THE LIVE' OF MILTON. 4411 daughters were not fent to fchool, but were inftru6ted by a ritittrers kept at home for that purpore : and he hinifelf, excufing the eldeft on account of an impediment in her fpeech, taught the two others to read and pronounce Greek and Latin, and feveral other languages, without underflanding any but Englilh, for he ufed to fay that one tongue was enough for a woman but this employment was very irk- fume to them, and this together with the fharpnefs and feverity of their mother in law made them very uneafy at ;,,eome ; and therefore they Were all fent abroad to learn things More proper for them, and particularly imbroidery in gold and filver. As Milton at his death left his aftairs very much in the power of his widow, tho' the acknowledged that he died worth one thoufand five hundred pounds, yet the allowed but one hundred pounds to each of his three daughters. Anne the eldeft was decrepit and deformed, but had a very handfome fade ; the married a matter-builder, and died in childbed of her firft child, who died with her. Mary the fe- cond lived and died tingle. Deborah the youngefl in her father's life time went over to Ireland with a lady, and afterwards was mar- tied to Mr. Abraham Clarke, a weaver in Spittle Fields, and died in Auguft 1727 in the 76th year of her age. She is faid to have been a woman of good underttanding and genteel behaviour, though in low circumstances. As the had been often called upon to read Homer and Ovid's Metamorphofis to her father, the could have re- peated a confiderable number of verfes from the beginning of both thofe poets, as Mr. Ward Profeffor of Rhetoric in Gietham College, relates upon his own knowledge and another gentleman has in- formed nie; that he has heard her repeat feveral verfes likewife out of Euripides. Mr. Addifon, and the other gentlemen, who had opportunities of Peeing her, knew her immediately to be Milton's daughter by the fimilitude of her countenance to her father's pi6ture : and Mr. Aci, difon made her a handfome prefent of a parte of guineas, with a promife of procuring for her fome annual provition for her life ; but his death happening foon after, the loft the benefit of his generous de- lig,n. She received prefents likewife from feveral other gentlemen, Z z z And t
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