Ferrara to Venice, in which city he spent a month. From Venice he took his course 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 moft flanderous of his political adverfaries, he animates his narrative by a folemn appeal to Heaven on his unfpotted integrity; he protests that, during his refidence in foreign fcenes, where licentiousness was univerfal, his own conduct was perfectly irreproachable. I dwell the more zealously 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 become, as it ought to be, the friendly rival of his genius, and receive its due fhare of admiration and efteem.' 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. b which his forces under lord Conway were defeated by general Lefley, in the month of Auguft 1639. In a Bible, faid to have been once in his poffeffion, (probably the constant companion of his travels,) is a manufcript remark, dated 1639 at Canterbury city, which may serve to show the powerful impreffion made on his mind, (admitting the authenticity of the remark,) by this eventful period. "This year of very dreadful commotion, and I weene will enfue murderous times of conflicting fight." The date of the year and place may lead us to fuppofe that, having landed at Dover, he was on his return from his travels to London. The gentleman, who communicated the intelligence of this Bible to the publick, and had been indulged with a fight of it, felected other marginal obfervations which appeared to him remarkable among which is the following poetical note on I. Maccab. xiv. 6. "0 Now when it was heard at Rome, and as far as Sparta, that Jonathan was dead, they were very forry:" "When that day of death shall come, The authenticity of the remarks, and of the Gentleman's Magazine, July 1792, p. 615. ; C Bible having belonged to Milton, has indeed been queftioned; but has been defended, not without confiderable force, by the communicator himself, and by other writers in the va luable miscellany, in which the information has been given; to the demonstrations and conjectures of whom I refer the reader. d Before we attend to the bufier fcenes of life, in which Milton, now returned to his native country, became engaged; let me be permitted to lament that he never executed the fcheme, which he once proposed to himself in his animated lines to Manso, of " embellishing original tales of chivalry, of clothing the fabulous achievements of the early British kings and champions in the gorgeous trappings of epick attire." The delight which he had derived from the romances of Italy now funk into neglect; not however into forgetfulness. In his latest poems he feems to look back, not without an eye of fond regard, to the more distinguished compofitions of this kind; to the Innamoramento di Lancilotto, and Tristano, both by Agostini; to the history of the fame heroes, with other knights of the round table, by Tramezzino; and to the Lan • Gent. Mag. September 1792, p. 789. Gent. Mag. Oct. 1792, p. 900. And Ibid. Gent. Mag. February 1793, p. 106. Gent. Mag. March 1800, f. 199. See Mr. Warton's Preface to the Smaller Poems, cilotto alfo of Valvafone, the author of L'Angeleida. At his return he heard of the death of his beloved friend and fchoolfellow, Charles Diodati. And he lamented his lofs in that elegant eclogue, the Epitaphium Damonis, which Mr. Warton has successfully defended against the cold remark of Dr. Johnson. ° He now hired a lodging in St. Bride's Churchyard, Fleet-ftreet; where he undertook the education of his fifter's fons, John and Edward Philips, the firft ten, the other nine years h of age; and in a year's time made them capable of interpreting a Latin author at fight.” Finding his houfe not fufficiently large for his library and furniture, he took a hand fome i gardenhouse in Aldersgate street, fituated at the end of f See the Inquiry into the Crigin of Paradife Loft, p. 280. Note at the end of the poem. h Aubrey's MS. i From the Note figned H. in Dr. Johnson's Life of Milton, Lives of the Poets, ed. 1794, vol. i. p. 130, it appears, that there were many of these garden-houses, i, e. houfes fituated in a garden, efpecially in the north fuburbs of London; and that the term is technical, frequently occurring in the Athen. and Faft. Oxon. The annotator adds, that the meaning may be collected from the article Thomas Farnabe, the famous fchoolmafter; of whom the author fays, that he taught in Goldfmith's rents, in Cripplegate parish, behind Redcrofs-ftreet, where were large gardens and handfome houfes: Milton's houfe in Jewin-ftreet was also a garden-house, as we re indeed moft of his dwellings after his fet, tleinent in London, an entry, that he might avoid the noife and difturbance of the street. Here he received into his house a few more pupils, the fons of * his most intimate friends; and he proceeded, with cheerfulness, in the noblest employment of mankind, that of inftructing others in knowledge and virtue. "As he was fevere on one hand," says Aubrey, "fo he was most familiar and free in his converfation to thofe whom he muft ferve in his way of education." His younger nephew has related the method of his inftruction, and the books employed. Of the Latin, the four authors concerning husbandry, Cato, Varro, Columella, and Palladius; Cornelius Celfus, the physician; a great part of Pliny's natural hiftory; the Architecture of Vitruvius; the Stratagems of Frontinus; and the philofophical poets, Lucretius and Manilius. Of the Greek, Hefiod; Aratus's Phænomena and Diofemeia; Dionyfius Afer de fitu orbis; Oppian's Cynegeticks and Halieuticks; Quintus Calaber's poem of the Trojan war, continued from Homer; Apollonius Rhodius's Argonauticks; and in profe Plutarch's Placita philofophorum, and of the Education of children; Xenophon's Cyropædia and Anabafis; Ælian's Tacticks; and the Stratagems of Polyænus. Nor did this applica See the Note on Lawes's Dedication of Comus to Lord Brackley, vol. v. p. 177. |