Final answer:
John Milton's specific reference to "the tyrant's plea" cannot be precisely identified without a direct quote from his works. It may refer to justifications used by those in power for oppressive acts, paralleling themes in Thomas Paine's writing on British tyranny during the American Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term "the tyrant's plea" attributed to John Milton, a renowned English poet, is not explicitly mentioned in the question or the provided references. Therefore, without a direct quote from Milton's works or historical context to guide the response, it is not possible to deliver a factually accurate answer regarding what Milton specifically called "the tyrant's plea." However, based on the thematic essence of the information provided, and common literary interpretations of tyranny, we can infer that the phrase refers to a justification often used by those in power to excuse oppressive acts. This would align with Milton's views on liberty and tyranny, which he expressed throughout his work, particularly in his political writings.
There is a concept closely related to your question that appears in Thomas Paine's "The American Crisis," which describes the actions of the British monarchy and how they might invoke their authority under the guise of law or justice to perpetrate acts of tyranny. This might also be conceptualized as a kind of "tyrant's plea"—the invocation of legal or moral justification to enforce tyrannical power. When tyrants claim their oppressive actions are for the greater good, for order, or for justice, while actually serving their own interests, this rationalization can be seen as "the tyrant's plea."