Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1796 edition. Excerpt: ... THE LIFE O F MILTON. Part I. V ETA PRECORSE, E LA SPERANZA; E PRESTI PAREANO I FIOR, QUANDO N' USCIRO I FRUTTI. TASSO. THE character of MILTON has been scrutinized with all the minuteness of investigation, which opposite pasiions could suggest. The virulent antagonist and the enraptured idolater have pursued his steps with equal pertinacity: nor have we wanted men of learning and virtue, who, devoid of prejudice and enthusiasm, both in politics and in poetry, have endeavoured to weigh his merits exactly in the balance of truth and reason. What new light then can be thrown upon a life, whofe incidents have been so eagerly collected, and so frequently retailed ? What novelty of remark can be expected in a review of poems, whofe beauties and blemishes have been elaborately examined in critical dissertations, that almost rival in excellence the poetry they discuss ? Assuredly but little; yet there remains, perhaps, one method of giving a B degree degree of interest and illustration to the life of Milton, which it has not hitherto received; a method which his accomplished friend of Italy, the Marquis of Villa, in some measure adopted in his interesting life of Taffo; and which two engaging biographers of later date, the Abbe de Sade and Mr. Mason, have carried to greater perfection in their respective memoirs of Petrarch and of Gray. By weaving into their narrative selections of verse and profe from the various writings of thofe they wimed to commemorate, each of these affectionate memorialists may be said to have taught the poet he loved " to become his own biographeran experiment that may, perhaps, be tried on Milton with the happiest effect ! as in his works, and particularly in thofe that are at present the least known, he has spoken...
