The poet, in this respect, imitated the Greek drama, which unites in its choruses verses of all descriptions, without any rule which modern scholarship can ascer tain. But the vocal structure of the Greek language might admit of harmony with great irregularity of measures; and Athenian ears might learn by-habit to delight in such anomalous harmony (if it was anoma lous.) whilst our more obdurate tongue requires the pre cincts of verse to be distinct and definite ; and we arc habituated to delight chiefly in the flow of measure which the ear competently understands, and which it in some degree anticipates.
With this piece the history of Milton's poetry closes; but writing was become so much a habit with him, that he was continually making additions to his works in prose. In 1672, he published a system of logic, after the method of Ramus, and in the following year he again ventured into the field of polemics, with a treatise Of True Religion, Heresy, Schism, and Toleration, and the best means to Prevent the Growth of Popery. So im perfectly was toleration then understood, that Milton persuaded himself he was consistent in denying it to Papists, although he declares that he would not even to wards them exercise any personal severity.
In 1674 he published his familiar letters, and some of his university exercises; the former with the title of Epistolarum Familiarum Liber unus, and the latter with that of Prolusiones yuaedam Oratoriae in Collegie Christi habitae. It has been commonly affirmed that he translated into English the declaration of the Poles on their elevating the heroic John Sobiesko to their elective throne ; hut Dr. Synimons throws some doubt upon the fact, as the Latin document could have arrived in Eng land only a very short time before his death ; and as the translation bears no resemblance to his character of com position. It is more certain that in some part of the same year, the last of his life, he wrote a brief history of Muscovy, which was published about eight years posterior to his death.
With this work terminated his literary labours ; the gout, which had for several years afflicted him, in spite of his extreme temperance, seems to have brought on rather premature senility and exhausted his vital powers. In his sixty-sixth year, and on the 8th of November 1764, he expired, so quietly that those who waited in his chamber were not conscious of his death.
His funeral was attended by many great and learned in dividuals, and not without a friendly concourse of the vulgar ; his remains were deposited by the side of his father's, in the upper part of the chancel of St. Giles's, Cripplegate. In consequence of an alteration made in that part of the church, the stone originally inscribed with his name was removed at the end of a few years, and was never replaced. But this unintended injury was in later days compensated by the erection of his bust, (tha work of Baca.) at the expence of the elder Mr. Whitbread. M.•. Benson, one of the auditors of the im post, had, in 1737, introduced a similar memorial of Milton into Westminster Abbey. By his will he left nearly £2000, besides 1000, his first wife's portion, which remained in the hands of the Powells, and which ought to have been paid, if it was not, to his daughters. He had lost £2000, the emoluments of his office, which he had placed on government security.
Milton was distinguished in his youth for personal beauty, and continued to be a well-looking man to the last.• He was a skilful swordsman, vigorous and ac tive in his exercises, manly and erect in his deportment. Ile was also, like his father, accomplished in music, though not a composer. His learning embraced the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Spanish, and, if not abso lutely versed in the sciences, he had penetrated more than their surface. Though from parts of his contro versial writings, we might presume his temper to have been harsh, he indulged in no enmities except on public grounds, and in private he was mild and courteous. This we have on the authority of F. Junius, the author of De Pictura Veterum, and H. Heinsius mentions the general report of the amenity of his manners---." Virum esse miti comique ingenio aiunt." His prose compositions vary in merit. The earliest of them possess a more crude and unwieldy character of strength. As he continued to write prose, there is a visible, though not equally progressive improvement. In a general view of them, there is a strength and spit it of genius rising often to grandeur, but a deficiency of taste to purify, and harmonize, and perfect, the powers of expression. The picturesque is often redundant and out of keeping, and the structure of his sentences labo riously scholastic.