Sir
Erskine May (in his
Constitutional History of England
, 1760-1860),
'political discussion was silenced by the licenser, the Star Chamber, the dungeon, the pillory, mutilation, and branding.'
The contest between King and Commons afterwards developed the free controversial use of tracts and newspapers, but the Parliament was not more tolerant than the king, and against the narrow spirit of his time Milton rose to his utmost height, fashioning after the masterpiece of an old Greek orator who sought to stir the blood of the Athenians, his
Areopagitica
, or
Defence of the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing
. In the reign of Charles II. the Licensing Act (13 and 14 Charles II. cap. 33) placed the control of printing in the Government, confined exercise of the printer's art to London, York, and the Universities, and limited the number of the master printers to twenty. Government established a monopoly of news in the London Gazette.