Overview

Neville and Moyle were two of the leading spokesmen for republicanism of the kind proposed by English publicists in the seventeenth century. In Plato Redivivus, Neville examines the decay of 'gothic' liberty and the rise of absolutism. He hoped to limit the Stuart monarchy in such a way that absolutism, whether Catholic or Protestant, would no longer be a threat. In his Essay, Moyle examines in great detail the causes of the rise and fall of Rome. He wanted to carry the Revolution Settlement in 1688 still further and secure the necessary conditions for freedom and prosperity which he considered had contributed to Rome's greatness and the neglect of which had caused her decline. In her introduction, Professor Robbins provides details of the careers and work of both these writers; she discusses their contribution to English republicanism, and sources and characteristics of English republican group ideas and the influence.