The Battle of the Frog’s and Fairford’s Flies: Miracles and the Pulp Press During the English Revolution

313 Pages·1993·19.098 MB·English

by  Jerome Friedman (auth.)

The Battle of the Frogs
and Fairford's Flies
Also by Jerome Friedman
Michael Servetus: A Case Study in Total Heresy
The Most Ancient Testimony: Sixteenth-Century Christian-Hebraica
in the Age of Renaissance Nostalgia
Blasphemy, Immorality and Anarchy:
The Ranters and the English Revolution
Regnum, Religio et Ratio (editor)
The Battle of the Frogs
and Fairford's Flies
Miracles and the Pulp Press
During the English Revolution
Jerome Friedman
Palgrave Macmillan
© Jerome Friedman 1993
All rights reserved. For information, write:
Scholarly and Reference Division,
St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue,
New York, N.Y. 10010
Published in Great Britain as
Miracles and the Pulp Press during the English Revolution
First published in the United States of America 1993
ISBN 978-0-312-10170-1 ISBN 978-1-137-10052-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.100/978-1-137-10052-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Friedman, Jerome.
The battle of the frogs and Fairford's flies : miracles and the pulp press
during the English Revolution /Jerome Friedman.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Great Britain-History-Puritan Revolution, 1642-1660
Historiography. 2. English prose literature-Early modern, 1500-1700-
History and criticism. 3. Popular literature-Publishing-
Great Britain-History-17th century.
4. Literature and society-Great Britain-History-17th century.
5. Pamphlets-Publishing-Great Britain-History-17th century.
6. Books and reading-Great Britain-History-17th century.
7. Great Britain--Popular culture-History-17th century.
8. Journalism-Great Britain-History-17th century. I. Title.
DA403.F75 1993
941.06-dc20 92-38575
CIP
This book is dedicated to Dr. Judith Sealander:
my very best wife, my very best friend, and my very best colleague.
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Contents
List of Illustrations ......................................... viii
Acknowledgements ......................................... ix
Preface ..................................................... x
1. Censorship, Popular Publication, and the Pulp Press ........... 1
Part I
How England Fell
2. Order Within the Universe: The Rebellion Against Charles ... 19
3. Signs of the Times: Portents, Prodigies, and Other
Indications of God's Unhappiness with England ............. 41
4. Ancient Prophecies ...................................... 59
Part II
Religion in Fallen England
5. The Sectarian Cancer .................................... 83
6. Religious Impostors and Charlatans ...................... 115
7. Catholics, Turks, and Jews ............................... 137
Part Ill
Sin and Society in Fallen England
8. Signs of Sin Everywhere: Alehouses,
Alcohol, Drugs, and More ............................... 157
9. Naughty Women and Worse ............................. 179
10. Bawdy Men and Better ................................. 203
Part IV
England Redeemed
11. More Ancient Prophecies ............................... 225
12. Events in 1660: The Battle of the Frogs and Fairford's Flies .. 239
13. Conclusion ............................................ 255
Notes ...................... : ............................ 265
Alphabetical Title Listing of Pamphlets Cited in this Study ...... 293
Index ................................................... 303
List of Illustrations
Strange Newes From Scotland, 1647.
The World Turned Upside Down, 1647.
A Declaration of a Strange and Wonderfull Monster, 1645.
Strange and Miraculous Newes From Turkie, 1642.
Bloody Newes From Dover, 1646.
The Ranters Ranting, 1650.
A True and Wonderfull Relation of a Whale, 1645.
A Looking Glasse for a Drunkard, 1652.
The Sisters of the Scabard's Holiday, 1641.
The Brothers of the Blade, 1641.
The Wonder of Our Times, 1651.
The Lying-Wonders, 1660.
A Most Certain, Strange, and True Discovery of a Witch, 1643.
Acl~nowledgements
I owe much to many people for their help and support in preparing
this book. Many people read different chapters, and their suggestions
and criticisms have been incorporated into the final version of the text.
In this regard, special thanks to Dr. Christine Worobec, of Kent State
University, who is not only a wonderful colleague but a fine friend. I
am deeply indebted to Dr. Judith Sealander, of Bowling Green State
University, for reading both versions of this manuscript and for making
so many important additions, both times.
I am indebted to many institutions and agencies for their general
financial support during the years this book was written. Dr. Eugene P.
Wenninger, Dean of Research and Sponsored Programs at Kent State
University, provided financial aid, travel grants, and authorized leaves
of absence. A generous travel grant from the American Philosophical
Society permitted me to visit archives and acquire source material oth
erwise beyond my reach.
Finally, my deep thanks and appreciation to Ms. Laura Heymann
and Mr. Simon Winder of St. Martin's Press, who saw this project
through from beginning to end.