38 JOHN MILTON 
Fall of the Roman Empire,” yet we do not feel that he 
has treated it at undue length. 
The Milton family belonged to the yeomanry of 
Oxfordshire. They were just such plain, brave, intel- 
ligent people as the great body of those who migrated 
to New England. About five miles from Oxford 
there lived, in the reign of Elizabeth, one Richard 
Milton, who was a ranger or keeper of the Forest of 
Shotover. In 1563 there was born to him a son John, 
just a few months before the birth of William Shake- 
speare in the neighbouring town of Stratford-on-Avon. 
Richard Milton was a stanch Roman Catholic. In 
due course of time his son John became a student at 
Oxford, and was converted to Protestantism. One 
day the father picked up an English Bible in the son’s 
room. High words ensued; the young man, sturdy 
and defiant, was cast off and disinherited, and so pres- 
ently made his way to London and set up in business 
asa scrivener. In that business were combined the 
occupations of the notary public with some of those of 
the solicitor. This John Milton not only took affida- 
vits, but drew up contracts and deeds, and probably 
helped his clients to invest their money. The selling 
of law books and stationery was also part of the scrive- 
ner’s business, in which professional man and trades- 
man were thus quaintly mixed. The scrivener Milton 
was distinguished for intelligence and integrity; he 
became wealthy, or at any rate extremely comfortable 
in circumstances, and he won general respect and con- 
fidence. At the age of thirty-seven he married a lady 
named Sarah Bradshaw. In the simple, cosey fashion 
of those days, the family lived over the office or shop, 
which was in Bread Street, Cheapside, with no street 
