Lycidas: Much shorter poem from the famed author of Paradise Lost

John Milton was born in Bread Street, London, on December 9th, 1608. His early years were privately tutored before gaining a place at St Paul's School and in 1625 he matriculated at Christ's College, Cambridge, earning a BA in 1629 and an MA in 1632. At Cambridge he had developed a reputation for poetic skill but also experienced alienation from his peers and university life as a whole.

The next 6 years were spent in private study. He read both ancient and modern works of theology, philosop...