was evidently treated as a peculiar one. It was
certainly proposed that his allowance should be reduced from L288
18_s._ 6_d._ a year, which had hitherto been its rate, to
L150 a year--i.e. by nearly one half. Most of us perhaps are
disappointed by this, and would have preferred to hear that Milton's
allowance had been doubled or tripled under the Protectorate,--made
equal, say, to Thurloe's. Records must stand as they are, however,
and must be construed coolly. Milton's L288 a year for _his_
lighter and more occasional duties had doubtless been all along in
fair proportion to the elder Frost's L600 a year, or Thurloe's L800,
for _their_ more vast and miscellaneous drudgery. Nor, if Milton
had ceased to be able to perform the duties, and another salaried
officer had been required in consequence, was there anything
extraordinary, in a time of general revision of salaries, that the
fact should come into consideration. The question was precisely as if
now a high official under government, who had been in receipt of a
salary of over L1000 a year, was struggling on in blindness after six
years of service, and an extra officer at L700 a year had been for
some time employed for his relief. In such a case, the official being
a man of great public celebrity and having rendered extraordinary
services in his post, would not superannuation on a pension or
retiring-allowance be considered the proper course? But this was
exactly the course proposed in Milton's case. The reduction from L288
to L150 a year was, it ought to be noted, only part of the
proposition; for, whereas the L288 a year had been at the Council's
pleasure, it was now proposed that the L150 a year should be for
life. In short, what was proposed was the conversion of a terminable
salary of L288 a year, payable out of the Council's contingencies,
into a life-pension of L150 a year, payable out of the Protector's
Exchequer: which was as if in a corresponding modern case a
terminable salary of over L1000 a year were converted into a
life-pension of between L500 and L600. On studying the document, I
have no doubt that the intention was to relieve Milton from that
moment from all duty whatsoever, putting an end to that anomalous
_Latin Secretaryship Extraordinary_, into which his connexion
with the Council had shaped itself since his blindness, and remitting
him, as _Ex-Secretary_ Milton, a perfectly free and
highly-honoured man, to pensioned leisure in his house in Petty