Milton's Tercentenary An address delivered before the Modern Language Club of Yale University on Milton's Three Hundredth Birthday.

Delivered to Yale’s Modern Language Club on the poet’s three‑century birthday, this address opens by placing Milton beside the great epics of Homer and Dante, while acknowledging the flood of later poets who have vied for his esteem. The speaker argues that despite shifting critical fashions, Milton’s rhythmic mastery and unflagging diction keep his work towering like an immutable mountain. Listeners are invited to hear a thoughtful appraisal that explains why the English‑speaking world still regards him as the second‑greatest poet after Shakespeare.

The talk then turns to Milton’s own life, sketching his fierce involvement in the political and religious debates of his age and his prolific work as pamphleteer, journalist, and prose commentator. By quoting passages from his essays and from Paradise Lost, the speaker shows how the poet’s moral virtues—fortitude, justice, and a bold prudence—infuse both his verse and his public writings. For anyone who loves poetry or wants a vivid portrait of a man whose art and character still shape our literary heritage, this lecture offers an accessible yet richly detailed tribute.