Areopagitica: Outline and Important Passages Based on the outline of Areopagitica created by Michael Bryson, available at http://www.michaelbryson.net/miltonweb/aeropagitica.html Introduction 1. It can t be expected that no disputes will ever arise in a commonwealth. The best thing is for complaints to be "freely heard, deeply considered, and speedily reformed." That is "the utmost bound of civil liberty... that wise men look for." (Riverside p. 997 left; Norton PL 339-40; Poetry & Prose 338) 2. "He who freely magnifies what hath been nobly done and fears not to declare as freely what might be done better, gives ye the best covenant of his fidelity." 3. Private, learned, individuals have been respectfully heard by governments before: Isocrates wrote to persuade Athens to change its current form of government. 4. The Parliament of England will only make itself seem all the wiser by respectfully hearing Milton s argument. 5. "... by judging over again that Order which ye have ordained to regulate Printing: that no book, pamphlet, or paper shall be henceforth printed unless the same be first approved and licensed by such, or at least one of such as shall be thereto appointed." The Four Major Arguments: previewed on Riverside p. 999 left; Norton PL 341-42; Poetry & Prose 340 1. Who are the inventors of licensing? The Catholic church. (Consider the rhetorical impact of this argument.) 2. What is to be thought of reading? It is a necessary acquisition of knowledge of good and evil in a fallen world. 3. This Order is ineffectual in suppressing "scandalous, seditious, and libelous books." 4. This Order will discourage learning and the pursuit of truth. Argument #1: begins on Riverside p. 999 right; Norton PL 342; Poetry & Prose 341 1) In Athens, only two types of writings were suppressed by the civil powers: blasphemous/atheistic writings and libelous writings. a) Protagoras was banished and his books were burned "for a discourse... confessing not to know whether there were gods, or whether there were not." b) "... against defaming, it was decreed that none should be traduced by name, as was the manner of Vetus Comedia" [Old Comedy Aristophanes, et. al. this law endured only from 440-39 to 438-37, and Aristophanes was famous for "traducing" by name; he was especially fond of "traducing" fellow-playwright Euripides and the politician Cleon by name]. 2) The same holds true for Rome (before its descent into tyranny). a) Naso (Ovid) was banished by Augustus not for indecent poems but for an intrigue with Augustus granddaughter, Julia.
b) "Naevius was quickly cast into prison for his unbridled pen" because he had attacked Scipio and the aristocratic party in his plays. 3) Even the earliest Christian emperors did not depart from this relatively tolerant position. a) Books of those accused of heresy were not prohibited until and unless those accused were "examined, refuted, and condemned in the general councils." Riverside p. 1001; Norton PL 344; Poetry & Prose 344 b) Books by "heathen authors" were not forbidden in any way until 400 AD, when bishops were restricted from reading heathen writers (though they might still read for the purpose of later refuting heretical works). c) Early councils and bishops only declared certain books "not commendable" rather than forbidden until 800 AD. After this the Popes began prohibiting certain works. Riverside p. 1002 left; Norton PL 345 top; Poetry & Prose 344. Martin V (1417-1431) issued a bull in 1418 calling for the excommunication of any who read heretical works. Indexes of forbidden works followed. Paul IV issued the first in 1559. Note the mockery of imprimaturs (Latin for let it be printed ) on Riverside p. 1003 left; Norton PL 346; Poetry & Prose 345. 4) The Catholic church is the inventor of the licensing of printing: "their last invention was to ordain that no book, pamphlet, or paper should be printed... unless it were approved and licensed... thus ye have the inventors and the original of booklicensing... from the most antichristian council and the most tyrannous inquisition that ever inquired." Image of publishing books as childbirth. Riverside p. 1003 right; Norton PL 346; Poetry & Prose 346. 5) The purpose of this censorship by the Catholic Church is to obstruct the Reformation: Riverside p. 1004 left; Norton PL 347; Poetry & Prose 347 Argument #2: begins Riverside p. 1004 left; Norton PL 347; Poetry & Prose 347 1) Moses, Daniel, and Paul were skillful in all the learning of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Greeks, respectively. This can only have been through prodigious reading. 2) Julian the Apostate (emperor from 361-363) forbade Christians the reading of heathen writers. (Seems a weak point, but the contention is that if an apostate forbids reading classical literature, then it must be good for faithful Christians to read.) 3) Dinoysius Alexandrinus a pious and learned early Christian read heretical books in order to be able to refute the arguments therein. When challenged by "a certain presbyter," he was in a quandary until he received a vision: "Read any books whatever come to thy hands, for thou art suficient both to judge aright and to examine each matter." 4) Bad books may serve a "discreet and judicious reader" to "discover, to confute, to forewarn, and to illustrate." For books are as meats and viands are... illustrate. Riverside p. 1005 right; Norton PL 348; Poetry & Prose 348-49 5) God allows us to choose: For those actions... exhortation. Riverside p. 1006 left; Norton PL 349; Poetry & Prose 349 6) Solomon writes that much reading is "a weariness to the flesh," but it is not therefore unlawful.
7) The burning of books at Acts 19:19 was a voluntary act not mandated by any magistrate. 8) Good and evil are almost inseparable in this world in this world, how can one have wisdom to choose good without "the knowledge of evil"? a) Good and evil we know in the field of this world... knowing good by evill. Riverside p. 1006 left into right; Norton PL 349; Poetry & Prose 350 b) I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue... yet abstain Riverside p. 1006 right; Norton PL 349-50; Poetry & Prose 350-51 c) Since, therefore, the knowledge and survey of vice is in this world so necessary to the constituting of human virtue... books promiscuously read." Riverside p. 1006-1007; Norton PL 350; Poetry & Prose 351 9) The desire to prohibit comes from the idea that bad books are harmful, first because they spread the infection. But the Bible includes much that is sinful. Controversial books (of religion) are more a danger to the learned than to the ignorant: "It will be hard to instance where any ignorant man hath been ever seduced by papistical book in English, unless it were commended and expounded to him by some of that clergy." 10) Licensing is a vain and impossible attempt, like "the exploit of a gallant man who thought to pound up the crows by shutting his park gate." A wise man like a good refiner... folly. Riverside p. 1008 top; Norton PL 351; Poetry & Prose 353 11) The second argument for prohibiting is that we must not expose our selves to temptations without necessity Riverside p. 1008 left; Norton PL 352; Poetry & Prose 353 Argument #3: begins Riverside p. 1008 right; Norton PL 352; Poetry & Prose 354 1) No well-constituted nation or state ever used "this way of licensing." 2) Plato, in his Laws, spells out such a system, but for an imaginary state. Plato in reality was a transgressor of his own (imagined) laws: a writer of dialogues and a reader of Aristophanes (whom he supposedly recommended to Dionysius, the Tyrant of Syracuse [367-356 BC]). 3) If printing must be regulated, so must all other trades and arts. Riverside p. 1009 left; Norton PL 353; Poetry & Prose 355 4) Who shall decide? Who shall set the absolute standards? 5) It is no good "to sequester out of the world into Atlantic [Francis Bacon] and Utopian [Thomas More] polities," rather, we must "ordain wisely as in this world of evil, in the midst whereof God hath placed us unavoidably." 6) The "great art" of a commonwealth lies in knowing what to restrain and forbid, and what to leave to private conscience. Punishment and persuasion must be correctly balanced. 7) God gave man reason and freedom to choose. If every action which is good... virtue. Riverside p. 1010 left; Norton PL 354; Poetry & Prose 356. 8) Removing the causes/objects of sin doesn t work, and instead removes the opportunities for the acquisition, generation, and practice of virtue. They are not skillful considerers of human things... alike. Riverside p. 1010; Norton PL 354; Poetry & Prose 356
Argument #4: begins Riverside p. 1011 right; Norton PL 356; Poetry & Prose 359 1) To distrust the honesty and judgment of a "free and knowing spirit" to the point of not counting him "fit to print his mind without a tutor and examiner" is a great indignity. 2) When a man writes to the world... to the privilege and dignity of learning." Riverside p. 1012; Norton PL 357; Poetry & Prose 360 3) How can a man teach with authority if all he teaches is under the authority of a licenser? 4) Francis Bacon: "Authorized books are but the language of the times." Even if a licenser is especially judicious and perceptive, the function of his office requires that he license nothing "but what is vulgarly received already." 5) This distrust is an "undervaluing and vilifying of the whole nation." Riverside p. 1013 right; Norton PL 359; Poetry & Prose 361 a) It is a reproach to the people: "if... we dare not trust them with an English pamphlet, what do we but censure them for a giddy, vicious, and ungrounded people...?" b) It is a reproach to ministers: "That after all this light of the Gospel... they should still be frequented with such an unedified, and laic rabble... " 6) Description of meeting Galileo: "a prisoner to the Inquisition for thinking in astronomy otherwise than the Franciscan and Dominican licensers thought." Riverside p. 1014 right; Norton PL 360; Poetry & Prose 363 7) The complaints of the learned against the Inquisition are now being made by the learned against the Parliament s order of licensing. 8) The general murmur: if we are so suspicious of men "as to fear each book... before we know what the contents are," then we are facing "a second tyranny over learning." This will soon show that the current presbyters (who had only recently been silenced by the then-dominant Anglican hierarchy) are just the same ("name and thing") as the old bishops. Meet the New Boss. Same as the Old Boss. But I am certain that a State govern d by the rules of justice and fortitude, or a Church built and founded upon the rock of faith and true knowledge, cannot be so pusillanimous. Riverside p. 1015 left; Norton PL 361; Poetry & Prose 364-65 9) When the bishops were being fought against, freedom of publishing was a good thing (according to the presbyters), but now that the bishops have been defeated, suddenly publishing must be licensed. How convenient. 10) A man may be heretic in the truth... Riverside p. 1015 right; Norton PL 362; Poetry & Prose 365 11) but he who thinks we are to pitch our tent here... Riverside p. 1017; Norton PL 364; Poetry & Prose 368 12) Truth indeed came once into the world with her divine Master... martyr d Saint Riverside p. 1017-18; Norton PL 364-65; Poetry & Prose 368-69 13) The light which we have gain d... knowledge Riverside p. 1018 left; Norton PL 365; Poetry & Prose 369
Conclusion begins Riverside p. 1018 right; Norton PL 365; Poetry & Prose 370 1) England is the new chosen nation of God. a) "Why else was this nation chosen before any other, that out of her as out of Sion should be proclaimed and sounded forth the first tidings and trumpet of reformation to all Europe?" b) "God is decreeing to begin some new and great period in his Church, even to the reforming of reformation itself. What does he then but reveal himself to his servants, and, as his maner is, first to his Englishmen?" 2) England is an earthly type of the City of God. a) "Behold now this vast city, a city of refuge, the mansion house of liberty, encompassed and surrounded with his protection." 3) The English people are potentially a "nation of prophets, of sages, and of worthies." Only "wise and faithful laborers" are needed to actualize this potential. 4) "Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making." Riverside p. 1019 left; Norton PL 366; Poetry & Prose 371 5) Analogy to the building of the temple in Solomon s day: "when every stone is laid artfully together, it cannot be united into a continuity, it can but be contiguous in this world." 6) The strength of the church lies in the unity of diverse (but not too diverse) elements: "the perfection consists in this, that out of many moderate varieties and brotherly dissimilitudes that are not vastly disproportional, arises the goodly and graceful symmetry that commends the whole pile and structure." 7) The "time seems come... when... all the Lord s people, are become prophets." 8) The carrying on of these intellectual disputes even during a time of civil war, when the forces of Charles I threaten, is a sign of faith in the good government of Parliament. (Thus commences the kiss-parliament s-ass section.) England as Samson, as Eagle Riverside p. 1020 right; Norton PL 368; Poetry & Prose 373 9) The people became free to write and speak because of the liberty that the "valorous and happy counsels [of Parliament] have purchased." The people cannot grow less learned and less inclined to write and speak unless Parliament revert to tyrannous ways, "as they were from whom ye have freed us. 10) Let Truth and Falsehood grapple in the open. Truth will win. Riverside p. 1021; Norton PL 370; Poetry & Prose 375 11) Doctrine of (limited) tolerance: "if all cannot be of one mind as who looks they should be?--this doubtless is more wholesome, more prudent, and more Christian, that many be tolerated rather than all compelled." Riverside p. 1022; Norton PL 371; Poetry & Prose 377 12) This "many" does not include Catholics (or non-christians): I mean not tolerated popery and open superstition, which, as it extirpates all religions and civil supremacies, so itself should be extirpate... but those neighboring differences, or rather indifferences, are what I speak of, whether in some point of doctrine or of discipline."
13) If the men who appear to be schismatics are indeed wrong, why not debate them openly? If they are not wrong, and are doing the work of God, "no less than woe to us while, thinking thus to defend the Gospel, we are found the persecutors." 14) If nothing else will work, "it would be no unequal distribution... to supress the supressors themselves." 15) To set right the wrong that has been done is the highest and wisest thing that Parliament can do.