The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Preface.
• Miscellaneous Poems.
• On the Morning of Christs Nativity.
• The Hymn.
• A Paraphrase On Psalm 114.
• Psalm 136.
• The Passion.
• On Time.
• Upon the Circumcision.
• At a Solemn Musick.
• An Epitaph On the Marchioness of Winchester.
• Song On May Morning
• Another On the Same.
• L’allegro.
• Il Penseroso.
• Sonnets.
• Arcades.
• Lycidas.
• A Maske Presented At Ludlow Castle, 1634: On Michaelmasse Night, Before the Right Honorable, Iohn Earle of Bridgewater, Vicount Brackly, Lord Præsident of Wales, and One of His Maiesties Most Honorable Privie Counsell.
• Poems Added In the 1673 Edition.
• Anno Aetatis 17. On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough.
• Anno Aetatis 19. At a Vacation Exercise In the Colledge, Part Latin, Part English. the Latin Speeches Ended, the English Thus Began.
• The Fifth Ode of Horace. Lib. I.
• Sonnets.
• On the New Forcers of Conscience Under the Long Parliament.
• On the Lord Gen. Fairfax At the Seige of Colchester.
• To the Lord Generall Cromwell May 1652.
• To S R Henry Vane the Younger.
• To Mr. Cyriack Skinner Upon His Blindness.
• Psal. I. Done Into Verse, 1653.
• April, 1648. J. M. Nine of the Psalms Done Into Metre, Wherein All But What Is In a Different Character, Are the Very Words of the Text, Translated From the Original.
• Passages From Prose Writings.
• A Collection of Passages Translated In the Prose Writings.
• Joanni Miltoni
• Elegiarum Liber Primus.
• Sylvarum Liber.
• Paradise Lost.
• Book I.
• Book II.
• Book III.
• Book IV.
• Book V.
• Book VI.
• Book VII.
• Book VIII.
• Book IX.
• Book X.
• Book XI.
• Book XII.
• Paradise Regaind. a Poem.
• The First Book.
• The Second Book.
• The Third Book.
• The Fourth Book.
• Samson Agonistes, a Dramatic Poem.
• Appendix.
• ( a ): Specimen of Milton’s Spelling, From the Cambridge Autograph Manuscript.
• ( B ): Note of a Few Readings In the Same Manuscript.
• ( C ) Erratum

An Epitaph on the Marchioness of Winchester.

• This rich Marble doth enterr
• The honour’d Wife of Winchester,
• A Vicounts daughter, an Earls heir,
• Besides what her vertues fair
• Added to her noble birth,
• More then she could own from Earth.
• Summers three times eight save one
• She had told, alas too soon,
• After so short time of breath,
• To house with darknes, and with death.10
• Yet had the number of her days
• Bin as compleat as was her praise,
• Nature and fate had had no strife
• In giving limit to her life.
• Her high birth, and her graces sweet,
• Quickly found a lover meet;
• The Virgin quire for her request
• The God that sits at marriage feast;
• He at their invoking came
• But with a scarce-wel-lighted flame;20
• And in his Garland as he stood,
• Ye might discern a Cipress bud.
• Once had the early Matrons run
• To greet her of a lovely son,
• And now with second hope she goes,
• And calls Lucina to her throws;
• But whether by mischance or blame
• Atropos for Lucina came;
• And with remorsles cruelty,
• Spoil’d at once both fruit and tree:30
• The haples Babe before his birth
• Had burial, yet not laid in earth,
• And the languisht Mothers Womb
• Was not long a living Tomb.
• So have I seen som tender slip
• Sav’d with care from Winters nip,
• The pride of her carnation train,
• Pluck’t up by som unheedy swain,
• Who onely thought to crop the flowr
• New shot up from vernall showr;40
• But the fair blossom hangs the head
• Side-ways as on a dying bed,
• And those Pearls of dew she wears,
• Prove to be presaging tears
• Which the sad morn had let fall
• On her hast’ning funerall.
• Gentle Lady may thy grave
• Peace and quiet ever have;
• After this thy travail sore
• Sweet rest sease thee evermore,50
• That to give the world encrease,
• Shortned hast thy own lives lease;
• Here besides the sorrowing
• That thy noble House doth bring,
• Here be tears of perfect moan
• Weept for thee in Helicon,
• And som Flowers, and som Bays,
• For thy Hears to strew the ways,
• Sent thee from the banks of Came,
• Devoted to thy vertuous name;60
• Whilst thou bright Saint high sit’st in glory,
• Next her much like to thee in story,
• That fair Syrian Shepherdess,
• Who after yeers of barrennes,
• The highly favour’d Joseph bore
• To him that serv’d for her before,
• And at her next birth much like thee,
• Through pangs fled to felicity,
• Far within the boosom bright
• Of blazing Majesty and Light,70
• There with thee, new welcom Saint,
• Like fortunes may her soul acquaint,
• With thee there clad in radiant sheen,
• No Marchioness, but now a Queen.