added fome academical exercifes, which perhaps he perused with pleasure, as they recalled to his memory the days of youth; but for which nothing but veneration for his name could now procure a reader.

When he had attained his fixty-sixth year, the gout, with which he had been long tormented, prevailed over the enfeebled powers of nature. He died by a quiet and filent expiration, about the tenth of November 1674, at his house in Bunhill-fields; and was buried next his father in the chancel of St. Giles at Cripplegate. His funeral was very fplendidly and numerously attended.

Upon his grave there is fuppofed to have

been no memorial; but in our time a monument has been erected in Westminster-Abbey To the Author of Paradife Loft, by Mr. Benfon, who has in the infcription bestowed more words upon himself than upon Milton.

When the infcription for the monument of Philips, in which he was faid to be Joli Miltono fecundus, was exhibited to Dr. Sprat, then dean of Westminster, he refufed to ad

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mit it; the name of Milton was, in his opi nion, too deteftable to be read on the wall of a building dedicated to devotion. Atterbury, who fucceeded him, being author of the infcription, permitted its reception. "And "fuch has been the change of publick opi"nion," faid Dr. Gregory, from whom I heard this account, "that I have feen erected in the church a ftatue of that man, whofe "name I once knew confidered as a pollution "of its walls.'

Milton has the reputation of having been in his youth eminently beautiful, fo as to have been called the Lady of his college. His hair, which was of a light brown, parted at the foretop, and hung down upon his fhoulders, according to the picture which he has given of Adam. He was, however, not of the heroick ftature, but rather below the middle fize, according to Mr. Richardson, who mentions him as having narrowly escaped from being short and thick. He was vigorousand active, and delighted in the exercise of the fword, in which he is related to have been eminently skilful. His weapon was, I believe, not the rapier, but the backsword,

of

of which he recommends the ufe in his book on Education.

His eyes are faid never to have been bright; but, if he was a dexterous fencer, they muft have been once quick.

His domestick habite, fò far as they are known, were thofe of a fevere ftudent. He drank little strong drink of any kind, and fed without delicacy of choice or excess in quantity. In his youth he ftudied late at night; but afterwards changed his hours, and rested in bed from nine to four in the Summer, and five in Winter. The course of his day was best known after he was blind. When he first rofe, he heard a chapter in the Hebrew Bible, and then ftudied till twelve; then took fome exércife for an hour; then dined; then played on the argan, and fung, or heard another fing; then ftudied to fix ; then entertained his vifiters, till eight; then fupped, and, after a pipe of tobacco and a glafs of water, went to bed.

So is his life defcribed; but this even tenour appears attainable only in Colleges.

He that lives in the world will fometimes have the fucceffion of his practice broken and confused. Vifiters, of whom Milton is reprefented to have had great numbers, will come and stay unfeasonably; business, of which every man has fome, must be done when others will do it.

When he did not care to rise early, he had fomething read to him by his bedfide; perhaps at this time his daughters were employed. He composed much in the morning, and dictated in the day, fitting obliquely in an elbow-chair, with his leg thrown over the

arm.

Fortune appears not to have had much of his care. In the civil wars he lent his perfonal eftate to the parliament; but when, after the conteft was decided, he folicited repayment, he met not only with neglect, but fharp rebuke; and, having tired both himself and his friends, was given up to poverty and hopeless indignation, till he shewed how able he was to do greater fervice. He was then made Latin fecretary, with two hundred pounds a year; and had a thousand pounds

for

for his Defence of the People. His widow, who, after his death, retired to Namptwich in Cheshire, and died about 1729, is faid to have reported that he loft two thousand pounds by entrusting it to a scrivener; and that, in the general depredation upon the Church, he had grasped an estate of about fixty pounds a year belonging to WestminsterAbbey, which, like other sharers of the plunder of rebellion, he was afterwards obliged Two thousand pounds, which he

to return.

had placed in the Excife-office, were also lost. There is yet no reason to believe that he was ever reduced to indigence, His wants, being few, were competently fupplied. He fold his library before his death, and left his family fifteen hundred pounds, on which his widow laid hold, and only gave one hundred to each of his daughters.

His literature was unquestionably great. He read all the languages which are confidered either as learned or polite; Hebrew, with its two dialects, Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and Spanish. In Latin his skill was fuch as places him in the first rank of writers and criticks; and he appears to have cultivated

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