TiiE LIFE of MILTON: 38g and Rofs in Ireland. He continued above feven years in the uni- verfity, and took two degrees, that of Bachelor of Arts in 1628-9, and that of 1Vialter in 1632. It is fomewhat re- markable, that tho' the merits of both our tsniverfities are perhaps equally great, and tho' poetical exercifes are rather more encouraged at Oxford, yet molt of our greateft poets have been bred at Cambridge, as Spenfer, Cowley, Waller, Dryden, Prior, not to mention any of the Idler ones, when there is a greater than all, Milton. He had given early proofs of his poetic genius before he went to the tiniver- fity, and there he excelled more and more, and diffinguithed hirnfelf by feveral copies of verfes upon occational fubjeas, as well as by ali his academical exercifes, many ofwhich are printed among his other works, and (how him to have had a capacity above his years and by his obliging behaviour added to his great learning and ingenuity he defervedlv gained the affeaion of many, and admiration ofall. We do not find however that he obtained any preferment in the univerlity0 or a fellowfhip in his own college ; which feemeth the more extraor- dinary, as that fociety has always encouraged learning and learned men, had the molt excellent Mr. Mede at that time a fellow, and afterwards boafleth the great names of Cudworth, and Burnet author of the Theory of the Earth, and feveral others. And this together with tome Latin verfes of his to a friend, refle6ting upon the univer- fity feemingly on this account, might probablyhave given occafion to theieproach which was afterwards call upon him by his adverfaries, that he was expelled from the univerfity for irregularities committed there, and forced to fly to Italy : but he fufficiently refutes this calumny in more places than one ofhis works ; and indeed it is no wonder, that a perfon fo engaged in religious and political contra- verfies as he was, thould be calumniated and abufed by the contrary party. He was deigned by his parents for holy orders ; and arnoteg the manufcripts of Trinity College in Cambridge there are two draughts in Milton's own hand of a letter to a friend, Who had importuned bins to take orders, when he had attained the age of twenty three but the truth is, he had conceived early prejudices againft the doarine and difcipline of the church, and fubfcribing to the articles was in his opinion fubfcribing slave. This nu doubt was a difappointment Iii Ho
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