bed. She knows nothing of her aunt Philips or Agar's defcendents, but believes that they are all extinct as is likewife Sir Chriftopher Milton's family, the laft of which were two maiden fifters, Mrs. Mary and Mrs. Katharine Milton, who lived and died at Highgate: And the herfelf is the only furvivor of Milton's own family; unless there be fome in the EastIndies, which the very much queftions, for she used to hear from them fometimes, but has heard nothing now for feveral years: fo that in all probability Milton's whole family would be extinct with her *, and he Mrs. Fofter died at Ilington, May 9. 1754, in the 66th year of her age; and by her death all Milton's family became extinct. She had lived many years in a low way, and was at last depressed with poverty and the infirmities of old age. It does not appear, that any of her grandfather's admirers took any notice of her till 1750; when, on the 5th of April that year, Comus, wrote by Milton, was reprefented at Drury-Lane theatre, with a new prologue spoken by Mr. Garrick, for her benefit, which produced her above 130 l. The prologue was printed both at London and Edinburgh for her benefit, and is as follows: Ye patriot crouds, who burn for England's fame, Ye nymphs, whofe bofoms beat at MILTON's name, And rifing ages haften to be juft. At length our mighty Bard's victorious lays And baffled Spite, with hopeless Anguish dumb, Unknown, he can live only in his writings: And, fuch is the caprice of fortune, this grand-daughter of a man, who will be an everlasting glory to the nation, has now for fome years with her husband kept a little chandler's or grocer's fhop, for their fubfiftence, lately at the Lower Halloway in the road between High-gate and London, and at prefent in Cock lane, not far from Shore ditch church. Another thing let me mention, that is equally to the honour of the prefent age. Though Milton received not above 10 1. at two different payments for the copy of Paradife Loft, yet Mr. Hoyle, author of the Treatife on the Game of Whift, after having disposed of all the first impreflion, fold the copy to the bookfeller, as I have been informed, for 200 guineas. To this Life from Dr. Newton, we fhall fubjoin an account of the manner in which Milton loft his fight, which he fo pathetically laments in the beginning of book iii. of Paradise Loft, taken from his own letter to Leonard Philaras, envoy from the Duke of Parma to the French King, dated, Weftminster, Sept. 28. 1654. "I think 'tis about ten years, more or lefs, "fince I began to perceive, that my eye-fight grew "weak and dim, and at the fame time my spleen and "bowels to be oppreffed and troubled with flatus ; "and in the morning, when I began to read, accord.. ing to my cuftom, my eyes grew painful immedi.. ately, and to refufe reading, but were refreshed af Unknown, unheeded, long his offspring lay, And Want hung threat'ning o'er her flow decay. Yours is the charge, ye Fair, ye Wife, ye Brave! " "ter a moderate exercise of the body. A certain Iris began to furround the light of the candle, if I look"ed at it; foon after which, on the left part of the “left eye, (for that was fome years fooner clouded) a mift arofe, which hid every thing on that fide; "and looking forward, if I fhut my right eye, ob"jects appeared smaller. My other eye alfo, for these laft three years, failing by degrees, fome months "before all fight was abolished, things which I look"ed upon feemed to fwim to the right and left. Certain inveterate vapours feem to poffefs my forehead and temples, which, after meat efpecially, quite to evening generally urge and deprefs my # eyes with a fleepy heavinefs. Nor would I omit, "that, whilft there was as yet fome remainder of ས་ fight, I no fooner lay down in my bed, and turne "ed on my fide, but a copious light dazzled out of my fhut eyes: and, as my fight diminished, every day colours gradually more obfcure flashed out with vehemence; but now, that the lucid is in a manner wholly extinct, a direct blackness, or elfe fpotted, and as it were woven with afh colour, is **ufed to pour itself in. Nevertheless, the constant and fettled darkness that is before me, as well by night as by day, feems nearer to the whitish than "the blackifh; and the eye, rolling itself a little, feems to admit I know not what little fmallness of light, as through a chink." The following TRANSLATION and SONNET are taken from Toland's and Birch's accounts of Milton's Life. The Verfes to CHRISTINA Queen of SWEDEN, vol. ii. p. ult. tranflated. BRIGHT martial Maid, Queen of the frozen zone, The northern pole fupports thy fhining throne; Behold what furrows Age and Steel can plow; Thro' Thro' Fate's untrodden paths I move, my hands TOLAND'S Life of Milton. A SONNET, upon occafion of the Plague in London, faid to be written by Milton, and to have beenlately found on a glafs-window at Chalfont, where he refided during the continuance of that dreadful calamity. FA AIR mirror of foul times! whofe fragile fheen Shall, as it blazeth, break; while Providence: (Ay watching o'er his faints with eye unfeen,) Spreads the red rod of angry peftilence, To fweep the wicked and their counfels hence : For the fair Hittite, when on feraph's wings BIRCH's Life of Milton. If this fonnet was really wrote by Milton, he has blundered in representing the peftilence as a judgment upon David for his adul-tery with Bathsheba, whereas it was on account of his numbering the people. In PARADIS UM AMISSAM fummi poetæ JOANNIS MILTONI. UI legis Amiffam Paradifum, grandia magni Terræque, tractufque maris, cœlumque profundum, Et quodcunque ullis conclufum eft finibus ufquam, Et fine fine magis, fi quid magis eft fine fine, Et flammæ vibrant, & vera tonitrua rauco Excidit attonitis mens omnis, & impetus omnis, Ad panas fugiunt, & ceu foret Orcus afylum, Cedite Romani icriptores, cedite Graii, Et quos fama recens vel celebravit anus. SAMUEL BARROW, M. D. On |