In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

xxi A Note on the Annotations As in other volumes in this series, all annotations for the last two books of Paradise Lost (hereafter PL) follow as closely as possible the lineation of various editors’ notes. Long annotations are organized topically and, in one or two cases, chronologically within those topics. For consistency, longer sections beginning with the same line number precede shorter ones. References to sources have been kept simple. Passages from PL are accompanied by only as much information on book or line as necessary. The most complex citations are from Sylvester’s translation of Du Bartas, for which I have indicated the volume in the Snyder edition along with page(s) and usually line(s). I have retained standard references for texts whenever possible, so that, for instance, poetry is cited by line number unless otherwise noted. I have also referred to standard modern editions of texts cited by commentators, although citations to the works of Josephus are from William Whiston’s classic translation (1736), because his version is the one generally used by Milton’s commentators and critics and indeed is still in general use. When no page numbers are indicated for an author, that entry refers to an edition of PL. Cross-references to commentaries identified with bold numbers are to the line-by-line entries in this book; numbers not in bold refer to pages within the scholarly writing there cited. I have referred to the Authorized Version of the Bible (1611) as KJV (King James Version), the title by which it is known in the United States. My abbreviations for biblical books are the expanded ones recommended by The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, so that, for instance, Deuteronomy is indicated by Deut. rather than Dt. I have followed Milton in using the term “saint” to refer to biblical authors (St. Paul, St. John), but not church fathers (Augustine, Jerome). I have cited both the 1877 and 1894 editions of R. C. Browne, the latter one including etymological xxii A Note on the Annotations notes revised by Henry Bradley. John Wesley’s abbreviated version of PL (1763) is among editions cited, as it was surely influential in certain circles. My references to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) reflect an amalgam of the second edition online (1989) and updates. A definition followed by “so OED” indicates that the passage in PL is cited in this amalgamated edition. Milton’s last two books are cited in hundreds of OED entries; I have only included the ones for which modern meanings are not immediately apparent or for which the OED entry is particularly illuminating. All references to Milton’s work in this commentary are from The Works of John Milton, ed. Frank Allen Patterson, 18 vols. in 21 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1931–38). In citations of Milton’s De doctrina Christiana, I have lowercased the continuous uppercasing he employs in key sections. I have endeavored to avoid sexist language except in cases where it is too idiomatic to avoid, as in the case of “inner man,” a theological phrase from Eph. 3:16 that pervades theological discussions of Christian regeneration. I repeat here my thanks to Merritt Y. Hughes, the original editor of the Variorum volume of PL. Although he only produced notes for various lines within 11.1–264 and for 11.395–96, 573–92, and 613, with none at all for book 12, Milton scholars will surely agree with me that his comments are important and influential. I have quoted these comments whenever possible under the title “Variorum.” I have not, of course, quoted his mere citation of other critics. ...

Share