146:, he defines as "the apt and cheerful conversation of man with woman, to comfort and refresh him against the evils of solitary life". Milton argues that if a couple be "mistak'n in their dispositions through any error, concealment, or misadventure" for them "spight of antipathy to fadge together, and combine as they may to their unspeakable wearisomnes and despaire of all sociable delight" violates the purpose of marriage as mutual companionship.
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The
Westminster Confession of Faith states: 'Adultery or fornication, committed after a contract, being detected before marriage, giveth just occasion to the innocent party to dissolve that contract. In the case of adultery after marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce, and
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to modern readers, since the second edition's amplifications nearly characterise it as a separate argument, and a less personal one at that. Though Milton's full name appeared on neither title page, he did sign the epistle "To the
Parlament of England" added to the second edition. He was denounced in
284:
on the matter of divorce, arguing that it was a private matter. Despite the contentious nature of the topic, the
Assembly and Parliament did not censure him; in fact, the Assembly, which acted with the full authority of Parliament in religious matters, allowed for divorce in the Confession of Faith
129:
or impotence, or separations could be obtained). However, divorce may have been unofficially condoned in cases of desertion or adultery. On the whole, England remained "the worst of all worlds, largely lacking either formal controls over marriage or satisfactory legal means of breaking it".
84:
Within a few years of the controversy that surrounded Milton, the contentious nature of the issue had settled. The
Westminster Confession of Faith, which was written between 1643 and 1652 by contemporaries of Milton, allows for divorce in cases of infidelity and abandonment
207:. By finding support for his views among Protestant writers, Milton hoped to sway the members of Parliament and Protestant ministers who had condemned him. Among Milton's divorce tracts, this is the only one that obtained a prepublication licence.
65:, was extremely controversial and religious figures sought to ban his tracts. Although the tracts were met with nothing but hostility and he later rued publishing them in English at all, they are important for analysing the relationship between
97:
The immediate spark for Milton's writing of the tracts was his desertion by his newly married wife, Mary Powell. In addition to the testimony of early biographers, critics have detected Milton's personal psychosexual situation in passages of
142:
19:3–9, much of Milton's argument hangs on his view of human nature and the purpose of marriage, which rather than the traditional ends of procreation or a remedy against
300:' community in Britain at that time. 120 members were leaders in the Church of England, 30 were lay delegates and 6 were commissioners from the Church of Scotland.
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world. This tract is the largest and most ponderous of Milton's arguments of divorce, consisting of over 100 pages. Its
Scriptural emphasis anticipates that of
160:. Its first edition was printed in August 1643, and then a much expanded, also unlicensed second edition came out in 1644. Editors debate how to present
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75:. Spanning three years characterised by turbulent changes in the English printing business, they also provide an important context for the publication of
61:
from 1643 to 1645. They argue for the legitimacy of divorce on grounds of spousal incompatibility. Arguing for divorce at all, let alone a version of
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in print. An anonymous pamphlet appeared in
November 1644 that vigorously attacked Milton's argument. Milton argued that Christ did not abrogate the
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reveals that he had been thinking about divorce beforehand, a fact that qualifies the biographical explanation.
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The
Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: Restor'd to the Good of Both Sexes, From the Bondage of Canon Law
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would reform
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in March 1645 in response to an anonymous pamphlet attacking the first edition of
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consists mostly of Milton's translations of pro-divorce arguments from the
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after the divorce to marry another, as if the offending party were dead.'
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446:(London: 1634), p. 217.; Ernest Sirluck, "Introduction," in John Milton,
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appeared in March 1645, after Milton had published his defence of
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Achievements of the Left Hand: Essays on the Prose of John Milton
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James H. Hanford, "The
Chronology of Milton's Private Studies,"
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24:1, because in Matthew 19, he was specifically addressing the
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450:, vol. 2 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), pp. 145–46
404:, ed. Annabel Patterson (London: Longman, 1992), pp. 87–101.
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a sermon given before Parliament in August 1644 by preacher
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1:27–28, Deuteronomy 24:1, Matthew 5:31–32 and 19:2–9, and
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John T. Shawcross, "A Survey of Milton's Prose Works." In
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Making Meaning: Printers of the Mind and Other Essays,
230:, in the interim. The title means "four-stringed" in
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D. F. McKenzie, "The London Book Trade in 1644," in
400:Annabel Patterson, "No Meer Amatorious Novel?" in
33:refer to the four interlinked polemical pamphlets—
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347:. Boston (Mass): Houghton Mifflin. p. 928.
296:The Assembly was a broad representation of the '
287:'Of Marriage and Divorce,' Chapter 24, Section 5
260:Meaning "rod of punishment" in Greek, the brief
463:(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), p. 11.
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821:Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce
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109:The broader context lay in the hope that
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36:The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
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280:In August 1643, Milton addressed the
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27:Pamphlets by John Milton
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320:English Reformation
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831:Colasterion
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179:Deuteronomy
144:fornication
59:John Milton
54:Colasterion
1015:Categories
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331:References
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721:L'Allegro
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119:canon law
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635:Politics
630:Religion
567:Text of
475:Milton,
304:See also
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298:Puritan
236:Genesis
140:Matthew
93:Context
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613:Topics
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175:Mosaic
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