to Shimei, ‘Curse David.’  Glory be to Thy name that hast chosen to preserve me, exercised with so many griefs, that I may serve Thyself.  There is one great sin discernible in my soul, which I confess before the whole world.  I have never served Thee in proportion to my strength; that little talent of Thy grace which Thou hast deigned to grant me I have not yet turned to full account—­whether because I have followed too much the pleasures of mere study, or whether I have consumed too much time and labour in refuting the invectives of the evil-disposed, to whom, such has been Thy pleasure, I have been constantly an object of attack.  Cover the past for me, regulate the future.  Cleared before men, before Thee I shall be cleared never, unless Thy mercy shall be my succour.  I confess I have sinned against Thee, nor shall I do so more.  Thou seest how this paper on which I write is now all wet with my tears:  pardon me, Redeemer mine, and grant that the vow I now take to Thee I may sacredly perform.  Let a thousand dogs bark at me, a thousand bulls of Bashan rush upon me, as many lions war against my soul, and threaten me with destruction, I will reply no more, defended enough if only I feel Thee propitious.  I will no more waste the time due to Thee, sacred to Thee, in mere trifles, or lose it in beating off the importunity of moths.  Whatever extent of life it shall please Thee to appoint me still, I vow, I dedicate, all to Thee, all to Thy Church.  So shall we be revenged on our enemies.  Convert us all, Thou who only canst.  Forgive us, forgive them also; nor to us, nor to them, but to Thy name, be the glory!”

Milton read this, but was not moved.  On the 8th of August, 1655, there was published his Rejoinder to the original Fides Publica, with his notice of the Supplementum appended.  It is a small volume of 204 pages, entitled Joannis Miltoni, Angli, Pro Se Defensio contra Alexandrum Morum, Ecclesiasten, Libelli famosi, cui titulus ’Regii Sanguinis Clamor ad Caelum adversus Parricidas Anglicanus’, authorem recte dictum.  Londini, Typis Newcomianis, 1655 ("The English, John Milton’s Defence for Himself, in reply to Alexander Morus, Churchman, rightly called the author of the notorious book entitled ’Cry of the King’s Blood to Heaven against the English Parricides,’ London, from Newcome’s Press, 1655").  This is perhaps the least known now of all Milton’s writings.  It has never been translated, even in the wretched fashion in which his Defensio Prima and Defensio Secunda have been; and it is omitted altogether in some professed editions of Milton’s whole works.[1]

[Footnote 1:  The date of publication is from the Thomason copy in the British Museum.]