John Phillips

Author

1631 – 1706

 Credit ยป
89

Who was John Phillips?

John Phillips was an English author, the brother of Edward Phillips, and a nephew of John Milton.

Anne Phillips, mother of John and Edward, was the sister of John Milton, the poet. In 1652, John Phillips published a Latin reply to the anonymous attack on Milton entitled Pro Rege et populo anglicano. He appears to have acted as unofficial secretary to Milton, but, unable to obtain regular political employment, and chafing against the discipline he was under, he published in 1655, a bitter attack on Puritanism entitled a Satyr against Hypocrites. In 1656, he was summoned before the privy council for his share in a book of licentious poems, Sportive Wit, which was suppressed by the authorities, but almost immediately replaced by a similar collection, Wit and Drollery.

In Montelion he ridiculed the astrological almanacs of William Lilly. Two other skits of this name, in 1661 and 1662, also full of course royalist wit, were probably by another hand. In 1678, he supported the agitation of Titus Oates, writing on his behalf, says Anthony Wood, many lies and villanies. Dr Oates's Narrative of the Popish Plot indicated it was the first of these tracts.

We need you!

Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!

Born
1631
Nationality
  • England
Profession
Died
1706

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"John Phillips." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/john_phillips_1631>.

Discuss this John Phillips biography with the community:

0 Comments

    Browse Biographies.net