The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-12-04
The Scribe'S Report.

sion of our club, who will be known as
Celeste" From her sketch of the
life of Milton-in response to questions
of November Eve take the following
% "John Milton was born in Lon.
don, December 0, 1908. He was well
educated and studied great deal. He
wrote several poems when quite young.
He spent over a Yearin travelling through
England, France and Italy, where he
spoke boldly in regard to his religion
He took an active part in the contest
between church and state, and wrote
many able articles against popery and
advocating civil and religious liberty.
When the government was changed,
after the execution of Charles l., be
was made secretary of state. His eyes,
which for long time were weak, failed
him, and he became blind in 1862; but
he still continued to write. 1t was after
this that be wrote Paradise Lost,
Paradise Regained aud Samson
Agonistes' The greater part of his
life was spent in London"
"Sylvia's sketch contains the fol-
lowing additional particulars:
Z" He had first private tutor, and at
the age of twelve was sent to st. Paul's
school. In 1925 he was entered as
pensioner at Christ's College, Cam
bridge. He was intended for the
church, but resolved to lead life of
study, with a view to authorship. Leav-
ing the University in 1852, he lived
for five years at his fathers house in
Horton, studying and reading. AT this
time were written several of his lighter
poems.n &c Paradise Lost was COM
pleted in 1867. Milton died November
S, 1874 He had been three times mar
ried, having three daughters by his first
wife"
1t was during the five years that Mil
ton spent in study after leaving the Uni
versity that he made the well-known re-
mark that he cared not ho,O late he came
into life, only that he came fit. During
his visit in Italy he made the acquaint-
ance of Calico, then prisoner in the
1nquisition, and he refers to him in
the first book of 3" Paradise Lost" as
" the Tuscan artist"
From his early years Milton enter
tanned hope which he thus expressed:
"By labor and intense study, which |
take TO be my portion in this life, |
hope to leave something so written to
after times that they shall not willingly
let it die.' This was nearly thirty
years before the fufillment of his
hope in the publication of Paradise
Lost "-an encouragement to every one
to be patient and persevering in the
pursuit of any worthy ambition.
(2) All the answers received give
the following as Miton's principal
works: Paradise Lost" :" Paradise
Regained, "'' Samson Agonistes, ," Ly-
cidas," Arcades," Comus," 81
Allegro" ell Penseroso." One men
tons, in addition to these, the Sonnet
to the Nightingale" This is one of
many sonnets which he wrote; that on
his own blindness, given above, being
another of the same collection. The
last line of the latter sonnet will be
recognized as one often quoted. Mil
toms " Hymn on the Nativity" is also
considered quite remarkable, when it
is taken into account that he wrote it
at the age of twenty-one.
60 The answers to this question agree
in giving the subject of Paradise
Lost" as the temptation and fall of our
first parents and their being driven
from Paradise. "Sylvia" gives also
the following outline of the work:
Satan and his angels rebel against
God, and are driven from heaven.
'Hurl'd headlong flaming from tn
ethereal skv. n down to bot
tomless perdition' Stunned at first,
they at length are aroused by Satan,
and begin to look forward to the future.
Satan has heard in heaven a report of
the creation of new world and a new
race of beings, and it is his plan to gain
possession of this new creation and
ruin it. Leaving hell, he travels up
ward through chaos, until at last he
sees the new world, with Adam and
Eve walking thereon, and then con-
ceives the plan of temptation. This is
soon carried out, Satan taking the form
of a serpent Then follows the fall and
Punishment from Paradise"
az "Sylvia" gives the following
answer to this question:
"The death, by drowning, of Mr.. Ed
ward King, friend of Milton, led to
the writing of Lycidas.' AT his death
a volume of poems to his memory was
published at Cambridge. Milton's
'Lycidas closes the volume"
Celeste" adds the fact that it was
while crossing the Irish Sea that Mil
toms friend was drowned. Mr.. Kings
father was secretary for Ireland; and
the young man was on his way to visit
his home.
(5) No answer came to this question.
The answer may be found in Webster's
Unabridged Dictionary, under the head
of " Noted Names of Fiction" 1t is