A Curious Eighteenth-Century Translation

Varieties of Seventeenth- and Early Eighteenth-Century English Radicalism in Context

“…the seventh of the thirty-nine articles of the Church of England essentially reaffirmed this view: the Law given by Moses, as touching ceremonies and rites did not bind Christian men, but no Christian man whatsoever was free from obeying the moral commandments. 45 As the fourth of God's Ten Commandments, the Sabbath was taken by certain english Protestant commentators from at least the mid-1590s to be 'properly and perpetually' a moral law, rather than a ceremonial or partly moral, partly ceremonial law. 46 however, several notable separatist and Baptist Judaisers -Christians who adopted selected Jewish customs or religious rites -argued that following Jewish precedent the sabbath should be celebrated on the seventh day of the week, Saturday, rather than the first day, Sunday.…”

“…(Luke 24:5), Coppe would have his readers go beyond the type and seek the risen Christ, that is liberty or 'the Land that is very far off -to some as yet, yet neere to others'. 45 The seeking of the truth is thus likened to the journey to 'the Land that is very far off' or spiritual Canaan. the road to be followed leads from egypt to the Promised land.…”

“…twysden's tract was explicitly framed as a response to William Prynne's defence of the legal power of the house of lords, the latter of which was written in response to attacks upon the upper House produced by Leveller leaders. 45 twysden was, therefore, a moderate royalist who not only supported some of the reforms of 1640-41, but also defended mixed and limited monarchy against polemicists such as sir robert filmer and henry ferne, and he denied that the liberties of the people, properly conceived, encroached upon the royal prerogative, or that they owed their origin to the king's grace.…”

“…accordingly, in october 1651, the Declaration of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England, concerning the Settlement of Scotland announced that: the people of Scotland who were vassals, or tenants to, and had dependency upon the noble-men and gentry … shall not only be pardoned for all acts past, but be set free from their former dependencies and bondage-services, and shall be admitted as Tenants, freeholders, and heritors, to farm, hold, inherite, and enjoy from and under this Common-wealth, proportions of the said confiscated and forfeited lands, under such easie rents, and reasonable conditions, as may enable them, their heirs and posterity, to live with a more comfortable subsistence then formerly, and like a free people, delivered (through Gods goodnesse) from their former slaveries, vassalage, and oppressions. 45 less than a year later Mercurius Politicus boasted of: the regall power of their Lairds of mannors being justly abolished. We have eased the people much in their fees, and from those extortions that have been frequent here; and hope we have secured them from the like Abuses in the future.…”

“…many republican and fifth monarchist texts also passed through his hands together with those of his closest trade-relations for the same reasons. 45 A core group, however, can be detected in this complex set of networks, whose spiritualist and antinomian interests shaped the activity of Calvert's bookshop and were identified with it. This was the community which corresponded in News from the New Jerusalem and from which the digger and 'ranter' moments of the english revolution emerged.…”