THE basis of the present collection of Historical Tracts was a group of State pamphlets in forty volumes, gathered by Sir John Bramston, M.P. (1611-1700), Chairman of Committees in the House of Commons in the early years of Charles II.'s reign. The Autobiography of Sir John Bramston was printed by the Camden Society in 1845. The collection as it now stands is rich in Civil War and Commonwealth Tracts. It represents vividly the conflict of opinion at the Restoration and at the Revolution of 1688. The military conflicts, political intrigues, and theological controversies which marked the reigns. of William III. and Queen Anne are thrown into relief by many rare and forgotten brochures. The civil and religious struggles for liberty and toleration which took place in the Georgian Era are reflected as in a mirror by many curious manifestoes. The whole collection illustrates the growth of opinion in matters religious, political, literary, and social, from the days of Queen Elizabeth to the dawn of the nineteenth century. East Grinstead, Sussex. S. J. R. |