Milton’s Of Education (1644) was published in the same period as his Areopagitioa and divorce tracts were issued. This implies the pamphlet is an attempt to improve personal liberty, but the tract does show a Spartan educational system rather than a...
Milton’s Of Education (1644) was published in the same period as his Areopagitioa and divorce tracts were issued. This implies the pamphlet is an attempt to improve personal liberty, but the tract does show a Spartan educational system rather than a democratic won. This apparent contradiction can be explained by the historical context surrounding its publication. Since the tract was written in a revolutionary period, it goes beyond the humanistic educational system for a peaceful period. The ideal educational system put forth by the tract, therefore, is "that which fits a man to perform justly, skilfully and magnanimously all the offices both private and publicke of peace and war." Milton’s educational idea is often compared with that of John Comenius, an educational revolutionary in Milton’s age. Comenius and his supporters exclude literature from their curriculum, while Milton includes it in his curriculum. Thus, as far as his idea of education is concerned, Milton shows a kind of practical humanism.