River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-11-23
John Milton.


The author of one of the grandest
poems in the English Language-Para.
disc Lost-was born in London, De.
cember 6, 1908. His father was a
! scrivener, or law-writer, in large prac-
tice; and his mother lady from
WALES. His father had good knowl.
edge of books, loved music, and was
one of the best composers of the age.
John Milton's education began at
home afterwards he went to st. Paul S
School, and in due course to the Uni
versity at Cambridge. He got on so
rapidly with his studies that it is said
he was s'ripe scholar and agood one
before he was twenty-one years of age.
His talent for poetry showed itself
very early-"at the age of ten," says
one writer and his fond father was
so proud of him that he employed jan
sen to paint his portrait--a half-length
in laced ruffles. From the time of his
leaving Cambridge, John Milton resid-
ed with his father on an estate which
the latter had purchased at Horton, in
the county of Bucks. In 1887, on the
death of his mother, he got permits
sion to visit Italy, on musical as well
as poeticai tour, to collect for his faith
er the works of the great masters of
one art, while he gained personal ex-
perience in the other by intercourse
with learned persons there. 81 had
determined, says he, "to lay up, as
the best treasure and sOlace of good
old age, if God vouchsafe it to me, the
honest liberty Of free speech"
The next long stage in Millions life
was his being secretary to Oliver Crom-
well, for which he had very moder-
ate salary.
In 1913 he married Mary, daughter
of Richard Powell, Esq, of Forest Hill,
in Oxfordshire. On her death he be-
came blind, and married for the sec.
ond time Catherine, the daughter OF
CAPTAIN Woodcock of Hackney.
After the death of Cromwell and the
restoration of Charles H., Milton was
a marked man. But he was now poor
and blind, and no one could pursue
with violence an enemy cast down by
fortune and disarmed by nature.
Milton now turned the whole force
of his early poetic genius to the work
| ing out of the dream of hi0 boyhood-
the writing Of a grand poem.
Thus, till his siXtieth year, so little
! impatient was he of securing fame by
that very gift on which he most val
! ued himself, that the whole of his pub
Iished poems scarcely made hundred
pages of print.
Now he felt-poor blind man THAT
it was with him, so his daughter wrote
while he composed.
Paradise Lost was published in 1867
Paradise Regained and Samson Agon
istes, Tragedy, three years after
wards. These, with L'Allegro, II Pen
serosa, Lycidas, Comus, the Sonnets
with few Juvenile poems in Latin,
Italian and English, completed his
poetical works.
He died peacefully, in 1874, at his
house in Bunhill Fields; and was
buried next to his father, in the chan
Gel of st. Giles, at Cripplegate.
One moral which young readers may
draw for themselves from John MIL
toms life is-that youth is the time fol
book-learning and industry and Their
! whatever may be the troubles or re
verses of after-life or old age, MIND
well-stored in early days can give con
ISOLATION and cheerfulness, as the poet
found, even when he was aged, pool
and blind.