Synopses & Reviews
The Liberty Fund edition of
An Account of Denmark, with its related texts, is the first modern edition of Molesworths writings. This volume presents not only
An Account, a text that for most of the eighteenth century was recognized as one of the canonical works of Whiggism, but also his translation of
Francogallia and
Some Considerations for the Promoting of Agriculture and Employing the Poor. These texts encompass Molesworths major political statements on liberty as well as his important and understudied recommendations for the application of liberty to economic improvement, all presented here with editorial apparatus to provide historical and contextual background for the reader.
In An Account of Denmark, "Robert Molesworth famously diagnosed the causes of a disordered commonwealth," writes Champion in the introduction. "Unlike the reception of Locke, Molesworth's writings provided insight into processes of corruption rather than simply a set of prescriptive juristic values. In the Account of Denmark, especially, Molesworth established how tyranny worked, identifying the contaminating ideologies and institutions."
Robert Molesworth (16561725) was an Irish politician and diplomat.
Justin Champion is Chair of the History Department at Royal Holloway College, University of London.
David Womersley is Thomas Warton Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford.
Synopsis
First work originally published in London in 1694; 2nd work originally published under title: Franco-Gallia, or, An account of the ancient free state of France, and most other parts of Europe, before the loss of their liberties / written originally in Latin by Francis Hotoman, in 1574, and translated by Robert Molesworth in 1711; 3rd work originally published in Dublin, 1723.
Synopsis
The Liberty Fund edition of An Account of Denmark is the first modern edition of Molesworth's writings. This volume presents not only An Account, but also his translation of Francogallia and Some Considerations for the Promoting of Agriculture and Employing the Poor. These texts encompass Molesworth's major political statements on liberty as well as his important and understudied recommendations for the application of liberty to economic improvement.
David Womersley is Thomas Warton Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford. His most recent book is Divinity and State.
Justin Champion is Chair of the History Department at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Please note: This title is available as an ebook for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.
Table of Contents
The Thomas Hollis Library, by David Wormersley vii
Introduction, by Justin Champion ix
Editorial Apparatus xli
Bibliographical Descriptions: Editions, Translations, and Extracts, 1694-1789 xliii
British Editions xliii
European Editions xlv
Textual Policy xlix
List of Sources li
Further Reading liii
Acknowledgments lvii
An Account of Denmark 1
Francogallia, Or an Account of the Ancient
Free State of France 163
Some Considerations for the Promoting of
Agriculture and Employing the Poor 325
Appendix 1: Selected Sources Cited in
Francogallia 353
Appendix 2: Ordonnance pour les Rangs
du Royaume de Danemarck 361
Index 367