the market made of the eagernefs with which curiofity or admiration prompted perfons to poffefs themselves of his fuppofed remains, which, however, there is reafon to believe, far from being Milton's, were the bones of a perfon not of the fame age or fex. It were to be wished that neither fuperftition, affectation, idle curiofity, or avarice, were fo frequently invading the filence of the grave. Far from honouring the illuftrious dead, it is rather outraging the common condition of humanity, and laft melancholy ftate in which our present existence terminates. Duft and afhes have no intelligence to give, whether beauty, genius, or virtue, informed the animated clay. A tooth of Homer or Milton will not be diftinguifhed from one of a common mortal; nor a bone of Alexander acquaint us with more of his character than one of Bucephalus. Though the dead be unconcerned, the living are neither benefited nor improved: decency is violated, and a kind of inftinctive fympathy infringed, which, though it ought not to overpower reafon, ought not without it, and to no purpose, to be fuperfeded. But whether the remains of that body which once was Milton's, or those of any other person were thus expofed and fet to fale, death and diffolution have had their empire over thefe, The spirit of his immortal works furvives invulnerable, and must survive. These are his beft image, these the reliques which a rational admiration may cherish and revere!"

It has been observed that the original stone, laid on the grave of Milton, was removed not many

u

See before, note p. 125, 126,

years after his interment. Nor were his remains honoured by any other memorial in Cripplegate church, till the year 1793; when, by the munificence of the late Mr. Whitbread, an animated marble bust, the sculpture of Bacon, under which is a plain tablet, recording the dates of the poet's birth and death, and of his father's decease, was erected in the middle aifle. To the Author of Paradife Loft a fimilar tribute of respect had been paid, in 1737, by Mr. Benfon; who procured his buft to be admitted, where once his name had been deemed a profanation, into Westminster Abbey. And the reception of the moaument into this venerable edifice became immediately the theme of the mufes *.

Milton, in his youth, is faid to have been extremely handfome, He was called the Lady of his

* By the fpirited lines of Dr. George, which are referred to, at the close of vol. 7, and which have been also ascribed, as I have been informed, to the Hon. Thomas Townshend, father of the late Lord Sidney: and by the elegant verfes of Vincent Bourne, noticed in the fame volume, which were fuppofed to be written by Mr. Keith, but which will be found in the edition of Bourne's Poems printed in 1772, though in an earlier edition which I have feen, I do not meet with them.

The first published portrait of Milton was that by Marshall, prefixed to the edition of the juvenile poems in 1645. With the palpable diffimilitude of this portrait Milton was justly displeased. See the Note In Effigiei Sculptorem, vol. vii. p. 303. In the year 1670, there was another plate, by Faithorne, from a drawing in crayons by Faithorne, prefixed to his Hiftory of Britain, with this legend; "Gul. Faithorne ad vivum delin. et fculpfit. Joannis Miltoni effigies, Etat. 62. 1670." It is alfo prefixed to the edition of his Profe Works in 1698. It has been obferved, that fhis engraving is not in Faithorne's best manner. The print has

College; an appellation which Mr. Hayley fays he

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 fat at the age of fixty-two,) by the kind permiffion of William Baker, Efq. in whofe poffeffion it now is; from which an engraving was made for my first edition of Milton's poetical works. From the fame picture the neat engraving in the prefent edition is alfo made. Faithorne's print is copied by W. Dolle, before Milton's Logick, 1672. Dolle's print is likewife prefixed to the fecond edition. of Paradife Loft. Faithorne was alfo copied afterwards by Robert White, and next by Vertue. Mr. Warton has given many other particulars of paintings and engravings of Milton,

"There are four or five original pictures of our author. The first, a half length with a laced ruff, is by Cornelius Janfen, 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 poffeffion of Mr. Thomas Hollis, having been purchafed at Mr. Charles Stanhope's fale for thirty one guineas, in June, 1760. Lord Harrington wishing to have the lot returned, Mr. Hollis replied, 'his lordship's whole eftate fhould 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 Covent garden were on fire, walked calmly out of the house with this picture by Janfen in his hand, neglecting to fecure any other portable article of value. I prefume it is now in the poffeffion of Mr. Brand Hollis. Another, which had alfo belonged to Milton's widow, is in the poffeffion of the Onflow family. This, which is not at all like Faithorne's crayon-drawing, and by fome is fufpected 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 alfo 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 handfomer than the engravings. This portrait is mentioned in Aubrey's manuscript Life of Milton, 1681, as then belonging to the widow. And he fays, MEM. Write his name in red letters on his pictures which his widowe has, to preserve them."

could not relish; and I may add that he might be

Vertue, in a Letter to Mr. Chriftian the feal engraver, in the British Museum, about 1720, proposes to afk Prior the poet, whether there had not been a picture of Milton in the late lord Dorfet's Collection. The duchefs of Portland has [had] a miniature of his head, when young; the face has a stern thoughtfulness, and, to ufe his own expreílion, is fevere 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 reprefentation of our author I remember to have feen. It is from a painting given to Peck by fir John Meres of Kirkby-Belers in Leicestershire. But Peck himself knew that he was impofing 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 pofterity fettle the difference.' Befides, in this picture the left hand is on a book, lettered Paradife Loft. But Peck fupposes the age about twenty-five, when Milton had never thought of that poem or fubject. Peck mentions a head done by Milton himself on board: but it does not appear to be authenticated.

"The Richardfons, and next the Tonfons, [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 fenfible 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 converfing with her. At feeing the drawing, taking no notice of the reft, the fuddenly cried out in great furprise, 'O Lord, that is the picture of my father! How came you by it?' And, ftroking down the hair of her forehead, added, Juft fo my father wore his hair! She was very like Milton. Compare Richardfon, Explan. Notes, p. xxxvi. This head, by Faithorne, was etched by Richardfon 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 Paradife Loft, by the Richardfons. Lond. 1734. 8vo. The bufts prefixed to Milton's Profe-Works by Birch 1738, and by Baron 1753, are engraved by Vertue from.

lefs inclined to be pleased with the title, as, at that period,

a bad drawing made by J. Richardfot, after an original caft in plaister about fifty. Of this caft Mr. Hollis gave a drawing by Cipriani to Speaker Onflow in 1759. It was executed, perhaps on the publication of the Defenfio, by one Pierce an artist of fome note, the fame who did the marble buft of fir Christopher Wren in the Bodleian library, or by Abraham Simon. Mr. Hollis bought it of Vertue. It has been remodelled in wax by Goffet. Richardfon the father alfo etched this buft for The Poems and Critical Effays of S. Say, 1745, 4to. But, I believe, this is the fame etching that I have mentioned above, to have been made by old Richardfon 1734, and which was now lent to Say's editor, 1745, for Say's Effuys.

"There is, however, another etching of Milton, by Richardfon, the younger, before he was blind, and when much younger than fifty, accompanied with fix bombaft verfes. Authentick Homer, &c. The verfes are fubfcribed 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 proofimpreffion on wax of a feal by Thomas Simon, Cromwell's chief mint-master, firft in the hands of Mr. Yeo, afterwards of Mr. Hollis. This, a profile, has been lately engraved by Ryland. Mr. Hollis had a fmall fteel puncheon of Milton's head, a full front, for a feal or ring, by the fame T. Simon, who did many more of Milton's party in the fame way. The medal of Milton ftruck by Tanner, for auditor Benfon, is after the old plaisterbuft, and Faithorne's crayon-piece, chiefly the latter. So is the marble buft in the Abbey, by Ryfbrack, 1737. Scheemaker's marble buft, for Dr. Mead, and bought at his fale by Mr. Duncombe, was profeffedly and exactly copied from the plaister-bust. 'Faithorne's is the most common representation of Milton's head. Either that, or the Onflow 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 amanuenfis, told Vertue, that "her father was of a fair complexion, a little red in his cheeks, and light brown lank hair." Letter to Mr. Chriftian, ut fupr. MS. Br. Muf.

"Since thefe imperfect and hafty notices were thrown together, fr Joshua Reynolds has purchased a picture of Milton for one