As  soon  as  Ellwood  was  relieved  from  imprisonment,  he
returned  to  Chalfont.  Then  it  was  that  Milton  put  into
his  hands  the  completed  Paradise  Lost,  "  bidding  me  take
it  home  with  me,  and  read  it  at  my  leisure,  and  when  I  had
so  done,  return  it  to  him  with  my  judgment  thereupon."
On  returning  it,  besides  giving  the  author  the  benefit  of
his  judgment,  a  judgment  not  preserved,  and  not  indis-
pensable— the  Quaker  made  his  famous  speech,  "Thou
hast  said  much  here  of  Paradise  Lost,  but  what  hast  thou
to  say  of  Paradise  found?"  Milton  afterwards  told
Ellwood  that  to  this  casual  question  was  due  his  writing


xu.]  HISTORY  OF  PARADISE  LOST.  159

Paradise  Regained.  The  later  poem  was  included  in  the
original  conception,  if  not  in  the  scheme  of  the  first  epic.
But  we  do  get  from  Ellwood's  reminiscence  a  date  for  the
beginning  of  Paradise  Regained,  which  must  have  been  at
Chalfont  in  the  autumn  of  1665.
