the narrative is abfolutely new, both with refpect to the importance of Milton's agency, and the reason given of the delay.

It is remarkable, that, in depreciating fuch of Milton's writings as thwart Dr. Johnson's political notions, the cenfure is always accompanied with fome evil imputation upon the writer's head or his heart. He obferves of his ferious tracts in general, that Hell grows darker at his frown; borrowing, to make his abufe more tafty, an expreffion from Milton himfelf. In his treatifes of civil power in ecclefiaflical cafes, and of the means of removing hirelings out of the church, "He "gratified his malevolence to the cler

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gy." In writing his pamphlet called,

I

A ready

A ready and easy way to eflablish a free commonwealth," He was fantastical enough "to think, that the nation, agitated as "it was, might be fettled by it;" and his notes upon a fermon of Dr. Griffiths, "were foolish, and the effect of kicking “when he could not strike.”

If controverfial fame were thus to be purchafed, Dr. Johnfon might be efteemed the first of writers in that province, for no man ever expreffed his abufe in a more inimitable style of abufe. And though he may fometimes create fufpicions that he has either never read, or does not underftand the writings he fo peremptorily cenfures; yet the vehicle is pleafing, and the reputation he has gained by his labours of more general utility

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utility precludes all examination, and he expects his fcandalous chronicle should be licensed and received upon his own bare word.

"For Milton to complain of evil

tongues," fays the Doctor, "required "impudence at leaft equal to his other

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powers; Milton, whose warmest ad"vocates muft allow, that he never

fpared any afperity of reproach, or bru66 tality of infolence."

Milton wrote in a public contest for public liberty: and he generally in that conteft was upon the defenfive. The af perity of his reproaches feldom exceeded the afperity of the wickedness upon which those reproaches were bestowed. Brutality

Brutality is a word of an ill found, and required fome inftances to justify the imputation of it. When these are given, we will readily join iffue in the trial, whether Milton or his adverfaries were the more brutal or more infolent. They who would reduce mankind to a brutal flavery, under the defpotifm of a lawless tyrant, forfeit all claim to the rationality of human beings; and no tongue can be called evil for giving them their proper appellation.

Neither Dr. Johnson nor we can pretend, at this distance of time, to affign the precise causes of Milton's complaint. Evil tongues are common in all times; our hiftories inform us, that the times of Charles II. were not good. Milton perhaps

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haps is not unhappy in being out of the reach of the prefent times; but whether he is, even in the present times, out of the reach of evil tongues, let the readers of the new narrative candidly judge.

Impudence is an attribute with which our Biographer hath qualified Milton more than once; and it feems to have fhocked the modefty of Dr. Johnfon that a blemish of that kind fhould deform the character of his hero.

Parcius ifta, good Doctor! Novimus et qui te-But Churchill and Kenrick are no more, and the Doctor may easily annihilate their authority by writing new narratives of what they were.

There is however, it feems, one of Milton's profe-tracts, in which the Doc

tor