John Milton

Areopagitica

Areopagitica By John Milton (1608-1674)

A prose tract or polemic by John Milton, published November 23, 1644, at the height of the English Civil War.. Milton, though a supporter of the Parliament, argued forcefully against the Licensing Order of 1643, noting that such censorship had never been a part of classical Greek and Roman society. The tract is full of biblical and classical references which Milton uses to strengthen his argument. The issue was personal for Milton as he had suffered censorship himself in his efforts to publish several tracts defending divorce (a

radical stance at the time and one which met with no favor from the censors).. Areopagitica is among history’s most influential and impassioned philosophical defenses of the principle of a right to free speech. (Summary by Wikipedia)

Read by Moira Fogarty; total running time: 02:01:05.

This recording is in the public domain and may be reproduced, distributed, or modified without permission. For more information or to volunteer, visit librivox.org. Cover image by FBI (1965). This image or file is a work of a Federal Bureau of Investigation employee, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. Cover design by Janette Brown. This design is in the public domain.

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