John Milton: A Biography
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John Milton: A Biography
John Milton was born on the ninth of December in 1608. Mr. Milton was a legal secretary and brought great wealth to the family, giving them a luxurious life. On the side he was also composed church music which most likely influenced his sons interest in music. The propriety of the family also allowed for a higher education of John and his brother. He was privately tutored at home until he moved on to St. Pauls school at age twelve. After finishing St. Pauls school he was accepted into Christs College where he saw little success due to his disagreements with the way the school taught. It led to his suspension of school and also of to the composition of his first published work of poetry, “On the Morning of Christs Nativity” in December of 1629. A few years later, Milton finished his education at Christs College at the top of his class.
In the spring of 1638 Milton began to tour Europe where he met with such famed scholars as Hugo Grotius and Galileo. He visited Rome and did some research in the extensive Vatican Library. Milton began writing political pamphlets relating to the matters of the impending civil war.
In the spring of 1642, Milton, 34, married Mary Powell. The relation was unhappy and Mary got up and left. Political disagreements came between the families as well when the Powells declared to be Royalists when the civil war broke out that August. Shortly after, Milton composed several controversial papers on divorce earning him the nickname “Milton the Divorcer”. When the state attempted to censor Miltons writings, he wrote a paper advocating freedom of the press. The entire Powell family then moved in with Milton after being driven out of Oxford when the Royalist army moved out. The mood of the house was very unhappy and more then likely awkward. That year his daughter Anne was born. The following year his father died leaving John his estate. When the Powell family was allowed, they returned to Oxford leaving Milton with his wife and family. The next year his second daughter Mary was born.
In January of 1649 Milton attended the public execution of Charles the first. That year he was invited to work as a Secretary for the Foreign Tongues by the Cromwellian government. At this position he was ordered to write many political responses to Royalist outcries. In 1651 Miltons first son John