Argument and Authority in Early Modern England : The Presupposition of Oaths and Offices

Conal Condren offers a radical reappraisal of the character of moral and political theory in early modern England through an exploration of pervasive arguments about office. In this context he explores the significance of oath-taking and three of the major crises around oaths and offices in the seventeenth century. This fresh focus on office brings into serious question much of what has been taken for granted in the study of early modern political and moral theory concerning, for example, the interplay of ideologies, the emergence of a public sphere, of liberalism, reason of state, de facto theory, and perhaps even political theory and moral agency as we know it. Argument and Authority is a major new work from a senior scholar of early modern political thought, of interest to a wide range of historians, philosophers and literary scholars. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 I......Page 13 II......Page 15 III......Page 18 IV......Page 22 Part I The liquid empire of office......Page 25 I......Page 27 II......Page 33 III......Page 37 IV......Page 42 V......Page 44 I......Page 48 II......Page 49 III......Page 55 IV......Page 57 V......Page 61 I......Page 66 II......Page 68 III......Page 71 IV......Page 75 V......Page 77 VI......Page 83 I......Page 92 II......Page 96 III......Page 100 IV......Page 106 V......Page 112 I......Page 117 II......Page 123 III......Page 128 IV......Page 134 I......Page 137 II......Page 142 III......Page 147 IV......Page 150 V......Page 158 Part II The authority and insolence of office......Page 159 I......Page 161 II......Page 167 III......Page 170 IV......Page 174 V......Page 178 VI......Page 180 I......Page 184 II......Page 190 I......Page 198 II......Page 201 III......Page 202 IV......Page 203 V......Page 206 VI......Page 209 VII......Page 217 VIII......Page 218 I......Page 221 II......Page 225 III......Page 231 IV......Page 239 Part III ‘I, A. B.’......Page 243 I......Page 245 II......Page 250 III......Page 256 IV......Page 259 I......Page 266 II......Page 267 III......Page 272 IV......Page 276 I......Page 281 II......Page 282 III......Page 285 IV......Page 288 V......Page 293 VI......Page 297 I......Page 302 II......Page 305 IV......Page 310 V......Page 312 VI......Page 316 VII......Page 320 I......Page 326 II......Page 327 III......Page 332 IV......Page 333 V......Page 336 VI......Page 339 VII......Page 341 VIII......Page 343 IX......Page 346 X......Page 349 I......Page 355 II......Page 361 UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS......Page 365 RE-PRINTED COLLECTIONS OF TRACTS AND DOCUMENTS......Page 366 ANONYMOUS WORKS......Page 367 NAMED OR INITIALLED BOOKS AND TRACTS......Page 370 SECONDARY SOURCES: BOOKS......Page 386 SECONDARY SOURCES: ARTICLES......Page 394 Note......Page 403 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Preface 11 Introduction 13 I 13 II 15 III 18 IV 22 Part I The liquid empire of office 25 1 An overview 27 I 27 II 33 III 37 IV 42 V 44 2 Ceremonies of office: The kiss of the tutti-man 48 I 48 II 49 III 55 IV 57 V 61 3 Institutionalised office: a sense of the scavenger 66 I 66 II 68 III 71 IV 75 V 77 VI 83 4 The vocabulary of office 92 I 92 II 96 III 100 IV 106 V 112 5 Offices of the intellect: player, poet and philosopher 117 I 117 II 123 III 128 IV 134 6 Soul and conscience 137 I 137 II 142 III 147 IV 150 V 158 Part II The authority and insolence of office 159 7 The cases of patriot and counsellor 161 I 161 II 167 III 170 IV 174 V 178 VI 180 8 Casuistry as the mediation of office 184 I 184 II 190 9 The case of resistance to superior power 198 I 198 II 201 III 202 IV 203 V 206 VI 209 VII 217 VIII 218 10 Metaphor and political autonomy 221 I 221 II 225 III 231 IV 239 Part III ‘I, A. B.’ 243 11 An overview of the oath in seventeenth-century argument 245 I 245 II 250 III 256 IV 259 12 Coronation oaths 266 I 266 II 267 III 272 IV 276 13 The oath of allegiance of 1606 281 I 281 II 282 III 285 IV 288 V 293 VI 297 14 Engagement with a free state 302 I 302 II 305 IV 310 V 312 VI 316 VII 320 15 The oath of allegiance and the Revolution of 1688–9 326 I 326 II 327 III 332 IV 333 V 336 VI 339 VII 341 VIII 343 IX 346 X 349 Epilogue 355 I 355 II 361 Bibliography 365 UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS 365 RE-PRINTED COLLECTIONS OF TRACTS AND DOCUMENTS 366 ANONYMOUS WORKS 367 NAMED OR INITIALLED BOOKS AND TRACTS 370 SECONDARY SOURCES: BOOKS 386 SECONDARY SOURCES: ARTICLES 394 Index 403 Note 403 Conal Condren offers a radical reappraisal of the character of moral and political theory in early modern England through an exploration of pervasive and fundamental arguments about office. This focus questions almost all received notions, and establishes a new and original agenda for the study of early modern political thought