! horrible
impiety. To this Milton replies: 'Tell me, thou superlative fool,
whether it be not more just, more agreeable to the rules of humanity and
the laws of all human societies, to bring a criminal, be his offence what
it will, before a court of justice, to give him leave to speak for
himself, and if the law condemns him, then to put him to death as he has
deserved, so as he may have time to repent or to recollect himself; than
presently, as soon as ever he is taken, to butcher him without more ado?'

But a king of any spirit would probably answer that he preferred to have
his despotism tempered by assassination than by the mercy of a court of
John Miltons. To which answer Milton would have rejoined, 'Despotism, I
know you not, since we are as free as any people under heaven.'

The weakest part in Milton's case is his having to admit that the
Parliament was overawed by the army, which he says was wiser than the
senators.

Milton's address to his countrymen, with which he concludes the first
defence, is veritably in his grand style:

'He has gloriously delivered you, the first of nations, from the two
greatest mischiefs of this life--tyranny and superstition. He has
endued you with greatness of mind to be First of Mankind, who after
having confined their own king and having had him delivered into their
hands, have not scrupled to condemn him judicially, and pursuant to
that sentence of condemnation to put him to death. After performing
so glorious an action as this, you ought to do nothing that's mean and
little; you ought not to think of, much less do, anything but what is
great and sublime. Which to attain to, this is your only way: as you
have subdued your enemies in the field, so to make it appear that you
of all mankind are best able to subdue Ambition, Avarice, the love of
Riches, and can best avoid the corruptions that prosperity is apt to
introduce. These are the only arguments by which you will be able to
evince that you are not such persons as this fellow represents you,
traitors, robbers, murderers, parricides, madmen, that you did not put
your king to death out of any ambitious design--that it was not an act
of fury or madness, but that it was wholly out of love to your
liberty, your religion, to justice, virtue, and your country, that you
punished a tyrant. But if it should fall out otherwise (which God
forbid), if, as you have been v