Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: political; and to the opinions of himself and his companions on such subjects, I hope to direct the reader's attention in some succeeding papers. In this and the preceding, my object has been to give some specimens of the style adopted by the writers whose particular opinions I hope hereafter to exhibit and discuss. I think I shall not be charged with bringing forward for that purpose obscure and unaccredited men ; and that those who have any acquaintance with the manners and literature of the period will admit that something beside the general custom of the age is required to account for what I have quoted—much more for what I have omitted. ESSAY V. PURITAN POLITICS. No. I. Knox—Ponet—Wyat's Bebellion. It is well enough known that on the accession of King Edward VI., it was resolved by those who were really in power, to carry on the work of Reformation (in the most comprehensive sense of that term) with a high hand : and they acted accordingly. But it is equally certain, and it is most important to bear in mind, that all through the reign of that monarch, and especially during the latter part of it, there was a party, influential if not numerous, who not only thought that the government did not go on fast enough in the work, but felt that the people, whether attached to the old religion, or only disgusted and alarmed at the selfish rapacity of some who were forward in support of the new, did not go with them at all. I earnestly entreat the reader to consider and reflect on this fact, which is too frequently overlooked. To say nothing of the space which it would require, it would lead us from our purpose to enter into details respecting the causes of this; but one effect I wish to bring before the notice of the reader, because it has an important bearing on the s...