This is true Liberty when free born men / Having to advise the public may speak free, / Which he who can, and will, deserv’s high praise, / Who neither can nor will, may hold his peace; / What can be juster in a State than this?
—
Euripid. Hicetid.
Harvard Classics, Vol. 3, Part 3
Areopagitica Order of the Long Parliament for the Regulating of Printing, 14 June, 1643 A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing
John Milton
This written oration responds to attempts of the day to “license,” or ban, religious and political writings; however, it remains the starting point for freedom of the press debate.
