merits or demerits of Milton's political character, the integrity of his heart appears to have fecured to him the favour of Providence; since it pleased the Giver of all good not only to turn his labours to a peaceful end, but to irradiate his declining life with the most abundant portion of those pure and fublime mental powers, for which he had conftantly and fervently prayed, as the choiceft bounty of Heaven.

Had

At this period, his kind friend and phyfician, who had proved fo ferviceable to him in the recommendation of an attentive and affectionate wife, introduced to his notice a young reader of Latin, in that fingular character, Thomas Ellwood, the quaker, who has written a minute hiftory of his own life; a book, which fuggests the reflection, how strangely a writer may sometimes mistake his way in his endeavours to engage the attention of posterity. the honest quaker bequeathed to the world as circumftantial an account of his great literary friend, as he has done of himself, his book would certainly have engroffed no common share of public regard: we are indebted to him, however, for his incidental mention of the great poet; and as there is a pleafing air of fimplicity and truth in his narrative, I fhall gratify the reader by inferting it with very little abridgment:

JOHN MILTON, a gentleman of great note for learning throughout the learned world, having filled a public station in former times, lived now a private and retired life in London; and having wholly loft his fight, kept always a man

to

to read to him, which usually was the fon of fome gentleman of his acquaintance, whom in kindness he took to improve in his learning.

"By the mediation of my friend, Ifaac Penington, with Dr. Paget, and of Dr. Paget with John Milton, was I admitted to come to him, not as a fervant to him, which at that time he needed not, nor to be in the house with him, but only to have the liberty of coming to his house at certain hours, when I would, and to read to him what books he should appoint me, which was all the favour I defired."

Ellwood was at this time an ingenuous but undisciplined young man, about three-and-twenty;-his father, a juftice of Oxfordshire, had taken him, very unfeasonably, from school, with a view to leffen his own expences, and this his younger son, after wafting fome years at home, attached himself, with great fervency, to the sect of quakers. His reli-gious ardour involved him in a long and painful quarrel with his father, and in many fingular adventures-he united with his pious zeal a lively regard for literature; and being grieved to find that his interrupted education had permitted him to acquire but a slender portion of claffical learning, he anxiously fought the acquaintance of Milton, in the hopeof improving it.

"I went, therefore (fays the candid quaker) and took myself a lodging near to his house, which was then in Jewinftreet, as conveniently as I could, and from thence forward went every day in the afternoon, except on the first days of the week, and fitting by him in his dining-room, read to

Z 2

.

him

him fuch books in the Latin tongue as he pleased to hear me read.

"At my first fitting to read to him, obferving that I used the English pronunciation, he told me, if I would have the benefit of the Latin tongue, not only to read and understand Latin authors, but to converse with foreigners, either abroad or at home, I must learn the foreign pronunciation; to this I confenting, he inftructed me how to found the vowels: this change of pronunciation proved a new difficulty to me; but,

Labor omnia vincit

Improbus ;

And fo did I; which made my reading the more acceptable to my master. He, on the other hand, perceiving with what earnest desire I pursued learning, gave me not only all the encouragement, but all the help he could; for having a curious ear, he understood by my tone when I understood what I read, and when I did not, and accordingly would

ftop me, examine me, and open the most difficult paffages

to me.

The clearness and fimplicity of Ellwood's narrative brings us, as it were, into the company of Milton, and shews, in a very agreeable point of view, the native courtesy and sweetness of a temper, that has been strangely misrepresented as morofe and auftere.

Johnson, with his accustomed afperity to Milton, difcovers an inclination to cenfure him for his mode of teaching

Latin to Ellwood; but Milton, who was inftructing an indigent young man, had probably very friendly reafons for wishing him to acquire immediately the foreign pronunciation; and affuredly the patience, good nature, and fuccess, with which he condefcended to teach this fingular attendant, do credit both to the difciple and the preceptor.

Declining health foon interrupted the studies of Ellwood, and obliged him to retire to the house of a friend and phyfician in the country. Here, after great fuffering from fickness, he revived, and returned again to London.

"I was very kindly received by my Master (continues the interefting quaker) who had conceived fo good an opinion of me, that my conversation, I found, was acceptable, and he feemed heartily glad of my recovery and return, and into our old method of ftudy we fell again, I reading to him, and he explaining to me, as occafion required."

But learning (as poor Ellwood obferves was almost a forbidden fruit to him. His intercourfe with Milton was again interrupted by a second calamity; a party of foldiers rushed into a meeting of quakers, that included this unfortunate scholar, and he was hurried, with his friends, from prison to prison. Though ten-pence was all the money he poffeffed, his honeft pride prevented his applying to Milton for relief in this exigence, and he contrived to fupport himfelf by his induftry, in confinement, with admirable fortitude.

Moderate profperity, however, vifited at last this honeft and devout man, affording him an agreeable opportunity

of

of being useful to the great poet, who had deigned to be his

preceptor.

An affluent quaker, who refided at Chalfont, in Buckinghamshire, fettled Ellwood in his family, to inftru&t his children, and in 1665, when the peftilence raged in London, Milton requested his friendly disciple to find a refuge for him in his neighbourhood.

"I took a pretty box for him," fays this affectionate friend, " in Giles Chalfont, a mile from me, of which I gave him notice, and intended to have waited on him, and seen him well settled in it, but was prevented by imprisonment."

This was a fecond captivity that the unfortunate young man had to sustain; for in confequence of a recent and most iniquitous perfecution of the quakers, he was apprehended at the funeral of a friend, and confined in the gaol of Aylesbury.

"But being now released," continues Elwood, "I foon made a visit to him, to welcome him into the country.

"After fome common difcourfes had paffed between us, he called for a manuscript of his, which, being brought, he delivered to me, bidding me take it home with me, and read it at my leifure, and when I had fo done, return it to him, with my judgment thereupon.

"When I came home, and fet myself to read it, I found it was that excellent poem, which he entitled Paradise Loft. "After I had, with the beft attention, read it through, I made him another vifit, and returned him his book, with due acknowledgment of the favour he had done me in communicating it to me. He afked me how I liked it, and

what