If I can give a more Exact, and a more Juft Idea of Milton, and of Paradife Loft than the Publick has yet had of Either, I am Affur'd it will be Acceptable to all Honest and Ingenuous Minds of What Party Soever. This is All I Intend; not a Panegyrick, not to give my Own Senfe of What a Man fhould be, but what This Man Really was. Not to Plead for the Poet, or the Poem, but for Truth, by giving Light into What hath Hitherto lain in Obfcurity, and by Difpelling Mistakes which have Injur'd the Memory of a Deferving Man, Debas'd a Work Worthy of the Highest Estimation, and Robb'd the World of the Pleasure and Advantage it Might have Receiv'd, and I prefume to Hope Will Hereafter Receive. This is My Aim in the Prefent Undertaking. Whoever Reads without being the Better for My Labour in Some Degree, 'tis Their Own Fault; though that they are not More Benefitted may be Mine; not from any Defect in my Will, but Capacity. Concerning Milton, I will First of Åll, as well as I am Able, Show you his Perfon; A 2 Then

Then his Mind; Afterwards You fhall be Acquainted with the Principal Occurrences of his Life; his Provifion for Maintenance; and Laftly, I will Confider the General Character of his Life, as to Happiness, by Comparing in very few Words his Sufferings and Enjoy

ments.

was

His

He was rather a Middle Siz'd than a Little Man, and Well Proportion'd; Latterly he No; Not Short and Thick, but he would have been So, had he been Somthing Shorter and Thicker than he Was. Deportment was Manly and Refolute, but with a Gentlemanly Affability. in his Habit Plain, Clean, and Neat. his Voice was Mufically Agreeable. When Young he was Efteem'd Handfom, Chiefly I believe because he had a Fine Skin, and a Fresh Complexion. his Hair was a Light Brown, which he wore Parted atop, and Somwhat Flat, Long, and Waving, a little Curl'd. the Print Prefix'd thows the Face of him who Wrote Paradije Loft, the Face We Chiefly defire to be Acquainted with, 'tis done from a Picture which I have reason to believe he Sate for not long before his Death, I have therefore given a little more Vigour to the Print, and but a Little. the Complexion must be Imagin'd as of One who had been Fair and Fresh Colour'd. Toland fays he was Ruddy to the Laft, My Picture and other Information does not tell us That, but

that

that he might have been So not long before. the Colour of his Eyes inclin'd to Blue, not Deep; and though Sightlefs, they were as he fays Himself, Clear to Outward View of Blemish or of Spot; he was Told So, and 'tis Certain the Gutta Serena (which was His Cafe) does not appear to Common Eyes, and at a little Distance; but Blindness, even of That Kind is Visible, in the Colour, Motion, and Look of the Eye which has the fad Unhappiness of being Extinguish'd by it. 'tis Wonderfully Expreft in the Picture from Whence this Print was made, as well as the Sett of the Mouth, and the rest of the Air. I have Imitated it as well as I could in a Way of Working which I Never Practic'd but on a Few Plates, and Thofe in my Youth, except an Attempt on One or Two near 20 Years ago. the Laurel is not in the Picture, the two Lines under it are my Reason for putting it There, not what Otherwife would have been Imagin'd. All the World has given it him long fince.

One that had Often feen him, told me he us'd to come to a Houfe where He Liv'd, and he has alfo Met him in the Street, Led by Millington, the fame who was fo Famous an Auctioneer of Books about the time of the Revolution, and Since. This Man was then a Seller of Old Books in Little Britain, and Milton lodg'd at his houfe. This was 3 or 4 Years before he Dy'd. he then wore no A 3

Sword

Sword that My Informer remembers, though Probably he did, at leaft 'twas his Custom not long before to wear one with a Small Silver-Hilt, and in Cold Weather a Grey Camblet Coat. his Band was Ufually not of the Sort as That in the Print I have given, That is, as my Original is, but like What are in the Common Prints of him, the Band ufually wore at That time; to have a more Exact Idea of his Figure, let it be remembred that the Fashion of the Coat Then was not Much Unlike what the Quakers Wear Now.

I have heard many Years Since that he Us'd to Sit in a Grey Coarfe Cloath Coat at the Door of his Houfe, near Bun-hill Fields Without Moor-gate, in Warm Sunny Weather to Enjoy the Fresh Air, and So, as well as in his Room, receiv'd the Vifits of People of Diftinguish'd Parts, as well as Quality. and very Lately I had the Good Fortune to have Another Picture of him from an Ancient Clergy-man in Dorfetfhire, Dr.Wright; He found him in a Small House, he thinks but One Room on a Floor; in That, up One pair of Stairs, which was hung with a Rusty Green, he found John Milton, Sitting in an Elbow Chair, Black Cloaths, and Neat enough, Pale, but not Cadaverous, his Hands and Fingers Gouty, and with Chalk Stones. among Other Difcourfe He expreft Himfelf to This Purpofe; that was he Free from

the

the Pain This gave him, his Blindness would be Tolerable.

Sufficient Care had not been taken of This Body, he had a Partiality for his Mind; but All that Temperance, Chastity, and every Wholefom Vertue could do, was done; Nor did he forbear Sometimes to Walk and Ufe Exercise, as himself fays, Eleg. I. 50. VII. 51. and in a Paffage in his Apol. for Smedtymnuus which will be Quoted Anon on Another Occafion. but This was not Enough to Support him Under that Intense Study and Application which he took to be his Portion in This Life. He lov'd the Country, but was little There. nor do we hear any thing of his Riding, Hunting, Dancing, &c. When he was Young he learnt to Fence, probably as a Gentlemanly Accomplishment, and that he might be Able to do Himself Right in Cafe of an Affront, which he wanted not Courage nor Will for, as Himself intimates, though it does not appear he ever made This Ufe of his Skill. after he was Blind he us'd a Swing for Exercise.

Mufick he Lov'd Extreamly, and Underftood Well. 'tis faid he Compos'd, though nothing of That has been brought down to Us. he diverted Himself with Performing, which they fay he did Well on the Organ and Bas-Viol. and This was a great Relief to him after he had loft his Sight.