Milton’s Century is now at-press with Wildside
Publications. It is a massive book, some 700 pages, that attempts a timeline of
the literary, political, religious, and social context of John Milton’s life. Entries
for some of the years extend over as many as a dozen pages, including
explanatory notes and annotations.
As a kind of
preview to the book, I am posting the entry for one of the more fascinating
years, 1674, the year of Milton’s death.
I chose this year
in part because it gives clear examples of how Milton’s Century is arranged: general events germane to Milton’s
life (in boldface); significant publications for which I could find no specific
dates; general biographical and historical information; then a timeline of
specific events during the year. I’ve deleted the notes because they proved too
difficult to format for Collings Notes.
I also chose it
because is a highly significant year in terms of literary history. Four key
writers died in 1674. The first, on October 10, was Thomas Traherne. Traherne
was essentially the last of the 17th Century Metaphysical poets,
following the trail blazed by John Donne, George Herbert, John Cleveland, and
others. He was a priest, at times secretary to the Lord Keeper of the Seal. At
his death, he has published almost nothing, and as a poet he was unknown until
the 20th century, when manuscripts of his works as transcribed by
his brother were discovered. With their publication, it became apparent that
the Metaphysical movement had more immediate consequences during the century
than previously anticipated. Beyond that, he is simply an intriguing poet with
an Escher-like imagination that invited readers to view their world from
unexpected perspectives.
On October 15,
Robert Herrick died at the remarkable age of 83. Nearly thirty years before, during
the English Civil War, he had published a single book of verse, Hesperides. The volume contained literally
hundreds of short verse lyrics in the Cavalier mode, including the classic carpe diem poem that begins “Gather ye
rosebuds while ye may.” His death was essentially the last breath of a literary
movement that included Sir Richard Lovelace and Edmund Waller and that gave
voice to the Royalist worldview.
On December 19,
Edward Hyde, the 1st Earl of Clarendon, died. The father-in-law of King
James II and grandfather of Queens Mary and Anne, he was one of the pioneers of
what might be called modern historical writing. His History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England looks
forward to the great histories of the next century, including
Gibbons History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
And on November 8 (a month shy of his 66th
birthday), John Milton, called by many the last true Renaissance poet.
With him died an epoch and a world view
that had served writers for nearly half a millennium. I could say much more
about him, but that would take up far too much time and space. Suffice it to
say that he was arguably one of the four greatest poets in Western culture (the
others being Homer, Virgil, and Dante), the greatest poet in the English
language, and one of the most influential writers on the formation and
direction of the modern world.
All four of these 17th century
writers either ended or began a mode of seeing the world and exploring it
through words…and they died within three months of each other, most likely each
unaware of the others’ deaths and, in Traherne’s case at least, of their
writings.
Enough background. For anyone who has persisted
reading this essay to this point, here is the truly important part—a hint of
what students of the period will find in Milton’s Century:
1674
Milton referred to as a “great agent of libertinism”
Christopher Milton serves as a M.P. (also 1676 and 1679)
Robert Barclay, The Anarchy of the Ranters, Quaker
treatise
Nicholas Boileau, Le Lutrin; Art Poétique
Robert Boyle, Suspicions about some hidden Qualities in
the Air
Thomas Flatman, Poems, published (4 augmented editions
by 1688)
Elkanah Settle, Notes and Observations on the Empress of
Morocco Revised, response to John Dryden, Thomas Shadwell, and John Crowne
Samuel Vincent, The Young Gallants’ Academy
William Wycherley, The Plain Dealer, stages at Lincoln’s
Inn
Nicholas Rowe b. (d. 1718),
Poet-Laureate and first biographer of William Shakespeare
Elizabeth Singer b.
Isaac Watts b. (d. 1748), hymnist
Marriage proposed between William of
Orange and Princess Mary, first cousins and grandchildren of King James I
Jan 7 — Margaret Lucas Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle,
buried
Jan 29 — Sir William Temple, Upon the Excesses of Grief, written to
the Countess of Essex
Feb 9/19 — Peace of Westminster signed, concluding the
Anglo-Dutch War, Parliament having refused to vote Charles II further monies to
continue hostilities
Feb 28 — Elkanah Settle m. Mary Warner
Mar 25 — The King’s Company opens new theater in Drury Lane
— Mary Lee m. George Chudleigh (later 3rd
Baron Chudleigh)
Spring — Mary Beatrice of Modena suffers her first of eight
miscarriages
Apr — Thomas Shadwell, The Tempest, performed (published 1674)
Apr 17 — John Dryden’s dramatization in rhymed couplets of Paradise Lost, The State of Innocence and
the Fall of Man, registered
Apr 23 — John Dryden, revival of Marriage a la Mode
May — Nathaniel Lee, The Tragedy of Nero, produced
May 26 (?)— John Milton, Joannis
Miltoni Angli Epistolarum Familiarium liber unus: quibus accesserunt ejusdem
jam olim in collegio adolescentis prolusiones quaedam oratoriæ (Familiar
Letters), identified as being by Joannes
Miltonus, Anglus, echoing his quarter-century old controversy with Salmasius
and reminding his readership of his identity; published by Brabazon Aylmer
— John Milton, Prolusions (College exercises—see issue above)
Jul (?)— John Milton, A
Declaration, or Letters Patents of the Election of this present King of Poland,
John the Third (John Sobieski, King of Poland), Elected on the 22d
of May last past, Anno Dom. 1674…., translated by Milton, published anonymously
by Brabazon Aylmer; Milton’s last publication during his lifetime
Jun 25 — Sir Orlando Bridgeman, former lord Keeper of the
Seal, d., in retirement in Teddington
Jul 3 — Sir Orlando Bridgeman buried, in Teddington
Jul 6 (?)— John Milton, Paradise
Lost. A Poem in Twelve Books. The Author John Milton. The Second Edition
Revised and Augmented by the Same Author, with dedicatory poem by Andrew
Marvell
Jul 14 — James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, appointed Chancellor
of Cambridge University
Jul 20 (?)— Milton makes oral will;
his health declining seriously
Jul 27 — Anthony à Wood, Historia et Antiquitates Universitatis
Oxoniensis (History and Antiquities of Oxford University), published,
Latin rendition of Wood’s history of the university: “My book published at
Oxon. Full of base things put in by Dr. John Fell to please his partial humor
and undo the author....”
Sep 27 — Thomas Traherne makes his will
Oct 10 — Thomas Traherne buried beneath the reading desk, Teddington
Church
Oct 15 — Robert Herrick buried (b. 1591), at Dean Prior
Nov — Elkanah Settle, Love and Revenge, drama, performed (published
1675)
Nov 8 — John Milton, poet, d., in Bunhill, London
Nov 12 — Milton buried near his father at St. Giles, Cripplegate,
London
Dec — Calysto, masque,
performed at Court by ladies only, with Princess Mary taking the title role
Dec 19 — Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, former Lord Chancellor
of England, d. in Rouen, still an exile from England
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