This edition of Milton's later writings includes the text of six books of Paradise Lost , the whole of Samson Agonistes and selections from the History of Britain with an introduction, commentary and full annotations. Tony Davies's introduction sets these works in the context of failed revolutionary hopes and renewed political persecution in the decade after the restoration of the Stuart monarchy. Davies surveys the history of Milton's reputation, emphasising the remarkable variety of readings and ideological appropriations for which Milton's life and works have provided the raw material. The commentary engages more closely with the texts, and includes discussion of the heroic' as a concept and genre in a period of revolution, the powerful and ambivalent presence of sex and gender in Milton's writings, and their relentless interrogation of the meaning of history. While stressing the inescapable historical rootedness of Milton's work, Davies exposes its radical and still profoundly challenging modernity.