John Milton was the second eldest son born to the union of senior John Milton and Sara Jeffrey. He was born on 9 December 1608 in London. Milton lived with his family in a house located very close to St. Paul's Cathedral. John Milton Sr. was able to afford a private tutor for John because he acquired some wealth through his work as a legal secretary. Milton's father prepared and notarized legal documents, was a loan officer, and worked as a real estate agent. Milton Sr.'s income allowed him to provide Milton with an education in classical languages ​​(Joiken). Milton was taught at home until the age of twelve. Five years later he was admitted to Cambridge college where he was suspended after a year for an altercation with his tutor (Joiken). Milton spent the next six years at home teaching himself a postgraduate course (Kermode 1206). It was during this period and during his absence from Cambridge that he began to write poetry. Milton earned his bachelor's degree from Christ's College (Kermode). He eventually earned his master's degree at Cambridge in 1632 (Joiken)Milton married Mary Powell in 1642 and separated after only three months of marriage. She returned three years later, but died during childbirth. Their marriage lasted ten years (Kermode 1207). Milton then married Katherine Woodcock four years after his first wife's death. They remained married for two years until her death, four months after the death of their infant daughter, Katherine. In 1663, Milton married his third wife, Elizabeth Minshull. They remained married until his death (Shawcross x-xi). To support his family, Milton opened a school in London to give private lessons. Initially he only had two students who were his nephews (Kermode 1207). Milton's listener... in the center of the paper... Lines 11-14 strongly suggest that Milton strained his eyes and used all his power to write his literary works, but reminded us that he is "pleased, though blind" in following the will of God. Works Cited Hollander, John and Kermode, Franco. The literature of Renaissance England. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973. Joiken, Anniina. "Life of John Milton." Luminarium: Anthology of English literature. June 21, 2006. Kermode, Frank and John Hollander, ed., ed. The Oxford Anthology of English Literature. From the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century. vol. 1. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973. 2 vols. McDonnell, Helen, et al. ENGLAND in Literature. Medallion ed. Glenview: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1982. Shawcross, John T. The Complete Poetry of John Milton. New York: Double Day, 1963.