Notes to Chapter 1fairs directly into his own hands and Thurloe, who acted as a foreign minister, tended
not to record which secretary performed what tasks.
116 In April, 1654 a treaty with the United Provinces ended that war, awarding damages
to England and a close alliance, though not the near-annexation England had at first
demanded. In April also, a treaty with Sweden established free commerce and a politi-
cal alliance between those two countries. In July a treaty with Portugal conceded
everything England demanded, including a large indemnity for damages inflicted by
royalist fleets in Portuguese ports. And on September 14 a treaty with Denmark opened
the Sound to English commerce on the same terms as the Dutch.
117 Milton’s writings continued to be valued as a weapon in the English cause: on April 1,
1653 the council ordered that John Dury’s French translation of Eikonoklastes be sent
to France without duty (LR III, 327). Booksellers also sought to cash in on his en-
hanced reputation: in 1654 unsold copies of the Reason of Church-governement and
Apology for Smectymnuus were reprinted together.
118 Milton’s initial claim against the Copes has not been found; on June 16 he refers to it
as initiated “longe since” and “lately” contested by them; he began a suit in Chancery
June 16, 1654 which dragged on at least till 1659, its resolution unknown. See J.
Milton French, Milton in Chancery: New Chapters in the Lives of the Poet and his Father
(New York and London, 1939), 124–45, 189–205, 325–95. Elizabeth Ashworth prob-
ably began her suit in February, 1654; it was answered by Christopher for his brother
on February 22, and also dragged on for many years.
119 Milton may have taken note periodically of his mother-in-law’s petitions and suits
over her illegally seized property at Forest Hill, but he was not directly involved. See
chapter 8, pp. 257–8 and notes 125–6. Her claims were periodically reviewed and
investigated throughout 1652 and 1653, until they were at last settled and she was
ordered a rebate of £192.4.1 on May 4, 1652 (LR III, 119–20, 260–8, 280–1, 293–5,
308–10, 325, 328–33, 335–9, 341–3, 345- 7, 352–3, 357–66, 374, 412–13). Christopher
Milton acted as counsel for Mrs Powell and her son Richard in some of her suits.
120 G. H. Turnbull, Hartlib, Dury, and Comenius: Gleanings from Hartlib’s Papers (London,
1947), 42. A mark in the margin indicates that this portion is to be communicated to
Milton.
121 Ibid., 42–3. In this letter also a line in the margin marks the passage pertaining to
Milton. The source named is Godofred Hotton, a minister in Amsterdam.
122 See chapter 10, pp. 323–4 and Sellin, “Alexander More before the Synod of Utrecht.”
123 Defensio Secunda (London, 1654).
124 Nine are members of the Council of State: Major-General John Desborough, Lieu-
tenant-General Charles Fleetwood, Major-General John Lambert, Henry Lawrence,
Edward Mountague, Sir Gilbert Pickering, Walter Strickland, William Sydenham,
and Philip Sidney, Lord Lisle.
125 Bulstrode Whitelocke is a less obvious case. He had opposed the dissolution of the
Rump and was attacked by Cromwell on that occasion, but Cromwell had recently
appointed him ambassador to Sweden (September 14, 1653), largely, Whitelocke
thought, to get him out of the way. See Cromwell, Writings and Speeches, ed. Abbott,
II, 638, 642; III, 98–102.
126 Masson, IV, 607.
127 Fairfax is enjoying a “most delightful and glorious retirment, which is the end of all
Notes to Chapter 9