Masson's Life of John Milton [pp. 382-394]

386 MASSO~'S LIFF OF ~OHN MILTO~ [Apnt~
Milton's name is printed in full. The pamphlets, moreover, had diverse
printers, now one, and again another being selected as the medium for
giving them to the world.
It seems somewhat singular that among the tens of thousands of contemporary pamphlets preserved in the British Museum, Prof. Masson's
indefatigable industry should not have discovered these we have mentioned, or that if they had been discovered, he should not have been led
to notice them, and, if questioning their Miltonic origin, have given his
reasons for his doubts. If they are Milton's, as we see no reason to
question, they relieve Prof. Masson of any necessity of explaining Milton's
apparent lack of employment in a busy and stirring time, and help us to
estimate the political views and sympathies of the subject of this volume.
In this connection we would suggest that there may yet be other writings
of Milton, buried in obscurity, which by due diligence may possibly be
recovered. The restoration of Charles II. to the throne would be reason
enough why, for the next quarter of a century, neither Milton nor his
friends would be disposed to recover the memory of his half-forgotten
pamphlets, and when the time came under William III. when it was safe
to collect them, it would not be surprising if some of them should have
passed beyond the reach of explorers, while others remained unidentified
or unknown.
There is, for instance, a small volume which was published under the
Protectorate of Richard Cromwell, in 1659, which has no author's name
or initials on its title page, but which bears internal evidence of being
from Milton's pen. It is entitled, "A Modest Plea for an equal Commonwealth against Monarchy," and, in the interest of the equal rights of
the Commons of England, discusses the nature of a Free State, the evils
of Primogeniture, Tythes, etc. The views herein presented are substantially the same with those contained in Milton's avowed pamphlet,-" The
Ready and Easy Way to establish a Free Commonweald~," etc., published but a few monil~s later. And it is quite significant that the author
states in his prefatory "Epistle to the Reader" that the substance of the
work was written several years before. We can readily designate portions
which obviously belong to an earlier date, probably to that period of Milton's life during which Mr. Masson is at a loss to discover how he was employed. From these the following will be read with interest in connection
with Prof. Masson's work. Speaking of the conditions of monarchy being
the best fUrm of government, he says;
"I confess, could we ii ave a i~rirlee to whom majesty might be attributed,
without profane hi~rcr6o1cs, that were a true viear or liei~tenant of God, tl~at
was not subjeet to the passions Ind inilrn~ities, much less the vices and
monstrosities of human nature, that would neither be imposed on by deeeit, nor abused by flattery, ~~hom the passions. ucither of f&ar nor affection, eould warp to the icast declivity, from what is right and honest;
whose reason could never be hiased by ally private interest or bare respect,,