Excerpt from The Tercentenary of Milton's Birth: Inaugural Meeting at the Theatre, Burlington Gardens, Tuesday, December 8, 1908 (the Eve of the Tercentenary); Lines; Oration; Summary of Address on Milton and MusicFor think of him, if only for a moment, at two stages of his life separated from each other by the length of a human generation, and, as it may seem to a rapid survey, distinct as regards both intellectual purpose and personal aspiration. It was not, as an assumed analogy between the story of his life and that of the life of another of the world's greatest poets (goethe) might seem to suggest, Milton's sojourn in Italy which separated as by a golden bar the earlier from the later half of his career; for the influence, enriching and refining, of classical antiquity had been strongest on him in the first thirty years of his life, and it lingered 'with him to the' last, though under the control of a yet more potent influence. It was rather the anticipation of his return to England, where a new responsibility, as he believed, awaited him, which caused him as it were to recast the framework of his plan of life and work. But think-of him, if you will, towards the close of the first and again towards the close of the second period of the race which it was his to run. Picture him first.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.