The weekly Thibodaux sentinel. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 1898-1905, 1901-11-16
Liberty of the Press.

The following extract from an argu.
ment made by John Milton to the
parliament Of England in defense of
the liberty of the press.
"First, when city shall be, as it
we're, besieged and bl. 'cked about, her
navigable rivers infested, inroads and
incursions round, defiance aud battle
oft rumored to be marching up even
to Eer walls aud suburb trenches, that
then the people, or the greater part,
more than at other times, wholly
taken up With the study Of highest
ana mot important matters to be
reformed, shssi,ia bs diApnling. -rea.
soning, reading, inrenting. discour.
sing, even 10 a rarity aud admiration,
things not before d;sccarsed or writ.
ten OF, argnes first a sing liar good.
will. contented' G q, and confidence 10
your prudent foresight, and safe
government, lord, and commons; and
from th'nce derives itself to q gal.
'ant bravery aud we'll grounded con
tcI:Ht OF their enemeis, as il there
were no small number of As great
spirits among u, as his was, who,
when Rome vas night besieged by
Hannibal, being id the city. bought
that piece of ground al no cheap rate,
whereon Hannibal himself encamped
lis own regiment. Next it is lively
and cheerful presage OF our happy
success and victory. For as in q
body, when the blood is fresh, the
spirits pure and vigorous, not only to
vital. but to rational faculties, and
those in tn" scutest, and the pertest
operations OF wit and subtlety, it ar
CUES i'll wh.t good phi ,.ht and consti.
t:ti"n ,h'. body is, so wien the cheer
fuIness OF the people IL 80 sprightly
up, ;ss that it has, not only wherewith
TO guari we'll its own freedom and
safc'y, bat to srare and to bestow
upon ths sOlidnst and sublimest points
IT controversy anil new invention, it
betOkens us not degenerated, nor
dropping 10 a fatal decay, but casting
of the Old aud wrinkled skin of cor
ruption to outlive these pangs and
wax young again, entering the glor.
IOus ways Of truth and prosperous
viItue destined to becOme great and
honorable in these latter ages
Methinks | see in my mind q noble
and puissant nation rOusing herself
like q strong man after sleep and
shaking her invincible lecks; meth,nks
l see her az an eagis Iuewlng her
mighty youth, and kindling her un.
dazzled eyes at the full midday beam;
purging and unscaIing her Iong,abused
sight at the fountain itself of heaven
lY radiance; while the whole noise of
timorous and aocking birds, with
those also that love the twilight, fiut-
ter about, amazed at what she means,
and in their envious gabbIe would
prognOsticatc . year Of sects and
schisms.
What would ye do then, should ye
suppress all this .fowery crop OF
knowledge and new light springing
daily in this city, should ye set an
oligarchy of twenty eugrossers over
1t, to bring famine upon our minds
again, when we shall know nothing
hut what is measured to Us BY their
bushelf Believe 1t, lords and com.
mons. they who counsel ye to such
suppress'ng do as good as b,d ye sup,
press yourselves; and l will soon
show how. II il be desired to know
the immediate cause of all this free
writing and free speaking, there can.
not this free writing and free speak
ing, there cannot be assigned = truer
than your own mind, and free, and
humane government; it is the liberty,
lords and commons, which your own
valorous and happy councils have
pur, hased us-liberty which is the
nurse Of all great wits; this is that
which hath rarefield and enlightened
our spirits like the influence of hea-
ven; that is that which hath enfran.
chised, enlarged, and lifted up our
apprehensiOns degrees ABOVE themse:-
YES. Ye cannot make us now less
capable, less knowing. less eagerly
pursuing of the truth, unless ys first
make yourselves, that make us so,
less the lovers, less the founders of
our true liberty. We can grow iguo-
rant again, british, formal, and slav-
ish, as ye found US; but you then
must first become that which We can.
not be, oppressive, arbitrary, and ty
rannous, as they were from whom ye
have freed US. That our hearts are
now more capacious, our thoughts
more erected to the search aad ex.
pectation OF greatest and exactest
things, is the Issue Of your own vir.
tue propagated in US; ye cannot sup
press that unless ye reinforce an
abrogated and merciless law that
fathers may dispatch at will their own
children. And who shall then stick
closest to ye, and excite Others? Not
he who takes up arms for coat and
and his four mobiles 70 Dane.
pelt. Although I disnraise mt the