102:& naturall sloth which is really unfit for conversation; nor is there that freedom of accesse granted or presum'd, as may suffice to a perfect discerning till too late: and where any indisposition is suspected, what more usuall than the perswasion of friends, that acquaintance, as it encreases, will amend all. And lastly, it is not strange though many who have spent their youth chastly, are in some things not so quick-sighted, while they hast too eagerly to light the nuptiall torch; nor is it therefore that for a modest error a man should forfeit so great a happiness, and no charitable means to release him.
207:, and it is possible that the polygamy comment is in reference to rumours of Milton's pursuit of Miss Davis. This rumour continued to prevail, and Anne Sadleir, in a letter to Roger Williams in 1654, writes, "For Milton's book that you desire I should read, if I be not mistaken, that is he that has wrote a book of the lawfulness of divorce; and if report say true, he had, at that time, two or three wives living."
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The
Doctrine & Discipline of Divorce : Restor'd to the good of both sexes, from the bondage of canon law and other mistakes to the true meaning of Scripture in the Law and Gospel compar'd : wherein also are set down the bad consequences of abolishing or condemning of Sin, that which the
280:
The
Doctrine & Discipline of Divorce : Restor'd to the good of both sexes, from the bondage of canon law and other mistakes to the true meaning of Scripture in the Law and Gospel compar'd : wherein also are set down the bad consequences of abolishing or condemning of Sin, that which the
63:
Milton married in Spring 1642, and shortly after, his wife Marie Powell, left him and returned to live with her mother. The legal statutes of
England did not allow for Milton to apply for a divorce and he resorted to promoting the lawfulness of divorce. Although the laws did not change, he wrote four
142:
Who can be ignorant that woman was created for man, and not man for woman; and that a husband may be inju'd as insufferably in mariage as a wife. What an injury is it after wedlock not to be belov'd, what to be slighted, what to be contended with a point of house-rule who shall be the head, not for
119:
if that mistake have done injury, it fails not to dismisse with recompense, for to retain still, and not to be able to love, is to heap up more injury... He therfore who lacking his due in the most native and humane end of mariage, thinks it better to part then to live sadly and injuriously to that
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that for all the wariness can be us'd, it may yet befall a discreet man to be mistak'n in his choice: and we have plenty of examples. The sobrest and best govern'd men are lest practiz'd in these affairs; and who knows not that the bashfull mutenes of a virgin may oft-times hide all the unlivelines
84:
was published on 1 August 1643, and a revised edition followed on 2 February 1644. A second revision was published in 1645. The work was, according to his nephew Edward
Phillips, started from a collection of arguments supporting divorce that would reinforce him emotionally and psychologically while
110:
that desire which God saw it was not good that men should be left alone to burn in; the desire and longing to put off an unkindly solitarines by uniting another body, but not without a fit soule to his in the cheerfull society of wedlock. Which if it were so needfull before the fall, when man was
28:
on 1 August 1643. An expanded second edition was published on 2 February 1644. The editions were published anonymously, and his name was not associated with the text until they were denounced before
Parliament in August 1644. Milton's basic scriptural argument is that
96:
argues for the ability to have a second chance at marriage. In particular, Milton claims, in Book I, Chapter III, that no one can always know the disposition of their spouse before they enter into marriage. In particular, he argues in a very personal way:
133:
when points of difficulty are to be discusst, appertaining to the removall of unreasnable wrong and burden from the perplext life of our brother, it is incredible how cold, how dull, and farre from all fellow feeling we are, without the spurre of
72:
on divorce. Although it is impossible to know why exactly Powell separated from Milton, it is possible that Powell's family, a strong royalist family, caused a political difference that was exacerbated by the
111:
much more perfect in himself, how much more is it needfull now against all the sorrows and casualties of this life to have an intimate and speaking help, a ready and reviving associate in marriage
106:
Milton's argument progresses to merging ideas in
Genesis and the epistles of Paul to argue, in Chapter IV, that the burning described by Paul was a longing to be united with a spouse:
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law of God allows and Christ abolisht not; Now the second time Revis'd, and much
Augmented, in Two Books: in Two Books to the Parliament of England, with the Assembly; the Author J.M.
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law of God allows and Christ abolisht not; Now the second time Revis'd, and much
Augmented, in Two Books: in Two Books to the Parliament of England, with the Assembly; the Author J.M.
85:
separated from his wife. Although he originally sought only a legal separation from his wife, his research convinced him that he could convince the government to legalise divorce.
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Early responses to Milton's divorce tracts placed Milton as a polygamist and rumours were spread that his motivation was towards both divorce and polygamy. On 13 August 1644,
232:(1697), describes the idea of Milton approving of divorce and polygamy as common knowledge and traces these views to Milton's problems with his wife. Nicolaus Moller, in his
115:
Milton's argument and stance on divorce continues to the point that he implies that a divorcer could actually be the one who understands and defends marriage the most:
243:
Modern critic
Annabel Patterson believed that the tract "presents a logical case for the reform of divorce law, superimposed on a subtext of emotional chaos".
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as his first tract. The first tract was created during a time of humiliation, and Milton was motivated towards writing on the topic after reading the work of
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240:, claims that "He was a great defender of the liberty of divorce (as he himself divorced himself from six wives one after the other)".
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Milton added an address to
Parliament that dismisses the possibility of self-interest as a motivator for the work, but later writes:
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cherful covnant... he I say who therfore seeks to part, is one who highly honours the married life, and would not stain it.
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He also added an explanation that divorce was not just to help wives, and in the XV chapter of Book II writes:
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The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: Restor'd to the Good of Both Sexes, From the Bondage of Canon Law
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and had possible knowledge of Milton's views on divorce and polygamy. Pierre Bayle, in his
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164:; (or for divorce for other causes then Christ and His apostles mention: Of which a
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any parity of wisdome, for that were somthing reasonable, but out of female pride.
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236:(A study of All Polygamy) (1710), lists Milton twice. An obituary for Milton in
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493:
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Vol II ed. Don Wolfe. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959.
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Although Sadleir was neither Williams' nor Milton's friend,
486:. Ed. Thomas Corns. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2003.
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Patterson, Annabel. "Milton, Marriage and Divorce" in
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160:If any plead Conscience for the Lawfulnesse of
45:he was just addressing a specific audience of
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736:Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce
33:did not abrogate the Mosaic permission for
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857:Methought I Saw my Late Espoused Saint
94:The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
82:The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
66:The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
843:When I Consider How My Light is Spent
156:read a sermon to Parliament stating:
64:tracts on the topic of divorce, with
16:Book by John Milton published in 1643
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470:John Milton among the Polygamophiles
769:The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates
594:On the Morning of Christ's Nativity
477:Complete Prose Works of John Milton
472:. New York: Loewenthal Press, 1974.
731:Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
230:Dictionaire Historique et Critique
205:Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
203:The book in question was Milton's
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850:On the Late Massacre in Piedmont
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708:The Reason of Church-Government
238:Allgemeine Schau-buhne der Welt
218:, who helped Milton write his
1:
779:Defensio pro Populo Anglicano
317:– via Internet Archive.
336:Patterson 2003, pp. 282–283.
267:Patterson 2003, pp. 279–281.
908:Milton: A Poem in Two Books
447:qtd in Miller 1974, p. 135.
420:qtd in Miller 1974, p. 122.
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190:dedicate it to your selves
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789:A Treatise of Civil Power
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438:Miller 1974, pp. 122–123.
363:Milton 1959, pp. 251–253.
292:– via Google Books.
897:Edward Phillips (nephew)
698:Of Prelatical Episcopacy
713:Apology for Smectymnuus
456:Patterson 2003, p. 286.
390:Patterson 2003, p. 282.
372:Patterson 2003, p. 284.
354:Patterson 2003, p. 283.
327:Patterson 2003, p. 281.
59:Milton's divorce tracts
915:Neo-Miltonic syllabics
902:John Phillips (nephew)
875:De Doctrina Christiana
818:The History of Britain
794:The Ready and Easy Way
221:De Doctrina Christiana
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685:Antiprelatical tracts
601:Upon the Circumcision
484:A Companion to Milton
277:Milton, John (1644).
192:... will you grant a
174:deserving to be burnt
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80:The first edition of
936:Works by John Milton
892:John Milton (father)
429:Miller 1974, p. 122.
408:Milton 1959, p. 324.
399:Milton 1959, p. 226.
381:Milton 1959, p. 253.
345:Milton 1959, p. 249.
956:Books about divorce
946:Book of Deuteronomy
835:Individual sonnets
258:Miller 1974, p. 3.
951:Gospel of Matthew
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659:Paradise Regained
540:Reception history
234:De Polygamia Omni
75:English Civil War
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521:John Milton
228:(1685) and
188:to it, and
166:wicked book
26:John Milton
941:1643 books
930:Categories
555:Early life
463:References
313:25 January
194:Toleration
170:uncensured
53:Background
43:Matthew 19
636:L'Allegro
226:Nouvelles
172:, though
47:Pharisees
37:found in
867:Disputed
550:Politics
545:Religion
288:26 March
196:for all
182:impudent
162:Polygamy
885:Related
629:Lycidas
615:Arcades
35:divorce
578:Poetry
528:Topics
284:London
184:as to
178:Author
176:, who
673:Poems
622:Comus
586:Poems
247:Notes
89:Tract
31:Jesus
675:1673
588:1645
315:2017
290:2017
198:this
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