"find the defendant, or defendants, guilty, merely on the proof of the publication by such defendant, or defendants, "of the paper charged to be a libel, and of the fenfe ascribed "to the fame in fuch Indictment or Information: Provided always, that on every fuch trial, the court, or judge, before "whom fuch Indictment, or Information, fhall be tried, 66 fhall, according to their, or his, discretion, give their, or "his, opinion and directions to the Jury, on the matter in "iffue between the King and the defendant, or defendants, “in like manner as in other criminal cafes: Provided also, "that nothing herein contained fhall extend, to prevent "the Jury from finding a special verdict, in their discre❝tion, as in other criminal cafes: Provided also, that, in "cafe the Jury fhall find the defendant, or defendants, guilty, it shall and may be lawful for the faid defendant, " or defendants, to move in arreft of judgment, on such "ground, and in fuch manner, as, by law, he, or they, "might have done before the paffing of this act; any thing ❝ herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding." AREO AREOPAGITICA: A SPEECH FOR THE LIBERTY OF UNLICENSED PRINTING, TO THE PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND. Published in November, 1644, BY JOHN MILTON, THE AUTHOR OF PARADISE LOST. Τελέυθερον δ' ἐκεῖνο, ἐι τις θέλει πόλει Καὶ ταῦθ ̓ ὁ χρήζων, λαμπρὸς ἔσθ': ὁ μὴ θέλων, This is true Liberty, when freeborn men, Euripid. Hicetid, Having to advise the public, may speak free, Euripid, Hicetid. THEY, who to States and Governors of the commonwealth direct their speech, High Court of Parliament ! or, wanting fuch accefs, in a private condition, write that which they foresee may advance the publick good; I fuppofe them, as at the beginning of no mean endeavour, not a little altered and moved inwardly in their minds; fome with doubt of what will be the fuccess, others with fear of what will be the cenfure; fome with hope, others with confidence of what they have to fpeak. And me perhaps each of thefe difpofitions, as the subject was whereon I entered, may have at other times variously affected; and likely might in thefe foremost expreffions now also disclose which of them fwayed moft, but that the very attempt of this address thus made, and the thought of whom it hath recourse to, hath got the power within me to a paffion, far far more welcome than incidental to a preface. Which though I ftay not to confefs ere any afk, I fhall be blameless, if it be no other, than the joy and gratulation which it brings to all who wish and promote their country's liberty; whereof this whole difcourse proposed will be a certain teftimony, if not a trophy. For this is not the liberty which we can hope, " that no grievance ever should arife in the commonwealth" That let no man in this world expect. But, when complaints are freely heard, deeply confidered, and speedily reformed, then is the utmost bound of civil liberty attained, that wife men look-for. To which if I now manifeft, by the very found of this which I shall utter, that we are already in good part arrived; and yet from such a steep disadvantage of tyranny and fuperftition grounded into our principles, as was beyond the manhood of a Roman recovery; it will be attributed firft, as is moft due, to the strong affiftance of God, our Deliverer; next, to your faithful guidance and undaunted wisdom, Lords and Commons of England! Neither is it in God's esteem, the diminution of his glory, when honourable things are fpoken of good men, and worthy magiftrates; which if I now first fhould begin to do, after fo fair a progrefs of your laud able deeds, and fuch a long obligement upon the whole realm to your indefatigable virtues, I might be justly reckoned among the tardiest, and the unwillingest, of them that praise ye. Nevertheless there being three principal things, without which all praifing is but courtship and flattery, firft, when that only is praised which is folidly worth praife; next, when the greatest likelihoods are brought, that fuch things are truely and really in thofe perfons, to whom they are afcribed; the other, when he who praises, by showing that fuch his actual perfuafion is of whom he writes, can de monftrate that he flatters not; the former two of these I have heretofore endeavoured, refcuing the employment from him who went about to impair your merits with a trivial and malignant encomium; the latter, as belonging chiefly to mine own acquittal, “that whom I fo extolled I did not flatter," hath been referved opportunely to this occafion. For 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; and that his loyalest affection and his hope waits on your proceedings. His highest praifing is not flattery, and his plaineft advice is a kind of praifing; for, though I should affirm and hold by argument, that it would fare better with truth, with learning, and the commonwealth, if one of your published orders, which I fhould name, were called-in; yet at the fame time it could not but much redound to the luftre of your mild and equal government, whenas private perfons are hereby animated to think ye better pleased with publick advice, than other ftatifts have been delighted heretofore with publick flattery. And men will then see what difference there is between the magnanimity of a triennial parliament, and that jealous haughtinefs of prelates and cabin-counsellors* that ufurped of late, when as they fhall obferve ye, in the midft of your victories and fucceffes, more gently brooking written exceptions against a voted order, than other courts, which had produced nothing worth memory but the weak oftentation of wealth, would have endured the leaft fignified diflike at any sudden proclamation. IfI should thus far prefume upon the meek demeanor of That is, chamber-counsellors, or counsellors who are assembled by the king in a private chamber, as it were in the cabin of a ship, to give him advice in matters of state. your your civil and gentle greatnefs, Lords and Commons ! as what your published order hath directly faid, that to gainfay, I might defend myself with ease, if any should accuse me of being new or infolent, did they but know how much better I find ye efteem it to imitate the old and elegant humanity of Greece, than the barbaric pride of a Hunnish and Norwegian stateliness. And out of thofe ages, to whofe polite wifdom and letters we owe that we are not yet Goths and Jutlanders, I could name him who from his private house wrote that difcourfe to the parliament of Athens, that perfuades them to change the form of democraty which was then established. Such honour was done in those days to men who profeffed the ftudy of wisdom and eloquence, not only in their own country, but in other lands, that cities and figniories heard them gladly, and with great refpect, if they had aught in publick to admonish the ftate. Thus did Dion Prufæus, a stranger and a private orator, counsel the Rhodians against a former Edict; and I abound with other like examples, which to fet here would be fuperfluous. But, if from the industry of a life wholly dedicated to ftudious labours, and those natural endowments haply not the worst for two and fifty degrees of northern latitude, fo much must be derogated, as to count me not equal to any of those who had this privilege, I would obtain to be thought not fo inferior, as yourfelves are fuperior to the most of them who received their counfel; and how far you excel them, be affured, Lords and Commons! there can no greater teftimony appear, than when your prudent spirit acknowledges and obeys the voice of reason, from what quarter foever it be heard speaking; and renders ye as willing to repeal any act of your own fetting-forth as any fet. forth by your predeceffors. |