01802

Title

Subject

Description

In 1643, church authorities ensured that the poet John Milton was refused a license to publish a controversial essay in favor of the right to divorce. In response, Milton composed the pamphlet entitled Areopagitica (after the ancient Athenian court of Areopagus), considered by many to be the most eloquent defense of the freedom of the press ever written.

Creator

Milton, John, 1608–1674.

Source

01802. John Milton (1608–1674). Areopagitica; A Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc'd Printing, to the Parlament of England. London: [s.n.], 1644.

Relation

EarlyEngland

Format

Displayed as .jpg

Language

English

Type

Pamphlet

Collection

"Heresy and Error": The Ecclesiastical Censorship of Books, 1400–1800

Citation

Milton, John, 1608–1674., “01802,” Bridwell Library Special Collections Exhibitions, accessed April 15, 2026, https://bridwell.omeka.net/items/show/1937.