Milton is also critical to the intellectual history of certain Western ideas which we take for granted. His Aeropagetica articulates the first (at least in English) full-throated defense of free speech, and his proposal and defense of (effectively) no-fault divorce acknowledge perforce the essential equality of men and women.

(Don't be distracted by Milton's own inability to demonstrate fidelity to either ideal - especially not the second. The logical consequences of his assertions are radically modern, whether or not he fully appreciated them.)