6. Why is Milton so little read at the present time? VI, 279.
7. Were the civilization with which he was surrounded and the learning which he had acquired helps or hindrances to the composition of a great epic poem? VIII, 350.
8. Characterize the style of his prose writings. VIII, 394.
"LYCIDAS"
1. What qualities are attributed to laurel, myrtle, and ivy by the 'language of the flowers'?
2. Lycidas is the poetic appellation of what deceased friend of Milton?
3. Who were the "sisters of the sacred well"?
4. To what circumstance does the allusion to "the remorseless deep" closing o'er the head of Lycidas refer? And what is the propriety of referring to Druids and Mona in that connection?
5. Who is meant by "The pilot of the Galilean lake"? Note the symbols of his office which he carries, "two massy keys."
6. "Shepherd" and "sheep" are used in a metaphorical sense. Explain their real meaning. To whom do these terms refer in the Bible?