John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), written in blank verse.
Milton’s poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. Writing in English, Latin, Greek, and Italian, he achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644)—written in condemnation of pre-publication censorship—is among history’s most influential and impassioned defences of free speech and freedom of the press.
William Hayley’s 1796 biography called him the “greatest English author”,[1] and he remains generally regarded “as one of the preeminent writers in the English language”,[2] though critical reception has oscillated in the centuries since his death (often on account of his republicanism). Samuel Johnson praised Paradise Lost as “a poem which…with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the human mind”, though he (a Tory and recipient of royal patronage) described Milton’s politics as those of an “acrimonious and surly republican”.[3]
Amazing guy Milton, to advocate for freedom of speech & “pre-publication” censorship (proofreaders & editors looking for more than grammatical errors!), & that he spoke four languages. I guess that was more common across the Big Pond, because that surely doesn’t happen in America. Did it ever? Maybe two languages if one’s parents were immigrants.
He lived during the time the King James Bible was published. “Great minds think alike,” as his quote reminds me of these Biblical Proverbs:
“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”
–Proverbs 25:28.
“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”
–Proverbs 16:32.