Book of Seventeenth-Century Prose

"A Book of Seventeenth-Century Prose" is an expansive and scholarly anthology that captures the intellectual and stylistic diversity of one of the most transformative eras in English letters. This collection brings together a wide array of prose works, spanning from the late Elizabethan period through the tumultuous years of the English Civil War and into the Restoration. By featuring the voices of major figures such as Francis Bacon, John Donne, Sir Thomas Browne, and John Milton, the work illustrates the evolution of English thought during a century marked by profound religious, scientific, and political change.

The volume highlights the movement from the elaborate, highly stylized prose of the early seventeenth century toward the more precise and lucid expressions that laid the groundwork for modern English writing. Through essays, meditations, sermons, and scientific observations, the anthology provides a rich cross-section of the century's preoccupations, including the birth of the experimental method, the defense of liberty, and the search for spiritual meaning. It serves as both a primary source for students of literature and a vital record of the linguistic and cultural foundations of the Western world.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.