Chap. IX. The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS. 699 His majefiy was unwilling to meet his parliament, who were now full King r 1 · 11. d b lid h c. •n Charles I • of zea agamu popery, an egan to con 1 er t e non-conJOriTllllS as aux- , 6 4 • iliaries to the protefiant caufe; but necefli ty oblige~ him_toconvene t_hem; ~I and as foon as they met Jan. 7, they addreifed his maJefty to bamlh all Par/zament · 1 h k · 1{( pro(ecute the papllls, W· JO were not oufe- e_epers nor menm erva~t~ to peers, ten the papijls miles from London; and to appomt a fafl: for the calamities of the na- 011 d the cabal, tion. They attacked the remaining members of the cabal, and voted an addrefs for removing them from his majefiy's council; upon which the king prorogued them for above a year, after they had fat fix weeks, without giving any money, or pafling one lingle act; which was an indication of ill blood between the king and parliament, and a certain forerunner of vengeance upon the dijfenters. But to fl:ifle the clamours Gazettee, of the poplr, his majefiy republi01ed his proclamation, forbidding their l'fumb. 883; meddling in fiate affairs, or talking feditiouOy in coffee-houfes; and then commanded an order to be made public, " that effeCtual care be taken Ib. 962, " for the fuppre!Jing qf conventicles; and whereas divers pretend old licen- 965 .. "Jes from his mJjefl:y, and would fupport themfelves by that pretence, " his majefiy declares, that all his licenfes were long lince recalled, and " that no conventicle has any authority, allowance, or encouragement '' from him. Thi5 year put an end to the life of that great man John Milton, born DeathofMr in London, and educated in Chrijl College Cambridge, where he difcover- John Mil– ed an uncommon genius, which was very much improved by his travels. ton. He was Iatin fecretary to the long parliament, and writ in defence of the murder of king Charles I. againfl: Sa/ma/ius and others, with great fpirit, and in a pure and elegant Iatin fiile. He was afterwards fecretary to the proteCtor Cromwell, and loft the fight of both his eyes by hard fl:udy. At the refloration fome of his books were burnt, and bimfelf in danger, but he was happily included in the aCt of indemnity, and fpent the remainder of his life in retirement. He was a man of ~n unequalled genius, and acquired immortal fame by his incomparable poem of Paradife loft;. in which he ma nifell:ed fuch a fublimity of thought, and fuch elegance of diction, as perhaps were never exceeded in any age or nation of the world. His daughters read to him, aft,er he was blind, thegreek poets, though they underfiood not the language. He died in mean circumfl:ances at Bunhill near L ondon, in the fixty-feventh year of his age. '!hough the prot~fiant religion flood in need of the united firength of t6?5· alilts profelfors, agamft the advances of popery, and.the parliament had mo- Abp; S~el· ved for a toleration of proteflant diffenters yet the bilhops continued to don' arcur h . r . .U' . ' . . lar !ttter oprol~Cute t em m commo? with the papifl:s. Archbtlhop She/don dtreCl:- gai'!ft thedife~ ctr~ular lette:s to the b1lhops of his province, enjoining them to give/enters. direchons to the1r archdeacons and commiifaries, to procure particular in4 U 2 formation
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