The High Priest of Blind Zeal: Milton, Montelion and mockery.

This article examines the complex and often misunderstood relationship between the poet John Milton (1608–74) and his nephew John Phillips (1631–c.1706), clarifying Phillips’s authorship of several satirical works that critique Milton and the political turmoil of mid-17th-century England. It presents evidence attributing the Montelion almanacs (1660–62) and the mock-chivalric satire Don Juan Lamberto (1660–61) to Phillips, revealing his sustained, often biting commentary on Milton during the Restoration period. Despite being labeled a “hack writer” by some scholars, Phillips was a prolific and skilled satirist whose writings reflect consistent political and religious views shaped by the turbulent era, including his early republican sympathies and later royalist disillusionment. The article also explores Phillips’s personal background, his role in delivering sensitive documents for the Commonwealth government, and his complex legacy as both a defender and critic of Milton, highlighting the interpretative challenges posed by previous scholarship.