The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1870-09-30

The story of " Paradise Lost y
which may be new to some renders, is
briefly as follows 1t was Milton's i
lifelong ambition to write great
work that his country would not
willingly let die;" and he doubtless
thought, during the troublous times
of the civil war, that his fondly-cher-
ished hopes were baffied that nc had
fallen upon evil days and evil tongues;
but, when peace again smiled on his
native land, he turned his attention to
the selection of subject Before he
determined on his long philosophical
poem, he appears to have ranged
through history in quest of a topic OF
sufficient interest and capability, and
to have dwelt for time fondly on
King Arthur. At last he reached a
point beyond which it was impossible
to go. Millions choice was made, and
4" Paradise Lost" grew slowly into be-
ng. S7
The exact date when Milton-oi
whom the bishop of Avaranches wrote
to Salmasius, who had done him the
honor of abusing him, "How can you
occupy yourself with an object so in
significant as this Milton ?"-began
his great Christian poem is not known;
but we do know that for many years,
mostly under his own roof, in artillery
walk, or while sauntering through the
streets of London, when Chas. Stuart
was amusing himself with his licen-
tious court when John Dryden was
witnessing his own plays performed al
the Globe theater when poor Sam
Butler was growing worese from neg
lect and ill-usage when the lively
and garrulous Samuel Pcpys was run
ming about embalming notes for pos
terity and when the Puritan poets
friend, Andrew MARVEL, was interest
ing himself in his behalf-the plan was
carried and resolved in the blind man q
brain. at length he was able to ez-
claim: +
a. Give me my Tyre.
I feel the s,irrinss Of gin devine;
Within my bosom gioss uoeaTihly fire.
Lit by no skill Of minc -
BY dictation of so to 100 lines at a
time, the work was at last completed.
We have no accurate information n
to the exact date when +" Paradise
Lost" was finished, but it was some.
time previous to the 9th Of April,
1867, the day on which it was sold 10
Samuel Simmons, bookseller, for five
pounds down, with premium of five
pounds more when l 800 copies oi
the first edition were sold, and five
pounds when 300 of the second
have been sold, and so on for success
i've editions, each edition to consist oi
l 500 copies. As originally publish.
ed, the poem consisted of ten books,
and was sold at three shillings. The
stipulated l 300 copies were disposed
of before the 26th of April, 1863, on
which day Milton signed n receipt foi
the second FIVE pounds. which We
have seen hanging. in neat frame OF
the walls of the famous breakfast
room of Samuel Rogers. The remain
ing 200 copies do not seem to have
sold so fast, as it was not until the
year OF Millions death that sccond
edition, was published. In the second
edition, the ten books are converted
into twelve, by the division of the
seventh and tenth, and there were
also some few other alterations. a
third edition appeared in 1918, and in
December, 1850. Mrs. Milton parted
with her interest in Paradise Lost
for eight pounds. paid to her by Sim
mons; so that the total amount re
ceived by the poet and his family fol
his matchless work was f2S, or $l4t
less than Alfred Tennyson was re
Gently paid by the publisher of pop
ular English periodical for writing
q dozen lines !