Complications of Interest: Milton, Scotland, Ireland, and National Identity in 1649

Author: Joad Raymond

Source: Review of English Studies, Volume 55, Number 220, June 2004 , pp. 315-345(31)

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Abstract:

Milton's first commissioned treatise for the commonwealth, Articles of Peace … Upon all which are added Observations (1649), has attracted relatively little critical comment and fewer kind words. His attack on the Irish has been seen as a blueprint for the violence of Cromwell's reconquest of Ireland. Yet close contextualization in the politics of the archipelago, comparison among other polemics of this period, and juxtaposition with his other writings in 1649, suggest that in Observations Milton's real concerns lie not with the barbaric Irish, but with Scottish influence on English politics. He expresses misgivings about the civility of his own people that bring into question his patriotism, and he articulates anxiety about the stumbling progress of the revolution in government. The undistinguished work, which Milton never acknowledged, offers an insight into his republicanism, nationalism, and pragmatism at a critical moment in his literary career.

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2004-06-01

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The Review of English Studies is the leading scholarly journal of English literature and the English language from the earliest period to the present. Emphasis is on historical scholarship rather than interpretative criticism, though fresh readings of authors and texts are also offered in light of newly discovered sources or new interpretation of known material.