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which in his youth grew daily upon him, that by labour and intense study he might perhaps leave something so written to after-times, as they should not willingly let it die;" the very anticipation, which he had before communicated to Deodati, that he was meditating an immortality of fame; an anticipation, which the judgement of posterity has confirmed.

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2 Literæ Fam. dat. Sept. 23, 1637.

SECTION VI.

Of the personal and general character of Milton; of his circumstances; and of his family.

MILTON, in his youth, is said to have been extremely handsome. He was called the Lady of his Col

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a The first published portrait of Milton was that by Marshall, prefixed to the edition of the juvenile poems in 1645. With the palpable dissimilitude of this portrait Milton was justly displeased, as his verses, In Effigiei Sculptorem, evidently prove. In the year 1670, there was another plate, by Faithorne, from a drawing in crayons by Faithorne, prefixed to his History of Britain, with this legend; "Gul. Faithorne ad vivum delin. et sculpsit. Joannis Miltoni effigies, Etat. 62. 1670." It is also prefixed to the edition of his Prose-Works in 1698. It has been observed, that this engraving is not in Faithorne's best manner. The print has been several times copied. By an ingenious young artist a new drawing was taken from Faithorne's picture, (supposed to be the best likeness extant of the poet, and for which he sat at the age of sixty-two,) by the kind permission of William Baker, Esq. in whose possession it now is; from which an engraving was made for my first edition of Milton's poetical works. From the same picture the neat engraving in the present edition is also made. Faithorne's print is copied by W. Dolle, before Milton's Logick, 1672. Dolle's print is likewise prefixed to the second edition of Paradise Lost. Faithorne was also copied afterwards by Robert White, and next by Vertue. Mr. Warton has given many other particulars of paintings and engravings of Milton.

lege; an appellation which he himself has recorded, and which Mr. Hayley says he could not relish.

“There are four or five original pictures of our author. The first, a half length with a laced ruff, is by Cornelius Jansen, in 1618, when he was only a boy of ten years old. It had belonged to Milton's widow, his third wife, who lived in Cheshire. This was in the possession of Mr. Thomas Hollis, having been purchased at Mr. Charles, Stanhope's sale for thirty-one guineas, in June, 1760. Lord Harrington wishing to have the lot returned, Mr. Hollis replied, “ his lordship's whole estate should not repurchase it.' It was engraved by J. B. Cipriani, in 1760. Mr. Stanhope bought it of the executors of Milton's widow, for twenty guineas. The late Mr. Hollis, when his lodgings in Coventgarden were on fire, walked calmly out of the house with this picture by Jansen in his hand, neglecting to secure any other portable article of value. I presume it is now [1791] in the possession of Mr. Brand Hollis. Another, which had also belonged to Milton's widow, is in the possession of the Onslow family. This, which is not at all like Faithorne's crayon-drawing, and by some is suspected not to be a portrait of Milton, has been more than once engraved by Vertue: :who in his first plate of it, dated 1731, and in others, makes the age twenty-one. This has been also engraved by Houbraken in 1741, and by Cipriani. The ruff is much in the neat style of painting ruffs, about and before 1628. The picture is handsomer than the engravings. This portrait is mentioned in Aubrey's manuscript Life of Milton, 1681, as then belonging to the widow. And he says, ' MEM. Write his name in red letters on his pictures which his widowe has, to preserve them.' Vertue, in a Letter to Mr. Christian the seal engraver, in, the British Museum, about 1720, proposes to ask Prior the poet, whether there had not been a picture of Milton in the late lord Dorset's Collection. The duchess of Portland has [had] a miniature of his head, when young; the face has a stern thoughtfulness, and, to use his own expression, is severe in youthful beauty. Before Peck's New Memoirs of Milton, printed 1740, is a pretended head of Milton in exquisite mezzotinto, done by the second J. Faber: which is characteristically unlike any other representation of our author I remember to have seen. It is from a

From his Defensio Secunda, and his Apology for Smectymnuus, several circumstances, respecting his

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painting given to Peck by sir John Meres of Kirkby-Belers in Leicestershire. But Peck himself knew that he was imposing upon the publick. For having asked Vertue whether he thought it a picture of Milton, and Vertue peremptorily answering in the negative, Peck replied, I'll have a scraping from it, however; and let posterity settle the difference.' Besides, in this picture the left hand is on a book, lettered Paradise Lost. But Peck supposes the age about twenty-five, when Milton had never thought of that poem or subject. Peck mentions a head done by Milton himself on board: but it does not appear to be authenticated.

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"The Richardsons, and next the Tonsons, [before Mr. Baker,] had the admirable crayon-drawing above mentioned. About the year 1725, Vertue carried this drawing, with other reputed engravings and paintings of Milton, to Milton's favourite daughter Deborah, a very sensible woman, who died the wife of Abraham Clark a weaver in Spitalfields, in 1727, aged 76. He contrived to have them brought into the room as if by accident, while he was conversing with her. At seeing the drawing, taking no notice of the rest, she suddenly cried out in great surprise, O Lord, that is the picture of my father! How came you by it?' And, stroking down the hair of her forehead, added, Just so my father wore his hair.' She was very like Milton. Compare Richardson, Explan. Notes, p. xxxvi. This head, by Faithorne, was etched by Richardson the father about 1734, with the addition of a laurel-crown to help the propriety of the motto. It is before the Explanatory Notes on the Paradise Lost, by the Richardsons, Lond. 1734. 8vo. The busts prefixed to Milton's Prose-Works by Birch 1738, and by Baron 1753, are engraved by Vertue from a bad drawing made by J. Richardson, after an original cast in plaster about fifty. Of this cast Mr. Hollis gave a drawing by Cipriani to Speaker Onslow in 1759. It was executed, perhaps, on the publication of the Defensio, by one Pierce an artist of some note, the same who did the marble bust of sir Christopher Wren in the Bodleian library, or by Abraham Simon. Mr. Hollis bought it of Vertue. It has been remodelled in wax by Gosset.

Richardson the father also etched this bust for The Poems and

person and habits of life, may be gathered. And that he might not be charged with boasting of his own

Critical Essays of S. Say, 1745, 4to. But, I believe, this is the same etching that I have mentioned above, to have been made by old Richardson, 1734, and which was now lent to Say's editor, 1745, for Say's Essays.

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"There is, however, another etching of Milton, by Richardson, the younger, before he was blind, and when much younger than fifty, accompanied with six bombast verses. Authentick Homer,' &c. The verses are subscribed J. R. jun.' The drawings, as well as engravings of Milton by Cipriani, are many. There is a drawing of our author by Deacon: it is taken from a proofimpression on wax of a seal by Thomas Simon, Cromwell's chief mint-master, first in the hands of Mr. Yeo, afterwards of Mr. Hollis. This, a profile, has been lately engraved by Ryland. Mr. Hollis had a small steel puncheon of Milton's head, a full front, for a seal or ring, by the same T. Simon, who did many more of Milton's party in the same way. The medal of Milton struck by Tanner, for auditor Benson, is after the old plasterbust, and Faithorne's crayon-piece, chiefly the latter. So is the marble bust in the Abbey, by Rysbrack, 1737. Scheemaker's marble bust, for Dr. Mead, and bought at his sale by Mr. Duncombe, was professedly and exactly copied from the plaster-bust. Faithorne's is the most common representation of Milton's head. Either that, or the Onslow picture, are the heads in Bentley's, and Tickell's, and Newton's editions. All by Vertue. Milton's. daughter Deborah above mentioned, the daughter of his first wife, and his amanuensis, told Vertue, that "her father was of a fair complexion, a little red in his cheeks, and light brown lank hair." Letter to Mr. Christian, ut supr. MS. Br. Mus.

"Since these imperfect and hasty notices were thrown together, sir Joshua Reynolds has purchased a picture of Milton for one hundred guineas. It was brought to sir Joshua, 1784, by one Mr. Hunt, a printseller and picture-dealer, who bought it of a broker; but the broker does not know the person of whom he had it. The portrait is dressed in black, with a band; and the painter's mark and date are S. C. 1653.' This is written on the back. This picture belonged to Deborah Milton, who

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