Milton’s great epic poem first published in 1667 with 10 books, then in 1674 with 12. The poem concerns the biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton’s purpose, as stated in Book I, is to “justify the ways of God to men.” Includes biographical notes and critical introduction by Elijah Fenton, and Samuel Barrow’s Latin funeral ode to Milton.