ABSTRACT
Milton's images of Chinese history and language exemplify the liberal cosmopolitanism he expounds in Areopagitica. But as to be shown in this chapter, his representation of the Mongols’ imperial model seems to demonstrate the limitations of his cosmopolitan tolerance. Milton's envisioning of a political settlement in the rule of the Son in his epic poems derives from a rejection of the imperial governance represented by the Mongol Empire, a rejection that appears to modify the liberal cosmopolitanism he propounds in Areopagitica and suggested in his responses to Chinese history and language. This modification does not, however, negate his intellectual openness to alien political models. For Milton, the global imperialism embodied by the Mongol Empire serves as both a testing stone for England's political experiment and a warning sign for its imperial outreach. So rather than compromising his cosmopolitanism, Milton's reception of the Mongol imperial model indicates a discerning cosmopolitanism that seeks to extract useful political lessons through cultural comparison and critical assessment.
