“I... Steer Right Onward” 1654–1658781). From some source Milton received additional information from records in
the Geneva archives and library documenting More’s doctrinal aberrations and sub-
sequent recantation, and his adultery with the serving woman Nicolarde Pelet.^12
Those records display the conflict between the church authorities (the Company)
who were probing the several charges against More and the civil authorities (the
Council) who were eager to hush them up to avoid scandal. The certification
letters More needed for Middelburg, which he quotes proudly, also caused conflicts
and long delay, providing solid ground for Milton’s suspicions about them.^13 Dury’s
letters to Hartlib sometimes included information to be passed on to Milton: while
Dury’s sources had led him to doubt More’s authorship of Clamor, he found much
evidence supporting Milton’s unflattering description of More’s character. In a let-
ter from Basel (October 3) Dury notes that More “is very evill spoken off, &...
most of the French Synod [at Middelburg] labour to have him silenced.”^14 An-
other, from Zurich (November 18), observes that “many here are well pleased that
hee [Milton] hath handled Morus roughly, but some think that Morus is wronged
... truly I believe, where there is so much smoke there must bee some fire.” He
also passes along news of a man cured of blindness after twenty years as an encour-
agement that Milton might someday recover his sight.^15
Milton also collected new information on the More–Pontia affair. A principal
informant was probably Lieuwe van Aitzema, the envoy to the Hague from the
Hanseatic towns and for several years a paid informant for Thurloe; he had visited
Milton during his mission to England in 1652 and they no doubt spoke of More.^16
On January 29, 1655 Aitzema wrote Milton that, partly because of More’s attacks,
he was planning a Dutch translation of Milton’s divorce tract and wondered if
Milton cared to add or correct anything.^17 Milton’s answer (February 5) recalls how
much he enjoyed Aitzema’s two visits and offers to send him all three divorce tracts.
He assures Aitzema that he does not want to make any changes, but indicates that if
Aitzema uses Doctrine and Discipline it should be the revised edition. He also indi-
cates his preference for a Latin rather than a Dutch translation, since he knows “by
experience” how the “common herd is wont to receive uncommon opinions”
(CPW IV.2, 871–2).
Milton now had the story, circulated by Heinsius and Vossius, of Elizabeth
Guerret’s physical attack on More when he repudiated her (LR III, 277–8). Also,
Thurloe probably passed on information from an unidentified correspondent (No-
vember 23, 1654) about the ambiguities surrounding More’s secular trial at the Hof
van Holland. The case dealt only with breach of promise of marriage and the deci-
sion went against Guerret because she could not meet the difficult standard of proof
for that plea. But court charges were assessed against More “for reasons” – evidently
because the court credited the lechery and fornication to which servants and nu-
merous witnesses testified. Thurloe’s informant drew that conclusion from More’s
failure to include the final court decision among the documents in his Supplementum,
and adds that More may have left Amsterdam permanently, since “they love well