The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 1
The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 1
A historical account written during the early 19th century. The book aims to explore England's political evolution, focusing on the changes that occurred following the accession of King James II and the resulting impact on the monarchy, parliament, and the rights of the people. The opening of the work outlines Macaulay's purpose and the scope of his narrative, detailing the intricate relationship between the monarchy and parliament leading up to significant events such as the English Civil War and the Restoration. Macaulay presents an overview of Britain's tumultuous past, emphasizing key themes such as the struggle for political power, the emergence of parties like the Whigs and Tories, and the socio-political climate that shaped the nation. He hints at the dual narratives of disaster and triumph while promising to present a comprehensive account of the people’s history alongside governmental affairs, underscoring the complexities of English identity and governance that will be further explored in the subsequent chapters.
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“Their love of the Church was not, indeed, the effect of study or meditation. Few among them could have given any reason, drawn from Scripture or ecclesiastical history, for adhering to her doctrines, her ritual, and her polity; nor were they, as a class, by any means strict observers of that code of morality which is common to all Christian sects. But the experience of many ages proves that men may be ready to fight to the death, and to persecute without pity, for a religion whose creed they do not understand, and whose precepts they habitually disobey.”
— Thomas Babington Macaulay
“Everywhere there is a class of men who cling with fondness to whatever is ancient, and who, even when convinced by overpowering reasons that innovation would be beneficial, consent to it with many misgivings and forebodings. We find also everywhere another class of men, sanguine in hope, bold in speculation, always pressing forward, quick to discern the imperfections of whatever exists, disposed to think lightly of the risks and inconveniences which attend improvements and disposed to give every change credit for being an improvement.”
— Thomas Babington Macaulay
“For the history of our country during the last hundred and sixty years is eminently the history of physical, of moral, and of intellectual improvement. Those who compare the age on which their lot has fallen with a golden age which exists only in their imagination may talk of degeneracy and decay: but no man who is correctly informed as to the past will be disposed to take a morose or desponding view of the present”
— Thomas Babington Macaulay
“The more carefully we examine the history of the past, the more reason shall we find to dissent from those who imagine that our age has been fruitful of new social evils. The truth is that the evils are, with scarcely an exception, old. That which is new is the intelligence which discerns and the humanity which remedies them.”
— Thomas Babington Macaulay
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Macaulay, Thomas Babington. The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 1. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-history-of-england-from-the-accession-of-james-ii-volume-1-65a9271e-9574-4da9-8566-5b999779c5d2.Macaulay, T. B. (n.d.). The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 1. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-history-of-england-from-the-accession-of-james-ii-volume-1-65a9271e-9574-4da9-8566-5b999779c5d2Macaulay, Thomas Babington. The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 1. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-history-of-england-from-the-accession-of-james-ii-volume-1-65a9271e-9574-4da9-8566-5b999779c5d2.
