"1648-9.--March 15. Ordered, That Mr. JOHN MILTON be employed as Secretary for Forreigne Tongues to this Councill, and that he have the same salarie, which Mr. Wickerly formerly had for the same service.

"1648-9.-March 22. Ordered, That the letters now read, to be sent to Hamburgh, in behalf of the company of Merchant Adventurers, be approved, and that they be translated into Latin by Mr. MILTON.

"1649.--March 26. Ordered, That the letters now brought in by Mr. MILTON, to the Senate of Hamburgh, be approved; and that Mr. Isaac Lee, Deputy of the Company of Merchant Adventurers there, shall be appointed Agent for delivering them.

1649.--March 26. Ordered, That Mr. MILTON be appointed to make some observations upon a paper lately printed, called "Old and New Chains."*

"1649.—March 28. Ordered, That Mr. MILTON be appointed to make some observations of interest, which is new amongst the several designers against the peace of the Commonwealth, and that it be made ready to be printed, with the papers out of Ireland, which the House hath ordered to be printed.

"1649.-May 18. Ordered, That the French letters, given into the House by the Dutch Ambassadors, be translated by Mr. MILTON; and the rest of the Letters now in the House, be sent for and translated.

"1649.-May 30. Ordered, That Mr. MILTON take the papers forthwith to Mr. John Lee, and examine them, to see what may be found in them.

"1649-June 23. Ordered, That Mr. MILTON doe exa

John Lilburn was the author of this book, and was on account of it committed to prison on the suspicion of high-treason. Judge Jenkins used to say of him in regard to his litigious disposition, that if the world was emptied of all but John Lilburn, Lilburn would quarrel with John, and John would quarrel with Lilburn.

mine the papers of Pragmaticus,* and report what he finds in them to the Councill.

"1649.-November 12. Ordered, That Sir John Hippesly be spoken to, that MR. JOHN MILTON may be accomodated with those lodgings that he hath at Whitehall.

"1649.

November 19. Ordered, That MR. MILTON shall have the lodgings that were in the hands of Sir John Hippesly, in Whitehall, for his accomodation as being Secretary to the Councill for Forreigne Tongues.

"1649.-November 29. Ordered, That a letter be written to the Commissioners of the Customs, to desire them to give order, that a very strict search may be made of such ships as come from the Netherlands for certaine scandalous bookes; which are there printed, against the government of this Commonwealth, entitled Defensio Regia, and which are designed to be sent over hither; and to desire them that if any upon search shall be found, that they may be sent up to the Councill of State, without suffering any of them to be otherwise disposed of upon any pretence what

ever.

"That a warrant be directed to the Masters and Wardens of the Company of Stationers, to the purpose aforesaid.

"That the like letter be directed to Mr. Thomas Bendish, an officer in the port of Yarmouth, to take care of searching for the aforesaid book, which is expected to come out of Holland.

1649-50.-January 8. Ordered, That one hundred pounds be paid Mr. Thomas Waring for his pains and charge in compiling a booke containing several examinations, of the Bloody Massacre in Ireland.

"That MR. MILTON doe confer with some printers or stationers concerning the speedy printing of this book, and

* The Mercurius Pragmaticus, a newspaper in support of Charles the Second, April 24, 1649.

give an account of what he hath done therein to the Councill.

"That MR. MILTON doe prepare something in answer to the book of Salmasius, and when he hath done itt, bring itt to the Councill.

"1651.-May 20. Ordered, That Mr. Durie doe proceed in translating MR. MILTON's book, written in answer to the late King's booke; and that it be left to Mr. Frost to give him such reward for his pains, as he shall think fitt.

"1650.--June 22. Ordered, That MR. MILTON doe goe to the Committee of the Armie, and desire them to send to this Conncell the book of Examinations, taken about the risings in Kent and Essex.

"1650.-June 25. Ordered, That MR. MILTON doe peruse the Examinations taken by the Armie concerning the insurrections in Essex; and that he doe take heads of the same, to the end the Councill may judge what is to be taken into consideration.

"1650-June 26. Ordered, That the declaration of the Parliament against the Dutch, be translated into Latine by MR. MILTON, into Dutch by Mr. Haak,* and into French by Monsieur Augier.

"1650.-August 14. Ordered, That Mr. Thomas Goodwin, Mr. Bifield, Mr. Bond, Mr. Nye, Mr. Durye, Mr. Frost, or MR. MILTON, or any three of them, of which Mr. Frost, or MR. MILTON to be one, be appointed to view and to inventorie all the words, writings, and papers whatsoever, belonging to the Assembly of the Synod, to the end they may not be embezzled, and may be forthcoming for the use of the Commonwealth.

"1650.-December 23. Ordered, That MR. MILTON doe print the Treatise which he hath written, in answer to a This learned man translated the first six books of Paradise Lost into High Dutch.

late book written by Salmasius against the proceedings of the Commonwealth.*"

It has been said, but erroneously there is no doubt, that MILTON received from the Councill £1000 for writing this book. I have expressed a doubt, in a former part of this work, as to the accuracy of this statement, and it is confirmed by the following entry :-

"1651.-June 18. Ordered, That thanks be given to MR. MILTON on behalf of the Commonwealth, for his good services done in writing an answer to the booke of Salmasius, written against the proceedings of the Commonwealth of England." But,' says Mr. Todd, all this is crossed over, and nearly three lines following obliterated, in which the accurate Mr. Lemon says a grant of money was made to MILTON.' Admitting this to be the fact, is it not reasonable to conclude that MILTON refused to accept the grant, because after the cancelled passage, the regular entry thus follows: "The Councill taking notice of the manie good services performed by MR. JOHN MILTON, the Secretarie for Forreigne Languages, to this State and Commonwealth, particularie for his book in vindication of the Parliament and people of England, against the calumnies and invectives of Salmasius, have thought fitt to declare their resentment and good acceptance of the same; and that the thanks of the Councill be returned to MR. MILTON, and their sense expressed in that behalf."

To return to the regular entries:

"1650-1.--February 10. Ordered, That the way of meeting with the Publique Minister of Portugall, be by a Committee of the Councill, consisting of such a number as the Council shall think fitt in reference to the quality of such Minister.

"That MR. MILTON, the Secretary for Forreigne Languages, bee appointed to attend the Committee at their

MILTON's book was burnt at Paris and Toulouse.

meetings; and that Joseph Frost be employed for such writing as the Committee shall have occasion for in this business.

"1650.-Feb. 18. Ordered, that Mr. MILTON be Secretary for Forreigne Languages, for the time of the Councill. "1650-1.—March 5. Ordered, that it be referred to the Committee of Examinations, to viewe over MR. MILTON'S booke*, and give order for re-printing it, if they thinke fitt.

"1652.-Nov. 15. Ordered, that it be referred to Mr. Thurloe, to consider of a fitt reward to be given to Mr. Durie, for his pains in translating into French the book written by MR. MILTON, in answer to that of the late king's, entitled" His Meditations."

"1653.-April 1. Ordered, that the Commissioners of the Customs doe permit certain books written by MR. MILTON, in answer to the booke called the late king's, being translated into French, to bee transported into France custom free."

We now return to the period immediately subsequent to the publication of MILTON's Iconoclastes.

be

"1649-50.-Feb. 2. Ordered, that orders be sent to Mr. Baker, Mr. Challenor, Mr. Wickerlyn, Mr. Willingham, or any others who have in their hands any public papers longing to the Commonwealth, to deliver them to MR. MILTON, to be layd up in the paper-office for publique service; and that Mr. Baker be appointed to order those papers, that they may be ready for use.

"1649-50.-Feb. 18. Ordered, that MR. MILTON, Secretary for Forreigne Languages; Sergeant Dunde, Sergeantat-Arms; Mr. Frost, the younger, assistant to Mr. Frost, the Secretary, and all the clerks formerly employed under Mr. Frost, as also the messengers, and all other officers employed by the Councill last yeare, and not dismissed, shall

The Iconoclastes. Second Edition.