“Between Private Walls” 1645–164916 Decem. 1646.”^61 Catharine was the wife of the bookseller George Thomason
and was herself a woman of bookish interests, as is evident from the extensive
personal library she bequeathed to her children. Milton called George Thomason
“a most familiar acquaintance,” and four of his tracts in Thomason’s vast collection
are inscribed Ex Dono Authoris.^62 But this sonnet treats Catharine’s virtues and qualities
in allegorical rather than personal terms: it is conceived as a mini-allegory on the
Coming of Death, recasting that medieval topic in Protestant terms.^63 Catharine
Thomason is led to heavenly bliss by a series of allegorical personages. First, “Faith
& Love,” which never parted from her, “rip’n’d” her “just soul,” and she resigned
“this earthly load / of death, call’d life.” Then her “Works & Almes” followed her
but not, as in Everyman, as her sole companions and evidence of merit; rather, it is
because they are led by Faith and Love and clothed by Faith that they can fly up and
speak “the truth of thee in glorious theames / before the Judge.” The sonnet closes
with a conventional image of Catharine drinking, like Lycidas, at “pure immortal
streames” – an indication that Milton is not yet a Mortalist.
On December 13, 1646 Milton witnessed the will of his father-in-law, Richard
Powell, who died shortly before January 1, 1647.^64 His will disposed of the Forest
Hill property to his son and the Wheatley estate to his executor, an office his wife
accepted so as to secure Wheatley to herself.^65 Both properties were heavily mort-
gaged. Ignoring his lack of funds, Powell also called for payment of his numerous
debts, including his daughter’s dowry to Milton. Anticipating Powell’s impending
death, Milton in mid-December began legal procedures which extended over sev-
eral years to establish his claim against the Powell estate for his £300 bond, with
overdue interest, dating from 1627. That bond took precedence over later debts,^66
giving Milton a claim on Wheatley. In the event, Milton’s legal proceedings to
secure his claim also helped his in-laws retain some rights in their property and
allowed for their resettlement – a culmination devoutly desired from Milton’s per-
spective, whatever he may have felt about the financial arrangements. The Oxford-
shire court seized the Wheatley property on August 5, 1647 but allowed Anne
Powell to claim her widow’s thirds from its income for three years; on November
20 Milton was granted full possession of the property and its income until his debt
was settled. Milton paid Anne her thirds “as he conceiveth rightfully” until a court
disallowed that arrangement in 1651; he may have permitted her to live rent free in
the manor house as the only way to get the Powells out of his own house.^67 On
whatever terms, she was in residence there with her family on August 5, 1647.^68
About the time his father-in-law died Milton learned that the 1645 Poems he had
sent to the Bodleian had gone astray, though the volume of prose tracts had arrived.
Rouse the librarian wrote to request another copy, and Milton complied, sending
with it an elegant Latin ode, “Ad Joannem Rousium,” dated January 23, 1647.^69
Despite all the distractions Milton was able to produce a Latin poem of consum-
mate art and originality, which is also an exercise in poetic self-representation. It is
discussed along with the 1645 Poems on page 229. Rouse’s request seems to have