INTRODUCTION TO PARADISE LOST.

Its History.

This poem is the result of the union in one person of the highest quality of poetic genius, the most exalted personal character, and the most unremitting industry, all devoted through a period of more than sixty years to the accomplishment of a single purpose. In this statement the early productions of Milton are not ignored; for at the time when he was composing his lyrics he had already formed the resolution to "write something that the world would not willingly let die," and all his minor poems were but the flights in which he tried his wings to gain strength for the great flight "above the Aonian mount (P. L. I. 15). It was for this great work alone that he stored his mind with all the learning of the ages, and exercised his soul in all godly discipline from earliest boyhood.

Immediately upon his return from Italy in 1639, Milton turned his attention to the composition of his projected masterpiece. He noted down, in a list which still exists, over one hundred possible subjects from which to select, and seems to have considered the subject of the Arthurian legend1 a very promising one. His intensely religious

This legend deals with the Britons, or ancient inhabitants of England, who were early driven westward into the mountain fastnesses of Wales by Saxon, Danish, and Anglian invaders, but who, in those retreats, long retained their pride of ancient lineage, their

bent, however, soon led him to fix upon the subject of Paradise Lost, and he next began to weigh the respective merits of the dramatic and the epic forms. Four tentative drafts of characters and leading incidents, which he drew up at this time, exhibit clearly his progress toward a decision in favor of the epic form. Short passages were composed as early as 1642, of which one (P. L. IV. 32-41) was originally designed to form a part of the introduction to the contemplated tragedy. The duties of his position in the public service forced him to lay this too ambitious work aside for sixteen years, to renew it only when failing sight had made him unable longer to bear an active share in the duties of the secretaryship, although he still held the position. About eight years were spent in the actual composition of the poem; much of this time he was blind, and was compelled to dictate to some assistant each day the lines freshly composed. The work was completed in 1665, was published in 1667, and met with immediate acceptance in the world of literature as one of the few great masterpieces of its class.

Druidic religion, and their Celtic speech. The legend describes how, about the sixth century, to King Uther succeeded his son Arthur, whose brilliant reign was marked by great advances in civilization. Arthur gathered about him a group of noble warriors called the "Knights of the Round Table," sworn to crush lawlessness, eschew vice, protect the weak, and defend the kingdom from Saxon invaders. Their adventures would undoubtedly have afforded Milton abundant opportunity for the exhibition of his genius in epic composition.

Its Characteristics.

And here we are led to inquire, "What constitutes a masterpiece of the epic class?" The answer to this question should be sought by the reader in the work itself, but it may be well to offer a few suggestions to guide his search.

In the first place, an epic, as a narrative of a series of events, must necessarily be a poem of great length. Its subject must therefore be of a serious and noble character, worthy of exhaustive treatment, and the events must be of a dramatic nature; that is, they must centre around some common object of interest, they must tend towards some important issue, they must form a succession of minor episodes, varied in character and each a minor climax in itself. Only thus can interest in so pretentious a work be kept unimpaired. Furthermore, the subject must be so related to humanity, so removed from purely local or merely transitory interests, that no difference of place or time can destroy the interest that it has for mankind.

Secondly, the style must rise to "the highth of the great argument," and this implies that the poet must have command of a large vocabulary, must have an ear attuned to the melody of spoken sound and a taste developed by acquaintance with the best literature of all ages, and must feel an eager enthusiasm for his subject. He must be a master, not of style, but of styles, since he must alternate narration with description, and treat scenes of the most varied nature. Herein lies the explanation of the rarity of great epics. Poetic inspiration is rarely con

tinuous for any long time, and only consummate genius can write for thousands of lines, adhering to a uniformly strong and musical style, yet avoiding artificiality and dissonance between subject and expression.

Thirdly, the metrical form must be suited to the dignity of the theme, chanting in stately rhythm the pæan of noble deeds, subtly adapting itself to the varying subject, yet never becoming trivial or commonplace, lending the power of its onward impulse to carry the reader with unabated interest from page to page of the long narrative.

The selections from Paradise Lost that follow are intended to enable the reader to determine for himself Milton's claim to a place among the great epic poets. They include the principal portions of the poem which deal with the career of Satan, the central figure of the first two books if not of the entire poem. If the student brings to the reading a mind prepared by an examination of the conditions under which Milton wrote, and possessed of an intelligent idea of the task to which Milton applied himself, he cannot fail to find both pleasure and profit in the perusal of the poem. Suggestions to direct his thought and to quicken his perception of points that might easily pass unnoticed will be found at the conclusion of the selections (p. 232).

THE VERSE.

THE measure is English heroic verse without rime, as that of Homer in Greek, and of Virgil in Latin - rime being no necessary adjunct or true ornament of poem or good verse, in longer works especially, but the invention. of a barbarous age, to set off wretched matter and lame metre; graced indeed since by the use of some famous modern poets, carried away by custom, but much to their own vexation, hindrance, and constraint to express many things otherwise, and for the most part worse, than else they would have expressed them. Not without cause therefore some both Italian and Spanish poets of prime note have rejected rime both in longer and shorter works, as have also long since our best English tragedies, as a thing of itself, to all judicious ears, trivial and of no true musical delight; which consists only in apt numbers, fit quantity of syllables, and the sense variously drawn out from one verse into another, not in the jingling sound of like endings a fault avoided by the learned ancients both in poetry and all good oratory. of rime so little is to be taken for a defect, though it may seem so perhaps to vulgar readers, that it rather is to be esteemed an example set, the first in English, of ancient liberty recovered to heroic poem from the troublesome and modern bondage of riming. — [From Milton's Preface.]

This neglect then