ABSTRACT
The story, though not the book, is familiar and has been outlined in a thousand introductions: how Edward King, born in Ireland but of a distinguished English family (his father Sir John was Privy Councillor for Ireland and Secretary to the Irish Government), entered Christ’s College, Cambridge, June 9, 1626 at age fourteen some sixteen months after Milton, after tuition by Thomas Farnaby, the famous schoolmaster; how King, three years younger than Milton and academically junior by one year, received by royal mandate, June 10, 1630, just after his B.A., a fellowship such as Milton never received; how, besides being Tutor and Fellow in Christ’s, King served as prelector, 1634–5, while qualifying for the church; how he planned during the Long Vacation of 1637 to visit his friends and relatives in Dublin, including his and Milton’s first tutor, William Chappell (with whom Milton as a freshman had had a quarrel that resulted in Milton’s rustication), who was serving there as Provost of Trinity College; how King thoughtfully made his will nine days before setting sail from Chester; how the ship, while still not far from the Welsh coast, struck a rock and went down, King last being seen on his knees in prayer; how a memorial volume was planned and Milton at Horton was invited to contribute, his pastoral monody “Lycidas” occupying the last pages of a small quarto 1 of thirty-six poems, thirteen in English, twenty in Latin, three in Greek.
