"leave railing, and to let us hear fo much of his learning “ and christian wisdom, as will be strictly demanded of him "in his answering to this problem, care was had he should not spend his preparations against a nameless pamphlet."

Thefe expreffions difplay the frank nefs and fortitude of a noble mind, perfectly conscious of its own integrity, in difcuffing a very delicate point, that materially affects the comfort of human life. This integrity he had indeed protefted very folemnly in his former Address to the Parliament, where, after afferting that the subject concerned them chiefly as redreffers of grievances, he proceeds thus, "Me it concerns next, having, with much labour and faithful diligence, "first found out, or at least with a fearless communicative "candour first published, to the manifeft good of chriften"dom, that which, calling to witness every thing mortal "and immortal, I believe unfeignedly to be true." The folemnity of this proteftation, confirmed as it was by the fingular regularity of his morals, and the fincerity of his zeal as a christian, could not fecure him from cenfures of every kind, which, vehement as they were, hems to have despised. His ideas were derided by libertines, and calumniated by hypocrites and bigots; but, fuperior to ridicule and to flander, he proceeded refolutely in what he thought his duty, by shewing how completely his doctrine was confonant, in his own opinion, to that gospel, which he had sedulously made not only the favourite study, but the conftant guide of his life. With this view he published, in 1645, his Tetrachordon, expositions upon the four chief places of

fcripture,

up,

fcripture, which fpeak of marriage. He introduces this work by a third Address to the Parliament, and, speaking of their justice and candour in difdaining to think of persecuting him for his doctrine, according to the inftigation of his enemies, he expreffes his gratitude in the following animated terms: "For which uprightnefs and incorrupt re"fufal of what ye were incensed to, lords and commons (though it were done to justice, not to me, and was a peculiar demonftration how far your ways are different "from the rafh vulgar) befides those allegiances of oath " and duty, which are my public debt to your public la"bours, I have yet a store of gratitude laid which cannot be exhausted, and fuch thanks, perhaps, they may live "to be, as shall more than whisper to the next ages." This sentence is remarkable in various points of view, but chiefly as it fhews us that the peculiar eagerness and energy with which Milton, at a future period, defended the parliament, originated not only in his paffionate attachment to freedom, but in his ardent sense of personal gratitude to the legislature of his country. He was, however, too magnanimous to wish for shelter under any authority, without vindicating his innocence and the merit of his caufe; he therefore fays to the parliament, in speaking of an antagonist who, in their presence, had traduced him from the pulpit, "I shall take "licence by the right of nature, and that liberty wherein "I was born, to defend myself publicly againft a printed calumny, and do willingly appeal to those judges to "whom I am accufed."

The preacher had represented the doctrine of divorce as a wicked book, for allowing other caufes of divorce than Christ and his Apoftles mentioned, and the parliament as finners for not punishing its authors.

This induces Milton to exclaim with devotional fpirit, which feems predominant in his mind upon every occafion, "First, lords and commons, I pray to that God, before "whom ye then were proftrate, so to forgive ye those “ omissions and trespasses, which ye defire most should find forgiveness, as I fhall foon fhew to the world how eafily "ye abfolve yourselves of that, which this man, calls your “fin, and is indeed your wisdom and nobleness, whereof to "this day ye have done well not to repent."

The scope of Milton, in his doctrine of divorce, is thus explained by himself: "This shall be the task and period "of this difcourfe to prove, first, that other reasons of divorce befides adultery were by the law of Mofes, and are

yet to be allowed by the Chriftian magiftrate, as a piece “of justice, and that the words of Chrift are not hereby " contraried; next that, to prohibit abfolutely any divorce "what foever, except those which Mofes excepted, is against "the reafon.of law."

This doctrine he firft delivered as the refult of his own diligent ftudy of the fcripture. He afterwards found and declared it confonant to what many eminent divines of the reformed church, particularly. Martin Bucer and: Erasmus, had maintained; lastly, to grace his opinions with the higheft human fupport, he afferts, "they were fanctioned *by the whole assembled authority of England, both church

•

"and state, and in those times which are on record for the « pureft and fincereft that ever fhone yet on the Reforma"tion of this land, the time of Edward the Sixth. That "worthy prince, having utterly abolished the canon law "out of his dominions, as his father did before him, ap"pointed by full vote of parliament, a committee of two "and thirty chofen men, divines and lawyers, of whom "Cranmer the archbishop, Peter Martyr, and Walter Had"don, not without the assistance of Sir John Cheek, the king's tutor, a man at that time accounted the learnedest of “Englishmen, and for piety not inferior, were the chief to "frame anew some ecclefiaftical laws, that might be instead “of what was abrogated. The work with great diligence was finished, and with as great approbation of that re" forming age was received, and had been doubtlefs, as the "learned preface thereof teftifies, established by act of par“liament, had not the good king's death fo foon enfuing "arrested the farther growth of religion alfo from that "feafon to this. Thofe laws, thus founded on the menio"rable wisdom and piety of that religious parliament and "fynod, allow divorce and fecond marriage not only for

adultery and desertion, but for any capital enmity or plot "laid against the other's life, and likewife for evil and fierce "ufage. Nay, the twelfth chapter of that title, by plain confequence declares, that leffer contentions, if they be

perpetual, may obtain divorce, which is all one really "with the pofition by me held in the former treatise pub- ' “lished on this argument, herein only differing, that there' "the cause of perpetual ftrife was put, for example, in the unchangeable

M 2

unchangeable difcord of fome natures; but in these laws, "intended us by the beft of our ancestors, the effect of " continual ftrife is determined no unjuft plea of divorce, "whether the cause be natural or wilful."

The author exults fo much in this authority, that he' concludes with the following expreffions of confidence and triumph :

"Henceforth let them, who condemn the affertion of this "book for new and licentious, be forry, left, while they “think to be of the graver sort, and take on them to be “teachers, they expose themselves rather to be pledged up “and down by men who intimately know them, to the discovery and contempt of their ignorance and prefump❝tion."

I have dwelt the longer on this fubject, because it occupied fo deeply the mind and heart of Milton. In these treatises the energy of his language is very ftriking; it forcibly proves how keenly, he felt the anguish of connubial infelicity, and how ardently he laboured to remove from himself and others that "fecret affliction" (to use one of his own expressive phrases)" of an unconscionable fize to hu"of man ftrength.".

He argues, indeed, for what the majority of modern legiflators and divines have thought inconfiftent with found morality and true religion; but they who deem his arguments inconclufive, may yet admire the powers and the probity of the advocate. His view of the question is as extensive and liberal as his intention was pure and benevolent : if a few words of our Saviour, in their literal fenfe, are against