being deriv'd from Rhythmos (Gr.) fignifying (as Milton Himself has explain'd it) Apt Numbers, fit Quantity of Syllables, and the Senfe Variously drawn out from One Verfe into Another; and we having Made the fame Word to ftand for the jingling Sound of Like Endings, He has Distinguish'd the Different Ideas by Spelling the Latter without the b. This is of Confequence, the Senfe of the place not being Always Sufficient to keep the Reader from Confounding those Ideas. This Difference in the Spelling of thefe Words is feen in the short Difcourfe concerning the Verfe in the first Quarto Edition, That of 68 or 69, and the Octavo of 74, I. 16. the Neglect of This in the Edition of 78, the First after the Author's Death, was the First Corruption that crept into the Copies of this Poem, and which has been follow'd by More, particularly in the Pointing, which Confequently has alfo Somtimes Corrupted, Somtimes Perplexed the Senfe; not but that Words alfo have been Chang'd, though indeed, but Rarely, the Spelling Frequently; Sent, Thir, Perfet, Then, (when a Comparative) Sole, Eeven, Minde, Don, Burden, &c. All Moderniz'd and Spelt as Now.

in Paradife Loft there is a Remarkabe Proof of Care which we have not Obferv'd in any of our Author's Other Works, or Thofe of any Other Writer; and that is, the Words He, we, me, ye, are with a Double or a Single

as the Emphasis lies upon them, or does not. We could produce a great Number of Inftances of This. Take only Two, II. 1021-2-3. VI. 286, 288. Nay, a Neglect of This kind is put into the Errata of the First Edition, the Fault is in II. 414. but the Second Edition has happen'd to Overlook it, though Otherwife Exceedingly Correct.

There is Still Another Uncommon Inftance of Care in the Printing: in the First Edition. Faults were discover'd when Part of the Impreffion was wrought off; 'twas not thought worth while to Cancel the Leaf, but the Correction was made, and the Sheet gone On with So Corrected, and for the Sake of Thofe that were already Printed, Notice was taken in the Errata, by which means Those who happen'd to have the Perfect Sheet, if they compar'd the Text with the Errata, must be at a lofs to know what was the Occafion. One of the Inftances I am fpeaking of, is III. 760, with is chang'd to in. This Fault was Probably discover'd early; we have Six of the Fist Edition, and but One of them has with. I muft obferve further of This Leaf, the Numbers of the Verfes were Wrong mark'd, and Alter'd, but not with due Care. the true Number of the Lines of this Third Book is 743. Another Inftance of the Same Nature I have been giving is in V. 257. the Leaf is Evidently the Same, but the Sheets Printed off began a new Paragraph with this Line,

and

and had no Comma after Cloud; a Comma was put, and the Line went on with the rest without beginning a Paragraph.

From hence, no Cloud, or, to obftruct his Sight, and fo it is in the Second Edition, and as it Ought to be. but This Fault was not Seen fo Early as the Other; Three of my Six of the First Edition have it, the Other Three are Corrected.

These kind of Niceties must be Tedious to a Reader, they are to Me, and would not have taken up fo much of my Time and His, but that the producing them are Important to the Book. I will however give but One Proof more of the great reason we have to Depend upon the Two First Editions of Pa

radife Loft.

Milton was Always Careful in the Printing; Little Tracts had an Errata, if wanted, as well as Larger Works, and This After He was Blind as well as Before; though Generally what he publish'd needed them as Little as any I have Obferv'd, and he was particularly Scrupulous herein; Faults are put into His Errata's, which Few, or None but Himfelf, would have taken Notice of, but he knew of what Importance to the Senfe, the Mifplacing or Omiffion even of a Comma Oftentimes is. He complains of the Dutch Reprinter of his Second Defence for his Careleffness or Malice in This Particular. He fhows the like Concern in his Letter to Heimbachius

h 4

Heimbachius mention'd lately. Accordingly though at the First Publication of Paradife Loft, it had no Errata, as in truth it scarce Needed Any, but at the Reprinting of the Title-page One was Added, tho' it confifted of what None but a Moft Exact Writer would have Notify'd. Such as are above mention'd. the Second Edition, that of 1674, never had Any, Thofe of the Other are There Corrected, All but a Trifle or two, but by Much Comparing One with the Other, as we have had Occafion, and by very Often Reading over that Second Edition (for That we have made our Standard Book, Undoubtedly we Ought) we have found it had no! New Faults to make an Errata Neceffary, a Word or Two, and perhaps Here and There, Rarely, a Point. So That Agreeing So nearly with the First Edition, and That having been fo Throughly Sifted for Faults and Corrected, we have reafon to Affure our Selves, efpecially if we take Both These Authentick Editions together, that we are in Poffeffion of the Genuine Work of the Author As much as in Any Printed Book whatfoever.

and I dare Appeal to Any Intelligent Reader for the Truth of This, Provided he Prefumes Not on his Own Senfe of a Paffage, and Then Blames the Words or Points as not Expreffive of That. Let him come Honeftly to receive Milton's Senfe, as Wee have done,

done, and you will rarely hear him Complain of the Printer, or the Editor.

And not only we have the Genuine Work as much as can be Hop'd for from Printing, Why not as from Any Manufcript can be Expected? fince fuch a Number of Verses, Written and Corrected by a very Careful Man, with his own Hand, will go off with Some Faults, and I think Rarely without as Many, and as Material as in the Edition I am speaking of; I know of None, but Here and There a Point, and perhaps I am Somtimes Mif taken in Those I think are Wrong, for Words I Know of, or Remember but Three, Nor is it quite Certain One of These is not what Milton Intended; That is Smelling, instead of Swelling, VII. 321. another is in the fame Book, and just by v. 451, Fowl instead of Soule, nor is the Intire Word Mistaken, for Milton fpells Fowle v. 389, as I have done here, So Soule with an e. the Other is Me, inftead of we, IX. 1019. how Eafily These Faults might be Committed by the Printer, and the most Exact Authors with Lynxes Eyes, I leave the Reader to judge; and then Whether This Book affords any Pretence or Excuse to a New Editor, who fhall Dare to Change though it were with the Utmoft Deliberation, and Tafte. He may indeed Honeftly Say Thus and Thus the Author Should have Thought or Said, but let him not Palm Himself upon us as a Genuine Milton.

Con