Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

of literature, the probity, the fortitude, the perseverance, and the misfortunes of the man may fairly be admitted as the causes of the partiality, in preference to his resolute, or, as some may style it, his factious opposition to systems made venerable by the hoariness of time.

The ardour of composition in Milton was not extinguished by the damp of age. In 1673 by publishing a short treatise entitled, "Of true Religion, Heresy, Schism,Toleration, &c." he showed that the great interests of man were uniformly the leading objects of his regard. In this piece he strongly inculcates the duty of mutual forbearance and of union among those Christians of every denomination who appeal to the holy scriptures for the rule of their faith; and he would exclude from his scheme of ample toleration the church of Rome alone, whose idolatry was an offence to the Christian name, and whose tenets were as incompatible with the safety of any government as they were with the existence of any body of dissentient Christians. S

These are Milton's sentiments, not mine; and in his time they were justified by the still formidable and menacing aspect of the Papal hierarchy. Though deprived of much of its ancient power and with its capacity of mischief very considerably narrowed, the Church of Rome, with an opulent and splendid court,

"Let us now inquire," he says, "whether popery be tolerable or no. Popery is a double thing to deal with, and claims a twofold power, ecclesiastical and political, both usurped, and the one supporting the other.

But ecclesiastical is ever pretended to political. The pope by this mixt faculty pretends right to kingdoms and states, and especially to this of England, thrones and unthrones kings, and absolves the people from their obedience to them; sometimes interdicts to whole nations the public worship of God, shutting up their churches; and was wont to drain away the greatest part of the wealth of this then miserable land, as part of his patrimony, to maintain the pride and luxury of his court and prelates; and now

and with two thirds of the population of Christian Europe under its banners, continued in the 17th century to be an object of reasonable terror. In the 17th century, it could still hope for the recovery of its lost dominion: and if it could not overturn thrones and distress nations by its excommunications and interdicts, it could disturb establishments and throw communities into disorder by its machinations and intrigues. In our days the state of things is happi'y quite changed: the conclave of the Vatican is overturned from its foundations; the Pope is shrunk into a bishop of the French empire, and the Catholics are now only a sect of Christians, who profess some articles of belief not in harmony with our's, but who are without the means, if we can suppose them to retain the desire of injuring us, and against whom the principle of self-defence will no longer support us in any measure of oppressive or discriminating policy. The offence of their idolatry indeed remains: but this cannot be a just object of legislative vengeance or precaution.

since, through the infinite mercy and favour of God, we have shaken off his Babylonishı yoke, hath not ceased by his spies and agents, bulls and emissaries, at once to destroy both king and parliament; perpetually to seduce, corrupt, and pervert as many as they can of the people. Whether therefore it be fit or reasonable to tolerate men, thus principled in religion toward the state, I submit it to the consideration of all magistrates, who are best able to provide for their own and the public safety. As for tolerating the exercise of their religion, supposing their state-activities not to be dangerous, I answer, that toleration is either public or private; and the exercise of their religion, as far as it is idolatrous, can be tolerated neither way: not publicly, without grievous and insufferable scandal given to all conscientious beholders; not privately, without great offence to God, declared against all kind of idolatry, though

[blocks in formation]

σε

But even toward Papists he would not exercise any personal severity. Are we to punish them," he asks, " by corporal punishments, or fines in their estates on account of their religion? I suppose it stands not with the clemency of the Gospel, more than what appertains to the security of the state." "

[blocks in formation]

The author's chief purpose in this publication was to check the growth of popery, at this juncture particularly and alarmingly rapid in consequence of the avowed patronage of the Duke of York and the secret countenance of the king. The danger, which at this instant awakened the fears of Milton, became not long afterward so palpable and striking as to excite the nation, united in one great effort for its safety, to depose the catholic bigot who occupied and abused the throne.

In the same year our author published a second edition of his youthful poems, in one volume with his "Tractate on Education," and included in it some small pieces, not comprehended in the edition of 1645. On this occasion however the sonnets to Fairfax, to Vane, and to Cromwell, with the second to Cyriac Skinner, were for some unexplained reason omitted, and were first given to the world, as we have before mentioned, by Philips in his life of his uncle.

In 1674, in which year he was destined to complete his laborious and honourable course, Milton published his familiar letters and some of his university exercises; the former with the title of "Epistolarum Familiarium Liber unus," and the latter with that of "Prolusiones quædam oratoriæ in

Collegio Christi habita." These letters, of which we have offered to our readers more than one specimen and which are addressed principally to foreigners of literary eminence, are possessed of peculiar interest, and contain, as (Morhoff justly remarks,) many characters of ancient and modern, of foreign and domestic authors which are worthy to be read and understood. His college exercises are valuable chiefly for their exhibition of early power and proficiency.

The next exercise of his pen, as it is affirmed, was to translate into English the declaration of the Poles, on their elevating the heroic John Sobieski to their elective throne: but I must profess myself to be doubtful of the fact. It is more certain that in some part of the same year he wrote "A Brief History of Muscovy," which was published at a period of about eight years posterior to his death.

With this work terminated his literary labours, for the gout, which had for many

The Latin document could arrive in England only a very short time before Milton's death, and the translation bears no resemblance to his character of composition. These circumstances induce me to express a doubt where none of Milton's preceding biographers, as far at least as I know, have intimated any.

An answer to a libel on himself, and a system of Theology called, according to Wood, " Idea Theologiæ," are compositions of Milton's which have been lost. The last was at one time in

« AnteriorContinuar »