Libels, Popular Literacy and Public Opinion in Early Modern England

Vagabonds and minstrels in sixteenth-century Wales

“…49 Rhymes, libels, and 'pasquils' became an increasingly popular vehicle for generally anonymous social and religious comment in sixteenth-century London and the provinces, but by and large political verse seems to have been an English-language genre. 50 However rhymes and songs by schismatics and Catholics were an instance of dangerous verses that might be composed in Welsh, sometimes by quite humble songsters. One of the damaging accusations at the trial of Richard Gwyn, the future Catholic martyr, was that he had recited certain rhymes of his own making against married priests and other matters (subsequently circulated in manuscript) and had bestowed a nickname on the chief justice of Chester.…”

Representing the Duke of Buckingham: Libel, Counter‐Libel and the Example of The Emperor’s Favourite

“…Although Buckingham was not accused of rape or incest he was thought to be a womaniser. His reputed lechery is even alluded to in Thomas Middleton’s A Game At Chess (1624), which superficially celebrates Buckingham (under the guise of the White Duke) for his part in the discovery of Spanish treachery (5.3.121–23) (see Heinemann 164), having been written at a time when Buckingham enjoyed brief popularity for his reputed part in ending negotiations for a marriage between the Spanish Infanta and Prince Charles.…”

“…Although such attempts at positive self‐representation were not without some success, ultimately they did little to stem attacks on Buckingham or the emergence of an increasingly aggressive body of libellous literature relating to the duke. On the public stage, this included a series of plays attacking corrupt court favourites (see Worden) and unpopular royal policies with which Buckingham was associated (see Heinemann). Typically low‐born, the wicked favourites of the Stuart stage are characteristically ambitious, treacherous, tyrannous, effeminate and lecherous, all qualities attributed to Buckingham by his critics.…”

Railing Rhymes Revisited: Libels, Scandals, and Early Stuart Politics

“…Publicly posted and scattered libels could reach a potentially large and socially mixed urban audience, and indeed the Elizabethan authorities feared such postings had the power to shape, incite, and mobilize popular opinion. 39 We know that the London news-hubs at St. Paul's Cathedral or at the Old and New Exchanges drew hundreds of consumers eager for the latest information and willing to pass that information on to friends in the city and provinces. Third, scholars have looked at the documents in which copies of libels now survive -commonplace books of news materials, poetical miscellanies, manuscript newsletter collections and, occasionally, single manuscript copies known as separates.…”