Milton and the "intelligible flame": "Sweet converse" in the poetry and prose

In 1638 and 1639, two books for women by Jacques DuBoscq were translated into English; and in 1692, the translation of his The Complete Woman was reissued under the title The Excellent Woman as an answer to critics who had attacked his generous and sympathetic attitude toward women in the earlier edition, particularly his failure to distinguish between the sexes on matters of education, conversation, and decorum, and his sharp judgments on the social reasons why women's intellectual scope and worldly accomplishments are limited. DuBoscq's response faults men for giving poor educations to their daughters and for encouraging false values by assigning trivial, unchallenging tasks: "Why might they not learn Physick and Chirugery, as well as Cookery... [or] why may not they learn Languages as well as we? Whenever they set well about it, they commonly do it better than we can" (v, vi). DuBoscq devotes early chapters in both editions to conversation and the strenuous reading necessary to make it lively; and he, like Milton, is against silence in a woman (47). DuBoscq's The Accomplish'd Woman (1638; translated into English 1656), stresses many of these points while bearing a title that echoes like a commonplace in Milton's phrase, "Accomplish'd Eve" (4.660).

When it comes to titles, few are more wonderful than Anthony Gibson's A woman's woorth, defended against all the men in the world. Prooving them to be more perfect, excellent and absolute in all vertuous actions, then any man of what qualitie soever. Written by one that hath heard much, seen much, but knowes a great deal more. While the booka translation probably from the French-is an obvious parody of the flattery often bestowed upon female patrons and relies on examples ad absurdum to counterbalance Medieval and Renaissance anti-feminine diatribes, it is still an amazing read because the male writer sustains-- even if only as a tour de force-an entire book praising women in all areas of achievement. The author turns to the ancients for support, and his deadpan scholarly zeal in satiric enterprise seems to have convinced the writer himself (2-8). On the subject of eloquence, he declares that women are more capable of debating cases and of exercising the imaginative faculty, both said to be the "happiest functions of the soule" (4). Women also have "greater wisdome in their speech" because they are not so choleric as men; then the "scholar" offers proof from history to demonstrate that women engaged in great conversations (19, 20). It may be too much to suggest that Milton knew of Gibson's translation, but the title reverberates in Adam's bitter speech: "Thus it shall befall / Him who to worth in Woman overtrusting / Lets her Will rule" (Paradise Lost 9.1182-84). And while undermining parodic humor or the foolishness of "overtrusting," Milton nevertheless allows for trusting. Something was in the air

From the number of editions and translations of such books published in England, I think it is reasonable to consider that all or some of the six women who at various times were around the poet-women whose possible points of view need to be considered without unduly quick or superficial "stereotyping"-might well have heard of or even owned and read from books favorable to their sex.