England's Licensing of the Press Act 1662 established a system of pre-publication censorship, requiring books to be approved and registered before printing. It empowered the Stationers' Company to control what could legally be published, suppressing dissenting religious and political views. The Act lapsed in 1695, after which the relative freedom of the press helped stimulate a flowering of periodical literature and poetry.

The Licensing of the Press Act in England in 1662 restricted poets' ability to publish freely, leading to underground circulation of works. This environment spurred a wave of dissenting poetry that challenged authority and explored themes of freedom and expression.