These letters were
first made public by Captain Thompson, and
occupy about four hundred pages of the first
volume of his edition of MarvelFs works.
first made public by Captain Thompson, and
occupy about four hundred pages of the first
volume of his edition of MarvelFs works.
Marvell - Poems
XV
good sense, and conscientiousness. ^^ I have taken
care," says he, "to examine him [his pupil]
several times in the presence of Mr. Oxen-
bridge, as those who weigh and tell over money
before some witness ere they take charge of it;
for I thought there might be, possibly, some
lightness in the coin, or error in the telling,
which, hereafter, I should be bound to make
good. '* "He is of a gentle and
waxen disposition ; and God be praised, I cannot
say he hath brought with him any evil impres-
sion, and I shall hope to set nothing into his
spirit but what may be of a good sculpture. He
hath in him two things that make youth most
easy to be managed — modesty* which is the bri-
dle to vice — and emulation, which is the spur to
virtue Above all, I shall labour
to make him sensible of his duty to God ; for
then we begin to serve faithfully when we con-
sider He is our master. "
On the publication of Milton's second " De-
fence," Marvell was commissioned to present it
to the Protector. After doing so, he addressed a
letter of compliment to Milton, the terms of
which evince the strong admiration with which
his illustrious friend had inspired him. His
eulogy of the " Defence " is as emphatic as that
of the Paradise Lost, in the well-known recom-
mendatory lines prefixed to most editions of that
poem.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
XVI NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR.
In 1657, Marvell entered upon his duties as
Assistant Latin Secretary with Milton. Crom-
well died in the following year; and from this
period till the Parliament of 1660, we have no
further account of him. We have seen it stated
that he became member for Hull in 1658. But
this is not true, and would be at variance with
the statement in his epitaph, where it is said that
he had occupied that post nearly twenty years. *
Had he been first elected in 1658, he would
have been member somewhat more than that
period.
During his long parliamentary career, Marvell
maintained a close correspondence with his con-
stituents — regularly sending to them, almost every
post night during the sittings of Parliament, an
account of its proceedings.
These letters were
first made public by Captain Thompson, and
occupy about four hundred pages of the first
volume of his edition of MarvelFs works. They
are written with great plainness, and with a busi-
* Perhaps we are not to expect verbal exactness in an
epitaph, or perhaps allowance was made for the period of
Marvell's absence from his duties, but if he had not been
chosen to the Parliament of 1658-9 under Richard's Pro-
tectorate, it would be hard to explain why Marvell, in return-
ing thanks to the Corporation of Hull in a letter dated 6th
April, 1661, should say, ** I perceive you have a^^in made
choice of me, now the third time, to serve you in Parlia-
ment. " According to the statement in the text, he should
have said second. £d.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR. XVU
ness-like brevity, which must have satisfiecl, we
should think, even the most laconic of his mer-
chant constituents. Thoy ai-e chiefly valuable
now, as affording proofs of the ability and fidelity
with which their author discharged his public
duties.
Marvell's stainless probity and honour every-
where appear, and in no case more amiably than
in the unhappy misunderstanding with his col-
league, or ** his partner," as he calls him. Colonel
Gilby, in 1661, and which seems to have arisen-
out of some electioneering proceedings. With
such unrivalled talents for ridicule as Marvell
possessed, one might not unnaturally have ex-
pected that this dispute would have furnished an
irresistible tempation to some ebullition of witty
malice. But his magnanimity was far superior
to such mean retaliation. He is eager to do his
opponent the amplest justice, and to put the
fairest construction on his conduct He is fearful
only lest their private quarrel should be of the
slighest detriment to the public service. He
says — " The bonds of civility betwixt Colonel
Gilby and myself being unliappily snapped in
pieces, and in such a manner that I cannot see
how it is possible ever to knit them again : the
only trouble that I have is, lest by our mis-intel-
ligence your business should receive any disad-
vantage Truly, I believe, that as
to your public trust and the discharge thereof,.
h
Digitized by
Google
XVlll NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR.
we do each of us still retain the same princi-
ples upon which we first undertook it ; and that,
though perhaps we may sometimes differ in our
advice concerning the way of proceeding, yet we
have the same good ends in the general ; and by
this unlucky falling out, we shall be provoked to
a greater emulation of serving you. " * Yet the
offence, whatever it was, must have been.
good sense, and conscientiousness. ^^ I have taken
care," says he, "to examine him [his pupil]
several times in the presence of Mr. Oxen-
bridge, as those who weigh and tell over money
before some witness ere they take charge of it;
for I thought there might be, possibly, some
lightness in the coin, or error in the telling,
which, hereafter, I should be bound to make
good. '* "He is of a gentle and
waxen disposition ; and God be praised, I cannot
say he hath brought with him any evil impres-
sion, and I shall hope to set nothing into his
spirit but what may be of a good sculpture. He
hath in him two things that make youth most
easy to be managed — modesty* which is the bri-
dle to vice — and emulation, which is the spur to
virtue Above all, I shall labour
to make him sensible of his duty to God ; for
then we begin to serve faithfully when we con-
sider He is our master. "
On the publication of Milton's second " De-
fence," Marvell was commissioned to present it
to the Protector. After doing so, he addressed a
letter of compliment to Milton, the terms of
which evince the strong admiration with which
his illustrious friend had inspired him. His
eulogy of the " Defence " is as emphatic as that
of the Paradise Lost, in the well-known recom-
mendatory lines prefixed to most editions of that
poem.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
XVI NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR.
In 1657, Marvell entered upon his duties as
Assistant Latin Secretary with Milton. Crom-
well died in the following year; and from this
period till the Parliament of 1660, we have no
further account of him. We have seen it stated
that he became member for Hull in 1658. But
this is not true, and would be at variance with
the statement in his epitaph, where it is said that
he had occupied that post nearly twenty years. *
Had he been first elected in 1658, he would
have been member somewhat more than that
period.
During his long parliamentary career, Marvell
maintained a close correspondence with his con-
stituents — regularly sending to them, almost every
post night during the sittings of Parliament, an
account of its proceedings.
These letters were
first made public by Captain Thompson, and
occupy about four hundred pages of the first
volume of his edition of MarvelFs works. They
are written with great plainness, and with a busi-
* Perhaps we are not to expect verbal exactness in an
epitaph, or perhaps allowance was made for the period of
Marvell's absence from his duties, but if he had not been
chosen to the Parliament of 1658-9 under Richard's Pro-
tectorate, it would be hard to explain why Marvell, in return-
ing thanks to the Corporation of Hull in a letter dated 6th
April, 1661, should say, ** I perceive you have a^^in made
choice of me, now the third time, to serve you in Parlia-
ment. " According to the statement in the text, he should
have said second. £d.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR. XVU
ness-like brevity, which must have satisfiecl, we
should think, even the most laconic of his mer-
chant constituents. Thoy ai-e chiefly valuable
now, as affording proofs of the ability and fidelity
with which their author discharged his public
duties.
Marvell's stainless probity and honour every-
where appear, and in no case more amiably than
in the unhappy misunderstanding with his col-
league, or ** his partner," as he calls him. Colonel
Gilby, in 1661, and which seems to have arisen-
out of some electioneering proceedings. With
such unrivalled talents for ridicule as Marvell
possessed, one might not unnaturally have ex-
pected that this dispute would have furnished an
irresistible tempation to some ebullition of witty
malice. But his magnanimity was far superior
to such mean retaliation. He is eager to do his
opponent the amplest justice, and to put the
fairest construction on his conduct He is fearful
only lest their private quarrel should be of the
slighest detriment to the public service. He
says — " The bonds of civility betwixt Colonel
Gilby and myself being unliappily snapped in
pieces, and in such a manner that I cannot see
how it is possible ever to knit them again : the
only trouble that I have is, lest by our mis-intel-
ligence your business should receive any disad-
vantage Truly, I believe, that as
to your public trust and the discharge thereof,.
h
Digitized by
XVlll NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR.
we do each of us still retain the same princi-
ples upon which we first undertook it ; and that,
though perhaps we may sometimes differ in our
advice concerning the way of proceeding, yet we
have the same good ends in the general ; and by
this unlucky falling out, we shall be provoked to
a greater emulation of serving you. " * Yet the
offence, whatever it was, must have been.
