MARGINALIA BY E.B.B. MILTON’S PROSE WORKS

Turnbull Library Record, Volume 2, 1 July 1940, Page 5

MARGINALIA BY E. 8.8. MILTON’S PROSE WORKS

C.R.H.T.

IT is known that Elizabeth Barrett Browning was influenced at an early age by the poetry of Milton, as is indicated in the rather remarkable introduction to The Battle of Marathon written at the age of 13. She actually takes a line from Lycidas when as a young girl she wrote the tender Verses to My Brother. The effect of Milton’s prose upon so impressionable a nature is less easy to trace, and since here the present intention is to record that first impression rather than to follow its result, only that will be attempted. In the library are two volumes entitled The Prose Works of John Milton ; containing his principal political and ecclesiastical pieces, . . . London : John Miller . . . 1809. The original brown paper

binding and blue boards of both volumes still show faintly the with new translations and an introduction. By George Burnett. signature “ E. B. Barrett, 1824,” and the same is repeated on the title pages of vol. 1. Throughout, there are many notes and markings in pencil. Notes occur on 18 pages of the two volumes, and markings on 56 pages. While we have no record of the date of acquisition of the volumes, nor their sources, it is probable that they were acquired by Mr. Turnbull at the sale of the Browning library, 1913, for other books in the collection definitely were acquired then. It is most regrettable that an unfortunate accident has lost to us the greater part of the library records from 1902 to 1918 and in only a few instances can provenance be ascertained.

Whether it was that the eighteen year old Miss Barrett lost interest gradually in the heavy prose of Milton, albeit abridged, or whether the various treatises on Ecclesiastical Law attracted her, it is certain that her pencil was busiest in the first 200 pages of the first volume. Volume two was skimmed with a mere half dozen markings. With perhaps something of the elder Barrett’s aversion to the subject of marriage, she skirted entirely The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce and Tetrachordon. It was, however, probably weariness that led her to neglect only A Manifesto of the Lord Protector of the contents of this volume.

What has generally appealed to her have been well written passages, though at times matter and turn of phrase have won her approval. A few notes are insignificant in that they merely explain the occasion of the pamphlet, e.g. below Of Prelatical Episcopacy she writes “ In answer to Hall and Archbishop Usher.” Against the first two paragraphs of The Reason of Church Government, dealing with the virtue of discipline a long mark notices her interest. In the same treatise she has been struck with the writing of The Second Book, marking it at length, and describing it “ very fine ” in the margin. The passage starts : “ How happy were it for this frail, and as it may be called mortal life of man, since all earthly things which have the name of good and convenient in our daily use, are withal so cumbersome and full of trouble. ...”

The treatise Of True Religion has interested her immensely, and her final note on it is as follows : “ There is a great deal both to admire and to love in this beautiful treatise. Perhaps, however it would have been more admirable and more amiable, had the great author extended to the Papist the same leniency with which he greeted the Socinian.” Discussing “ popery ” in this publication,

Milton writes ”... the exercise of their religion, as far as it is idolatrous, can be tolerated neither way. ...” Miss Barrett’s comment is direct : “Nothing can excuse this. Milton was in my opinion a great bigot. When it suits his purpose he is for liberty, as the sacrifice of a King. If however, any of his preconceived ideas be violated, any of his ” conscientious ” notions called into ques-

tion, then it is a “ great offence to God ” an “ enable scandal” Areopagitica evoked comment as well as approving markings. Against a reference to Epicurus she writes : “ The grand idea of Epicurus, seldom understood— Thomson. Even Milton seems to be an example of this.” Anon, “ for books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a progeny of life in them ...” writes Milton, and she underlines appreciatively. Similarly does she notice the passage including “ . . . For books are as meats and viands are ; some of good, some of evil substance.” The following telling passage in Eikonoklastes in answer to Eikon Basilike (which her margin note attributes to Charles I, despite the introductory discussion of Dr. Gauden’s authorship) she marks as epitomizing in a way, the case against the king. “ He hoped by his freedom and their moderation to prevent misunderstandings. And wherefore not by their freedom and his moderation ? But

freedom he thought too high a word for them, and moderation too mean a word for himself. . . . We in the meanwhile must believe, that wisdom and reason came to him by title with his crown ; passion, prejudice and faction came to others by being subjects.”

One could continue such citations, but these examples chosen with no particular care, show something of Elizabeth Barrett’s youthful active mind in its impact upon the works of the most vivid and dynamic figure in English literature as indicated in the marginalia in the two volumes.