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Dangerous positions and proceedings,: Published and practised within this Iland of Brytaine, under pretence of Reformation, and for the Presbiteriall discipline
183 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
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May 9, 2012
A sixteenth-century detective (and future Archbishop of Canterbury)'s inside story of intrigue and conspiracy, with a heavy dollop of propaganda added in. Doesn't get much juicier than this. To me at least, this actually made for really compelling and at times entertaining reading, which I honestly had not expected.
Bancroft's goal in this book is to narrate the development of the Presbyterian movement in the Elizabethan Church in such a way that the abortive insurrectionary plot of mentally-unstable Puritans Copinger and Hacket is the logical culmination of decades of revolutionary ideology and subversive behavior. He overstates his case of course considerably at many points, and although he deploys a veritable treasure-trove of citations from Puritan publications and correspondence, he often quotes maliciously out of context. And as for Hacket and Copinger, all responsible historians agree (and Bancroft may have himself realized) that they were nut cases from whom the true Puritan leaders had taken pains to distance themselves. However, there is, I think, considerably more truth to his narrative, and his analysis of the logic of the Presbyterian position, than many historians are willing to admit.
In any case, a fun read, for uber-nerds at least.
Bancroft's goal in this book is to narrate the development of the Presbyterian movement in the Elizabethan Church in such a way that the abortive insurrectionary plot of mentally-unstable Puritans Copinger and Hacket is the logical culmination of decades of revolutionary ideology and subversive behavior. He overstates his case of course considerably at many points, and although he deploys a veritable treasure-trove of citations from Puritan publications and correspondence, he often quotes maliciously out of context. And as for Hacket and Copinger, all responsible historians agree (and Bancroft may have himself realized) that they were nut cases from whom the true Puritan leaders had taken pains to distance themselves. However, there is, I think, considerably more truth to his narrative, and his analysis of the logic of the Presbyterian position, than many historians are willing to admit.
In any case, a fun read, for uber-nerds at least.
Displaying 1 of 1 review