Poem - - 194-5 
 
 PARKER, Mathew, Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury. His Collection of Manuscripts 
 in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge 96 
 
 PARRY, Sir Wm. E. Biographical Notice 244 
 
 PASLEY, Sir C. W. Biographical Notice - 245 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PATRICK, Mrs. Proprietor of the copy of 
 Britannia's Pastorals by Browne, with 
 Autograph Notes by Milton, purchased 
 by her deceased husband of Mr. Waller 98 
 
 PAXTON, Sir Joseph, M.P.,etc. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded -142 
 
 Biographical Notice - 245 
 
 PETIT, Rev. John Louis, F.S.A., etc. Auto- 
 graph Signature when blindfolded - 142 
 
 PETO, Sir Samuel M. Biographical Notice 245 
 
 PETTIGREW, T. J., F.S.A. Autograph Sig- 
 nature when blindfolded, plate six* - 141 
 
 PETTY, Sir William. Biographical Notice 246 
 
 PHILANTHROPY. Its frequent absence in 
 those who have been specially favoured 
 by Providence with the good things of 
 this World - - 48 
 
 PHILLIPS, Edward. The Elder Nephew of 
 Milton. Memoir of his Uncle affixed 
 to the " Letters of State," 1694 18 
 
 Account of the First Marriage of his 
 Uncle - - 20-1 
 
 The Biography of his Uncle praised by 
 Sir Egerton Brydges - 23 
 
 Particulars and Errors by Phillips no- 
 ticed - 24 
 Krror respecting the date of the First 
 Edition of Paradise Lost - - 24 
 First Ten Lines of Book IV, written 
 many years before the Poem was pro- 
 ceeded with - - 67 
 Believed by Mr. Lemon to have tran- 
 scribed a portion of the De Doctrind 
 Chrittiand - 156 
 Autograph Inscription in a Presenta- 
 tion Copy of his edition of Sir R. Ba- 
 ker's Chronicle, to the Bishop of London 165 
 Considered by Aubrey to have been the 
 Amanuensis of his Uncle while com- 
 posing Paradise Lost - 171 
 His relation of the Composition of 
 Paradise Lost - - 173 
 Account of the Education of the 
 Daughters of Milton - - 175-6 
 His Opinion of their Talent - 179 
 Supposed by the Rev. John Mitford to 
 have assisted his Uncle in his Duties 
 as Foreign Secretary - - 183 
 Left his Uncle in 1646, and in 1651 en- 
 tered Magdalen Hall, Oxford - - 184 
 
 Wrote a Copy of Complimentary Verses 
 affixed to the First Book of Ayres, by 
 Henry Lawes, 1653 - - 184 
 
 Fac-similes of his Autograph, plate 
 xxiv - 189 
 
 PHILLIPS, John, The younger Nephew of 
 Milton. Extract from the Memoir of 
 him by Godwin - - 189-90 
 
 Fac-simile of his Autograph Signature, 
 plate xxiv - - 190 
 
 PICKERING, William, Bookseller. Believed 
 to have considered the Manuscript Notes 
 in the copy of the Britannia's Pastorals 
 as the Autograph of Milton - 98 
 
 Purchaser of some Milton Family Pa- 
 pers, at the sale of Mr. Anderdon's Col- 
 lection - - 123 
 Purchaser of the Deed of Assignment 
 of Paradise Lost - - 1 35 
 His belief in the Signature to the Deed 
 being the Autograph of the Poet - 136 
 
 PITT, Moyses Possessor at one time of the 
 
 Autograph Latin Dictionary compiled 
 by Milton - 127 
 
 PLAYERS. Regarded as Rogues and Vaga- 
 bonds - - 7 
 PLAYFAIU, Dr. Lyon. Biographical Notice 246 
 POETS. Varying Orthography of their 
 
 Names - - - - 6 
 
 PORTER, Sir R. K. Biographical Notice - 246 
 POWELL, Mary. Married to Milton, 1643 17 
 POWELL, Richard. Married his daughter 
 
 Mary to Milton, 1643 - ib. 
 
 POYNDER, John. Former Possessor of the 
 Copy of the Arati Phenomena, with 
 autograph notes by Milton - 105 
 
 PRICE, Sir Uvedale. Biographical Notice 247 
 PKINOLE, Sir John. Biographical Notice 247 
 PROWETT, Samuel. The purchaser from 
 some unknown person, through Mr. F. 
 Mackie, of the Original Contract for 
 the sale of the Copyright of Paradise 
 Lost to Simmons - - 204 
 
 PUCKERING, Sir Thomas Bequeathed his 
 Library, including many volumes which 
 had belonged to the renowned Prince 
 Henry, to Trinity College Library, Cam- 
 bridge - - 50 
 PULHAM, James Brook. The enthusiastic 
 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Collector of the Works of George 
 Wither - - 107 
 
 RAEBURN, Sir Henry. Biographical Notice 248 
 RAFFLES, Sir T. S. Biographical Notice 248 
 RAWLINSON, SirH.C. Biographical Notice 248 
 REID, Sir William. Biographical Notice 249 
 RENNIE, Sir John. Biographical Notice 249 
 REYNOLDS, Sir J. Biographical Notice - 249 
 RICH, Arthur. Autograph Signature when 
 
 blindfolded - - 142 
 
 RICHARDSON, Samuel. Anecdote respect- 
 ing Paradise Lost - - - 78-9 
 RICHARDSON, Sir J. Biographical Notice 2cO 
 ROBERTS, Arthur. Present Possessor of the 
 Copy of the Amoroso Convivio of Dante, 
 1527, with the Autograph Signature of 
 Milton - - 124 
 ROGERS, Samuel, the Poet Purchaser in 
 1831 of the Deed of Assignment of 
 Paradise Lost to S. Simmons - - 135 
 His delight in showing to his Visitors 
 his Works of Art and the Milton Docu- 
 ment - 136 
 ROGUES and Vagabonds. Players vulgarly 
 
 so called ------ 7 
 
 ROLLE, Lord. Copy of Heraclides Pontici, 
 in the library at Stevenstone, with the 
 Autograph Signature of Milton - - 125 
 Ross, Sir James C. Biographical Notice 250 
 Ross, Sir John. Biographical Notice - 251 
 Ross, Sir Wm. Chas. Biographical Notice 251 
 ROSSE, Alexander. Mel Heliconium, with 
 
 Autograph Verses by Milton - 111-12 
 
 Fac-simile of the Verses, plate xvi - 111 
 Rous, John His Presentation Copy of the 
 First Edition of the Poems of Milton, 
 with Autograph and Inscription - 113-19 
 Presentation Copies of the Polemical 
 Treatises by Milton - 119-20 
 
 RUSSELL, John Scott. Autograph Signa- 
 ture when blindfolded, plate six* - 141 
 RUSSELL, William Henry. .Autograph Sig- 
 nature when blindfolded, plate xix* - 141 
 
 ST. JOHN, J. A. Omits to notice the Recon- 
 ciliation of Milton to his Wife - - 18 
 Considers Toland to have edited the 
 " Letters of State," 1694 - 19 
 
 SAMS, Joseph. The Antiquarian and Book- 
 seller of Darlington. A Fabrication 
 of Scarabaeus of Gold in his Collection 
 of Egyptian Antiquities - - 126 
 
 SAMSON AGONISTES. First published in 
 1671 as an addition to Paradise Re- 
 gained - - 75 
 SANDFOBD, Sir D. K. Biographical 
 
 Notice - - 252 
 
 SCHOMBUROK, Sir R. Biographical Notice 252 
 SCOTCH STORIES. Fac-simile of Page 41 of 
 
 the Trinity College Manuscript, plate x 87 
 SCOTT, Sir Walter. Biographical Notice - 252 
 SCRIPTURAL TRAGEDIES. Fac-similes of 
 pages 36, 39 and 40, from the Trinity 
 College Manuscript, plates v, vi and vii 84 
 SEPPINGS, Sir R. Biographical Notice - 253 
 SHAKESPEARE, William. Dedication to 
 the Earl of Southampton of his " Venus 
 and Adonis" - - 5 
 
 " Amicable" Letter from James I - 6 
 Various modes of spelling his name - ib. 
 Different Publishers of the first edition 
 of his Plays - 83 
 
 SHEE, Sir Martin A. Biographical Notice 254 
 SHERBTJRNE, Sir Ed. Biographical Notice 254 
 SHREWSBURY, Earl of. Commanded by 
 Queen Mary to look after certain 
 Players - - 7 
 
 Proceedings against the Players - ib. 
 
 SHUTTLE-WORTH, Sir J. Phillips Kay. 
 Biographical Notice, seeKAY-SnuTTLE- 
 AVORTH - - 235 
 
 SIBBALD, Sir Robt. Biographical Notice 254 
 SIDNEY, Sir Philip. Appointment at Court 5 
 SIMMONS, Samuel. The Publisher of Pa- 
 radise Lost. Assignment of the Copy- 
 right to him by Milton - - 135-7 
 SIMPSON, Sir George. Biographical Notice 254 
 SINCLAIR, Sir John. Biographical Notice 255 
 SINGER, Samuel Weller. Former Pos- 
 sessor of an Excise Document bearing 
 the Signature of Milton, dated 1660 129 
 The Signature in the same autograph 
 as employed in part of the De DoctrinA 
 Christiana - 140 
 SKELTON, John. Honoured as a Poet - 4 
 Same Editions of his Poems, with se- 
 veral names as the publishers - 83 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 SKINNER, Cyriack Fac-simile from the 
 Trinity College Manuscript of the Son- 
 net No. XXII, by Milton, on his own 
 blindness, plate xiii - - 95 
 
 Excise Document with Signature by- 
 Milton to a Bond for 400, dated 1660 129 
 Fac-simile of the Signature, plate xviii 124 
 Supposed by Wood to have been en- 
 trusted by Milton with Manuscript of 
 the De Doctriiid Christiana - 156 
 
 SKINNEB, Daniel. His Autograph Initials 
 D. S. on the Title page of Milton's 
 copy of Beck's Euripides, plate xv - 108 
 Transcriber of the First Portion of the 
 De DoctrinA ChristianA - - 158 
 
 Supposed to have been the Editor of a 
 Surreptitious Edition in 1676 of Mil- 
 ton's Letters of State. The compila- 
 tion thereof - 159-60 
 Fac-simile of Autograph Signature from 
 the Graduation Book at Trinity Col- 
 lege, Cambridge, plate xx - - 162 
 Fac-simile of his Attestation respect- 
 ing the Manuscript of the Letters of 
 State, plate xxiii - - 164 
 Si, i,i. MAN, Sir W. H. Biographical Notice 255 
 SLOANE, Sir Hans. Biographical Notice - 255 
 SMIBEE, Sir Robert. Biographical Notice 256 
 SMITH, William James. Note on the Sig- 
 nature of Milton to a Document dated 
 1654, in the Ashburnham, late Stowe, 
 collection of Manuscripts - - 128 
 SMITH, Sir Jas. E. Biographical Notice 256 
 SOANE, Sir John. Biographical Notice - 256 
 SOMEBSET HOUSE. Wilful Destruction 
 there of the Historical Documents of 
 the Country - - 107 
 SONNET by the Poet " On his being arrived 
 at the age of 23." Fac-simile from the 
 Trinity College Manuscript, plate i, 
 No. II - - 52 
 SOTHEBT, John, Bookseller. Successor to 
 
 Samuel Baker - - 201 
 
 SOTHEBY, Samuel, Auctioneer of Literary 
 Property. Successor to the firm of 
 Leigh and Sotheby - - ib. 
 
 SOTHEBY, F.S.A., Samuel Leigh, Auctioneer 
 of Literary Property and Works con- 
 nected with the Fine Arts. Work on 
 
 the Autograph of Luther and Melan- 
 chthon - - 6 
 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded 142 
 SOUTH, Sir James. Biographical Notice - 257 
 SPENSEB, Edmund, the Poet. Appoint- 
 ment at Court - 5 
 STATE PAPER OFFICE. Order Books of 
 the Council recording the appointment 
 of the Poet as Latin Secretary - - 33 
 Fac-simile of Subscription to the Peti- 
 tion of John Milton, 1680, among 
 " The Composition Papers" plate xvi 111 
 STEELE, Sir Richard. Biographical Notice 257 
 STEPHEN, Sir James. Biographical Notice 257 
 SiEPHENSON,-Sir Robert. Burial in West- 
 minster Abbey - - 4 
 STEPHENSON, Sir R. M. Biographical No- 
 tice - 258 
 STEVENSON, Sir J. A. Biographical Notice 258 
 STODDABT, Sir Jno. Biographical Notice 258 
 STBAHAN, Rev. George. Editor of the 
 Prayers and Meditations of Dr. John- 
 son - - 145 
 STBANGE, Sir Robt. Biographical Notice 258 
 STBUTT, Jacob George. Translation of 
 Lines on British History from the Syl- 
 varum Liber and Epitaphium Damonis 85-7 
 SUMNEB, Charles R., Bishop of Winches- 
 ter. Quotation from his " Treatise on 
 Christian Doctrine," relating to the oc- 
 cupation of Milton on Sundays - - 11 
 Assistance received in his Miltonian 
 labours from Mr. Lemon - - 34 
 Opinion on the merits of the De Doc- 
 trinA ChristianA - - 142b 
 Commanded by King George IV to 
 translate the De DoctrinA ChristianA 147 
 His account of the discovery of the 
 Work and of its Autograph - - 155-7 
 Believed Cyriac and not Daniel Skin- 
 ner was entrusted by Milton with the 
 manuscript of the De DoctrinA Chris- 
 tianA - 158 
 SUMNEB, Rev. Charles. Present Possessor 
 
 of the Cardoyn Album - - 107 
 
 SUNDAY. Court Day for the Drama during 
 
 the Reign of Elizabeth 9 
 
 Representations forbidden on Sundays 
 
 in 1583, but resumed again in 1592 - 9 
 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 SYLVAEUM LIBEE Lines 78 to 88 on 
 
 British History - 85-7 
 
 SYMONDS, Sir Wm. Biographical Notice 259 
 SYMMONS, Charles. On the Autobiography 
 
 of Milton ... -25 
 
 T. J. Extract from "The Traytor's Per- 
 spective Glass," 1662, relating to the 
 Blindness of the Poet - 41 
 
 TASSO, Torquato. Intended Elucidation 
 
 of his Autograph by the Author - 50 
 
 TEMPLE, Sir Wm. Biographical Notice - 259 
 
 TENNENT, Sir James Emerson. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate six* 141 
 Biographical Notice - 259 
 
 TETRACHOBDON. Fac-simile of a Sonnet 
 thereon from page 47 of the Trinity 
 College Manuscript, plate xii - - 89 
 
 THACKERAY, William Makepeace Appli- 
 cation of the Processes of the Elec- 
 tro-Printing Block Company to his 
 Artistic Talent - 15 
 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* - 141 
 
 THOBNHILL, Sir J. Biographical Notice 260 
 
 THOEPE, Thomas. Purchaser of the Car- 
 
 doyn Album - - 107 
 
 Purchaser of some " Milton Family 
 Papers" at the sale of the Library of 
 James Boswell - - 122-3 
 
 TITE, William, M.P., etc Possessor of a 
 Copy of Rosse's " Mel Heliconium," 
 with verses in the Autograph of Milton 112 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* - 141 
 
 TODD, Archdeacon. Assistance received by 
 him in his Miltonian Researches from 
 Mr. Lemon - - 34 
 
 Inquiry into the origin of Paradise Lost 72 
 Mention of the Trinity College Manu- 
 script - - 74 
 On the sale of Paradise Lost - - 78-9 
 On the cause of Milton composing Son- 
 net XII - - 89 
 On the Character of Sir Henry Vane - 91 
 Omission to print in full the Docu- 
 ments connected with Milton in the 
 
 State Paper Office as sent by Mr. 
 Lemon - - 154 
 
 TOLAND, John Considered by Mr. A. St. 
 
 John to have been the Author of the 
 
 " Letters of State," 1694 - 19 
 
 Omits in his Life of Milton the name 
 
 of the Amanuensis employed by him - 23 
 
 Records that Milton received 1000 
 
 for his Answer to Salmasius - - 33 
 
 TONSON, Jacob. The Contract for the sale 
 of the Copyright of Paradise Lost by 
 Milton to Symmons, formerly in the 
 possession of the Tonsons - 200 
 
 TOWEE OF LONDON. The careless removal 
 
 of the Historical Documents - - 107 
 
 TEINITY COLLEGE LiBEAEY,Cambridge. 
 see CAMBEIDGE. 
 
 TUPPEE, G. J. F., Lithographic Artist. 
 His opinion of the substance of the 
 Passages obliterated in the Order Book 
 of the Council of State respecting the 
 amount ordered to be paid to Milton 
 for his Answer to Salmasius - - 34-5 
 His Fac-similes of the Passages, plate A 35 
 Autograph Signature when blindfolded, 
 plate xix* - - 141 
 
 TUBNEE, Dawson, F.S.A. The Fac-simile 
 of the Milton Receipts for Paradise 
 Lost, sold in his Collection as bearing 
 genuine Autograph and Signatures of 
 Milton and his Widow - - 137-40 
 
 TYPOGEAPHICAL EEEOES IN THE PEE- 
 SENT WOEK. Was there any work 
 ever published that did not contain 
 numerous Typographical Errors? Er- 
 rors, that, if attributed to the author of 
 the work, would at once injure his re- 
 putation. Nobody but those who have 
 the correcting of the press can be the 
 least aware of the difficulty of avoiding 
 them. It is one of the most annoying 
 circumstances to which every author is 
 subject. Among the many errors of com- 
 mission and omission on the part of 
 the author in reading the proofs are 
 MONEO in lieu of MUNEO - 96 
 
 NEEDHAM, of Kimbolton, in lieu of 
 BEEDHAM - 110 
 
 MOYES PITT in lieu of MOYSES PITT 127 
 
 and 
 MANY OTHEES. 
 
INDEX OF CONTENTS. 
 
 UPTON, John, the editor of Epictetus. His 
 copy of the Arati Phenomena, with 
 Autograph Notes of his own and those 
 of Milton - 105 
 
 VAKBRUGH, Sir J. Biographical Notice 260 
 
 VANE, Sir Henry. Fac-simile of Sonnet 
 XVII, from the Trinity College Manu- 
 script, plate xiii - 94 
 His character by Archdeacon Todd - ib. 
 
 VENUS AND ADONIS, by Shakespeare. 
 
 Dedication of the First Edition, 1593 5 
 Copy in the Bodleian Library - - ib. 
 
 VBRTUE, George. His copy of the fourth 
 issue of the first edition of Paradise 
 Lost - 81 
 
 WALKER, Sir B. W. Biographical Notice 260 
 
 WALLER, E., the Poet. Alienation of his 
 
 Royalty - - 13 
 
 WALLER, Mr. Bookseller. Purchaser of 
 the copy of Browne's "Britannia's Pas- 
 torals," with Autograph Notes by Mil- 
 ton - - 97 
 
 WARTON, Dr. Thomas. Considered Mil- 
 ton to have been divorced from his 
 wife - - - - -18 
 Notice of the juvenile and other poems 
 in the autograph of Milton in Trinity 
 College Library, Cambridge - - 49 
 Considered Sonnet XVI in the Trinity 
 
 College Manuscript to be in a Female 
 Hand - 91 
 
 WECKHBRLYN, Thomas Latin Secretary 
 
 previous to Milton - - - - 131 
 WEBSTER, Benjamin. Autograph Signa- 
 ture when blindfolded, plate xix* - 141 
 WESTMACOTT, Sir R. Biographical Notice 260 
 WHISTON, John, Bookseller Former Pos- 
 sessor of the copy of Beck's Euripides, 
 with Autograph Notes by Milton - 108 
 WILKIE, Sir David. Biographical Notice 261 
 WILKINS, Sir Chas. Biographical Notice 261 
 WILKINSON, John, F.S.A. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 WILKINSON, Sir J. G Biographical Notice 262 
 WINSTANLEY, William. On the Memory 
 
 of the Poet 41 
 
 The earning of " immortal fame " - 142b 
 WOOD, Anthony A. Considered that 
 Cyriack in lieu of Daniel Skinner was 
 entrusted by Milton with the Manu- 
 script of the De Doctrind Christiand - 156 
 WHAXALL, Sir N. W. Biographical Notice 262 
 WREN, Sir C. Biographical Notice - 262 
 
 WRIGHT, Thomas, F.S.A. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 WYAT, Sir Thomas. Honoured as a Poet 4 
 WYATT, M. Digby, F.S.A. Autograph 
 
 Signature when blindfolded, plate xix* 141 
 WYATVILLE, Sir J. Biographical Notice 263 
 
INDEX TO THE FAC-SIMILES 
 
 OF 
 
 THE AUTOGRAPH OF MILTON. 
 
 PLATE PAGE 
 
 A. FOUR EXTRACTS from the Book of 
 Orders of the Council of State touch- 
 ing the Appointment of Milton as 
 Latin Secretary, and also the intended 
 grant for his Answer to Salmasius 
 
 opposite 36 
 
 I. THE FIRST PAGE OF ARCADES, from the 
 Original Autograph Volume of the 
 "JUVENILE POEMS" of MILTON in 
 Trinity College Library; also, the 
 SONNET on his Twenty-third Birthday, 
 from the same volume - ib. 52 
 
 77. THE FIRST PAGE or COMUS, from the 
 
 same volume - - ib. 60 
 
 III. THE FIRST PAGE OF LYCIDAS, from 
 
 the same volume - - ib. 62 
 
 IV. THE THREE OUTLINES for the Epic 
 Poem PARADISE LOST, from the same 
 volume - ib. 68 
 
 V. VI, and VII. OUTLINES OF SCRIP- 
 TURAL TRAGEDIES, forming pages 36, 
 
 39, and 40 in the same volume - ib. 84 
 FIH, IX, and X. OUTLINES OF BRITISH 
 TRAGEDIES and SCOTCH STORIES, form- 
 ing pages 37, 38, and 41 in the same 
 volume - - - ib. 86 
 
 XL SONNETS XI, XII, and XIII, from the 
 
 same volume - - ib. 88 
 
 XII. SONNETS IX, XII, and XV, from the 
 same volume - - ib. 90 
 
 XIII. SONNETS XIII, XXII, and XXIII, 
 from the same volume - ib. 94 
 
 XIV. i. MARGINAL NOTES from a copy of 
 BRITANNIA'S PASTORALS by BROWNE. 
 ii. MARGINAL NOTES from a copy 
 of ARATI PHENOMENA. 
 in. MARGINAL NOTES from a copy of 
 LYCIDAS. 
 
 iv. INSCRIPTION in the ALBUM of 
 CAMILLUS CARDOYN - - ib. 98 
 
 PLATE PAGE 
 
 XV. MARGINAL NotES from a copy of 
 
 BECK'S EURIPIDES - - ib. 108 
 
 XVI. i. INSCRIPTION in a copy of MEL 
 HELICONIUM, by Rosse. 
 ii, and in. ATTESTATION and SIG- 
 NATURES to the PETITION of the Poet 
 in the State Paper Office, 
 iv. INSCRIPTION in the ALBUM of 
 CHRISTOPHER ARNOLD - - ib. 112 
 
 X VII. MANUSCRIPT POEM to DR. ROTJS on 
 a Presentation Copy of the First Edi- 
 tion of the POEMS of MILTON - ib. 114 
 
 XVIII. i.andn. SIGNATURES of MILTON 
 in various Printed Books and Docu- 
 ments, ib. 
 
 in. SIGNATURES of MAJOR JOHN 
 MILTON. 
 
 iv. COMMENCEMENT and ENDING of 
 a LETTER from MILTON to PRESI- 
 DENT BRADSHAW, ib. - 124 
 
 XIX. i. COMMENCEMENT and ENDING of 
 the Deed of Assignment of the Sale of 
 PARADISE LOST. 
 
 ii. RECEIPT for the SECOND FIVE 
 POUNDS for the Copyright of PARA- 
 DISE LOST. 
 
 in. RECEIPT of ELIZABETH MILTON 
 for all further claim in the Copyright of 
 PABADISE LOST ... ib. 136 
 
 XIX*. FORTY-THREE SIGNATURES, chiefly 
 of Men distinguished in Literature, 
 Science, and Art, written by them 
 when BLINDFOLDED - ib. 141 
 
 XX, XX7, and XXII. FIFTEEN SPECI- 
 MENS of the VARIOUS STYLES in which 
 the ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT of the 
 TREATISE DE DOCTRINA CHRISTIANA 
 of Milton is executed, including the 
 whole of pages 183, 197, and 552 ib. 162 
 
 XXIII. i, ii, and in. ATTESTATIONS of 
 
INDEX TO FAC-SIMILES. 
 
 PLATE PAGE 
 
 DANIEL SKINNEB, DANIEL ELSEVIB, 
 and ISAAC BAKEOW respecting the 
 MANTJSCBIPT of the DE DOCTBINA 
 CHRISTIANA. 
 
 IT and v. SIGNATURE of MILTON, with 
 Specimens from the Manuscript DE 
 DOCTBINA CHBISTIANA" in the writing 
 of the same Amanuensis - - ib. 164 
 
 XXIV. I, ii, and in. SPECIMENS of the 
 AUTOGBAPH of EDWABD and JOHN 
 
 PLATE PAGE 
 
 PHILLIPS, the Nephews of Milton, and 
 of ANDBEW MAKVELL - - ib. 190 
 XXV. i, and n. THE FIBST PAGE and 
 Part of Another of the Manuscript 
 Copy of the FIBST BOOK of PABADISE 
 LOST sent to receive the License to 
 print it from the Archbishop of Can- 
 terbury. 
 in. The License to print the same, ib. 196 
 
 FAC-SIMILES MADE INTO SURFACE BLOCKS 
 
 BY THE PROCESSES OP THE 
 
 ELECTRO PRINTING BLOCK COMPANY. 
 
 14. SONNET written by Milton on the anni- 
 versary of his twenty-third birthday. 
 
 57. SONNET VIII. 
 
 58. SONNET IX. 
 91. SONNET XVI. 
 
 115. SPECIMENS of the EABLY ATJTOGBAPH of 
 the celebrated HENBT PBINCE or 
 WALES, Eldest Son of James I. 
 
 120. INSCBIPTION in the ATJTOGBAPH of MIL- 
 
 TON inscribed to Dr. Rous in a volume 
 in Trinity College, Dublin. 
 
 121. INSCBIPTION in the ATJTOGBAPH of Milton. 
 
 122. COMMENCEMENT and ENDING of an Auto- 
 
 graph Letter from MILTON to CABLO 
 DATI. 
 
 142. TEN AUTOGBAPH SIGNATURES written 
 BLINDFOLDED, original size, and re- 
 duced from the same in four surface 
 blocks, one-half, one-third, one-quarter, 
 and one-eighth. 
 
 176. The SIGNATURE or MARK of ANN MIL- 
 
 TON, the Eldest Daughter of the Poet. 
 
 177. The SIGNATURE of MARY MILTON, the 
 
 Second Daughter of the Poet. 
 
 178. The SIGNATUBES of Abraham Clarke and 
 
 of DEBORAH, the Youngest Daughter of 
 the Poet. 
 
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