BOOK 1 MAY 1968 IBRARY CHISWICK PRESS-PRINTED BY WHITTINGHAM AND WILKINS, TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE. ADVERTISEMENT TO THE EDITION OF 1851. HE present Edition of the Poetical Works of Milton has been carefully printed from the Author's copies; the orthography fo peculiar in the writings of Milton has been fcrupulously preserved: and if an authority were required for closely following the text of an author, it is only neceffary to quote the words of the Rev. John Keble; who, in the preface to Hooker, fays, "however both in this question (punctuation) and still more in that of fpelling, the Editor acknowledges that he should himself prefer an exact reprint of the original, excepting, of course, palpable errors of the press. In one respect especially, i. e. as a specimen of language, ancient books lofe very much of their value by the neglect of ancient orthography." The most authentic likeness of Milton appeared with his History of Britain, which was printed in 1670; it was drawn "from the life," when he was 62 years old, by William Faithorne, and engraved also by him: the portrait which faces the title page of this volume is engraved by William Humphreys, and is a faithful copy from that by Faithorne; the line under the portrait and the name are fac-fimiles of Milton's handwriting, from a a copy of Aratus' Phænomena, now in the British Museum. The copyright of Paradise Loft was fold to Samuel Symmons for five pounds; who was to pay a further five pounds when the first impreffion, which was to confift of thirteen hundred copies, fhould be fold and retailed off; and other five pounds at the end of the second impreffion; and five pounds more at the end of the third impreffion. The original agreement, dated 27 April, 1667, was in the collection of Samuel Rogers, Efq. It was fold by the late William Pickering for one hundred guineas. May 1, 1851. |