¹ J. B. Williams, in his History of English Journalism, gives the fullest account of these newsbooks and their relation to Parliament. Elbert N. S. Thompson has treated them from a different aspect in his article, “War Journalism Three Hundred Years Ago,” P.M.L.A. XXXV, 93-115. A summary treatment will be found in Chapter I of my thesis, Book Reviewing in English Periodicals, 1640-1712, Harvard University, 1918.

² Although the final licensing bill was not passed until June, 1643, Parliament attempted to control printing as early as February, 1641, and various committees were ordered to take some action “for preventing the inordinate License of Printing, till the Bill can pass.” See Journals of the House of Commons, ii, 266, and ii, 84; and Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, 1640-41, 530; ibid., 1641-43, 129. A surprising number of pamphlets, books, and printers became subjects of Parliamentary investigations.

³ Perfect Diurnall, no. 12, p. 7; 28 March-4 April, 1642.

⁴ Perfect Diurnall, p. 2022, 22-29 May, 1648.

⁵ Publick Intelligencer, no. 30, p. 512; 21-28 April, 1656.

⁶ Several Proceedings in Parliament, no. 16, p. 213; 11-18 January, 1649.

⁷ Thomason Catalogue, i, 4.

⁸ Ibid., i, 7-8, and ff.

⁹ The Kingdom's Weekly Intelligencer, no. 30, pp. 231-234; 8-15 August, 1643.

¹⁰ Mercurius Aulicus, “The Seventh Weeke,” p. 90; 12-19 Feb. 1643.

¹¹ See F. Madan, Oxford Books, ii, 431-2. This began in May, 1643, and appeared weekly, with gaps, to no. 21. 16 March, 1644. My references are to the 1647 edition.

¹² Mercurius Rusticus, 1647 ed., no. 2, p. 21-2.

¹³ Ibid., no. vii, p. 70.

¹⁴ A. Letter, &c. p. 9.

¹⁵ Quoted in Mercurius Britanicus, no. 46, p. 359; 29 July-5 August, 1644.

¹⁶ Britanicus, no. 46, p. 365.

¹⁷ Ibid., p. 361.

¹⁸ Ibid., p. 360-1.

¹⁹ Mercurius Britanicus, no. 49, p. 387; 26 Aug.-2 Sept. 1644.

²⁰ Mercurius Britanicus, no. 47, pp. 367-8; 12-19 August, 1644. (It is worth noting that prior to this the Royalist paper Aulicus had called Miles Corbett “a learned Gentleman of an high forehead.”)

²¹ Mercurius Pragmaticus, no. 22; 8-15 February, 1648.

²² A Perfect Diurnall, no. 40, p. 450, 9-16 September, 1650.

²³ Intelligencer, no. 3, p. 23; 14 September, 1663.

²⁴ Intelligencer, no. 17, p. 133; 27 February, 1665.

²⁵ Intelligencer, no. 21, p. 176; 14 March, 1664.

²⁶ This custom was by no means uncommon. See, e.g., the licensers' opinions as printed on the title pages of the following: Joseph Hall's Christian Moderation, 1640; Case's Quarrel of the Covenant, 1643; Cobbet's Civill Magistrates Power, 1652. Humphrey Moseley's eulogistic preface, “The Publisher to the Reader,” prefixed to his edition of Milton's poems in 1646, is an interesting attempt by an alert bookseller to appeal to the reading public.

²⁷ E E. Rollins, “The Black-Letter Broadside Ballad,” P. M. L. A. XXXIV, 295.

²⁸ Williams, History of English Journalism, p. 26. Williams thinks that Archer, the publisher of the book, may from this notice be identified with the publisher of the Coranto. It seems plausible that the newsbook publisher would advertise his own book; but it is by no means inevitable that he would refuse to advertise a book by another publisher.

²⁹ Perfect Diurnall, no. 156, p. 1250; 20-27 July, 1646. This was written by John Vicars. To Professor C. N. Greenough I am indebted for the suggestion that the title of Cotton Mather's great work, Magnolia Christi Americana, was closely modeled on the Magnalia Dei Anglicana.

³⁰ No. 158, p. 1268; 3-10 August, 1646. William Prynne was the author. A paragraph of summary is given, which follows very closely the words of the title page.

³¹ Perfect Diurnall, no. 174, p. 1398; 23-30 Nov. 1646.

³² Perfect Diurnall, no. 188, p. 1580; 1-8 March, 1646.

³³ See Williams, p. 161. Williams speaks of this notice as the “first practical realization” of an advertising scheme. But Pecke's first advertisement antedates this by eight months, and he had printed several by this time.

³⁴ See e.g., Perfect Diurnall, 22-29 July, 1650.

³⁵ An unusually early instance of italics in book advertisements is found in The Perfect Diurnall, no. 277, p. 2212; 13-20 November, 1648.

³⁶ The journals made no secret of this practise. After an advertisement of Rome ruined by White-hall, is this parenthetical note: “(Thus much are the words of the Title of the book).” Severall Proceedings, no. 12, p. 148; 14-21 Dec. 1649.

³⁷ Perfect Diurnall, no. 242, p. 1946; 13-20 March, 1648.

³⁸ Perfect Diurnall, no. 270, p. 2175; 25 Sept.-2 Oct. 1648.

³⁹ Perfect Diurnall, no. 301, p. 2484; 30 Apr.-7 May, 1649. The Diurnall, perhaps from its semi-official character, seems to have been the best advertising medium in this period. Other journals printed advertisements, but not' to such an extent. Mercurius Pragmaticus, for instance, in 1648 wrote: “Reader, take notice, that the excellent Sermon preached at Gray's Inn is in print. (no. 4, 18-25 April, 1648.) The Moderate, the organ of the Levellers, announcing the appearance of William Dell's Way to Peace and Unity, wrote, ”There came forth an excellent Book this week, very usefull for the Kingdom.“ (no. 31, 6-13 Feb. 1649.)

⁴⁰ “A Briefe Relation of Some Affairs,” 20 Nov. 1649, p. 96.

⁴¹ The Gay Collection in the Harvard College Library, for example, contained in 1918 1028 pamphlets printed between 1640 and 1660, which are not listed in the Thomason Catalogue.

⁴² Perfect Diurnall, no. 54, p. 716; 16-23 Dec. 1650.

⁴³ Perfect Diurnall, 10 Feb. 1650; 14 April 1651.

⁴⁴ Ibid., 5 May 1651.

⁴⁵ Ibid., no. 179, p. 2716; 9-16 May 1653.

⁴⁶ Perfect Diurnall, no. 186, p. 2828; 27 June-4 July, 1653.

⁴⁷ Perfect Diurnall, no. 254, p. 3900; 16-23 Oct. 1654. The Kingdomes Intelligencer advertised this as “now the eleventh Time Printed,” no. 23, p. 364; 9-16 June 1662.

⁴⁸ Perfect Diurnall, no. 291, p. 4468; 25 June-2 July, 1655.

⁴⁹ Publicke Intelligencer, no. 181, p. 509; 13-20 June, 1659. ⁵⁰ Mercurius Publiais, no. 12, p. 185; 21-28 March 1661.

⁵¹ Sir Balthazar Gerbier, whose “Philosophy Lectures” were advertised in 1649, (Severall Proceedings, no. 10; 30 Nov.-7 Dec. 1649) was perhaps a little premature in starting his famous “Academy” at his house in London. The Diurnall for 1649, passim, gave him much space, but his project failed.

Other examples of this change are not far to seek. Mercurius Politicus in one issue, for 17-24 April, 1656, advertised four books by Cowley, and John Denham's The Destruction of Troy. Three weeks later An Essay on the first Book of T. Lucretius … Interpreted and made English Verse by J. Evelin, Esq. was noted in the same paper. (No. 309; p. 6969; 8-15 May, 1656.)

⁵² Perfect Diurnall, no. 157, p. 2364; 6-13 Dec. 1652.

⁵³ Perfect Diurnall, no. 179, p. 2716; 9-16 May, 1653.

⁵⁴ Perfect Diurnall, no. 180, p. 2732; 16-23 May 1653.

⁵⁵ Perfect Diurnall, no. 290; p. 4468; 25 June-2 July, 1655.

⁵⁶ In 1655 appeared John Cotgraves' English Treasury of Wit and Language, collected out of the most and best of our English Dramatick Poems, according to the Perfect Diurnall, no. 286, p. 4406; 28 May-4 June, 1655. “R. B.'s” “Mirza, a Tragedy really acted in Persia in the last age,” was given space in the same paper for 18-25 June, 1655. “Three Excellent Tragedies” by Thomas Goff were advertised as “reprinted” in the Publick Intelligencer, no. 30, p. 509; 21-28 April, 1656. Three plays by Middleton and two by Carlile were advertised as “new” in the same paper, no. 90, p. 1483; 6-13 July 1657. No. 148, p. 924; 18-25 Oct. 1658, announced “that antient Comedy called Ignoramus.” The Kingdome Intelligencer for 3-10 Feb. 1661 carried the notice of “Twenty one Plays, Written by the thrice Noble, Illustrious and Excellent Princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle.” (No. 6, p. 88.) These examples do not pretend to be an exhaustive list, but serve merely to illustrate the range of interest within the general field of drama.

⁵⁷ “There is newly published, The second part of the Christian Combate. Written in French by Mr. Peter du Mouli of the University of Sedan, And translated into English by Jo. Bulteel Minister.” Perfect Diurnall, no. 48, p.616; 4-11 Nov. 1650.

⁵⁸ Perfect Diurnall, no. 184; 13-20 June, 1653, and no. 202, p. 3084; 7-24 Oct. 1653.

⁵⁹ Perfect Diurnall, no. 229, p. 3512; 24 Apr. -1 May 1654.

⁶⁰ Perfect Diurnall, no. 240, p. 3686; 10-17 July 1654; no. 243, p. 3734; 31 July-7 Aug. 1654.

⁶¹ Mercurius Britanicus, no. 49, p. 386; 26 August-2 September, 1644.

⁶² Mercurius Britanicus, no. 69, p. 547; 3-10 February, 1645.

⁶³ Perfect Diurnall, no. 130, p. 1928; Monday, June 7, 1652.

⁶⁴ No. 37, p. 591; 9-16 September, 1661.