New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-14
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
- rrrp vr,ps OF MILTON.


oonnelled the illustrious poet to avoid Impending
Ir,cr bv n secret fight from his house afsd takihR
,eG,ce in an obscure part of London The place OF
his retirement and abscondence" was the mouse OF
friend in Bartholomew Close, the name OF qua'hi
and ancient labyrinth of tcnements. whieh dS'eo
from the twelfth century. IL was OF httle cohse-
oYence "a Milton, now blind and approaching the
verge of threeseoro years in what dingy recess from
any of the city thorohghfares he was huddied away
for safety. 1t is not improbable that ne NAV nave
been shifted from one hidng-place 10 another III
the tangled wilderness of London. The irenu VIM
furnished him with a retreat is not known. Inc
kindness involved great risk, With constant Anxiety
and vigilance from day to day. malicious or H.
discreet servant might have ruined everything
One NAV fancy a small, quiet family managing
among themselves and willing to do anything lor
their oucst as much for hIs own sake as Tor ahN
rocompense and SO. in some small ROOM tne
walls of which he could feel round in his darkness
rouch alone and hearing of the outside world only
through tic family. or through some fditlIu
stealthv visitor, such as Cyrack Skinner or An
drew Marvel coming from Westminster at night
Milton waited TO know his fate" For more tl"n
three months he lived in that little ROOM listening
for footstcp4, and uncertain whether be was ue7-
tined 10 1--we or die. There had been royallSt
p,nn,lcts which exultiugy prophesied on the eve
of thu Restoration lflil MiilDH "N'''''
Going 10 I yburn in a cart. Everybody eNpec'e"
Il Milton himself must have expected H.
'rhe imagination of his owD execution, TO the i"'V
chostlv particular of cant ladder. bangnah' rope
and the yelling multitude that should see h'in'
though unseen By him. must have passed through
Nil,op's mind during those three months and three
weeks of his hiding in Bartholomew Close"
The escape of Milton after the Restoration has
always been historical puzzle. He had taken
such decided ground against Salmaslus ana othefS
~, the question of the Kings death, had show
such violence AGAINST the Royal Family ar
AGAINST monarchy itself that, as Burnct quaint
remarks It was through strange omission II ne
was forgot and an odd strain Of ciemehcy u 1t WAS
intended he should be forgiven" Milton, however
tbonob ne did not suffer the extremity OF the law,
was doomed. for a while, 70 experience tie Ins'uo
ola prison. The date OF his arrest is uncertain IL
yos ,bout the time Of the trais of the rcslcidcs
and the hanging and ouartering of the leaders most
~ whom Milton had known, and with some OF
,vho,o Le must have been familiar During the
lorr,r of that week of blncdshed he was probably
safely i,nmurcl so that the mohs returning nom
the executions could rot meet HIM bV cilahce III ''o
Lcvyavs and salute him as the blind regicide, who
had been left unhangcd.
On being restored to liberty in December, lG6O,
Milton did not return to his former residence out
took houso in Hoborn, Red Lion Fields INC
now house. winch was occupied only until a more
suitoble one could be found, must have been some
email tc,r,n.ut near the hustle Of the Red Lion Inn,
with tbe Fields behind il. There he began life over
agaln after the Restoration. looking about WIN
Iii, blind eyes on the havoc caused by that event.
How long he remained in this temporary aDode Is
uncertain. Probably but few months Wheh TIC
,o,ed 70 levin street. 1t is easy to account for
Il. = raSiI
ouie. mart Of the city just beyond the walls and
NOT far from his native street where he had hrs SET
mn as a householder one-and-twenty years before
o,d vnor. he had spent seven of the busiest years
of his iyatc life when he Jealous sherentoi
the Long Parliament and pamphleeer IN Its inter
est. He would now 60 back to that neighborhood
and be again at n distance from ~i1ieldll Giid lbs
associations. Jewin Street still exists. narrowlsh'
slightly winding, and not untidy street, lew steps
from tie, sic 81 the pretty garden house. where
Milton had lived between 1910 and lOlo ana mo
which he had brought Mary Powell during her snort
STAY with him after their marriage. 1t was not no"
far him 10 concern himself about public matters
or to publish his thoughts about the proceedings
at Whitehall lie must employ his time "'h'i"'S7'
Niyht and day, evening ana morning nc must ~"
she his quiet studcs, though IN 10 such cam Vi
ossnroJ o,,d confirmed Republican liberty as be had
fcndis imagined, but amid the WRECKS OF hoer'V'
with chastIv heads exposed spikes within mile
or two of his dwelling, and with the roar OF Court
debauchery and city debauchery close to his ears"
Tho Restoration, Of course. had brought great
ch,uce in Millions pecuniary circumstances. lie
had before possessed about $1,000 III cash invest
uopt bo hat several small pieces of real estate IN
tovn and country. worth perhaps about $50
wear; and lie WAS in receipt moreover OF about
COCO Of official income for his secretaryship. This
ycas about the same a. at the present day. tllOOo
or sn in hank about $500 year IN rental, ana
r-oo of official income. This mostly destroyed
lv tho Restoration. His official income. OF course,
then ceased entirely. His rentals and interest on
Investments partly in Government securities were
greatly diminished lie probably retained only
about 81 500 in money. with yearly rents TO the
omount Of about l. 100 from other property. At the
avergc rate Of interest in those days he Wonld de-
,iye about Gl00 a year from his capital OF tl,5oo,
which. added to his rental from other property
vonld give him about goo year TO 1--we on, with
am, tonriing his savings Thus though Millions
losses had boon such as might lave broke any
uc,son less frugal and temperate than himself" 1t
seems perfectly accurate TO say that he had still
-, considerable estate, all things considered"
With regard 10 the family of Milton at this period.
Mr. Moxson presents sons interesting particulars -
io,,cvcr Nilton's three daughters may have been
disn,scd of during his time Of ahscondence and al
ard during bis temporary staY ~ folhon they
,yrrc certainly with him III his house IN JewlnSt In
the end of 1862 Anne, the eldest was IN her seven
trefth year. with handsome lace, but lame aud
d,forucd and with defect IN her speech; Mary;
The second had Just reached her fifteenth year. and
,vas active enough and Deborah. the Youngest, ana
the lkcst to her father, was only IN her eleventh
Medicines for ten years. and the youngest rcmcm-
HIRING nothing of her mother, the education of the
noo, Girls had been none Of the hest. They had re-
c,lvcd some kind of nursing in the house IN Petty
Francc i'm the first years of their fathers wdowcr
hood and blindness, when he bad 90 depend - ser
vents. they had doubtless been better tende0Hhere
6~rn0 the wear Of his second marriage, when his