What is the purpose of the prayer to the muse in the previous selection ?

It was a literary convention in Greek epic poems and other classic works for the poet to begin his tale by calling upon a muse, to invoke her aid in telling the story. As goddesses, muses were considered to be the sources of knowledge and therefore could guide and inspire the creation of literary works.

Explanation:

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the correct answer is d. in john paston's letter written friday, 14, 1476, he expresses his fear that he may have to go to war.

indeed, although the black death was ravaging europe, the pastons were relatively safe from it due to their social status as they were part of the landed gentry. it is clear that the vast majority of the victims of the pandemic were the poor. the reason why he is weary of having to go to war is because at the particular time england was also devastated by the war of the roses and paston, being a courtesan was inevitably involved.