 | The Poetical Works of (Richard Monckton Milnes) Lord Houghton |  |
266
ON MILTON'S COTTAGE, AT CHALFONT ST. GILES,
WHERE HE REMAINED DURING THE GREAT PLAGUE.
Beneath this roof, for no such use designedBy its old owners, Fleetwood's banished race,
Blind Milton found a healthful resting-place,
Leaving the city's dark disease behind:—
Here, too, with studies noble and refined,
As with fresh air, his spirits he could brace,
And grow unconscious of the time's disgrace,
And the fierce plague of disappointed mind.
The gracious Muse is wont to build for most
Of her dear sons some pleasant noontide bower;
But for this One she raised a home of fame,
Where he dwelt safe through life's chill evening hour,
Above the memo'ry of his Hero lost,
His martyred brethren and his country's shame.
| The Poetical Works of (Richard Monckton Milnes) Lord Houghton | |