was occasionally driven to look deeper into my worm-eaten folio; and I found it operæ pretium. It foon fully caught my attention; and I value it much above its price, for the pleasure and gratification which it afforded me. To make fome extracts from it, (not without a view to Milton,) was my medicinal occupation of the month of November, in last year. Thefe are now before me; and, to fay fomething to you from them on the book itself, and the probability of our great poet's early acquaintance with it, and predilection for it, fhall be my employment of the fame returning feason.

The folio edition of Sylvefter's Du Bartas was published in 1621; when Milton was juft at the age of thirteen. It was accompanied with highly encomiaftic teftimonials of its merit from the Laudati Viri of the times; as Ben Jonson, Daniel, Davis of Hereford, Hall afterwards Bishop

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Bishop of Exeter, Vicars, and others *. I would fuppofe that Milton, who was an early and paffionate reader, became acquainted with this edition of Sylvefter's Du Bartas on its first publication; and that he then perused it with the avidity of a young poetical mind; hence, perhaps,

Smit with the love of SACRED SONG.

I am not, indeed, without an opinion,

* Drayton dedicated his MIRACLES OF MOSES to Sylvefter and Du Bartas.

Salluft, to thee, and Sylvefter thy friend,

Comes my high poem peaceably and chaste;

Your hallow'd labours humbly to attend,

That wreckful Time shall not have power to waste.

+ Milton tells us himself, that, from his twelfth year, he was fo paffionately fond of reading, as hardly ever to retire from his books to bed before midnight; which laid the foundation of his blindnefs." Pater me puerulum humaniorum literarum "ftudiis deftinavit; quas ITA AVIDE ARRIPUI, ut, 66 AB ANNO ÆTATIS DUODECIMO, vix unquam "ante mediam noctem a lucubrationibus difcede" rem; quæ prima oculorum pernicies fuit, &c." DEFENSIO SECUNDA.

that

that the true origin of PARADISE LOST is, in this respect, to be traced primarily to SYLVESTER'S DU BARTAS; and I would precifely reverse Dr. Farmer's obfervation, by fuppofing, that this led to "Milton's great poem;" not only by awakening his paffion for facred poefy, but by abfolutely furnishing what Dr. Johnfon, in his preface to Lauder's Pamphlet, terms the PRIMA STAMINA of PARADISE LOST. This idea occurred to me, before I had observed by whom the book in question was printed. And it certainly corroborated it, when I found it recorded, at the end of the book, to have been

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printed by Humfrey Lownes, dwelling on "Bread-street-bill." At this time Milton was actually living with his father in Bread-street; and it is very poffible that

* Humfrey Lownes, printer and stationer, dwelt at the Star, on Bread-street-hill, from the year 1613. His predeceffor in the house was Peter Short, printer; among the books printed by whom, as noticed by Ames, is, " 1598, Part of Du Bartas's Divine "Weeks, tranflated by Joshua Sylvefter:"

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his early love of books made him a fre quent vifitor to his neighbour the printer, who, from his addrefs to the reader

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The name of JOSHUA SYLVESTER is garland nough to hang before this doore; a name worthily dear to the prefent age, to pofterity, I do not therefore go about to apologize for this work, or to commend it: it shall speak for itself louder than others friendhip or envy. I only advertite my reader, that, fince the death of the author, (if at leaft it be fafe to fay thofe men are dead, whopever furvive in their living monuments,) I have, carefully fetched together all the dispersed iffue of that divine wit, as thofe which are well worthy to live (like brethren) together under one fair roof, that may both challenge time and outwear, it. I durft not conceal the harmless fancies of his inoffenúve youth, which himself had devoted to filence and forgetfulness. It is fo much the more glory to that worthy fpirit, that he, who was fo happy in thofe youthful strains, would yet turn and confine his pen to none but holy and religious ditties. Let the prefent and future times enjoy fo profitable and pleafing a work; and, at once honour the author, and thank the editor.

appears

appears to have been a man of a poetical taste; and who, as fuch, was probably much ftruck with our young poet's early attention to books, and his other indications of genius.

I have never seen Du Bartas's poems in their original French. They have been much condemned by fome critics; and it has been faid "on ne trouve dans fes "ouvrages ni invention ni genie poeti"que." The ftyle of them has also been cenfured as ampoulé. By others they have been as much applauded and approved *. It is probable that Milton, before he wrote his great poem, had feen them in the original; but this is a very immaterial confideration. To the English Du BARTAS we certainly must trace him, in fome of

* Gulielmus Salluftius Do BARTAS, poemate Gallico de Creatione Mundi edito, tantum fibi gloriæ concivit, ut intra quinque et fex annos tricies editio redintegrari neceffe haberet.

HOFMAN.

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