
The History of Britain
by John Milton
'The History of Britain' Summary
A reader of this history, encountering the frequent references to “my author,” meaning the current source, will be reminded of DON QUIXOTE and of THE MORTE D'ARTHUR, for Milton employs a style that might be called dissertational rather than novelistic; he carefully identifies his sources and often quotes from them. However, much of the scholarly documentation has been omitted from the reading—all except footnotes indicating the years—to avoid cumbersome interruptions.
What will be obvious to a listener, though, is that Milton uses earlier chronicles with discretion. He doubts the very existence of Arthur and proposes an ingenious explanation of the origin of his supposed father's name, Uther. When obliged to cite George Buchanan, the world-renowned neo-Latin author and tutor (later detractor) of Mary Queen of Scots, he regularly uses more than a grain of salt, in view of that scholar’s Scottish bias.
And as he carefully weighs the reliability of his sources, so he offers his candid opinion of the wisdom and integrity of historical figures. He sneers at the story of King Canute’s famously commanding the rising tide of waves to retire, but not for the reason one might suppose. Boadicea gets low marks, Alfred high ones—but not without some reservations. And in a long digression comparing the government of Britain, newly freed from Roman domination, to the British republic under Cromwell (for which, as Secretary of the Foreign Tongues, Milton was the voice), his criticism is so frank and savage that the passage had to be suppressed during his lifetime. Such personal opinions are what make this book entertaining and useful for the serious study of the author’s thought and personality.
The endearingly affectionate life of the author, written by his elder nephew, Edward Philips, offers much first-hand information although its facts are not always accurate and its coverage spotty. One learns nothing, for example, about Milton’s visit to the home of Galileo, but Philips's discussion of the role his cousins played in their father’s scholarly pursuits is detailed and affords no basis to the myth that he ever dictated his poetry to his daughters.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1670Author

John Milton
England
John Milton was an English poet and intellectual who served as a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under its Council of State and later under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religio...
More on John MiltonDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Chronicles of Canada Volume 06 - The Great Intendant: A Chronicle of Jean Talon in Canada 1665-1672 by Thomas Chapais
Talon worked closely with lieutenant-general Prouville de Tracy to achieve the surrender of the Iroquois in 1627, thereby ending the threat that had h...

Historical Tales, Vol IV: English by Charles Morris
Volume IV of a series containing anecdotes and stories, some well-known, others less so, of particular countries. This fourth volume covers the histor...

The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 07 by Charles Francis Horne
A comprehensive and readable account of the world's history, emphasizing the more important events, and presenting these as complete narratives in the...

A Half Century of Conflict, Volume 1 by Francis Parkman
Francis Parkman (1823-1893) is one of the great nineteenth century United States historians along with William Prescott, John Lothrop Motley, George B...

Daniel Boone, the pioneer of Kentucky by John Stevens Cabot Abbott
This is a detailed biography of the life and adventures of Daniel Boone. His accomplishments are brushed over in history classes these days and not gi...

Herodotus' Histories Vol 3 by Herodotus of Halicarnassus
The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus is considered the first work of history in Western literature. Written about 440 BC, the Histories tell th...

The Discovery of New Worlds by M.B. Synge
This is the second volume in the series, The Story of the World, which covers the period of history from the rise of Rome to the Conquest of Peru. Alo...

History Of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Vol. 2 by Gaston Maspero
History Of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria is the masterwork of one of the fathers of modern egyptology. This work, in twelve volumes, w...

From the Foundation of the City Vol. 01 by Titus Livius
Ab urbe condita, is a monumental history of ancient Rome written in the Latin language by Titus Livius(Livy), an ancient Roman historian. The work cov...

History Of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Vol. 3 by Gaston Maspero
History Of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria is the masterwork of one of the fathers of modern Egyptology. This work, in twelve volumes, w...
Reviews for The History of Britain
No reviews posted or approved, yet...