most in the history of the romantic movement. Professor
Masson contradicts the common assertion, that "Paradise Lost" was first
written into popularity by Addison's Saturday papers. While that series
was running, Tonson brought out (1711-13) an ediction of Milton's
poetical works which was "the ninth of 'Paradise Lost,' the eight of
'Paradise Regained,' the seventh of 'Samson Agonistes' and the sixth of
the minor poems." The previous issues of the minor poems had been in
1645, 1673, 1695, 1705, and 1707. Six editions in sixty-eight years is
certainly no very great showing. After 1713 editions of Milton
multiplied rapidly; by 1763 "Paradise Lost" was in its forty-sixth, and
the minor poems in their thirtieth.[5]

Addison selected an occasional passage from Milton's juvenile poems, in
the _Spectator_; but from all obtainable evidence, it seems not doubtful
that they had been comparatively neglected, and that, although reissued
from time to time in complete editions of Milton's poetry, they were
regarded merely as pendents to "Paradise Lost" and floated by its
reputation. "Whatever causes," says Dryden, "Milton alleges for the
abolishing of rime . . . his own particular reason is plainly this, that
rime was not his talent: he had neither the ease of doing it, nor the
graces of it: which is manifest in his 'Juvenilia' or verses written in
his youth; where his rime is always constrained and forced and comes
hardly from him."

Joseph Warton, writing in 1756,[6] after quoting copiously from the
"Nativity Ode," which, he says, is "not sufficiently read nor admired,"
continues as follows: "I have dwelt chiefly on this ode as much less
celebrated than 'L'Allegro' and "Il Penseroso,"[7] which are now
universally known,; but which, by a strange fatality, lay in a sort of
obscurity, the private enjoyment of a few curious readers, till they were
set to admirable music by Mr. Handel. And indeed this volume of Milton's
miscellaneous poems has not till very lately met with suitable regard.
Shall I offend any rational admirer of Pope, by remarking that these
juvenile descriptive poems of Milton, as well as his Latin elegies, are
of a strain far more exalted than any the former author can boast?"

The first critical edition of the minor poems was published in 1785, by
Thomas Warton, whose annotations have been of great service to all later
editors. As late as 1779, Dr. Johnson spoke of these same poems with an
absence of appreci