John Milton was born in Bread Street, London, on 9 December 1608. His mother, Sarah, was the daughter of a merchant-tailor; his father, also named John Milton, was a scrivener and moneylender, and an amateur composer of music. They had one older child, Milton’s sister Anne.

Milton’s early life was financially comfortable. He was taught at home by various tutors, including Thomas Young, then studied at St Paul’s School under Alexander Gill, then in February 1625 was admitted to Christ’s College, Cambridge where his tutor was the erudite William Chappell. The sixteen-year old Milton entered the wider world as the foundations of government trembled: in 1625 King James died and was succeeded by his son Charles I who then married a

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First published 30 March 2001

Citation: Raymond, Joad. "John Milton". The Literary Encyclopedia. 30 March 2001.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5163, accessed 9 February 2010.]