MILTON. 1608-1674. Born in London-Educated at St. Paul's and at Cambridge-Writes 'Comus' and Lycidas'— Visits Italy-Sees Grotius and Galileo-Returns to London-His 'School '-Marries-Publishes his Poems-Writes on Divorce-Sides with the Parliament against Charles I.-Made Secretary of the Latin Tongue to the Parliament and Cromwell-Prints a reply to Salmasius -Becomes Blind-Loses his Secretaryship-Is in Danger at the Restoration-Receives a Pardon-Publishes Paradise Lost' and 'Paradise Regained '-His Three Wives-His Children and Nephews-Dies in London, and is buried in St. Giles', Cripplegate-His Works and Character. THE Life of Milton has been already written in so many forms, and with such minute inquiry, that I might perhaps more properly have contented myself with the addition of a few notes to Mr. Fenton's elegant Abridgment, but that a new narrative was thought necessary to the uniformity of this edition. JOHN MILTON was by birth a gentleman, descended from the proprietors of Milton, near Thame, in Oxfordshire, one of whom forfeited his estate in the times of York and Lancaster. Which side he took I know not: his descendant inherited no veneration for the White Rose. His grandfather, John [Richard ?], was keeper' of the forest of Shotover, a zealous papist, who disinherited his son because he had forsaken the religion of his ancestors. His father, John, who was the son disinherited, had recourse for his support to the profession of a scrivener. He was a man eminent for his skill in music (many of his compositions being still to be found"), and his reputation in his profession was such that he grew 1 Under-ranger only. When Milton's grandfather lived, the office of keeper was held almost invariably by a nobleman. The grandfather lived at Halton, five miles east of Oxford, a's Aubrey had heard, or rather of Stanton St. John, as Mr. Hunter's researches would lead us to believe (Milton: A Sheaf of Gleanings, 1850, p. 5). 2 Milton's father had a madrigal for six voices among the numerous contributions of the most capital performers, in The Triumphs of Oriana, (that is Queen Elizabeth), published by Morley in 1601. See Rimbault's 'Bibliotheca Madrigaliana, 8vo, 1847, p. 15. 118 rich and retired to an estate. He had probably more than common literature, as his son addresses him in one of his most elaborate Latin poems. He married a gentlewoman of the name of Caston, a Welsh family, by whom he had two sons, John, the poet, and Christopher, who studied the law, and adhered, as the law taught him, to the King's party, for which he was awhile persecuted, but having, by his brother's interest, obtained permission to live in quiet, he supported himself so honourably by chamber-practice that soon after the accession of King James he was knighted and made a judge; but his constitution being too weak for business, he retired before any disreputable compliances became necessary. He had likewise a daughter, Anne, whom he married, with a considerable fortune, to Edward Philips, who came from Shrewsbury, and rose in the Crown Office to be secondary: by him she had two sons, John and Edward, who were educated by the poet, and from whom is derived the only authentic account of his domestic manners. John, the poet, was born in his father's house, at the Spread Eagle in Bread Street, December 9, 1608, between six and seven in the morning. His father appears to have been very solicitous about his education; for he was instructed at first by private tuition under the care of Thomas Young, who was afterwards chaplain to the English merchants at Hamburg, and of whom we have reason to think well, since his scholar considered him as worthy of an epistolary elegy. 5 He was then sent to St. Paul's School, under the care of Mr. * One of the new judges was Christopher Milton, younger brother of the great poet. Of Christopher little is known, except that in the time of the Civil War he had been a Royalist, and that he now in his old age leaned towards Popery. It does not appear that he was ever formally reconciled to the church of Rome, but he certainly had scruples about communicating with the church of England, and had therefore a strong interest in supporting the dispensing power.-MACAULAY's Hist., ii. 82, 9th ed. 4 Edward was the elder, and it is from him alone that any authentic account of his domestic manners has been derived. Edward Philips's Life of Mr. John Milton' was prefixed to his 'Letters of State,' 12mo., 1694. 5 Young, a Scot by birth, and a rigid and zealous puritan. He was one of the authors of the book called Smectymnuus, defended by Milton; was admitted Master of Jesus College, Cambridge, by the Earl of Manchester in person, 12th April, 1644, but afterwards ejected for refusing the engagement. He died Vicar of Stowmarket, in Suffolk, and was buried there. |