Free Expression and Coerced Choice: The Role of the Army and Lord Protector in Miltonic Freedom

ABSTRACT Scholarly approaches to understanding freedom in Milton's prose tend to connect Milton's ideas to either liberalism or republicanism. Neither of these approaches is sufficient because freedom, for Milton, was not a single concept. Milton explored political and religious freedom very differently. Rather than focus on an abstract definition of freedom, Milton's prose tracts address practical policies for bringing about the conditions necessary for freedom; in doing so, these works separate religious freedom from political freedom based on the role of state power. In religious freedom, the state could not interfere with a Christian's conscience, while in political freedom coercion and authoritarianism were essential in Milton's prose. This difference between religious and political freedom is clearest in Milton's discussions of the army and Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Milton praised the army for both freely exploring new religious ideas in its search for truth and staging coups against regimes that reflected popular sovereignty. He also encouraged Cromwell to follow the example of the army in pursuing both religious and political freedom.