The Life of John Milton, Volume 5 (of 7), 1654-1660: Narrated in Connexion with the Political, Ecclesiastical, and Literary History of His TimeMasson, David
History
The Life of John Milton, Volume 5 (of 7), 1654-1660: Narrated in Connexion with the Political, Ecclesiastical, and Literary History of His Time
Masson, David
Milton, John, 1608-1674; Poets, English -- Early modern, 1500-1700 -- Biography
The mission of BRADSHAW to Russia was not the only incident in the
Protector's diplomatic service about this time in which Milton, as
Foreign Secretary Extraordinary, may have felt an interest. MORLAND,
after having been in Switzerland for about a year and a half on the
business that had grown out of his original Piedmontese mission, had
been at length recalled, leaving the Swiss agency, as before, in the
hands of PELL by himself. He had been back in London since Dec. 1656,
had attended the Council several times to give full and formal report
of his proceedings, and had also appeared before the great Committee
for the Collection for the Piedmontese Protestants, and presented his
accounts of the moneys received and expended. All that he had done
met with high approbation; and, by way of reward in kind, it was
voted by the Council, May 5, 1657, that he should have £700 for 'the
charge of paper, printing, and cutting of the maps, for 2000 copies
of his History,' and the whole of the profits of that book. Morland's
_History of the Evangelical Churches of Piemont_, which appeared
in the following year, was therefore a State publication the
copyright of which was made over to the author. More munificent still
was the reward of the services of MEADOWS in Portugal. His special
mission having been successfully accomplished, and ordinary consular
duty in Lisbon having been put into good hands, he too had returned
to London, but only to be designated at once (Feb. 24, 1656-7) for
another mission of importance. This was that mission to the King of
Denmark which Cromwell had promised in his letter to the King of Dec.
1656, but for which a suitable person had not then been found. To
Meadows, fresh from Portugal, the appointment to Denmark was in
itself a high compliment; but there were very substantial
accompaniments. His allowance in his new mission was to be £1000 a
year; a special sum of £400 was voted for the expense of his journey;
and it was ordered that, for his able discharge of his Portuguese
mission, £100 a year should be settled on him and his for ninety-nine
years--a vote partly commuted a few days afterwards (March 19) into a
present money-payment of £1000. For DURIE, who was also now back in
England, and indeed close to Milton in Westminster, after another of
his roving missions, first through Switzerland, and then in other
parts, there was to be no employment so distinguished as that found
for Meadows. It was enough that he should be at hand for any farther
service of propagandism in behalf of his life-long idea of a
Pan-Protestant Union. Of two new diplomatic appointments that were
soon to be made, both above Durie's mark, we shall hear in time. The
most splendid diplomatic appointment of all in the Protector's
service had, as we already know (ante p. 114), just received an
increase of dignity. The Scottish COLONEL WILLIAM LOCKHART, the
husband of Cromwell's niece, and his Ambassador at the Court of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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