This sentence appears in Milton's "Areopagitica":
To which if I now manifest by the very sound of this which I shallutter, that we are already in good part arrived, and yet from such asteep disadvantage of tyranny and superstition grounded into ourprinciples as was beyond the manhood of a Roman recovery, it will beattributed first, as is most due, to the strong assistance of God ourdeliverer, next to your faithful guidance and undaunted wisdom, Lordsand Commons of England.
What does Milton refer to when he says "and yet from such a steep disadvantage of tyranny and superstition grounded into our principles as was beyond the manhood of a Roman recovery"?
A general explanation will be helpful as well as a particular explanation of the "manhood of a Roman recovery".