CHANGING FORTUNES
John Cosin and his library
Changing Fortunes
COUNTRY IN TURMOIL
An expensive and unsuccessful war against Scotland, heavy taxation, failing harvests, and concerns about the state of the Anglican Church set Charles I on a collision course with Parliament when he finally convened it in 1640. Traditionally, the king held the power to call and dissolve parliament, which meant it only met when he needed money or support.
In 1640, that backfired and Charles dissolved the first session after about four months. By November he was forced to reconvene another session (the 'Long Parliament'). MPs, alarmed by his demands and arrogance, seized control.
Civil war was inevitable.
Although far from the dramatic events in London, Durham did not escape the turmoil. Two decades of disruption and oppression caused economic hardship, persecution, and destruction of property.
John Cosin was not immune to the situation either. With the Scottish invasion of North East England in 1640, he lost the income from his Durham estates. In March 1641, he was summoned to parliament to defend himself against accusations of ‘popery’ . No case was made but Cosin was bailed for £10,000 - a huge sum of money for that time. By 1644, he had fled to France.
Changing Fortunes
BRIMSTONE
& CANONS
Book of Common Prayer (Edinburgh, 1637) DUL SB+ 0842
Book of Common Prayer (Edinburgh, 1637) DUL SB+ 0842
Book of Common Prayer Proclamation (Edinburgh, 1637) DUL SB+ 0842
Book of Common Prayer Proclamation (Edinburgh, 1637) DUL SB+ 0842
Book of Common Prayer (Edinburgh, 1637) DUL SB+ 0842
Book of Common Prayer (Edinburgh, 1637) DUL SB+ 0842
Harquebusier armour, Durham Castle, formerly at Brancepeth Castle, English 17th century. DURUC.1924.15
Harquebusier armour, Durham Castle, formerly at Brancepeth Castle, English 17th century. DURUC.1924.15
The Scottish Crisis
Despite being ruled by the same king, the Scots and English were not on good terms. Centuries of mutual distrust and regular warfare were not so easily forgotten.
There were also religious differences between the two countries: in England, the king was the Head of the Church and represented by bishops. The Scottish church was Presbyterian and governed through assembly.
Unlike his father, Charles managed to offend the Scots at every turn: he showed up 8 years late to his coronation as King of Scotland, he demanded to be acknowledged as the Head of the Church, and he tried to impose uniformity of religious worship. The Scots were not pleased and it was not long before they rebelled.
Lacking in diplomatic skill, Charles marched north with an army, setting a series of events in motion that led to the Scottish invasion of northeast England and the occupation of Durham.
Naivety or deliberate provocation?
The Scots were not impressed with the King’s attempt to impose religious uniformity with the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. News about its publication had spread thanks to the printer’s carelessness with proof sheets and rioting started as soon as the book was used for the first time during a church service. The Scots rejected the book, and Charles.
Considering the danger of the times…
William Laud warns the Bishop of Durham of dangerous times ahead and advises him to arm himself. The date is 10 February 1639. A few months later Charles took his army north to face the Scots. This ended in a ceasefire with the King agreeing to Scottish demands.
Letter from William Laud Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth, to Thomas Morton Bishop of Durham, at Durham, 10 February 1638/9. DUL MSP 26/2
To arms…
This 'harquebusier' armour was designed to give the wearer some protection against sword blows and bullets. Named after the harquebus or short musket, it was worn by cavalry soldiers during the Civil War and after. The bishops of Durham were allowed to raise a small army if necessary.
Religious controversy in England
Discontent over Archbishop Laud’s reforms of the Anglican liturgy and his stubborn attitude towards non-conformists spread rapidly after the successes of the Scottish Covenanters. As the relationship between Parliament and the King deteriorated over the ongoing war, Charles’s requests for money, and the perceived influence of Catholic supporters of the King, rioting and unrest became more frequent. Charles was losing control over the country and Laud found himself increasingly at odds with the religious mood in England.
When rumours spread that Charles was inviting an army from Ireland to suppress the English parliamentarian rebellion, fears of Roman Catholicism ‘infecting’ the Protestant Church of England led to Laud’s arrest in 1640 and his execution in 1645 (1644 Old Style).
This is an uncomfortable time to preach
William Laud, A true copy of certain passages of the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. His speech spoken on the scaffold on Tower-Hill immediately before his death Jan. 10 1644. Oxford: Printed by Leonard Lichfield, printer to the university, 1644. DUL Routh 52.K.10/13
William Laud, A true copy of certain passages of the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. His speech spoken on the scaffold on Tower-Hill immediately before his death Jan. 10 1644. Oxford: Printed by Leonard Lichfield, printer to the university, 1644. DUL Routh 52.K.10/13
Peter Smart, The articles or, charge exhibited in Parliament against D. Cozens of Durham, Anno 1641. London: Printed, 1641. DUL SB 1590
Peter Smart, The articles or, charge exhibited in Parliament against D. Cozens of Durham, Anno 1641. London: Printed, 1641. DUL SB 1590
Disliked by many, Archbishop Laud’s persecution of non-conformists made him a prime target for Parliamentarians.
Since there was little evidence of actual wrongdoing, Parliament passed a special decree to find him guilty of treason. A royalist printer in Oxford published Laud’s scaffold speech soon after his execution. In it, Laud reminds his audience that he is the first archbishop ever to have been sentenced to death by an Act of Parliament.
He converted divers prayers in the book of common prayers into hymnes
Meanwhile, events were not going in Cosin's favour either. In 1640 Peter Smart compiled a list of Cosin’s wrong-doings for his trial in Parliament. Among the 21 articles are some familiar charges, all relating to Cosin’s perceived sympathies with Roman Catholic practices, such as excessive bowing to the altar (and calling the communion-table an altar!) Cosin was fined this time, and was later removed from his offices.
Worse was to come for the king’s supporters. Parliamentarians were outraged when they discovered Charles had sent his wife Henrietta Maria to her brother the King of France, to ask for financial and military support. In August 1642, civil war broke out when Charles raised his standard in Nottingham.
A few years later, Charles was captured by the Parliamentarians, but escaped to form an alliance with the Scots. However, the Royalist army was defeated and Charles became a prisoner once again.
Negotiations followed but by Autumn 1648, a small group of Parliamentarians was convinced the king had to die.
There was little chance of absolution for the crime of which Charles was accused: the ultimate treason of going to war against his own people.
A dangerous precedent
On 30 January 1649 (1648 Old Style), the unimaginable happened: King Charles I, anointed by God and Defender of the Anglican Church, was led to Whitehall Palace and beheaded in front of a large crowd. From this time onwards, no English king could rule without the consent of Parliament.
King Charls his speech made upon the scaffold at Whitehall-gate immediately before his execution, on Tuesday the 30 of Jan. 1648. With a relation of the maner of his going to execution. London: Printed by Peter Cole … 1649. DUL Routh 47.H.39
Charles I being led to the scaffold.
Charles I being led to the scaffold.
Royal martyr or Lord of Misrule?
Royalists were quick to respond. On the day of Charles’s execution, the first edition of Eikōn basilikē was published. Said to be the King’s words but probably written by John Gauden, it was a political and religious testament, giving his perspective on events. Immediately popular, 35 editions appeared in 1649.
The frontispiece that appears in most editions is full of symbolism, specifically referencing the executed king as a martyr.
John Gauden, Eikōn basilikē. Vel imago Regis Caroli. In illis suis aerumnis et solitudine. Hagae-Comitis: ex officina Samuelis Brown … M DC XLIX. [1649] DUL Cosin I.4.49
There are three crowns in this image: At Charles's foot you can see an earthly crown, with the word "Vanitas" or "Vanity" inside it. Meanwhile, he grasps a crown of thorns, with the label "Gratia" or "Grace". This signifies the king's martyrdom and his rejection of earthly glory.
The heavenly crown, inscribed with the word "Gloria" or "Glory", is the king's reward for his martyrdom.
This storm-battered rocky island, surrounded by a turbulent sea, signifies Charles's unmoving and triumphant resistance to the dangers around him.
The Latin here reads "Virtue grows under oppression": the palm tree - associated with Christ - survives despite the weight of the bells hanging off the fronds.
Joseph Jane, Eikōn aklastos The image unbroaken. A perspective on the impudence, falsehood, vanitie, and prophannes, published in a libel entitled Eikonoklastēe [sic] against Eikōn basilikē… Printed anno dom. 1651. DUL Cosin L.4.45/1
Joseph Jane, Eikōn aklastos The image unbroaken. A perspective on the impudence, falsehood, vanitie, and prophannes, published in a libel entitled Eikonoklastēe [sic] against Eikōn basilikē… Printed anno dom. 1651. DUL Cosin L.4.45/1
Rattled by the success of Eikōn basilikē, Parliament commissioned John Milton to write a justification for the death of the king. In Eikonoklastēs, “breaker of the icon”, Milton metaphorically deconstructs the image of the king as martyr by arguing against each point made in the Eikōn.
John Milton, Eikonoklastēs in answer to a book entitul’d Eikōn basilikē, the portracture of his sacred majesty King Charles the First in his solitude and sufferings. Amsterdam, printed in the year 1690. Cosin BB.5.46
Milton’s book led to an outcry among Royalists, which resulted in this attack on Eikonoklastēs by the Royalist MP Joseph Jane. Like Milton had done with the king’s words, Jane rebuts every argument made by Milton. Jane died in 1658, two years before the Restoration and the ban on Milton’s book.
Did you know? We have created free downloadable document and object worksheets about the Civil War for students to develop their analytical skills.
Changing Fortunes
MEANWHILE,
IN DURHAM
Durham peninsula with the Cathedral and the Castle. This was a centre of power for the Bishops of Durham, and for Parliamentarians during the Civil War and Commonwealth Period.
As the letter from William Laud to the Bishop of Durham made clear, Durham would not be immune to the effects of the Civil War and Cromwell’s regime. From 1644, the county saw several battles between the Scots and the English, with Durham at one point occupied by the Scots. In 1646, Parliament abolished the bishopric of Durham and started selling off church lands to the highest bidder. One of these was Sir Arthur Hesilrige, a prominent supporter of Cromwell and Governor of Newcastle, who bought Auckland Castle and the manor of Wolsingham in Weardale.
A humble petition
This is a copy of a petition sent to King Charles by the inhabitants of the County Palatinate of Durham referring to the pressure of dealing with Scottish armies roaming the land. The petition is undated, but the original was probably written in the early 1640s.
Effects of the Scottish occupation
Durham was a small town in the mid-1600s and the presence of Scottish soldiers must have had a major impact on the community. Parish Registers of that period record christenings of children of Scottish men and local women, perhaps not always the result of a happy union.
The parish registers of St. Oswald's, Durham: containing the baptisms, marriages, and burials, from 1538 to 1751, edited by Rev. A.W. Headlam. Durham: Thomas Caldcleugh, 1891. DUL SC 11472
Treasure chest
The tenants of Weardale Forest and Stanhope Park were not going to be cowed by the new owner of Wolsingham Manor. When Arthur Hesilrige tried to evict some of them, they took him to court and stored their evidence in this 16th century oak chest.
Hesilrige’s purchase
Bundle of documents relating to the sale of Wolsingham and Stanhope manor, formerly owned by the Bishops of Durham, to Sir Arthur Hesilrige, 25 April 1650. This was one of the documents kept in the Weardale Chest.
A humble petition of the poor distressed inhabitants of the County Palatine of Durham. Durham Annals, DUL MSP 25, f. 20r.
Weardale Chest, oak with iron bands, early to mid-16th century. Transferred from Stanhope Park to Durham University Archives and Special Collections in 1953.
Weardale Chest, oak with iron bands, early to mid-16th century. Transferred from Stanhope Park to Durham University Archives and Special Collections in 1953.
Copies of documents relating to the sale of the manor of Wolsingham and Stanhope by the Contractors for the sale of Bishops' lands to Sir Arthur Hesilrige (or Haslerigg), 1650. DUL WEC 36, f. 1.
Copies of documents relating to the sale of the manor of Wolsingham and Stanhope by the Contractors for the sale of Bishops' lands to Sir Arthur Hesilrige (or Haslerigg), 1650. DUL WEC 36, f. 1.
Changing Fortunes
THE FRENCH YEARS
Cosin witnessed most of the events in the British Isles from the relative safety of the royal court in Paris. We do not know exactly when he left England, but he was certainly in France by 1645. Appointed chaplain to the Protestant members of Queen Henrietta Maria’s court, Cosin was based first in the Louvre and later in the residence of Sir Richard Browne, the English ambassador.
Having left his first library at Peterhouse when he fled England, Cosin put together a new book collection to support his work. He received volumes from friends and admirers, but also bought new ones. Some of these he had bound in good quality gilt-tooled leather by a local bookbinder, not a cheap option in those days. Several of these French-period books are now quite rare, while others were valuable even then.
After the execution of Charles I in 1649, Cosin appears to have fallen on hard times. His pensions were cut off and he became more reliant on the charity of his friends. His health deteriorated so badly that in 1654, he was thought to have died.
Despite all this, Cosin engaged in religious debates and became acquainted with several English intellectuals. He continued to acquire books. His theological views continued to develop as well, with him discovering an unexpected affinity with the Calvinist Huguenots at Charenton near Paris.
Binding commissioned by John Cosin by the so-called "Louvre" binder. Q. Curtii. Rufi. historiae. Alexandri. magni. libri. superstites. ex. accurata. recognitione. Nicolai. Blancardi. ... accedunt. eiusdem. cura. ... commentarii. Lugduni Batavorum : apud. Davidem. Lopez. et Franciscum Moiardum., 1649. DUL Cosin W.5.36
Binding commissioned by John Cosin by the so-called "Louvre" binder. Q. Curtii. Rufi. historiae. Alexandri. magni. libri. superstites. ex. accurata. recognitione. Nicolai. Blancardi. ... accedunt. eiusdem. cura. ... commentarii. Lugduni Batavorum : apud. Davidem. Lopez. et Franciscum Moiardum., 1649. DUL Cosin W.5.36
Rare treatise on prayer by a Jesuit turned Calvinist in a 17th-century paper wrapper, leaves unopened. Jean de Labadie, La pratique des deux oraisons, mentale, & vocale. A Montauban: par Pierre Bertié, 1656. DUL Cosin X.6.33
Rare treatise on prayer by a Jesuit turned Calvinist in a 17th-century paper wrapper, leaves unopened. Jean de Labadie, La pratique des deux oraisons, mentale, & vocale. A Montauban: par Pierre Bertié, 1656. DUL Cosin X.6.33
Rare poetic criticism of the English Parliament after the execution of Charles I, dedicated to Henrietta Maria. It is bound in 17th-century black goatskin. Isabeau Bernard de Lagnes, Remonstrances aux parlementaires d’Angleterre, sur la mort ignominieuse de leur Roy dediées a la Royne d’Angleterre. A Paris: Chez N. Charles… 1649? DUL Cosin W.5.2
Rare poetic criticism of the English Parliament after the execution of Charles I, dedicated to Henrietta Maria. It is bound in 17th-century black goatskin. Isabeau Bernard de Lagnes, Remonstrances aux parlementaires d’Angleterre, sur la mort ignominieuse de leur Roy dediées a la Royne d’Angleterre. A Paris: Chez N. Charles… 1649? DUL Cosin W.5.2
Too good to be true? Thomas More’s fantastical island society. This is the first edition in an early 16th-century Low Countries calf binding. Thomas More, Libellus vere aureus nec minus salutaris quam festiuus de optimo reip. Status, deq[ue] noua insula Vtopia. [Louvain]: Arte Theodorici Martini Alustensis … 1516. DUL SB 0300 (formerly Cosin W.5.32)
Too good to be true? Thomas More’s fantastical island society. This is the first edition in an early 16th-century Low Countries calf binding. Thomas More, Libellus vere aureus nec minus salutaris quam festiuus de optimo reip. Status, deq[ue] noua insula Vtopia. [Louvain]: Arte Theodorici Martini Alustensis … 1516. DUL SB 0300 (formerly Cosin W.5.32)
Inscription by a previous owner, a canon at possibly the Cathedral of Saint-Spire in Corbeil (France).
Inscription by a previous owner, a canon at possibly the Cathedral of Saint-Spire in Corbeil (France).
Actual rather than religious fireworks written by the Royal Commissioner of Fireworks. The calf binding has a gilt armorial stamp of Leonor d'Estampes de Valencay as Archbishop of Rheims, whose library was sold in 1653. Francis Malthus, Traité des feux artificiels pour la guerre, et pour la recreation… A Paris: chez Cardin Besonge, 1640. DUL Cosin T.5.3
Actual rather than religious fireworks written by the Royal Commissioner of Fireworks. The calf binding has a gilt armorial stamp of Leonor d'Estampes de Valencay as Archbishop of Rheims, whose library was sold in 1653. Francis Malthus, Traité des feux artificiels pour la guerre, et pour la recreation… A Paris: chez Cardin Besonge, 1640. DUL Cosin T.5.3
A female polymath
A lady-in-waiting to Henrietta Maria, Margaret Lucas was married to William Cavendish by Cosin in the chapel of the English ambassador at Paris in late 1645. As Margaret Cavendish, she wrote plays, orations, and philosophical essays. Cosin owned several of her books, though not her science-fiction work The blazing world.
Playes written by the thrice noble, illustrious and excellent princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle. London: Printed by A. Warren, for John Martyn …, 1662. DUL Cosin W.3.19
Playes written by the thrice noble, illustrious and excellent princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle. London: Printed by A. Warren, for John Martyn …, 1662. DUL Cosin W.3.19
A meeting of minds?
While in Paris, John Cosin cared for Thomas Hobbes in 1646, when the philosopher was very ill. It is possible that this edition of De cive was given to Cosin by Hobbes to express his gratitude.
Thomas Hobbes, Elementa philosophica de cive. Amsterdam: apud L. Elzevirum, 1647. DUL Cosin T.5.57
Thomas Hobbes, Elementa philosophica de cive. Amsterdam: apud L. Elzevirum, 1647. DUL Cosin T.5.57
Someone, probably Cosin himself, has marked this passage about the unlawfulness of killing a king.
How many Kings, themselves good men, have been killed because of the one error that a Tyrant King may be rightfully put to death by his subjects? How many men have been slaughtered by the error that a sovereign Prince may be deprived of his kingdom for certain reasons by certain men? How many men have been killed by the erroneous doctrine that sovereign Kings are not masters but servants of society?
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, or the matter, forme, & power of a common-wealth ecclesiasticall and civill. London: Printed for Andrew Crooke, 1651. DUL Cosin T.1.12
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, or the matter, forme, & power of a common-wealth ecclesiasticall and civill. London: Printed for Andrew Crooke, 1651. DUL Cosin T.1.12
Apart from Hobbes' work on citizenship, Cosin also acquired this large paper copy of the philosopher's more famous Leviathan. The engraved title page contrasts secular and religious power in the lower section. The two powers are combined in the figure of the giant king.
By 1652, Cosin had fallen on hard times and started to negotiate the sale of his Peterhouse library to the diarist John Evelyn. The latter recorded in his diary that year:
I wrote to the Dean [Cosin], touching my buying of his library, which was one of the choicest collections of any private person in England.
To Evelyn’s disappointment, the transaction did not go ahead. Instead of a complete library, Evelyn had to make do with a single book by Hugo Grotius that Cosin had gifted to him a couple of years earlier.
Hugo Grotius, De veritate religionis Christianae. Parisiis: sumptibus Seb. Cramoisy…, 1640. DUL Cosin I.6.41 (purchased at the sale of the Evelyn Library in 1977)
Hugo Grotius, De veritate religionis Christianae. Parisiis: sumptibus Seb. Cramoisy…, 1640. DUL Cosin I.6.41 (purchased at the sale of the Evelyn Library in 1977)
"Ex dono R: D: D: Doctoris Cosins Decani Petriburgensis &c: Paris 1650"
"Ex dono R: D: D: Doctoris Cosins Decani Petriburgensis &c: Paris 1650"
By the late 1650s, the English experiment in alternative government was running out of steam and by May 1660, the monarchy had been restored. With Charles II on the throne, Royalists gradually returned to England from their exile on the Continent, including Cosin.
The exhibition continues below
Click on the middle icon to read about Cosin in the roaring 1660s
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