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her, fhe muft vomit by ftrong phyfick. The univerfity, in the time of her better health, and my younger judge❝ment, I never greatly admired, but "now much lefs."

This is furely the language of a man who thinks that he has been injured. He proceeds to defcribe the course of his conduct, and the train of his thoughts; and, because he has been fufpected of incontinence, gives an account of his own purity: "That if I

be juftly charged," fays he, "with "this crime, it may come upon me with tenfold fhame."

The ftile of his piece is rough, and fuch perhaps was that of his antagonist. This roughnefs he juftifies, by great examples,

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amples, in a long) digreffion. Sometimes

he tries to be humorous:

Left I fhould

"take him for fome chaplain in hand,

fome fquire of the body to his pre66 late, one who ferves not at the altar only but at the Court-cupboard, he will beftow on ust a pretty model of himfelf; and fets me out half a dozen ptifical mottos, wherever he had them, "hopping fhort in the measure of con

vulfion fits; in which labour the agony of his wit having fcaped narrowly, instead of well-fized periods, he greets us with a quantity of

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thumbring pofies.--And thus ends this ffffection, or rather diffection of himfffelf.". Such is the controverfial merriment of Milton: his gloomy fcriouf

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nefs is yet more offenfive.

malignity, that bell grows

frown.

Such is his

darker at his

His father, after Reading was taken by Effex, came to refide in his houfe; and his fchool increafed. At Whitfuntide, in his thirty-fifth year, he married Mary, the daughter of Mr. Powel, a juftice of the peace in Oxfordshire. He brought her to town with him, and expected all the advantages of a conjugal life. The lady, however, feems not much to have delighted in the pleasures of fpare diet and hard study; for, as Philips relates," having for a month led alphilofophical life, after having been ufed at home to a great houfe, and "much company and joviality, her

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friends, poffibly by her own defire, "made earneft fuit to have her company "the remaining part of the fummer ; "which was granted, upon a promife of "her return at Michaelmas."

Milton was too busy to much mifs his wife he purfued his ftudies; and now and then vifited the lady Margaret Leigh, whom he has mentioned in one of his fonnets. At laft Michaelmas arrived; but the lady had no inclination to return to the fullen gloom of her. hüfband's habitation, and therefore very willingly forgot her promife. He fent her a letter, but had no anfwer; he fent: more with the fame fuccefs. It could be alleged that letters mifcarry; he therefore dispatched a meffenger, being by

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this time too angry to go himself, His meffenger, was fent back with fome contempt. The family of the lady were Cavaliers...

In a man whofe opinion of his own merit was like Milton's, lefs provocation than this might have raised violent refentment. Milton foon determined to repudiate her for difobedience; and, being one of those who could eafily find arguments to justify inclination, pub. lifhed (in 1644) The Dorine and Difcipline of Divorce; wnich was followed by The Judgement of Martin Bucer concern, ing Divorce; and the next year, his Tetrachordon, Expofitions upon the four chief Places of Scripture which treat of Marriage,

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