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VII.

On his being arrived to the age of 23.*

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth, Stol'n on his wing my three and twentieth year!

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" as yet obscure and unservice"able to mankind) and that the "day is at hand, wherein Christ "commands all to labour while "there is light: which because "I am persuaded you do to no "other purpose than out of a "true desire that God should be "honoured in every one, I am "ever ready, you know, when "occasion is, to give you ac

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count, as I ought, though un"asked, of my tardy moving "according to the precept of my "conscience, which I firmly "trust is not without God. Yet " now I will not strain for any "set apology, but only refer " myself to what my mind shall "have at any time to declare "herself at her best ease. Yet " if you think, as you said, that "too much love of learning is " in fault, and that I have given up myself to dream away my years in the arms of studious "retirement, like Endymion "with the moon on Latmus hill; yet consider, that if it were no

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more but this, to overcome "this, there is on the other side "both ill more bewitchful to

" entice away, and natural years "more swaying, and good more "available to withdraw to that "which you wish me; as first "all the fond hopes which for"ward youth and vanity are "fledged with, none of which can sort with this Pluto's helmet, as Homer calls it, of obscurity, and would soon cause

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My hasting days fly on with full career,

But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.

"me to throw it off, if there "were nothing else in it but an " affected and fruitless curiosity " of knowing; and then a na"tural desire of honour and re"nown, which I think possesses "the breast of every scholar, as "well of him that shall, as of "him that never shall obtain it, "(if this be altogether bad,) "which would quickly oversway "this phlegm and melancholy of "bashfulness, or that other hu"mour, and prevail with me to " prefer a life, that had at least some credit in it, some place "given it, before a manner of living much disregarded and "discountenanced. There is be"sides this, as all well know, "about this time of a man's life,

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a strong inclination, be it good or no, to build up a house and family of his own in the best manner he may; to which nothing is more helpful than the early entering into some cre"dible employment, and nothing more cross than my way, which my wasting youth "would presently bethink her " of, and kill one love with an"other, if that were all. But "what delight or what peculiar "conceit, may you in charity "think, could hold out against "the long knowledge of a contrary command from above, "and the terrible seisure of him "that hid his talent? Therefore "commit grace to grace, or na"ture to nature, there will be "found on the other way more "obvious temptations to bad, "as gain, preferment, ambition, " more winning presentments of

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Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,

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That I to manhood am arriv'd so near,

"give you account, as oft as "occasion is, of this my tardy moving, according to the precept of my conscience, which "I firmly trust is not without "God. Yet now I will not " strain for any set apology, but "only refer myself to what my " mind shall have at any time to "declare herself at her best ease. "But if you think, as you said, "that too much love of learning " is in fault, and that I have given up myself to dream away my years in the arms of "studious retirement, like Endy"mion with the moon as the " tale of Latmus goes; yet con"sider that if it were no more " but the mere love of learning, "whether it proceed from a principle bad, good, or natural, it could not have held out "thus long against so strong opposition on the other side of every kind; for if it be bad, why should not all the fond hopes that forward youth and vanity are fledge with, together "with gain, pride, and ambi"tion, call me forward more powerfully, than a poor regardless and unprofitable sin "of curiosity should be able to " withhold me, whereby a man "cuts himself off from all "action, and becomes the most "helpless, pusillanimous, and unweaponed creature in the "world, the most unfit and "unable to do that which all " mortals most aspire to, either " to be useful to his friends, or "to offend his enemies. Or if "it be to be thought a natural "proneness, there is against

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"that a much more potent in"clination inbred, which about "this time of life solicits most, "the desire of house and family " of his own, to which nothing " is esteemed more helpful than "the early entering into credible "employment, and nothing more hindering than this affected "solitariness. And though this were enough, yet there is to " this another act, if not of pure, yet of refined nature no less "available to dissuade prolonged " obscurity, a desire of honour " and repute and immortal fame "seated in the breast of every "true scholar, which all make "haste to by the readiest ways " of publishing and divulging " conceived merits, as well those "that shall, as those that never "shall obtain it. Nature there"fore would presently work the " more prevalent way, if there " were nothing but this inferior "bent of herself to restrain her. "Lastly, the love of learning, as "it is the pursuit of something "good, it would sooner follow "the more excellent and supreme "good known and presented, "and so be quickly diverted " from the empty and fantastic "chase of shadows and notions " to the solid good flowing from " due and timely obedience to " that command in the Gospel " set out by the terrible seizing " of him that hid the talent. "It is more probable therefore " that not the endless delight of ،، speculation, but this very con" sideration of that great com" mandment, does not press " forward, as soon as many do

And inward ripeness doth much less appear, That some more timely-happy spirits indu'th.

Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,

:

It shall be still in strictest measure even
To that same lot, however mean or high,

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" to undergo, but keeps off with a sacred reverence and religi"ous advisement how best to " undergo; not taking thought " of being late, so it give advantage to be more fit; for those " that were latest lost nothing, "when the master of the vine"yard came to give each one "his hire. And here I am "come to a stream-head copious "enough to disburthen itself "like Nilus at seven mouths " into an ocean; but then I " should also run into a recipro"cal contradiction of ebbing " and flowing at once, and do " that which I excuse myself for "not doing, preach and not " preach. Yet that you may see " that I am something suspicious " of myself, and do take notice " of a certain belatedness in me, "I am the bolder to send

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you some of my nightward " thoughts some while since, " because they come in not " altogether unfitly, made up in ،، a Petrarchian stanza, which I " told you of.

"How soon hath Time, &c.

"By this I believe you may "well repent of having made " mention at all of this matter, " for if I have not all this while "won you to this, I have certain" ly wearied you of it. This " therefore alone may be a suf"ficient reason for me to keep

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Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven;

All is, if I have grace to use it so,

As ever in my great Task-Master's eye.

VIII.

When the assault was intended to the City.*

CAPTAIN or Colonel, or Knight in arms,
Whose chance on these defenceless doors may seize,
If deed of honour did thee ever please,
Guard them, and him within protect from harms.
He can requite thee, for he knows the charms
That call fame on such gentle acts as these,
And he can spread thy name o'er lands and seas,
Whatever clime the sun's bright circle warms.

Lift not thy spear against the Muses' bow'r:
The great Emathian conqueror bid spare

* To this sonnet we have prefixed the title, which the author himself has in the Manuscript. In the Manuscript this sonnet was written by another hand, and had this title, On his door when the City expected an assault : but this he scratched out, and wrote with his own hand, When the assault was intended to the City. The date was also added, 1642, but blotted out again: and it was in November, 1642, that thể King marched with his army as near as Brentford, and put the city in great consternation. Milton was then in his thirty-fourth year.

1.Knight in arms,] So Shakespeare, K. Richard II. act i. s. 3. where Bolingbroke enters, appellant in armour."

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K. Rich. Marshal, ask yonder knight in arms.

T. Warton.

3. If deed of honour did thee ever please, So this verse is printed in the second edition in the year 1673. In the first edition of 1645, and in the Manuscript, it stands thus,

If ever deed of honour did thee please.

10. The great Emathian conqueror &c.] When Alexander the Great took Thebes, and entirely rased the rest of the city, he ordered the house of Pindar to be preserved out of regard to his memory: and the ruins of Pindar's house were to be seen at Thebes, in Pausanias's time, who lived under Antoninus the philosopher. See Pausan. Bœot. cap. 25. edit. Kuhnii.

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