Biographical Directory 301stonecraft’s contribution as a testament to the “powers and talents” of
her sex. In the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft celebrates Macaulay’s
style of writing in which sound judgment is exhibited and in which “no
sex appears.”
Milton, John (1608 –1674). Poet and polemicist. He was compelled by po-
litical and religious turmoil in England to write in defense of religious
toleration and freedom of the press, in Areopagitica (1644) for exam-
ple. With the establishment of the English Commonwealth, Milton was
enlisted to serve its Council of State, primarily as a political writer but
also as a diplomat. He wrote extensive defenses of the Commonwealth
in both English and Latin. Initially Milton also put his rhetorical sup-
port behind Cromwell’s Protectorate, but ultimately became dissatisfi ed
with his ecclesiastical and monarchical inclinations. Milton’s greatest
work, Paradise Lost, was written at the end of his career, during which
time he was entirely blind. Wollstonecraft criticizes and relies heavily
on passages from Paradise Lost in the Rights of Woman. She reveals
the inconsistent messages about the status of men and women as God’s
creation in this epic poem. She is, above all, interested in taking the
rational core of Milton’s writings while leaving behind what she sees
as sensual reveries.
Monboddo, James Burnett, Lord (1714 –1799). Scottish judge, philoso-
pher, and anthropologist. He wrote Of the Origin and Progress of Lan-
guage (1773 –1792) and Ancient Metaphysics (1779 –1799), and some
credit him with anticipating Darwin’s theory of evolution. Monboddo
was popularly known for his discussions of the orangutan, an animal
in which yet unrefi ned intelligence was manifest and which he believed
represented “the infantine state of our species.” Wollstonecraft draws
on this theme in his work by citing him in discussions of reason as the
God-given “power of improvement.”
Moses (c. 14th–13th centuries BCE). Hebrew prophet who led the Israel-
ites out of Egypt and received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.
In her account of a proper sense of modesty, Wollstonecraft suggests
that Jesus is the model of modesty, while Moses falls short of this, be-
ing a “humble man” because he was too “timid” to recognize his own
merit. This might refer to Moses’ fi rst reception of the voice of God.
In the story of the burning bush (Exodus 3:1–21) Moses hides his face
and argues that he did not have the eloquence to speak for the Israelites
(Moses is believed to have had a speech impediment).
Muhammad (Mahomet) (c. 570 – 632). The prophet of Islam. He was born
in Mecca, where his father, Abdullah, was a member of a noble family