The orders, priviledges and punishments of the high house of parliament in England
Details
Type of record: Archive
Title: The orders, priviledges and punishments of the high house of parliament in England
Classmark: MS 111
Date(s): c. 1620
Language: English; Latin
Size and medium: 1 vol. (38 ff.)
Persistent link: https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/6291
Description
At the conclusion of the main text there are the word 'finis' and the initials 'J.S.', the latter possibly indicating authorship, perhaps John Selden. Certainly, at one point in the manuscript text where the latter diverges from that of both the 1628 and 1641 printed versions the name of John Selden appears. Other examples of textual variants between the manuscript and both printed texts are as follows: (1) In two passages where the printed texts include an explicit reference to Charles I the manuscript omits any reference to him; (2) Page 21 of the printed texts includes the date 1627, but in the corresponding passage in the manuscript the date given is clearly 1620; (3) On page 24 of the printed texts there is a Latin quotation which begins with 'Carolus', i.e. Charles I, but here in the manuscript the text begins with 'Elizabetha'. It may be inferred from these facts that the version of the work represented by the manuscript predates that of both printed texts by some years, and that at
that earlier time John Selden may have had a hand in composing or revising it
Both outside brown leather covers are embossed in gold with what appear to be the Royal Arms, probably those of Charles I
Biography or history
This allegedly anonymous work on the history and functions of Parliament is probably to be dated to the earlier part of the seventeenth century, and certainly before the outbreak of the English Civil War. The text is very similar to, but not identical with, that of 'The Priviledges and practice of parliaments in England', 1628 (STC 7749) and 1641 (Wing P3534)
Access and usage
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