Introduction. In Sonnet 10, Milton covers many subjects in very few lines. He refers to British politics and Greek history, while also conveying his condolences to a friend whose father, civic leader James Ley, had passed away. In the process, he draws comparisons between the Greek philosopher Isocrates and Ley, men who lived almost two millennia apart. There may also be an indirect insult aimed at Sir Francis Bacon, who in 1621 was convicted on two charges of bribery, deprived of his office (Lord Chancellor of England), fined, and imprisoned briefly in the Tower of London. Sonnet 10 serves four functions: "a tribute to an uncorrupted public official, a tribute to friendship with a woman,... an endorsement of civil duteousness in the person of Isocrates," and an attack on a corrupt public official, Francis Bacon (Flannagan 88). Milton published the sonnet without a title in 1645, but the Trinity MS has the following for a title:
To ye Lady Margaret Ley
Daughter. The poem addresses Lady Margaret Ley whose father, Sir James Ley, was titled Earl of Marlborough in 1626 by King Charles I. Lady Margaret married John Hobson in December 1641 and was, for a time, Milton's neighbor on Aldersgate Street.
good Earl. Sir James Ley (1550-1629) held many different posts in the service of Charles I: Lord Chief Justice of England (1622-24), Lord High Treasurer (1624-28), and Lord President of the Council (1628-1629).
Line 2. In the 1645 publication, there is a hand-written apostrophe (') that Milton may have added himself as he was known to have edited presentation copies of his works.
unstained with gold or fee. An allusion, by way of contrast, to Ley who had a reputation as a virtuous public official and Francis Bacon, who regularly accepted gifts. In 1621, Charles I appointed Ley to serve as Lord Chief Justice, (see Britannica). Presumably it was in this capacity, as touched upon earlier, that Ley oversaw the trial of Francis Bacon "on the charge of corruption and pronounced sentence upon him" (Variorum 2.2:383). During the trial, Bacon confessed that he received and accepted gifts from two criminals who stood before him for judgment, but denied the gifts affected his judgement. Unswayed by Bacon's vountary confession, Ley handed down a harsh sentence which included a forty-thousand pound fine, a indeterminate period of imprisonment in the Tower of London, banishment from holding state office, and exclusion from Parliament and Charles' court. Bacon commented to a friend, "I acknowledge the sentence just, and for reformation's sake fit, the justest Chancellor that hath been in the five changes since Sir Nicolas Bacon's time," but the sentence was significantly more severe than the prevailing standards required.
in himself content. When Ley retired from public service in December, 1628, he did so willingly, not because of policy disagreements with Charles, but rather because of old age.
sad breaking. Parliament was forcibly dissolved on March 2, 1629 after passing a resolution against King Charles I. The members of Parliament held the speaker in his chair while they passed three additional resolutions condemning the king's policies. The conflict between the king and Parliament broke the Lord President of the Council's spirit and may have lead to his death on March 14, 1629. See the brief history in Britannica Online (find "March 2, 1629").
dishonest. Latin inhonestus: not glorious but shameful.
At Chæronéa. At the battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE, Philip of Macedon and his Greek allies defeated a coalition of Greek states, including Athens and Thebes. The course of later history proved this battle to be a decisive turning point in Greek history. The battle is described by Diodimus in Historical Library 16.84.1.
Line 7. A hand-written change (see line 2) suggests a comma here.
Old man eloquent. Vowing not to outlive the liberty and good of Athens, the philosopher Isocrates died after the Greek city-states fell to Philip of Macedon at the battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE. See Pausanias's Description of Greece1.18.8. Milton compares this loss of Athens' ancient liberty to Ley's death following the closing of Parliament by Charles I. Both the actions of Philip and Charles were "fatal to liberty" and caused the death of honorable men. Just as Ley hoped to reconcile the differences between the King and Parliament, Isocrates appealed to Philip to unify the Greek city-states and lead them into battle against the barbaric Persians. Both men had their hopes destroyed when the leaders with whom they tried to reason took repressive actions. Although Ley and Isocrates became frustrated and eventually died because of unbearable political conditions, both men took it upon themselves to act in the best interest of their nation. Ley handed down to Bacon, a popular local hero at the time, a harsh sentence, sending a message to Englishmen that no man, regardless of class status, stands above the law. Isocrates contacted the leaders of surrounding city-states and discussed with them his idea of Panhellenism in an attempt to unify Greece and strengthen their defenses in case of invasion.
Line 8. Hand written addition (see line 2) suggests changing comma to semi-colon.
Line 10. Hand written addition (see line 2) suggests changing comma to semi-colon.
Line 12. Hand written addition (see line 2) suggests changing comma to semi-colon.
all. all that hear you.
Honour'd Margaret. Italian sonnets by Dante ("Rime, Sonnet 36": come vertu di stella margherita), Tasso (Poesie: preziosa e mirabil Margherita) and Tolomei (Preziosa e celeste Margherita) close with similar lines, using the name Margaret as a pun on margherita, meaning "pearl" in Italian.