Paradise Lost, Flesher, 1688

Title Page

Paradise Lost,1688

The chief glory of the exhibit is the 1688 folio edition of Paradise Lost, the first with illustrations. The poem on the bottom of the frontispiece is by Dryden, and places Milton in a line with Homer and Virgil:

Three Poets, in three distant Ages born,
Greece, Italy, and England did adorn.
The First in loftiness of thought Surpass'd;
The Next in Majesty; in both the Last.
The force of Nature cou'd no farther goe:
To make a Third she joynd the former two.

The engraving of Milton is by Robert White, and is based on a drawing by William Faithorne. Michael Burgesse (or Burghers) engraved all the other plates (except for that of Book 4) from illustrations by various hands. See the Riversideedition, page 333.

Each of the twelve books is preceded by an argument, written by Milton and found in all printed editions of the poem.

Bibliographic Description

Book 1; Satan rousing his legions from the asphaltic pool.	Book 2; Satan's encounter with Sin and Death at the gate of Hell.	Book 3; The Heavenly Host (top); Satan, disguised, asks Uriel for directions on the Orb of the Sun (middle left); Satan alights "upon the bare Convex of this World's outermost Orb" (bottom right); Satan descends from Mount Niphates (left, below the Sun).
Book 4; Satan, as a Cormorant, sits atop the Tree of Life in Eden, overlooking Adam & Eve (middle right); Uriel warns Gabriel of Satan's escape (center); two angels discover Satan whispering into the ear of Eve (bottom right).	Book 5; "Eve relates to Adam her troublesome dream" (bottom right); Raphael descends to admonish Adam & Eve (top center); Raphael discourses while he is entertained at the door of their bower (center).	Book 6; The Heavenly Rebellion: the Son in his Chariot drives the rebellious angels "into the place of punishment prepar'd for them in the Deep."
Book 7; Raphael "relates how and wherefore this world was first created."	Book 8; Adam inquires of Raphael "concerning celestial motions" (top); Adam relates "his first meeting and nuptials with Eve" (middle).	Book 9; The images snake into the background: Satan enters the serpent (bottom); Adam & Eve agree to divide their labors; the Serpent's "subtle approach"; Adam resolves to eat; they cover their nakedness.
Book 10; The Guardian Angels forsake Paradise (top); Satan welcomes Sin and Death (middle right); Satan recounts his exploits in Pandemonium (middle left); Adam & Eve bewail their condition (bottom).	Book 11; Michael dispossesses Adam and Eve (bottom); Michael reveals the future to Adam while Eve sleeps (top left).	Book 12; Michael expels Adam & Eve; the Cherubim take their stations to guard Paradise.
Subscription Table.	Sample text pages. Note that Emory's copy has, in this section, handwritten line numeration. The catchwords are visible on the lower right corner of each page.

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