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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,
Whofe gen'rous zeal, unbought by flatt'ring rhymes,
Shames the mean penfions of Auguftan times;
Immortal patrons of fucceeding days,
Attend this prelude of perpetual praife!
Let Wit, condemn'd the feeble war to wage
With clofe Malevolence, or public Rage;
Let Study, worn with Virtue's fruitless lore,
Behold this theatre, and grieve no more.
This night, diftinguifh'd by your fmile, fhall tell,
That never BRITON can in vain excel;
The flighted arts futurity fhall truft,

And rifing ages haften to be juft.

At length our mighty Bard's victorious lays
Fill the loud voice of univerfal praise;

And baffled Spite, with hopeless Anguish dumb,
Vields to Renown the centuries to come.
With ardent hatte, each candidate of fame
Ambitious catches at his tow'ring name:
Ele fees, and pitying fees, vain Wealth bestow
Thofe pageant honours which he feoru'd below.
While crouds aloft the laureat buft behold,
Or trace his form on circulating gold;

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

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Unknown, unheeded, long his offspring lay,

And Want hung threat'ning o'er her flow decay.
What though the fhine with no MILTONIAN fire,
No fav'ring Mufe her morning-dreams inspire?
Yet fofter claims the melting heart engage;
Her youth laborious, and her blameless age:
Her's the mild merits of domestic life;
The patient fuff'rer, and the faithful wife.
Thus grac'd with humble Virtue's native charms,
Her Grandfire leaves her in Britannia's arms,
Secure with peace, with competence, to dwell,
While tutelary nations guard her cell.

Yours is the charge, ye Fair, ye Wife, ye Brave!
"Tis yours to crown defert-beyond the grave!

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"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)

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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

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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."

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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;
The helmet's weight opprefs'd this wrinkled brow.

Thro'

Thro' Fate's untrodden paths I move, my hands
Still act my free-born people's bold commands:
Yet this ftern fhade to you fubmits his frowns,
Nor are these looks always fevere to crowns.

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 :
Yea all to break the pride of luftful kings,
Who Heaven's lore reject for brutish fenfe;
As erft he fcourg'd Jeffides' fin of yore

For the fair Hittite, when on feraph's wings
He fent him war, or plague, or famine fore

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
Carmina Miltoni, quid nifi cuncta legis ?
Res cunctas, & cunctarum primordia rerum,
Et fata, & fines continet ifte liber.
Intima panduntur magni penetralia mundi,
Scribitur & toto quicquid in orbe latet:

Terræque, tractufque maris, cœlumque profundum,
Sulphureumque Erebi, flammivomumque fpecus ::
Quæque colunt terras, pontumque, & tartara cæca,
Quæque colunt fummi lucida regna poli:

Et quodcunque ullis conclufum eft finibus ufquam,
Et fine fine Chaos, & fine fine Deus:

Et fine fine magis, fi quid magis eft fine fine,
In Chrifto erga homines conciliatus amor.
Hæc qui fperaret quis crederet effe futura?
Et tamen hæc hodie terra Britanna legit.
Q quantos in bella duces! quæ protulit arma!
Qua canit, & quanta prælia dira tuba!
Cæleftes acies! atque in certamine cœlum!
Et quæ cœleftes pugna deceret agros!
Quantus in æthereis tollit fe Lucifer armis !
Atque ipfo graditur vix Michaele minor!
Quantis, & quar funeftis concurritur iris,
Dum ferus hic ftellas protegit, ille rapit!
Dum vulfos montes ceu tela reciproca torquent
Et non mortali defuper igne pluunt:
Stat dubius cui fe parti concedat Olympus,
Et metuit pugnæ non fupereffe fuæ.
At fimul in cœlis Meffiæ infignia fulgent,
Et currus animes, armaque digna Deo,
Horrendumque rotæ ftrident, & fæva rotarum
Erumpunt torvis fulgura luminibus,

Et flammæ vibrant, & vera tonitrua rauco
Admiftis flammis infonuere polo :

Excidit attonitis mens omnis, & impetus omnis,
Et caffis dextris irrita tela cadunt;

Ad panas fugiunt, & ceu foret Orcus afylum,
Infernis certant cendere fe tenebris.

Cedite Romani icriptores, cedite Graii,

Et quos fama recens vel celebravit anus.
Hæc quicunque leget tantum ceciniffè putabit
Maonidem ranas, Virgilium culices.

SAMUEL BARROW, M. D.

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