04, THE LIFE of MILTON, remain as authentic memorials of thole times, to be admired equally by critics and politicians ; and thofe particularly about the fufferings of the poor Proteftants in Piedmont, who can read without fenfible emotion ? This was a fubje& he had very much at heart, as he was an utter enemy to all forts of perfecution ; and among his fonnets there is a molt excellent one upon the fame occafion. But Oliver Cromwell being dead, and the government weak and unfettled in the hands of Richard and the Parliament, he thought it a feafonable time to offer his advice again to the public ; and in 1§59 publifhed a Treatife of civil power in ecclefiallical caufes; and another traa intitled Confiderations touching the likelieft means to remove hirelings out of the church ; both addreffed to the Parlia- ment of the commonwealth of England. And after the Parliament was difrolved, he wrote a letter to fome Statefmen, with whom he had a ferious difcourfe the night before, concerning the ruptures of the commonwealth ; and another, as it is fuppofed, to General Monk, being a brief Delineation of a free commonwealth, eafy to be put in practice, and without delay. Thefe two pieces were communicated in manufcript to Mr, Toland by a friend, who a little after Milton's death had them from his nephew ; and Mr. Toland gave them tobe printed in the edition of our author's profe works in 1698. But Milton, Hill finding that affairs were every day tending more and more to the fnbverilon of the commonwealth and the refloration of the royal family, publifhed his Ready and eafy way to eflabliffi a free commonwealth, and the excellence thereof, compared with the in- conveniences and dangers of readmitting kingfhip in this nation. We are informed by Mr. Wood, that he publifhed this piece in February 1659-6o ; and after this he publifht d Brief notes upon a late fermon intitled the Fear of God and the King, preached by Dr. Matthew Griffith at Mercers Chapel March 25, 166o fo bold and refolute was he in declaring his fentiments to the laft, thinking that hi4 voice was the voice of expiring liberty. A littlebefore the King's landing he was difcharged from his office of Latin Secretary, and was forced to leave his houfe in Petty-France, where he had lived eight years with great reputation, and had been Vifited by all foreigners of note, who could not go out of the country without
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=