Paolo Ridola e la storia del diritto. Con un'appendice sulla libertà di stampa nell'Inghilterra del Seicento

In the first part of this paper, the author analyzes Paolo Ridola’s contribution to the historical-legal studies. This perspective is especially congenial to him, as shown trough a set of writings so oriented in his vast production. It is a recurrent method, which together with the comparison and the history of comparison, provides legal science with a fruitful line of studies between history and comparison so to open new paths for research. The birth of the rights of freedom plays a relevant role, in such a way that the second part of this work is aimed at reconstructing the origins of the freedom of the press in England. Milton’s Areopagitica represents a monument to freedom of thought with no constraints by political and religious conditions. This paper focuses on the influence that Milton’s positions have had on some of the most famous English authors including Defoe, Addison and especially Locke. The author argues that at the time the mo- nopoly of the bookseller trade was held by the Stationers Company active since the XV Century. The Licensing Act by Charles II strengthened the power of the corporation while increasing the limits of the freedom of the press. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the “Memorandum”, let unpublished by Locke, against the renewal of the Licensing Act. In this way the contribution of the philosopher became concrete with the request for a free press to end the censorship.