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The Beacon Controversy, 1652–1657

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2015

Thomas H. Clancy S.J.
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Extract

The most famous apology for freedom of the press, Milton’s Areopagitica, published in 1644, left no echo among its contemporaries and passed without notice in its own day. But a serious and detailed discussion of this question arose a few years later following on the publication in 1652 of an anonymous pamphlet entitled A Beacon set on fire. Of particular interest to the readers of this review is the evidence this controversy gives us about Catholic publishing during the 1650s. In the narrative of the controversy which follows we shall stress how the existence of clandestine Catholic publishing in England influenced the history of freedom of the press.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Catholic History , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , April 1967 , pp. 63 - 74
Copyright
Copyright © Catholic Record Society 1967

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References

1. William, Haller: Liberty and Reformation in the Puritan Revolution (New York, 1963), 187.Google Scholar

2. Frederick, S. Siebert: Freedom of the Press in England (Urbana, 1952), 122–5.Google Scholar

3. Man in the Moon, No. 12, 27 June—4 July 1649, 100f. The books mentioned are identified in the Appendix. Prynne's speech was published 1649. See Wing P 4092-3.

4. To the Supreme Authority, the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England. The Humble Remonstrance of the Company of Stationers, London [London, 1643], Wing P 425, 2.

5. London, 1652. Wing F 564. The date of publication is taken from the Thomason Tracts, as are all the others given infra.

6. p. 5.

7. p. 6f. The list is given in the Appendix. The figure of 30,000 was frequently repeated in contemporary publications. See, e.g., Thomas Smith's preface to the English Translation of Daillé, An Apologie for the Reformed Churches Cambridge, 1654. Wing D 113), 12f.

8. pp. 14-16. The books mentioned are in Wing L 2246-8, S 5076-7, R 121, and ? B 2882.

9. See biographies in Plomer, H. R.: A dictionary of Booksellers and printers … 1641-1667 (London, 1907).Google Scholar

10. Wing S 2259. Scintilla, of course, is a play on his surname.

11. Wing S 4818B.

12. Leona, Rostenberg: Literary … Publishing … in England (New York, 1965), Vol. I, 186–199.Google Scholar

13. Second Beacon … Scintilla, 5.

14. p. 6.

15. Wing C 6087.

16. There was a legitimate basis of complaint here. Plomer says, “the art of printing in England at this period sank to its lowest point”. An anonymous Catholic tried to take advantage of the public appetite for news by publishing two religious tracts under the title, Mercurius Catholicus. They followed the format of the news weeklies and even had a cross and rosary device on the title-page. The two issues were 15 Sept. 1648 (Wing M 1760) and 11 Dec. 1648 (Not in Wing. British Museum pressmark E 475(35)).

17. pp. 9-10.

18. Wing P 3409. The pagination in the copy I used (Bodleian pressmark Wood 609(46)) is very irregular, running in the following sequence: 5, 14, 10, 8 (9), 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.

19. p. (9).

20. pp. 11-12.

21. p. 12.

22. p. 13.

23. pp. 14, 13. Nicholas Caussin's Holy Court was published in Sir Thomas Hawkins’ translation in London 1650. It was printed by William Bentley for John Williams. Wing C 1547. There were at least three more editions in the seventeenth century. One of the reasons for its popularity was its many engraved illustrations.

24. pp. 14f. Christopher Love, the Puritan minister, was executed in 1651 for plotting against the Commonwealth. See DNB.

25. Pride and Gough were regicides. These two plus Kiffen and Richardson are in DNB. With the exception of Gosfright all are mentioned in the Clarke Papers.

26. Plomer, xix. Dockery, Fr. J. B. seems to say in his Christopher Davenport (London, 1960), 108,Google Scholar that Davenport had a hand in one of the Beacon pamphlets but the passage referred to has to do with Davenport's alleged authorship of The Christian Moderator.

27. Wing C 3809. It was signed by the same six stationers but is ordinarily attributed to Francis Cheynell, the Presbyterian minister.

28. p. 2. The book of Love's referred to is The Naturall Man's Case stated otan exact map … as is laid down in xvii Sermons … whereunto is annexed his funeral sermon by Mr Thomas Mantón. Imprimatur Edmund Calamie. London, printed by E. Cotes for George Eversden … 1652. (Bodleian pressmark Tanner 710.) Despite Eversden's confession the same preface appeared verbatim in the “third edition, corrected and emended … 1653” (Bodleian pressmark Vet. A 3 f. 1105 (2)). Neither of these editions is in Wing.

29. p. 4.

30. p. 19.

31. p. 16.

32. Wing F 565.

33. Wing H 3159.

34. Wing G 1167. There is no recent biography of Goodwin, but see Haller, op. cit. as well as his Rise of Puritanism (New York, 1938).

35. Goodwin, 6.

35B. Biddle found a defender in The Spirit of Persecution broken loose (London. 1655. Wing S 4992). On Biddle see John McLachlan, J.: Socinianism in Seventeenth century England (Oxford, 1951)Google Scholar ch. 10. It was the two Jesuits, Matthew Wilson and John Floyd, who in their controversy with the Anglican William Chillingworth in the 1630's, popularized the use of “Socinian” as a term of theological derision. See A. & R. 323, 893, 895.

36. Goodwin, 59.

37. Wing A 3557 and G 1203.

38. op. cit. 227. See also Clyde, Wm.: The Struggle for the freedom of the press (London, 1934), 265ff.Google Scholar

39. Siebert, op. cit. 230ff.

40. Cal. S.P. Dom. 1655, 393. The Council ordered the matter to be looked into. Nevertheless the book did appear in 1656, though with no publisher's name. It was Isaac de La Peyrfere's Men before Adam. Wing L 427-8.

41. London. Printed by A.M. for Thomas Underhill. Published 31 October 1656. Wing T 64.

42. p. 3.

43. pp. 4-5.

44. Joseph, Frank: The beginnings of the English newspaper (Cambridge—USA— 1961), 253.Google Scholar

45. Catalogus Librorum in diversis Italiae locis emptorum. Londini. 1637.Google Scholar STC 4789. Catalogus librorum in omni genere insignium quorum copia suppetit Octaviano Pulleyn. Londini, 1657.Google Scholar Wing P 4201. I wish to thank Professor T. A. Birrell for this reference.

46. This had been published in English translation in 1632, A. & R. 653. There are several references to an earlier (MS??) translation circulating in England in John, Gerard's Autobiography (ed. Philip Caraman. London, 1956), 29, 56, 174.Google Scholar

47. On the first of these books see Ruth, Clark: Strangers and Sojourners at Port Royal (Cambridge, 1932), 2–3.Google Scholar The others are noticed at the appropriate places in Gillow's Bibliographical Dictionary.

48. Plomer, op. cit., 149-150.

49. The letter is dated London, 14 May 1647. P.R.O. (Roman transcripts) 31/9/94. No. 156. The Allestree mentioned is presumably the same James Allestrye who later became a prominent London printer.

50. For this and much other help in the preparation of this article 1 wish to thank Dr. Rogers.