[Milton-L] Bee similie Pandaemonium

[Carol Barton]

Hello, Andrea. The bee simile (no second "i," though it's pronounced 
that way) is one of Milton's most famous. "Salmasius" is the Latin 
name for Claude de Saumaise, the author of the _Defensio regia pro 
Carolo I_ (1649), or _Defence of King Charles I_,  to which Milton 
responds in _Defensio pro populo Anglicano_ (in English, _A Defence of 
the People of England_, popularly known as "the First Defense") in 
1651, on the orders of the Protectorate. The latter is the best 
received of all of Milton's political prose works, but he becomes 
blind a year later, and his enemies scoff that this is God's 
punishment for his response to Saumaise.

I hope that helps you get a good start on your research. You might 
want to Google "epic similes" to see the classical examples on which 
Milton was basing his metaphor of the bees.

Best of luck to you,

Carol Barton