Type: Exhibition catalog

Name: John Milton and the Cultures of Print: An Exhibition of Books, Manuscripts, and Other Artifacts

Detail: Published by Rutgers University Libraries in conjunction with the exhibition opening.

Type: Exhibition section

Name: VII. The Execution of Charles I

Detail: THE EXECUTION OF CHARLES I: Milton states in The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, in words that sound almost Jeffersonian: “all men naturally were born free,” “born to command and not to obey.” These are part of a strenuous and profound defense of popular sovereignty, the right of a private person to overthrow both parliament (or magistrate) and king. After a protracted stalemate, English political history experienced a sudden succession of upheavals: the forceful exclusion of the army of the majority of Parliament, called “Pride’s Purge” of Parliament in December 6, 1648; the decision by the new “Rump” Parliament to put the king on trial on January 6; and the trial and execution of King Charles I on January 30, 1649. During the trial, January 26-30, Milton began an extraordinary defense of the overthrow of both parliament and king, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, a work published shortly after the king’s death. Milton was then hired by the new government to be their spokesperson and counter-propagandist, and also to be a secretary of foreign languages, which meant communicating in Latin and in other languages to foreign diplomats and politicians.

Type: Exhibition caption

Name: Milton, Pro Populo Anglicano Defensio (1652)

Detail: Milton's Latin defense of the regicide and the new English government, satirically titled the Defense of the People of England, against Claude the Anonymous, otherwise known as Salmasius, is a commissioned response to a famous French classicist who championed the monarchy. Within about a year of its publication in February 1651, it was published in thirteen editions and a couple reissues in London, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Gouda, translated into Dutch, and rumored to have been translated into French. This copy bears a manuscript note at the end of the book indicating that Milton had been released from prison.