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to the lands of Theocritus and of Homer, he therefore did not for a moment hesitate to forego, but hastening homewards, arrived in London after an absence of about fifteen months, nearly at the time when Charles renewed the war with the Scots, in which his forces were defeated by General Lesley, in August, 1639.* He took part, as it is needless to say, with those of his countrymen who were opposed to the bishops and the king; but not in arms. Relying upon God, they, indeed,' he says, 'repelled servitude with the most justifiable war; of which praise though I claim no share, I can yet easily defend myself from the charge, if any such be brought against me, either of timidity or of indolence. For I declined the toils and dangers of war, for no reason but that I might, with much more effect and not less danger to myself, assist my countrymen in another way, and show a spirit neither dejected by misfortune, nor more than justly apprehensive of calumny, or even of death. As from a child I had been devoted to the more liberal studies, and was always stronger in intellect than body, declining the labors of the camp, in which any robust common soldier would easily have surpassed me, I betook myself to those weapons with which I could do most execution, that, by bringing into action, not the inferior, but if I were wise, the better and more efficient part of my nature, I might do the utmost in my power for my country and her excellent cause.'†

* Ibid. p. 232.

Atque illi quidem Deo perinde confisi, servitutem honestissimis armis pepulêre; cujus laudis etsi nullam partem mihi viudico, à reprehensione tamen vel timiditatis vel ignaviæ, si qua infertur, facilè

It was not immediately, however, that Milton could exert himself in the way he proposed. But as soon as the parliament, which Charles was obliged to assemble, had lessened the restraints of the press, every mouth,' he tells us, was opened against the bishops. Some complained of their personal vices, some of the vice of the order itself. It was wrong, they maintained, that they alone should differ from all the reformed churches besides; that the church should be governed according to the example of the brethren, but, above all, by the word of God. At the sight of these things, I was indeed aroused, and when I perceived that the right way to liberty was taken, that if discipline beginning from religion held its course to the morals and institutions of the commonwealth, the advance would be direct from these beginnings, by these steps, to the deliverance of the whole life of man from slavery; as also I had taken care from my youth above all things not to be ignorant of law, human or divine, and had considered with myself whether I should ever be useful at all, if I should now be wanting to my country, to the church, and to so many brethren exposing themselves

me tueor. Neque enim militiæ labores et pericula sic defugi, ut non aliâ ratione, et operam, multò utiliorem, nec minore cum periculo, meis civibus navarim, et animum dubiis in rebus neque demissum unquam, neque ullius invidiæ, vel etiam mortis plus æquo metuentem præstiterim. Nam cùm ab adolescentulo humanioribus essem studiis, ut qui maximè deditus, et ingenio semper quàm corpore validior, posthabitâ castrensi operâ, quâ me gregarius quilibet robustior facilè superâsset, ad ea me contuli, quibus plus potui; ut parte mei meliore ac potiore, si saperem, non deteriore, ad rationes patriæ, causamque hanc præstantissimam quantum maximè possem momentum accederem.' Ibid. p. 199.

to danger for the sake of the gospel; I resolved, although I was then intent upon other objects, to bestow upon them my whole mind, the whole strength of my application.'*

The first fruits of this resolution appeared in a piece published at London in 1641, entitled, 'Of Reformation touching Church Discipline in England, and the Causes that hitherto have hindered it. In two Books. Written to a Friend.' In the same year, five presbyterian divines published a treatise against episcopacy, which they called An Answer to a Book, entitled, "An humble Remonstrance;" in which the Original of Liturgy and Episcopacy is discussed, and Queries propounded concerning both; the Parity of Bishops and Presbyters in Scripture demonstrated; the Occasion of their Imparity in Antiquity discovered; the Disparity of the ancient and our modern Bishops manifested; the antiquity of ruling Elders in the Church vindicated; the prelațical Church bounded. Written by Smectymnuus;' a quaint title, and a quaint device

* Ut primùm loquendi saltem cœpta est libertas concedi, omnia in episcopos aperiri ora; alii de ipsorum vitiis, alii de ipsius ordinis vitio conqueri; iniquum esse, se solos ab ecclesiis omnibus, quotquot reformatæ sunt, discrepare; exemplo fratrum, sed maximè ex verbo Dei, gubernari ecclesiam convenire. Ad hæc sanè experrectus, cùm veram affectari viam ad libertatem cernerem, ab his initiis, his passibus, ad liberandam servitute vitam omnem mortalium, rectissimè procedi, si ab religione disciplina orta, ad mores et instituta reipublicæ emanaret, cùm etiam me ita ab adolescentiâ parâssem, ut quid divini, quid humani esset juris, ante omnia possem non ignorare, meque consuluissem ecquando ullius usûs essem futurus, si nunc patriæ, immo verò ecclesiæ totque fratribus, evangelii causâ periculo sese objicientibus, deessem, statui, etsi tunc alia quædam meditabar, huc ouine ingenium, omnes industriæ vires transferre.' Ibid. pp. 232, 233.

for intimating who were its writers. The authors were Stephen Marshal, Edmund Calamy, Thomas Young, Matthew Newcomen, and William Spurstow, of the initials of whose names the celebrated appellation, Smectymnuus, is composed. The Humble Remonstrance,' to which they replied, was the work of Dr Joseph Hall, bishop of Norwich.

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Against the Smectymnuans, archbishop Usher wrote a piece, which Milton and one of his biographers, Todd, call a Confutation;' which another of his biographers, Birch correctly styles the 'Original of Bishops and Metropolitans;' and still a third, Symmons, The Apostolical Institution of Episcopacy.' A Defence of the humble Remonstrance' was also published by bishop Hall. The learning of these distinguished and able men confessedly bore hard upon the presbyterians, and Milton, the only man of his party equal to the contest, appeared for their support. Still in the same year, he published, with a particular reference to the arguments of Usher, two works; first, Of Prelatical Episcopacy, and whether it may be deduced from the Apostolical Times, by Virtue of those Testimonies which are alleged to that Purpose in some late Treatises s; one whereof goes under the name of James, Archbishop of Armagh; second, The Reason of Church Government urged against Prelaty. In two Books.' To the publication of Hall he replied, also in 1641, in his • Animadversions upon the Remonstrant's Defence against Smectymnuus.'

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In the beginning of 1642, a son, it is said, of bishop Hall, wrote a reply to the Animadversions,' which he

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called 'A modest Confutation against a slanderous, and scurrilous Libel.' To this, which exceeded even the work which called it forth in violence, and indulged in the most wanton abuse of Milton's private character, our author replied in a work that appears to have closed the controversy with the church, so far as it was conducted with the pen. It bore the title of An Apology against a Pamphlet called, "A modest Confutation of the Animadversions upon the Remonstrant against Smectymnuus; or, as in some copies, An Apology for Smectymnuus, with the Reason of Church Government.' It was published in 1642.*

The five controversial tracts just mentioned, compose

*The account Milton himself gives of the works already mentioned, which it will appear I have closely followed, is this:

'Primùm itaque, [the passage immediately follows that last quoted, p. xiii.] de Reformandâ Ecclesiâ Anglicanâ, duos ad amicum quendam libros conscripsi. Deinde, cum duo præ cæteris magni nominis episcopi suum jus contra ministros quosdam primarios assererent, ratus de iis rebus, quas amore solo veritatis, et ex officii christiani ratione didiceram, haud pejùs me dicturum, quàm qui de suo quæstu et injustissimo dominatu contendebant, ad hunc, libris duobus, quorum unus de Episcopatu Prælatico, alter de Ratione Disciplinæ Ecclesiasticæ inscribitur, ad illum, scriptis quibusdam Animadversionibus, et mox Apologiâ, respondi; et ministris facundiam hominis, ut ferebatur, ægrè sustinentibus, suppetias tuli; et ab eo tempore, si quid postea responderent, interfui.' Prose Works, vol. V. p. 233.

'First, therefore, I wrote, Of the Reformation of the English Churc h two books, to a friend. Next, as two bishops of great reputation above the rest, asserted their cause against certain leading ministers, and I was persuaded that upon subjects which I had studied solely from the love of truth and a sense of Christian duty, I should not write worse than they who contended for their own lucre and most iniquitous domination; to one of them, I replied in two books, one of which was entitled, Of Prelatical Episcopacy, the other, Of the Reason of Church Government; to the other, in certain Animadversions, and