Context and publication of Poems, 1645

Leonie Knight, Fiona Rafla and Francesca Walker

The publisher

Poems of Mr John Milton (1645) was published by Humphrey Moseley

Mosely also published works by John Donne and Sir Francis Bacon

His imprint survives on 314 books today

Republican politics

Moseley was known to be a Royalist and tended to publish works by writers who were also Royalist

However, he published Milton’s work Do Poems show Milton’s Republican

politics? YES: works contained in it, such as

Lycidas do show radical puritan ideas NO: format of poetry (masque)

traditionally Royalist form

Moseley’s influence

Milton's Poems was also part of a series of single-author collections of poetry and drama published by Humphrey Moseley during the 1640s and 1650s

It is often seen as a collaboration between the two men

Also up to debate is whose idea was it to make a duple book? Milton’s, or Moseley’s? The book is clearly split into two parts, which both contain their own title page and page numbering

the tw

o title

pag

es

English

Latin

As the book was divided into works in English and works in Latin...

Two different title pages were produced.

The frontispiece Moseley commissioned

William Marshall to do an engraving of Milton

Written around the oval border is "John Milton, Englishman pictured at age twenty-one."

Milton was 37 at the time and looks older in the engraving

Around the outside of the oval portrait there are depictions of four muses: Melpomene patron of tragedy and lyre playing, Erato patron of lyric and erotic poetry or hymns, Urania patron of astronomy, and Clio patron of history.

The frontispiece continued...

Although the engraving was not very good, Milton did not refuse it.

Instead, he had the clearly ‘Greekless’ Marshall engrave some Greek words below it.

Translation of the Greek words

That an unskillful hand had carved this printYou'd say at once, seeing the living face;But, finding here no jot of me, my friends,Laugh at the botching artist's mis-attempt. (trans. David Masson, The Life of John Milton [1965], 3: 459)

The engraving was not used in a later edition of the poems in 1673 but the Greek inscription was used as a separate item.

The Stationer To The Reader

The collection also contains what acts like a preface by Humprey Moseley which he titles ‘The Stationer to the Reader’

The Stationer to the Reader

In this he uses various rhetoric techniques to persuade the reader of the worth of the collection. › He praises the readers by comparing them to ‘ingenious men’.› Appeals to patriotism by flattering the English: ‘wonted honour and esteem of

our English tongue’› He ‘name drops’› He refers to previous work that he has publisher

› A full translation of The Stationer to the Reader is available at: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/1645_title/index.shtml

› Images of The Stationer to the Reader are available at: http://eebo.chadwyck.com

Useful websites/sources

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119990875/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/rouse/notes.shtml 

http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/shakespeareandthebook/studyenv/author02.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_milton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphrey_Moseley

http://eebo.chadwyck.com (for images) http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/rea

ding_room/1645_title

Civil War developments 1644-5

Parliamentary leader and great orator John Pym had died in Dec 1643

1644 was the year the civil war started to turn in favour of parliament.

Charles started the war with more money and better resources, however they were short term monetary sources, and parliament had possession of the richer part of the country for taxation.

Jan-June 1644 - 20 000 troops invade from Scotland. Fairfax captures Irish Royalist troops

March 1644 King’s South-West troops captured.

  2 July – Battle of Marsden Moor – massive

Parliamentary victory, 4000 royalists dead, 1500 prisoner, 400 parliamentary soldiers lost. Parliament took the North of England as a result. Cromwell’s infamy established.

Cromwell proposes national army

Feb 1645 – The New Model Army

Parliament passed an ordinance to establish a conscripted, paid professional army. Army headed by Thomas Fairfax (previously armies were sporadic when needed and were not professionally trained.)

Key turning point in the politics of the 17C army was key in the political movements after the capture of the kind and throughout the protectorate.

Cromwell appointed head of Cavalry in NMA

June 1645 Battle of Naseby – Parliament now controlled the whole of

Northern England, Charles had few men and little money

Fairfax’s NMA 14 000men Vs Charles’ 7500 July 1645 Battle of Longport NMA 10 000men Royalists 1000men Charles’ letters captured at Naseby and

published by Parliament – Charles lost lots of support.

Sept 1645 – Final defeat of Scottish Royalists

Civil war was to end in 1646.

1645 was a really good time to be a Royalist, war was starting to turn their way and their political aspirations were starting to look attainable.