392 THE LIFE OF MILTON. time in converfation with him. It feems that Holftenius had ftudiect three years at Oxford, and this might difpofe him to be more friendly to the Eng lifh, but he took a particular liking and affeaion to Milton ; and Milton, to thank him for all his favors, wrote to him afterwards from Florence the ninth of his familiar epiales. At Rome too Selvaggi made a Latin diftich in honor of Milton, and Salfilli a Latin tetraftich, celebrating him for his Greek and Latin and Italian poetry ; and he in return prefented to Salfilli in his ficknefs thole fine Scazons or Iambic verfes, having a fpondec in the laft foot, which are inferted among his juvenile poems. From Rome he went to Naples, in company with a eettain her- mit ; and by his means was introduced to the acquaintance of Gio- vanni Baptifta Manfo, Marquis of Villa, a Neapolitan nobleman, of fingular merit and virtue, to whom Taff() addreffes his dialogue of friendfhip, and whom he mentions likewife in his Gierufalemme Liberata with great honor. This nobleman was particularly civil to Milton, frequently vifited him at his lodgings, and went with him to fhow him the Viceroy's palace, and whatever was curious or worth notice in the city : and moreover he honored him fo far as to make a Latin diftich in his praife, which is printed before our author's Latin poems, as is likewife the other of Selvaggi, and the Latin tetraftich of Salfilli together with the Italian ode and the Latin eulo. gium before mentioned. We may fuppofe that Milton was not a little pleafed with the honors conferred upon him by fo many perfons of diftinEtion, and efpecially by one of fuch quality and eminence as the Marquis of Villa ; and as a teftimony of his gratitude he prefented to the Marquis at his departure from Naples his eclogue intitled Manfus, which is well worth reading among his Latin poems. So that it may be reck- oned a peculiar felicity of the Marquis of Villa's life, to have been celebrated both by Taira, and Milton, the one the greateft modern poet of his own, and the other the greateft of any foreign nation. Having feen the fineft parts of Italy, Milton was now thinking of palling over into Sicily and Greece, when he was diverted from his purpofe
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