The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-03-11

ridiculous. foundation OF grandeur,
perceptiblc only to men Of gcnins. The
seven deadly sins dancing with the Dew
il, was assuredly the height of extrava.
gance and folly; but the universe rem
dcred unhappy by the weakness of a man,
the goodness and jusness of our Crea.
tor. the source Of our misfortuncs and
our crimes, ere subjects worthy the de-
picting of the boldest There is through
out the whole of this subject an inex
prcssibly gloomy horror, melancholy
ard somber sublimty, which agrees not
lily with the English Imagination. Mil
ton conceived the design of making a
tragedy of the farce of Andreino-he
even composed one act and s-half This
was assured mo by some literary per.
sons, who had it Of his daughter, who
died since l was in London.
The tragedy of Milton commences
with the monologue of Satan, which we
find in tha fourth canto Of his epic poem
While he was laborng on this tragedy
the sombrc Of his ideas enlarged in pro.
portion as he thought His plot became
great under his pen, and at length in.
stead Of a tragedy. which after all had
been only whimsical and uninterestiug
he imagined an epic poem, a kind of
work in which men are often compelled
to approve the fantastic under the name
of marvellous.
The civil wars Of England for long
time deprived Milton of the leisure nee
essdry for the execution of so great de-
sign The lovo of liberty was with him
passion; this sentiment always prevent
ed him from taking sido with those part
les which desired to usurp the govern
ment in his country; he would submit
to the tyranny Of no human opinion, and
there was no church which could boast
of counting Milton as one of its mem.
bcrs. But he observed mono of this
neutrality i'll The civil wars Of the King
and Parliament. He was ono of the
greatest enemies Of that unfortunate
King. Charles l.; be was among tho fore.
most in favor Of Cromwell, and by ia.
taIity which is only too common. his re.
publican zeal was made to serve ty.
rant He was the Secretary of Oliver
Cromwell, of Richard Cromwell, and of
the Parliament, which lasted until the
restoration ri Euglisb em,,lnved hi.
pen to Justify the death Of ,bcir King
and to reply to the book which Charles
II. had caused to be written by Saum.
aise on the subj CT Of his tr,r;c ovont.
Never was a better causc and mara
ho!lly ,Iead on hnth ,;i.- ST.
Tedantically defended the party Of king
who died on the scatfold; ola royal fam
lily wandering through Europe, and even
all the kings ot Earope Interested in this
quarrel Milton ranIlnely supported
ihe cause of victorious people who
hoasiod ot having judged their prince
according to the laws The memory ct
thus strange revolution Will never perish
among men; the books Of S'nmaiSe aud
NJ lton are already buried in oblivion,-
Milton, whom the Euallsh now regard
as poet divine, was very bad prose
wrier.
lie was hfty-'wc years Of age when
the royal family was re.e'tabiIshed. lie
was Included IN the amnesty which
Charles ii gave to the enemies ct his
tl'her; but he was declared by an act
ol the same incapable II holding any
o!fce under royalty 1t was then that
he commenced his epic poem at the age
that Virgil finished his, Scarcely had
he put bis hand to the work when he
was deprived Of sight. He found him.
self forsaken and blind, aud yet was not
discouraged. lie was nine years in com'
posing Paradise Lost He had then very
little reputation the Hterati Of tho
court of Charles III, either did not know
him or had no respect for him. It's not
surprising that an ancient secretary of
Cromwell, grown old in retirement, blind,
aud without wealth, should be ignored
or desPised by court which. to the aus
tcrity of the government of the Protec'
tor, succeeded all the gallantry of th>
court of Louis XIV, and in which they
rclished on,y eifeminate poetry-ihc
soitness of Waller, the salircs of the
Earl OF Rochester, and the spirit Of
Cowley
One indubitable proof that he had
no reputation s. that he had much diff