“I... Steer Right Onward” 1654–1658failed republic back to a monarchy with three estates. The narrator claims that he
also has given over belief in the superiority of republics to monarchies, having now
learned that dissent is faction.^96 The last letter reports that he now repudiates
Harrington’s schemes “and all the Builders of Castles in the air.”^97
During these agitations and changes in the autumn, winter, and spring of 1656–
7 Milton’s diplomatic correspondence chiefly involved protests on behalf of wronged
shipmasters or merchants.^98 A few other letters concerned Protestant unity. In No-
vember Milton translated a letter to Cromwell from Frederick III of Denmark
voicing the king’s concern that Sweden’s war with Poland would eventuate in
wider hostilities and damage to trade.^99 Cromwell’s answer (December 4) recalls
the Alpine valleys “recently overflowing with blood and gore,” and warns that
“Protestants will... suffer the utmost hazard and destruction” unless Denmark and
Sweden and all other Protestant powers maintain fraternal harmony (CPW V.2,
777–9). A March letter to the Landgrave of Hesse commends him for efforts to
make peace between Lutherans and Calvinists and compares his own similar projects
promoted “through our friend Dury,” setting forth an ideal of brotherly dissent that
eschews force or bitterness (782–3). In April Milton prepared the credentialling
letter for Richard Bradshaw as envoy to the Great Duke of Moscovy, as well as
secret instructions directing him to try to detach Russia from the coalition against
Sweden.^100
Milton’s personal correspondence during these months indicates that he was giv-
ing time and thought to books and scholarly projects, and that his circle of friends
and scholarly acquaintances had enlarged. Four days before his marriage he answered
a letter (now lost) from Peter Heimbach, a young man^101 who had visited London –
and Milton – before and who now wrote, at Milton’s request, to report on the price
of atlases published in Amsterdam. The affection and bantering tone of Milton’s
response and his expressed eagerness for Heimbach’s return suggest that he had
become a friend. Complaining of the price quoted, 130 Dutch florins, Milton ob-
serves ruefully that the “furnishing of a library seems to have become no less costly
than that of a villa,” and that, since a blind man cannot enjoy maps, “I fear that the
more I paid for the book, the more I should mourn my loss” (CPW VII, 496). But
he wants Heimbach to bring back more information: how many volumes are in the
work and which edition is “fuller and more adequate.”^102 December 28 brought a
letter from Oldenburg commenting on the historical inaccuracy of celebrating Christ-
mas on December 25 and linking the “Bacchanalian orgies” of Christians on that
day to Roman Saturnalia. He complains that Oxford is “barren of new ideas” (Milton
obviously approved that sentiment), and sends greetings to the “excellent Lawrence”
who now does “active service for the state” (495–6). He knows that Milton is close
to Edward Lawrence, now 23 and just elected to parliament. In March, 1657 Milton
had some part in helping the grandson of Edmund Spenser recover lands confiscated
from him in Ireland; Cyriack Skinner cites this as an example of Milton’s readiness
to help persons of “Wit or Learning” of whatever party.^103