th
was sent to Newgate.[1]

[Footnote 1: Wood's Ath. III. 711-713.--Hyde, writing from Breda,
April 16, 1660, says to a Royalist correspondent: "This very last
post hath brought over three or four complaints to the king of the
very unskillful passion and distemper of some of our divines in their
late sermons; with which they say that both the General and the
Council of State are highly offended, as truly they have reason to be
... One Dr. Griffith is mentioned." _Ibid._, note by Bliss.]

It was more natural, however, for the General and the Council to take
similar precautions against too violent expressions of
anti-Royalism, too vehement efforts to stir up the Republican embers.
Of their vigilance in this respect we have just seen an instance in
their instant suppression of the Republican appeal to Monk and his
Officers entitled _Plain English_, and their procedure by
proclamation against the anonymous publisher of that tract. If I am
not mistaken, he was Livewell Chapman, of the Crown in Pope's Head
Alley, the publisher of Milton's _Considerations touching the
likeliest means to remove Hirelings out of the Church_, and also
of his more recent _Ready and Easy Way to establish a Free
Commonwealth_. There was, at all events, a printed proclamation of
the Council of State against this person, dated "Wednesday, 28 March,
1660," and signed "William Jessop, Clerk of the Council." It began in
these terms:--"Whereas the Council of State is informed that Livewell
Chapman, of London, Stationer, having from a wicked design to engage
the nation in blood and confusion caused several seditious and
treasonable books to be printed and published, doth, now hide and
obscure himself, for avoiding the hand of justice"; and it ended with
an order that Chapman should surrender himself within four days, and
that none should harbour or conceal him, but all, and especially
officers, try to arrest him. If he was the publisher of _Plain
English_, there would be additional reason for suspecting that
Milton had some cognisance of that anonymous appeal to Monk; but
there can be no doubt that among the "seditious and treasonable
books" the publication of which constituted Chapman's offence was
Milton's own _Ready and Easy Way_. The authorities had not yet
struck at Milton himself, but they were coming very near him. They
had ordered the arrest of his publisher.

Within a few days after the order for the arrest of Milton's
publisher, Livewell Cha