nalem quantâ poteft obfervantiâ meo nomine falutes, cujus magnæ virtutes, rectique ftudium, ad provehendas item omnes artes liberales egregiè comparatum, femper mihi ob oculos verfatur." At Rome alfo, Selvaggi and Salfilli praised the attainments of Milton in thofe verfes, which are prefixed to his Latin poetry. He next removed to Naples, in company with a hermit; to whom Milton owed his introduction to the patron of Taffo, Manfo, marquis of Villa, a nobleman diftinguished by his virtue and his learning. To this eminent perfon he was obliged in many important inftances; and, as a teftimony of gratitude, he prefented to him, at his departure from Naples, his beautiful eclogue, entitled Manfus; which Dr. Johnfon acknowledges must have raised in the noble Italian an high opinion of English elegance and literature. title of Padrone, that is, Master and Lord, a title never heard of before at Rome. But Urban had nothing in his mouth but the Cardinall Padrone: Where is the Cardinall Padrone? Call the Cardinall Padrone: Speake to the Cardinal! Padrone: Nothing was heard of but the Cardinall Padrone; which the embassadors of Princes did not like, faying they had no Padrone but the Pope himfelfe. Howeuer theire [the Barberinis'] ambition stayed not at this title: they tooke exceptions of the quality of Illuftriffimo, with which hitherto the Cardinalls had binn content for fo many ages. The title of Excellency belonging to foveraine Princes in Italy, they ftrove to find out fomething that fhould not be inferiour to it; and, canvafing many titles, at length they pitched upon Eminency, which the Princes hearing of, they took upon themselves the title of Highnefs." MS. as before. Manfo likewife has addreffed a diftich to Milton, which is prefixed to the Latin poems. From Naples Milton intended to proceed to Sicily and Athens: "countries," as Mr. Warton has excellently observed, "connected with his finer feelings, interwoven with his poetical ideas, and impreffed upon his imagination by his habits of reading, and by long and intimate converse with the Grecian literature. But fo prevalent were his patriotick attachments, that, hearing in Italy of the commencement of the national quarrel, instead of proceeding forward to feaft his fancy with the contemplation of scenes familiar to Theocritus and Homer, the pines of Etna and the paftures of Peneus, he abruptly changed his course, and haftily returned home to plead the cause of ideal liberty. Yet in this chaos of controverfy, amidst endless difputes. concerning religious and political reformation, independency, prelacy, tithes, toleration, and tyranny, he fometimes feems to have heaved a figh for the peaceable enjoyments of lettered folitude, for his congenial purfuits, and the more mild and ingenuous exercises of the muse. In a Letter to Henry Oldenburgh, written in 1654, he fays, "Hoc cum libertatis adverfariis inopinatum certamen, diverfis longè et amænioribus Preface to his Edition of the Smaller Poems. "Profe-Works, vol. iii. p. 330. ed. 1698. omninò me ftudiis intentum, ad fe rapuit invitum.' And in one of his prose-tracts, * I may one day hope to have ye again in a still time, when there fhall be no Chiding. Not in thefe Noises.' And in another, having mentioned fome of his schemes for epick poetry and tragedy, of highest hope and hardest attempting' he adds, With what small willingness I endure to interrupt the pursuit of no lefs hopes than these, and leave a calm and pleafing folitarineffe, fed with cheerful and confident thoughts, to imbark in a troubled fea of noises and hoarse disputes, from beholding the bright countenance of Truth in the quiet and still air of delightfull ftudies, &c.' He ftill, however, obftinately perfifted in what he thought his duty. But furely thefe fpeculations fhould have been configned to the enthusiasts of the age, to fuch restless and wayward fpirits as Prynne, Hugh Peters, Goodwyn, and Baxter. Minds lefs refined, and faculties lefs elegantly cultivated, would have been better employed in this task: • Coarfe complexions, And cheeks of forry grain, will ferve to ply * Apol. Smectymn. 1642. Church-Governm. B. ii. 1641. He returned by the way of Rome, though fome mercantile friends had acquainted him that the Jefuits there were forming plots against him, for the liberty of his converfation upon matters of religion. He paid little attention to the 2 advice of his friend Sir Henry Wotton, "to keep his thoughts clofe, and his countenance open. Nor did the liberal and polished Manso omit to acquaint him, at his departure, that he would have shown him more confiderable favours, if his conduct had been lefs unguarded. He is supposed to have given offence by having vifited Galileo. And he had been with difficulty reftrained from publickly afferting, within the verge of the Vatican, the cause of Proteftantifm. While Milton, however, defended his principles without hypocrify, he appears not to have courted contest. When he was questioned as to his faith, he was too honeft to conceal his fentiments, too dauntless to relinquish them. He staid at Rome two months more without fear, and indeed without moleftation. From Rome he proceeded to Florence, where he was received with the most lively marks of affection by his friends, and made a fecond refidence of two months. From Florence he vifited Lucca : Then, croffing the Apennine, he paffed by the way of Bologna and * See the Prelim. Notes to Comus, in this edition, vol. v. p. 183. Ferrara to Venice, in which city he spent à month. From Venice he took his courfe through Verona, Milan, and along the lake Leman, to Geneva. After spending fome time in this city, where he became acquainted with a Giovanni Diodati, and Frederic Spanheim, he returned through France, and came home after an abfence of fifteen months. Mr. Hayley has admirably obferved, that, "in the relation which Milton gives himself of his return, the name of Geneva recalling to his mind one of the most flanderous of his political adverfaries, he animates his narrative by a folemn appeal to Heaven on his unspotted integrity; he protests that, during his refidence in foreign fcenes, where licentiousness was univerfal, his own conduct was perfectly irreproachable. I dwell the more zealoufly on whatever may elucidate the moral character of Milton; because, even among those who love and revere him, the fplendour of the poet has in fome measure eclipfed the merit of the man; but in proportion as the particulars of his life are ftudied with intelligence and candour, his virtue will became, as it ought to be, the friendly rival of his genius, and receive its due share of admiration and esteem." His return happened about the time of the King's fecond expedition against the Scots, in See the Notes on Epitaph. Dam. vol. vi, p. 361 |