[MR] History Blog: Censorship in Elizabeth I's Bio

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today the History Blog reports on a fascinating piece of "new" scholarship
opened by high-tech science in William Camden's "definitive" annals of
Queen Elizabeth I's reign.

His original manuscript had many passages and pages obscured by glued-on
patches of new text. "Non-invasive transmitted light imaging" has begun to
. . . uh . . . shed new light on Camden's original writing. It shows that
the pre-publication manuscript was altered to not cheese off James I, and
was either dictated by a censor, or was Camden's self-censorship (and
self-preservation).

Among the so-far discovered bombshells is a passage that accuses James of
sending an assassin named Valentine Thomas to off Elizabeth in 1598.

Camden's description of Elizabeth's deathbed naming of James as her
successor was also self-editing. The Queen was actually unable to speak.

Apparently this is only the beginning, as the annals are in several volumes
that are being translated from Latin into English.

The story is at https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/67980 .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Trying to keep Merry Rose relevant for 16 years.