At first, John Milton struggled to come to terms with the loss of his eyesight.
In 1649, John Milton (1608-74) was appointed Latin Secretary to the Council of State, a Parliamentary role accountable to Oliver Cromwell, the country’s military ruler following the execution of King Charles I that year. By 1655, Milton was losing his sight, and as his condition worsened he was tempted to complain that God was robbing him of any chance to continue serving him.
John Milton reminded Parliament that the Truth wasn’t what they and their fact-checkers in Stationers’ Hall made it.
In 1643, shortly after the Civil War with Charles I (r. 1625-1649) began, Parliament ordered a crackdown on what we would call fake news and disinformation, censoring and licensing political comment and telling the public only what Parliament thought it was good for us to know. John Milton, himself a Parliamentarian, felt obliged to publish an anguished protest at such cowardly behaviour.
John Milton shows his appreciation for noble words and music in uplifting harmony.
Milton’s celebration of noble poetry set to music, which he presents as an echo of the music of heaven itself, is couched in terms of the Sirens of Greek mythology, two mysterious winged women hidden in cliff-tops whose enchanting song drew sailors irresistibly.
John Milton (of ‘Paradise Lost’ fame) urged Parliament not to fall into bad old habits of censorship, whatever their fears may be.
In 1643, early in the Civil War, Parliament passed a law allowing it to censor and license pamphlets, hoping to silence critics. John Milton protested, reminding Parliament that in their campaign against Charles I’s tyranny they themselves had begotten the country’s love of free speech. Would they now take it away, like pagan fathers who slay their newborn child?