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AUTOBIOGRAPHY

OF

JOHN MILTON.

CHAPTER I.

BIRTH-HOME EDUCATION-SCHOOL LIFE.

A.D. I6o81625. A. ÆT. I−7.

'I WILL now mention who and whence I am. I was born at London,' of an honest family; my father was distinguished by the undeviating integrity of his life; my mother, by the esteem in which she was held, and the alms which she be

Chaucer, Spenser, and Milton, were all born in London.

2 Genere honesto,' i.e. of a good family, of generous descent. Milton, like Justice Shallow, could write himself armigero. "The arms that John Milton did use and seal his letters with were, Argent, a spread eagle with two heads gules, legg'd and beak'd sable.'Wood, vol. i. p. 262. There is a silver seal still existing with this shield impressed upon it, surmounted by the crest-a lion's claw, azure, above a helmet, grasping an eagle's head and neck, erased gules. It is in the possession of Edgar Disney, Esq., of the Hyde,

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stowed. My father destined me from a child to the pursuits of literature; and my appetite for knowledge was so voracious, that, from twelve years of age I hardly ever left my studies, or went to bed before midnight. This primarily led to my loss of sight. My eyes were naturally weak, and I was subject to frequent headaches, which, however, could not chill the ardour of my curiosity, or retard the progress of my improvement. My father had me daily instructed in the grammar school, and by other masters at home.'1

'When at your expense, my excellent father, the eloquence of the tongue of Romulus opened its stores to me, and the delights of Latium, and those high-sounding words uttered by the eloquent Greeks, which were wont to become the mouth of

Ingatestone, Essex, who inherited it from his grandfather, Dr. Disney, who inherited it from Thomas Hollis, who bought it of Mr. John Payne for three guineas in 1761. It came into the possession of the latter on the death of Foster, who married Milton's granddaughter. In the British Museum may be seen the original agreement with Simmonds for the publication of Paradise Lost, impressed with this seal. Hence Milton's father adopted the Spread Eagle as the sign of his house in Bread Street, houses being at that time not numbered, but distinguished by certain signs or emblems, a practice which is now confined to Inns and Hotels.

The Second Defence, Bohn's edition, vol. i. p. 253.

EARLY EDUCATION.

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Jupiter, you persuaded me to add the flowers of which Gaul boasts, and that speech which the new Italian pours forth from his degenerate mouth, witnessing the barbaric innovations by his very language, and the mysteries which the sacred prophet of Palestine speaks.' 1

'After I had for my first years, by the ceaseless diligence and care of my father (whom God recompense), been exercised to the tongues, and some sciences, as my age would suffer, by sundry masters and teachers, both at home and at the schools, it was found that whether aught was imposed me by them that had the overlooking, or betaken to of mine own choice in English, or other tongue, prosing or versing, but chiefly by this latter, the style by certain vital signs it had, was likely to live,' 2

'I had my time as others have who have good learning bestowed upon them, to be sent to those places where, the opinion was, it might be soonest attained; and as the manner is, was not unstudied

This is from the lines to his father, Sylvarum Liber, vi. 76–85, translated by David Masson in his Life of Milton.

2 The Reason of Church Government, p. 477.

in those authors which are most commended. Whereof, some were grave orators and historians, whose matter methought I loved indeed, but as my age then was, so I understood them; others were the smooth elegiac poets, whereof the schools are not scarce, whom both for the pleasing sound of their numerous (harmonious) writing, which in imitation I found most easy, and most agreeable to nature's part in me, and for their matter, which what it is, there be few who know not, I was so allured to read, that no recreation came to me better welcome. For that it was then those years with me which are excused, though they be least severe, I may be saved the labour to remember ye. Whence having observed them to account it the chief glory of their wit, in that they were ablest to judge, to praise, and by that could esteem themselves worthiest to love those high perfections which under one or other name they took to celebrate; I thought with myself by every instinct and presage of nature, which is not wont to be false, that what emboldened them to this task might with such diligence as they used embolden me; and that what judgment, wit, or elegance was my share,

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would herein best appear, and best value itself, by how much more wisely, and with more love of virtue I should choose (let rude ears be absent) the object of not unlike praises.

'Nor blame it, readers, in those years to propose to themselves such a reward as the noblest dispositions above other things in this life have sometimes preferred. For by the firm settling of these persuasions I became, to my best memory, so much a proficient, that if I found those authors anywhere speaking unworthy things of themselves, or unchaste of those names which before they had extolled; this effect it wrought with me, from that time forward their art I still applauded, but the men I deplored; and above them all preferred the two famous renowners of Beatrice and Laura (Dante and Petrarch), who never write but honour of them to whom they devote their verse, displaying sublime and pure thoughts without transgression. And long it was not after, when I was confirmed in this opinion, that he who would not be frustrate of his hope to write well hereafter in laudable things, ought himself to be a true poem; that is, a composition and pattern of the best and honourablest

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