Justin Smith Morrill to Matthew H. Buckham, June 14, 1873
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Strafford Vt. June 14. 1873
Prst. Buckham,
Burlington, Vt.
My dear Sir: I was much in-
terested in your discourse on History
and hope sometime to see it in
print. By the way you know that
Milton (Prose works, Vol 2. Letters, XXIII, to
Lord Henry de Bras,) gives the first
place in Latin History to Sallust
and the Second to Tacitus
.
Milton was a fine Latin
scholar,
as it appears from his works, especially
his rough criticism of the Latin of
Salmasius, and he was even too good
a Latin Scholar for the good of
his English, which is made stiff
by too frequent foreign embroidery,
or by a selection of words having a
Latin origin rather than Anglo
Saxon.
It is
seldom I make sug-
gestions to the masters of
Literature
but having an idle moment I venture
to intrude with old Milton of whom
I have great admiration.
Very truly yours
Justin S.
Morrill