It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage in-depth discussion about all things related to books, authors, genres or publishing in a safe, supportive environment. Subreddit Rules - Message the mods - Related Subs AMA Info The FAQ The Wiki Join in the Weekly "What Are You Reading?" Thread!.Check out the Weekly Recommendation Thread.New Release: The New Mother by Nora Murphy.And any king who does not practice is it nothing more than a mere subject, ruled by anarchy and lawlessness. Indeed, so important is self-command that any wise or virtuous man who attains it is like a king. Though the passage begins by noting that the office of a King is to bear the weight of public concerns, it is the control of one’s private concerns that truly set a King apart as a virtuous character. Faced with the Restoration of the monarchy, he seems, perhaps, to be saying “If we must have a king back again, at least let our king try to be a good man.”īoth a personal meditation for Jesus, who faces numerous temptations as Satan tries to encourage his “Passions, Desires, and Fears,” and a model for Charles II to follow, MIlton’s lines mingle Stoic philosophy with biblical wisdom to advise self-command and restraint.
They are particularly poignant when one remembers Milton’s fervent support for the failed attempt at a Republican commonwealth. Written during the reign of the famously passionate Charles II, these lines can easily be seen as advice to the King to moderate his passions for his own good and for the good of the nation. John Milton, Paradise Regained, Book II, lines 463-472 Or lawless passions in him which he serves. Which every wise and vertuous man attains:Ĭities of men, or head-strong Multitudes, Passions, Desires, and Fears, is more a King Yet he who reigns within himself, and rules That for the Publick all this weight he bears. His Honour, Vertue, Merit and chief Praise, In Paradise Regained, for example, Satan’s temptations lead Jesus to this meditation on the true virtue of kings. The epic poems of John Milton (1608-1674)– Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes–unite erudite recountings of their biblical subjects with explorations of the complex political landscape of 17th century England. Found in The Poetical Works of John Milton
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