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 Richardsons, and next the Tonfons, had the admirable crayon-drawing above-mentioned, done by Faithorne, the best likeness extant, and for which Milton fate at the age of fixty two. 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 Clarke 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, fhe fuddenly cried out in great furprife, O Lord, that is the picture of my father! How came you by it? And ftroking down the Hair of her forehead, added, Just fo my father. aware his hair. She was very like Milton. Compare Richardson, EXPLAN. N. p. xxxvi. This head by Faithorne, was etched by Richardson the father about 1734, with the addition of a laurelcrown to help the propriety of the motto. It is before the EXPLANATORY NOTES on the PARADISE LOST, by the Richardfons, Lond. 1734. 8vo. The bufts prefixed to Milton's PROSE-WORKS by Birch, 1738, and by Baron 1753, are engraved by Vertue from a bad drawing made by J. Richardfon, 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 DEFENSIO, 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. Richardson the father alfo etched this buft, for The POEMS AND CRITICAL ESSAYS of S. Say, 1754. 4to. But, I believe, this is the fame etching that I have mentioned above, to have been made by old Richardson 1734, and which was now lent to Say's editor, 1754, for Say's ESSAYS. Old Richardfon was not living in 1754. There is, however, another etching of Milton, by Richardson, the younger, before he was blind, and when much younger than fifty, accompanied with fix bombaft verfes, "Authentic 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 proof-impreffion on wax of a feal by Thomas Simon, Cromwell's chief mint-mafter, first 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 plaister-bust, and Faithorne's crayon-piece, chiefly the latter. So is the marble buft in the Abbey, by Rybrack, 1737. Scheemaker's marble buft, for Dr. Mead, X X X 2 and and bought at his fale by Mr. Duncombe, was profeffedly and exactly copied from the plaifter-buft. Faithorne's is the most commcn 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 abovementioned, 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. Brit. Muf. It is diverting enough, that M. Vadergucht engraved for Tonfon's edition, 1713, a copy of Marshall's print 1645, with his own name, and the accompaniment of this Greek infcription, an unperceived reflection on himself. Vertue's Greek motto is a trite and well known couplet from the Odyssey. r Since thefe imperfect and hafty notices were thrown together, fir Joshua Reynolds has purchased a picture of Milton, for one hundred guineas. It was brought to fir Joshua, 1784, by one Mr. Hunt, a printfeller 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 was her father's amanuenfis: "at her death was fold to fir W. Davenant's family. It was paint"ted by Mr. Samuel Cooper who was painter to Oliver Cromwell, "at the time Milton was Latin Secretary to the Protector. The "painter and poet were near of the fame age; Milton was born in "1608, and died in 1674, and Cooper was born in 1609, and died "in 1672, and were companions and friends till death parted "them. Several encouragers and lovers of the fine arts at that "time wanted this picture; particularly, Lord Dorfet, John So"mers efquire, fir Robert Howard, Dryden, Atterbury, Dr. Aldrich, and fir John Denham." Lord Dorfet was probably the "lucky man; for this feems to be the very picture for which, as I have before observed, Vertue wished Prior to fearch in lord Dorfet's collection. Sir Joshua Reynolds fays, "The picture is admi"rably painted, and with such a character of nature, that I am perfectly fure it was a striking likeness. I have now a different "idea of the Countenance of Milton, which cannot be got from any of the other pictures that I have feen. It is perfectly pre"ferved, which fhews that it has been shut up in fome drawer; if 66 it had been exposed to the light, the colours would long before "this have vanished." It must be owned, that this miniature of Milton, lately purchased by fir Joshua Reynolds, ftrongly resembles Vandyck's picture of Selden in the Bodleian library at Oxford: and it is highly probable that Cooper should have done a miniature of Selden as a companion to the heads of other heroes of the commonwealth. For Cooper painted Oliver Cromwell, in the poffeffion of the Frankland family; and, another, in profile, at Devon Ad Salfillum, Poetam Romanum, ægrotantem. SCAZONTES. Mufa greffum quæ volens trahis claudum, Nec fentis illud in loco minus gratum, 10 fhire house: Richard Cromwell at Strawberry-hill: Secretary Thurloe, belonging to Lord James Cavendish and Ireton, Cromwell's general, now or late in the collection of Charles Polhill efquire, a defcendant of Cromwell. Cooper was painter to the party, if fuch a party could have a painter. The inference, however, might be applied to prove, that this head is Cooper's miniature of Milton. It has been copied by a female artist, in a style of uncommon elegance and accuracy. * Giovanni Salfilli had complimented Milton at Rome in a Latin tetrastich, for his Greek, Latin, and Italian poetry. Milton, in return, fent these elegant Scazontes to Salfilli when indisposed. 1. O Mufa greffum quæ volens trahis claudum.] Mr. Bowle here cites Angelinus Gazæus, a Dutch poet, in PIA HILARIA. Antv. 1629. p. 79. Subclaudicante tibia redi, Scazon. It is an indispensable rule, which Milton has not here always obferved, that the Scazon is to clofe with a fpondee preceded by an iambus. 4. Quam cum decentes flava Deiope, &c.] As the Mufes fing about the altar of Jupiter, in IL PENS. V. 47. This pagan theo. logy is applied in PARADISE LOST, of the angels. B. v. 161. And with fongs, And choral fymphonies, day without night, Polique Polique tractum, peffimus ubi ventorum, O dulce divum munus, O Salus, Hebes 15 20 Pythone cæfo, five tu magis Pæan Libenter audis, hic tuus facerdos est, 25 Querceta Fauni, vofque rore vinofo Ipfe inter atros emirabitur lucos 39 23. O dulce divum munus, &c.] I know not any finer modern Latin lyric poetry, than from this verfe to the end. The clofe which is digreffional, but naturally rifes from the fubject, is perfectly antique. 27. Querceta Fauni, &c.] Faunus was one of the deities brought by Evander into Latium, according to Ovid, FAST. B. v. 99. This is a poetical address to Rome. 28.Mitis Evandri fedes.] The epithet MITIS is finely characteristic of Evander. 33. Ipfe inter atros emirabitur lucos, &c.] Very near the city of Rome, in the middle of a gloomy grove, is a romantic cavern with a fpring, where Numa is fabled to have received the Roman laws from Numa, ubi beatum degit otium æternum, 35 40 from his wife Egería, one of Diana's Nymphs. The grove was called nemus Aricinum, and fometimes Lucus Egeria et Camanarum, and the spring Fons Egeria. See Ovid's FAST. iii. 275. And when Numa died, Egeria is faid to have retired hither, to lament his death. Ovid, METAM. XV. 487. -Nam conjux, urbe relicta, Vallis Ariciniæ denfis latet abdita fylvis, &c. On these grounds Milton builds the present beautiful fiction, that Numa ftill living in this dark grove in the perpetual contemplative enjoyment of his Egeria, from thence will liften with wonder to the poetry of the neighbouring bard. This place is much fre quented in fultry weather by the people of Rome, as a cool retreat. See Montfauc. DIAR. ITAL. c. xi. p. 152. edit. 1702. Milton might have visited it while at Rome. 32. Nec in fepulchris ibit obfeffum reges, Nimium finiftro laxus irruens loro.] This was Horace's inundation of the Tiber. OD. L. i. ii. 18. Labitur ripa. -VAGUS et SINISTRA For the left fide, being on a declivity, was foon overflowed. See ibid. v. 15. Ire dejectum monumenta Regis. MANSUS. |