He accepted the office of "Secretary for Foreign Tongues" to the Committee of Foreign Affairs, a delegation from the Council of State of forty-one members, by which the country was at that time governed.

Vane, Whitelocke, and Marten were among the members of the committee.

The specified duties of the post were the preparation and translation of despatches from and to foreign governments.

These were always in Latin,--the Council, says that sturdy Briton, Edward Phillips, "scorning to carry on their affairs in the wheedling, lisping jargon of the cringing French." But it must have been understood that Milton's pen would also be at the service of the Government outside the narrow range of official correspondence.

The salary was handsome for the time--L288, equivalent to about L900 of our money.