Inscribed in the artist's hand on a tab attached to the sheet:
As when the potent Rod/ Of Amrams Son in Egypt's evill day/ Wav'd round the coast, up call'd a pitchy cloud/ Of Locusts, warping on the Eastern Wind/ That ore the Realm of impious Pharoah hung/ Like Night and darken'd all of the Land of Nile:/ So numberless were these bad Angels see…/
(Book 1, John Milton, Paradise Lost)