Sophocles and Euripides reign, shall be found more doctrinal and exemplary to a nation. Or, if occasion shall lead, to imitate those magnifick odes and hymns, wherein Pindarus and Callimachus are in most things worthy. But those frequent fongs throughout the Law and Prophets, beyond all these, not in their divine argument alone, but in the very critical art of composition, may be easily made appear over all the kinds of lyrick poesy to be incomparable. These abilities, wherefoever they be found, are the inspired gift of God, rarely bestowed, but yet to fome (though most abuse) in every nation; and are of power, besides the office of a pulpit, to inbreed and cherish in a great people the feeds of virtue and publick civility, to allay the perturbations of the mind, and fet the affections in right tune; to celebrate in glorious and lofty hymns the throne and equipage of God's Almightiness, and what he works, and what he suffers to be wrought, with high providence in his church; to fing victorious agonies of martyrs and faints, the deeds and, triumphs of just and pious nations doing valiantly through faith against the enemies of Chrift; to deplore the general relapses of kingdoms and states from justice and God's true worship. Lastly, whatfoever in religion is holy and fublime, in virtue amiable or grave, whatsoever hath paffion or admiration in all the changes of that, which is called fortune from without, or the wily fubtleties and refluxes of man's thoughts from within; all these things, with a folid and treatable smoothness to paint out and describe, teaching over the whole book of sanctity and virtue, through all the instances of example, with fuch delight, to those especially of foft and delicious temper, who will not fo much as look upon Truth herself, unless they fee her elegantly dreft; that whereas the paths of honesty and good life appear now rugged and difficult, though they be indeed easy and pleasant, they will then appear to all men both easy and pleasant, though they were rugged and difficult indeed.

The thing which I had to say, and those intentions, which have lived within me ever fince I could conceive myself any thing worth to my country, I return to crave excuse that urgent reason hath pluckt from me by an abortive and fore-dated difcovery; and the accomplishment of them lies not but in a power above man's to promife; but that none hath by more studious ways endeavoured, and with more unwearied spirit that none shall, that I dare almost aver of myself, as far as life and free leifure will extend. Neither do I think it shame to covenant with any knowing reader that for fome few years yet I may go on trust with him toward the payment of what I am now indebted, as being a work not to be raised from the heat of youth, or the vapours of wine, like that which flows at waste from the pen of fome vulgar amorist, or the trencher fury of a rhyming parafite; nor to be obtained by the invocation of dame Memory and her Siren daughters; but by devout prayer to that eternal Spirit, who can enrich with all utterance and knowledge, and sends out his Seraphim with the hallowed fire of his altar to touch and purify the lips of whom he pleases: to this must be added industrious and select reading, steady observation, infight into all feemly and generous arts and affairs; till which in some measure be compassed at mine own peril and coft I refuse not to sustain this expectation from as many as are not loth to hazard so much credulity upon the best pledges that I can give them. Although it nothing content me to have disclosed thus much before hand; but that I trust hereby to make it manifest with what small willingness I endure to interrupt the pursuit of no less hopes than thefe, and leave a calm and pleasing solitariness, fed with cheerful and confident thoughts, to imbark in a troubled fea of noife and hoarse difputes, put from beholding the bright countenance of Truth, in the quiet and still air of delightfull studies." In 1642 he closed the controversy with an! Apology for Smettymnuus, in answer to the Con

futation of his Animadversions, written, as he fuppofed, by bishop Hall or his fon. He thought all this while, says Dr. Newton, that he was vindicating ecclefiaftical liberty, Yet he has confefsed, that he was not disposed to "9 this manner of writing, wherein knowing myself inferiour to myself, led by the genial power of nature to another tafk, I have the use, as I may account it, but of my left hand." This left hand, indeed, has recorded too many sentiments which we must reject, too many expreffions which we must lament. By his asperity the repulfive form of puritanism is rendered more hideous and difgusting, and the cause which he would fupport is weakened.

At Whitsuntide in 1643, and in his thirtyfifth year, he married Mary, the daughter of Richard Powell, a gentleman who refided at Forest Hill near Shotover in Oxfordshire, and was a justice of the peace for the county. He brought his bride to London; who, after living only a few weeks with him, obtained his consent to accept the invitation of her friends to spend the remaining part of the summer with them in the country. He gave her permission to stay till Michaelmas; but she declined to return at the expiration of that period. The visit to her friends was, in fact, only a pretence for conjugal de

Introduction to the second Book of his Reason of Church Government.

fertion. This defertion has been imputed, by Philips, to the different principles of the two families. Her relations, he tells us, being generally addicted to the Cavalier party, and fome of them possibly ingaged in the King's service, (who by this time had his head quarters at Oxford, and was in fome profpect of fuccefs,) 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, whenever that Court should come to flourish again: however, it so incenfed our author, that he thought it would be dishonourable ever to receive her again after fuch a repulse." The same biographer intimates, that she was averse to the philosophick life of. Milton, and fighed for the mirth and jovialness to which she had been accustomed in Oxfordshire. And Aubrey relates, that she " was brought up and bred where there was a great deal of company and merriment, as dancing, &c.; and, when she came to live with her hufband, she found it folitary, no company came to her, and she often heard her nephews cry and be beaten. This life was irksome to her, and so she went to her parents. He fent for her home after some time. As for wronging his bed, I never heard the least suspicion of that; nor had