.14 flo 424 THE LIFE of MILTON. the author's politics had prejudiced him againft his poetry ? It was happy that all great men were not of his mind. The bookfeller was advifed and encouraged to undertake the folio edition by Mr. Sommers, afterwards Lord Sommers, who not only fubfcribed him- fell, but was zealous in promoting the fubfcription : and in the lift of fubfcribers we find fome of the molt eminent names of that time, as the Earl of Dorfet, Waller, Dryden, Dr. Aldrich, Mr. Atterbury, and among the reft Sir Roger Leftrange, tho' he had formerly writ- ten a piece intitled No blind Guides, &c. againft Milton's Notes upon Dr. Griflith's fermon. There were two editions more in folio, one I think in 1 692 , the other in 1695, which was the fixth edition ; for the poem was now fo well received, that notwithftanding the price of it was four times greater than before, the Pale increafed double the number every year ; as the bookfeller, who fhould belt know, has informed us in his de- dication of the fmaller editions to Lord Sommers. Since that time not only various editions have been printed, but alfo various notes and tranflations. The firft perfon who wrote annotations uponParadife Loft was P. H. or Patrick Hume, of whom we know nothing, unlefs his name may lead us to fume knowledge of his country, but he has the merit of being the firft (as I fay) who wrote notes upon Paradife Loft, and his notes were printed at the end of the folio edition in 1695. Mr. Addifon's SpeEtators upon the fubje& contributed not a little to eftablifhing the charader, and illuftrating the beauties ofthe poem. In 1732 appeared Dr. Bentley's new edition with notes : and the year following Dr. Pearce publilhed his Review of the text, in which the chief of Dr. Bentley's emendations are confidered, and feveral other emendations and obfervations are offered to the public. And the year after that Meffieurs Richardfon, father and fon, publifhed their Explanatory notes and remarks. The poem has been alfo tranf- lated into feveral languages, Latin, Italian, French, and Dutch ; and propofals have been made for tranflating it into Greek. The Dutch tranflation is in blank verfe, and printed at Harlem. The French have a tranflation by Monf. Dupre de St. Maur ; but nothing ihow- eth
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