The Poetical Works of John Milton

On this title there are four rows of fleurs-de-lis under the author's name.

This title-page was followed by seven additional leaves, the contents of which are introduced by an address from The Printer to the Reader, the first form of which was:

Courteous Reader, There was no Argument at first intended to the Book, but for the satisfaction of many that have desired it, is procured. S. Simmons.

As this was not very grammatical the following was substituted.

Courteous Reader, There was no Argument at first intended to the Book, but for the satisfaction of many that desired it, I have procur'd it, and withall a reason of that which stumbled many others, why the Poem Rimes not. S. Simmons.

The first of these addresses was in three lines, the second in five, but as in the case of the corrected and uncorrected sheets of the poem itself both are found with title-pages bearing the dates 1668 and 1669. Indeed copies with the latest titlepage described below have no Address from the Printer to the Reader, though they have the rest of the preliminary matter.

The Address was followed by the Arguments to the several Books, the Verse, or an explanation why the Poem Rimes not, and a Table of Errata.

In Bohn's edition of Lowndes' Bibliographer's Manual, a title-page, called the fifth, is described, which is said to be distinguished from the preceding by having three stars or fleursde-lis before and after the author's name. Of this I have not been able to trace a single copy at present, though I cannot help believing in its existence. Of what is called the sixth title-page in Bohn's Lowndes I am more than sceptical. It is said only to differ from the fifth in having no stars, but the sole authority for this statement is the Bibliotheca AngloPoetica, in which the descriptions of books do not notice such points. The question of these titles has been obscured by the fact that the fourth, fifth, and sixth in Bohn's Lowndes are called the fifth, sixth, and seventh by Professor Masson, who follows Sotheby in his Ramblings in the Elucidation of the Autograph of Milton.

In one copy which I have seen the full-stop after "Books" is omitted.

All the copies I have seen which have this title-page have no Address to the Reader, although they have the rest of the preliminary matter, and in the Argument to the Ninth Book, line 5, they read "Angels" for "Son."

The second edition, which was in 8vo, appeared in 1674, with the following title:

The ten books of the first edition became twelve in the second by subdividing Books VII and X, so that the 1290 lines of the original Book VII were distributed between Books VII and VIII; Books VIII and IX then became Books IX and X, and the original Book X, which consisted of 1540 lines, was broken up into the present Books XI and XII. To effect this change three new lines were added at the beginning of Book VIII and the fourth was slightly modified, as will be seen in the Notes. At the beginning of Book XII five new lines were added.

After Milton's death a third edition, also in 8vo, was issued by S. Simmons in 1678. This was merely a reprint of the second edition.

In 1671, Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes were published in one volume 8vo. with a continuous set of signatures, though with separate pagination. The book was licensed July 2, 1670, and entered at Stationers' Hall on September 10. The titles are as follows:

lustrationem. LONDON, | Printed by J. M. for John Starkey at the Mitre in Fleetstreet, near Temple-Bar. | MDCLXXI. |

A second edition was published in 1680 with the same title, the words "by J. M." being omitted in the imprint, and the date altered.

With regard to the printer's initials, J. M., which happen to be the same as those of the author, Mr Sotheby (Ramblings in the Elucidation of the Autograph of Milton, p. 83) makes the following extraordinary statement, which has been too trustfully accepted by Professor Masson: "It is interesting here to notice that the initials of Milton occur in the imprint as the printer of the volume. Such was frequently the case when a work was printed at the expense of the author." It would have been more satisfactory if Mr Sotheby had given a single instance in support of his assertion. It would be as reasonable to conclude that Shakespeare was at the expense of printing the undated Hamlet, because it is said to have been "Printed by W. S. for Iohn Smethwick."

The copyright in Paradise Lost remained the property of S. Simmons till towards the end of 1680, when he sold it to Brabazon Aylmer, who on 17 August, 1683, sold a half share to Jacob Tonson, the other moiety being apparently transferred to Richard Bently. The fourth edition therefore appeared in 1688 under the joint names of Bently and Tonson, and with the following title:

Tonson had a separate title-page for his own copies, and in these Bently's name does not appear in the imprint.

In the same year 1688, an edition of Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes was issued in folio, uniform with Paradise Lost but by another publisher. There is a separate title to each poem, and each has a separate pagination and a separate set of signatures, though it appears from the first title that they were not to be sold separately. The titles are as follows:

As the three poems are printed uniformly, though issued by different publishers, they are frequently bound up together, and sometimes the Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes of 1688 are found in the same volume with the Paradise Lost of 1695, which was accompanied by the Notes of Patrick Hume and the Minor Poems.

On the 24th of March, 1690, Tonson acquired the remaining half share in the copyright of Paradise Lost, but the fifth edition was issued in 1691 with a title-page which must have been printed before the entire copyright had become the property of Tonson. This title is as follows:

MDCXCI.

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