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This thesis is a study of the volume of state letters Cabala, Mysteries of State and Government. It primarily focuses on the two volumes published in 1653/4, examining the political contexts of the individuals who write or receive the letters, in particular Anne Boleyn, Robert Devereux and George Villiers. The thesis situates the Cabala volumes within a number of their more significant contexts: modern scholarship; contemporary publications; provenance studies; and examines the role of the individuals in enhancing our current understanding of how seventeenth century readers were questioning and debating the political climate. Responding to work in the field of early modern letter writing and culture, the thesis demonstrates how two particular volumes of letters influenced contemporary historians and have become a foundational source of mainstream scholarship on the Tudors and Stuarts. Comprising five chapters, the thesis examines the different ways we can interpret the Cabala as a political document. The thesis takes two approaches: it is primarily a study of the Cabala volumes published in the 1650s which situate these volumes within Protectorate studies. Secondly it considers the reception of the books and in doing this the thesis covers all six Cabala volumes. The first three chapters focus on the seventeenth century. They examine individual letter writers, print publication and the political context prevailing when the Cabala was first published. The last two chapters broaden the timeframe to encompass the period from publication to the present day. Chapter four researches the ownership, accessibility and distribution of the Cabala and demonstrates the book’s role in our understanding of book history and how the Cabala still endures within the modern library. The final chapter focuses on how the Cabala is used in contemporary and modern scholarship in particular its role in the reception and acceptance of the iconic Tilbury speech of Elizabeth I. |
