THE LIFE of MILTON. 425 eth the weaknefs and imperfe&ion of their language more, than that they have few or no good poetical verfions of the greaten poets ; they are forced to translate Homer, Virgil, and Milton into prole : blank verfe their language has not harmony and dignity enough to fupport; their tragedies, and many of their comedies are in rime. Rolli, the famous Italian mailer here in England, made an Italian tranflation ; and Mr. Richardfon the fon faw another at Florence in manufcript by the learned Abbe Salvini, the fame who tranflated Addifon's Cato into Italian. One William Hog or flogmus tranflated Paradife Loft, Paradife Regain'd, and Samfon Agonifles into Latin verfe in 1600; but this verfion is very unworthy_of the originals. There is a better tranflation of the Paradife Loft by Mr. Thomas Power Fellow of Trinity College in Cambridge, the firft book, of which was printed in 1691, and the refit in manufcript is in the lib- rary of that College. The learned Dr. Trap has alfo publiihed a tranflation into Latin verfe ; and the world is in expectation of another, that will furpafs all the reft, by Mr. WilliamDobfon of New College in Oxford. So that by one means or other Milton is now confider'd as an Englifh clailic ; and the Paradife Loft is gene- rally efteemed the nobleft and molt fublime of modern poems, and equal at leaft to the belt of the ancient ; the honor of this country, and the envy and admiration of all others ! In 1670 he publifhed his Hiftory of Britain, that part efpeelally now called England. He began it above twenty years before, but was frequently interrupted by other avocations ; and he deigned to have brought it down to his own times, but hopped at the Norman conqueft ; for indeed he was not well able to purfue it any farther by reafon of his blindnefs, and he was engaged inother more delight- ful fiudies ; having a genius turned for poetry rather than hiftoryd When his Hiftory was printed, it was not printed perfed and entire ; for the licencer expunged feveral pall-ages, which refieding upon the pride and fuperilition of the Monks in the Saxon times, were tinder. flood as a concealed Cadre upon the Bifhops in Charles the Second's reign. But the author himfelf gave a copy of his unlicenced papers to the Earl of Anglefea, who, as well as feveral of the nolaity and T t t gently
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