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our 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 fixty fixth year of his age, as closely as fuch imperfect lights, as men of letters, and retirement, usually leave to guide our inquiry, would allow; it now only remains to be re6 corded, that in the year 1674

An. Etat. 67

the gout put a period to his life at Bunhill near London; from whence his body was conveyed to St. Giles's church by Cripplegate, where it lyes interred in Chancel; but neither has, nor wants, a monument to perpetuate his memory.

In his youth he is faid to have been extremely handfom: the colour of his hair was a light-brown: the fymmetry of his features exact; enliven'd with an agree

able

able air, and a beautiful mixture of fair and ruddy: which occasioned the marquis of Villa to give his

epigram the fame

turn of thought, which Gregory arch-deacon of Rome had employed above a thoufand years before, in praifing the amiable complexions of fome English youths, before their converfion to Christianity. His ftature († as we find it measured by himself) did not exceed the middle fize ; neither too lean, nor corpulent: his limbs well proportioned, nervous, and active: ferviceable in all refpects to his exercifing the fword, in which he much delighted; and wanted neither skill, nor courage, to resent an affront from men of the most athletic conftitutions. In his diet he was abftemious: not delicate in the choice of

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

+ Defenfio fecunda, p. 87. Fol.

his

his dishes; and strong liquors of all kinds were his averfion. Being too fadly convinced how much his health had fuffered by night-studies in his younger years, he ufed to go early (feldom later than nine) to reft; 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 used 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 inconteftible proofs, that in fome feafons he was but one of the people. When blindness reftrained him from other exercises, he had a machine to fwing in, for the preservation of his health; and diverted himself in his

chamber

chamber with playing on an organ. His deportment was erect, open, affable; his conversation easy, chearful, inftructive; his wit on all occafions at command, facetious, grave, or fatirical, as the fubject required. His judgment when dif-engag ed from religious and political speculations, was just 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 treasured up fuch immense stores of fcience, perhaps the facul ties of his foul grew more vigorous after he was deprived of his fight: and his ima gination (naturally fublime, and enlarged by reading romances, of which he was much inamoured in his youth) when it was wholly abftracted from material ob jects, was more at liberty to make fuch

amazing

* His Apology for Smectymnus, p. 177. Fol.

amazing excurfions into the ideal world, when in compofing his divine work he was tempted to range

Beyond the visible diurnal Sphere.

With fo many accomplishments, not to have had fome faults, and misfortunes, to be laid in the balance with the fame, and felicity, of writing PARADISE LOST, would have been too great a portion for humanity.

ELIJAH FENTON.

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