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thing on that side; and looking forward if I shut my right eye, objects appeared smaller. My other eye

also, for these last three years, failing by degrees, "some months before all sight was abolished things "which I looked upon seemed to swim to the right "and left; certain inveterate vapours seem to possess my forehead and temples, which after meat especially, "quite to evening, generally, urge and depress my "eyes with a sleepy heaviness. Nor would I omit "that whilst there was as yet some remainder of sight, "I no sooner lay down in my bed, and turned on my

side, but a copious light dazzled out of my shut eyes; "and as my sight diminished every day colours gradually "more obscure flashed out with vehemence; but now "that the lucid is in a manner wholly extinct, a direct "blackness, or else spotted, and, as it were, woven "with ash-colour, is used to pour itself in. Never"theless the constant and settled darkness that is "before me as well by night as by day, seems nearer "to the whitish than the blackish; and the eye-rolling "itself a little, seems to admit I know not what little "smallness of light as through a chink."

But it does not appear what answer he received; we may presume, none that administered any relief. His blindness however did not disable him entirely from performing the business of his office. An assistant was allowed him, and his salary as secretary still continued to him.

And there was farther occasion for his service besides dictating of letters. For the controversy with Salma

sius did not die with him, and there was published at the Hague in 1652 a book entitled the Cry of the King's blood &c. Regii sanguinis Clamor ad cœlum adversus Parricidas Anglicanos. The true author of this book was Peter du Moulin the younger, who was afterwards prebendary of Canterbury: and he transmitted his papers to Salmasius; and Salmasius intrusted them to the care of Alexander Morus, a French Minister; and Morus published them with a dedication to King Charles II. in the name of Adrian Ulac the printer, from whence he came to be reputed the author of the whole. This Morus was the son of a learned Scotsman, who was president of the college, which the protestants had formerly at Castres in Languedoc; and he is said to have been a man of a most haughty disposition, and immoderately addicted to women, hasty, ambitious, full of himself and his own performances, and satirical upon all others. He was however esteemed one of the most eminent preachers of that age among the protestants; but as Monsieur Bayle observes, his chief talent must have consisted in the gracefulness of his delivery, or in those sallies of imagination and quaint turns and allusions, whereof his sermons are full; for they retain not those charms in reading, which they were said to have formerly in the pulpit. Against Against this man therefore, as the reputed author of Regii sanguinis Clamor &c. Milton published by authority his Second Defence of the people of England, Defensio Secunda pro populo Anglicano, in 1654, and treats Morus with such severity as nothing could have excused, if he had not been pro

voked to it by so much abuse poured upon himself. Upon this Morus published his Fides Publica in answer to Milton, in which he inserted several testimonies of his orthodoxy and morals signed by the consistories, academies, synods, and magistrates of the places where he had lived; and disowned his being the author of the book imputed to him, and appealed to two Gentlemen of great credit with the Parliament party, who knew the real author. This brought Du Moulin, who was then in England, into great danger; but the government suffered him to escape with impunity, rather than they would publicly contradict the great patron of their cause". For he still persisted in his accusation, and endeavoured to make it good in his Defence of himself, Autoris pro se Defensio, which was published in 1655, wherein he opposed to the testimonies in favour of Morus other testimonies against him; and Morus replied no more.

After this controversy was ended, he was at leisure again to pursue his own private studies, which were the History of England, before mentioned, and a new Thesaurus of the Latin tongue, intended as an improvement upon that by Robert Stephens; a work, which

See Epigram xi. and Mr. Warton's note. Dr. Birch, in his Life of Milton, p. xl. ed. 1753, has given a curious letter from A. Marvel to Milton, giving an account of his presenting a copy of the Second Defence, accompanied by a letter from the author, to the Protector. In this letter Colonel Overton is mentioned as a friend of Milton's, and indeed, as Mr. Hayley re

marks, Milton addresses him in his Second Defence as one of his dearest friends." Te, Over"tone, mihi multis abhinc annis, "et studiorum similitudine, et “morum suavitate, concordia "plusquam fraterna conjunctis"sime." E.

"See Du Moulin's account of the matter in the edition of his Latin poems, Cambridge, 1670, 8vo. l. iii. p. 140, 141. Birch.

he had been long collecting from the best and purest Latin authors, and continued at times almost to his dying day but his papers were left so confused and imperfect, that they could not be fitted for the press, though great use was made of them by the compilers of the Cambridge Dictionary printed in 1693. These papers are said to have consisted of three large volumes in folio; and it is a great pity that they are lost, and no account is given what is become of the manuscript. It is commonly said too that at this time he began his famous poem of Paradise Lost; and it is certain, that he was glad to be released from those controversies, which detained him so long from following things more agreeable to his natural genius and inclination, though he was far from ever repenting of his writings in defence of liberty, but gloried in them to the last. The only interruption now of his private studies was

• The " Cambridge Dictionary," published in 4to. 1693, is no other than a copy, with some small additions, of that of Dr. Adam Littleton in 1685, by sundry persons, of whom, though their names are concealed, there is great reason to conjecture that Milton's nephew, Edward Philips, is one; for it is expressly said by Wood, Fasti, vol. i. p. 266, that " Milton's Thesaurus" came to his hands; and it is asserted, in the preface to the Dictionary, that the editors had the use of three large folios in MS. collected and digested into alphabetical order by Mr. John Mil

ton.

It has been remarked, that the additions, together with the preface above mentioned, and a

large part of the title of the "Cambridge Dictionary," have been incorporated and printed with the subsequent editions of "Littleton's Dictionary," till that of 1735. Vid. Biogr. Brit. 2985, in not. So that, for aught that appears to the contrary, Philips was the last possessor of Milton's MS. H. Lives of the Poets, ed. 1794.

Wood states, that Philips's "Enchiridion Linguæ Latina," and "Speculum Linguæ Latinæ," both published in 1684, were altogether or chiefly taken from Milton's Latin Thesaurus. And Philips himself mentions, that what there was of Milton's work was made use of for another Dictionary. E.

the business of his office. In 1655 there was published in Latin a writing in the name of the Lord Protector, setting forth the reasons of the war with Spain: and this piece is rightly adjudged to our author, both on account of the peculiar elegance of the style, and because it was his province to write such things as Latin Secretary; and it is printed among his other prose works in the last edition. And for the same reasons I am inclined to think, that the famous Latin verses to Christina Queen of Sweden in the name of Cromwell were made by our author rather than Andrew Marvel. In those days they had admirable intelligence in the Secretary's office; and Mr. Philips relates a memorable instance or two upon his own knowledge. The Dutch were sending a plenipotentiary to England to treat of peace; but the emissaries of the government had the art to procure a copy of his instructions in Holland, which were delivered by Milton to his kinsman who was then with him, to translate them for the use of the Council, before the said plenipotentiary had taken shipping for England: and an answer to all that he had in charge was prepared, and lay ready for him before he made his public entry into London. Another time a person came to London with a very sumptuous train, pretending himself an agent from the Prince of Conde, who was then in arms against Cardinal Mazarine: but the government suspecting him set their instruments to work so successfully, that in a few days they received intelligence from Paris, that he was a spy

P See the notes on Epigr. xiii. E.