T

HE Life of Milton has been already written in fo many forms, and with fuch minute enquiry, that I might perhaps more properly have contented myself with the addition of a few notes to Mr. Fenton's elegant Abridgement, but that a new narrative was thought neceffary to the uniformity of this edition.

JOHN MILTON was by birth a gentleman, defcended from the proprietors of Milton near Thame in Oxfordshire, one of whom forfeited his eftate in the times of York and Lancafter. Which fide he took I know not; his defcendant inherited no veneration for the White Rofe.

His grandfather John was keeper of the forest of Shotover, a zealous papist, who difinherited his fon, becaufe he had forfaken the religion of his ancestors.

His father; Johit, who was the foh difinherited, had recourfe for his fupport to the profeffion of a fcrivener. He was a mani

eminent for his fkill in mufick, many of his compofitions being ftill to be found; and his reputation in his profeffion was fuch, that he grew rich, and retired to an estate. He had probably more than common literature, as his fon addreffes him in one of his most

elaborate Latin poems. He married a gentlewoman of the name of Cafton, a Welfh family, by whom he had two fons, Johu the poet, and Chriftopher who ftudied the law, and adhered, as the law taught him, to the King's party, for which he was awhile perfecuted but having, by his brother's intereft, obtained permiffion to live in quiet, he fupported himself by chamber-practice, till, foon after the acceffion of King James, he was knighted and made a Judge; but, his conftitution being too weak for business, he retired before

before any difreputable compliances became neceffary.

He had likewife a daughter Anne, whom he married with a confiderable fortune to Edward Philips, who came from Shrewsbury, and rofe in the Crown-office to be fecondary: by him she had two fons, John and Edward, who were educated by the poet, and from whom is derived the only authentick account of his domeftick manners.

John, the poet, was born in his father's houfe, at the Spread-Eagle in Bread-ftrect, Dec. 9, 1608, between fix and feven in the morning. His father appears to have been very folicitous about his education; for he was inftructed at firft by private tuition under the care of Thomas Young, who was afterwards chaplain to the English merchants at Hamburgh; and of whom we have reafon to think well, fince his scholar confidered him as worthy of an epiftolary Elegy.

He was then fent to St. Paul's School, une der the care of Mr. Gill; and removed, in

the

the beginning of his fixteenth year, to Chrift's College in Cambridge, where he entered a fizar, Feb. 12, 1624.

He was at this time eminently skilled in the Latin tongue; and he himself, by annexing the dates to his firft compositions, a boaft of which the learned Politian had given him an example, feems to commend the earlinefs of his own proficiency to the notice of pofterity. But the products of his vernal fertility have been furpaffed by many, and particularly by his contemporary Cowley. Of the powers of the mind it is difficult to form an estimate: many have excelled Milton in their firft effays, who never rose to works like Paradife Loft.

At fifteen, a date which he ufes till he is fixteen, he tranflated or verfified two Pfalms, 114 and 136, which he thought worthy of the publick eye; but they raise no great expectations they would in any numerous fchool have obtained praife, but not excited wonder.

Many

1