MIL 



30.5 



MIL 



Mil*. MILD, anciently MELOS, an island of the Greek 

 :iipelago, about 60 miles in circuit, of a round fi- 

 gure, and penetrated on the north by a spacious bay, 

 where the largest squadron may lie in deep water. 

 The mountain St. Helias, which is the highest part, 

 rices to a considerable altitude above the level of the 

 sea ; and another mountain, C alamo, which is supposed 

 to have been a volcano of great antiquity, still emits 

 fetid sulphureous smoke from several spiracles on its 

 summit. Rocks of lava, sulphureous hot springs, nie- 

 piiitic exhalations, and many other circumstances, 

 denote the frequent influence of subterraneous fires. 

 The springs are impregnated with various substances ; 

 and since the days ot Hippocrates, they have been 

 thought efficacious in the cure of diseases. Public baths 

 are formed of one in a grotto where the vapour rise* as 

 in a natural stove. Porphyry, iron, gypsum, and the 

 finest alum, obtained from a subterraneous gallery, where 

 the thermometer stands at 1 08", are among the produc- 

 tions of this ixUnd. There are salt marshes, or reser- 

 voir*, on the shore, filled by the sea-water in winter, 

 which evaporate* during the hraU of summer. 



The lower grounds of the island arc extremely fer- 

 tile and well cultivated, both in fields and garden*. 

 Crape*, figs, raelmw, and olives, are abundant ; also, 

 wheat, barley, leguminous plants, and cotton. The 

 fruits are said to be the best in the Archipelago, 

 and the wine and honey are esteemed excellent. Be- 

 tide* moles, black cattle, sheep, goats, and swine, 

 the domesticated animals, game is very plentiful. 



Notwithstanding these advantages, the insalubrity of 

 the climate is so great as to threaten the island with 

 total depopulation. Little more than a century ago, 

 the inhabitant* were computed at 90,000 ; now they 

 have dwindled down to 600 ; and were it not from 

 the resort of families from the Mores, allured by the 

 fertility of the soil, it is believed that the human race 

 would become quite extinct. 



The inhabitants follow agriculture, or pastoral pur- 

 suits; vast caverns throughout the bland affording 

 the latter convenient shelter for the flocks. Some are 

 fishermen and pilots. The women are occupied in fa- 

 bricating coarse stuffs and cotton stockings for home 

 consumpt, or for Europeans. Formerly, the hand- 

 mills of Milo were celebrated from the quality of the 

 stone ; and were exported to the Turkish continent, 

 the Ionian islands, Italy, and Egypt. But trade is 

 almost annihilated, from the decrease of the population, 

 and the French privateer* abandoning the Levant 



- island contain* two towns, Milo the capital, 

 and Castro, or Sifours. The inhabitant* of the former, 

 who, in the beginning of last century, amounted to 

 5000, are now reduced to about '400, compared, by 

 their visitors, to so many walking corpse*. It is con- 

 sidered dangerous to sleep three night* here, and the 

 town is in ruins. Castro occupies the lofty peak of a 

 mountain, and is approached by a rock overhung by 

 anooth basaltic rocks, which are almost insurmountable. 

 The street* communicate by stairs. The slighter breeie 

 resembles a hurricane ; and the inhabitants attain very 

 advanced age in Urn elevated situation. In the year 

 1700, Toumefort found 18 churches in Milo, 13 mo- 

 naateries, beside* many chapels, two binhops, and the 

 rest of an ecclesiastical establishment, corresponding to a 

 numerous population. Some of the monasteries still ub- 

 *j*t, where later travellers meet an hospitable reception. 



The site of the ancient capital is ascribed to an as- 

 semblage of ruins between the harbour and Castro, 

 consisting of fragment* of walls, some fine column* of 



ravation*, lined with cement, and 

 remains of brick* and pottery. On the opposite 



VOL. XIV. PART I. 



aide of a deep ravine, there is a hill penetrated by an 

 immense number of catacombs, which are gained by a 

 subterraneous Hight of steps. In general, seven sarco- 

 phagi cut out of the rock occupy each chamber, which 

 are ornamented by sculptures, and exhibit the traces 

 of painting on the cement with which they were lin- 

 ed : as also inscriptions now illegible. Several fami- 

 lies have established their cottages above these cata- 

 combs, and convert the sarcophagi to cisterns for the 

 winter's rain, which is employed in watering the fields 

 below. The position of the ruins, their extent, the 

 solidity of the walls, and the nature of the fragments, 

 together with the great number of catacombs, are sup- 

 posed to indicate the previous existence of a flourish- 

 ing city, with temple*, or other sumptuous edifice*. 



Melo* is frequently mentioned in the history of the 

 Gncian States: from which it passed under the domi- 

 nion of the Romans, and on the decay of their empire 

 was subjugated by the Turks, in whose possession it 

 still continues, scarcely capable of paying an inconsi- 

 derable tribute. () 



M1LTJADF.S, See ATHENS, Vol. III. p. 69. and 

 GREECE, Vol. X. p. 40 1. 



M 1LTON, JOHN. '1 his ornament of English poetry, 

 and champion of English principles, was born in Bread 

 Street, London, on the !)ih of December, 1608. Few 

 particulars are known respecting his family, except 

 that it was respectable and ancient, that it had been 

 long resident in Oxfordshire, and had once possessed 

 considerable property, which was forfeited during the 

 war* of the Roses. John Milton, the poet's grandfa- 

 ther, who was undcr-ranger of the Forest of Shotover, 

 had disinherited the poet's father, whose name also was 

 John, for becoming a Protestant. The young convert, 

 who was then at Oxford, left the University in conse- 

 quence of this misfortune, and applied himself to the 

 profession of a scrivener in London, which, at that 

 time, united the two businesses of law and money 

 agency. It appears from several circumstances that 

 he wa* no ordinary man at least he was so consider- 

 able a proficient in music as to hold a considerable rank 

 among the composers of the age. The poet's mother 

 was, according to the testimony of her son, an exem- 

 plary woman, and highly esteemed in the neighbour- 

 hood for her acts of charity. Her name wa* Caxton. 

 Her family was originally from Wales. Our Milton 

 was her eldest son. His younger brother, a lawyer 

 and a royalist, wa* saved, during the republican go- 

 vernment, by the interest of the poet, and after the 

 Restoration was knighted, and made a Baron of the Ex- 

 chequer, and a Judge of the Common Picas, by James 

 the Second. A sister, whose name wa* Anne, married 

 Edward Phillips, a secondary in the Crown Office in 

 Chancery. From this marriage sprung John and Ed- 

 ward Phillips. Both of them were the pupils of Mil- 

 ton, and one of them wa* hi* biographer. 



The early genius of our immortal poet was fostered 

 with such marks of judicious partiality an denoted hi* 

 father't pride in the possession of so extraordinary a 

 son. Aubrey relate*, that the portrait of the youthful 

 genius wa* taken by Cornelius Jansen in lb'18, when 

 he was only ten year* of age, and that he was then 

 a poet ; and Dr. Symmons, in his Life of Milton, noti- 

 ce* this portrait being at present in possession of the 

 family of Mr. Hollis. We presume that Dr. Symmons 

 is accurate with regard to the date of the picture, 

 though we nave never heard of any print of Milton 

 representing him earlier than apparently about his 

 19th year, and wonder that so curious a portrait should 

 not have been made more known by engraving. 



Some part of Milton's early education wa* commit* 



Mil. 



II 

 Milion. 



