For the last few weeks I’ve been reading all I can about the English Parliament of 1621. It was a watershed event in constitutional history, but is essentially unknown to the public at large, and seems to be very poorly understood even by many historians. It matters, because Parliament very suddenly and unexpectedly decided that it wasn’t just a legislative body, but a court of law. It brought down the Lord Chancellor, Francis Bacon - yes, that Francis Bacon.
this is a fascinating story and I enjoyed reading it– and compelling fishmonger drama aside (I love the idea that there was a lobster staging ground) I am particularly delighted to learn about the libel poems!! It's my turn to dig into them now 😂 Thanks for sharing, Anton
Thanks! Yeah, the libel poems are a lot of fun. So many references and puns that barely make sense anymore, and where the context has been almost totally lost. Even the extensive footnotes by historians can barely scrape the surface. It makes me wonder if vast swathes of online content will in a few centuries' time be almost indecipherable.
this is a fascinating story and I enjoyed reading it– and compelling fishmonger drama aside (I love the idea that there was a lobster staging ground) I am particularly delighted to learn about the libel poems!! It's my turn to dig into them now 😂 Thanks for sharing, Anton
Thanks! Yeah, the libel poems are a lot of fun. So many references and puns that barely make sense anymore, and where the context has been almost totally lost. Even the extensive footnotes by historians can barely scrape the surface. It makes me wonder if vast swathes of online content will in a few centuries' time be almost indecipherable.