Type: Exhibition catalog

Name: John Milton and the Cultures of Print: An Exhibition of Books, Manuscripts, and Other Artifacts

Detail: Published by Rutgers University Libraries in conjunction with the exhibition opening.

Type: Exhibition section

Name: VII. The Execution of Charles I

Detail: THE EXECUTION OF CHARLES I: Milton states in The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, in words that sound almost Jeffersonian: “all men naturally were born free,” “born to command and not to obey.” These are part of a strenuous and profound defense of popular sovereignty, the right of a private person to overthrow both parliament (or magistrate) and king. After a protracted stalemate, English political history experienced a sudden succession of upheavals: the forceful exclusion of the army of the majority of Parliament, called “Pride’s Purge” of Parliament in December 6, 1648; the decision by the new “Rump” Parliament to put the king on trial on January 6; and the trial and execution of King Charles I on January 30, 1649. During the trial, January 26-30, Milton began an extraordinary defense of the overthrow of both parliament and king, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, a work published shortly after the king’s death. Milton was then hired by the new government to be their spokesperson and counter-propagandist, and also to be a secretary of foreign languages, which meant communicating in Latin and in other languages to foreign diplomats and politicians.

Type: Exhibition caption

Name: William Prynne, A Briefe Memento to the Present Unparliamentary Junto Touching their Present Intentions and Proceedings to Depose and Execute, Charles Steward, their Lawfull King (London, 1648 [January 4, 1649])

Detail: William Prynne was one of the members of Parliament who was excluded by Pride's Purge. In spite of many years of fighting on Parliament's side against the king, he and other members of Parliament were unable to consider deposing Charles, which was the cause of the stalemate. These copies of William Prynne's protest against what he calls an "unparliamentary junto" are remarkably preserved in their original form. Pamphlets were stab-stitched along the side (as shown here), and rarely survive the ravages of time unless they were rebound.