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requiring a freer acceffion of air, He was oblig'd to remove from thence to lodgings which opened into St. James's Park. Not long after his fettlement there, his Wife died in child-bed; and much about the time of her death, a Gutta Serena, which had for several years been gradually increafing, totally extinguish'd his fight. In this melancholic condition he was eafily prevail'd with to think of taking another wife; who was Catharine the daughter of Captain Woodcock of Hackney: and the too, in lefs than a year after their marriage, dy'd in the fame unfortunate manner as the former had done; and in his twenty third Sonnet He does honour to her memory.

These private calamities were much An. Etat. 52. heightened by the different figure he was likely to make in the new scene of affairs, which was going to be acted in the State. For, all things now confpiring to promote the King's Restoration, He was too confcious of his own activity during the Ufurpation, to expect any favour from the Crown; and therefore He prudently abfconded till the Act of Oblivion was publifh'd; by which he was only render'd incapable of bearing any office in the Nation. Many had a very just esteem of his admirable parts and learning, who detefted his principles, by whofe interceffion his Pardon pafs'd the Seals: and I wifh the laws of Civil Hiftory could have extended the benefit of that oblivion to the memory of his guilt, which was indulged to his perfon! nè tanti facinoris immanitas aut extitiffe, aut non vindicata fuiffe, videatur.

Having thus gain'd a full protection from the Government, (which was in truth more than He could have reafonably hoped) he appeared as much in publick as he formerly us'd to do; and employing his friend Dr. Paget to make choice of a third confort, on his Recommendation he married Elizabeth the Daughter of Mr. Minsbul a Cheshire Gentleman, by whom he had no iffue. Three daughters by his first wife were then living; the two el der of whom are faid to have been very ferviceable to him in his ftudies. For, having been inftructed to pronounce not only the Modern, but alfo the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages; they read in their refpective originals

what

whatever Authors he wanted to confult; though they understood none but their mother-tongue. This employment, however, was too unpleasant to be continued for any long process of time; and therefore he difmiffed them to receive an education more agreeable to their fex, and temper.

We come now to take a survey of him in that point of view, in which he will be look'd on by all fucceeding ages with equal delight, and admiration. An interval of above twenty years had elaps'd fince he wrote the Mask of* Comus, L'Allegro, Il Penforofo, and * 26.

+ Lycidas; all in fuch an exquifite ftrain! An. Et. that though He had left no other monu

+ 29.

ments of his Genius behind him, his name had been immortal. But, neither the infirmities of age and conftitution, nor the viciffitudes of fortune, could deprefs the vigor of his mind; or divert it from executing a defign He had long conceiv'd of writing an Heroick Poem. The Fall of Man was a fubject which He had fome years before fix'd on for a Tragedy, which he intended to form by the models of Antiquity: and fome, not without probability, fay the Play open'd with that Speech in the fourth Book of PARADISE LOST, ver. 32, which is addrefs'd by Satan to the Sun. Were it material, I believe I could produce other paffiges which more plainly appear to have been originally intended for the fcene. But whatever truth there may be in this report, 'tis certain that he did not begin to mold his Subject in the form which it bears now, before He had concluded his controver'y with Salmafus and More; when He had wholly loft the ufe of his eyes; and was forc'd to employ in the office of an Amauerfis any friend who accidentally paid him a vifit. Yet, under all thefe difcouragements, and various inAn. Ætat. 61. terruptions, in the Year 1669. He pub

*

Par. Loft. B. ix. ver. 26.

*Milton's Contract with his Bookfeller S. Simmons for the Copy bears Date April 27, 1667.

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lifh'd

Hih'd his PARADISE LOST; the noblest Poem, next to thofe of Homer and Virgil, that ever the wit of man produc'd in any age or nation. Need I mention any other evidence of its inestimable worth, than that the finest Genius's who have fucceeded him have ever efteem'd it a merit to relish, and illustrate its beauties? Whilft the Critic who gaz'd, with fo much wanton malice, on the nakednefs of Shakespear when he flept, after having † foranally declar'd war against it, wanted courage to make his attack; floh'd though he was with his conquefts over Julius Cafar, and The Moor: which infolence his Mufe, like the other affaffines of Cæfar, feverely reveng'd on herself; and not long after her triumph, became her own executioner. Nor is it unworthy our obfervation, that though, perhaps, no one of our English Poets hath excited fo many admirers to imitate his Manner, yet I think never any was known to afpire to emulation: even the late ingenious Mr. Philips, who, in the colours of ftyle, came the nearest of all the Copiers to resemble the great Original, made his diftant advances with a filial reverence; and reftrain'd his ambition Avithin the fame bounds which Lucretius, prescrib'd to his Own imitation.

Non ita certandi cupidus, quàm propter amorem

Quòd TE imitari aveo: quid enim contendat, hirundo
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And now perhaps it may pafs for fiction, what with great veracity I affirm to be. fact, that MILTON, after having with much difficulty prevail'd to have this Divine Poem licens'd for the Prefs, could fell the Copy for no more than Fifteen Pounds: the payment of which valuable confideration depended on the fale of three numerous im

The Tragedies of the laft age confider'd, p. 143.
Vide EDGAR.

preffions.

preffions. So unreasonably may perfonal prejudice affect the most excellent performances!

About * two years after, together An. Etat. 63. with SAMSON AGONISTES (a Tragedy

not unworthy the Grecian Stage when Athens was in her glory) He publifh'd PARADISE REGAIN'D. But, Oh! what a falling-off was there!Of which I will fay no more, than that there is fcarcely a more remarkable inftance of the frailty of human reason, than cur Author gave in preferring this Poem to PARADISE LOST; nor a more inftructive caution to the best writers, to be very diffident in deciding the merit of their own productions.

And thus having attended him to the Sixty Sixth year of his age, as clofely as fuch imperfect lights as men of Letters, and retirement, ufually leave to guide our inquiry, would allow; it now only remains to be recorded, that in the Year 1674 the Gout put a period

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to his life at Bunhill near London; from whence his body was convey'd to St. Giles's Church by Cripplegate, where it lies interr'd in the Chancel; but neither has, nor wants a Monument to perpetuate his memory.

In his youth he is faid to have been extremely handsom: the colour of his hair was a light-brown: the fymmetry of his features exact; enliven'd with an agreeable air, and a beautiful mixture of fair and ruddy: which occafion'd the Marquifs of Villa to give his + Epigram the fame Turn of Thought, which Gregory Arch-Deacon of Rome had employed above a thousand years before, in praifing the amiable complexions of fome English Youths, before their converfion to Chriftianity. His ftature († as we find it measur'd by himself) did not exceed the middle-size;.

*They were Licensed July 2, 1670, but not printed before the year enfuing.

+ Ut mens, forma, decor, facies, mos, fi pietas fic. Non Anglus, verùm herclè Angelus ipfe fores.

Defenfio fecunda, p. 87. Fol.

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neither

neither too lean, nor corpulent: his limbs well proportion'd, nervous, and active; ferviceable in all refpects to his exercifing the fword, in which He much delighted; and wanted neither skill, nor courage, to refent an affront from men of the most athletic conftitutions. In his diet He was abftemious; not delicate in the choice of his difhes; and Arong liquors of all kinds were his averfior. Being too fadly convinc'd how much his health had suffer'd by night-ftudies in his younger years, He ufed to go early (feldom later than Nine) to ref; and rofe commonly before Five in the morning. It is reported, (and there is a paffage in one of his Latin Elegies to countenance the tradition) that his fancy made the happieft flights in the Spring: but one of his Nephews ufed to deliver it as MILTON's own obfervation, that his invention was in its highest perfection from September to the Vernal Equinox: however it was, the great inequalities to be found in his compofures, are inconteftable proofs, that in fome seasons He was but one of the people. When blindness restrain'd him from other exercifes, He had a machine to fwing in, for the prefervation of his health; and diverted himself in his chamber with playing on an Organ. His Deportment was erect, open, affable; his Converfation easy, chearful, inftructive; his Wit on all occafions at command, facetious, grave, or fatirical, as the fubject requir'd. His Judgment, when dif-engag'd from religious and political fpeculations, was juft and penetrating; his Apprehenfion, quick; his Memory, tenacious of what He read; his Reading, only not fo extenfive as his Genius, for That was univerfal. And having treafur'd up fuch immenfe ftores of fcience, perhaps the faculties of his foul grew more vigorous after He was depriv'd of his fight and his imagination (naturally fublime, and enlarg'd by reading Romances, of which He was much

His Apology for Smectymnus, p. 177. Fol.

enamour'd

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