Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society - Paperback

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PR0CEEDINGS MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. OCTOBER MEETING, 1908. THE stated meeting was held on Thursday, the 8th instant, at three o'clock, P. M.; the President, Charles Francis Adams, in the chair. The record of the June meeting was read and approved. The Cabinet-Keeper reported the gift, by Francis H. Brown, of a copy of the portrait of Captain John Linzee, of the Royal Navy, who commanded the sloop-of-war Falcon at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Charles C. Smith called attention to the circumstance that the tercentenary of the birth of John Milton will occur on December 9, and that the regular meeting of the Society will come on the following day. He reminded the members that on some previous occasions the Society had celebrated the births of eminent men, especially in the case of Sir Walter Scott,1 when one member was present who had seen Scott in the court-room in Scotland. Extensive preparations are making in England to celebrate Milton's birthday; and as we claim a common inheritance with Englishmen in Milton's fame we too should honor his memory. It is not on account of his greatness as a poet that we as an Historical Society are specially interested in his works; but it is on the side of his prose writings that we are led at once to a consideration of his 1 The centenary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott was celebrated by the Society on August 15, 1871; and the member referred to was William Amory. See 1 Proceedings, xii. 139-156. '.'place in our history. He was the contemporary of the founders of this Commonwealth, and an uncompromising exponent of their political and religious aspirations, ? a Puritan, to use his own phrase, " writ large." In any commemoration of him Massachusetts therefore should heartily join, and it is proper that this Society...