[Y] Aubrey gives, incompletely, a scheme of the nativity 'clarissimi
viri N. Mercatoris, Holsati'; adding that in it 'Mars is in proximity
to Mercury, but he has forgot on which side.'
[Z] On May 17, 1673, Aubrey had written to Anthony Wood (MS. Wood F.
39, fol. 208):--
'The learned (yet poore) Mr. Nicholas Mercator has a most elaborate
piece, "Astronomiae compendium sphaerice et theorice, et hypotheses
Ptolemaei, Tychonis, Copernici, Kepleri, Bullialdi, et Mercatoris."
It will be in 4to, two fingers thick; pret. 10_s._ Cambridge has
subscribed for 50; London, as many more. If he could gett, at Oxon, 50
subscriptions more the printer would print it.... There are 70 schemes.'
[AA] A copy of this treatise is found as MS. Aubr. 25. It is in two
parts:--(i) 55 pages, '_Musica_, autore N. Mercatore, Holsato, 1673,'
on which Aubrey notes, 'the original copie was lost at Paris, Jo.
Aubrey'; (ii) 19 pages, '_Musica_, autore N. Mercatore, Holsato, 1672,'
with the note, 'sum Jo. Aubrii, R.S.S.'
=Christopher Merret= (1614/5-1695).
[224]Christopher Merret, M.D., of the College of Physicians, London,
was borne in Winchcumbe in Gloucestershire, 1614, Feb. XVI about XI at
night.
[225]Scripsit against the apothecaries, etc.
=Thomas Merry= (16-- -1682).
[226]Thomas Merry[XV.], esq., was born at ... in Leicestershire. His
father or grandfather was one of the clarkes of the green-cloth.
[XV.] Thomas Mariet, esq. <is> his kinsman: vide Surrey papers[227].
He was disciple to Sir Jonas Moore; became an excellent logist. He
had donne all Euclid in a shorter and clearer manner than ever was yet
donne, and particularly the tenth booke: I have seen it. But he never
stitch't it up; and, after his death, when I came to enquire for it, it
was disparted like _Sibyllae folia_, and severall of the papers lost. I
got what I could find and brought them to the Royal Society, where they
were committed to Mr. Paget to peruse, but they were so imperfect (he
said) they were not fit to be printed. What is become of them now God
knowes.
[228]Thomas Merry, esq., a great algebrist and a great Whig, dyed at
Westminster Octob.... 1682, and lies in the vault of his grandfather at
Waltham-Stowe in Essex.
=Sir Hugh Middleton= (1555-1631).
[229]From Dr. Hugh Chamberlayn, M.D.--that King James took a moiety
of the profitts of the New River from Sir Hugh Middleton. Some say
'twas in consideration of money advanced by the king; but this is not
certain. He did indeed reconvey this back to him and his heires, etc.,
for a rent of 500 _li._ per annum, which is duly payd, but I think
graunted him from his majestie.
[230]This Sir Hugh Middleton had his picture in Gold-smyths' hall with
a waterpott by him, as if he had been the sole inventor. Mr. Fabian
Philips sawe Ingolbert[231] afterwards, in a poore rug-gowne like an
almesman, sitting by an applewoman at the Parliament stayres.
[232]Memorandum that now (1681/2) London is growne so populous and big
that the New River of Middleton can serve the pipes to private houses
but twice a weeke.--quod N. B.
=John Milton= (1608-1674).
<This life is found in MS. Aubr. 8, foll. 63-68ᵛ. Aubrey's
notes for it were at first very slight, but were increased by
information afterwards obtained from Milton's widow, from
his brother Christopher, and from his nephew Edward Phillips.
In the life as now printed these later notes, brought in very
disjointedly into the MS., have been set in their proper places.
When he first began writing his 'Lives,' Aubrey set aside fol.
103ᵛ of MS. Aubr. 6 (opposite the life of Andrew Marvell) for
Milton, writing the heading 'Mr. John Milton' and in the margin
drawing a wreath of laurel, for a poet. Afterwards he scored
the heading out, and added the reference, 'vide part iiiᵈ.'
i.e. MS. Aubr. 8. Again, in MS. Aubr. 8, he at first set aside
fol. 93 for the life of 'Mr. John Milton,' but afterwards
scored the heading out, and wrote there the life of Dr. John
Overall.
In MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 63, Aubrey gives in trick the coat for
Milton:--'argent, a double-headed eagle displayed gules legged
and beaked sable: crest, an arme dexter holding an eagle's head
and neck erased gules.' And, for Bradshaw, he gives the coat,
'argent, 2 bendlets sable,' noting 'his mother was a Bradshaw.'
On fol. 68ᵛ, in the pedigree, he gives the coats:--'Jeff<rey>,
azure, a fret or, on a chief or a lion passant gardant sable:
impaling [Haughton], sable, 3 bars argent': Bradshaw, as above;
Powell of Foresthill and Webber, left blank; and Minshull,
'..., an estoyle over a crescent ... a canton....'>
<_His parentage._>
[233]Quaere Christopher Milton, his brother, of the Inner Temple,
bencher[234].
[235]...[XVI.] Milton[XVII.] _m._ ... Jeffrey.
|
+----------------------+-------------------+
| |
1. John Milton _m._ Sarah 2. ... Milton (quaere
| Bradshaw. ubi vivit. If not at
| Shotover?).
|
+------+---------------+---------------------+
| | |
Mary _m._ John _m._ (2nd wife) | |
Powell, | Milton | Elizabeth | |
daughter | (poeta). | Minshull, | |
of Mr. | | of Cheshire. | |
Powell of | | 2. Christopher _m._ Thomazine |
Fosthill. | | Milton. | Webber, |
| | | London. |
| | | Anne _m._ Edward
| | | Philips.
| sans issue. Mr. Richard Milton,
| Paper buildings,
| Inner Temple.
+------+---+-------------------------+------------+
| | | |
A son 1. Anne _m._ ..., a 2. Mary, 3. Deborah _m._ ... Clarke,
John[236], | mechanique. unmarried. a ... in
that dyed | Dublin.
at two sine prole.
yeares old.
[XVI.] John, he[237] beleeves.
[XVII.] Mr. Milton lived next towne to Fosthill[238] within half a mile
like [Holton], and they[239] were raungers of the forest[240].
[241]Mr. John Milton was of an Oxfordshire familie.
His grandfather, ..., (a Roman Catholic), of Holton, in Oxfordshire,
neer Shotover[242].
His father was brought-up in the University of Oxon, at Christ Church,
and his grandfather disinherited him because he kept not to the
Catholique religion[XVIII.]. So therupon he came to London, and became
a scrivener (brought up by a friend of his; was not an apprentice),
and gott a plentifull estate by it, and left it off many yeares before
he dyed.--He was an ingeniose man; delighted in musique; composed many
songs now in print, especially that of _Oriana_[XIX.].
[XVIII.] Quaere--he found a bible in English, in his chamber.
[XIX.] Quaere Mr. J. Playford pro Wilby's sett of Oriana's.--MS. Aubr.
8, fol. 65.
[243]I have been told that the father composed a song of fourscore
parts for the Lantgrave of Hess, for which <his> highnesse sent a
meddall of gold, or a noble present. He dyed about 1647[244]; buried in
Cripplegate church, from his house in the Barbican.
<_His birth._>
[245]His son John was borne in Bread Street, in London, at[246] the
Spread Eagle, which was his house [he had also in that street another
house, the Rose; and other houses in other places].
He was borne anno Domini ... the ... day of ..., about ... a clock, in
the....
[247]☞ Quaere Mr. Christopher Milton to see the date of his brother's
birth.
[248][John Milton[249] was born the 9th of December, 1608, die
Veneris[250], half an hour after 6 in the morning.]
<_His precocity._>
[251]Anno Domini 1619, he was ten yeares old, as by his picture; and
was then a poet.
<_School, college, and travel._>
His school-master then was a Puritan, in Essex, who cutt his haire
short.
He went to schoole to old Mr.[252] Gill, at Paule's schoole. Went, at
his owne chardge[253] only, to Christ's College in Cambridge at[254]
fifteen, where he stayed eight yeares at least[255]. Then he travelled
into France and Italie (<he> had Sir H. Wotton's commendatory letters).
At Geneva he contracted a great friendship with[256] the learned Dr.
Deodati of Geneva:--vide his poems. He was acquainted[257] with Sir
Henry Wotton, ambassador at Venice, who delighted in his company. He
was severall[XX.] yeares beyond sea, and returned[258] to England just
upon the breaking-out of the civill warres.
[XX.] Quaere, how many? Resp., two yeares.
[259]From his brother, Christopher Milton:--when he went to schoole,
when he was very young, he studied very hard, and sate-up very late,
commonly till 12 or one a clock at night, and his father ordered the
mayde to sitt-up for him, and in those yeares (10) composed many copies
of verses which might well become a riper age. And was a very hard
student in the University, and performed all his exercises there with
very good applause. His first tutor there was Mr. Chapell; from whom
receiving some unkindnesse[XXI.], he was afterwards (though it seemed
contrary to the rules of the college) transferred to the tuition of
one Mr. Tovell, who dyed parson of Lutterworth.
[XXI.] Whip't him.
[260]He went to travell about the year 1638 and was abroad about a
year's space, cheifly in Italy.
<_Return to England._>
Immediately after his return he tooke a lodging at Mr. Russell's, a
taylour, in St. Bride's churchyard, and took into his tuition his
sister's two sons, Edward and John Philips, the first 10, the other 9
years of age; and in a year's time made them capable of interpreting a
Latin authour at sight, etc. And within three years they went through
the best of Latin and Greec poetts[261]--Lucretius and Manilius[XXII.],
of the Latins; Hesiod, Aratus, Dionysius Afer, Oppian, Apollonii
_Argonautica_, and Quintus Calaber. Cato, Varro, and Columella _De re
rustica_ were the very first authors they learn't.--As he was severe on
one hand, so he was most familiar and free in his conversation to those
to whome most sowre in his way of education. N.B. he made his nephews
songsters, and sing, from the time they were with him.
[XXII.] and with him the use of the globes, and some rudiments of
arithmetic and geometry.
<_First wife and children._>
[262]He maried his first wife[XXIII.] <Mary> Powell, of Fosthill, at
Shotover, in Oxonshire, anno Domini ...; by whom he had 4 children.
<He> hath two daughters living: Deborah was his amanuensis (he taught
her Latin, and to read Greeke[263] to him when he had lost his
eie-sight, which was anno Domini ...).
[XXIII.] She was a zealous royalist, and went without her husband's
consent to her mother in the king's quarters. She dyed anno Domini....
<_Separation from his first wife._>
[She[264] went from him to her mother's at ... in the king's quarters,
neer Oxford], anno Domini ...; and wrote the _Triplechord_ about
divorce.
[265]Two opinions[266] doe not well on the same boulster. She was
a ...[267] royalist, and went to her mother to the king's quarters,
neer Oxford. I have perhaps so much charity to her that she might not
wrong his bed: but what man, especially contemplative, would like to
have a young wife environ'd and storm'd by the sons of Mars, and those
of the enemi partie?
[268]His first wife (Mrs. Powell, a royalist) was brought up and
lived where there was a great deale of company and merriment[269].
And when she came to live with her husband, at Mr. Russell's, in St.
Bride's churchyard, she found it very solitary; no company came to her;
oftentimes heard his nephews beaten and cry. This life was irkesome
to her, and so she went to her parents at Fost-hill. He sent for her,
after some time; and I thinke his servant was evilly entreated: but as
for matter of wronging his bed, I never heard the least suspicions; nor
had he, of that, any jealousie.
<_Second wife._>
[270]He had a middle wife, whose name was (he[271] thinkes, Katharin)
Woodcock. No child living by her.
<_Third wife._>
[272]He maried his second[273] wife, Elizabeth Minshull, anno ... (the
year before the sicknesse): a gent. person, a peacefull and agreable
humour.
<_His public employment._>
He was Latin secretary to the Parliament[274].
<_His blindness._>
[275]His sight began to faile him at first upon his writing against
Salmasius, and before 'twas fully compleated one eie absolutely faild.
Upon the writing of other bookes, after that, his other eie decayed.
[276]His eie-sight was decaying about 20 yeares before his death:
quaere, when starke[277] blind? His father read without spectacles at
84. His mother had very weake eies, and used spectacles presently after
she was thirty yeares old.
<_Writings after his blindness._>
[278]After he was blind he wrote these following bookes, viz.
_Paradise Lost_, _Paradise Regained_, _Grammar_, _Dictionarie_
(imperfect)--quaere +.
[279]I heard that after he was blind that he was writing a Latin
Dictionary (in the hands of Moyses Pitt[280]). Vidua affirmat she gave
all his papers (among which this dictionary, imperfect) to his nephew,
a sister's son, that he brought up, ... Philips, who lives neer the
Maypole in the Strand (quaere). She has a great many letters by her
from learned men, his acquaintance, both of England and beyond sea.
<_His later residences._>
He lived in several places, e.g. Holborne neer King's-gate. He died in
Bunhill, opposite to the Artillery-garden wall.
<_His death and burial._>
He died of the gowt[281] struck in, the 9th or 10th of November, 1674,
as appeares by his apothecarye's booke.
He lies buried in St. Giles's Cripplegate, upper end of chancell at
the right hand, vide his gravestone[282].--Memorandum his stone is
now removed; for, about two yeares since (now, 1681), the two steppes
to the communion table were raysed. I ghesse John Speed and he lie
together.
<_Personal characteristics._>
His harmonicall and ingeniose soul did lodge[283] in a beautifull and
well-proportioned body:--
In toto nusquam corpore menda fuit.