PARADISE LOST

Milton (John)
Newton (Thomas)

A 2 volume set of 509 and 463 pages respectively, plus a large Index at end of Volume 2.   Leatherbound.  Binding remains tight and pages clean. Book ends remain attached, though there is some cracking to the creases.  Published 1790 (M.DCC.XC).  Evidence of minor restoration.  Illustrations with narrative text.   Very Good condition.

Dedication to The Earl of Bath dated 1749.

Compiled, published and commented on by Thomas Newton (1704-1782) an English biblical scholar, author, and cleric who held the title of D.D. (Doctor of Divinity). He is best known for serving as the Bishop of Bristol from 1761 to 1782.

PARADISE LOST

Paradise Lost is a 17th-century epic poem written in blank verse that tells the biblical story of the Fall of Man. Written after Milton went blind, the poem is considered one of the greatest works of literature in the English language. Its stated purpose is to "justify the ways of God to men" by exploring the themes of free will, disobedience, and the consequences of sin. 

The poem begins in medias res, after Satan (formerly the angel Lucifer) and his fellow rebel angels have been defeated in a war against God and cast into Hell. 

In Hell 

• Satan, recovering on a lake of fire with his lieutenant Beelzebub, refuses to accept defeat, famously declaring, "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven".
• He calls a council of his fellow devils in Pandemonium, the capital of Hell, to plot their revenge.
• At the council, Satan and the other devils debate their next move. Ultimately, Satan volunteers to corrupt God's newest creation, humankind, by tempting Adam and Eve.
• Satan then journeys alone through the Abyss, a journey that mirrors the epic voyages of ancient heroes like Odysseus. 

In Heaven and Eden 

• Meanwhile, God and his Son see Satan's plan unfolding. The Son volunteers to sacrifice himself to redeem humankind from their future sin.
• To prepare Adam and Eve, God sends the Archangel Raphael to warn them about Satan's intentions and the importance of obedience.
• Satan successfully finds his way to the Garden of Eden, disguising himself as a serpent to tempt Eve.
• After Eve eats the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam knowingly eats it as well, choosing to share Eve's fate out of love.
• Sin and Death follow Satan, building a highway between Hell and Earth. 

The aftermath 

• After the Fall, Adam and Eve feel shame and blame each other. The Son passes judgment, delivering their punishments: pain in childbirth for Eve and hard labor for Adam.
• Satan returns to Hell to boast of his success but is transformed into a serpent along with his followers.
• The Archangel Michael is sent to escort Adam and Eve out of Paradise. He first shows Adam visions of the future, including both humanity's corruption and its eventual redemption through the Messiah.
• Comforted and repentant, Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden hand-in-hand to face a new and mortal world, with the promise of future salvation. 

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