This paper helps us to understand how Miltion defends the freedom of speech against the censoring of books before they are published. The Licensing Order of 1643, which mandated that all publications be approved by the official censor before being published, is protested against and called into question in John Milton's Areopagitica. Milton praises Parliament's track record of safeguarding liberty to start his case. He continues by explaining how ancient Greek and Roman society placed a great priority on having a free press. Milton also gives instances of censorship-based tyranny, such as the Roman Catholic Church. Milton criticises the Catholic church because he is a Puritan. He issues a warning that Parliament might be following in the footsteps of the Spanish Inquisition or the tyrannical censorship of Roman Catholicism. Since it questions the notion of censoring books before they are published, it is generally recognised as the first ardent defence of free speech.