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the prefs; and being questioned concerning the paper in his hand, he faid, it was part of the "noblest poem that ever was written in any language or in any age." Richardson, whofe active and liberal affection for the poet led him to search with intelligent alacrity and fuccefs for every occurrence that could redound to his honour, has recorded another incident, which must be particularly interesting to every lover of literary anecdote, as it discovers how the Paradife Loft was first introduced to Dryden, and with what fervency of admiration he immediately fpoke of it. The Earl of Dorfet and Fleetwood Shepard, the friend of Prior, found the poem, according to this ftory, at a bookseller's in Little Britain, who, lamenting its want of circulation, entreated the Earl to recommend it; Dorset, after reading it himself, fent it to Dryden, who faid, in returning the book, "This man cuts 66 us all out, and the ancients too." Thefe were probably the real fentiments of Dryden on his first perufal of the poem; but as that unhappy genius was not bleft with the independent magnanimity of Milton, his opinions were apt to fluctuate according to his intereft, and we find him occafionally difpof ed to exalt or degrade the tranfcendent performance, which he could not but admire. As the fix celebrated verses, in which he has complimented the English Homer, fo much resemble what he faid of him to Lord Dorset, it is probable that those verfes were written while his mind was glowing with admiration from his firft furvey of the Paradife Loft; and as long as Milton lived, Dryden

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feems to have paid him the deference fo justly due to his age, his genius, and his virtue. Aubrey relates, in the manufcript which I have repeatedly cited, that the poet laureat waited on Milton for the purpose of foliciting his permiffion to put his Paradife Loft into a drama. "Mr. Milton (fays Aubrey) received him civilly, and told him he would give him leave to tag his verfes," an expreffion that probably alluded to a couplet of Marvel's, in his poetical eulogy on his friend. The opera which Dryden wrote, in confequence of this permiffion, entitled the State of Innocence, was not exhibited in the theatre, and did not appear in print till two years after the death of Milton, who is mentioned in becoming terms of veneration and gratitude in the preface. The drama itself is a very fingular and striking performance; with all the beauties and all the defects of Dryden's animated unequal verfification, it has peculiar claims to the attention of thofe, who may wish to investigate the refpective powers of English rhyme and blank verfe, and it may furnish arguments to the partizans of each; for, if in many paffages the images and harmony of Milton are deplorably injured by the neceffity of rhyming, in a few inftances, perhaps, rhyme has imparted even to the ideas of Milton new energy and grace. There are prefixt to this opera fome very animated but injudicious verses by poor Nat. Lee, who has lavished the most exaggerated praife on his friend Dryden, at the expence of the fuperior poet.

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It is highly pleafing to reflect, that Milton, who had so many evils to futain in the course of his chequered life, had yet the high gratification of being affured, by very competent judges, that he had glorioufly fucceeded in the prime object of his li terary ambition, the great poetical atchievement, which he projected in youth, and accomplished in old age. He probably received fuch animating af furances from many of his friends, whofe applause, being intended for his private fatisfaction, has not defcended to our time; but when we recollect the honours already mentioned, that were paid to the living poet by Denham, Dryden, and Marvel, we may rest satisfied in the perfuafion, that he enjoyed a grateful earneft of his future renown, and, according to the petition he addreffed to Urania,

"Fit audience found tho' few."

If the spirit of a departed bard can be gratified by any circumftances of pofthumous renown, it might gratify Milton to perceive, that his divine poem was firft indebted for general celebrity to the admiration of Sommers and of Addison, two of the most accomplished and most amiable of English names. Sommers promoted the first ornamented edition of Paradife Loft in 1688; and Addifon wrote his celebrated papers on Milton in 1712.

But to return to the living author; in the year 1670, the great poet afpired to new distinction, by appearing in the character of an hiftorian. He had long meditated a work, which in his time, was par

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ticularly wanted in our language, and which the greater cultivation bestowed by the prefent age on this branch of literature has not yet produced in V perfection-an eloquent and impartial history of England. Milton executed only fix books, beginning with the most early fabulous period, and clofing with the Norman conqueft. Why he should have given the first part (fays Johnson) which he feems not to believe, and which is univerfally rejected, it is difficult to conjecture." Had the critic taken the trouble to perufe a few pages of the work in question his difficulty would have vanished; he would at least have found the motive of the author, if he had not esteemed it fatisfactory:

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"I have determined (fays Milton) in speaking of the ancient and rejected British fables, to bestow the telling over even of these reputed tales, be it for nothing else but in favour of our English poets and rhetoricians, who by their art will know how to use them judiciously." This fentiment implies a ftriking fondness for works of imagination, and a good natured difpofition to promote them.

The hiftorian difcovers higher aims as he advances in his work, and expreffes a moral and patriotic defire to make the leffons fuggefted by the early calamities of this nation a fource of wisdom and virtue to his improving countrymen. The very paffage, which was most likely to produce fuch an effect, was ftruck out of the publication by the Gothic hand of the licenfer, an incident that seems to give new energy to all the noble arguments, which

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the injured author had formerly adduced in vindicating the liberty of the prefs.

The paffage in queftion contained a very mafterly sketch of the long parliament and affembly of divines, contrasting their fituátion and their misconduct, after the death of Charles the First, with those of the ancient Britons, when, by the departure of the Roman power, 66 they were left (according to the expreffion of the historian) to the fway of their own councils." The author gave a copy of this unlicenced parallel to the celebrated Earl of Anglefey, a man diftinguifhed by erudition, with a liberal respect for genius, and though a minifter of Charles the Second, a frequent vifitor of Milton. This curious fragment was published in 1681, with a fhort preface, declaring, that it originally belonged to the third book of Milton's Hiftory; and in the edition of his profe works, in 1738, it was properly replaced. The poet would have fucceeded more eminently as an hiftorian, had his talents been exercised on a period more favourable to their exertion. We have reafon to regret his not having executed the latter part of his original intention, instead of dwelling on the meagre and dark annals of Saxon barbarity. In his early hiftory, however, there are paffages of great force and beauty; his character of Alfred in particular is worthy that engaging model of an accomplished monarch, and verifies a fentiment, which Milton profeffed, even while he was defending the commonwealth, that although a refolute enemy to tyrants, he was a fin

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