imperator, pater patriæ geffifti. Sic "tu fpontanea bonorum omnium et animitus, miffa voce falutaris."

. Cæfar, when he affumed the perpe tual dictatorship, had not more fervile or more elegant flattery. A tranflation may fhew its fervility; but its elegance is lefs attainable. Having expofed the unskilfulness or felfishness of the former governmeut, "We were left," fays Milton, "to ourselves the whole na“tional intereft fell into your bands, " and fubfifts in your abilities. To your "virtue, overpowering and refiftless, "every man gives way, except fome "who, without equal qualifications,

.66

afpire to equal honours, or who envy "the diftinctions of merit greater than "their

f

their own; or who have yet to learn, "that in the coalition of human fociety "nothing is more pleafing to God, or "more agreeable to reafon, than that the higheft mind fhould have the "fovereign power. Such, Sir, are

you by general confeffion; fuch are

"the things atchieved by you, the

46

greatest and moft glorious of our countrymen, the director of our publick counfels, the leader of unconxi quered armies, the father of your country; for by that title does every good man hail you, with fincere and "voluntary praife."

Next year, having defended all that wanted defence, he found leifure to defend himself. He undertook his own vindi

4

vindication against More, whom he declares in his title to be justly called the author of the Regii Sanguini clamor. In this there is no want of vehemence nor eloquence, nor does he forget his wonted wit." Morus es? an Momus ? an "uterque idem eft?" He then remembers that Morus is Latin for a Mulberry-tree, and hints at the known transformation:

-Poma alba ferebat

Quæ poft nigra tulit Morus. With this piece ended his controverfies; and he from this time gave himself up to his private studies and his civil employ

ment.

As fecretary to the Protector he is fuppofed to have written the Declaraf 2

tion

tion of the reasons for a war with Spain. His agency was confidered as of great importance; for when a treaty with Sweden was artfully fufpended, the delay was publickly imputed to Mr. Milton's indifpofition; and the Swedish agent was provoked to exprefs his wonder, that only one man in England could write Latin, and that man blind. : Being now forty-feven years old, and feeing himself difencumbered from external interruptions, he feems to have recollected his former purposes, and great works for his future planned three

employment. An epick poem, the hif

tory of his country, and a dictionary of the Latin tongue...

Το

To collect a dictionary feems a work of all others leaft practicable in a state of blindness, because it depends upon perpetual and minute infpection and collation. Nor would Milton probably have begun it, after he had loft his eyes; but, having had it always before him, he continued it, fays Philips, almoft to his dying-day; but the papers wera fo difcompofed and deficient, that they could not be fitted for the press. The compilers of the Latin dictionary, printed afterwards at Cambridge, had the ufe of them in three folios; but what was their fate afterwards is not known.

44 To compile a hiftory from various authors, when they can only be confulted by other eyes, is not eafy, nor poffible, but f 3 with