University of Virginia Library

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PASSAGES
By JOHN MILTON.

FOR although a poet, soaring in the high region of his
fancies, with his garland and singing-robes about him,
might, without apology, speak more of himself than I mean
to do; yet for me sitting here below in the cool element of
prose, a mortal thing among many readers, of no empyreal
conceit, to venture and divulge unusual things of myself, I
shall petition to the gentler sort, it may not be envy to me.
I must say, therefore, that 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 this latter, the style, by certain
vital signs it had, was likely to live. But much latelier, in
the private academies of Italy, whither I was favored to resort,
perceiving that some trifles which I had in memory,
composed at under twenty or thereabout (for the manner is
that every one must give some proof of his wit and reading
there), met with acceptance above what was looked for;
and other things which I had shifted in scarcity of books
and conveniences, to patch up amongst them, were received
with written encomiums, which the Italian is not forward to
bestow on men of this side the Alps, I began thus far to

assent both to them and divers of my friends here at home,
and not less to an inward prompting, which now grew daily
upon me, that by labor and intent study, (which I take to be
my portion in this life,) joined with the strong propensity
of nature, I might perhaps leave something so written, to
after-times, as they should not willingly let it die. These
thoughts at once possessed me, and these other; that if I
were certain to write as men buy leases, for three lives and
downward, there ought no regard be sooner had than to
God's glory, by the honor and instruction of my country.
For which cause, and not only for that I knew it would be
hard to arrive at the second rank among the Latins, I applied
myself to that resolution which Ariosto followed against
the persuasions of Bembo, to fix all the industry and art I
could unite to the adorning of my native tongue; not to
make verbal curiosities the end, (that were a toilsome vanity,)
but to be an interpreter and relater of the best and
sagest things among mine own citizens throughout this
island, in the mother dialect. That what the greatest and
choicest wits of Athens, Rome, or modern Italy, and those
Hebrews of old did for their country, I, in my proportion,
with this over and above, of being a Christian, might do for
mine; not caring to be once named abroad, though perhaps I
could attain to that, but content with these British islands
as my world; whose fortune hath hitherto been, that if the
Athenians, as some say, made their small deeds great and
renowned by their eloquent writers, England hath had her
noble achievements made small by the unskilful handling of
monks and mechanics.

Time serves not now, and perhaps I might seem too profuse,
to give any certain account of what the mind at home,
in the spacious circuits of her musing, hath liberty to propose
to herself, though of highest hope and hardest attempting.
Whether that epic form, whereof the two poems of
Homer, and those other two of Virgil and Tasso are a diffuse,

and the book of Job a brief model; or whether the rules of
Aristotle herein are strictly to be kept, or nature to be followed,
which in them that know art, and use judgment, is
no transgression, but an enriching of art. And lastly, what
king or knight before the conquest, might be chosen, in
whom to lay the pattern of a Christian hero. And as Tasso
gave to a prince of Italy his choice, whether he would command
him to write of Godfrey's expedition against the infidels,
or Belisarius against the Goths, or Charlemagne against
the Lombards; if to the instinct of nature and the emboldening
of art aught may be trusted, and that there be nothing
adverse in our climate, or the fate of this age, it haply
would be no rashness, from an equal diligence and inclination,
to present the like offer in our own ancient stories. Or
whether those dramatic constitutions, wherein Sophocles
and Euripides reign, shall be found more doctrinal and exemplary
to a nation. The Scripture also affords us a divine
pastoral drama in the Song of Solomon, consisting of two
persons, and a double chorus, as Origen rightly judges; and
the Apocalypse of St. John is the majestic image of a high
and stately tragedy, shutting up and intermingling her solemn
scenes and acts with a seven-fold chorus of hallelujahs
and harping symphonies. And this my opinion, the grave
authority of Pareus, commenting that book, is sufficient
to confirm. Or if occasion should lead, to imitate those
magnific odes and hymns, wherein Pindarus and Callimachus
are in most things worthy, some others in their frame
judicious, in their matter most an end faulty. But those
frequent songs throughout the laws and prophets, beyond all
these, not in their divine argument alone, but in the very
critical art of composition, may be easily made appear over
all the kinds of lyric poesy to be incomparable. These
abilities, wheresoever they be found, are the inspired gift of
God, rarely bestowed, but yet to some (though most abuse)
in every nation: and are of power, beside the office of a
pulpit, to inbreed and cherish in a great people the seeds
of virtue and public civility; to allay the perturbations of
the mind, and set the affections in right tune; to celebrate
in glorious and lofty hymns the throne and equipage of
God's almightiness, and what he suffers to be wrought with
high providence in his church; to sing victorious agonies of
martyrs and saints, the deeds and triumphs of just and pious
nations, doing valiantly through faith against the enemies of
Christ; to deplore the general relapses of kingdoms and
states from justice and God's true worship. Lastly, whatsoever
in religion is holy and sublime, in virtue amiable or
grave, whatsoever hath passion or admiration in all the
changes of that which is called fortune from without, or the
wily subtleties and refluxes of man's thoughts from within;
all these things, with a solid and treatable smoothness, to
point out and describe. Teaching over the whole book of
sanctity and virtue, through all the instances of example,
with such delight to those especially of soft and delicious
temper, who will not so much as look upon truth herself,
unless they see her elegantly dressed; that whereas the
paths of honesty and good life appear now rugged and difficult,
though they be indeed easy and pleasant, they will then
appear to all men both easy and pleasant, though they were
rugged and difficult indeed. And what a benefit this would
be to our youth and gentry, may be soon guessed by what
we know of the corruption and bane which they suck in
daily from the writings and interludes of libidinous and
ignorant poetasters, who having scarce ever heard of that
which is the main consistence of a true poem, the choice of
such persons as they ought to introduce, and what is moral
and decent to each one, do for the most part lay up vicious
principles in sweet pills, to be swallowed down, and make
the taste of virtuous documents harsh and sour. But because
the spirit of man cannot demean itself lively in this
body, without some recreating intermission of labor and
serious things, it were happy for the commonwealth, if our
magistrates, as in those famous governments of old, would
take into their care, not only the deciding of our contentious
law cases and brawls, but the managing of our public
sports and festival pastimes, that they might be, not such as
were authorized awhile since, the provocations of drunkenness
and lust, but such as may inure and harden our bodies,
by martial exercises, to all warlike skill and performance;
and may civilize, adorn, and make discreet our minds, by
the learned and affable meeting of frequent academies, and
the procurement of wise and artful recitations, sweetened
with eloquent and graceful enticements to the love and
practice of justice, temperance, and fortitude, instructing
and bettering the nation at all opportunities, that the call of
wisdom and virtue may be heard everywhere, as Solomon
saith: “She crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the
streets, in the top of high places, in the chief concourse,
and in the openings of the gates.” Whether this
may not be only in pulpits, but after another persuasive
method, at set and solemn paneguries, in theatres, porches,
or what other place or way may win most upon the people,
to receive at once both recreation and instruction; let them
in authority consult. The thing which I had to say, and
those intentions which have lived within me, ever since I
could conceive myself anything worth to my country, I return
to crave excuse, that urgent reason hath plucked from
me, by an abortive and foredated discovery. And the accomplishment
of them lies not but in a power above man's to
promise; but that none hath by more studious ways endeavored,
and with more unwearied spirit that none shall, that I
dare almost aver of myself, as far as life and free leisure will
extend; and that the land had once enfranchised herself
from this impertinent yoke of prelacy, under whose inquisitorious
and tyrannical duncery no free and splendid wit can
flourish. Neither do I think it shame to covenant with any
knowing reader, that for some few years yet I may go on
trust with him toward the payment of what I am now indebted,
as being a work not to be raised from the heat of
youth, or the vapors of wine; like that which flows at
waste from the pen of some vulgar amorist, or the trencher-fury
of a rhyming parasite; nor to be obtained by the invocation
of dame Memory and her syren daughters; but by
devout prayer to that eternal Spirit, who can enrich with
all utterance and knowledge, and sends out his seraphim
with the hallowed fire of his altar, to touch and purify
the lips of whom he pleases. To this must be added industrious
and select reading, steady observation, insight into all
seemly and generous arts and affairs; till which in some
measure be compassed, at mine own peril and cost, I refuse
not to sustain this expectation from as many as are not loth
to hazard so much credulity upon the best pledges that I
can give them. Although it nothing content me to have
disclosed thus much beforehand, but that I trust hereby to
make it manifest with what small willingness I endure to
interrupt the pursuit of no less hopes than these, and leave a
calm and pleasing solitariness, fed with cheerful and confident
thoughts, to embark in a troubled sea of noises and
hoarse disputes; from beholding the bright countenance of
truth in the quiet and still air of delightful studies, to come
into the dim reflection of hollow antiquities sold by the
seeming bulk, and there be fain to club quotations with men
whose learning and belief lies in marginal stuffings; who
when they have, like good sumpters, laid you down their
horse-load of citations and fathers at your door, with a rhapsody
of who and who were bishops here or there, you may
take off their pack-saddles, their day's work is done, and
episcopacy, as they think, stoutly vindicated. Let any gentle
apprehension that can distinguish learned pains from
unlearned drudgery, imagine what pleasure or profoundness
can be in this, or what honor to deal against such adversaries.
But were it the meanest under-service, if God, by his
secretary, conscience, enjoin it, it were sad for me if I should
draw back; for me especially, now when all men offer their
aid to help, ease, and lighten the difficult labors of the
Church to whose service, by the intentions of my parents and
friends, I was destined of a child, and in mine own resolutions,
till coming to some maturity of years, and perceiving
what tyranny had invaded the Church, that he who would
take orders, must subscribe slave, and take an oath withal;
which unless he took with a conscience that would retch, he
must either strait perjure, or split his faith; I thought it
better to prefer a blameless silence, before the sacred office
of speaking, bought and begun with servitude and forswearing.