41S THE LIFE OF MILTON. sign, that he thought it no mean employment, nor unworthy a man ofgenius, to be an editor of the works of great authors. It was while he lived in Jewen Street, that Elwood the quaker (as we learn from the hiftory of his life written by his own hand) was firft introduced to read to him ; for having wholly loft his light, he kept always fame body or other to perform that office, and ufually the fon of fume gentleman ofhis acquaintance, whom he took in kindnefs, that he plight at the fame time improve him in his learning. Elwood was recommended to him by Dr. Paget, and went to his houfe every af- ternoon except Sunday, and read to him fuch books in the Latin tongue, as Milton thought proper. endMilton told him, that if he would have the benefit of the Latin tongue, not only to read and underftand Latin authors, but to con- verfe with foreigners either abroad or at home, he muff learn the foreign pronunciation ; and he inftruded him how to read according. ly. And having a curious ear, he underflood by my tone, fays El- wood, when I underftood what I read, and when I did not ; and he would ftop me, and examine me, and open the molt difficult pafrages to me. But it was not long after his third marriage, that he left Jewen Street, and removed to a houfe in the Artillery Walk leading to Bunhill Fields : and this was his laft ftage in this world ; he con- tinued longer in this houfe than he had done in any other, and lived here to his dying day : only when the plague began to rage in Lon- don in to&s, he removed to a frnall houfe at St Giles Chalfont in Buckinghamfhire, which Elwood had taken for him and his family/; and there he remained during that dreadful calamity ; but after the ficknefs was over, and the city was cleanfed and made lately habitable main, he returned to his houfe in London. His great work of Faradife Loft had principally engaged his thoughts for fome years part, and was now completed. It is pro- bable, that his tirtt defign of writing an epic poem was owing to his converfations at Naples with the Marquis of Villa about Taffo and his famous poem of the delivery of Jerufalem ; and in a copy of verfes prefented to that nobleman before he left Naples, he intimated his ;mention of fieing upon !King Arthur for his hero. And in an ec- logue t=12=1,11,"
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