Assignment

Submitted to Honourable Professor Javid Khan

Subject:

Assignment Title

By:Professor Javid Saib

Summary Of Areopagitica
By
John Milton

Submitted by
Wisal Ahmad, Roll No: 430

Government Post Graduate College Mardan

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Prose

SUMMARY OF AREOPAGITICA
Milton says that he is going to address the British Parliament on a subject which is
likely to promote the public good. He feels that he is at the beginning of a very serious
and responsible task and so he is feeling mentally agitated. He is not sure what the
result of his appeal will be. While writing this address he is swayed by feelings of hope
as well as fear. He hopes that be will promote the public good and he has confidence in
his capacity to move the house. The thought that he is addressing the High Court of
Parliament has created tremendous enthusiasm In him. (Para 1)
He is full of enthusiasm and full of joy because he is doing something to promote
the liberty of his country. We should not expect to have the type of civil liberty in which
nobody will have any grievance at all. But it is true civil liberty when the complaints of
the citizens are freely hear, seriously considered and speedily redressed. The very fact
that he is able to address Parliament shows that they have won a large part of this
liberty. This is a great achievement because this liberty was won after the political
tyranny and spiritual superstition imposed on them by the Stuart Kings. Even the
Romans who were known for their manliness could not have won freedom so soon after
a tyranny such as their. They have been able to win this freedom because of the grace
of God and the guidance and wisdom of Parliament Milton thinks that there is nothing
wrong if he gives high praise to Parliament for its praiseworthy actions. In fact, they
deserve much more praise than he is giving them.
He is offering sincere praise and should not be accused of flattering them. Three
things are necessary for praise to be sincere:
a.
The person being praised should deserve the praise ;
b.
The person being praised should have the qualities attributed to him and
c.
The person offering the person offering the praise should be fully convinced that
the person who is praised deserves the praise. In these respects his praise is
sincere.
A person who describes eloquently the noble actions of others and is not afraid to
describe with equal freedom what could have been done better is not a flatterer but a
sincere admirer. If he proves by argument that it would promote the cause of truth,
learning and liberty if the ordinance imposing licensing of books is revoked, it would
not mean condemning Parliament. He is doing this in the confidence that Parliament is
more p leased with public advice than other rulers have been with public flattery. If this
ordinance is recinded it will show the contrast between the magnanimity of a triennial
Parliament and the arrogance of ecclesiastical and civil administrator (like Laud and
Strafford) who held sway so far.
Milton is not afraid of criticizing as Act of Parliament because the members of this
body imitate the liberal culture and civilization of Greece where freedom of thought was
permitted. It is because they have followed the culture, wisdom and literature of Greece
that they are far more civilized than their forefathers the Goths and the jutes of the
middle Ages. He takes the example of Isocrates who from his own house wrote an
oration addressed to the parliament of Athens in which he advised them to change their
pattern of democracy and make it more severe. In those days persons who devoted
themselves to intellectual pursuits and the art of oratory were listened to with honour
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not only in their own cities and districts but even in other lands, and changes in laws
were made according to their advice.
Milton says that Greece is the land of sunshine which is very good for the blossoming
of genius. He has lived in the cold climate of England. But he has trained his mind by
study. He is, therefore not much inferior to the orators of Greece. But the British
Parliament is far superior to the assemblies who listened to he Greek orators. They will
prove their greatness if they listen to reason and repeal the Act regarding the licensing
of books passed by them earlier.
Milton is confident that Parliament will be willing to listen to every reasonable
suggestion. He , therefore, wishes to request them to reconsider the Ordinance passed
by them to regular the printing of books . He has no objection to that part of the order
which ensures copyright to the authors and publishers on their books, or provides for
payment of money for the maintenance of the poor. He objects to the clause which
provides that no book or pamphlet or paper will henceforth be printed unless it has first
been approved by a certain number of persons who will be appointed by Parliament for
this purpose or by at least one of them. In this discourse he wants to point out the harm
that licensing will do to the nation. He will try to show that the inventors of the licensing
of books were the Papists who were responsible for all the cruelties of the Inquisition.
Next, he purposes to describe what is to be thought of books in general. Then he will try
to prove that this order will not suppress the type of books which it is intended to
suppress, namely books which spread scandals or preach disloyalty to the state or
damage the reputation of others. Finally he will show that this order will discourage
learning and suppress all truths.
The Government must keep a watchful eye over books as it does over men. Publishers
of bad books must be punished, because books are not dead things. They are powerful
agents for good or evil. They contain the essence of the intellect and wisdom of the
person who produced them. One has to be very cautious about suppressing a book.
Killing a good book is worse than killing a man. He who kills a man kills a reasonable
creature whom God made in His own image. But one who destroys a good book kills
reason itself which is the highest gift of God to man.
We should be very cautious when taking action against books. If a great book is
suppressed it is like killing a great man. It kills reason it self. But he does not want to be
condemned for advocating license (lawlessness) while he opposes the licensing of books.
He would review the history of licensing and show that this idea was originated by the
Inquistion and was picked up from there by the English Bishop and has now been
adopted by some of the Presbyterians.
In Athens which was the chief centre of literature and culture in Greece only two
types of books wee suppressed: either blasphemous and atheistical books or those which
defamed living personalities by name. Thus the books of Protagoras were burnt and he
was banished from the city because he openly preached atheism. They took no notice of
books of other sects and even of those who advocated sensual pleasures or denied that
God was merciful.
The Greeks did not suppress any sect or opinion. They did not take any action
against Epicurus who defined happiness as pleasure or against Aristippus who preached

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that pleasure was the end of life. Nor did they suppress the immoral plays of old
comedians.
As for the other leading city of Greece Sparta, there was no need of the licensing of
books among them because they cared for nothing except brave deeds of war. They
disliked all writings except their terse, pithy savings and soldierly ballads.
The early Romans, like the Spartans, were trained to become rough for wars. They
knew very little of learning beyond their legal code called the Twelve Tables. They only
suppressed libelous books (which openly condemned others) and books which showed
contempt of their gods.
The Roman Government was so tolerant that they did not take any action against
Lecretius although he included in his chef poem an exposition of the philosophy of
Epicurus. Emperor Augustus did not take any action against Livy although in his
History of Rome he favoured the party of Pompey which was opposed to the party of
Caesar, the uncle of the Emperor. From that time onwards there was only tyranny in
the Roman Empire and good as well as bad books were suppressed. But in Greece and
in the early days of the Roman Empire only libelous and blasphemous books were
suppressed. All other books were allowed to be freely written and circulated.
At the beginning of the 4th Century A.D. the Roman Emperors became Christians.
They did not become more strict in dealing with books. The books of the grand heretics
(Christians who did not agree with the policies of the Pope) were scrutinized and if they
were found to be dangerous they were condemned in the meanings of the General
Council and then prohibited or burnt under the authority of the Emperor. The writings
of heathen authors were, however, not interfered with. This was changed in 398 A.D
when the Fourth Council of Carthage forbade the reading of heathen books even by the
bishop. The Councils used to declare which books were not good and did not go any
further. After 800 A. D. the Popes started exercising greater control over books.
After this the Popes started prohibiting and burning the books which they did not
like. In the beginning only a small number of books were banned. Then pope Martin V
(1417 -1431) prohibiting the reading of all heretical books and ordered that anyone
reading them would be excommunicated from the Church. The reason for this greater
strictness was that reformers like Wycliffe and Huss were condemning the abuses and
corruption of the dignitaries of the Roman Catholic Church. This frightened the Papal
Court and then started taking strong measures against books which were supposed to
be heretical. Pope Leo X (Pope from 1513 1521)and his successors followed this policy.
The council of Trent (which met between 1545and 1563) and the Spanish Inquisition
working together started drawing lists of books which were not to be read by the
faithful.
The Papal Court and the Inquisition finally decided to order that no book, pamphlet
or paper could be printed unless it was first approved and licensed under the signatures
of two or three priests. They seemed to feel that St. Peter had delegated to the Pope not
only the keys of Heaven but also the keys of the press. Milton gives a sample of the
remarks of the priests who have read the book and the final order giving permission for
the book to be printed.
The Papal court thought that if four priests examined a book before it was printed
all satanic influence would be removed from the book.

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Thus the licensing of books was started by the Pope and his followers. Some of the
books licensed by them bear as many as five signatures of the licensers on the title
cover. This system of tyrannizing over human thought was liked by the authorities in
England in the days of Charles 1. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of
London were given the authority to examine all books and permit them to be printed if
they approved of them. The system was imitated from the Roman Catholic Church to
such an extent that the word giving permission to print (Imprimatur) was used in
Latin. It seemed as if the learned Bishop knew only and could not use the vulgar tongue
(English) for such an important work. But Miltons idea is that the English language,
which is the language of the people who are great lovers of liberty, could not provide
enough slavish words to translate a dictatorial and arrogant word like Imprimatur
into English.
Thus the system of licensing of books was invented by the Pope and his followers.
It had never been heard of in any actient state or church. Nor is it to be found in
any English law, ancient or modern. It is not to be found in any modern state which has
followed the course of the Beformation. It originated from the most anti Christian
Council- of Trent, and the most tyrannical court the Spanish Inquistion. Up to the
time of the Inquisition books were allowed to come into the world as freely as human
children. The Roman Catholic Church devised this method of thought control because
they were troubled by the Reformation. The Anglican clergy and the Presbyterians have
adopted this system from Rome.
But some persons might say that the inventors of the system were bad but the
system might be good. The idea of licensing was not something very difficult to think of.
Earlier rulers must have thought of it but they did not adopt it because they thought
that the system was bad. A bad tree can bear only bad fruit. The Papists brain is a bad
tree which can only yield dangerous fruit. Now he wants to consider whether it is useful
or harmful to read all types of books, good or bad.
Moses, Daniel and St. Paul were thoroughly acquainted with the books of the
Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Greeks. St. Paul did not think it unholy to include
some maxims from three Greek poets in the holy scripture itself. Emperor Julian, the
cleverest enemy of Christianity ordered that Christians must not read heathen authors.
This was a calamity for Christians because they ran the risk of declining into ignorance.
But luckily the law lapsed with the death of Julian within two years. To be deprived of
Hellenic learning was thought to be a greater persecution than the open cruelty of other
emperors.
It is said that an angel asked St. Jerome in a dream not to read Cicero. But Milton
thinks that it might have been the Devil who asked the Saint not to read Cicero. An
angel was likely to have rebuked him for reading Plautus and not Cicero.
Milton says that if we are to be guided by visions we may as well consider a vision of
Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria. God said to him in a vision, Read all books which
come into your hands, because you are competent to exercise your reason and judgment
in the matter. This was in accordance with the advice of St. Paul who said, This was
in accordance with the advice of St. Paul who said, Test all things and then stick to
what seems good to you.
God gave the widest choice to man regarding his food, excepting only that he
should exercise moderation for the sake of his health. Gods intention was that every
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mature man should exercise his reason and power of understanding in the choice of
books. Even a bad book is useful to an intelligent man. He can refute its false
arguments.
Milton refers Parliament to the opinion of Mr Seldon, one of its most learned members.
He has shown that all opinions, even errors, when they are known, read and examined,
ae useful for bringing out the truth.
Temperance (moderation) is a great virtue but God has left a free choice to a
grown-up man in the matter of books. If there is perpetual prohibition of bad things by
law there would be no scope for preaching. Neither Solomon no any other author
inspired by God has, said that particular books are bad and so must not be read.
The Ephesians who were converted to Christianity by St. Paul burnt their old books.
They were magic books. This burning of books was done by private individuals out of
their own free will and was not enforced by the state or the churchy and so it does not
justify censorship of books by the state. If these books had not been burnt someone else
might have read them with profit.
Good and evil grow up together in life and cannot be separated from each other.
Without an understanding of evil we cannot understand good. When Adam tasted the
forbidden fruit the punishment given him was that he would not know good without
evil. One who can face all temptation and distinguish between good and evil and prefer
the path of virtue, is the true Christian.
Milton does not have a high opinion of virtue which remains in isolation and avoids
encounter with evil. Virtue must prove its greatness by being put to trial in facing vice.
Human beings are not born pure. Milton regards Spenser as a great teacher when he
represented Temperance in the form of Sir Guyon he made him go though the cave of
the god of wealth and the flower of Earthy Bliss, so that he could face all the
temptations and overcome them. Since it is necessary to examine error in order to
establish truth, we should read all types of books.
It is feared that there would be three kinds of harm if the people are allowed to read
books freely. The first fear is that bad books will corrupt the minds of the readers. If
that is accepted all books human learning and controversies should be banned. In fact,
the Bible itself will have to be expelled because it quite often describes evil things said
about God in crude language. It contains many obscene words. The ancient Fathers
described the immoralities of the heathens in great detail. They bring to light more
heresies than they prove to be wrong. If we read these books our minds will be poisoned
and so these books must be banned.
There is no use prohibiting English books if the books of heathen writers (which are
corrupt) are not prohibited. There is no use saying that books are not likely to do any
harm because they are written in an unknown language. The infection of corruption Is
spread by evil-minded men. Many of them know foreign languages and they will read
these corrupt books and spread the infection. In the past evil-minded persons used to
spread the poison first in the courts of princes and from there the poison spread in the
whole of society. Thus licensing will keep control over English books while the
corruption of heathen books will spread in England through corrupt individuals.

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The corruption which is likely to come from books of religious controversies; more
dangerous because it will affect the learned men and not the ignorant people. The
uneducated people are not seduced by these books unless they area explained to them
by the learned men. Many English priests have been corrupted by reading the
comments of the Jesuits, the sorbonists and the Roman Catholics, and they corrupt the
common man. But these dangerous religious pamphlets cannot be controlled by the
Licensing Act .
The heathen books which are available in plenty in England are a source of learning
and culture. If they are suppressed it will be a serious a damage to learning. If they are
not suppressed, the learned will get the corruption and they will pass on the infection to
the common man. Evil things are learnt by people in a thousand ways other than
through books. Moreover, teachers can spread evil like heresy without writing any
book. The licensing of books cannot stop these evils.
Learned men are the first to read books and so they receive the vice and evil first and
then they pass on these evils to the others. And they will spread them. How are we to
assume that the licensers will be infallible and incorruptible? A wise man can get some
wisdom out of the worst book. A fool will remain a fool even if he is given the best book
to read. Aristotle, Solomon and Jesus Christ have said that good books are wasted on
fools. Lincensing is bad because it will deprive the wise men of the opportunity of
reading many books which may be bad but from which they can get some wisdom,
while the fools will be able to get no benefit even from the good books which will be
approved by the licensers.
Those who are in favour of licensing say that obscene and heretical books offer
temptations to the human mind and so they should be banned. But Miltons reply is
that these books are like medicinal drugs for strong men. These books will strengthen
their minds. As for children and childish men, an appeal can be made to them to avoid
reading such books. Licensing will not prevent them from reading such books. Thus it
is clear that the licensing system cannot serve its purpose.
No ancient or well-governed state adopted the system of licensing of books. It is not
something which they could not think of. They did not adopt it because they did not
approve of it.
Plato was a great philosopher but his imagination took a wrong turn when he was
writing his Republic. In the laws that he made for his imaginary republic he does not
permit any learning except with the permission of the Magistrates. He also prohibited
poets from reading their poems to private individuals without the sanction of the
judges. But Plato did not make this suggestion seriously for any state of this world.
Plato in his own life broke the laws that he had suggested is his Republic. He wrote
some immoral epigrams and dialogues and read the mimes of Sophron and the
comedies of Aristophanes which are all immoral. Corruption can come to the mind
from many sources and so there is no point is placing restrictions on books alone.
If the intention is to care for the morals of the people. Mere control on books will not
do. All those things which give pleasure to man will have to be controlled. The licensers
should keep a check on the music and dancing and even the gestures and movements of
the young. A very large number of licensers will be required to examine all the musical
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instruments in all houses. The sounds which express the sentiment of love between men
and women will have to be controlled. Licensers will have to be sent to villages also to
keep a control on the feelings aroused by the bagpipes and other musical instruments.
The rustle fiddler gives to the villagers the same delight as Sidneys Arcadia gives to the
educated classes in cities. So the morals of the people cannot be controlled merely by
licensing books.
Gluttony and excessive drinking are great vices in England. People wear clothes cut I
immoral styles. Boys and girls talk freely and dance together. Immoral activities can
be controlled by appealing to the moral sense of the people. The state cannot control
the morals of the people by controlling the press.
We cannot improve our world by withdrawing into imaginary worlds like New
Atlantis or Utopia. We live in a world of evil and we cannot solve our problems by
applying moral principles. Platos suggestion license books will involve us in numerous
other controls which will make the English a language stock in the world. Plato has
emphasized the importance of education. We should reform the people by appealing to
their moral sense. The art of administration lies in judging where restraint is necessary
and where persuasion can achieve the best result.
When every action of an adult is controlled and he has no choice between good and
evil, he cannot be praised for his virtuous actions. Many persons say that God should
not have permitted Adam to eat the forbidden apple. They are wrong. When God gave
reason to Adam He gave him the right to choose between good and evil. God has given
us passions and has spread pleasures before us. He has also given us reason. If we enjoy
the pleasures within limits and are reasonable we can build up our moral and spiritual
personality.
People who think that they can remove sin by removing all the things which tempt
people to omit sins have no knowledge of human nature or the world. Sin increases
when attempts are made to reduce it. Bad books may be banned but that does not solve
the problem because there are objectionable passages even in good books. You can take
away the wealth of a greedy man but you cannot take away his greed. Men cannot be
made virtuous by taking away all objects of sin from them. Virtue becomes a reality
only in its struggle with sin.
God wishes that we should be temperate and should abstain from all vices. But he
has placed before us all the temptations of life. He has given us reason and judgment, so
that we can choose right from wrong and lead a virtuous life. Why should we make laws
different from Gods law. We should allow good and bad books to circulate freely and
leave it to the judgment of the individuals to choose the right books. A small amount of
good action should be preferred to the suppression of a large amount of evil action. God
would prefer to see one person growing virtuous rather than seeing ten victims persons
being controlled.
Books alone do not lead us to virtue or vice. Whatever we see or hear leads us to
virtue or vice. The Licensing Act is unable to prevent a libelous royalist periodical (The
Mercurius Aulicus) from appearing in print every week. It condemns Parliament every
week and yet it is not stopped. This shows that the Licensing Act is not effective. If this
Act is to be effective Parliament will have to search all scandalous and undesirable
books which have already been printed and proscribe them. A list of all the books
which are imported will have to be examined before they are released to the public.
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Even good books will have to be examined because there may be objectionable passages
in them. All this work will require an enormous number of licensers. When the
licensers find that their work has increased immensely they will order the closure of
presses in which undesirable books have been found to have been printed. So in order to
make the Licensing Act effective Parliament will have to act like the Council of Trent
and the Inquisition, which it will not like to do.
If the aim of Parliament in passing the Licensing Act was to prevent the formation of
sects and schisms it will not succeed. It is not necessary that new sects should put down
their principles in a pure form for ages by propagating their principles by word of
mouth. Even Christianity was once a schism and it spread all over Asia without its
principle being written down. If the aim of Parliament was to improve the morals of the
people, it will fail in its purpose Licensing of books has been done ruthlessly in Italy
and Spain, but it has not made the people of those countries more honest and more
virtuous than the people of other countries.
It will be very difficult to implement this order because it will be very difficult to
find so many men who are learn4ed and impartial enough to be appointed licensers. If
the licensers are not fully qualified they will do harm by approving of bad books and
rejects good books. For those licensers who are learned men this work will be a waste of
time, because there is no greater drudgery than the task of reading a large number of
long and dull books in all seasons. For a scholar this will be a criminal waste of time.
Milton begs the present licensers to pardon him. They have accepted this work in
obedience to the wishes of Parliament. But they are already tired of it and wish to get
rid of it. No competent man is likely to accept the job in future. Only those who accept
the drudgery and the wages of proof readers will accept the job. In future, therefore,
we shall have licensers who will be ignorant and proud. So this order will not serve the
purpose which Parliament had in mind which they passed it
Licensing can do no good. In fact, it is positively harmful as it is the greatest
discouragement to learning and the biggest insult that can be offered to learned men.
Clergymen used to say that if pluralities (the system of one clergyman holding more
than one benefice) were abolished and they were not paid well, learning will suffer
because they claimed that they were the only learned people. But Milton does not agree.
The clergy were after money and not learning. The Licensing Act will harm the
innocent scholars who love leaning for itself. These scholars want to serve God and
truth and they want only one reward These scholars want to serve God and truth and
they want only one reward lasting fame. To distrust the judgment and honesty o one
who has a great reputation for learning and has never offended. And not to regard him
as fit to print what comes in his mind without getting it checked by a licenser, lest he
creates a sect or a schism or sp reads immorality, is the greatest insult which can be
inflicted on a learned man.
Under this system a distinguished writer is treated as not better than a schoolboy
and his serious and carefully prepared books are treated as If they were merely
exercises of a boy learning grammar, under a teacher and cannot be printed without
being scanned hurriedly by a licenser who is perhaps younger and inferior in judgment
and who has no time to study the books carefully and gives his judgment without
mature consideration. The scholar is not trusted and is treated like a foreigner or a fool.
This is an insult to the author and to the dignity of learning.
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It is possible that after an author ha completed a book, got it licensed and sent to
the press he may get a fresh idea. He cannot give it to the press because it has first to be
checked by a licenser. So the press has to wait while the author runs to the licenser to
get his approval for the addition. It may perhaps happen a dozen times in a single book.
He has to go to the same licenser every time and can get his work done only if the
licenser is at leisure. In the meantime either the press must remain closed or the book
would be sent to the world worse than what the author would have made it with his
addition.
An author writes a book if he has a message to convey to the reader. Hence he is a
teacher. But none will respect a teacher who is under the guardianship of a licenser who
pretends to be a patriarch with authority to delete or correct anything in the book
according to his caprice which he calls his judgment. A sensitive reader will not like to
read such a licensed book. He may not agree with the judgment of the licenser at all.
The reader may not like the idea of the state dictating to him what he should read and
what he should not read.
If the work of an author who is now dead comes to the licensers for permission to
print it or reprint it, they may order that a certain portion may be deleted. This might
have been written in a moment of inspiration but may appear undesirable to the
perverted taste of a licenser. The result will be that the book will be printed in a
mutilated form. Even a great lender of the Reformation like knox may be subjected to
this treatment. This violence was done to a great author whom Milton does not name.
If these things are not opposed and set right in time by members of Parliament, the
licensers will delete the best passages of the finest books and thus they will do injury to
the unprotected books of the worthiest men after their death. If the licensing continues
learned scholars will find it humiliating to write books and only ignorant and lazy
persons will be able to lead pleasant lives.
The licensing of books is an insult not only to all authors living and dead- but to the
nation as a whole. All the wisdom and judgment of the whole nation cannot be
concentrated in twenty licensers, however, learned they might be. Truth and
understanding are not like consume goods which can be standardized and monopolized
by a few. The Licensing Act will impose on the authors the type of slavery which the
Philistines had imposed on the Jews. The Jews had to go to them to get their axes and
the blades of their ploughs sharpened. The authors will have to go to the licensers to get
the results of their knowledge and experience scrutinized and certified by them. If an
author has written some scandalous or disgraceful book it may be ordered that in
future he will not be allowed to publish any book unless it has first been checked by
some officers. But why should authors who have never done anything wrong be
subjected to this humiliation? This Act shows that everyone is suspected. It is an insult
to the whole nation. Even debtors and offenders can walk about freely without a jailer
but books which have caused no offence cannot go out without a jailers (Licensers
signature on the title.
It is also an insult to the common people because the Parliament is so suspicious of
them that they cannot trust them to read an English pamphlet without the permission of
a licenser.

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10

They think that the common people have no reason and judgment. This does not
show the Governments love of the people, because in Roman Catholic countries where
the authorities do not love the people, they are treated in this very way. It may be said
that bad books are a source of corruption and licensing saves the people from them. But
there are many sources of corruption and licensing cannot save the people from them.
This is a reflection on the priests also because it means that in spite of all their
preaching the people are so unprincipled that their faith in Christianity can be shaken
by every new pamphlet. All their sermons have not made the people strong enough to
face a pamphlet without the protection of licenser. What good has all the preaching
done if the people have to be saved from vice by the Papist form of licensing?
Milton had been told by the scholars of other countries that the English people
enjoyed freedom while they themselves were groaning under the tyranny imposed by
the Inquisition. Licensing was a great discouragement to learning and that is why
nothing great had been written in Italy for a long time. There Milton had met the great
astronomer, Galileo, who was being dept in prison because the Inquisition did not agree
with his views on astronomy.
(Para 56)
Although Milton knew that in those days England was suffering terribly due to the
tyranny of the bishop, he took the opinion of other countries that England enjoyed
intellectual freedom as an assurance of future happiness. He knew that there were many
great men in England who would bring about religious and political liberation .
Parliament brought about this revolution but he is sorry that it has imposed intellectual
slavery. The intellectuals of England who had a favourable opinion of Milton and who
respected Parliament and were respected by it, pressed Milton to use all his arguments
to persuade Parliament to end licensing, just as the Sicilians had requested Cicero to
plead against Verres. So Milton is expressing the common grievance of all those
intellectuals who are engaged in the search for truth.
Speaking on behalf of the intellectuals Milton says that the introduction of licensing
will bring the worst practices of the Inquisition. If the Presbyterians refuse to let the
public read any books except the ones they like, it will be a second tyranny over
learning. They will become sure that the Bishops and the Presbyterians are the same. In
those days the Archbishop did the licensing. Now an ignorant priest will do it and he
will also retain his office as a priest. Thus he will hold two offices- a thing which the
Presbyterians condemned in the past.
The English and Scottish nations entered into a solemn Covenant in order to
suppress Roman Catholicism and end the rule of the Bishop. But now one type of
slavery is being imposed for another. Now the people will not be under the Archbishop
but they will be under the licensers. First they will exercise control on books and them
on other things. Why should a church based on strong faith be afraid of books? The
Christian religion does not approve of the licensing of books. The English Bishops
learnt it from the Inquisition and the Presbyterians have learnt it from them.
The aim of this Act seems to be to suppress all opposition. When the bishops were
to be suppressed it was said that this was being done to set the press free. But others
have taken the place of the bishops. The freedom of learning is to be put in chains again
and all this is happening while the Parliament is in session. The members of Parliament
should remember should remember the arguments which they themselves used to
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suppress the rule of the bishops. When coercive methods are used against books the
sects and schisms do not die. People feel that there must be some spark of truth in them
and so they flourish. When a book is suppressed people feel that there must be some
truth in it. This order for the licensing of books will, there fore, actually encourage the
growth of sects.
Just as our limbs remain healthy by exercise, our faith and knowledge remain fresh
if they are constantly tested in action. If we believe in a truth only because the priest
says so or the assembly of Divines says so, it is no better than heresy even if it is true.
Truth is like the water of a fountain. It must flow, otherwise it stagnates into blind
belief.
Many persons give charge of their religion to others. A rich man has no time for
religion but he wishes to be called religious. So he engages a priest and entrusts all his
religious affairs to his charge. He regards his association with this priest as a proof of
his religious devotion. He entertains this priest (who is his religion) very well and then
remains busy in earning money the whole day. This is the effect of licensing on rich
businessmen.
When people know that they are to be allowed to read only those books which are
approved of by the licensers, they will stop their own search for truth. The lovers of
pleasure will devote all their time to enjoyments because religious will come to them in a
readymade form from the licensers. The spirit of enquiry will disappear and everything
will be reduced to a fixed pattern. This will be a sort of intellectual and spiritual death.
The effect of licensing on clergyman will be no better. For their normal work of
delivering sermons they will take help from published sermons, notes and summaries
which are available in abundance. If new books challenging the accepted principles
appear, the clergymen will have to work hard to controvert these heresies and they have
to keep instructing their parishioners so that they are not misled. If these books are
suppressed by the licensers, their parishioners so that are not misled. If these books are
suppressed by the licensers, the clergymen will become lazy.
If a man is judicious and learned and is prepared to express his views openly, he
should be allowed to publish his books freely. Jesus Christ said that he was speaking the
truth because he had the courage to preach in public. Writing is more public than
preaching and it is easy to refute the errors of a printed book.
True knowledge will be hindered by licensing. The licensers are also priest and it will
be difficult for them to perform the two functions simultaneously.
The loss of the nation due to licensing will be so great that it is something
unbelievable. It will stop the import of the nations richest merchandise namely truth. It
was first started by the anti Christian Roman Catholic Church to prevent the spread of
the Reformation and to spread falsehood in the world. The English should thank God
that they enjoy more intellectual freedom than most other nations. But that does not
mean that they should not advance further towards truth.
Truth came into the world in its purest form with Jesus Christ, but when He went to
Heaven and his A postles died, a wicked race of deceivers cut truth to pieces and
scattered its parts far and wide. The friends of truth have been trying to find it out but
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it will be found in all its glory when Jesus comes again. Licensing will hinder the work
of those who are seeking truth.
The British people are proud that the Reformation has spread truth in England. But
they should use that light to discover more truths. It is not enough to end the rule of the
Bishops. Other reforms are also needed. The light of reformers like Zuingli and Calvin
should not make the Presbyterians blind to other truths. They want absolute unity in
the Church and are afraid of sects and schisms because of their pride and ignorance.
They are checking the search for truth. The golden rule in theology as in Arithmetic is
to search what we do not know on the basis of what we know. Harmony in the Church
can be brought about by combining new truths with the old ones.
Milton wants the Lords and Common of England to remember that they belong to
and are the rulers of a nation consisting of clever and sharp people who are skilful in
inventing new things and strong in arguments and discussions. From ancient times they
have gone deep into the study of philosophy and science. Pythagoras and the Persians
learnt much from the English, The wise Roman, Julius Agricola, who governed England
on behalf of three Caesars, thought more highly of the natural wits of the English than
of the labored learning of the French. The Transylvanians came to England to learn
their language their philosophy and their theology.
God is special kind to Englishmen. The first trumpet call of the Reformation was
given to the whole of Europe by Wyciffe from England. If the bishops had not
suppressed this great reformer none of the other reformers would have become known
and England would have had the glory of reforming the whole of Europe. God wanted
the English to be the teachers of the world but because of the obstinacy of the clergymen
they have become most backward in scholarship. God now wants to start a new
spiritual age and He wants the information to be further reformed. God is revealing
Himself to His own Englishmen and He wants them to take the led in the spiritual
regeneration, though they are not worthy of this trust.
London is the Man House of Liberty. It provides shelter to those who are
persecuted in their own countries. Weapons are made here for the defense of justice and
truth. A lot of thinkers and writers are working hard for a new spiritual revival.
England needs wise and faithful workers so that she is converted into a nation of
prophets, sages and great men. If they took around them they would find that a
spiritual rebirth has already come.
When people are keen to learn there are bound to be many arguments and
divergence of opinion. God has stirred up a great desire for knowledge in the people of
London. But under the absurd terror of sects and schisms Parliament is introducing
restrictions on freedom of expression. We should to happy that people now understand
and argue about religion which in the past was in the hands of priests. If we exercise
some prudence and tolerance we might be able to combine all those people who are
working for sects and schisms in a common search for truth. If a stranger were to visit
England he would be astonished at the Englishmans love of truth and freedom. He
would exclaim that if he had the help of men like the English he able to make any
church or kingdom happy.
Yet these men who are ken to get knowledge and truth are being condemned as
sectarians. Just as the house of God cannot be built unless the wood and the stones are
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cut and shaped properly, in the same way the house of truth cannot be made without
differences of opinion. When people are searching for truth there cannot be uniformity
of opinion. Truth can be evolved by harmonizing the opinion of various sects and
schisms.
Milton wants his countrymen to be very wise in building up their faith when they
are expecting a great reformation . Moses, the great prophet wished that all the Lords
people should become prophets. This has come true in England. All the people have
become keenly it crested in religion. Some people have become jealous and they feel that
the formation of sects will divide the English church. But the English church is like a
strong tree and the sects are its branches. They do not weaken the tree. The Roman
Catholics who wish to destroy the Church of England will not succeed in their designs.
At one time London was besieged by Royalist troops and an attack was imminent.
Even in that moment of peril the people were holding discussions on philosophical,
scientific and religious matters. This shows their mental peace and confidence in their
government. This is the same confidence which was shown by a Roman citizen who
purchased the land on which the enemy (Hannibal) was camping at the normal price.
The formation of sects and schisms shows the spirit and energy of the people. Just as
in the human body the freshness of the Flood and the spirit shows that the body is
healthy. The capacity of English men to defend their freedom and also to argue and
discuss shows that they are destined to become great in future ages. Just as a snake casts
off its old skin the British nation is throwing off its corrupt past and advancing towards
truth and virtue. The nation is like strongman who is getting up after sleep. She is like
an eagle which is renewing its youth and looking at the mid-day glory of truth.
Should Parliament suppress the new truth and knowledge by subjecting it to the
control of twenty licensers? This will impoverish the minds of the people. Parliament
has fought for and secured liberty for the people in this atmosphere of freedom.
The members of Parliament are the lovers and founders of liberty. If they now want
to make the people ignorant and brutish, they will have to change their own nature and
become despotic like the king and his supporters. Persons who fought against the king
for his illegal will not support Parliament now. Milton loves the liberty to know, to
express oneself and to argue freely more than all other liberties.
Milton does not offer his own opinion regarding the action to be taken against those
who differ from the authorities and hold new opinions. He refers Parliament to the last
words of one of its members who sacrificed himself for the cause of liberty Lord Book
. He exhorted the nation to hear with patience and humility those who hold opinions
according to their conscience and are branded as sectarians or schismatics. His advice
should be carefully considered.
Since England has won political and religion liberty the time is now ripe for free
enquiry and discussion. Truth is strong enough to fight against falsehood. We should
not protect truth by suppressing books which we consider false . We should let truth
and falsehood engage in a free fight. Many persons who seek truth are not satisfied
with Presbyterianism which came ready-made from Calyin. Solomon asked people to
search for wisdom everywhere. But the licensing system requires that we should read
only those books which are permitted to be printed by the licensers. If a person
discovers a new truth and he wants to publish it, he has to fight against a licenser.

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Truth is the strongest thing next only to God. It need not be protected by licensing.
If truth is fettered it becomes distorted. Truth may have many sides. Many things are
not wholly true or wholly false. St. boasted that Christ bequeathed liberty to all his
followers. But Christians are taking away the liberty of other Christians. It is hypocrisy
to judge our fellow-men and think that we are right while all others are wrong.
Archbishop Laud enforced slavery to outward conformity and the Presbyterians are
following the same Polly. They should unite the scattered pieces of truth wherever they
find them. They do not do that. The result is that there is dead conformity without
essential unity. The foundation of the Church is Jesus. The attempt to maintain external
conformity would be more harmful than the division into sects and schisms.
People should not keep away from the main body of the church because of minor
differences. We should tolerate differences and not compel all the people to hold the
same opinion. Roman Catholicism, of course, cannot be tolerated because it is nothing
but open superstition and it uproots all religious and civil independence. But even in
dealing with them force should not be used but they should be persuaded to come to the
right path with kindness. Positive evil cannot be tolerated but minor differences of
opinion should be tolerated.
(Para 84)
When a person has discovered a truth and he writes a book on it, licensing should no
prevent him from publishing his book. Licensing is more likely to prohibit truth than
falsehood. Licensing checks the spread of new ideas. Licensing encourages the
formation of new sects for when truth is suppressed people are encouraged to form new
groups. When God wants a religious revolution to take place He sends men of rare
ability to do this work. At such a time false teachers also become busy. It is, therefore,
necessary that persons who know the truth should be allowed full freedom to publish
their books.
The ways of God are different from those of men. His truths do not always come
from the same places or organizations. A true Christian should have conviction
according to conscience and deep faith. Even the meant Christian should be given
freedom of conscience.
If the leaders of the sects appear to be wrong the matter can be discussed and
debated with them. It is possible that they are seeing the truth from a different point of
view. It is possible that some of them may be genuine exponents of truth. If Parliament
suppresses all of them because they want uniformity of religion, they will be persecutors
of the true faith.
Many members of the present Parliament defied the licensing act of Charles I and
published books without submitting them to the licensers. Milton hopes that those very
persons were not responsible for re imposing that slavery on the people. Moses and
Christ favoured freedom of thought. Those members of Parliament who are determined
to suppress freedom of thought should themselves be suppressed. They are now puffed
up with pride and their sufferings caused by the licensing Act of Charles I have not
made them wise.
Milton approves of the part of the order which specifies that every book should bear
the names of the author and the printer or at least the printers name. The purpose of
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this regulation is to safeguard the copyright of the author and the printer and this is a
very found to be mischievous, they should be burnt by the common hangman. But the
order regarding the licensing of books is mischievous and arbitrary and is derived from
the Spanish Inquisition and the star-Chamber. The aim of these bodies was to suppress
the opinions of the people. It seems that the Stationers company persuaded Parliament
by using some false arguments to press this order because they wanted to secure a
monopoly over some books. Their aim also was to let royalist (anti-Parliament) Books
escape to other countries a thing which has actually happened.
Milton does not want to discuss the false arguments of the booksellers here. A good
government is as liable to commit mistakes as a bad one. A Magistrate may be led to
take a wrong action if he is wrongly informed and this may easily happen if the printing
of books is controlled by a few licensers. The greatest virtue of persons in high positions
is that if they commit a mistake they acknowledge it and set things right. This virtue is
possessed by the honoured lords and commons of England and so he appeals to them to
repeal the Ordinance regarding the licensing of books.

Submitted By:
D Wisal Ahmad Ansaar
Class No: 430
Bs English 5th Semester
GPGC MARDAN

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