Milton’s poem, an epic story of the world, recounts the creation and fall, the life of Christ, and the final consummation. Yet in the midst of these history-changing events, Milton found room to mention Galileo’s telescopic discoveries. He notes the roughness of the Moon, sunspots, and the phases of Venus. Galileo’s stature is unique, in that the poem mentions no other contemporaries. Milton visited Galileo in Arcetri, overlooking Florence, when Galileo was confined under house arrest at the end of his life.