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"The Works of the English Poets – Volume V: The Poems of John Milton, Volume III (1779)"

Description:

This volume forms part of Samuel Johnson's celebrated The Works of the English Poets, one of the most influential literary collections ever published in English. Volume V is devoted to the third volume of John Milton's poetry, bringing together many of his shorter English poems alongside his Latin compositions. Printed in London in 1789, the book includes Johnson's scholarly editorial framework and presents Milton's works in a carefully organized format. Featured are the dramatic poem Samson Agonistes, celebrated lyrical masterpieces such as Lycidas, L'Allegro, and Il Penseroso, numerous sonnets, psalms, occasional poems, and Milton's Latin verse. This edition offers readers both the literary brilliance of one of England's greatest poets and an important eighteenth-century editorial presentation that shaped Milton's reputation for generations.

Table of Contents:

Editorial Material

Introduction to Milton's poetry
Publisher's preliminary remarks

Major Works

Samson Agonistes (dramatic poem)

Poems on Various Occasions

On the Death of a Fair Infant
At a Vacation Exercise in the College
On the Morning of Christ's Nativity
The Passion
On Time
Upon the Circumcision
At a Solemn Music
Song on May Morning
On Shakespeare
On the University Carrier
L'Allegro
Il Penseroso
Arcades
A Mask (Comus)
Lycidas

Odes and Sonnets

The Fifth Ode of Horace
Sonnets
To the Nightingale
On Reaching the Age of Twenty-Three
To a Virtuous Young Lady
To Lady Margaret Ley
On the Publication of Certain Treatises
To General Fairfax
To General Cromwell
To Sir Henry Vane
On the Late Massacre in Piedmont
On His Blindness
To Mr. Lawrence
To Cyriack Skinner
On the Death of His Wife

Sacred Poetry

Psalms

Latin Poetry

Latin Poems (Joannis Miltoni Londinensis Poemata)
Elegies
Sylvarum Liber
Epigrams
Academic verses
Poems dedicated to friends and patrons

Closing Material

Translation from Toland's Life of Milton
A Fragment
End of Milton's Poems

Summary:

This volume presents one of the most complete eighteenth-century collections of John Milton's shorter literary works, spanning dramatic poetry, pastoral elegies, religious verse, sonnets, political poems, and scholarly Latin compositions. The collection demonstrates Milton's extraordinary range—from biblical drama and theological meditation to pastoral lyricism and classical humanist poetry. Masterpieces such as Samson Agonistes, Lycidas, L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, On the Morning of Christ's Nativity, and the famous sonnets reveal his mastery of both poetic language and intellectual depth. The inclusion of Milton's Latin works further illustrates his classical education and international scholarly reputation. As part of Samuel Johnson's landmark edition of The Works of the English Poets, this 1789 volume remains an important historical edition that helped establish Milton as one of the foundational figures of English literature.

Size: 6" x 3.6" x 1"

Pages: 304

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