Paradise Lost

388 Pages·2007·1.64 MB·English

by  Barbara K. Lewalski

JOHN MILTON
PARADISE LOST
Praise for this edition
“Barbara Lewalski is the doyenne of the community of Milton scholars, but she also
remains committed to the enterprise of teaching. In this exemplary edition of
Paradise Lost both qualities are in evidence: the text is scrupulous and the scholar-
ship rigorous, but both the introduction and the notes are accommodated to the needs
of students who will be coming to the poem for the first time. This is an edition
that will please students and professors alike, and its sheer quality is a tribute to Barbara
Lewalski’s passion to provide readers with all the help they need to understand the
greatest of all English poems.”
Gordon Campbell, University of Leicester
“Teachers and scholars will welcome Barbara Lewalski’s Blackwell edition of
Paradise Lost, one not only informed by the erudition of a prominent and highly
respected Miltonist but advantaged by her sound decision to reproduce the original
language, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and italics of the 1674 text.”
Edward Jones, Editor, Milton Quarterly
“For the student or general reader, looking for an old-spelling edition that is faithful
to the original punctuation, this edition has much to recommend it. Its annotation
is crisp, purposeful and well judged.”
Thomas N. Corns, University of Wales, Bangor
“A superb teaching text. Lewalski’s edition respects Milton’s original poem and
offers supremely clear introductions, bibliography and special material to guide the
student reader and educated lay person alike to new discoveries in a work that, quite
simply, has it all: good, evil, God, Satan, humans, angels, love, despair, war, politics,
sex, duty, and sublime poetry – set in a cosmic landscape that inspires wonder and
seduces new readers in every generation.”
Sharon Achinstein, Oxford University
JOHN MILTON
PARADISE LOST
EDITED BY
BARBARA K. LEWALSKI
Editorial material and organization © 2007 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd
BLACKWELL PUBLISHING
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First published 2007 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd
1 2007
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Milton, John, 1608–1674.
Paradise lost / John Milton ; edited by Barbara K. Lewalski.
p. cm.
Text based on the second edition of Paradise lost (1674) in twelve books using
Harvard copy 14486.3 B as copy text.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-4051-2928-2 (alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4051-2929-9 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Bible. O.T. Genesis—History of Biblical events—Poetry. 2. Adam (Biblical figure)
—Poetry. 3. Eve (Biblical figure)—Poetry. 4. Fall of man—Poetry. I. Lewalski,
Barbara Kiefer, 1931– II. Title.
PR3560 2007
821′.4—dc22
2006025797
A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
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Figure 1 Engraved portrait of Milton at age 62 (William Faithorne)
Note on This Edition
This is one of three volumes presenting the complete poetry and major prose of John
Milton in original language and in readily accessible paperbacks. The shorter poems
are edited by Stella Revard; the major prose by David Loewenstein.
Acknowledgments
Librarians at the Houghton Library at Harvard, the Beinecke Library at Yale, the
John Carter Brown Library at Brown, the Henry E. Huntington Library, and the British
Library have graciously made copies of the 1667 and 1674 editions of Paradise Lost
available to me for comparison, and the director of the J. Pierpont Morgan Library
in New York City made available the manuscript of Book 1. I am especially grateful
to the curator of rare books at the Houghton Library for permission to use Harvard
14486.3B (1674) as copy text, and for permission to reproduce William Faithorne’s
engraving of Milton at age 62 (the frontispiece to Milton’s History of Britain, 1670) as
well as the title pages of the 1667 and 1674 editions and the illustrations to Books 2,
5, 8, 9, and 11 from the 1688 Folio edition of Paradise Lost. All the photographs are
courtesy of Houghton Library, Harvard College Library. This project profited
greatly from the wise early guidance of Andrew McNeillie, then literature editor at
Blackwell, the helpful oversight of his successor, Emma Bennett, and the meticulous
care of the copy-editor and project manager, Janet Moth. David Loewenstein and
Stella Revard, editors of the companion volumes to this one, offered useful critiques
and wise counsel; Ken Hiltner served as research assistanceduring crucial early stages,
and graduate and undergraduate students of Milton over many years have helped
me determine what does and does not need commentary.
Contents
Note on This Edition vi
Acknowledgments vi
List of Illustrations viii
Chronology ix
Introduction xv
Textual Introduction xxx
PARADISE LOST 1
In Paradisum Amissam Summi Poetæ (S[amuel] B[arrow] M.D.) 5
On Paradise Lost (A[ndrew] M[arvell]) 8
The Verse 10
Book 1 11
Book 2 37
Book 3 67
Book 4 91
Book 5 122
Book 6 149
Book 7 175
Book 8 196
Book 9 216
Book 10 251
Book 11 285
Book 12 312
Textual Notes 333
Appendix: Sketches for Dramas on the Fall, from the Trinity Manuscript 341
Select Bibliography 344
List of Illustrations
1 Engraved portrait of Milton at age 62 (William Faithorne) v
2 First title page to Paradise Lost, 1667 xxxi
3 Title page to Paradise Lost, 1674 3
4 Illustration to Book 2, 1688 36
5 Illustration to Book 5, 1688 (John Baptista Medina) 121
6 Illustration to Book 8, 1688 (John Baptista Medina) 195
7 Illustration to Book 9, 1688 (John Baptista Medina) 215
8 Illustration to Book 11, 1688 (John Baptista Medina) 284
Chronology
Milton’s Life Historical and Literary Events
Dec. 9, born in Bread Street, Cheapside 1608
London, to John and Sarah Milton.
1611 King James (“Authorized”) Bible.
Educated by private tutors, including 1614–20
the Presbyterian cleric, Thomas Young.
Brother Christopher born.
1615
1616 Death of Shakespeare.
Ben Jonson’s Works published.
Portrait at age 10 painted by Cornelius
Janssen. 1618
Begins to attend St. Paul’s School; 1620
friendship with Charles Diodati
begins. (?)
1621 Donne appointed Dean of St. Paul’s.
1623 Shakespeare’s First Folio published.
First known poems, paraphrases of 1623–4
Psalms 114 and 136.
Admitted to Christ’s College, 1625 Death of James I; accession of
Cambridge (Feb. 12). Charles I.
Outbreak of plague.
Writes funeral elegies, “In quintum 1626–8 William Laud made Bishop
Novembris,” verse epistles, and of London.
Prolusions in Latin; “On the Death of
a Fair Infant,” “At a Vacation Exercise”
in English.
x Chronology
Milton’s Life Historical and Literary Events
Takes BA degree (March). 1629 Charles I dissolves Parliament.
Writes “On the Morning of Christ’s
Nativity” (Dec.).
Writes “L’Allegro” and 1631
“Il Penseroso”(?).
“On Shakespeare” published in the 1632 Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the
Second Folio of Shakespeare’s plays. Two Chief World Systemspublished
Admitted to MA degree (July 3). in Italian.
Writes Arcades, entertainment for the
Countess of Derby(?). Writes sonnet
“How soon hath Time” (Dec.).
Starts to live with his family at
Hammersmith.
Writes “On Time,” “At a Solemn 1633 Donne’s Poemsand Herbert’s
Music”(?). The Templepublished.
Laud made Archbishop of
Canterbury.
A Maske(Comus) performed at 1634 Carew’s masque, Coelum
Ludlow with music by Henry Lawes Britannicum.
(Sept. 29).
Moves with his family to Horton, 1635
Buckinghamshire. Begins notes on his
reading in Commonplace Book.
Publication of A Maske. 1637 Trial and punishment of Puritans
Mother dies (April 3). William Prynne, John Bastwick,
Writes “Lycidas.” and Henry Burton.
Descartes, Discourse on Method.
“Lycidas” published in collection of 1638
elegies for Edward King.
Begins Continental tour (May 1638); 1638–9
meets Grotius, Gallileo, Cardinal
Barberini, Manso; visits Academies in
Florence and Rome; visits Vatican
Library; visits Naples, Venice, and
Geneva.
Writes “Mansus,” other Latin poems.
Learns of Charles Diodati’s death. 1639 First Bishops’ War with Scotland.
Returns to England (July).
Takes lodgings in Fleet Street.
Begins teaching nephews Edward and
John Phillips and a few others.