Notes on works by John Milton, 1763, 1767-1768 | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

John Milton (1608-1674) was an English poet and polemicist. Privately tutored as a child, Milton had an early knowledge of many ancient and modern languages, including Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, and Italian. His earliest datable poems were English paraphrases of psalms 114 and 136, which he had printed at the age of 15. Milton was admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge in 1625, where he earned his BA in 1629 and MA in 1632. He published his first poem, "On Shakespeare," in 1630.

Following a period of private study and a tour of mainland Europe, Milton became more politically engaged in England, taking anti-monarchical and anti-episcopal stances. His magnum opus, Paradise Lost, was published in 1667. This epic poem in blank verse retells the biblical story of Adam and Eve, depicting humanity's fall from grace in 10 (and later 12) volumes.

English poetry - Early Modern, 1500-1700
Milton, John - 1608-1674