"Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mould me man? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me?" ― John Milton, Paradise Lost Paradise Lost (1674) by John Milton renders the biblical story of the temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan, and the fall of man thereby, causing their expulsion from the garden of Eden. Regarded the first epic in the English language, this work gives insights into the thoughts of its characters, primarily Satan.