was afterwards obliged to return. Two thousand pounds, which he had placed in the Excife-office, were alfo loft. There is yet no reafon to believe that he was ever reduced to indigence. His wants being few, were competently fupplied. He fold his library before his death, and left his family fifteen hundred pounds, on which his widow laid hold, and only gave one hundred to each of his daughters.

His literature was unquestionably great. He read all the languages which are confidered either as learned or polite; Hebrew, with its two dialects, Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and Spanish.' 'I'm Latin his fkill was fuch as places him int the firft rank of writers and criticks;

and

and he appears to have cultivated Italian with uncommon diligence. The books in which his daughter, who used to read to him, reprefented him as moft delighting, after Homer, which he could almoft repeat, were Ovid's Metamorphofes and Euripides. His Euripides is, by Mr. Cradock's kindness, now in my hands: the margin is fometimes noted; but I have found nothing remarkable.

Of the English poets he fet most value upon Spenfer, Shakespeare, and Cowley. Spenfer was apparently his favourite Shakespeare he may eafily be fuppofed to like, with every other skilful reader; but I fhould not have expected that Cowley, whofe ideas of excellence

cellence were fo different from his own, would have had much of his approbation. His character of Dryden, who fometimes vifited him, was, that he was a good rhymift, but no poct.

His theological opinions are faid to have been first calvinistical; and afterwards, perhaps when he began to haté the Prefbyterians, to have tended towards Arminianifm. In the mixed queftions of theology and government, he never: thinks that he can recede far enough from popery, or prelacy; but what Baudius fays of Erafmus feems applicable to him, magis habuit quod fugeret, quam quod fequeretur. He had determined

rather what to condemn than what to approve. He has not affociated himself

with any denomination of Proteftants : we know rather what he was not, than what he was. He was not of the church

of Rome; he was not of the church of England.

To be of no church is dangerous. Religion, of which the rewards are diftant, and which is animated only by Faith and Hope, will glide by degrees out of the mind, unlefs it be invigo rated and reimpreffed by external ordinances, by stated calls to worship, and the falutary influence of example. Milton, who appears to have had full conviction of the truth of Chriftianity, and to have regarded the Holy Scriptures with the profoundeft veneration, to have been untainted by any heretical pecu

liarity

liarity of opinion, and to have lived in a confirmed belief of the immediate and occafional agency of Providence, yet grow old without any vifible worship. In the diftribution of his hours, there was no hour of prayer, either folitary, of with his household; omitting pub lick prayers, he omitted all.

"Of this omiffion the reafon has been fought, upon a fuppofition which ought never to be made, that men live with their own approbation, and juftify their conduct to themselves. Prayer certainly was not thought fuperfluous by him, who reprefents our first parents as praying acceptably in the ftate of innocence, and effiaciously after their fall. That he lived without prayer can hardly be af

firmed;