Areopagitica: A speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing to the Parliament of EnglandAreopagitica: A speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing to the Parliament of England is John Milton's famous tract against censorship. Published in 1644, Areopagitica is named after a speech by Isocrates, a fifth century BC Athenian orator. The work is counted as one of the most influential and inspired defenses of the right to freedom of expression in history. It is also a personal issue for Milton who was submitted to censorship himself when he tried to publish his defenses of divorce, radical works for the time that gained no quarter with censors. Distributed as a pamphlet, Milton's powerful arguments against 1643's Licensing Order note that classical Greek and Roman society was never subjected to such censorship, and he uses many classical and biblical references to reinforce his argument. |
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Areopagitica: A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing to the ... John Milton Limited preview - 1644 |
Areopagitica: A speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing, to the ... John Milton Limited preview - 2021 |
Areopagitica: A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing to the ... John Milton Limited preview - 1644 |
Common terms and phrases
already argument Aristophanes aught banished better bishops bring burnt censure Christian Church Cicero Commonwealth confess confute conscience corruption decree defile diligence discipline discouragement discourse divine divine Providence doctrine England Epicurus episcopacy esteem evil exhorted eyes fain faith fear flattery flock fool forbid give greatest Greece hand Hannibal hath heard heresies heretical hindered Holy honest honour imitated Imprimatur Inquisition invention Jerome judgment kind labour late learning lest libellous liberty light Lords and Commons magistrate man's manner matters mind Naevius nation never opinion Osiris ourselves pamphlet Papist Parliament perhaps perpetual persuade Plato Plautus praise preaching prelates presbyters printed prohibited reading reason reckon Reformation religion Roman sects and schisms seduced sort spirit studies suppress temperance things thought took truth twenty licensers unless unlicensed books uttered virtue whenas whereof wherewith whole Wickliff wisdom wise wits worthy writing