Eliza’s Babes, Or, the Virgin’s Offering (1652)

This is a comprehensive critical edition of Eliza’s Babes, a text which has not been republished since its appearance in 1652. It supplies readers with an original-spelling copytext derived from the two extant originals. The copytext is preceded by a substantial introduction in which the editor explains the form and function of the text and defines the religiopolitical position of the author, as well as showing her aesthetic tastes and influences. There follows a comprehensive commentary section that supplies textual notes and extensive contextual material for Eliza’s poems and prose meditations.