vindication against More, whom he declares in his title to be justly called the author of the Regii Sanguini clamor. In this there is no want, of vehemence nor eloquence, nor does he forget his wonted

wit.

66

"Morus es? an Momus ? an

uterque idem eft?" He then re

members that Morus is Latin for a Mul

berry-tree, and hints at the known transformation,: }

-Poma alba ferebat

Quæ poft nigra tulit Morus. With this piece ended his controverfies; and he from this time gave himself up to his private ftudies and his civil employ

ment.

As fecretary to the Protector he is. fuppofed to have written the Declara-. f 2

tion

tion of the reafons for a war with Spain. His agency was confidered as of great importance; for when a treaty with Sweden was artfully fufpended, the delay was publickly imputed to Mr. Milton's indifpofition; and the Swedish agent was provoked to exprefs his wonder, that only one man in England could write Latin, and that man blind.

Being now forty-feven years old, and feeing himfelf difencumbered from external interruptions, he feems to have recollected his former purpofes, and planned three great works for his future employment. An epick poem, the hiftory of his country, and a dictionary of the Latin tongue.

To

To collect a dictionary feems a work

to, by of all others leaft practicable in a state of blindness, because it depends upon perpetual and minute infpection and collation. Nor would Milton probably have begun it, after he had lost his eyes; but, having had it always before him, he continued it, fays Philips, almoft to his dying-day; but the papers were fo difcomposed and deficient, that they could not be fitted for the prefs. The compilers of the Latin dictionary, printed afterwards at Cambridge, had the ufe of them in three folios; but what was their fate afterwards is not known.

To compile a hiftory from various authors, when they can only be confulted by other eyes, is not cafy, nor poffible, but

with more skilful and attentive help than can be commonly obtained; and it was probably the difficulty of confulting and comparing that stopped Milton's narrative at the Conqueft; a pe

riod at which affairs were not yet very intricate, nor authors very numerous. 1. For the subject of his epick poem, after much deliberation, long chufing, and beginning late, he fixed upon Paradife Loft; a defign fo comprehenfive, that it could be juftified only by fuccefs. He had once defigned to celebrate king Arthur, as appears from his verfes to Manfus; but Arthur was referved, fays Fenton, to another destiny.

It appears, by fome fketches of poetical projects left in manufcript, and to

be

be feen in a library at Cambridge, that he had digefted his thoughts on this fubject into one of thofe wild dramas which were anciently called Mysteries; and Philips had feen what he terms part of a tragedy, beginning with the first ten lines of Satan's addrefs to the Sun. These myfteries confift of allegorical perfons; fuch as Juftice, Mercy, Faith. Of the tragedy or mystery of Paradife Lot there are two plans: