"her company the remaining part of the "fummer; which was granted, upon a pro"mife of her return at Michaelmas." Milton was too busy to much mifs his wife: he pursued his ftudies; and now and then visited the Lady Margaret Leigh, whom he has mentioned in one of his fonnets. At last Michaelmas arrived; but the Lady had no inclination to return to the fullen gloom of her husband's habitation, and therefore very willingly forgot her promife. He fent her a letter, but had no answer; he fent more with the fame fuccefs. It could be alledged that letters miscarry; he therefore dispatched a meffenger, being by this time too angry to go himself. His meffenger was fent back with fome contempt. The family of the Lady were Cavaliers. In a man whose opinion of his own merit was like Milton's, lefs provocation than this might have raised violent refentment. Milton foon determined to repudiate her for disobedience; and, being one of those who could easily find arguments to justify inclination, published (in 1644) The Doctrine and Difcipline of Divorce; which was followed by The Judgement of Martin Bucer, concerning Divorce; and the next year, his Tetrachordon,, Expofitions upon the four chief Places of Scripture which treat of Marriage. This innovation was oppofed, as might be expected, by the clergy, who, then holding their famous affembly at Westminster, procured that the author fhould be called before the Lords; "but that House," fays Wood, "whether approving the doctrine, or not favouring his accufers, did foon difmifs "him." There feems not to have been much written against him, nor any thing by any writer of eminence. The antagonist that appeared is ftyled by him, a Serving Man turned Solicitor. Howel in his letters mentions the new doctrine with contempt; and it was, I fuppofe, thought more worthy of derifion than of confutation. He complains of this neglect in two fonnets, of which the firft is contemptible, and the fecond not excellent. From From this time it is observed that he became an enemy to the Prefbyterians, whom he had favoured before. He that changes his party by his humour is not more virtuous than he that changes it by his intereft; he loves himfelf rather than truth. His wife and her relations now found that Milton was not an unrefifting fufferer of injuries; and perceiving that he had begun to put his doctrine in practice, by courting a young woman of great accomplishments, the daughter of one Doctor Davis, who was however not ready to comply, they refolved to endeavour a re-union. He went fometimes to the house of one Blackborough, his relation, in the lane of St. Martin's-le-Grand, and at one of his usual vifits was surprised to see his wife come from another room, and implore forgiveness on her knees. He refifted her intreaties for a while: "but partly," fays Philips, "his own generous nature, more "inclinable to reconciliation than to perfeve"rance in anger or revenge, and partly the ftrong interceffion of friends on both fides, "foon brought him to an act of oblivion and 66 "a firm league of peace." It were injurious to omit, that Milton afterwards received her father and her brothers in his own house, when they were diftreffed, with other Royalifts. He published about the fame time his Areopagitica, a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the liberty of unlicensed Printing. The danger of fuch unbounded liberty, and the danger of bounding it, have produced a problem in the fcience of Government, which human understanding feems hitherto unable to folve. If nothing may be published but what civil authority fhall have previously approved, power must always be the standard of truth; if dreamer of innovations may propaevery gate his projects, there can be no settlement; if every murmurer at government may dif fufe difcontent, there can be no peace; and if every sceptick in theology may teach his follies, there can be no religion. The remedy against these evils is to punish the authors; for it is yet allowed that every fociety may punish, though not prevent, the publication of opinions, which that fociety fhall think pernicious; but this punishment, though though it may crufh the author, promotes the book; and it seems not more reasonable to leave the right of printing unrestrained because writers may be afterwards cenfured, than it would be to fleep with doors unbolted, because by our laws we can hang a thief. But whatever were his engagements, civil or domeftic, poetry was never long out of his thoughts. About this time (1645) a collection of his Latin and English poems appeared, in which the Allegro and Penferofo, with fome others, were first published. He had taken a larger houfe in Barbican for the reception of scholars; but the nume rous relations of his wife, to whom he generoufly granted refuge for a while, occupied his rooms. In time, however, they went "and the house again," fays Philips, "now looked like a house of the Muses only, though the acceffion of scholars was not great. Poffibly his having proceeded fo far " in the education of youth may have been "the occafion of his adverfaries calling him away; 66 66 "pe |