On the Fifth of November

poem by Milton

Also known as: “In Quintum Novembris”

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July 16, 2026

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"On the Fifth of November" is a Latin poem by John Milton, composed in 1626. It commemorates the anniversary of the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a conspiracy led by Robert Catesby to assassinate King James I and blow up Parliament. The poem criticizes Roman Catholics for their involvement in the plot and reflects Milton's early anti-Catholic sentiments. It also introduces themes of divine Providence counteracting human evil, which would later appear in his epic poem Paradise Lost. The poem was typically composed by university students to condemn Catholic treachery on the anniversary of the event.1

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John Milton
Early translations and poems of John Milton
…is “In Quintum Novembris” (“On the Fifth of November”), which Milton composed in 1626 at Cambridge. The poem celebrates the anniversary of the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes was discovered preparing to detonate explosives at the opening of Parliament, an event in which King James I…
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…is “In Quintum Novembris” (“On the Fifth of November”), which Milton composed in 1626 at Cambridge. The poem celebrates the anniversary of the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes was discovered preparing to detonate explosives at the opening of Parliament, an event in which King James I…
Read More