?Thy soul was like a star, and dwelt apart; Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea: Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free? -- William Wordsworth John Milton (1608?74) is best known for his epic masterpiece Paradise Lost and for his commitment to the republican cause. He wrote the crucial justifications for the trial and execution of King Charles I and was Secretary for Foreign Tongues, thus becoming the voice of the Commonwealth. His influence on English literature can only be rivalled by Shakespeare.