It’s a while since we observed Elegantly Dressed Wednesday here in Baroque Mansions. Well, here we are the week before the 400th birthday of one of England’s greatest poets – John Milton himself – so it seems a good idea to celebrate his rather elegant brand of plainness, a rather austere elegance. There will be more to come on Milton in the next week or so. He is endlessly fascinating, a bag of contradictions, an enigma and a paradox… Cromwell is too big a subject, but here is Aubrey, from his Brief Lives.
(Shame what he says about frontispieces, but it can’t be helped):
His sight began to faile him at first upon his writing against Salmasius, and before ’twas full compleated one eie absolutely faild. Upon the writing of other bookes, after that, his other eie decayed. His eie-sight was decaying about 20 yeares before his death. His father read without spectacles at 84. His mother had very weake eies, and used spectacles presently [very soon] after she was thirty yeares old.
His harmonicall and ingeniose Soul did lodge in a beautifull and well-proportioned body. He was a spare man. He was scarce so tall as I am (quaere, quot feet I am high: resp., of middle stature).
He had abroun hayre. His complexion exceeding faire — he was so faire that they called him the Lady of Christ’s College. Ovall face. His eie a darke gray.
He was very healthy and free from all diseases: seldome tooke any physique (only sometimes he tooke manna): only towards his latter end he was visited with the Gowte, Spring and Fall.
He had a delicate tuneable Voice, and had good skill. His father instructed him. He had an Organ in his howse; he played on that most. Of a very cheerfull humour. He would be chearfull even in his Gowte-fitts, and sing.
He had a very good Memorie; but I believe that his excellent Method of thinking and disposing did much to helpe his Memorie.
His widowe haz his picture, drawne very well and like, when a Cambridge-schollar, which ought to be engraven; for the Pictures before his bookes are not at all like him.
Temperate man, rarely dranke between meales. Extreme pleasant in his conversation, and at dinner, supper, etc; but Satyricall. (He pronounced the letter R (littera canina) very hard – a certaine signe of a Satyricall Witt – from John Dreyden.)
And here, a small flavour of Aubrey the biographer:
Mr John Milton made two admirable Panegyricks, as to Sublimitie of Witt, one on Oliver Cromwel, and the other on Thomas, Lord Fairfax, both which his nephew Mr Philip hath. But he hath hung back these two yeares, as to imparting copies to me for the Collection of mine. Were they made in commendation of the Devill, ’twere all one to me: ’tis the [gk] hupsos [ethos] that I looke after. I have been told that ’tis beyond Waller’s or anything in that kind.
Katy, where have you been all my life?!? Brief Lives is just about my favorite book in the whole world!!!! Next to Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy….
Don, it is wonderful, isn’t it. I did this in a huge rush this morning, or I’d have pulled some of the best bits out. The “harmonicall and ingeniose Soul” is too beautiful – and I love this: “pleasant in his conversation, and at dinner, supper, etc; but Satyrikall.” A failing too familiar, I fear!
“He would be chearfull even in his Gowte-fitts, and sing.” Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Splendid stuff!