In this Book
- The Excellencie of a Free-State: Or, The Right Constitution of a Commonwealth
- Book
- 2012
- Published by: Liberty Fund
- Series: The Thomas Hollis Library
summary
First published in 1656, and compiled from previously written editorials in the parliamentarian newsbook Mercurius Politicus, The Excellencie of a Free-State addressed a dilemma in English politics, namely, what kind of government should the Commonwealth adopt? One possibility was to revert to the ancient constitution and create a Cromwellian monarchy. The alternative was the creation of parliamentary sovereignty, in which there would be a "due and orderly succession of supreme authority in the hands of the people's representatives." Nedham was convinced that only the latter would "best secure the liberties and freedoms of the people from the encroachments and usurpations of tyranny."Marchamont Nedham (1620-1678) was a polemicist, pamphleteer, and editor of Mercurius Politicus.Blair Worden is Research Professor of History, Royal Holloway College, University of London.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Title Page, Copyright
- pp. iii-iv
- The Thomas Hollis Library
- pp. vii-viii
- Acknowledgments
- p. xi
- Abbreviations
- p. xiii
- Introduction
- pp. xv-cii
- Nedham and His Classical Sources
- pp. ciii-cv
- The Text and the Notes
- pp. cvii-cviii
- To the Reader
- pp. 5-7
- Appendix A The Edition of 1656
- pp. 127-128
- Appendix B. The Edition of 1767
- pp. 129-131
Additional Information
ISBN
9781614878964
Related ISBN(s)
9780865978096
MARC Record
OCLC
849937026
Pages
319
Launched on MUSE
2014-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No