the appearance of effeminacy was attacked from the

hundred guineas. It was brought to fir Jofhua, 1784, by one Mr. Hunt, a printfeller and picture-dealer, who bought it of a broker; but the broker does not know the perfon of whom he had it. The portrait is dreffed in black, with a band; and the painter's mark and date are 'S. C. 1653.' This is written on the back. This picture belonged to Deborah Milton, who was her father's amanuenfis: at her death was fold to fir W. Davenant's family. It was painted by Mr. Samuel Cooper, who was painter to Oliver Cromwell, at the time Milton was Latin Secretary to the Protector. The painter and poet were near of the fame age; Milton was born in 1608, and died in 1674, and Cooper was born in 1609, and died in 1672, and were companions and friends till death parted them. Several encouragers and lovers of the fine arts at that time wanted this picture; particularly Lord Dorfet, John Somers efquire, fir Robert Howard, Dryden, Atterbury, Dr. Aldrich, and fir John Denham.' Lord Dorfet was probably the lucky man; for this feems to be the very picture for which, as I have before obferved, Vertue wifhed Prior to fearch in Lord Dorfet's collection. Sir Joshua Reynolds fays, The picture is admirably painted, and with fuch a character of nature, that I am perfectly fure it was a striking likerefs. I have now a different idea of the countenance of Milton, which cannot be got from any of the other pictures that I have feen. It is perfectly preferved, which fhows that it has been fhut up in fome drawer; if it had been expofed to the light, the colours would long before this have vanished.' It must be owned, that this miniature of Milton, lately purchased by fir Jofhua Reynolds, ftrongly refembles Vandyke's picture of Selden in the Bodleian library at Oxford: and it is highly probable that Cooper should have done a miniature of Selden as a companion to the heads of other heroes of the commonwealth. For Cooper painted, Oliver Cromwell, in the poffeffion of the Frankland family; and another, in profile, at Devonshire houfe: Richard Cromwell at Strawbery-hill: Secretary Thurloe, belonging to Lord James Cavendish and Ireton, Cromwell's general, now or late in the collection of Charles Polhill efq. a defcendant of Cromwell. The inference, however, might be applied to prove, that this head is

pulpit: "We live in an age," fays bishop Lake, "wherein it is hard to fay, whether in cloathes men grow

Cooper's miniature of Milton. It has been copied by a female artist, in a style of uncommon elegance and accuracy."

The genuineness of this miniature, as the portrait of Milton, has been both afferted, and denied, with confiderable warmth. See the Gentleman's Magazine for 1791, pp. 399, 603, 806. The difputants are Lord Hailes and Sir Joshua himself. Moft connoiffeurs are inclined to believe the portrait to be that of Selden. Sir Joshua Reynolds, who died in 1792, makes the following bequeft, however, in his Will, to the Rev. William Mafon: "The miniature of Milton by Cooper." See Malone's Life of Sir J. Reynolds, prefixed to the Works of Sir J. R. vol. i. p. cxviii, 2d edit.

Two miniatures of the poet, and of his mother, were fold, at the fale of the Portland Museum in 1786, for 341. See Gent. Mag. 1786, p. 527. In 1792 Mr. Elderton fubmitted to the publick the outlines of a fuppofed miniature of the poet in his poffeffion. See Gent. Mag. 1792, p. 17. In 1797 a masterly engraving, from an original picture in the poffeffion of Capel Lofft efq. believed alfo to be that of Milton, was made by G. Quinton. At Weft Wycombe Manor-houfe, in Buckinghamshire, there is a fine portrait of Milton, supposed to be an original. See Langley's Hift. and Antiq. of the Hundred of Defborough, C®. of Bucks, 1797, p. 417. I have been indebted to the kindness of the late John Charnock jun. efq. of Greenwich, for an excellent original painting, affirmed by fome to have been a portrait of Milton, by Dobfon, but conjectured by others to have been a performance of Riley, who lived rather too late to delineate Milton. Some have fuppofed it may be a head of his brother Chriftopher. It is, however, remarkable, that Mr. Greenflade, a collector of paintings, who refides in Bond-street, London, has a copy of this very painting, which has been called a portrait of the poet. Mr. Waldron is in poffeffion of a painting, which exhibits a likeness of the poet in his middle age. To the modern engravings of the poet may be added an interefting one by Mr. Silvefter Harding, from a painting in the poffeffion of the late Lord Orford.

z Sermons preached at Wells by bishop Lake, fol. 1629, p. 67.

more womannish, or women more mannifh!" Milton had a very fine fkin and fresh complexion. His hair was of a light brown; and, parted on the foretop, hung down in curls upon his fhoulders. His features were regular; and when turned of forty, he has himself told us, he was generally allowed to have had the appearance of being ten years younger. He has alfo reprefented himself as a man of moderate ftature, neither too lean nor too corpulent; and fo far endued with ftrength and fpirit, that, as he always wore a fword, he wanted not, while light revifited his eyes, the fkill or the courage to use it. His eyes were of a greyish colour; which, when deprived of fight, did not betray their lofs: At first view, and at a finall distance, it was difficult to know that he was blind. The teftimony of Aubrey refpecting the perfon of Milton is happily expreffed: "His harmonicall and ingeniofe foul did lodge in a beautiful and well proportioned body." Milton's voice was mufically fwect, as his ear was mufically correct. Wood defcribes his deportment to have been affable, and his gait erect and manly, bespeaking courage and undauntednefs. Of his figure in his declining days Richardfon has left the following sketches. "An ancient clergyman of Dorsetshire, Dr. Wright, found John Milton in a small chamber hung with rufty green, fitting in an elbow chair, and dressed neatly in black, pale but not cadaverous, his hands and fingers gouty and with chalk stones. He used alfo to fit in a gray coarse cloth coat, at the door of his houfe near Bunhill-fields, in warm

a

Aubrey fays that "he had a delicate tunable voice," and that "he pronounced the letter R very hard."

Life of Milton, 1734, p. iv.

funny weather, to enjoy the fresh air; and fo, as well as in his room, received the vifits of people of diftinguished parts as well as quality.'

His domeftick habits were thofe of a fober and temperate ftudent. Of wine, or of any ftrong liquours, he drank little. In his diet he was rarely influenced by delicacy of choice. He once delighted in walking and ufing exercife; and appears to have amufed himfelf in botanical purfuits: but, after he was confined by age and blindnefs, he had a machine to fwing in for the prefervation of his health. In fummer he then refted in bed from nine to four, in winter to five. If, at these hours, he was not difpofed to rife, he had a perfon by his bed-fide to read to him. When he first rofe, he heard a chapter in the Hebrew Bible, and commonly studied till twelve; then used fome exercise for an hour; then dined; afterwards played on the organ or bafs-viol, and either fung himself or made his wife fing, who, he said, had a good voice but no ear. It is related that, when educating his nephews, ❝he had made them fong fters, and fing from the time they were with him." No poet, it may be obferved, has more frequently or more powerfully commended the charms of mufick than Milton. He wished perhaps to rival, and he has fuccefsfully rivalled, the

с

See his own obfervations, in his treatife Of Education. "The interim of unfweating themfelves regularly, and convenient rest before meat, may both with profit and delight be taken up in recreating and compofing their travailed fpirits with the folemn and divine harmonies of mufick heard or learned, &c. The like also would not be unexpedient after meat, to affist and cherish nature in her first concoction, and send their minds back to ftudy in good tune and fatisfaction."

Aubrey's MS.

fweeteft defcriptions of a favourite bard, whom the melting voice appears to have often enchanted; the tender Petrarch. After his regular indulgence in mufical relaxation, he ftudied till fix; then entertained his vifitors till eight; then enjoyed a light fupper; and, after a pipe of tobacco and a glass of water, retired to bed.

e

It has been obferved by Dr. Newton that all, who had written any accounts of the life of Milton, agreed that he was affable and inftructive in converfation, of an equal and cheerful temper; " yet I can eafily believe," fays the learned biographer, "that he had a fufficient fenfe of his own merits, and contempt enough for his adverfaries." Milton acknowledges his own "honest haughtiness and felf-esteem," with which, however, he profeffes to have united a becoming modesty "Aubrey notices that he as fatyrical." His literature was immenfe. Of the Hebrew, with its two dialects, and of the Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and Spanish languages, he was a master. In Latin, Dr. Johnson obferves, his skill was fuch as places him in the firft rank of writers and criticks. In the Italian he was also particularly skilled. His Sonnets in that language have received the highest commendations from Italian criticks, both of his own and of modern times. If he had written generally in Italian, it has been fuppofed, by the late lord Orford, that he would have been the most perfect poet in modern languages; for his own ftrength of thought would have condenfed and hardened that speech to a

Profe-Works, vol. i. p. 177. ed. 1698.

f See also Algarotti's ingenious criticism on his works. Opere del Conte Algarotti, Ven, 1794, tom. x. p. 39, &c.