spring of 1638. In 1637, the
affection which, in the preceding year, deprived Galileo of the use of
his right eye, attacked the left also, which began to grow dim, and in
the course of a few months became sightless; so that, although Milton
has not alluded to this calamity, Galileo had become totally blind at
the time of his visit.

How much Milton was impressed with the fame of Galileo and his telescope
becomes apparent on referring to his 'Paradise Lost.' In it he alludes
to the instrument upon three different occasions, twice when in the
hands of Galileo; and the remembrance of the same artist was doubtless
in his mind when he mentions the 'glazed optic tube' in another part of
his poem. The interval that elapsed from the date of Milton's visit to
Galileo in 1638, to the publication of 'Paradise Lost' in 1667, included
a period of about thirty years, yet this length of time did not erase
from Milton's memory his recollection of Galileo and of his pleasant
sojourn at Florence.

The first allusion in the poem to the Italian astronomer is in the lines
in which Milton describes the shield carried by Satan:--

The broad circumference
Hung on his shoulders like the Moon, whose orb
Through optic glass the Tuscan artist views
At evening, from the top of Fesole,
Or in Valdarno, to descry new lands,
Rivers, or mountains, in her spotty globe.--i. 286-91.

Galileo is described as having observed the Moon from the heights of
Fesole, which formed part of the suburbs of Florence, or from Valdarno,
the valley of the Arno, in which the city is situated. The belief that
Galileo had discovered continents and seas on the Moon justified Milton
in imagining the existence of rivers and mountains on the lunar surface.
The expression 'spotty globe' is more descriptive of the appearance of
our satellite when observed with the telescope, than when seen with the
naked eye. Galileo's attention was attracted by the freckled aspect of
the Moon--a visual effect created by the number of extinct volcanoes
scattered over the surface of the orb.

In his next allusion to the telescope Milton associates Galileo's name
with the instrument:--

As when by night the glass
Of Galileo, less assured, observes
Imagined lands and regions in the Moon.--v. 261-63.

In these lines Milton describes with accuracy the extent of Galileo's
knowledge of our satellite. The conclusions which t