442 THE LIFE or MILTON. and Queen Caroline fent her fifty pounds by the hands of Dr. Friend the phyfician. She had ten children, feven funs and three daughters ; but none of them had any children, except one of her Ions named Caleb, and one of her daughters named Elizabeth. Caleb went to Fort St. George in th- Raft Indies, where he married, and had two font, Abraham and Ifaac ; the elder of whom came to England with the late governor Harrifort, but returned upon advice of his father's death, and whether he or his brother be now living is uncertain. Elizabeth, the youngeft child of Mrs. Clarke, was married to Mr. Thomas Feller a weaver in Spittle Fields, and had feven children who are all dead ; and fhe herfeif is aged about fixty, and weak and infirm. She feemeth, to be a good plain fenfible woman, and has confirmed feveral particulars related above, and informed me of fome others, which the had often heard from her mother : that her grandfather loft two thoufand pounds by a money-fcrivener, whom he had intruft- ed with that fum, and likewife an eftate at Weflminfter of fixty pounds a year, which belonged to the Dean and Chapter, and was reftored to them at the Reftoration : that he was very temperate in his eating and drinking, but what he had he always loved to have of the bell : that he feldom went abroad in the latter part of his life, but was vifited even then by perfons of diflinaion, both foreigners and others : that he kept his daughters at a great diftance, and would not allow them to learn to write, which he thought unneceffary for a woman : that her mother was his greateft favorite, and could read in feven or eight languages, tho' fhe nnderftood, none but Englifh: that her mother inherited his head-akes and diforders, and had filch a weaknefs in her eyes, that the was forced to make ufe of fpeEtacles from the age of eighteen ; and fhe herfelf, fhe fays, has not been able to read a chapter in the Bible thefe twenty years : that fhe was rniftaken in informing Mr. Birch, what he had printed upon her au- thority, that Milton's father was born in France ; and a brother of hers who was then living was very angry with her for it, and likes true born EnglifIrman refented it highly, that the family fhould be thought
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