They, who are desirous of minute information respecting the portraits of this great man and the numerous engravings which have been made from them, may find it in the edition of his juvenile poems published by Mr. Warton, and in the "Memoirs of Thomas Hollis."
On the back of the miniature picture by Cooper, (which was purchased by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and is said, though, as I conceive, very erroneously, to be of Milton,) is written, "This picture belonged to Deborah Milton, who was her father's amanuensis." I adduce this circumstance as an additional attestation of a fact, which I have related on the authority of Aubrey and Wood.
Milton's armorial bearings were, argent, a spread eagle, with two heads gules, legged and beaked sable. A small silver seal with these arms, with which he was accustomed to seal his letters, is still preserved. On the death of Foster, the husband of Milton's grand-daughter, it passed, through one intermediate hand, into the possession of Mr.T. Hollis who purchased it in 1761. Accompa nying the rest of the Hollis property in its transits, it at present forms one of the curiosities in the cabinet of the liberal Doctor Disney,
NUNC mea Pierios cupiam per pectora fontes
Irriguas torquere vias, totumque per ora
Volvere laxatum gemino de vertice rivum ;
Ut, tenues oblita sonos, audacibus alis
Surgat in officium venerandi Musa parentis.
Hoc utcunque tibi gratum, pater optime, carmen,
Exiguum meditatur opus; nec novimus ipsi
Aptiùs à nobis quæ possunt munera donis
Respondere tuis, quamvis nec maxima possint
Respondere tuis, nedum ut par gratia donis
Esse queat, vacuis quæ redditur arida verbis.
Sed tamen hæc nostros ostendit pagina census,
Et quod habemus opum chartâ numeravimus istâ,
Quæ mihi sunt nullæ, nisi quas dedit aurea Clio;
Quas mihi semoto somni peperere sub antro,
Et nemoris lauretą sacri Parnassides umbræ.
Nec tu vatis opus divinum despice carmen;
Quo nihil æthereos ortûs et semina cœli,
Nil magis humanam commendat origine mentem,
Sancta Promethëæ retinens vestigia flammæ.
Carmen amant superi, tremebundaque Tartara carmen
Ima ciere valet, divosque ligare profundos,
Et triplici duro Manes adamante coercet.
Carmine sepositi retegunt arcana futuri
Phœbades, et tremula pallentes ora Sibyllæ :
Carmina sacrificus sollennes pangit ad aras,
Aurea seu sternit motantem cornua taurum;
Seu cùm fata sagax fumantibus abdita fibris
Consulit, et tepidis Parcam scrutatur in extis,
• For the reference to this poem see p. 47,
Nos etiam, patrium tunc cum repetemus Olympum,
Æternæque moræ stabunt immobilis ævi,
Ibimus auratis per cœli templa coronis;
Dulcia suaviloquo sociantes carmina plectro,
Astra quibus, geminique poli convexa sonabunt.
Spiritus et rapidos qui circinat igneus orbes,
Nunc quoque sidereis intercinit ipse choreis
Immortale melos, et inenarrabile carmen;
Torrida dum rutilus compescit sibila Serpens,
Demissoque ferox gladio mansuescit Orion,
Stellarum nec sentit onus Maurusius Atlas.
Carmina regales epulas ornare solebant,
Cùm nondum luxus, vastæque immensa vorago
Nota gulæ, et modico spumabat cœna Lyæo.
Tum, de more sedens festa ad convivia, vates,
Æsculeâ intonsos redimitus ab arbore crines,
Heroumque actûs, imitandaque gesta canebat,
Et chaos, et positi latè fundamina mundi,
Reptantesque deos, et alentes numina glandes,
Et nondum Ætnæo quæsitum fulmen ab antro.
Denique quid vocis modulamen inane juvabit,
Verborum sensusque vacans, numerique loquacis?
Silvestres decet iste choros, non Orphea, cantus;
Qui tenuit fluvios et quercubus addidit aures
Carmine, non citharâ; simulacraque functa canendo
Compulit in lacrymas: habet has à carmine laudes.
Nec tu perge, precor, sacras contemnere Musas,
Nec vanas inopesque puta, quarum ipse peritus
Munere mille sonos numeros componis ad aptos;
Millibus et vocem modulis variare canorám
Doctus, Arionii meritò sis nominis hæres.
Nunc tibi quid mirum si me genuisse poetam
Contigerit, charo si tam propè sanguine juncti,
Cognatas artes studiumque affine sequamur?
Ipse volens Phoebus se dispertire duobus,
Altera dona mihi, dedit altera dona parenti;
Dividuumque Deum, genitorque puerque, tenemus.
Tu tamen ut simules teneras odisse Camœnas,
Non odisse reor; neque enim, pater, ire jubebas
Quà via lata patet, quà pronior area lucri,
Certaque condendi fulget spes aurea nummi:
Nec rapis ad leges, malè custoditaque gentis
Jura, nec insulsis damnas clamoribus aures:
Sed, magis excultam cupiens ditescere mentem,
Me procul urbano strepitu, secessibus altis
Abductum, Aoniæ jucunda per otia ripæ,
Phœbæo lateri comitem sinis ire beatum.
Officium chari taceo commune parentis;
Me poscunt majora: tuo, pater optime, sumptu
Cùm mihi Romulea patuit facundia linguæ,
Et Latii veneres, et, quæ Jovis ora decebant,
Grandia magniloquis elata vocabula Graiis,
Addere suasisti quos jactat Gallia flores;
Et quam degeneri novus Italus ore loquelam
Fundit, barbaricos testatus voce tumultûs;
Quæque Palæstinus loquitur mysteria vates,
Denique quicquid habet cœlum, subjectaque cœlo
Terra parens, terræque et cœlo interfluus aer,
Quicquid et unda tegit, pontique agitabile marmor,
Per te nôsse licet, per te, si nôsse libebit :
Dimotâque venit spectanda scientia nube,
Nudaque conspicuos inclinat ad oscula vultus,
Ni fugisse velim, ni sit libâsse molestum.
I nunc, confer opes, quisquis malesanus avitas
Austriaci gazas Peruanaque regna præoptas.
Quæ potuit majora pater tribuisse, vel ipse
Jupiter, excepto, donâsset ut omnia, cœlo?
Non potiora dedit, quamvis et tuta fuissent,
Publica qui juveni commisit lumina nato,
Atque Hyperionios currûs, et fræna diei,
Et circùm undantem radiatâ luce tiaram.
Ergo ego, jam doctæ pars, quamlibet ima, catervæ,
Victrices hederas inter laurosque sedebo;
Jamque nec obscurus populo miscebor inerti,
Vitabuntque oculos vestigia nostra profanos.
Este procul, vigiles Curæ, procul este, Querelæ,
Invidiæque acies transverso tortilis hirquo,
Sæva nec anguiferos extende, Calumnia, rictûs;
In me triste nihil, fœdissima turba, potestis,
Nec vestri sum juris ego: securaque tutus
Pectora, vipereo gradiar sublimis ab ictu..
At tibi, chare pater, postquam non æqua merenti
Posse referre datur, nec dona rependere factis,
Sit memorâsse satis, repetitaque munera grato
Percensere animo, fidæque reponere menti.
Et vos, O nostri, juvenilia carmina, lusûs,
Si modò perpetuos sperare audebitis annos,
Et domini superesse rogo, lucemque tueri,
Nec spisso rapient oblivia nigra sub Orco;
Forsitan has laudes, decantatumque parentis;
Nomen, ad exemplum, sero servabitis ævo,
O! that, descending from the two-fold hill,
Pieria's fountain would my bosom fill;
Through all its depths, in limpid fancy, roll,
Blend with my thought and sparkle in my soul:
That thus my song might happily aspire
From meaner themes to hail my honour'd sire.
The Muse, thou best of parents! fain would twine
A wreath to crown paternal worth like thine.
The gift, though small, my sire will not refuse:
Nor know we how, without the according Muse,
To find what we may offer, you receive,
In fond requital of the love you give :
To form the just requital of your love,
Poor would the Muse with all her offerings prove:
To absolve my mighty debt her gifts how vain-
A tuneful nothing, and a barren strain.
But in my numbers all my wealth resides;
I own no means of recompense besides;
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