the Uneafiness in Proportion as they Felt and Complain'd of it, as He Felt His the More, the More he found Theirs Was.

As we are at a Lofs as to the Particulars of the Affair, What I have Suggested will I hope be Sufficient, Only let Me add, that That Daughter, who was Certainly One (if there was really more than One) that was Thus Serviceable to her Excellent Father in his Distress, Exprefs'd no Uneafiness, that I ever heard of, when he gave Accounts of Milton's Affairs to the Many Enquirers Lately; but on the Contrary, fpoke of him with Great Tendernefs; particularly I have been told She faid He was Delightful Company, the Life of the Converfation, and That on Account of a Flow of Subject, and an Unaffected Chearfulness and Civility. One Inftance of her Tender Remembrance of him I cannot forbear relating. the Picture in Crayons I have of him was fhown her After feveral Others, or which were Pretended to be His; when Those were shown, and She was Ask'd if She could recollect if She had ever seen Such a Face. No, No. but when This was Produc'd, in a Transport,'tis My Father, 'tis my Dear Father! I fee him! 'tis Him! and then She put her Hands to several Parts of Her Face, 'tis the very Man! Here, Here

it has been faid, This Daughter not only withdrew her Affiftance in Reading, &c. but went away to Ireland,whereSheMarried,all,not

only

only without her Father's Confent, but even his Knowledge. but I never heard 'twas upon Occafion of any Unkindness of His, Unless as having Married; That This Mother-inLaw was as Mothers-in-Law frequently are, has been Suggested to be the Caufe;

There is no End of going into Family Affairs, in which 'tis Impoffible to come At Materials to be Sufficiently Inftructed, and He must be very Impertinent, and Negligent of his Own Bufinefs that should go about it. We will have done; Leaving the General Character of my Client, his Vertue, Piety, Good Difpofition; his Good Senfe, Prudence, &c. to Finish My Plea, in This Caufe Commenc'd against him by the Pretended Friends of his Children, but in Reality by People, Malicious to His Name, or Such Who with an Affectation of Goodnefs which Cofts Them Nothing, care not if they Wound One Already Injur'd. Let These Sort of Creatures remember how Natural it is for Offenders to Juftify Themselves with Falfities and Unjuft Reproaches, which the Injur'd Father rather Chooses to Bear, than to Wipe them Off by Irrecoverably Lofing, or Ruining the Rebel; and Then, that, a Father's Love is Another Sort of a Feeling than that Counterfeit Good Nature, Pity, or whatever Other Name they affect to give to the Paffion they are under the Influence of on Such Occafions, and which perhaps is Oftener Self-Love, Ill-Nature, or Malice,

b 4

Malice, than they would willingly have it thought to be, or perhaps than they Imagine Themselves.

but Milton (So every Wife and Good Man) as thofe Elect Angels, Contented with their Fame in Heav'n, Sought not the Praife of Men:

Par. Loft. VI. 374.

and what Delight to be by Such Extoll'd, to Live upon their Tongues, and be their Talk, of whom to be Difprais'd were no fmall Praife? His Lot, who dares be Singularly Good. th'Intelligent among them and the Wife are Few, and Glory fcarce of Few is rais'd. This is true Glory and Renown, when God Looking on the Earth, with Approbation marks the Juft Man, and Divulges him through Heav'n to all his Angels, who with true Applaufe Recount his Praises. Par. Reg. III. 54.

'tis Now high time to proceed to Milton's Religious Character. if in That there are Prejudices against him, let what Wee, (Himfelf and I) have Already faid be remembred and Confider'd, without a Feeble Narrownefs of Mind, and with that Generous, Chriftian, and Philofophical Charity Himself fo Strongly Recommends, or rather which is not Only Recommended, but Commanded by the Highest Example and Authority.

As in making a Portrait, the Complexion and each particular Feature may have been

Care

Carefully enough Obferv'd and Imitated, but ftill what is Moft Important remains; the Air, the Mind, the Grace, the Dignity, the Capacity, the Vertue, Goodnefs, &c. These must be Exprefs'd as found in the Subject, 'tis Elfe an Infipid, a Bad Picture. to finish the Portrait of Milton's Mind, I must Now fay What he was with regard to Religion, Much more Important than Any of his Other Qualities. Thus to Finish in Painting, None but a Great Master Can, which, by the way, is the reafon there are fo Few Good Pictures. I will continue the fame Faithfulness I have us'd Hitherto, in what I am upon, and hope to give at least as Juft a Refemblance in what Remains, whether Beautyful or Not, and as Confpicuous to Good Eyes; which All have not who yet Fancy they See very Clearly.

that Milton Believ'd in God, that he was a Christian, and a Proteftant is Certain, but of what Denomination of all the Several Subdivifions of Thefe, or if of Any, Known and Profefs'd, is not Clear; but he Ever was a Diffenter from Our Church as by Law Established. that he had a Religious Turn of Mind, an Early Tincture of Piety is evident from what he Wrote when Young, and by all the Accounts we have of him. This has been feen Already. However I will add a Fine Paffage to this Purpose; for I am always Glad to bring him, Giving his Own Account of Himfelf, and I doubt not, but my Reader

is no lefs pleas'd, that he Should for 'Another Reason than that it comes with fuch Authentick Evidence; befides his Profe Works are but too little known. Thus he fays, entring upon a Theological Subject. if I have done Well either to be Confident of the Truth, whose Force is Beft feen against the Ableft Refiftance, or to be jealous and Tender of the Hurt that might be done among the Weaker by the intrapping Authority of Great Names titl'd to Falle Opinions; or that it be lawful to attribute fomewhat to Gifts of God's imparting, which I Boaft not, but Thankfully Acknowledge, and fear alfo leaft at my certain Account they be reckon'd to Me Many rather than Few; or if laftly it be but faftice not to defraud of due Efteem the Wearifome Labours and Studious Watchings, wherein I have spent and tir'd out almost a Whole Youth, I shall not distrust to be acquitted of Prefumption: knowing, that if Heretofore All Ages have receiv'd with Favour and good Acceptance the Earliest Industry of Him that hath been Hopeful, it were but hard Measure Now, if the Freedom of any Timely Spirit fhould be oppreft merely by the Big and Blunted Fame of his Elder Adverfary; and that His Sufficiency must be Now Sentenc'd not by Pondering the Reafon he fhews, but by calculating the Years he brings. See his Preface to his Apology for SmeƐtymnuus. in That to his Reafon of Church Government, he tells Us he was deftin'd of a Child to the Service of

the