John Milton
John Milton
John Miltonwas an English poet, polemicist, and man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost, written in blank verse...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth9 December 1608
almost destroys eye good image man reasonable
As good almost kill a man as kill a good book: who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were, in the eye
court mansion starry threshold
Before the starry threshold of Jove's Court / My mansion is.
begin god great himself manner period reforming reveal
God is decreeing to begin some new and great period in His Church, even to the reforming of the Reformation itself. What does he then but reveal Himself to His servants, and as His manner is, first to His Englishmen?
men good-man atheism
Opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making.
freedom men good-man
None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license.
change dim disastrous eclipse fear half twilight
In dim eclipse disastrous twilight sheds / On half the nations, and with fear of change / Perplexes monarchs.
cannot knows people talk
Everyone knows that you cannot talk about people by name,
bloody infant mother
The bloody Piedmontese that rolled / Mother with infant down the rocks.
audience fit govern thou though
Still govern thou my song, / Urania, and fit audience find, though few.
against apology best deeds dishonest false honest silence words
The best apology against false accusers is silence and sufferance, and honest deeds set against dishonest words
highest middle sat tree
Thence up he flew, and on the Tree of Life,/ The middle tree and highest there that grew, / Sat like a cormorant.
best gentle modest reluctant required sway sweet
Implied / Subjection, but required with gentle sway / And by her yielded, by him best received; / Yielded with coy submission, modest pride, / And sweet reluctant amorous delay.
freedom good hath heartily license love none rest scope tyrants
None can love freedom heartily but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license which never hath more scope than under tyrants
death knock quiet
Nothing is here for tears, nothing to wail / Or knock the breast, no weakness, no contempt,/ Dispraise, or blame; nothing but well and fair,/ And what may quiet us in a death so noble.