Book excerpt: Excerpt from English Prose Writings of John Milton There are omitted from this volume all the writings in which Milton replied to the Opponents of his views. The controversies of 250 years ago travelled by many paths in which we care no longer to assert a right of way. At all times, the Reformer who is answering opponents has his course of argument determined by the reason or the unreason Of other men. Forms of reply dependent upon accidents Of the attack are only to be read with measured judgment by those who have read the attack also and Often when we have read both, we have heard a sound of battle in the air that has appealed to our imaginations and disturbed our judgment. The battle Of Opinion rolls forward to new ground from century to century. The great truths are immutable, the applications Of them vary with the change of time. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.