433 THE LIFE of MILTON. His circumstances were never very mean, nor very great ; for he lived above want, and was not intent upon accumulating wealth ; his ambition was more to enrich and adorn his mind. His father fupported him in his travels, and for tome time after. Then his pupils mutt have been of tome advantage to him, and brought him either a certain ftipend or confiderable prefents at leaft ; and he had fcarcely any other method of improving his fortune, as he was of no profeflion, When his father died, he inherited an elder Eon's share of his eflate, the principal part of which I believe was his houfe in Bread-ftreet And not long after, he was appointed Latin Secretary with a Salary of aool. a year ; fo that he was now in opulent circumftances for a man, who had always led a frugal and temperate life and was at little onneceffary expenfe betides buying of books. Tho' he was of they victorious party, yet he was far from (haring in the fpoils of his country. On the contrary (as we learn from his fecond Defenfe) he tuftained great loffes during the civil war, and was not at all favored in the impolition of taxes, but fometimes paid beyond his due pro.' portion. And upon a turn of affairs he was not only deprived of his place, but alto loft ar000/. which he had for fecurity and 'fin. provement put into the Excife Office. He loft likewife another confiderable furn for want of proper care and management, as Fedoras of Milton's genius are feldom expert in money matters. And in the fire of London his houfe in Bread- {greet was burnt, before which accident foreigners have gone out of devotion (lays Wood) to fee the haute and chamber where he was horn. His gains were incontiderable in proportion to his loffes ; for excepting the thoufand pounds that were given him by the govern- ment for writing hit Detente of the people again ft Salrnaflus, we may conclude that he gqt very little by the copies of his works, when it cloth not appear that he received any more than ten pounds for Faradife Loa. Some time before he died he fold the greateft part Of his library, as his heirs were not qualified to make a proper ale of it, and as he thought that he could difpofe of it to greater advant- age than they could after his deceafe. Finally by one means or other he died worth one thoufand five hundred pounds, beftdes his houfhold
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