Christopher Hill - The Experience of Defeat - Milton and Some Contemporaries

In this book I have modernized seventeenth-century spelling and punctuation (except for titles of books and pamphlets); years are given in the new style. I have tried to give references for any statements made, except for biographical facts to be found in the Dictionary of National Biography.

In the past I have thanked employers for allowing me leave of absence. Since my, retirement my gratitude goes to those who have given me employmentthe Open University from 1978 to 1980, where I was a Visiting Professor and member of a team producing a course on seventeenth-century English civilization; the Humanities Research Centre of the Australian National University, Canberra, and Rutgers University, New Jersey, at each of which I was a Visiting Professor for three months of 1981. I am most grateful to colleagues and students at these institutions for useful discussions on (among many other things) some of the ideas in this bookespecially to Cicely Havely, Ann Hughes (now at Lancaster University), Arnold Kettle, Anne Laurence, Bob Owens, John Purkis and Kevin Wilson of the Open University. I am still benefiting from a seminar on Milton which I gave at the Folger Library in 1976: Joan Bennett, Georgia Christopher, Joseph Martin, Jean Moss, Jason Rosenblatt, Florence Sandler and Brenda Szittya continue to ply me with ideas, many of which have been incorporated in this book.

I have greatly profited from the generosity of fellow scholars who allowed me to read work in progress, particularly Hugh Barbour, Alan Cole, Jackie DiSalvo, Ian Donaldson, J. R. Jacob, A. M. Johnson, Nicholas Jose, John Laydon, J. F. McGregor, Ruth Perry, Gary Puckrein, Barry Reay, Sheila Reynolds, Paul Salzman, David Taylor and C. M. Williams. I have also benefited from discussing the seventeenth century with W. M. Lamont, Peter Linebaugh, Gill Parker, Lady Radzinowicz, Marcus Rediker, Stella Revard, Judith Richards, Judith Sproxton and John Walter. I hope I have acknowledged in the footnotes where I am conscious of having drawn on their ideas. My thanks go especially to Alan Cole, whose splendid essay on The Quakers and Politics, 165260 started me thinking on the subject of this book nearly thirty years ago; to J. R. Jacob, whose work I have pillaged shamelessly in Chapter Eight, section 3; and to Bernard Capp (Chapter Three, section 1) and Barry Reay (Chapter Five). Penelope Corfield gave me much needed encouragement at an early stage. Austin Woolrych read the whole typescript and saved me from many howlers as well as generously suggesting useful improvements. But none of them bears any responsibility for what has emerged.

Diana Levinson very kindly read the proofs.

In the past I fear I have always taken Balliol College Library for granted: I should like to make amends by thanking very warmly the successive LibrariansVincent Quinn and Penny Bulloughand Alan Tadiello for innumerable patient kindnesses over many years. My warmest thanks, not for the first time, go to Bridget for unfailing help, counsel, stimulus and support.

C. H.
March 1983