-While he was obliged to divide his time between his private ftudies and affairs of ftate, his poetical labour must have been often interrupted; and perchaps he did little more in that bufy time than conftruct the narrative, adjust the epifodes, proportion the parts, accumulate images and fentiments, and treasure in his memory, or preferve in writing, fuch hints as books or meditation would fupply. Nothing particuHar is known of his intellectual, operations while he was a ftatefiman; for, having every help and accommodation at hand, he had no need of uncommon expedients.

Being driven from all publick › ftations, he is yet too great not to be

.

traced by curiofity to his retirement; .where he has been found by Mr. Richarde fon, the fondeft of his admirers, fitting before his door in a grey coat of coarfe, cloth, in warm fultry weather, to enjoy the fresh air; aud fo, as well as in his own room, receiving the vifits of people of diftinguished parts as well as quality. His vifiters of high quality must now be imagined to be few; but men of parts might reasonably court the converfation of a man fo generally illuftrious, that foreigners are reported, by Wood, to have vifited the houfe in Bread-street where he was born.

According to another account, he was feen in a small houfe, neatly enough dreffed in black cloaths, fitting in a room

bung

bung with rufty green; pale but not cadaverous, with chalkftones in his hands. He faid, that if it were not for the gout, his blindnefs would be tolerable.

In the intervals of his pain, being made unable to use the common exercifes, he ufed to fwing in a chair, and fometimes played upon an organ.

He was now confeffedly and visibly 'employed upon his poem, of which the progrefs might be noted by thofe with whom he was familiar; for he was obliged, when he had compofed as many lines as his memory would conveniently retain, to employ fome friend in writing them, having, at leaft for part of the time, no regular attendant. This gave opportunity to obfervations and reports.

Mr. Philips obferves, that there was a very remarkable circumftance in the composure of Paradife Loft, "which "I have a particular reason," fays he, "to remember; for whereas I had the

perufal of it from the very begin"ning, for fome years, as I went from "time to time to vifit him, in parcels "of ten, twenty, or thirty verses at a "time (which, being written by what"ever hand came next, might poffibly "want correction as to the orthography "and pointing), having, as the Summer "came on, not been fhewed any for a "confiderable while; and defiring the "reafon thereof, was anfwered, that his "vein never happily flowed but from “the Autumnal Equinox to the Vernal;

" and

and that whatever he attempted at "other times was never to his fatisfac"tion, though he courted his fancy "never fo much; fo that, in all the he was about this poem, he may

years

"be faid to have spent half his time "therein."

Upon this relation Toland remarks, that in his opinion Philips has mistaken the time of the year; for Milton, in his Elegies, declares that with the advance of the Spring he feels the increase of his poetical force, redeunt in carmina vires. To this it is anfwered, that Philips could hardly miftake time fo well marked; and it may be added, that Milton might find different times of the year favourable to different parts of life. h 3

Mr.