Article #608-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Areopagitica, by John Milton

And how can a man teach with authority, which is the life of teaching;
how can he be a doctor in his book as he ought to be, or else had better
be silent, whenas all he teaches, all he delivers, is but under the
tuition, under the correction of his patriarchal licenser to blot or
alter what precisely accords not with the hidebound humour which he
calls his judgment? When every acute reader, upon the first sight of a
pedantic licence, will be ready with these like words to ding the book
a quoit's distance from him: I hate a pupil teacher, I endure not an
instructor that comes to me under the wardship of an overseeing fist. I
know nothing of the licenser, but that I have his own hand here for his
arrogance; who shall warrant me his judgment? The State, sir, replies
the stationer, but has a quick return: The State shall be my governors,
but not my critics; they may be mistaken in the choice of a licenser,
as easily as this licenser may be mistaken in an author; this is
some common stuff; and he might add from Sir Francis Bacon, THAT
SUCH AUTHORIZED BOOKS ARE BUT THE LANGUAGE OF THE TIMES. For though a
licenser should happen to be judicious more than ordinary, which will
be a great jeopardy of the next succession, yet his very office and his
commission enjoins him to let pass nothing but what is vulgarly received
already.

Nay, which is more lamentable, if the work of any deceased author,
though never so famous in his lifetime and even to this day, come to
their hands for licence to be printed, or reprinted, if there be found
in his book one sentence of a venturous edge, uttered in the height
of zeal (and who knows whether it might not be the dictate of a divine
spirit?) yet not suiting with every low decrepit humour of their own,
though it were Knox himself, the reformer of a kingdom, that spake it,
they will not pardon him their dash: the sense of that great man shall
to all posterity be lost, for the fearfulness or the presumptuous
rashness of a perfunctory licenser. And to what an author this violence
hath been lately done, and in what book of greatest consequence to be
faithfully published, I could now instance, but shall forbear till a
more convenient season.

Yet if these things be not resented seriously and timely by them who
have the remedy in their power, but that such iron-moulds as these shall
have authority to gnaw out the choicest periods of exquisitest books,
and to commit such a treacherous fraud against the orphan remainders of
worthiest men after death, the more sorrow will belong to that hapless
race of men, whose misfortune it is to have understanding. Henceforth
let no man care to learn, or care to be more than worldly-wise; for
certainly in higher matters to be ignorant and slothful, to be a common
steadfast dunce, will be the only pleasant life, and only in request.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Areopagitica by John Milton**

Context of Areopagitica

John Milton’s Areopagitica (1644) is a prose polemic against pre-publication censorship, specifically the Licensing Order of 1643, which required all printed works in England to be approved by government-appointed licensers before publication. Milton, a staunch advocate for freedom of the press, wrote this speech (addressed to Parliament) in the tradition of classical oratory, invoking the Areopagus—the ancient Athenian council known for its wisdom—to argue that truth should be tested in open debate, not suppressed by authoritarian control.

The excerpt provided critiques the arrogance and incompetence of licensers, arguing that censorship stifles intellectual progress, corrupts literature, and insults both authors and readers.

Themes in the Excerpt

The Corruption of Authority in Teaching & Writing
- Milton argues that true teaching requires authority, which is undermined when a writer’s work is subject to the whims of a licenser—a "patriarchal" figure who acts as an intellectual guardian.
- The licenser’s power to "blot or alter" a text reduces the author to a "pupil teacher", a mere student under supervision, rather than an independent thinker.
The Folly of Censorship & the Fallibility of Licensers
- Milton mocks the idea that the State (or its appointed licensers) can be trusted as infallible judges of truth.
- He cites Sir Francis Bacon (a renowned philosopher) to argue that "authorized books are but the language of the times"—meaning censorship enforces conventional, uncritical opinions rather than genuine wisdom.
- Even if a licenser is "judicious more than ordinary", their role forces them to suppress original thought in favor of "vulgarly received" (i.e., popular but unexamined) ideas.
The Destruction of Literary & Intellectual Legacy
- Milton laments that deceased authors—even great reformers like John Knox (a key figure in the Scottish Reformation)—are not spared from censorship.
- A single "venturous edge" (a bold or controversial statement) in a work, even if inspired by "divine spirit", can be erased by a "perfunctory licenser" (a careless, overzealous censor).
- This posthumous censorship is a "treacherous fraud" against the "orphan remainders of worthiest men", robbing future generations of their wisdom.
The Consequences of Intellectual Oppression
- If censorship persists, Milton warns, learning itself will be devalued.
- People will stop caring about knowledge beyond "worldly-wise" (practical, unphilosophical) matters.
- The only "pleasant life" left will be that of the "common steadfast dunce"—the willfully ignorant, who avoid the "misfortune… to have understanding."

Literary & Rhetorical Devices

Rhetorical Questions
- "And how can a man teach with authority… whenas all he teaches… is but under the tuition of his patriarchal licenser?" → Forces the reader to confront the absurdity of censored teaching.
- "Who shall warrant me his judgment?" → Challenges the arbitrary power of licensers.
Metaphor & Imagery
- "Hidebound humour" → Describes the licenser’s rigid, unyielding judgment (like tight leather that doesn’t stretch).
- "Iron-moulds" → Censors are like mechanical presses that distort and destroy original thought.
- "Gnaw out the choicest periods of exquisitest books" → Censorship is a predatory act, devouring the best parts of literature.
Allusion & Historical Reference
- John Knox (Scottish Reformation leader) → Even revered figures are not safe from censorship.
- Sir Francis Bacon → Invokes a respected authority to undermine the licensers’ credibility.
Sarcasm & Irony
- "The State shall be my governors, but not my critics" → The State claims authority but is unqualified to judge truth.
- "The more sorrow will belong to that hapless race of men, whose misfortune it is to have understanding" → Bittersweet irony: Intelligence becomes a curse under censorship.
Appeal to Pathos (Emotional Argument)
- "The sense of that great man shall to all posterity be lost" → Evokes outrage at the erasure of wisdom.
- "Let no man care to learn" → Paints a bleak future where ignorance is preferred to suppressed knowledge.
Parallel Structure & Repetition
- "I hate a pupil teacher, I endure not an instructor that comes to me under the wardship of an overseeing fist." → Emphasizes disgust at censored authority through parallel clauses.

Significance of the Passage

Defense of Free Expression
- Milton argues that truth emerges from debate, not suppression. Censorship stifles progress by enforcing conformity.
- This idea later influenced Enlightenment thinkers (e.g., Voltaire, Mill) and modern free speech principles.
Critique of Authoritarian Control Over Knowledge
- The licenser is portrayed as a tyrant of thought, reducing great minds to puppets.
- Milton’s argument extends beyond books to any system where power dictates truth.
Warning Against Intellectual Decay
- If censorship persists, society will reject learning in favor of ignorance, as critical thought becomes too dangerous or futile.
- This remains relevant in discussions about modern censorship (e.g., book bans, algorithmic suppression of ideas).
Literary Preservation as a Moral Duty
- Milton frames censorship as a violation of the dead, robbing future generations of their intellectual heritage.
- This aligns with his broader belief in Providence—that great works are divinely inspired and should not be tampered with by fallible men.

Key Takeaways from the Text Itself

Censorship turns authors into pupils—their work is not their own but subject to a licenser’s whims.
Licensers are untrustworthy judges—they enforce conventional opinions, not truth.
Great works are at risk—even revered thinkers can be silenced posthumously.
The ultimate cost is intellectual stagnation—people will stop seeking knowledge if it’s constantly policed.
Milton’s tone is urgent and indignant—he sees censorship as both an insult and a tragedy.

This excerpt is a passionate, eloquent condemnation of censorship, blending logical argument, emotional appeal, and vivid imagery to make his case. It remains one of the most powerful defenses of free expression in literary history.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of the licenser’s role primarily serves to expose which of the following paradoxes?

A. The licenser’s authority is both absolute in practice and entirely illusory in principle, rendering censorship a performative farce.
B. The licenser is tasked with preserving intellectual integrity yet is structurally compelled to undermine it by enforcing conformity to prevailing dogma.
C. The licenser’s judgments are simultaneously revered as infallible and dismissed as irrelevant, creating a cycle of self-contradictory deference.
D. The licenser’s function depends on the assumption of universal objectivity, though the passage demonstrates that such objectivity is unattainable in matters of taste.
E. The licenser’s power is derived from the State’s legitimacy, yet the State’s endorsement of censorship implicitly delegitimizes its own claim to wisdom.

Question 2

When Milton invokes the hypothetical reader who declares, “I hate a pupil teacher, I endure not an instructor that comes to me under the wardship of an overseeing fist,” the rhetorical effect is primarily to:

A. appeal to the reader’s vanity by flattering their intellectual independence, thereby aligning their self-interest with the argument against censorship.
B. establish a false dichotomy between unlicensed originality and licensed mediocrity, forcing the reader to reject the latter as inherently inferior.
C. introduce a straw-man caricature of the licenser as a physical oppressor, thereby reducing a complex institutional problem to a personal grievance.
D. undermine the licenser’s credibility by implying that even the most pedantic readers—those who would normally defer to authority—find censorship objectionable.
E. dramatize the psychological violation of encountering censored work, framing it as an affront to the reader’s autonomy and the author’s dignity alike.

Question 3

The passage’s allusion to “the language of the times” (via Sir Francis Bacon) functions most critically to:

A. reveal the inherent temporality of censored truth, suggesting that what is suppressed today may be vindicated by posterity, while what is permitted may be forgotten.
B. contrast the licenser’s pretensions to timeless judgment with the ephemeral nature of state-sanctioned opinions, exposing their intellectual bankruptcy.
C. argue that censorship is a cyclical phenomenon, wherein each era’s orthodoxy becomes the next era’s heresy, rendering the licenser’s role historically redundant.
D. imply that the State’s endorsement of a licenser is itself a product of contemporary bias, and thus no more reliable than the opinions it seeks to regulate.
E. propose that literary value is contingent on historical context, and that the licenser’s interventions are therefore justifiable as curatorial rather than authoritarian.

Question 4

The passage’s shift from discussing living authors to “the work of any deceased author” (e.g., Knox) primarily serves to:

A. escalate the moral stakes of censorship by framing it as a desecration of intellectual legacy, thereby transcending the immediate political dispute.
B. highlight the inconsistency of licensers, who claim to reverence tradition yet readily erase the controversial statements of historical figures.
C. suggest that posthumous censorship is more egregious than contemporary suppression, as it denies the dead their right to posthumous reputation.
D. undermine the licenser’s authority by demonstrating that even the most venerable figures are subject to their capricious judgments.
E. imply that the true target of censorship is not living dissent but the preservation of a sanitized, state-approved version of history.

Question 5

The final sentence—“for certainly in higher matters to be ignorant and slothful, to be a common steadfast dunce, will be the only pleasant life, and only in request”—is best understood as:

A. a resigned concession that censorship will inevitably triumph, leaving no recourse but to embrace intellectual surrender.
B. a bitter irony wherein the suppression of knowledge perversely incentivizes ignorance, turning it into a rational response to an oppressive system.
C. a hyperbolic warning that society will regress to a pre-literate state if censorship persists, stripping language of its capacity to convey truth.
D. a call to arms disguised as despair, urging readers to reject censorship precisely because it makes ignorance the path of least resistance.
E. an accusation that licensers themselves are the “steadfast dunces,” projecting their own intellectual laziness onto the public they claim to protect.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The passage hinges on the paradox that the licenser, ostensibly a guardian of intellectual standards, is structurally prevented from fulfilling this role because their mandate is to uphold "vulgarly received" opinions rather than truth. Milton explicitly states that the licenser’s “very office and his commission enjoins him to let pass nothing but what is vulgarly received already,” which directly contradicts the idea of preserving intellectual integrity. This is the core tension the passage exposes.