Fitzharris Edward 1648 1681 Popish Plot (1 results)

Hardcover. First Edition. pp. 18. Slim folio measuring 12" x 7.75". Rebound in modern 1/4 leather over paper boards. Appointment (license) leaf has been reproduced on old paper in perfect letterpress facsimile. Period numbered notations ("318-325") to upper-right margins of rectos, else, near fine. Corresponds to ESTC Citation No. R14804. See also, Wing E3717. A politically charged document from the height of the "Popish Plot" hysteria, which captures the interrogation of Edward Fitzharris, a Catholic courtier accused of treason for allegedly authoring a seditious pamphlet inciting rebellion against the Crown. The "Popish Plot", a fabricated conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates, fueled widespread anti-Catholic sentiment in England and Scotland, leading to numerous prosecutions. Fitzharris' case became a flashpoint in the struggle between Parliament and the Crown during the Exclusion Crisis, with the Commons seeking to use his prosecution to justify their anti-Catholic measures, while the King and the courts asserted royal prerogative, ultimately leading to Fitzharris' execution in 1681. Published by order of the Commons, the present offering was likely intended as propaganda to reinforce public fears of Catholic subversion and to bolster parliamentary authority. A significant artifact of 17th-century political intrigue and power struggles. …