John MILTON Lot n° 283

Milton (John) Poems of Mr. John Milton, Both English and Latin, Compos'd at several times, first edition, state with "S" in "S. Pauls" in imprint, engraved frontispiece portrait by William Marshall neatly window-mounted, woodcut initials, woodcut and typographic decorations, lacking a1 blank (as often), G7 with small rust-hole touching text, occasional scattered spotting, but a very good copy generally, the Cortlandt F. Bishop copy with his morocco book-label to pastedown, handsome crushed blue morocco, gilt, by Bedford, spine gilt in compartments, g.e., [Pforzheimer 722; Wing M 2160], 8vo, Printed by Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, and are to be sold at the Signe of the Princes Arms in S. Pauls Church-yard, 1645. ⁂ The first collected edition of Milton's poems and the first to bear Milton's name on the title. The frontispiece was the first portrait Milton had published of himself, however he was so unimpressed with the likeness that he insisted on the inclusion of the Greek inscription below that openly mocked the image ("my friends, looking at my countenance, know not whom it represents, but laugh at the awkward imitation of the stupid artist"). The present collection includes all bar two of Milton's poems written up to this point and other than 'Comus', 'Lycidas' and a few minor works is the first appearance in print for the majority of his poetic works.