Knowledge (XXG)

Marchamont Nedham

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Town-bull of Ely." Although he was responsible for the majority of issues, this particular newsbook was notable for the number of counterfeits that it inspired, with as many as 17 different versions available at various times. While some would have been created to trade off the name of the original to make money, there seems to be disagreement as to who owned the "true"
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Nedham's later reputation was coloured by the apparent cynicism and opportunism of his wavering allegiances, and by hostility towards his republicanism from subsequent generations of English critics. Yet even some hostile critics have conceded his literary talent and his influence. Sympathetic modern
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the design of this pamphlet being to undeceive the people, it must be written in a jocular way, or else it will never be cried up: for those truths which the multitude regard not in a serious dress, being represented in pleasing popular airs, make music to the common sense, and charm the fancy, which
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Nedham was notable as an advocate of the commercial interests of emerging capitalism in preference to the pillars of the older order. In 1652, he wrote that commercial interest "is the true zenith of every state and person...though clothed never so much with the specious disguise of religion, justice
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opened each issue with a satirical poem directed at various parliamentary figures and is notable for the quality of its sources. Nedham certainly didn't tone down any of the scandalous nature of his personal attacks, referring to Cromwell at various points as "Copper- Nose," "Nose Almighty," and "The
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Nedham used mockery, satire and a biting wit to attack his enemies and generate as much controversy as possible. He believed that a popular audience needed to have humour in addition to the more serious business of news. Propaganda would only be effective with a large circulation. He often invokes
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regime (Nedham received a government payment of £50 in May 1650, probably to start this venture). This third Nedham weekly began in June 1650, on a light note: "Why should not the Commonwealth have a Fool as well as the King had?" — but soon settled into a more serious vein as a voice of the
177:. It seems that some fellow royalists had never really accepted that Nedham had changed sides in good faith, calling him a "turne-coat and inveterate enemy to the late king." In this way they attempted to remove him from the paper. 319:. The motive for these seems to have been simply money; but he used the occasion to renew his attacks on Presbyterianism, and his final pamphlet before his death in 1678, a call for war against the French, was probably sincere. 252:
and, like others, called for a return to more republican ideals. The newspaper was widely read in England and Europe amongst exiles and Europeans alike. Another significant innovation was the inclusion of regular advertising.
312:, while supporting Charles I during the late 1640s. He retired from political pamphleteering and worked as a doctor, although he did not entirely avoid publishing, producing two pamphlets on education and medicine. 361:
Nedham's political reversals were depicted as dishonest; but he seems to have regarded religious toleration, usually advocated by the king's party, as the best way to cure the political problems of the times.
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to compare the motivations for each side's actions and predicting the ensuing political climate. He pioneered this kind of analysis of an ongoing event and used it to determine his own stance
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also softened, with a greater emphasis on the merit of a stable state. This did not mean that he did not on occasion criticise some of the conservative and authoritarian aspects of Cromwell's
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was originally edited by Captain Thomas Audley, but it has been suggested that Nedham was responsible for the content much earlier, as the style changed little when he took over in May 1644.
215:: that "the Sword is, and ever hath been, the Foundation of all Titles to Government", and that it was hardly likely that the Commonwealth's adversaries would ever succeed in their designs. 49:
A "highly productive propagandist", he was significant in the evolution of early English journalism, and has been strikingly (if hyperbolically) called the "press agent" of Lord Protector
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was a significant propaganda coup for the parliamentary forces. However, when Nedham began to launch attacks on the personality of the king and mock his stammer he drew censure from the
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A defence of the constitutions of government of the United States of America: against the attack of M. Turgot in his letter to Dr. Price, dated the twenty-second day of March, 1778
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With the royalist faction suppressed or in exile abroad, Nedham turned away from his previous scurrilous reporting and aimed to educate his readers in political principles of
888: 276:. Milton, as a secretary to the Council of State in the early 1650s, would have overseen Nedham's publishing activity; later, the two men reportedly became personal friends. 893: 316: 308:, but was able to return to England after obtaining a pardon (allegedly purchased with a bribe). Nedham helped his case by re-printing some poems, written in 229:. In 1655 Cromwell rewarded Nedham with an official post, so that Nedham was then perceived as a spokesman for the regime, albeit under the editorial aegis of 923: 908: 142:
from members who felt he had gone too far. When Nedham again attacked the king during delicate negotiations with the Scots in May 1646, he was sent to the
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in June 1649; he gained his release in November by switching sides again. The result was perhaps his most significant enterprise, the weekly periodical
918: 168:, starting in September 1647 and continuing for two years. It has been claimed as "one of the wittier and less ephemeral" of the "Cavalier weeklies". 74: 883: 164:, and gained a royal pardon. Despite his history of writing parliamentary propaganda, he was commissioned to print a Royalist periodical, 450:
Baldwin, Geoff (2000), "The 'public' as a rhetorical community in early modern England", in Shepard, Alexandra; Withington, Phil (eds.),
65:, Oxfordshire, after his father's death. His stepfather was the vicar of Burford and teacher at the local school. He was educated at 878: 791: 492: 844: 150:. Upon his release he was banned from publishing but probably authored some of the many anonymous pamphlets around at the time. 726: 703: 689: 367: 315:
One final foray into the field of political writings came in the mid-1670s when he wrote several pamphlets attacking the
913: 366:, and the Scots in general, he attacked at almost every opportunity. His writing continued to be influential among the 757:(The third ed.). Philadelphia: Printed by Budd and Bartram, for William Cobbett, opposite Christ Church. p.  244:
and republicanism. As the early radicalism of the Commonwealth began to wane, the revolutionary ideas expressed in
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In the 18th century, Nedham's theories of republicanism were severely criticised by American Founding Father
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as an ideal model for a government without a monarch. Later, he would also use the self-interest theories of
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Nedham was associated with a set of influential republican writers of his generation, a circle that included
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republican movement of the day. He rested the case for the Commonwealth on arguments similar to those of
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often refuting the royalist title point for point. Nedham also personalised the debate, declaring that
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In the next century, Nedham's name was used as a pseudonym by other republican political writers; both
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was "So full of lying and railing, that I think he is afflicted by all the pimp." The publication of
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continued for the next decade, the term of the Commonwealth era, under alternative titles like the
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Representation and Misrepresentation in Later Stuart Britain: Partisanship and Political Culture
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espousing the parliamentary politics of the era, mainly written as a response to the royalist
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Hill, Christopher, The Experience of Defeat (1984), London: Faber and Faber, p20
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Anon (8 May 1649). "Mercurius Pragmaticus for King Charles II" – via EBBO.
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Anthony, H. Sylvia (October–December 1966), "Mercurius Politicus under Milton",
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Nedham's particular style and philosophy can be summarised by his proposal for
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commentator Paul Rahe has called Nedham "the world's first great journalist".
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Central Ideas in the Development of American Journalism: A Narrative History
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Cromwell's press agent: A critical biography of Marchamont Nedham, 1620–1678
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A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America
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of the monarchy and when the king returned he went into hiding, possibly in
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Cromwell's Press Agent: A Critical Biography of Marchmont Nedham, 1620–78
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who wrote official news and propaganda for both sides of the conflict.
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Copley, John Singleton; Smither, James; Adams, John (1 January 1797).
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ever sways the sceptre in vulgar judgement, much more than reason.
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Raymond, Joad (2004). "Nedham , Marchamont (bap. 1620, d. 1678)".
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Nedham was raised by his mother, the innkeeper of The George Inn,
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The Science of Conjecture: Evidence and Probability Before Pascal
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and necessity". Consistent with this outlook, Nedham translated
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published pieces signed "Marchmont Nedham" in the early 1770s.
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Communities in Early Modern England: Networks, Place, Rhetoric
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Nedham, Marchamont (10 October 1643). "Mercurius Britanicus".
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The Oxford Handbook of Literature and The English Revolution
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Nedham predicted and wrote pamphlets agitating against the
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Nedham came to prominence in 1643 when he began working on
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was more overtly polemical and savage than the satirical
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The Case Stated Between England and the United Provinces
38:(1620 – November 1678), was a journalist, publisher and 606:, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 82 645:, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1998; p. 71. 196:in the Civil War led to Nedham's incarceration in 134:'s personal letters which were captured after the 160:Reportedly Nedham obtained an audience with King 430:A Discourse Concerning Schools and Schoolmasters 412:The Case of the Commonwealth of England Stated 81:. He also studied medicine and pharmacology. 8: 848:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 808:"Wayback Machine has not archived that URL" 643:Drama and Politics in the English Civil War 889:17th-century newspaper publishers (people) 835:The Oxford Companion to English Literature 454:, Manchester University Press, p. 207 73:. After college he became an usher at the 469:, Lanham, MD: University Press of America 894:17th-century English publishers (people) 424:A Short History of the English Rebellion 845:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 654: 589: 442: 290:Of the Dominion or Ownership of the Sea 675:, Oxford University Press, p. 351 206:, which he used as a platform for the 7: 478: 476: 924:17th-century English businesspeople 909:Alumni of All Souls College, Oxford 837:. London: Oxford University Press. 780:Olasky, Marvin N. (16 July 2015). 25: 919:English male non-fiction writers 509:"Biography of Marchamont Nedham" 546:Journal of the History of Ideas 418:The Excellencie of a Free-State 1: 862:UK public library membership 487:. Oxford: OUP. p. 375. 884:English non-fiction writers 618:"Biography of John Thurloe" 377:in the third volume of his 940: 833:Drabble, Margaret (1997). 818:– via Find Articles. 786:. Routledge. p. 46. 879:English male journalists 483:Knoppers, Laura (2012). 400:Selected works by Nedham 75:Merchant Taylors' School 854:10.1093/ref:odnb/19847 671:Knights, Mark (2005), 465:Frank, Joseph (1980), 406:The Levellers Levell'd 338: 77:, and then a clerk at 602:Franklin, J. 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Retrieved 802: 782: 775: 753: 746: 737: 718: 712: 698: 672: 666: 662: 655:Anthony 1966 650: 642: 637: 625:. Retrieved 621: 612: 603: 597: 590:Anthony 1966 585: 574: 549: 545: 539: 528: 516:. Retrieved 512: 503: 484: 466: 460: 451: 445: 429: 423: 417: 411: 405: 394: 383: 378: 372: 360: 339: 334: 328: 326: 314: 309: 299: 289: 286:Mare Clausum 285: 278: 270:Henry Marten 262:Henry Nevile 255: 250:Protectorate 245: 239: 231:John Thurloe 226: 222: 218: 217: 208:Commonwealth 201: 191: 186: 174: 169: 165: 159: 154: 144:Fleet prison 127: 123: 119: 115: 105: 97: 95: 90: 60: 48: 35: 31: 27: 26: 904:1678 deaths 899:1620 births 569:see p. 595. 381:(1787–88). 351:Machiavelli 302:restoration 296:Restoration 282:John Selden 274:John Milton 181:Interregnum 175:Pragmaticus 170:Pragmaticus 100:, a weekly 42:during the 40:pamphleteer 873:Categories 864:required.) 827:References 728:0819111937 627:3 February 518:3 February 386:John Adams 375:John Adams 288:(1636) as 120:Britanicus 116:Britanicus 79:Gray's Inn 57:Early life 246:Politicus 219:Politicus 162:Charles I 132:Charles I 85:Civil War 32:Marchmont 767:7065581M 331:in 1650: 292:(1652). 242:humanism 235:Cromwell 124:Aulicus; 102:newsbook 566:2708343 306:Holland 128:Aulicus 114:. The 63:Burford 36:Needham 30:, also 858: 810:. CBSi 790:  765:  725:  564:  491:  432:, 1663 426:, 1661 414:, 1650 408:, 1647 272:– and 213:Hobbes 562:JSTOR 437:Notes 368:Whigs 323:Style 816:2023 788:ISBN 723:ISBN 629:2016 520:2016 489:ISBN 420:1656 388:and 349:and 34:and 850:doi 759:399 554:doi 284:'s 225:or 110:of 69:of 875:: 763:OL 761:. 681:^ 620:. 560:, 550:27 548:, 511:. 475:^ 370:. 268:, 264:, 260:, 237:. 53:. 856:. 852:: 796:. 769:. 731:. 706:. 692:. 631:. 556:: 522:. 497:. 20:)

Index

Marchamont Needham
pamphleteer
English Civil War
Oliver Cromwell
Burford
All Souls College
Oxford University
Merchant Taylors' School
Gray's Inn
newsbook
Mercurius Aulicus
John Birkenhead
Charles I
Battle of Naseby
House of Lords
Fleet prison
seditious libel
Charles I
Parliamentarians
Newgate Prison
Mercurius Politicus
Commonwealth
Hobbes
John Thurloe
Cromwell
humanism
Protectorate
Algernon Sidney
Henry Nevile
Thomas Chaloner

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