Milton has long been recognised as being among English poets most indebted to ancient literature, but the range and depth of that debt have rarely been explored. Here Martindale examines the use Milton made of other ancient poets, notably Homer, Ovid and Lucan, and finds some surprising elements in the style of "Paradise Lost" - Horace for example. He is primarily concerned with Milton's attitude to the classics and the questions that raises as to his methods. Renaissance views of classical poets and eighteenth-century commentaries on Milton are brought to bear on these questions. Finally the limits of Milton's classicism and the differences between "Paradise Lost" and its predecessors are considered.

Charles Martindale is Professor of Latin in the University of Bristol.