Travels in England During the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, and Fragmenta Regalia

Naunton, Robert, Sir, 1563-1635Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8
Word count
198K words
Chapters
20

Tags

English Originals World History Historical ReappraisalPolitical AllegoryPortrait GalleryPower GameDocumentary NarrativeSixteenth CenturyExotic CultureSocial ObservationEngland

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Travels in England During the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, and Fragmenta Regalia;Author: Naunton, Robert, Sir, 1563-1635,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Dec 1, 1999

Editor's review

This Project Gutenberg eBook combines two English documents related to the Elizabethan era: one is an account of travels in England, the other a set of notes on court figures and government. Its value lies not in continuous narrative but in firsthand period observation, letting readers feel the social atmosphere and political climate of late sixteenth-century England through a traveler's gaze and a court observer's pen. The original language bears features of early modern English and requires patience, but precisely for that reason it suits history enthusiasts as extended reading; read alongside a general history of the late Tudor or Elizabethan period, it offers a more rounded understanding. As a free electronic edition, it is easy to obtain and better arranged as short close-reading sessions than read straight through; readers new to primary sources are advised to start with introductory material before entering the text.

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Reading tips

  1. Read a chapter on the Elizabethan era in a general history first, then enter the original text to reduce background obstacles.
  2. Read by section: start with the travel account, then the court notes, taking only a small portion at a time.
  3. Jot down unfamiliar names, places, and offices as you go, then look them up together afterward to build your own background table.
  4. If the original is hard going, read a modern English translation or related study first, then return to the original for comparison.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
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  11. 11
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FAQ

Is this a complete historical work? No. It is a compilation of two short documents, one a travel account and one notes on court figures; both are primary material rather than systematic general history. Readers should not expect a continuous historical narrative; it is better treated as supplementary source material, read alongside studies of the relevant period.
Can I read this book if my English isn't good? The original bears features of early modern English, with spelling and syntax that differ from contemporary English, so a weaker English foundation will find it hard going. It is advisable to read modern English or Chinese works on related topics first and understand the background before attempting the original; you can also close-read only passages that interest you rather than insisting on reading the whole book.
Which piece should I read first? Start with the travel account, which leans toward observation and description and has a relatively lower background threshold; then read the court notes, which involve more figures and offices and require some political background knowledge. The two pieces are relatively independent, and the order can be adjusted to personal interest without affecting comprehension.

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About the author

Naunton, Robert, Sir, 1563-1635 Author · English · 1563–1635

Sir Robert Naunton (1563–1635) was an English courtier and politician. Active mainly in the court and political circles of James I's reign, his public career was closely bound up with political life from the late Tudor period into the early Stuart era. His surviving writings are few. Fragmenta Regalia, a note-like work drawing on personal observation and court memory, portrays the leading ministers of Elizabeth I's reign, sketching their characters and conduct in a concise, vivid style; it has long been consulted as a sidelight on the personalities and political atmosphere of the Elizabethan court. Another work connected with travels in England records local observations from the reign of Queen Elizabeth, combining historical and travel interest. His writings are modest in length but preserve an insider's view of court life. Public information on his early education and detailed official career is limited.