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! 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"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 66 66 66 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 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 hel"met, as Homer calls it, of ob 66 66 scurity, and would soon cause My hasting days fly on with full career, "me to throw it off, if there 66 were nothing else in it but an "affected and fruitless curiosity "of knowing; and then a na"tural desire of honour and recr 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 humour, 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, 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 66 early entering into some cre"dible employment, and no 66 thing 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 con trary 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, 66 some "How soon hath Time, &c." The latter draught is as follows. "SIR, "Besides that in sundry other respects I must acknowledge me to profit by you whenever we "meet, you are often to me, and 66 66 were yesterday especially, as a r good watchman to admonish "that the hours of the night pass on, (for so I call my life as yet obscure and unservice"able to mankind,) and that the day with me 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 therefore think myself more winning presentments of "bound, though unasked, to Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth, That I to manhood am arriv'd so near, cr 66 66 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 66 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 66 5 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 10 me as I am, lest having thus "tired you singly, I should deal 66 worse with a whole congrega"tion, and spoil all the patience "of a parish: for I myself do "not only see my own tedious"ness, but now grow offended "with it, that has hindered me "thus long from coming to the "last and best period of my letand that which must now chiefly work my pardon, that "I am your true and unfeigned "friend." "ter, 2. Stol'n on his wing my three and twentieth year!] Mr. Bowle cites Shakespeare, All's well that ends well, act v. s. 2. -On our quick'st decrees Steals, ere we can effect them. And Mr. Warton, Juvenal, Sat. ix. 128. -dum bibimus, dum serta, unguenta, puellas Poscimus, obrepit non intellecta se nectus. But the application of steal in this sonnet, as Mr. Warton remarks, is different. In Shakespeare and Juvenal, Time and Old Age come imperceptibly. upon us and our purposes. In Milton, Time as imperceptibly and silently carries off on his wing, in his flight, the poet's twenty-third year. E. 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, Guard them, and him within protect from harms. The *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 the 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." spare 5 10 K. Rich. Marshal, ask yonder knight 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. Boot. cap. 25. edit. Kuhnii. |