Book Excerpt: ...the Countess's second husband, and had himself married Lady Frances Stanley, a daughter of the Countess by her first husband, the fifth Earl of Derby. Amongst the children of the Earl of Bridgewater were three who took important parts in the representation of _Comus_--Alice, the youngest daughter, then about fourteen years of age, who appeared as _The Lady_; John, Viscount Brackley, who took the part of the _Elder Brother_, and Thomas Egerton, who appeared as the _Second Brother_. We do not know who acted the parts of _Comus_ and _Sabrina_, but the part of the _Attendant Spirit_ was taken by Henry Lawes, "gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and one of His Majesty's private musicians." The Earl's children were his pupils, and the mask was naturally produced under his direction. Milton's friendship with Lawes is shown by the sonnet which the poet addressed to the musician: Harry, whose tuneful and well measur'd songFirst taught our English music how to spanWords with just note and accent, not to s...

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This Is A New Release Of The Original 1891 Edition.

The book's study of Milton's identification with his female hero, and his advocacy of women's ethical, sexual, and political autonomy, gives a jolt to ongoing debates about Milton and feminism"--Book jacket

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.