New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-12-09
mentof the public mind His reply ALSO to the cele
braed Ikon Basilca completely disspated the soohi,

ment Of the public mind. His reply ALSO to the cel.-
brated Ikon Basiica completely dispated the sophs
try of that nsdious publication. Mr. s. then enumsr
sfed many Of the other works. the production of which
occupied Mions attention after his forty ninth ysar
at the came time cursorarly auding 70 the death of
Cromwell in 1862 the vaclatng servlity Of the plrla
ment, and the final restoration Of the stuarts in the
person OF Charles the Second the gnobe dependence
OF the latter upon the bounty Of Louis the fourteenth
and the humble obscurity in which Milton now found
himself overpowered with nhrmities and comparative
poverty. The Paradise Lost was not yet written And
now he turned his thoughts TO the idea that
encouraged him in and defeat and in disgrace
and sickness, he composed that poem, which
Hume and Macaulay the most sublime in any
Language, Homer Lucretius and Tasso not ex.
ceped. Critics had surmised without end as to where
be obtained the hints original idea OF the work
Vol'are appeared to refer il to Italian tragedy
others to the Inferno. But it clear that to mind
like Millions other than what the Bible suggested
was necessary. The idea there and in that volume
the characters and thrilling events Of his poem were
furnished to bis hand Indeed it was the terrible con.
fornation-the great orr naity and wondrously skful
filling up Of the picture skeched by Moses that gave
his performance such power us SO that in fact
while his sublime epic took captive our maginaion
tcame not a beautiful construction Of man. but al.
most a revelation OF the Almighty himself II was
no dparagemento his genius that the Bible furnished
the idea Of Paradise Lost any more than il de.
tracted from Homer's reputation that he connected
together in his poem the political traditions Of the
Greeks, without perhaps invenfing ofthem. Here
then, at his house in Artillery walk Bunh Fields, we
Milton for the last time and in 1854 he fell asleep
in the arms Of his frends st the age of sixysix Cir
cumgtances made men, but men made circumstances
truly The soul within gave shape the with
out. Oliver made armies and victories in any other
mans hands the former would have been rabble-the
latter rout 80 Napoleon erected throne in France
and assembled it to another man ii would have been
scaffold. Milton owed his success to his
great soul alone Had the times been different,
his genius wonld not have sought its devel.
opment in the way it did; but it would
most assuredly in some mode have emerged from its
sholl to the admiration Of all and of all The
genius of Milton occupied the broadcast basis Of hui
manly. As patriot he knew no fear-he shrank from
toll, fatigue, danger, could he advance his
country's good. Unawed by power and unselucel by
temporary success he trod buoyan in the Of his
countrys defenders and counted not his life dear if by
his fundamentally pure religion and free govern
ent were secured to his fellow-citizens Though his
wife forsook him, he kind and faithful husband.
His cruelty 10 his daughters ridiculous msrepre
sentation. How unreasonable their complaint that
their blind father required them to read and write OF
him, and shame upon them that they should have su
ered him to be dependant upon the kindness onends
in his latter days. As Christian man he hal more
then Roman fortitude and frinness. He was mentally
spiritual-he dwet in the secret places oil the
Most High and abode under the shadow OF the
Almighty. His physical bereavement set him
apart from the lot of mortals, eevatins and
consecraiing him TO the dignity of heavenly compan-
ionship Though he dwell in darkened halls here be-
low on earth yet in spirit he walked with God Ike
Adam in the garden He was more than prophet
He was an annunciaor and expounder OF one great and
glorious principle of moral and political freedom which
has had its luillment or obtained its development in
the liberty and happiness of our race.
At the close well as during the progress oil the
Iec.uls, Mr.. Thompson warmly applauded